e.t. fingers

made it. hmmm. when they said happy valley i was expecting to be over to the left - or was it right - where we used to race county championships, not up on this unhappy ridge, again. ran here once before. few races more wind and rain swept. in fact, none. now for the most frozen race ever. looks like the place has been in the freezer for the last two years.

mile long trek from car park end to race start end is put off for ten minutes. no point in four team members freezing to death before it's absolutely necessary.

trek becomes warm up jog. frost is undeniably beautiful. amazing bushes, all e.t. fingers made entirely from frost.

unsurprisingly others have arrived before us. our club rug is half covered with bags, our banner proudly shivering. soon there’s enough of us for a full team of ten. someone says it has to be spikes as its slippery and snowy in the valley. i’ve decided this already although spikes will equal pain. pin on number, put on spikes, go for skittish warm up. spikes feel absurd on frozen ground. so stiff, seems i over-stretched yesterday, making it worse. nothing to be done, this could be crap.

‘five minutes to go’ call is given. fiddle with spikes. lose a few layers. look around at what others are wearing. some like ben only in vest and shorts. he has no gloves and isn’t bothered. i have two pairs of gloves and thermal top under vest. they’re not for me but reckon leggings would be ideal. knees strangely pink. fact is, muscles work best when warm and that is that.

the start. side of ridge. long diagonal climb ahead. quick warning about rutty, slippery woods and then the whistle is blown. no one’s going mad. there’s no one in front of me, which is mad. know it won’t last but feel good. few ahead now. still very easy, hardly breathing, unlike those passing me. typical. start to feel scrabble stiffness in hips and shoulders and back. know it will get worse as that’s what it does. runners are well spread out as we cross ridge at car park end. hopelessly doddery around sharp turn that takes us on towards woods. right to left camber kills my right achilles. firm compacted snow underfoot as we dive through woods. not rutty. steep downhill into bottom of snowy v-shaped valley. recognise this as part of old happy valley course. ran it in the snow then. slightly slippery here, it’s like running through tate modern. time to climb out. not bad, diagonal, bit crowded. unexpected extra bit of climbing after coming out of woods. low point. thighs burning. got to do this again. now its back along other side of ridge. wind behind, thank you. high point. stomach cramp, brilliant, wouldn’t want this to be enjoyable. back across road that runs along ridge. car is being held by marshals, feel unusually thankful, hold up hand. back through the start. wow, they’re reading out our times. not used to this with cross country, thanks. 15.04. expect to be much slower on second lap. just keep going. positions more or less settled now. 30 something, damn. could be worse. camber, woods, valley are awful. stiffness gripping everywhere. spike plate is pressing into ball of foot. agony. manage climb. relative relief as begin wind assisted mile back along ridge. but have to speed up now. so battered, so icy, hard to keep balance. unambivalent, enthusiastic encouragement from club member is real push. not long to suffer. ‘500 metres to go’ shouts someone to someone behind. close to sprinting now. sprinting now. 300 I would’ve said. joy, held on. at finishing funnel marshal says ‘41’ to other marshal. crushed. 30 something surely. doesn’t matter. our cause is hopeless, we will be relegated. shame, the top division is where the action is, where they read out your lap time, and is more competitive than any county championship. team mate suggests 41 meant 30.41. good, didn’t slow too much.

before, during and after the race there seems to be an interesting atmosphere. a same boat thing. runners are slightly quieter, perhaps. less pushy. supporters encourage everyone. unlike last time no car drivers throw punches at marshals, or was it the other way round. it’s cool and the best thing about the day. worst thing is hanging around afterwards as temperature drops and hands freeze. despite three pairs of gloves.