Ulster cross-country championship week. This would be my ninth running of the Ulsters for City of Derry Spartans AC. The club has been really good to me over the years. I first ran the North-West cross-country in Derry in December 2005 as an unattached runner (unattached in that I didn’t have a “home” club, but I was running for Metro Aberdeen in between stints at university in England). Not long after the 2005 North West cross-country race I had a phone call from Gerry Lynch, Spartans club stalwart and a man who has become an absolute hero of mine.
The result of this phone call was that I was on a flight home a few weeks later in January 2006 for the Ulster Junior cross-country championships, followed by 9 Ulster senior championships over the years. I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve always managed to be in the scoring 6 for the club, and have picked up one junior team gold medal, six senior team gold medals, a silver and two bronzes. Some great days in Ulster, at various venues: Bangor, Coleraine, Antrim, Greenmount, and more recently Lurgan where the event has made a home for itself over the past few years.
I had a hot bath on Monday night to help my legs recover after the fast 5K in Armagh. I often get itchy legs in winter – whether it’s the cold, or the going from warm to cold to warm etc when training and commuting on the bike, whether it’s the dry air in the flat when the heating is on, whether my skin is just susceptible to itching, whether it doesn’t like washing powder or whatever it is, it’s annoying at best and sleep-depriving at worst. After the hot bath my legs were so bad I had to resort to taking anti-histamines so I could sleep. Not ideal.
It was a moderate week of training in the lead-up to the Ulsters: a rest day on Monday, then 4 x half -mile reps on Tuesday. Apparently the first half-mile was 2:18 but I can’t believe this was correct. Far too fast… The final three were more “normal” at just under 2:30. A swim on Wednesday night, a fartlek run on Thursday, a short easy turbo/bike on Friday, then off to catch a flight.
The flight was 3 hours late. Sitting in the airport for nearly 5 hours wasn’t ideal. If I’ve learned anything from running/sport, it’s that I’m fragile, especially when fit. Breathing stale manky airport air wasn’t ideal. Anyway. I got home late, got a late dinner, got to bed late.
Then it was off to Lurgan. I met the squad, did a warm-up, chatted and caught up with people. I felt decent in the warm-up, unlike Armagh. It was a nice day. I like the course, as much as it’s possible to like 6 laps and 12km of cross-country running. I really hoped the team would win the title again and that I could make a contribution on the scoring six again.
Both the ladies’ and the men’s fields seemed bigger this year with good numbers turning out. Our ladies took bronze with Breege winning the overall title. Great stuff. The men lined up. We were off. Within a couple of hundred metres, a lead group of about 10 had formed. I was just off this lead group. In no-man’s land. Decision time. Go with the lead group, or hang back…? I was never going to win this race today and I figured that a few of the lead group would be strong throughout, and a few would probably drop off. I decided to run my own race and hang back. It was definitely the right decision. The race stabilised after a lap, then each lap that followed, I was picking people off, one by one, slowly but surely.
There were a couple of dramas. I almost rolled my ankle on a section running over some tree roots. A fraction more of a roll and I’d have been out of the race, and probably out of action for months. I was lucky. I felt decent. Kept going. Kept making progress through the field, working my way up from about 11th to 6th.
When passing one of the runners on a tight section, there was a bit of an issue. He moved off his line, maybe to avoid a tree root or uneven ground or something. I was blocked, I was almost into the back of him, I almost stumbled. I had to tell myself to calm down. Losing a few seconds was OK. Treat it as a mini-recovery. I gathered myself again. I was moving faster than he was. Wanted to get past. It was such an awkward section to pass on, particularly as we were lapping other runners. There was a bit of room to the left, and I made the pass. Kept going. I don’t know what happened or how it happened, but I felt the smallest touch on my right leg. Very minor contact. I looked back. He was down. “Shiiiiiiit”, what to do? Wait? Help him up? It was totally accidental. I looked back again. He was getting to his feet. Seemed OK. I felt terrible that it had happened, if I’d thought I was at fault I’d put my hands up and admit responsibility but it was just one of those things.
The race went on. By the start of the final lap I had made it up to 6th place. The strength of our squad meant that I was our fourth scorer. Up to this point I felt great. We had great support on the sidelines, roaring us on. It really makes such a difference. All the Spartans girls’ team were cheering from the sidelines, along with a good few other guys fro the club who had come along to support, and my mum was there too. I’m sure there’s all sorts of psychology around support and positive messages. It all seemed to come together, I knew I was running fairly well and was later told that I looked like a ballerina running round, light on my feet and looking decent. I’ll take that compliment!
Wouldn't call this anything like a ballerina
After a couple of laps I heard “come on Portstewart” from the sidelines. It must have been directed at me. Who was it? Who knows that? I kept hearing it every lap. I recognised the voice. I was sure I’d heard it before. But where…? South Africa! It was Stephen, husband of June, two I’d met in South Africa at the half Ironman world championships in September last year. I’d heard Stephen shouting at me in the run in South Africa and it was the “come on Portstewart” shout from the massed crowds that meant I knew it was them. June must have been running in the ladies’ race before we started. It was nice to catch up with them afterwards.
The final lap was slightly tougher. The guy I had just passed had obviously saved a bit for the last lap and as soon as we started the lap, he upped it and ran away from me. I just tried to maintain my pace. Up the long, long drag at the start of the lap. Round to the left, then keep right for the best line, through a bit of muck and slop, batter up the hill, left and left again, then a downhill, over the wood chippings, along a short straight, keep wide for the best ground or keep tight for the shortest line, into the trees and trying to watch your footing, gradually round to the left, up the hill, off-camber, up to the top, stay strong, out the other side, down the hill, round the far end of the course, flat now, turn into the home straight, finish strong. Seventh overall. My highest ever placing in the Ulsters. Another team title, with our runners scoring 2, 3, 5, 7, 12 and 15. Fantastic.
The first person I waited to talk to at the finish was the young runner who had gone down after our contact. I apologised that it had happened, said I wished it hadn’t, said I felt bad for him that it had, but also said there wasn’t anything I could have done, that it was purely accidental. Very graciously, he was completely fine with it. We shook hands. “That’s racing”, he said. And that’s indeed what it was.
I really am very lucky and privileged to run for such a great squad of runners. The club and the people have been really good to me over the years. They really took me under their wings in the early years of my running career, and over 13 years later continue to inspire and motivate me. I only wish I could be more involved more often. Running for City of Derry Spartans in the Ulsters is probably my favourite race of the entire year.
I started out as a runner, kept getting injured, and drifted to triathlon because I got injured less doing it. My training nowadays isn’t really full-on running training, it’s complemented with bike and swim training. I’ve had a tough winter of racing where I’ve often had to curtail my training due to the frequency of upcoming races, to keep myself fresh. I wonder if I really gave the running a proper crack, focused on a couple of key races, did some really good blocks of training, complemented by sports massage to keep myself fresh, how much further up the Ulster finishing order could I be…? Another minute would have put me in the mix for a podium. I need to knock the triathlon habit first of all, I’ll try to do that this year but there are just so many things I want to try and do that just don’t go that well together. For now I’ll be happy with what was a decent run in the Ulsters. I couldn’t help but have a look at the Scottish National cross-country results, held the same day, wondering where I might have placed there. But for me, it’ll always be the Ulsters.
I’m going to be getting back into triathlon and duathlon in some form this summer (whether long course or short course is still to be decided). But I want to use this running form to run some PBs. I had hoped to travel to Aberdeen the week after the Ulsters for the winter monthly 3K race. I’d love to break 9 minutes. I’m probably in shape to do it.
But unfortunately, in the days after the Ulsters, I’ve been feeling worse and worse, to the point where I now have to admit I am sick, and I’ve bailed on Aberdeen. A huge disappointment. I wonder what I did wrong. Not putting on a tracksuit soon enough after finishing? Too long travelling (2 weekends in a row)? Sitting beside the wrong person? Who knows.
I’d love to run some PB times that I can say “those times are the best I could achieve” – I’ve never yet done that in all my years of running. What times would satisfy that? Sub-9 for 3K, close to sub-15 for 5K, sub-32 for 10K, 53 (or better 52) for 10 miles, and sub-70 for a half marathon. And eventually I’d like to run sub 2:36 (or better sub 2:30) for a marathon. In addition to my triathlon ambitions. I wish I was 15 years younger…
So I’ve bailed on Aberdeen, but I hope to shake this sickness off to have a good run at the UK inter-county cross-country championships in Loughborough next week (selection confirmation came through a couple of days after the Ulsters), then have a crack at breaking the Bere Island ParkRun course record in Ireland the week after that. I’d have said I’d have a decent enough chance of that a week ago, but now, I’ve had a horribly lethargic, sniffly, snotty, frustrating week. I wonder how much fitness I’ll lose…
Training done was as follows:
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