A piercing run

at Piercefield Park and another of the Chepstow Championship races ticked off - although it wasn't my finest. At least, I hope it won't be.

My legs were not as bad as I was expecting them to feel but my inner groin area - I'll stop there. Anyway, it was a proper cross country course - none of this running around football pitches nonsense. It wasn't exactly fell running hills but you certainly knew you were going up - when you were going up. And wow! What a ton of Chepstow runners. There were hundreds!

As to the race itself, I set off a bit too fast. I could feel the groin - that's enough of that - but held things together OK. Despite the tired legs I managed to gain places on the up - my old killing ground - and then defend on the down. Things became more settled after lap two but I continued to gain a few places.

Come the final lap I was desperate to hold off the challenge of a fellow Chepstow Harrier. I worked tremendously hard on the final up section to maintain the gap and then with only a few hundred metres to the line, it was mission complete. I have no idea where I came in the field except that I wasn't last. Hopefully, this won't be a counter for the championship because I know yesterday's run affected my performance, but never the less it was bloody good training.

Then it was back to the leisure centre for coffee and cake - you can't beat a bit of cake. Whether my legs will work tomorrow is open to debate - I'm thinking not...