Hursley 10k

Today was the Hursley cross-country 10k event, an annual favourite which I think I've run every year since it started in 2007.  It's a terrific combination of a lovely course and very enthusiastic and capable organisation.  What makes it unusual is that it's essentially a glorified school PTA event... and you can certainly detect the IT literacy of the parent body in the sophisticated race website.

Last year, bright sunshine; this year, gathering gloom and increasingly steady rain.  Was it wet enough to warrant trail shoes, after an essentially dry September?  I reckoned it was, and thank goodness I did because for a good portion of the way it was very slippy going.  The trail shoes made it tricky over the tarmac and concrete track sections near the beginning, but they were a necessity as the tracks became greasy and rutted.

Busy start...

 This was one of those days when I felt strong and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.  I got into fourth place by the third km and stayed there.  Some more direct competition would have knocked a few more seconds off for sure, but it was a good race and I was very pleased with 38:30, two minutes faster than last year.  In 2011 I had an almost fallow summer, resting a chronically sire left hip, and by comparison, the training of the last few weeks really showed today.

...lonely finish

Here are the results and here is the performance data.  Next stop, Clarendon Marathon on 7th October.