Cross Country - two little words that spread fear and terror through generations of Britons. Visions of shivering kids in inappropriate clothing and footwear being forced to slog their way in sub-zero temperatures through miles and miles of ploughed fields, streams and barbed wire fences, relentlessly driven on by the PE teacher from hell with a sadistic streak a mile wide. Short cuts were religiously sought and jealously guarded, and many legends created around the lengths that kids went to in order to get out of cross country, along with the counter-legends of the revenge the PE teachers took when they were caught. The heroes were the kids that beat the system, not those that won the race
Now of course we’re all grown up and can look back and laugh, yet it would appear that for many their view of cross country is forever linked to those school years. Mention doing a cross country race now and they do that little involuntary shudder and look at you like you’re mad. Yet back then they probably weren’t regular runners and now they are, so why does cross country still inspire such fear?
The fact is that Cross Country is not just excellent winter strength and endurance training that’s easier on the knees and ankles than road running, but in my experience cross country races have an atmosphere all their own. Yes, people come to race, but there is much more of a sense of fun. It’s not all about split times and mile markers and trying to beat a PB – it’s about all ages and all abilities having a good time, mucking in together, getting a bit wet and muddy, and then going home for a hot bath afterwards (not necessarily together).
So what can people really expect from a modern cross country race?
Well the first thing to say is that most of you have probably already done most of the components that make up cross country, and are perfectly capable of doing it. If you’ve done a parkrun, the Maidenhead, Handy Cross, Marlow or Datchet summer 5k’s, or run the Flood Relief or Bear’s Rails routes, or done any of the Tuesday night sessions round the cricket pitches then you’ve run on grass and tracks. If you done a Tuesday night hill session or climbed the hill on the Dedworth winter route then you won’t find much harder than that on most cross country courses. And most of you can run 5 or 6 miles - we do that every Thursday.
The difference is that instead of pounding round the dubious delights of downtown Slough in the dark you can expect a morning run in the beautiful British countryside. Parkland, woodland, farmland, heath, hill, valley – it’s all there in the Winter XC Series, but with no cars, no exhaust fumes and no ‘humourous’ commentary from drunken chavs. Yes, there’s going to be the some mud and puddles to splash through if it’s been wet; yes, there might be the odd stream or stile to cross on some of the courses, and yes, some courses do have quite a few hills, but the majority of the course is going to be on a perfectly reasonable running surfaces and is certainly not beyond your capabilities.
As for equipment, well if you already run in the winter then you won’t need any additional clothing – all you need are some shoes that give you more grip. Most manufacturers do a trail version of their best selling road shoes, or there are plenty of specialist cross country shoes on the market at very reasonable prices – a quick visit to Mike Baldock up at Apex Sports will soon get you into something suitable.
And it won’t even cost you anything to run the XC Series this year because the club are going to pay your entrance fees. So all you have to do is turn up, run, eat the food at the end and enjoy yourself. What possible reasons for not doing cross country can you still have?
