… I was a pain in the diocese, a heap of strife for my folks…but then I got me a faithlift, now I’m the man with the jokes…ho ho

My usual cross country capitulation was at Arrowe Park this weekend. After a tough week suffering from a chesty cough that had me sounding like a cross between an asthmatic pug and a masei water buffalo cheyne stoking, I was still hoping for a good showing at Arrowe Park, where earlier in the year I done okay at the multi terrain without really pushing myself. The XC uses part of the MT course and was muddy in places but nothing too severe.

The weather was miserable, cold windy and wet, ideal for xc! I was disappointed at the start to see a few of the PLS team we needed for a good showing not in attendance, this was made worse by the fact that the LRC and LRB were both missing key men. I had considered bombing off at 5k pace then clinging on but the boggy start meant I couldn’t really get any speed. In places were it was firm, I pushed as hard as I could but by the 2nd mile I was struggling. It’s frustrating that I fair so poorly on the mud but you can’t change your running style overnight. I was happy to see Neil, Martin and James up head and in contention, I had hoped to hang onto a top 20 place but really dropped off in the last mile or so.

Near the end my work training buddy Ian Landucci was hot on my heels, I heard one of his club members cheer him on so pushed on, just pipping him to 27th. Team PLS were again 4th, despite the great efforts of Neil Kelly 9th, Martin Swensson 4th and James McNally 3rd.

To add insult to injury, there were no showers at the after show party, great butties though. To cheer myself up I went to Aussie watch guitar ace Tommy Emmanuelle on the Philharmonic. Being a keen axe-man myself (Rai Mundo classical and Epiphone Sheraton fact fans) I’ve seen Tommy before and he’s a fantastic showman. Check him out playing his own composition ‘Mombasa’ on youtube, you wont be disappointed. I then headed off to the Grapes drinking establishment to catch the second half set of Jazz Confusion, surely Liverpools premier groove based Latin, Bossa contemporary jazz collective.

Their eclectic sound is matched by the eclectic crowd in the Grapes, which on Sunday included Basque Javier Bardem look-a-likes, junior baader meinhof types, dog on a string tatty headed women and jazz snobs resplendent in tweed trying to hard by reading the paper at the bar during the bands excellent rendition of Herp Alpert’s ‘A Taste of Honey’.

I’ll defo be back for more, maybe after the Runcorn XC to cheer myself up after another predictably poor performance!

Training for last week:

MONDAY 7 miles - 6 at 6:45 7
TUESDAY 4.5 miles easy am - track session 4 x 5 mins off 1.5 min (85 sec laps) then 5 x 2 mins off 1 min (80 sec laps) - warm up/down - 8 miles total 12.5
WEDNESDAY 8 miles - last 6 at 6:45 8
THURSDAY 4 mile tempo - warm up/down 6
FRIDAY xc steady 6.5
SATURDAY rest
SUNDAY xc warmup/down 7

TOTAL 47