Time/Position: 36.08 (59th from 109)
This may be the last time I ever do a race double header, particularly given that this was only 19 hours after the Dash. There was a time I could cope with it, but even at my best there was always an awareness that performance is compromised. I got to the familiar Oswestry venue from an open day with a few minutes to spare, on a dank, cold and drizzly afternoon. Unlike yesterday, I lost energy throughout the race, and unlike yesterday moved in the wrong direction, with runners passing me throughout the second lap where I slowed to a crawl. There's no hiding place on this course, with its steep climb from the back field and its deep, cloying bogs. My worst ever XC performance, not even in the top half of the field, but I was still (sort of) glad that I'd made the effort. I was inexplicably slightly faster than the last time I did the race three years ago - and on that occasion I finished in the top 25 as 1st V50. Two possible explanations: this course was a bit shorter, or conditions were better than usual today (always relative at Oswestry!).
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