This is the first of what I hope to be a regular Coaching Blog called “Running Tangents.” I named it Running Tangents, for two reasons: one, I might well get off on tangents while writing this thing, and two, as you may know, running tangents across the corners in a race is the shortest way to the finish line and we all want the shortest route. This came to mind while running the Canadian Cross Country Championships in Guelph last weekend.
A team of four Longboat Roadrunners members Rob Campbell, Lynn Bourque, Maureen Mancuso and I made up a team that we entered as Longboat Men 40-50 (I know we aren’t all men – more on this later). For those of you who don’t know the Guelph course, it consists of four loops of two kilometres mostly over trail and grassy fields. (In fact, those of you that do know the course may not have recognized it this year without the snow and ice that covered it the last few years). There is one significant hill on the course, which means that it has to be climbed four times, including a final push to the finish. Midway through the first loop I realized that running tangents in a cross country race is very different from running tangents in a road race, because of the narrow nature of cross country courses. So, even if you did manage to find a tangent to run, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of difference to your time.
One of the things I have learned about cross country running is that there are no short cuts. It is a tough slog from beginning to end, over unfamiliar (some would say unforgiving) terrain, with more/steeper hills than we like, sometimes so muddy that we lose our shoes and yes, the trails are narrow. I have never before been elbowed in a race, but, like the futility of running tangents, I put it down to those narrow trails. So, given all this, why would anyone choose to run cross country?
Well, I have to admit, that I never really look forward to a cross country race. Partly because I know it will be hard, but also because I know I am not specifically trained for it. So, when the going gets tough, as it inevitably does, I can’t get through it by telling myself that I have put in many hours of preparation just for this race. I get through it because I am part of a team, and the thought of letting the team down is more painful than running up that hill to the finish. After all, as Lance Armstrong famously said, “pain is temporary but quitting is forever.” Cross country is one of the few running events where you can be part of a team, running individually, but contributing to the overall score of the team. It is this team aspect of cross country that I think needs to be promoted especially among the new members, so that we have teams competing at all the different races during the cross country season. There is also something refreshing about running on trails through the woods away from the honking drivers mad about being held up for a bunch of runners – again.
As the Canadian cross country season draws to a close, I would like to congratulate the Longboat M60 team that placed first in four out of four races they entered and the Longboat W60 team that placed first in the three races that they entered. Both of these teams won their age groups at the Ontario Championships.
Finally, congratulations to my three teammates who had great races in Guelph all exceeding their own expectations. Lynn Bourque 35:04, Rob Campbell 29:57, Maureen Mancuso 37:49, who came second in her age group. It seems that the National championships will be held in Guelph again next year, and I hope that Longboat will send a much larger contingent of runners to compete on the national stage.
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