Things I thought about during: South Darenth and Horton Kirby 10km Cross-country

Yesterday, I ran the South Darenth and Horton Kirby 10km. Here are some thoughts I had:

1. Falling is faster than running.

I am exceptionally good at falling down hills and I don’t think that’s a disadvantage on a hilly race. I gained a few places and some momentum practically falling down a hill

2. I’ve definitely injured my IT band.

There’s a thick band of connective tissue running from the hip to the outside of the knee and if you overwork it, e.g. through increasing running mileage suddenly (whoops) then it can become inflamed. I felt sharp pains in my knee and hip the entire way, and I’m feeling it even worse now the race is over.

3. I’m really bad at opening gates.

I definitely lost a few minutes to the gates in the fields. I saw one guy leap over one and that’s when I understood that I definitely don’t have enough power in my legs right now. That’s probably why my IT band is so wrecked.

Overall, the run was absolutely gruelling and I felt severely underprepared. However, I was the 9th male finisher and 10th overall which is the best I’ve ever placed in a cross-country race.