National Masters XC

I arrived in Dunboyne about an hour before the race and after meeting up with the team, I ran down to the start area with Fintan and we ran some of the course together (approx 3km). A windy day and just about dry, but the course was cutting up nicely and there were already some very muddy patches from the earlier races so conditions were tricky enough.

I spoke with John Byrne after the race and he said that if you can get in the top 20 runners after the start, you'll finish top 20. Well my first error was to start conservatively and settle mid-pack - probably around 80th - and for the remainder of the first mini-lap there was nowhere to run as there was traffic everywhere and I was boxed in nicely...

The start of the 2nd (big) lap and I started to pick people off. I was slip sliding all over the place in the muddy sections and wasn't gaining any ground, but I could pull out some overtaking on the firmer parts of the course where it at least felt like I had a bit of speed. This was to be the pattern for the rest of the race - try not to lose my shoes in the mud, and then up the speed the minute I felt like the feet weren't sinking. The pace was up and down like a fiddlers elbow...

After lap 2 we had 2 big laps left. More of the same gaining around 20 places next lap. The breathing felt good but the legs were getting a real workout. I think someone called out at the conclusion of the lap that I was in 38th and with the number of runners ahead of me thinning out I had little room for improvement.

The last lap was another tough slog. I closed in on a few more runners and saved myself for the last 800m where I knew the ground was better. I ended up having a sprint finish passing 2 more people in the finishing chute to end up in 32nd in a time of 26:14 (3:45/km).

Clearly my lack of experience showed today. If I'd run a bit smarter with a better start I may have finished a few places higher but that said, I'd still be outside the top 20. I'd sum it up by saying it was good fun, but frustrating when you can't dial into the speed you normally have on the road.

Some great runs by my Galway team mates - notably Peter who finished 8th and Fintan in 10th. They were well over a minute in front of me and close to the winner who clocked a very solid 24:10 (Declan Reed). Looking through the results one of the runs of the day has to be Pauric McKinney who is in the M3 category and ended up in 2nd place in a time of 24:30. Great going. And an excellent run by John Byrne who finished 4th. Clearly he is in great form as he prepares for Rotterdam.

A warm-down of 1.7kms with a few of the lads to give me 11.7kms for the day and 87.1kms for the week. Not my greatest work today but great to be part of a big team event. Thanks must go to Peter and Brian for the lifts there and back and to the other Brian for organising the team.

And to finish with here's a photo that sums it up nicely: