Lesley Pymm reports: Well, the XC season has started for me with the Ampthill Trophy XC in Bedfordshire.
This is a brilliant course. A long 8k and quite hilly. It is great to get the opportunity to run the longer distance in XC as the league and other similar races seem to think that we women are a bit too weak for it!!
This course is in a really beautiful park. It starts off with a very small loop and then there are two complete laps. This means that the short, very steep bank that my selective memory had wiped out from last year is run three times. A lot of the course is in woodland and then there is a ridge where we run past a memorial to one of Henry VIII’s wives who was imprisoned around there. The marshals are great.
I wore spikes, which was not absolutely necessary as it was so dry, but I have some new ones and wanted to try them out before the league races. They were fine, but I did find that I was spiking acorns and running on them for a while! The local scouts provide hot dogs and bacon butties for those who want them. I don’t eat meat and was going to my sister’s for lunch anyway, so made do with the mini muffins.
I won my category and was presented with a really nice medal by the mayor (she had a bigger one though on a massive chain, and said she hadn’t even had to run for it!)
170th | Lesley Pymm | FV55 | 50:18 | 1st Female V55
Congratulations Lesley on winning your category in the Ampthill Trophy XC Challenge 2011,and considering that it was `a long 8K and quite hilly`,you ran a very respectable time. I`m pleased that you were rewarded with `a really nice medal by the mayor.` Your trophy cabinet must be getting very full by now,so just as well that your medal wasn`t attached to a massive chain!
Barrie Roberts