As part of the plan to build my running distance back up in preparation for the Oxford Half in 2 weeks time I entered the Cotswold Classic 10 mile race from Witney. A look at last year’s results suggested it attracted quite a fast field of runners, a fact VC&AC club mate Mary confirmed when I mentioned it to her. The best I was likely to manage at the moment on what looked like a rather hilly course was about 90 minutes and that would put me in the back 20% of the field instead of about halfway which is what I usually strive for. No problem, I just needed to remember my place in things – particularly as this would be the furthest I’d run for 6 months and I really didn’t want to injure myself having already lost a weeks training time to a shin splint type thing.

The 16 mile ride to the start was pleasant in the early morning sunshine and I took it nice and easy into the already quite strong headwind. Arriving with 30 minutes to spare I changed my shoes and had a look at the finish arrangements – we were to run up the school driveway then round 3 sides of the playing field before crossing the line.

Witney Community School has flowerpot horses (but no green men)

A last minute visit to the loo, an energy gel and a drink then we were sent off for the 10 minute walk to the start where I said hello to Andy who I went to school with a long, long time ago when he was the good boy up the road and I wasn’t. We wait and chat at the back of a relatively small field of runners with a disproportionate amount of fast looking young people in club gear then suddenly we’re off!

I try not to get carried away in the initial rush but still pass a few runners as we settle into our places. The course soon goes down a short, steep hill into Crawley but not actually the short, steep hill I was expecting, Crawley seems to have several of them. A sharpish up then we turn onto a lane and more gradually up and up, with the wind on our backs, for the next 3 miles to Leafield, about 100 metres climbing. I was pleased I’d done my homework and was aware of the length of this hill as I knew not to throw myself at it, a couple of runners passed my steady plod then dropped back as they realised the slope wasn’t ending anytime soon.

In Leafield we turned directly into the wind for a bit and realised the full force of it but soon we were gently descending making up a little for time lost earlier. Somewhere near the halfway water station I chatted with a runner from the host club, Witney Road Runners, who echoed what I’d been told earlier that while the hills to come were shorter they weren’t to be sniffed at. I’d looked at the profile of the course and hadn’t noticed much to worry me in the second half but realised that the initial 100m climb may have made these later bumps look smaller on paper than they really were.

There was indeed a bit of a haul somewhere around Asthall Leigh then the familiar climb out of Minster Lovell. I had managed to keep all my miles under 9 minutes so far though and we now had the wind behind again so was comfortably on target for sub 90 minutes. Most importantly I had none of the hurty legs and sore joints I’d experienced in recent runs and was feeling more confident about extending my distances again.

We climbed past the 8 mile marker to the water station at the junction where we rejoined the outward route. A marshal shouted out ‘only a mile to go!’ – I took that with the usual pinch of salt. Then back down into Crawley and up that same hill we’d descended 7 miles earlier. One of 2 White Horse Harriers that had recently passed me started walking so I took my place back, the other disappeared over the hill crest.

I’d been keeping an Eynsham Road Runner in my sights for a good while now as he seemed very evenly paced. I had no intention of passing him at this stage but for some reason he slowed right down on the final, slightly downhill, mile so I stepped into the road and passed him. We ran past the start line, then past the car parking field and then into the school entrance. I surreptitiously checked behind as I got onto the grass but there was no one close enough to get me before the finish so I just kept my pace and finished in 1:27:27 130/171 which I was very happy with, particularly as nothing hurt. This was also a PB, mainly because the only other 10 miler I’d run was the hilly off-road Chedworth Roman Trail.

The sea of club shirts on show at the start – Headington Road Runners, Eynsham RR, Abingdon Amblers, Woodstock Harriers and the rest – had mostly changed to a sea of vivid blue at the finish and sure enough I was handed a very blue finishers shirt. A proper technical running shirt not a cotton T. I put it on and went to the loo then returned to the finish just as the heavens opened to give the last finishers a good soaking. It rained on and off for most of the rather slow ride home but I couldn’t be bothered to put my jacket on so just enjoyed the wetting!