Natl Club XC race, amongst other stuff

I have gotten back into a groove a bit more and it feels good.  It helps SO much having a group to run with and SR to run with most days - it really helps with the motivation factor!

So we had the Natl Club Cross Country race last weekend in Seattle - it was a good girl's weekend away!  The running was tough, no doubt - I wasn't sure what to expect, given that I have only run UK XC in the past 20 years!  The course was flat which suited me well, and the 'mud' that people complained a bit later was laughable given what I have run at Parliament Hill or any of those races!

The competition was stiff and some of those girls at the front were very, very fast (not like I ever saw them!).  There were 265 finishers in our race, and I came 126 or something like that - so goes to show it was pretty fast.  I felt pleased with my running overall - I did close to 6min mile pace, and only slowed about 10 seconds in the third mile versus the first.  I ran with SR for the better part of the first lap and a half, and then I lost her, and she probably got a good 20m in front of me, but I managed to catch she and HC in the last lap so that we could finish right close to each other - it was good to have them to chase after!

No mud??
USATF Club Cross Country Championships, Jefferson Park Golf Course, Seattle, WA; Dec 10. (c) Mike Scott 2011. (c) Michael Scott 2011.

I am pleased with how it went, and while it felt hard, it felt good to go fast since things haven't been at too fast of a pace much lately.  I have been able to get on the track a couple time with SR but now it has been frosty and cold and I fear that if the snow doesn't come that will keep us off it, the slickness will.  I dread the thought of being on the treadmill doing all of that stuff, but it is an inevitability at some stage, so I might as well get used to the idea now.  In the meantime, I will just get outside as much as possible to keep it interesting!

The rest of the move home is going well and while I am still not totally settled, it is coming along.  I manage to stay really busy despite not really having much to do, so I don't know how I ever fit in a job anyway!  That being said, I am looking for some part-time work to help out a bit.

Dad is doing pretty well and is openly very pleased that I am here, and for good, which makes me feel good.  We usually get to see each other most days and do errands and things - it helps keep us both from the mundane.  He has been put on some antibiotics as he hasn't been feeling super hot - lung congestion and stuff - so hopefully that will knock it on the head.  I am a bit worried since JM has mono and while I don't really mind so much if I get it, though it would be a huge nuisance, I worry about Dad getting it somehow.  But we are both fairing well right now - I am not even sure he would know the difference, to be honest.  But let's hope we can stay healthy (yes, it is a relative term).