Cross de Sceaux [7.2k, 4⁰C, 28:14, 42nd & 6th V2]

This weekend, I ran another race (yes, yet another running post!) on my other “home turf” (since Malakoff is also my training ground!), Le Parc de Sceaux. This was the 30th Cross de la Ville de Sceaux (lagging one year behind Malakoff!) and there were many more runners on the starting line than last week (500 vs. 127) and some of them clearly good. (For some unfathomable reason, there are women-only (3.1k) and men-only (7.2k) races in this event.) Thanks to a strong wind, it was deadly cold if bright and sunny before the start (after it did not matter). I managed to stay with a V2 runner for most of the race, except at the very end when he pushed harder and gained a dozen meters. (It did not matter so much as we ranked 5th and 6th, almost two minutes more than the first V2…) This was not much of a cross-country race in that there was hardly any mud on the track and moderate slopes, just a few narrow passages through which runners had to squeeze on the first lap, not so much on the second.) My time is worse than last week, meaning I miss longer distance training (which are not compensated by longer bike rides!). But this was enjoyable nonetheless!