Victory for Highgate at the Southern Champs!

15M including 15K Southern X-country Champs (56th 54min21s; 7th Highgate)

A cracking day! A team victory for Highgate in the South of England Cross-country championships... our first since 1997 the cup tells us.

This was definitely my best cross-country race to date. Compare it to last year where I finished 116th in the same race. And in a similar block of marathon training to last year. I should hit 110+ miles this week. Really encouraging in terms of my progress. Let's hope I can carry on like this at the National.

It was a hilly but firm course. My main weakness in cross country now is uphill running. Lack of quad power perhaps. My downhill running is now ok so long as I haven't slaughtered myself on the preceding up.

The team performance was mind blowing. Testament to the great spirit at the club and the great sessions we've been knocking out together on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And also to Henry Dodwell's skillful identification of warm coffee-rich environments in which we could hide from the cold in the hours before the race.

Performance of the day? Shaun Dixon. 10th. It's his breakthrough year. And a youngster at a meagre 29.