Cross Country - "Lardy"

On the subject of sports, I was a bit of a lardy (and probably still am) and consequently I was crap at running. So I hated Sports Day.

Does anyone remember Cross Country Runs on Harrow Weald Common (up by Grimm's Dyke)? This would normally happen during the football season when the pitches at Bannister were deemed unsuitable to play on, because of ice and snow.

So Fr Louis would jog us up to the Common through a farm full of mud and dung. Run us around the woods for a while, looking for a suitable hollow full of freezing water. He would then crack the ice on the surface with a stick and suggest that we traverse the natural obstacle, up to our shorts. It was bloody cold.

I hated it at the time. But strangely, I have been doing Cross Country Runs for the last couple of years. And the freezing water is now considered a real bonus. I still come in toward the back of the field.
(Conrad Jepson 66-73)