IF you're a feminist, if you hate blatant sexism, or if you are a fast female runner, then it might be an idea for you to skip this blog entry.

You see I've got a theory about lady runners which goes along the lines that the slower the athlete, the prettier the female.

Of course, this is a purely subjective theory which has no mathematical correlation, but which through exhaustive research seems to run true to form.

Towards the back of a race field, you will find some absolute corkers.

Carefree spirits with an easy running style and looking pretty cool in their designer gear.

They may be slow, but they are pleasing to the eye, some running with Ipods, others running with barely a bead of sweat on their forehead.

That's not to suggest that the fleet-footed females are lacking in the beauty department, it's simply that in my research you will find the cream of the crop nestled neatly towards the rear.

On Sunday I had a useful run out in West Sussex at the Covers Cross Country Challenge.

The race starts and finishes in East Wittering near Chichester and follows a picturesque, yet challenging route.

It runs across beach, footpaths, roads and fields, and part of the course looks out over delightful Chichester Harbour passing some very luxurious homes.

The race bills itself as a ten-miler, although the GPS on my watch made it 9.5 miles, and it was a hard one at that. Running into the wind was murder, and picking your way along the narrow paths crossing fields was tricky.

I started off reasonably well, possibly a little too fast, but settled into a gentle rhythm.

By five miles, as the multi-terrain was punishing my legs, so energy levels dipped. I was passed by a couple of runners, but was still figuring pretty high up in the field.

And then at seven miles, I was overtaken by an absolute stunning blonde.

She breezed past with a gentle stride, and I decided to sit close to this vision in blue shorts. It was mesmorising. One fella came up on my shoulder running much faster than me, but he refused to press on.

"Might as well enjoy the view," he said, nodding his head forward at Miss Blue Shorts, who was working hard into the head wind.

The ground across the fields was lumpy, the wind unrelenting, but I got through this difficult patch by staying close on the tail of the female pace maker.

Finally, the long and winding stretch came to grateful end, and once we got onto the road, Miss Blue Shorts pulled away, and the fella who was pacing with me soared ahead in pursuit.

In the end I crossed the finish line in a respectable 69 minutes, a good ten minutes behind the winner James Baker from Chichester.

James, who tends to win local races at will and was victorious at Buster Hill the previous weekend, was getting changed afterwards in his car parked next to mine. He told me how he has made this race his own winning it nine times in the past ten years. "It's a fun race. I enjoy this one," he said.

For me, this was a useful run-out. Last weekend in training I managed 17 miles, this week was 9.5 and next Sunday it will be another long run in preparation for a series of important races coming up over the next two months.

With half a mind turned towards April's London Marathon, it's vital I am putting in the mileage now, getting time on my feet.

As for the most sexist theory in running, well Miss Blue Shorts proved there is eye candy at the front of the field and maybe the theory is a little warped.

However, it's comfort for me that as I get slower in the autumn of my running career, at least I will have something to look forward to at the back of the field.