Blackmores Sydney Half Marathon

Penultimate half marathon of the year and the pressure had mounted. Desperate to get round in sub-90, but the Sydney course is a tricky one. Plenty of hills and more than a few 180 degree turns to zap the momentum. That said, I know the course like the back of my hand. Difficult to quantify the advantage that gives, but I reckon it's substantial. You know when to hold back and when to push.

Pretty much nailed the taper. Really eased off on mileage, kept the intensity of what I did reasonably high, carbohydrate loaded until Friday (including a cracking bowl of pasta at Chester White's) and then kept it little and often on the Saturday, hydrated properly, and avoided the Jaeger Bombs.

I credit this bowl of pasta with reaching my race goal

Morning of the race and we made our way over to Milson's Point on the North Shore to enjoy the pre-race build-up. Weather was perfect. Fairly cool, still, and clear. Got some great pictures back on the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Found the 90-minute pacers and attached myself to their hips.

The start tells you this is going to be a tough course. You don't quite start at sea-level, but about half-way between that and the Harbour Bridge. There's also a 180-degree turn to get back onto the bridge. First and second kilometres ticked by in around the 4:20's. Slower than required, but a tough start.

Running over the Harbour Bridge is a cracking experience. Opera House in the distance to the left, city looming ahead. Pace was increasing, but so was the incline. The race-start adrenaline was seeping away and I was already starting to doubt myself. I felt stronger than at Blacktown however and the course was about to enter it's first downhill section along the Cahill Expressway.

After the Expressway, there's a short uphill along Macquarie road before the race turns down Mrs Macquaries Chair. In the SMH half-marathon, this is one of the most sapping sections as you pass the finish line with 3km still to go, knowing the return leg is mostly up hill. Luckily at Blackmore's you cover it early when still (relatively) fresh.

Now it's down to Circular Quay. The hills of Pyrmont start to creep into the mind, and the pacers encourage us to push down the hill to CQ to build a cushion. We're well ahead on time at this point, by almost a minute, and I'm starting to doubt their strategy. "Feeling an awful lot like a positive split to me this, lads." Nonetheless I'm feeling strong and, for a moment, start pushing on solo ahead of the pacers. The madness soon passes and I fall back in with the group. Sub-90 is the goal, best to get there with energy to spare than to risk a better time and blow up. I was soon very grateful of this moment of sanity.

Pyrmont is tough. Hill into it from Hickson Road, hills within the suburb's boundaries, and a hill back out. It's all about hanging in , staying with the pacers, and thinking about the pancake flat final 4-5 kilometres.

The "pancake flat final 4-5 kilometres" is actually pretty tough. It is flat, but at the end of the race the somewhat repititve nature of Hickson Road can be draining. I saw Victoria at this point, running into Pyrmont, who looked fresh as a daisy with a cheery wave and hello. I grunted something in her direction and muttered something about it being alright for some.

The first pacer was pulling away from me a little and I was worried that if the second pacer did the same my will power would go. I was feeling it more than at any point of the race.

As happened in the Sydney Harbour 10k, I suddenly felt a second wind take hold and I started to reel in and pass the first pacer. Still conscious of how close I was to a walk of shame (at one of the many points I did the same the year before, albeit in the marathon), I tried to keep the pace sensible.

Coming under the Harbour Bridge and back into Circular Quay you're reminded you still have a good distance still to travel when you see how far away the Opera House is. Still, I was calculating the pace I needed to get sub-90 and it was comfortable. For the first time in the race I started to feel confident about making the goal.

Maintaining the 4:15 pace around the passenger terminal I was able to increase the cushion and begin to enjoy the final few hundred metres.

Gun time was itself sub-90, and the chip time read 01:29:31. Very pleased. After Bankstown, only a few weeks before, I genuinely felt that sub-90 would be beyond me this year. Shows what keeping off the booze can achieve.

Only Victoria of the "ICU running frenzy" attended and smashed her PB by finishing in 01:42:21. She'll be on for sub 100 minutes next year if she can stop doing silly marathons, maybe even start pushing sub-90 herself.

Next up? Melbourne half marathon to finish the season.