NSW Athletics, Sydney:10

A minute forty was the start Timmy gave me for this race. Brokered by Jeet, a fair man no doubt, but accepted a little too quickly by Tim for my liking. Seeing as my personal best time for 10k is 39:57 (ran last July) and he was going to be unhappy if he didn't go under 38:00, you can see why I was concerned. My best time this year was 41:12 (admittedly on a tough course) and I was having to run this race between night-shifts (which I reckon can add 5-10s per km to pace). Anyway, hands were shook and, once the alcohol fog had lifted, I knew there was no backing out of it.

The expo. Try not to get lost.

The Sydney:10 is meant to be a quick course, possibly even the quickest in Australia, and conditions were next to ideal. Cool, clear, and perfectly calm. There was a lingering smoke, from back-burning to prevent forest fires, which I mistook for morning haze, but it didn't seem to effect me.

Met Victoria, Tim, James, and Jacqueline in the athletic centre, where the race would finish, for a quick warm up and then out to a pretty busy starting coral. I found myself close to the 40 minute pacers and got ready for the off. Strategy was to try and stick with the pacers and, if I had anything left into the last two kilometres, kick on and try and get a decent personal best. I knew this strategy was unlikely to win me the bet, as there would be only so much time to make up over two kilometres, but the goal really was just to get back under forty minutes.

Gun fires! Just to tell us the start will be in five minutes. No false starts reported. Actual gun fires! We're away. Frustrated to find quite a few significantly slower runners in front of us that blocked me off a couple of times. I don't believe there were many newbie racers here and I don't understand the mentality of people seeding themselves so far up the start when they're going to run so much slower. Particularly when it's a chip timed affair. First corner, a sharp left turn, also causes congestion and I'm surprised to go through kilometre one in 3:45, just behind the two pacers.

The pacers separate here, one running to gun and one running to chip, and I push on to run with the gun pacer. If I can just stick with him I'll probably come in comfortably (10 seconds) under forty. Second kilometre passes in 3:55. Feeling strong, but concerned we've gone out a little quickly and a break could happen at any time. At North Head I didn't even feel it coming.

Little panic at the third kilometre marker. Looked at my overall time passing it and horrified to see 12:15. After the first two kilometres I should have been 20 seconds up, so 12:15 must have meant a third kilometre of 4:35. Broken already? As well as the pacers? The watch still reckoned 4:00 pace, so I'm not sure what happened. Distance long between the markers perhaps?

From here on ran well. The course is pretty quick, but not entirely flat, and is comprised of three momentum-sapping out-and-backs. Even so the pace stayed on target and I ran shoulder-to-shoulder with the pacer.

Passed kilometre eight just before the second run up Olympic Boulevard, had a little panic that I was so close and yet so far, gave myself a talking to, and started pushing on. Managed a 3:55 and then a 3:46 over the final kilometre, into the stadium and around the track to finish in 39:32. A pretty big PB that I was very pleased with.

Quickly made my way to spectate the runners still on course, entering the athletic centre, to cheer on Victoria. Came in looking very strong, finishing with a 4:14 and crossing the line in 45:10. Another PB! She's ran a PB in each of her four races this year, which is really helping to fund my New York kitty.

And what of Tim Lindop? 37:12, beating me by 2:20. Even running a personal best of 25 seconds saw me only get to within 40 seconds. The rogue.

Cracking run by Jeet, who did a PB going under 35 minutes. Like Victoria, he seems to be getting a personal best in every race he runs.

Whilst the team headed for coffee and breakfast I made my way back to the train and hospital to rest before the early-starting night-shift. Did find time to enjoy a breakfast for champions though......

Butter chicken