The SMH half was my first ever race and I'd done it once since...on both occasions it has given me a right kicking.
The first time Victoria was having to whip me to try and get me under 1:45:00 (to get a red start at C2S and failing) and the second time I had the ignominy of blowing up and being passed by the 90 minute pace bus with "Celebration Time" by Kool and the Gang blaring out of Simon Wolznier's loudspeakers.
There's no question it's a tough course though, and easily the hardest I've ever ran. In Pyrmont, especially, it seems insistent on finding every hill it can.
Anyway, I decided to race it because I happened to be off, but was not expecting too much of myself. Canberra was a disaster, on an easier course, and I'd probably let the long runs slide a little the last few weeks. That said, training had continued to go well and I'd ran a comfortable PB at Sydney:10. The plan was to attach myself to the 90 minute pace group, without Wolznier and his speakers, and hold on as long as I could.
That plan fell at the wayside right at the start. I lined up a little late, as I'd been chatting with Sam Keyworth, and saw that the pacers were all about thirty rows ahead at the red/blue group interchange. Looking at, and chatting with, a few of the runners around me and I realised most were going to be happy with sub-2hr. Bugger. Nice to finally say hello to Sachiko though.
It's a fast start down to Circular Quay, but conscious of my overzealous start last year I tried to hold back a little. Couldn't even see the 90 minute pacers and resigned myself to running solo. Realised I had Ant Brown on my left at this point, but running a bit quicker than me so let him go. Bit tough mentally, after what he and Katy did to me a few months ago, but tried to push it out of my mind.
Tougher mentally was the new hill they'd put in on leaving Circular Quay. It seems to me they take pleasure in surprising us every year with new hills. I don't know why they don't just do a course up and down the Harbour Bridge and be done with it. The sadists.
Comfortably passed 95 minute pacers in Circular Quay and could see the 90 minute flags as we set out onto Hickson Road. My pace at this point had been about 4:00/km (too quick), but I was feeling good. Went through 5k in about 20:15 which meant a good minute in the bag. It was at about this point I started coasting up to the 90 minute group...and a little fella with a small bald patch in a Striders singlet over a jumper. Neil Pearson! Said hello and he told me he was full of cold and struggling. Must have been true as he couldn't make Sunday lunch at the Lord Dudley afterwards. Anyway, it isn't everyday you get to pass Neil Pearson.
Just stuck with the pacers thereafter. Alana Plymin seemed to be the lead pacer and was doing an excellent job. I hadn't heard of her before, but she's a quality runner with a very low 80 minute PB to her name. She was running gun time and would regularly inform us we were 10-15 seconds up on that. Given I had had to make up a minute or so to catch them meant I had a pretty good buffer.
The SMH half is nerve wracking because you know no matter how well you're going there's always another hill around the corner ready to break you. Last year I fell apart in Pyrmont, but I was hanging on to Alana and feeling pretty good. Saw Victoria with the 100-minute pacers on one of the out and backs and gave her a little wave. Felt very sad when she ignored me.
Overtook Ant Brown as we left Pyrmont and followed Sussex and Hickson Road towards the squashed car. Suddenly realised I was running next to Erika Jordan and had a little chat with her. She was running it easy as she feels it takes too much out of her. Still, ended up ahead of her so another scalp for me. They all count.
Started to get the mental heebie jeebies at this point, as I knew the climb up to Cahill was approaching and that my race could be over. Just sat in with Alana and actually came out of it pretty unscathed. Ran a sub-4:00/km down the expressway and started believing the sub-90 and even a PB were definitely possible.
There's a climb from 17k and the chair undulates, so I wasn't counting my chickens, but I felt fairly strong and knew I just had to stick with Alana and I'd be fine.
Hope became certainty as I passed 18k and realised I could break to around 5:00/kms and still go under 90. It was at this point I decided to push on and leave the 90 minute group. Actually started passing people and put the skates on for the last 100m to finish with a 88:51. Just over a 40 second PB. Absolutely delighted with that. A good PB on a very tough course and actually felt that I had plenty left in the locker. Also "beat" Neil Pearson and Erika Jordan.
Some good results elsewhere. Victoria ran a cracking PB and she's almost guaranteed a BQ this year. Really happy for her. Jeet was pleased with his time. Whilst not a PB, it was a great return following a nasty injury. Mike Ho came out of "retirement" to PB and finish 9th. Incredible. And saw my mate Tom H running strong, also on the comeback trail.
In addition Timmy finished third in the Great Wall half marathon and Noycie smashed the UTA 100km! Also Taffy did a nice trails long run dressed as Winnie Mandela.
I celebrated with Olly and Giles over a Sunday roast at the Lord Dudley and then watched the Tahs beat the Rebels. Cracking day all round.
p.s. keep forgetting to add it to the end of my posts, but need it documented somewhere. $100 with Brie Miller rides on who becomes a consultant first...with the loser being the one who finishes first.
Monday, 22 May 2017
Sunday, 14 May 2017
Canberra Half (98:17) and Sydney:10 (39:19)
Canberra Half Marathon
Well, that was always going to happen. Just re-read my last post (and had multiple reminders of the messages I'd sent Timmy...from Timmy) and if that wasn't a perfect example of jinxing oneself I don't know what is.
Didn't feel great in the week before the race, but nothing specific, and otherwise felt I ticked most of the taper boxes. Woke up on the day feeling a little ordinary, but put that down to James Matthews fiddling with the air con the whole night (not to mention an hour of looking at his half naked arse whilst he stretched).
Warm-up was a little quick. Initially ran with Timmy, Erika, and Enda, before Enda and I did an extra 1km (as we both wanted to do 2km). Problem is that Enda's warm-up pace is quick (<4:30) and we got back just in time for the start.
Didn't go out fast, with my first kilometre being 4:26, albeit uphill. Sped up on the downhill and first few flat kilometres but, again, nothing ridiculous (4:14, 4:07, 4:10, 4:11) considering I was after an 88:00. That was the last time I would see my watch register a split even on for 90-minute pace and I was feeling it.
Saw Timmy and Enda (outrageously Tim's own personal pacer) just at the 12km turn around and Enda shouted that I was looking good. At that moment I actually had a second wind, was still ahead of the 90-minute bus, and was hopeful I might be able to hold on.
Tim reckons you could hear the blow-up in Sydney. Literally a few hundred metres after seeing them and I was goneski and felt like I was going backwards. Finished with an almost ten minute positive split and six minutes slower than last year. Pretty relieved just to get under 1hr40.
What happened? No idea. Maybe psychological, maybe physiological. Warm up was too fast and I have compromised long runs doing that before and I didn't eat/drink what I would usually do beforehand. Maybe just one of those days.
Cracking evening afterwards though, back at the Forresters, with Tim, Taffy, Birch and Jac. Definitely one of my favourite weekends of the running year. Missed Victoria very much though.
Post-race Training
Obviously took a big hit to the confidence, but tried to keep the head up and carry on doing what I was doing. Sessions continued to go well. A good example was the 4 x 2km session that I really struggled with just before Canberra. Gave it another crack and finished all 4 (previously could only do 3), quicker, and with only the prescribed recovery. Hoping that Canberra was just one of those off days.
Sydney:10
Kept a low profile on the run up to this race. Again, like Canberra, I'm in better shape than last year and was aiming for a PB, but wanted the "likeness" to Canberra to end there. My previous PB was on this course last year.
Got rorted by Timmy L. Accepted the wager as couldn't be bothered negotiating with him for weeks and was feeling a little bad for the six minute rort I had him with for Canberra...even though I couldn't cover it on the day. Also he'd agreed to give me a lift from the race. Bet was 80 seconds and, seeing as he'd run somewhere in the 37:xx's (despite his protestations otherwise) meant I'd have to go well under 39:00.
Strategy was the same as last year. Go with the 40-minute pacer and, if feeling good, push on over the last 2-3 kilometres. This realistically meant I wouldn't be going under 39:00, which I felt I might be capable of, but I felt I just needed a good solid race for confidence after essentially a year of poor performances.
Perfect conditions albeit no taper as such and had to get two trains and two rail replacement buses to the start. Plenty of familiar faces and chatted with Timmy, Leech, James, Birchy, Neil P, and Chris Truscott before the gun fired and we were away.
Fast first kilometre, and then a couple just over 4 minutes before essentially just running 3:55s thereafter. Felt good throughout and started pushing on just before the 7km marker. Nothing too quick, but felt good reigning in and passing many runners in front of me. Felt a bit nauseated with 500m to go, but sub-40 was never in doubt and I pushed hard on the track to finish in 39:19.
Great to PB, but also oddly enough felt a bit disappointed as I knew I wasn't right on the edge. Think I might only be happy with a time if I feel I've given absolutely everything and a glorious failure is more rewarding than a steady PB. Just that make me a masochist?
Lots of shite talked over two hours of coffee with Birchy, Timmy, and Taffy (most of which was spent waiting for Taffy).
Well, that was always going to happen. Just re-read my last post (and had multiple reminders of the messages I'd sent Timmy...from Timmy) and if that wasn't a perfect example of jinxing oneself I don't know what is.
Didn't feel great in the week before the race, but nothing specific, and otherwise felt I ticked most of the taper boxes. Woke up on the day feeling a little ordinary, but put that down to James Matthews fiddling with the air con the whole night (not to mention an hour of looking at his half naked arse whilst he stretched).
Warm-up was a little quick. Initially ran with Timmy, Erika, and Enda, before Enda and I did an extra 1km (as we both wanted to do 2km). Problem is that Enda's warm-up pace is quick (<4:30) and we got back just in time for the start.
Didn't go out fast, with my first kilometre being 4:26, albeit uphill. Sped up on the downhill and first few flat kilometres but, again, nothing ridiculous (4:14, 4:07, 4:10, 4:11) considering I was after an 88:00. That was the last time I would see my watch register a split even on for 90-minute pace and I was feeling it.
Saw Timmy and Enda (outrageously Tim's own personal pacer) just at the 12km turn around and Enda shouted that I was looking good. At that moment I actually had a second wind, was still ahead of the 90-minute bus, and was hopeful I might be able to hold on.
Tim reckons you could hear the blow-up in Sydney. Literally a few hundred metres after seeing them and I was goneski and felt like I was going backwards. Finished with an almost ten minute positive split and six minutes slower than last year. Pretty relieved just to get under 1hr40.
What happened? No idea. Maybe psychological, maybe physiological. Warm up was too fast and I have compromised long runs doing that before and I didn't eat/drink what I would usually do beforehand. Maybe just one of those days.
Cracking evening afterwards though, back at the Forresters, with Tim, Taffy, Birch and Jac. Definitely one of my favourite weekends of the running year. Missed Victoria very much though.
Post-race Training
Obviously took a big hit to the confidence, but tried to keep the head up and carry on doing what I was doing. Sessions continued to go well. A good example was the 4 x 2km session that I really struggled with just before Canberra. Gave it another crack and finished all 4 (previously could only do 3), quicker, and with only the prescribed recovery. Hoping that Canberra was just one of those off days.
Sydney:10
Kept a low profile on the run up to this race. Again, like Canberra, I'm in better shape than last year and was aiming for a PB, but wanted the "likeness" to Canberra to end there. My previous PB was on this course last year.
Got rorted by Timmy L. Accepted the wager as couldn't be bothered negotiating with him for weeks and was feeling a little bad for the six minute rort I had him with for Canberra...even though I couldn't cover it on the day. Also he'd agreed to give me a lift from the race. Bet was 80 seconds and, seeing as he'd run somewhere in the 37:xx's (despite his protestations otherwise) meant I'd have to go well under 39:00.
Strategy was the same as last year. Go with the 40-minute pacer and, if feeling good, push on over the last 2-3 kilometres. This realistically meant I wouldn't be going under 39:00, which I felt I might be capable of, but I felt I just needed a good solid race for confidence after essentially a year of poor performances.
Perfect conditions albeit no taper as such and had to get two trains and two rail replacement buses to the start. Plenty of familiar faces and chatted with Timmy, Leech, James, Birchy, Neil P, and Chris Truscott before the gun fired and we were away.
Fast first kilometre, and then a couple just over 4 minutes before essentially just running 3:55s thereafter. Felt good throughout and started pushing on just before the 7km marker. Nothing too quick, but felt good reigning in and passing many runners in front of me. Felt a bit nauseated with 500m to go, but sub-40 was never in doubt and I pushed hard on the track to finish in 39:19.
Great to PB, but also oddly enough felt a bit disappointed as I knew I wasn't right on the edge. Think I might only be happy with a time if I feel I've given absolutely everything and a glorious failure is more rewarding than a steady PB. Just that make me a masochist?
Lots of shite talked over two hours of coffee with Birchy, Timmy, and Taffy (most of which was spent waiting for Taffy).
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