SMH Race report

I had deliberately keep the run up to SMH very low key given my cold/flu and also pains after the 10km run. Eventually bit the bullet on Tuesday and saw my physio. He reckons in some ways my core strength has gone backwards, even though I have been trying to run faster. In his words "if you don't stop soon, your body will stop for you!". What he wanted was removal of high intensity stuff, returning to steadier pace running which would help the cores muscles regroup. Anyway more on that later, as I said to him, I understand but I'm racing the SMH on Sunday by the way!

So low key but I actually felt ok after a warm up on the way to the start. No running at all last week after the 10km so I was certainly fresh. I decided that if I was going to struggle I may as well go out fast and then struggle so the target pace was 4:15 min/km which would give 90 minutes.

A real good place at the start line and nice clear running right from the gun was great. Through the first 5km a little too fast (20:35, should have been 21:15) so eased up a little and hit the 10km mark bang on pace with 42:30, interesteing that this was 2 minutes quicker than last week @ SMC!). From there however each hill it was apparent that the legs were running out of steam and the pace slowly dropped accordingly. Finished up with 96:08 which at least was just under 2:30 off last years time.

In analysing afterwards I realised (like last year) that my prep for this race was pretty crap, only having run 120km in the 6 weeks after Canberra! You only get out what you put in springs to mind.

Everything is a little sore today and so a massage will be the go. I am also experiencing the same soreness in the rhs ankle tendons that I had after 6 foot, which hopefully will go away as quickly this time.

So time for a new beginning, I do not want to continue the slackness I went through last winter with and so have come up with a plan! Separate post to follow detailing my madness.