Wednesday 16 May 2012

Mother's Day Classic fun run

On Mother's Day I headed up to Sydney to compete in another road running race. The race site was at a similar location to that of the Sydney ITU triathlon earlier this year. The event itself comprised of a 4km/8km run and a 4km/8km walk, all event proceeds going towards the Breast Cancer Foundation so it was good to see so many people out there on Mother's Day morning and getting there pink clothing on. I entered the 8km run, the course was fairly flat with a few lumps but nothing major and was 2 laps. The 8km run event saw over 3000 people lined up at the start, it was surprising how many were actually there.

There were a few keen competitors in the first couple of rows so I ensured I had a good spot on the front line for a clean start. Race started right on 08:10 and the field was off. Good start, straight into the lead pack of about 10 competitors, one guy went off the front but only managed to hang out there for a km. The pace was kept pretty even, after about 3km the pack had split up, I was now leading with another guy right on my heels and the next group back was about 70m behind. The gap between us and the pack behind kept increasing, 6km had gone and I was now chasing the guy in front. There was not a lot between us but he managed to make a gap. Half way through the second lap we started lapping the rest of the field, it wasn't too bad at the tail end but as I entered the gardens, it got a bit hectic trying to dodge and weave through everyone. The guy in front now had about a 50m lead and was lucky to have the motorbike clear his path, I started to make up a bit of ground but near the hairpin corner for the finishing straight it was like stopped traffic and had to start running on the other side of the road and make a quick dash through the foot traffic around the hairpin corner and down the finishing straight. I sprinted for the last 200m to make up a few seconds and crossed the line in 2nd place not too far behind first.

Pretty happy with the run, felt composed throughout the whole race and was able to place 2nd overall and 1st in the U18 with a time of 26:25 for 8km (although course actually measured 150m over). I was glad I got myself a pair of Injinji socks early in the week to help with the recovery of the blisters from Sydney10 run. These were great as I was able to train all week and race comfortably on the day with them on.

Monday 7 May 2012

Sydney: 10 Run

On Sunday I competed in the Sydney: 10 running race out at Homebush (Sydney Olympic Park). It was an early start at 0745 in which I arrived at 0630 to ensure I registered and allowed for enough time for proper warm-up as the weather was fairly cool. This course is renowned for its fast times and flat profile as last year I had one of my best runs in the same race. The conditions were ideal, hardly a breath of wind and cool temperatures. It was another big turn out for the 10km run having just under 500 runners line up for the start. The course was 2 laps with 2 minor rises each lap and road all the way.

Bit of a hectic start having a line about 50m wide and 6 or so rows deep but was lucky to get a clean start to the race. The start pace was a bit more relaxed than usual no speedy guys trying to make a break early. After about a km the pack was spread out, the main group ahead of me consisted of about 15 guys and the pack I was with had roughly the same. I was feeling pretty comfortable and confident for a good race ahead. First lap was over and still feeling good, as I ran around the U-turn I noticed that I had done the first 5km in under 16:00min now wishing I had not gone out this hard as I may not be able to hold it. The group had spread out even more now, I was now running with a pack of 5 and the legs started to burn a bit. The slight incline did not help. Finally in the last km of the race, I started to put on the pace as I had one not too far in front so my goal was to catch him. We went off the main road towards the finishing straight, I was right behind him but  he heard me coming and was just able to out sprint me.

Really happy with the race, placed 34th out of 498 competitors and 3rd in U20 with a time of 33:25. Definitely need to sort out my shoes as I finished the race with some nasty blisters that will take time to heal.