Australia Day 10K, Penrith.

WEDNESDAY 7.30AM, 26/1/05- 10K

 

5 hours sleep. Got a lift with Dave and Luigi out to the Penrith Regatta Centre for their 10K race- two laps on the bike path around the rowing course. Pancake flat.

 

At 7.30am the temperature was 21 degrees and it was a very damp 96% humidity.

I went out a bit too fast- went through 2K (according to the GPS) in 7.50 or so. Should have slowed down (Colin was telling me to "put on the brakes") but I figured I'd already ruined any even pacing plan and I might as well see what transpired- either a massive PB or a horrible blowup.

Started to suffer a bit after 4K, went through halfway in 20.05, the GPS beeped 5K in 20.20, and then I wheezed into a 41.54 finish, which showed up as 9.827km on the watch, average pace 4.15min/km.

I like the course, but it's surprisingly tough mentally- it's basically 2K along one side, turn, 2K back, turn, repeat it all. Running 2K in a straight line with the finish line visible in the far distance through the haze is more difficult than you'd think!

 

Pretty happy with that, given how I felt recently, although a bit narked that I didn't pace it better- might have given my PB a shake on "equivalent" pace.

 

THURSDAY 6PM, 27/1/05- 11.5K

 

7 hours sleep. Ran from work and did the "reverse" Striders 10K course in 47.30- 4.45min/km. Felt reasonable going "down" but on the return I felt a little wanky, especially on the last big uphill- no doubt from yesterday's race. 23 degrees, 80% humidity. Probably a bit too hard, but what the hell, I'm training to run fast 10K/marathon so got to lift my average pace. At the weir turnaround my time was 21.08 and at the bottom of Scribbly Gum after coming off the hill was 35 flat.

 

I had to make a couple of emergency pit stops during this run- I imagine a side effect of the antibiotics I'm on- I'd been told this might be a sideeffect. I also wore padded bike shorts as an experiment, to see how comfortable they were for running. Answer- not too bad. I bodyglided one or two spots that seemed might possibly rub, but had no problems with discomfort, although I certainly knew they were there. Given the shorts are a lairy red colour, maybe they'll make me run faster...?

 

Decided I'm not happy with the NB856s. Not sure what it is, but it seems to be a foot for a forefoot striker- if you land on your heel and roll along the outside of the foot, it goes WHACK WHACK WHACk with every stride and beats the legs up after a while. So they're consigned to lawnmowing duty, or equivalent thereof. Damn NB for scrapping the 1220. My other shoes at the moment are Asics 1090s and they're quite good, but a bit bulky and, like all Asics, the heel cup is too narrow for my chunky foot. Anyone else got suggestions for a decent trainer in that style...?