With a busy saturday ahead and after a hastily negotiated last minute leave pass was approved by mother, I set out out at 7.00am for a very swift lap of the bay. When I run at this time I get to do an anticlockwise lap which makes a nice change as I invariably run clockwise in the dark. Gaining said leave pass was right up there with the sucessful Douglas Wood release negotiations - unexpected however an excellent outcome. Senior Management however was very mindful to be seen as not just caving in to the whims of middle management and stipulated that middle management returned to normal duties by 8.00am! So I had to hit the road running, literally. I was very mindful of my injury (that has since been diagnosed as an abucter strain) but settled into a pace that was comfortable but not too far off uncomfortable. I am very competitive against the clock so whilst I took splits I didnt look as I didnt want do anything stupid. So i was really please to stop the watch in 28.10, as this was run with what felt like an extra gear left.
Sunday morning loomed cold and wet but I was really looking forward to this mornings star as it takes in a lot of runs I do during the week. The sunday stars also really highlight why you run with a club like the striders. This is a long run you just wouldnt attempt if you were heading out solo, too tough. I also have seen parts of Sydney that I never knew existed, we really are blessed with some magnificent locations.
This morning didnt get off to a great start, our fridge was literally threadbare because we hadnt had a chance to go shopping on a busy saturday. We had 4 slices of bread and enough milk for one bowl of cereal and not a single piece of fruit. I left this for the girls, so I hit the road with a glass of juice and a mini mars bar on board...breakfast of champions!
I really enjoyed the company this morning. The run takes your through North Sydney, past Cammeray Golf Course, up through St Leonards and a roller coaster ride through the Lane Cove side of the lower north shore. I felt really comfortable for the most part of this run as it felt quite familiar. However after getting a little directionally challenged in Longueville I started to slip slowly climbing out of Greenwich. I was holding up okay running with (?) and as we headed back down the hill to Berry Head we managed to pick up again Sue K and Sawdust who had got away from the main group through the trails around Iggys/Tamborine Bay.
But as soon as we got to Berry Head the group really gave me a lesson on how to run on trails. I am not sure how the lesson went though because before I knew it they were out of sight!
The climb out of Berry Head to Wollstonecraft was murder, a very tough hill at the best of times but 27kms in, ouch. I managed to fall about 50 mtres behind the others after the trail section but got back to David (Sawdust) as we started winding through the back of Waverton/ Wollstonecroft.
Mentally I had switched off a little as I knew the worst of the climbs was over and the finish was in sight. However when we got to Balls Head, Sawdust called Sue and (?) onto the trail instead of the road. This really threw me and once on the trail the group again were away from me within a blink and I did not see them until the finish, which was thankfully only around 500 metres away. I finished off running back with James M who like me was quite happy to see the back of that run.
What this run and in particular the last 5 or so kms told me was that to run a good marathon you cannot switch off at the pointy end. You must be relaxed but not lose focus. If something doesnt go to plan, you must have the mental capabilities and fortitude to hang tough then go to plan B. Talk is very cheap however, it is putting this into practice when you are in a world of pain that counts. For me this is the last piece of the puzzle in relation to the marathon, but its a bloody tough piece!
For the record officially 29.6kms in in 2.36 including all stops, but probably another 500 metres or so with wrong turns and the bush track section at the end. One of the toughest runs I have done in some time, including the Bobbin Head run the previous week.
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2 comments:
Well done Nick, that STaR does tend to sneak up on you and has a particularly hard second half.
I think what you are calling Bradley's Head is actually Berry Island, the climb out of there back to Wollstonecraft at around 27/28km is a real shocker.
Good to see/hear that it seems the injury was not that significant.
You're right about that course being tougher than Bobbin Head Nick. You are constantly going up and down hills throughout the second half of the run. Good to see you hang tough and get through it.
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