City2Surf 2010:The Brain Vs Heartbreak Hill!!

6AM this morning and 20 or so Westleigh Warriors piled into 3 cars to take on the crowds and hills of the City2Surf 14km race.........freezing start at around 8 C but warmed up very quickly to around 17 or 18 by the end...

Here's a good video of the start

I started the race feeling very strong with little weaving in and out in the Green Group....hit the 4km mark at a pace of about 5.2km/min which i felt very happy with, kept this up right to the base of Heartbreak Hill, a 2km ascent......things slowed pretty severely then.....the feeling I have when I am running well is one of my brain being in charge of my body but as the hill finished lots of negative thoughts started coming in, ones that let me justify a slower pace than I had planned for.....by the time i hit 10kms i was running a 5.4.....from my finish time of 76.55 things must have deteriorated further from there to about a 5.5 or 5.6.......I really stopped thinking strategy and all my energy went to coping with the slog to the finish.............my finish time put me at a 5.49 pace...slower than I normally run 14kms but there were alot more hills than many of our routes...

This is how much the end hurt...

Looking back on it now Ive got some perspective, i was certainly disappointed at the end...my time last year though was 89mins and there is now a clear goal to get under 75 for 2011......

The Warriors all made it, special mention to one who kicked ass with 67 mins and to those running for the first time....the trip back took a whopping 3 and a half hours but to my delight my family was sitting down eating Lasagna when i got back and i had a piece the size of a small car....oh yeah..and four chocolate biscuits and some chips.....oh yeah..and some nuts, a Powerade....a coffee...

Two weeks now to the Pub2Pub 13kms race......last years time was 82......this year I aim to get under 70....a pace of 5.38...Ill live to fight again !

Bay Run 2010 Race Report

Nature put a spectacular day for the 2010 Bay Run this morning, a fast flat 7km race with men and women racing separately and with a special race for dogs and their owners. I was abit nervous given the fact that I got lost on my run yesterday with a friend in the Northern Beaches (a 7km run turned into 15).............after a quick toilet break behind a tree we set off, maybe a thousand runners....my aim was to run pretty hard the whole way, not at panting level but close and this worked a treat...at the 3km mark I was running under 5 mins/km and held this steady at the 4,5 and 6 markers.....the last km was a struggle, with the familiar "why the hell am I doing this" feeling which i think I ignored reasonably successfully...finished at 33.59 mins, a pace of 4.85mins/km, 70 out of 190 in my age (40-49) and gender category......this is my fastest time ever....either in training or in a race..so i was totally stoked.....bring on the City2Surf............

oh yeah..........I'd like to formally thank Darude for his inspiration...

Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon: We Did It !

Yes, after months of training and a rollercoaster of emotions the Half Marathon Marathon is finally over; and what a journey it's been. Five Westleigh Warriors met in the city at 615am this morning, some still nursing the last dregs of flu and chest infection, all excited and ready to hit the streets after a long taper.

The first obstacle was the spectacularly stinky toilets ("dont look down" says our trainer- but I did).....something similar to the scene from Slumdog Millionaire ! The second was the destruction of my second Camelback at the 6km mark (i think I bit through it) heralding the end of my use of them forever !

We took off at a good speed, as usual I tried to keep up with our fastest two runners but they pulled away at the first steep hill around the seven Km mark..... feeling good, only managed a few micro-surges but crossed the half way mark at a 5.5min/km pace......the elite runners lapped us at this point, the fastest grinning from ear to ear as we all cheered him accross the finish line......

Still feeling strong for the next four or five but at the 16k mark legs feel very wooden and heavy...I know my pace has dropped quite abit.....4-3-2 kms to go and Im in auto-pilot, nauseous but not disoriented, 2 cups of Gatorade, 2 Warriors speed up to carry me the last 500Metres and Im over the line...........

A great morning, beautiful view of the Harbour and Bridge......but feeling very weary now.....Thanks to all the Westleigh Warriors, Kristen ( my god...1 hour 50 minutes !!), Jody (1 hour 53, blimey !!).....the rest just a few minutes over 2 hours.....special mention to our trainer Christine for all the hard work she has put in to get us ready for a day I know we'll remember for a long time to come

Ps: check in again soon photos to come

Mother's Day Classic Parramatta 2010 8 Kilometre Race Report

Down to lovely Parramatta Park today for the Mother's Day Classic. We were greeted by a freezing 8C morning, one of the coldest yet.... 39 Westleigh Warriors showed up all wearing their red vests!!!! Lots of kids along for the ride gearing up for the 4km plus the half marathon team all jittery for next weeks race.

The race started off pretty fast, as usual I foolishly tried to keep with our fastest runner and as usual she took off in front of me at the 2km mark.......I was too busy watching the latin dancers maybe ?! After that i was pretty happy, no groin pain thank god thanx to an early warm up and was very happy to cross the half way mark at a 4.7 km/min pace, my best race pace ever (but it's a flat course).....great to be cheered on by the Warriors and my daughter who pulled out a great pace in her 4km.....

Second half went like a blur, felt pretty strong although slower than the first half..I ALWAYS do this even though i know your not supposed to....techno blaring (...duff..duff... dufff...) crossed over the line on 39.13....under 5min.km.....16th in my age range.......woohooo

The Warriors had a massive total of ten PB's .......one 2nd, one 7th and one 9th category place, three people fun-running for the first time and two who ran WITH the flu (probably the most heroic runs of all!!)............plus one very special mention to an 8 year old who ran 4kms in 22 minutes........watch out Warriors the next generation is closing in fast !!!!

Well done to everyone!!!...........now for serious eating