The first one is a 10km run as a part of the Brisbane Running Festival.
The goal for this race is to achieve a PB. The PB for 10km is currently standing at 41m07sec which is only about 2 months old. In fact the goal is to go under 40min which is a KPI for my season 2012-2013. It has appeared as a KPI for the last couple of years and as yet, hasn't been achieved.
A brief 20min ride to the start was the warm up. I didn't have any real expectations apart from having the sub 40min goal in the back of my mind. There was to be no 'bells & whistles' to this race, it was going to be lets just go out there and play it by ear and give it my best but overall just enjoy a 10km run.
It was very unlike me to go into any race with this type of attitude but this time to try something a little more relaxed and low key. I hadn't even looked at where the course would take over the 10km and would just take it as it comes. Very unlike me! It was now about just trusting in the training I have been doing and the hard work.
I was relaxed, chilled for the start and the first part of the course was not what I had expected. I was a little too far back from the front and had to battle through other runners to find some 'clean air' while this was happening we were winding up Margaret St and then down Mary street.
The legs were working nicely by about the 2km mark and the mind, body and soul were in a good place. Then the course worked its way along Eagle, Creek and Queen St. this was a good place to consolidated my pacing and anticipated and prepare for the ascent up and over the Story bridge. I was feeling strong up the Ivory St part of the ascent to the story bridge, the pacing wasn't varying too much from the initial part of the race, a good sign. The top of the bridge and then an opportunity to 'cruise' down the other side (3:30-3:45 pace). It was during this time to take on a Powerbar Gel (about the 5km mark). It was from this point on where the course flattened out and it was time to focus on getting into a rhythm.
At about the 7km mark it was time to did deep, the body was feeling the pressure of the need to go under 40min. Going under the Captain Cook Bridge the stomach was churning a little more than I would like but I wasn't going to loose sight of this sub 40min and pushed through the discomfort. By the time I had reached the top of the Goodwill Bridge things were settled a little more and it was time to push the legs, mind and soul through to the finish. I was just running by feel (and fumes) and there was no backing off the effort, however, I could feel the fatigue in the legs but it wasn't going to stop me achieving the goal. Running through the Botanical Gardens the sniff of the finish was pushing me through to the finish. The last 10km of the race was at a solid 3:45m pace and it wasn't at all comfortable.
Official Time: 38m 59sec
Another PB, this time taking a good 2 min off the last time a couple of months ago and finally have gone under 40min in my 40's. It has taken me 20 years of running to achieve this goal and to achieve it in my early 40's is a testament to the hard work and carrying 6kg less weight always helps.
Race Stats:
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