SMH Half and Cheeseburger's Birthday

After a long night with a sick baby, I picked up Rachael and Charlotte and we made our way to the city. It is great being able to park at work as it is so close to the start line. I met Paul, Grant and Knoxy in the Gym - Knoxy was looking pumped for a top 10. Usually there is heaps of INGers running but this year there was only a handful which made things a bit strange.


We probably spent too long in the Gym and by the time we got to the start line, there was a sea of people - I forgot that it was such a big event. We made our way as close to the front as we could however there was no sign of the 90 min bus.

It took 30 secs for us to cross the line and after 500m it was pretty clear going. Grant was sticking with me, keen also to go sub 90. We eventually cam up behind the back of the 90 min bus (There was Eagle, Greg and one other). There was no sign of Horrie/Sub 50/Spud etc. The first 3 k's were done quite quick at 4:00-4:10 pace before the first Hunter street hill. Eagle and Greg took off up the hill and I was struggling a little. I caught up to them not long after. Grant succumbed to the pace at about 6k mark and Greg fell off after about 8k. Just Eagle and I left.


I found Eagle a good guy to run with, constently kept the pace up and did the occasional surge to get us moving again. We went through 10k in 42:35 which was a little behind schedule but not too much. I really started to get weary from 11-14k and doing my 4:15 times tables was getting me totally confused and I had no idea if I was on pace any more. I felt I was slowing and the sub 90 was slipping away. The 15 k marker came around in just under 1:04 and I suddenly had an Einstein moment where I could do maths - 26 mins for 6 k - I could still do it! This spurred me on to keep at it.

Eagle seemed to have a spring in his step and zoomed up the hill before the Art Gallery and he dropped me. I tried and tried to catch him and only managed to do so going down Hunter St ( I seem to be able to go down faster than him).

Went through 18k in 1:16:29 which left me 13:30 to get 3.1k done - but that included Argyle St! It was money time and I was struggling (avg HR for this k was 181!).


Eagle again dropped me up Argyle St (he seemed to fly up the hills) and I just told myself to keep the legs turning. It was good to have some CR support in Fats and Gnome on that Hill! I struggled down Kent St and was happy to see the clock at 20k with 4:50 to go. That last 1.1k goes for ever and I was glad to cross the line in 89:39 - woo hoo.




Good to see that Horrie and Spud got their sub 90's and sub 50 had a strong run as expected. Interesting that I didn't spot Horrie or Spud the whole way and they couldn't have been too far in front - so much for the bus ride. Great to hear Horrie did it on his Birthday!

Details:

89:39 - AvgHR : 189

5k splits: 21:21, 21:14, 21:06, 21:31

1) 04:09
2) 04:02
3) 03:55
4) 04:21
5) 04:54
6) 04:28
7) 04:28
8) 03:54
9) 04:12
10) 04:12
11) 04:18
12) 03:59
13) 04:04
14) 04:04
15) 04:41
16) 04:22
17) 04:22
18) 04:04
19) 04:23
20) 04:20
21) 04:20

As it was Cheesburger's 1st birthday, I had a quick rest and jogged back down Hickson Rd, had a shower and drove home. I was gagging to hang around for a beer but this will have to wait for next year.

Good to hear that Knoxy came 7th, and Grant, inhisshadow, Rachael and Charlotte also had great races. This is fast becoming one of my favourite events for the year - can hardly wait till next year.

After a quick stop at 7-11 for a donut and a coke, I made it to Adam's party just in time to start welcoming the guests - phew! We had a great time with heaps of food which was just what I needed after a hard run. It was just a glorious day. Happy Birthday Liitle Fella!

P.S. Haven't been blogging much as computer is not working at home