City to Surf - RunOther

So I was completely soaked before the race even started that wasn't so bad as it wasn't overly cold once you were moving, the wind made it tough though, it was hard work into the wind pretty much the entire run. I just sucked it up and really I've been running and riding in this kind of weather alot recently so just got on with things.

the starters gun went off and off we went, ok off we went for 2 steps and then had to stop till the crowd thinned out, we made it over the starting line and were on our way a good 5 mins after the starters gun went off. the plan was to pace myself up the first hill out of the city, its a killer hill and alot of people go too hard up that hill and suffer for the rest of the run. I think I did go up it a bit too fast but its hard to hold it back with everyone else around. spent the first 3 or 4 k's dodging and ducking around people. I was very pleased with myself when I got to the 2k marker on exactly 10mins! my first 2 k's were 5min k's!! I knew i'd gone a bit too fast up that hill at that point and tried to pull back the pace a little bit knowing there was a long way to go and 2 more big hills. settled into as steady a rythym as you can get when you have to dodge people.

I really loved this race today! it was horrible weather but there's just so much to look at so many different people from all walks of life. ran passed a Zebra (this chick was in a full zebra costume mask and tail included, it was like polar fleece material and would have been incredibly difficult to run in completely soaking wet, then ran passed a man in green lycra body suit pushing a pusher with a foam crocodile costume thing on his back, I swear with the rain he must have added a good 20kg's on his back it would have been like a sponge soaking up all the rain) many many more costumes but they were the ones that stuck in my head.

there were plenty of drink stations along the way but I was really running in a good rythym and it was hard to get to them with that amount of people so I only grabbed one cup of water. but to be honest I think it was that cool that it didn't make too much difference.

I ran up the second hill and felt quite strong, made it to the 4k's checked my time and was trying hard to figure out if I could make it under 65mins, my maths just doesn't work when I'm doing long stuff, I figured I needed to up the pace if I was going to make it. so I surprised myself and actually did up the pace, got to that last hill and the wind and realised I was running faster but wasn't going to make the 65mins but just pushed as hard as I could, flew down the other side of the hill and made it to the oval, they've changed the finish line and we had to run down a really steep bank to the oval that just about killed my legs and I sprinted to the finish line, 67mins!! well happy with that

Run faster,

wandered aimlessly for a little bit till I found people I knew, headed to a friends work tent and got a bit of cover under there, headed to my car picked up my warm dry fleece jumper and tried to warm up. headed back to the friends work tent and joined their sausage sizzle (oh its good being in the right place at the right time) wandered around and found a few people to chat too and then decided it was way way too cold to hang around so headed home to a hot shower


lack of running ability, the weather. what helped was running angry! was playing out the argument in my head a few times that defintely helped :)


I am really proud of this race, I'm not a runner and will never be a runner but 3 years ago I did the city to surf, that was my longest run ever and I ended up with a badly injured hamstring, I'd done probably 5k's training longest run at that time. I finished it in 1 hour 20mins and that just about killed me.
Cut to the present, I ran this faster then I normally run but still within my ability, I mostly felt comfortable running and I also felt like I could have kept running, (as in it didn't feel like a long way, all the way there I was going right you've made it to subi you are so almost there not far to go now. normally I'm like oh my god this is such a long way I will never get there)
I did have a few holy crap this is only 12k's no way you'll ever be able to run 42k's!