Thursday 13 September 2007

Going The Distance

Posted by speedygeoff on Thursday, September 13, 2007 with
"Winning isn't always victory, losing isn't always defeat."

In yesterday's BBQ Stakes, I ran 25:58, another one minute improvement, approaching the times I was running earlier this year. Roger was 29:39, obviously not too well. Actually I didn't feel that flash either. Helen wasn't there, she would be getting the timing right for Sunday's 10k Fun Run, and Charlie wasn't there either, she is in Hong Kong and will miss Sunday's run.

Each year when the Canberra Times Fun Run is on, we seem to experience a change in the weather from Winter to Spring, overnight! We line up the start in blazing sunshine and unaccustomed warmth. It looks like a hot one again this year, if the forecasters have got it right! So make sure your fluid levels are up.

Hot weather means bigger fields. A welcome innovation this year is the chip tied to the shoe laces, meaning everyone gets accurate times. That will help at the start; if runners realise they don't have to be close to the front when the gun fires, it will be easier for everyone to get away at a sensible pace. Let's see if it works like that?

I am looking forward to Sunday but a fast start would be disastrous. If I feel like I did at just the 1k mark of the BBQ Stakes yesterday, and that k was only 4:15, I don't think I will make the distance.

Plum blossoms in our driveway at home herald warmer weather.