Bike just back from service and it runs like a dream. 25 min spin across the bridge and straight into a bricks run from Observatory Hill. I headed down to Hickson before shooting towards around Darling Harbour.

Why do this? Well it was 6:30am, I was too early for work and I saw some floating Santas in the distance. Covered 6km on foot in my bike gear with a backpack on.

Darling Harbour - floating Santas

2 weeks since I did some speed but I unwillingly turned up to the HuRTS 2x20min. Front (Tom, Barts, CT, Quentin) much too fast at sub 3:20 min/km, leaving me desperately but trying to hold onto Fats for the first 3km. No luck, and I remained ever so stranded for the remaining 9km.

Turnaround was 50m short of the end of Hickson Road. I used the 3min to jog around before heading back into some headwinds. Embarrassingly got passed by the front group at CQ and was unable to latch on.

The only positive was that I am always able to make easy gains on hills (today no different). I even passed the mountain goat Fats as well as Macca.

Return journey was 20:10, so a 10s positive split! Boy I am out of form right now. Difficult to dissect my splits as I'm using strava on the phone, which runs continuously....

Way out (5.9km in 20:00) 0-5km was 3:29, 3:23, 3:24: 3:33, 3:29
Way back (5.9km in 20:10): 0.8-5.8km: 3:22, 3:31, 3:35, 3:34, 3:35

With the warm-up and warm-down, I covered 15.6km of which 11.8km was tempo.

Finished the day off with a cycle back home - not too much left in the tank. Rest of the week will be very easy.