City Mile Dash - 8th place (4:40)
Saturday, August 15, 2015Beautiful day to be the first to venture down the new Barangaroo track. Last effort at the City Mile Dash in 2012 - 5:10. Had zero plans to race, but then CT throws me a bone on Tuesday with a last-minute fill in for the mixed team. If I paid $45 for every 1.6km run, I'd be in slavery.
With last Sunday's C2S still-in-the-legs, I was so scared. Note also my inability to run sub 3:20 pace, period. Linked up with my team (Jackie, Laura, CT) for some warm-ups down Hickson. They chose a yellow backdrop such that I am camouflaged out of the photo...
1pm, I'm one of twelve at the start. 2nd row, among one dozen that has a selected crop of HuRTS runners Crossy, CT, Quentin, Durante, Timmy (i.e. those not injured post C2S).
Gun goes off, path is narrow and I get heel clipped by the eventual winner (Matt). Motoring at 2:50 min/km puts me 10 of 12. Strong headwind, winding path and six quickly assert themselves in a lead pack. No way I can follow in my world of hurt. Thus the strategy to the 1km turnaround is one of drafting #6.
I creep to 6th but pace has dropped to the wrong-side of 3 min/km en route back. The exposed cross-wind saps my spirit, leaving me victim to two drafters with 200m to go.
Good spectacle up front with all sorts of surging. CT's doing all the work, then #1 surges, Crossy and Quentin follow and storm home not far behind #1.
Meanwhile, I dribble across the line with a new found, rationale fear of short-distance running.
8th place - watch says 4:40 (2:57 min/km average). Results must be wrong but show a tidy 4:23. Can't be right. Great enjoyment running as an alias, Derek Heath.
Impressive top 10 representation from HuRTS. Goes to show the quality in the squad. Crossy 2nd, Quentin 4th, CT 6th and Durante 9th. LJ wins the female division and pockets a tidy $500 for 5:15 worth of work. We SHOULD have won the mixed, but I later hear this went to another team, by some admin stuff up.
Happy I ran today with the knowledge these lactic runs can only do good. Pace dropped a little at the turnaround but I recovered nicely. Hammy's have certainly tightened again. A good rest from speed is in order for the coming days.
I'll add more photos when available.
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