Tee hee. I was out running in the dark this morning and I tell you I could have landed a jet plane down the main street I was that brightly decked out. Probably could have seen me from the moon!
Okay I'll back up and not get too carried away. I have really miscalculated this weekend. It is 2 weeks until the Geelong Half so this weekend was to be my longest run before taper. Hmmm but somewhere along the line without looking at the calendar I've entered the 10km at Sufferfest on Saturday. Right slap bang in the middle of my weekend.
Hmmmm what to do, because naturally I'm wonder woman and want to fit it all in.
So after consulting with my friend D and her coaching knowledge and good sense I might add, she suggested my PLAN A - if I could get my 18k run in on Thursday perhaps, a day to recover, then the 10km on Saturday, sweet. Only problem, I was working on Thursday and not long home before I had CWA. Not going to happen.
Over to PLAN B - I could do my 18km run on Friday with the 10km on Saturday as a slow recovery run. I was good with that. So diligently went to bed early Thursday and set my alarm for 5.15am, let's get this sucker out of the way. I woke at 5.15am to the sound of torrential rain, so loud on the roof I could barely hear my phone alarm. Nope, not going to happen. Yes of course it could rain on race day, but I would experience that if it happened. Back to sleep.
Woke again at 6.30am and what was that I could hear - nothing - so I bound out of bed and get into my gear and I was out the door before 7 and it was daaaaaark! I haven't run in the dark since last winter, but I was ready for it - my puma cat disco shirt (I love to call it my disco shirt), my new balance fluro top (I bought it with a voucher in a sale at Rebel a year ago even though it didn't fit, doh! But I now fit into it yay for me!) added bonus it has a glow in the dark panel at the back so I made sure I stretched inside under the light before I hit out. Oh and I had my 2XU with the big reflective X on the side and my Kathmandu headlamp. I coulda landed a plane with that gear on. Go me! The plan was to run four x 4km laps of town with 2 blockies at the end for 18. I set my GU up in our letterbox along with my water bottle so I could pass by my letterbox drink station (haha!!) on each lap.
Off I went. It felt great, the morning was cool and I was flying. But 3km the heavens opened and in my haste to get across a corner I went ankle deep into a puddle and both runnres were saturated as was my socks. I kept running squelch squelch squelch and the rain got harder and harder and I was wet through and the wind was cold and I was shivering, no amount of running was going to get me warm and I called it at 4km and slunk home for a hot shower. All day the rain would stop then it would rain hard again at intervals and with the 10km looming tomorrow it's getting too late now to do my 18, I'm precious remember!
So in my head I've formed PLAN C - I'll do the 10km hard in the morning, try my very very best and then back it up with 2 x 4km laps of town Saturday arvo on tired legs. And even though in my head I really wanted to do 18km all in one hit, I do know with a push I do have it in me to do the half marathon, so it's only mind games at the moment. Plus my goal race is 5 weeks later at GOR, so this is what it is and I need to just go with it. As long as there's no PLAN D when PLAN C prospectively falls in a heap tomorrow I'll be okay.
So did you follow all that? Back with a race review tomorrow arvo some time. x
1 comment:
I reckon a hard 10k is easily worth 15k. Then add on the bit that you ran in the rain and your 18k has been covered. You'll be fine come half marathon day.
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