GCM 10K Race Report

So, this is going to be a long post. Consider yourself warned.

Saturday afternoon we packed the kids up and took them off to mum and dad's for the night and headed to our hotel at the GC. Mainly because I'm lazy and didn't want to get up at some ungodly hour and deal with traffic and stress about getting there on time.

Had a short rest at the hotel and then headed out for a 'romantic anniversary dinner' - we went to a nice Italian place on Tedder Ave and then once back at the hotel took a walk down Cavill Ave for an ice cream. mmmmmm!! Watched the Lions game and for a little while it looked like they might actually win their first game in AAAAAGES. Unfortunately it wasn't to be.

I wanted to get up early in the morning to participate in the cheering for the half and some of the full. So we were up at 6:30, had breakfast at the hotel and then on the bus to the race prescient. There were people everywhere, infact, when we were out the night before it seemed every conversation I overheard was about running the next day!

Found Cirque and a couple of other CRers and joined the cheersquad just before the home stretch. I was particularly keeping an eye out for Nikki who was running the half. When she ran past I thought she was below the time she wanted and looked a little distressed, so I decided to run alongside the track to try and gee her up a bit coming into the finishing area. Turns out she'd been having some knee problems and was struggling a bit.

After that saw a few CRers go past in the full and then had to head to the loos and the start line for the 10k. Graham and I lined up together and ran together for the first 4k. The run was tough for me today. From the start the HR was sitting around 180 and I felt like I was fighting to keep my breakfast down for the first 4k. Plus I managed to get 2 stitches (one each side) before we hit the 2k mark!!!!!! I ran through those and managed to get rid of them with some 3:2 breathing.

At the 4k mark I stopped for a short walk break then got going again. I managed to catch Graham and kept behind him for a little while (he didn't know I was there) but took another walk break as we came up to the turn onto the bridge. My glute was really hurting and I was struggling a bit and felt like I couldn't even walk properly, let alone run. Just in time Paul Kelly's Dumb Things cane on the mp3 - it was just what I needed - so after a bit of walking I took off with the music and managed to close the gap a little again. Coming up to the last drinks stop on the bridge I realised I couldn't really feel my fingers on my left hand. It was totally numb and tingly and my glute was killing. I kept shuffling and I didn't think I was going to beat my time from Brisbane. Then I saw Nikki at the side of the road, which gave me a great lift, I looked at the watch and could see the turn around leading into the finishing area and worked out if I really gave it everything I had left I could probably beat my Brisbane time.

So I ran, and it hurt like hell. I just really really wanted to beat the time. Passed quite a few runners coming up to the finishing line and by the time I crossed it I was totally spent. I just wanted to sit down and vomit!! I was in such a state I forgot to check my watch until I was walking in a daze past the medical tents, at which point it said 1:12:06 - so I obviously beat my Brisbane time of 1:12 ... it's just a matter of by how much.

Anyway, my glute has been really sore and I'm still this evening struggling to walk and move without feeling like someone is stabbing me in the butt with a huge great big knife. I'm hoping that it will feel better in the morning.

I'm not sure why this is happening. But it's not much fun.

I'm off for an early night.