running race (Two Bays Trail Run) 2:57:00 [3] 27.4 km (6:28 / km)
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Not sure what to say about this one...
*proceeds to write essay anyway*
Okay, so I'm much less fit than I was a couple of years ago. But it's not as though I've been doing no training, so I really hadn't expected to end up 20 minutes slower than in 2012 (on official time, but personally I'm choosing not to count approx 3 min spent in a standstill queue at the Phytophthora shoe-cleaning station about 11km in).
It's not as though I've done no hills either, but I just couldn't make my legs lift from the very beginning (feeling rather washed out from yesterday's cramps) and so lots and lots of people were passing me going up the road, all of whom then proceeded to walk the stairs up to Arthur's Seat, which was very frustrating. I mean, the 3rd km took 10 minutes! Foolishly, I attempted to pull out and overtake (dunno why I bothered when there were 100 other people walking in front) and promptly tripped myself up and bit the dust! They do say pride goes before a fall.
Picked myself up, muttered to myself about how this run is getting way too crowded, and resigned myself to watching the footfalls of those about 2 feet in front of me on the lovely contouring singletrack which I couldn't stride out on. Throughout the race I was around people who would slow down for no obvious reason and I'd pass them, but then at some point later they'd come through me, or who were walking faster than I could stagger up hills (I don't know what was wrong with me on even slight inclines) but then I'd catch up to a whole bunch who were tentative on the singletrack. Even though I had already decided to just treat this as a long run it was kind of spoiled for me because there were about 800 more people than I'd have liked, yet I was envious of the people who had friends to chat with while running. It would have been lovely to have Zara alongside (or better still, Callum towing me).
Anyway, I did my best to admire the bushland scenery and was very glad that the sun never came out. Also, since I never could run fast enough to hammer myself, and the ground was fairly soft (also rather dusty, as though a herd of buffaloes had run through) my knees held up okay although when I fell earlier I'd landed on my bad knee and so was a bit anxious about it). In the last 5km after Boneo Rd I was getting passed by women I'd overtaken earlier but also I was passing some guys who were struggling. I ended up halfway through the field which is sort of humiliating; difficult to know how much of this was due to getting caught in bottlenecks vs how much was due to my being awfully slow these days. I'd have been happy with 2:45 and not terribly dissatisfied with 2:50 given how flat I was feeling on the day.
'Twas a nice weekend all up, although we could have done without our flight back being delayed and arriving home 10pm.