SO FAR AND NO FURTHER... the story of HMC

This story starts 4 weeks ago when I raced 10.3km to the mast at the top of the Constantiaberg. With this race only 10.3km and no down hill I recovered well and the next week I was up the Garden Route for a 3 day trail, day1 - 25km, day2 - 30km, day3 - 16km. This was all hard running but it didn't slow me down and the next week I was racing again...

This time above Stellenbosch in the Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge, 30km.

View, picture taken by a friend while running.

I ran a good race letting my team mate Bernard go and running for 2nd (1st 40+) I didn't have the legs to race Bernard up front, but nether did the other guys. On the day I climbed well and never pushed myself saving the legs for the last 10km of easy running. For the middle 10km of the race 3 guys sat behind me as I set the pace.
 

On the top, note the 3 guys following me!

I waited for the last 10 and made my move... It was great I had the legs to run hard for 3hours and they didn't I had played the game and won...

With all that trail I decided that a half the next weekend would be a good idea, so I drove put to Brackenfall for their Half... Now for some reason (will write about it some day) I don't take halfs easy, I am always racing the clock, and the 40+ guys... 78:47 was good enough for 29th place 3rd 40+ and a time I was happy with, NO it was not easy I work most of the way running alone in the morning mist with the guys ahead only figures in the mist!!!

So Sunday (20 May) found me standing on the start line of another race...

from their web sight

Ahead of us lay that mountain:

It did get lighter...

We ran up the right hand side over the top and down the left hand side before heading back, 15km with 930m climb, my type of race... last year i had run well winning in a record time of about 85min...

From the start 4 guys shot off and I let them go. I knew Bernard and Baily would be setting the pace, but didn't know the other 2 guys. I thought while the running was easy (as if running up the side of a mountain is easy) they will get away, but I should real them in on the really climb, the single track zig-zagging up and over the mountain. One of the guys popped and I ran him down, but there were still 3 ahead and one on my tail. I saw the leaders on the single track and took a split:75 sec, I was in the game...

Now for years I have been called a 'Mountain Goat', and today I lived up to that name... I run like an Old Goat towing a caravan with two flat tires... I was working hard and getting no-where! With my head down and walking the big steps I was powering on, but as hard as I worked I wasn't making any ground on the front guys, and in fact I was loosing ground and was been caught from behind.

Then as we climbed over a ridge I turned to the right to early and found myself looking down a cliff!!! Those 20sec lost me 4th (and 1st vet) I was right behind him, but going no-where... The last section was bolder hopping up to the top. I took my split at 51min (4 min slower than last year). I didn't push the down and 3km from the end  we joined the 10km race as they were heading out...

They turned to head up and I went with them just jogging along.... Then, after a couple minutes I thought something was wrong!!! I headed back and found the right route (a marshall was sleeping) I was another 3:30 down another 2 positions...

I finished in 1h37:59 about 13min of my record of last year.

I think I'm over raced and this weekend I won't be racing.