NERVES

Sitting here by the fire as the evening cools down, I have my legs up resting and my glass full of red wine (an unlabelled Shiraz if you must know).

 

The chicken is doing nicely and I'll be turning it in between writing! 

The Chicken went on the coals later

I've probably run over a thousand races and still get nervous before a big race. Now with over 100 000km logged why would I have a couple of nerves before a little training run?

I wasn't heading to the mountains with the likes of Ryan Sands (ok if I was he would be the one who would be nervous)

I was running alone on the road! 

Dawn was swimming and left for the pool before 6. I had planned on following shortly after,  but got stuck on the toilet... Nerves! 

My Coach (me) had suggested a tempo run... how about 20ks? I thought the Strand Half would fit in nicely, but having lost my mother-in-law in the week Dawn didn't really want me to head out to Strand! 

Plan B: run your own 21km tempo run (21.1km can't forget the point 1)

I finally got out the house, and unlike any other run I started by walking down the road, shaking my legs... then I hit the start button on Ms Garmin and set off down the road. 

It was still dark as I headed down the road and looking at Ms Garmin she told me I was at 4:08/km... not fast enough for what I had hoped. By km 2 I was under 4 and I decided I would push on at tempo pace for now...

5km in 19:30... that was fast enough for me to push on down the Main Road. If it had been slower I would have turned and headed home at an easier pace.  

It was getting lighter so the running was getting easier, easier to see the tar and my foot placing. At 7km I turned off the Main Road and while on the quieter side roads I should have been able to up the tempo, but I couldn't! 

I was ready to blow! I started looking at my watch thinking 10km of tempo would be enough, Coach would be happy. Ms Garmin wasn't counting the km fast enough and the more I look the less she moved... I kept pushing! 

10 and I hit the split button- 19:00 oh my hat where did that 5km split come from? Best I push on... I had bargained with my coach and we had come up with a plan: from now on it was 1km splits and as long as they were under 4 I would have to push on... So on I went! 

I was blown by 13.5 but decided that 15 would be fair. How about just running hard for an hour. That should be do-able. Go on make it 10miles,  a couple of 100m should over the hour should be fine. 

I hit 10miles and was still moving so I pushed for 17... The road was no longer flat so I found myself cruising down and working the ups, I was now using different muscles and as I ran past Peddlars I made the call I was going to 21... point 1.

I now turned down passed the garage to add on the extra 1km and pushed for home. By this stage I couldn't do the maths to know what time I would end with. 

Ms Garmin was still telling me I was knocking off sub 4s... 3:49 3:51.... 100m to go...

Finished... in more ways than one! I wasn't home but the route was good,  I only had 150m to walk,  so walk I did!

81:31 I would like to say my race nerves turned it into a race and deep down I know I had to push through to the end. Maybe I had better find a road race to race!