The last week had been spent with some pretty ordinary training, with the Coast stuck in a pattern of 3 big storms per day often didn't get far out the door and the heavens would open up forcing me to cut short my run.
Other times the sun would be out and i'd run a few miles along the beach saddened by the trail of destruction the 2 weeks of storms had left on what were normally some of the best beaches in the world. Pretty much from Currumbin to Bilinga was a ridge of beach covered with driftwood (driftwood the size of full grown trees), was also interesting to note the front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin (above picture looks like around 10th Avenue ??) with a dead cow washed up on Palm Beach (let's face it some people talk of catching dinner from the sea, i'd normally think they meant going fishing after this i have to wonder whether they mean picking up a steak ????).
Finally on Sunday my first race for the year the 55KM Hares and Hounds at Woodford and the Glasshouse Mountains. With a 3:30AM start for us "Hares" and the "Hounds" (relay teams trying to catch us) starting an hour later, finally decided it was worthwhile to stay near Woodford the night before (exactly 2 hour trip away by car), so headed up that evening, nice motel but stuffed if i could get the TV to work - thankful i had a book to put me to sleep.
Still pitch black when i left for the start and looked a good hour or so would be spent in darkness, with a number of course changes brought about by the soaking rain during the week pretty much found my map was useless and was content with the fact there were 27 Hares out there, surely enough to not get lost.
By 12K's i'd run with a number of familiar people but each time i simply hadn't the pace to stay with them, had a very shaken up gut so decided to ask at that aid station for toilet paper and "head bush", probably my wisest decision of the day (with breakfast at 2:30 don't think my 8 vita brits etc had quite settled on my stomach for this sort of hard running).
From then on it was a case of simply following people until daylight, ended up running with Rachael Waugh for the next dozen or so K's to the Beerburrum School Checkpoint.
Was surprised to find myself running alone from then on (found out later Rachael had a bad stitch and had stopped there a little before heading on), with misty rain keeping things cool. From then on it was a case of just wanting to finish (and hopefully not get caught by a hound), highlight was the beautiful iced cake at UCB's aid station, but throughout i was struggling with the legs not wanting to stretch out on the downhill runs which is so unlike me that it was worrying. Was past by a couple of runners including the first woman but by then my only goal was to finish.
This i did, and was rewarded with a lovely cold Crown Lager as well as a swim at the pool (the start and finish being at Woodford Pool).
Got to catch up with many people i hadn't as yet seen this year (all of 13 days old !!), and didn't leave till we the last group did, still giving me time to catch up with my cousin and her family at Bribie Island on the way home (and this time a swim in Pumicestone Passage), ultimately not getting home till 10.
As i type this, i have to wonder just where my running is heading at the moment, certainly i have a number of races scheduled in to run the next couple of years but frankly my running at the moment is sh*t.
Needed this and the Black Stump to give me an idea where my racing was (i already knew i was fit and able to run), and an idea of how competitive i am, simple answer at the moment is bl**dy awful feels like years since i could casually cruise through a sub 3 hour marathon the rate i'm going at present. So i guess the question is "where to from here ????". Simply the body is not doing what it should be able to do and at present it's a case of working out how to get it back that way but it is a bit like "chicken and egg" exactly what comes first ????.
I can remember making a statement on Coolrunning at one point about i'd know when to retire from racing, thankfully i can remember enough of that statement to recall there was some mention of "not enjoying my running and just having no ambitions", well i may not be enjoying my running but the simple fact is i'm not enjoying it because i consider i'm being beaten by people that shouldn't be beating me as i do still have ambitions as a runner, so i suppose it's a case of getting the injuries sorted and then pursuing my dreams ???, the "R" word is not an option at this point (worked out a long time ago i'm not really very good at being average at anything and that includes being a "middle of the pack runner").
Any poor people reading this post, please forgive the self indulgence but i suppose the fact is this blog will continue whilst i try to getting my "running act" together, that way i know i'll have something to look at and force me to do things to improve my health or whatever needs be done (and preferably not make too many posts whilst having a glass of red - note to self !)
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