Brisbane 1/2

Month - 71k
YTD - 314.5

I couldn't resist, after having a massage on thursday which by the way was the most painful thing I have ever experienced my legs felt awesome. I had to do some running for PT on Friday but I took it easy and by the afternoon I really wanted to get back into some training. I was speaking to a work colleague who was doing the Brisbane 1/2 and decided that I was going to do it aswell. After getting the nod from the ball and chain I was registered at 4.30 pm Friday.

I was only treating it as a trainig session but I was also using it to gauge my fitness aswell. I started and my shins were perfect not even a peep from them all race which I am very greatful for. I was relatively close to the front of the race and once I crossed the line it only took 500m or so to get a clear run. I passed the first k in 4.18 and it was there that I mae up my race plan.

I decided to remain as close as possible to 90 min pace for an hour which works out to be the 14k mark. I was then going to slow down and cruise the rest of the way back running between 4.30 - 5 min pace for the last 7k. I achieved this passing the 14k mark in 1.00.22.

Up until that stage I was running well within my limits and for the first time I was also running without any gel. I tend to get hungry and lack energy around the 17k mark of a half so it was going to be interesting to see how I was going to go.

What should have been a breeze actually felt a little tough, the final 7k required alot more effort than I had planned and was I consistently running in the high 4's more so than the mid 4's.

As this was a training run I took my time through the drink stations which ate up sometime per km, I also felt like I was lacking energy and it will take some practice before my body is used to running on little fuel for this distance.

During the race I was thinking about the GCM and at the 16k mark I was thinking that maybe I have bitten off more than I can chew so to speak. Thinking that I would still have 26k to run is quite a scary thought, and has reinforced that I need to remain un-injured and fully committed to achieve that massive feat.

At the end of the day I completed the last 7k in 34 flat crossing the line in 1.34.22, the gun time was alot closer to the 1.35 mark. I enjoyed the day although not my favourite 1/2 I am glad to cross that off my list.

The one thing I know now is that I have alot of work to do to firstly get close to 3 hrs for warwick in May and secondly cross the finish line in less than 3.30 at the GC in July.

It's going to be tough and challengng but hey thats why we put ourselves through this kind of punishment right!