Run home including Spit to Manly track

Having not done any running at all last week, I was keen to squeeze in one more medium length run before starting the taper for 6 Foot in earnest. More for my peace of mind than anything else. I know it is too late to do any good, but that wasn’t really the point.

I was also keen to run at the pace I will be running the race, i.e. trying to keep an average of 6 min/km for a period of time.

The plan was to run the usual way to Spit Bridge and then to run the Spit to Manly track from there back home.

Luckily, despite it being a stinking hot day, by the time I got out of the office a southerly change had blown through and the temperature was a lot cooler and refreshing than it had been. I saddled up the camelback and trudged out of the city and across the bridge.

Running at 6 min pace for the first 10km was actually really hard! Especially along the flat sections of Military Road and down to the Spit Bridge. However, I persevered and ended up at Spit Bridge after 10.5km averaging 5.30 and feeling fresh. Not too bad given that the next section was up and down trail.

From the Spit to Manly, although I felt comfortable running both the uphill and downhill sections, it was a lot harder to maintain the 6 min pace and in fact by the time I got to the top of the hill at Dobroyd Head I was averaging 7 min pace for that section of the run. From then on, I decided to push the pace back home and upped things, managing to pull it back for the trail section of the run to 6.10 by the time I reached Queenscliff for an overall average of 5.47 pace for the whole run.

All up, this was just the run that I needed 11 days out from the race and it now gives me the confidence that I can sustainably and easily run at the pace I need to run at for over 2 hours. Hopefully come race day with the aid stations, no camelback and proper nutrition I can run the race I want to run. Especially now it has been confirmed that I am in Wave 2…the pressure is certainly on!

From here on in I intend to take things very easy. An easy swim and football tomorrow, an easy track on Thursday and then the 10km Striders race at North Head on Saturday. Hmmmm having said all that, who am I kidding? That doesn't look very easy at all!

Bring on the taper...