XCR'09 Series, Round Three, SKINS Sandown 10km Classic

The day started at Cobbledicks Ford for Little Aths racing, a good days racing, some of my squad are really flying and as a group are really dominating their races. One particular girl, Lexie, a little 8 year old girl easily beats all of the U8, 9 & 10 girls and is only beaten by 2 of my U10 boys. Harley is an U14 boys who I would really like to see start racing with AV, he wins every open race too easily, he needs the comp but due to family stuff he can't make the Sat arvo comp, but I think I'll get him in four weeks for one race and one other, that may be enough prior to the VLAA State XC Champs.
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Arriving nice and early so I can get my Team Manager duties out of the way and then put on my coaching hat and go for a settling warm up with 2 of my U14 girls, once their race commenced I continued on for my 10 minute w/up (15 min all up), to be honest I felt ok during this period and on the line I thought 43ish minutes was possible, worse case 44.

Today I started mid pack and settled into my preferred pace quickly going through the first km marker in 4:25, I slightly increased the next and went through in 4:22, followed by 4:23. After 3k I thought I was going along ok, not too fast but ok (for my current fitness etc). For the first 3k I was very aware that a lady from my Club was sitting on my shoulder or just behind, Mel was working and breathing a tad harder than she probably should have been. Just after the 3k marker a few Club supporters cheered myself on, & Mel & Bec & Loren & Jo....ohhh so I am the wind break, a quick look over my shoulder and there was half of the Wes Aths women team within 10-15m tagging along for the ride :-) and so they should have been using the BIG guy who was running approx their pace!

The next 2k were ok, but a tad harder but sitting approx 4:30 area, on the back straight 5k area Bec moved alongside and then after 200m or so moved slightly ahead, I past the 6k marker and thought well this is the half way marker (pain wise and effort wise). A few hundred metres later into the straight I heard some familiar foot steps, Jo was right alongside me...my first thought was, yes she is running well, second thought was FUCK she is easily going to beat me and this of course is when the bad thoughts started.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not fussed at all being beaten by Jo or anyone else, but I am not running well in my fitness but MOST of all in my head, as a GENERAL rule I am not a TOUGH runner, I am a front runner I could never be a VAL Pro runner where I need to chase the slower person...and this has been an issue for a few years.

I knew I was starting to slow, not just in my mind, when Jo pulled alongside, so the coaches hat came on and a quick few words of encouragement and then the instructions Jo didn't want a that time, "move up onto Bec who was 5m ahead, grab onto that small pack, leave me now" and off she went. I struggled up the straight past all of the Club cheer squad etc and once around the bend (7k) I walked for 5m, why....who the fuck knows, but I did and I did a few other times in the next 2 km...all of the walking breaks were very short, but they were there and they should not have been and really they were NOT required.

The final 1.2km were run well considering and I passed probably 15 or more in the final straight, and why wouldn't I??? I should not have been running past these runners, I shouldn't have been there! 45:46 A PW by a long way, but I'll get over it.


Lots of thinking to do, why, how etc, will I bother, will I not etc. But overall I enjoy running and I love the team concept, so I'll probably continue on and just suck it up and hope to get fitter and just 'roll along'.