I woke this morning feeling quite OK. Yes I stall had the cough but I was not at death's door so I was feeling pretty optimistic. AN early but not too early start and Dave and I were dropped near the start line in what seemed to be cool, calm conditions - could be a good run.
Bag dropped and off to the bog - standard ritual - and we entered the start area. Being a bit stupid I made my way to the three hour pacer area. I won't lie, I was a bit peeved when they stopped playing the Foo Fighters 'Best of You' so some dude from The Voice could sing the national anthem - talk about going from a decent pre-race track to..er...well...the Australian National Anthem. Anyway, it didn't last long, I discarded my two disposable start line t-shirts and the gun went off and we were under way.
It did not take long for me to realise that I'd been wrong about the humidity. The weather app had said 99% and when I was moving I knew that was about right. The pacer was also warning against going out too hard and advising to take on water at each opportunity as we'd be sweating up a storm.
The first couple of kilometres came and went at a decent clip, on 3hr pace. But It wasn't pleasant. I was holding the pace ok as we kept on but was not breathing as easily as I should. This, I knew, did not bode well.
Bottom line is that I'd rolled the dice on this one. I set out on the 3hr bus in the hope that once I got going I would magically feel OK. Didn't happen. I was only 6 or 7k in when I knew it was all over. Only decision was where to bail. Burleigh, where I could get a lift back to the start to pick up my bag? Wait at Burleigh and then run back to Southport with Dave?
I decided to bail at Burleigh. I'll take muscle soreness and general aches...but this was my lungs. And the last person I knew who'd pushed on through dodgy lungs - Dave - ended up with pneumonia. So feeling like a bit of a fraud for high-fiving kids along the way I got to 15.6km and left the course, stopping the Garmin straight away as a definite message to myself that it really was all over.
I mooched around for a bit feeling sorry for myself and waiting for Mrs Dave and #2 daughter to turn up. They arrive just in time to see husband/dad turn and get a quick hug and a kiss before he headed back north and we headed for breakfast.
Then it was time to head north and go collect Dave from the finish line. I knew his plan was to take it easy and head out with the 3rh40 bus and when we saw him at Burleigh he was looking OK.
He finished in just under 5hours. It was a solid gritty run because he is about as daft as me and was going into this on the back of almost no training. And I am being generous with the almost. He'd cramped at somewhere in the low 30k-s and had to power-walk a load of the last 10k. Stubbornness got him home - and respect to him for that. I watched quite a lot of folks approaching the finish line in various states of disrepair - quite inspirational actually.
So anyway, that was the race that wasn't for me. Fortunately I had much more success at goal #2 for the day and did end up having a few beers in the Burleigh Brewing Company Brewery before a very nice dinner at a local Italian.
So not a complete disaster.
And I already have the web page open on the register section for the Sydney Marathon...I have some pride that needs repairing...
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