Where The Hell Did That Come From?

Just back from the Lane Cove 10k and even though I forgot AGAIN to stop my watch at the line, I reckon I went under 46min!Certainly a 5min improvement from North Head last month.

I set the forerunner with the virtual partner at 5min/km and was very surprised to see him dragging the chain after the 1st km.I immediately slowed a bit to give him a lead of about 3m and tried to keep to a steady pace until the next km marker.I looked down at 2k and I was 30m in front!It didn't feel like I was running too fast so I switched the units to check the hr and it was in the 160s so I relaxed the pace a bit again.The next km was definitely a short km on my watch so I couldn't rely on the distance ahead of target pace it was displaying.

I just concentrated on holding form along the flats and up hills then letting go down the hills.So I was swapping places with other runners who would pass me on the flats and the ups but I would go past on the downs - alot of fun.I did this until my watch beeped at 7km but I was still a few hundred metres from the actual 7km.I read the time at the actual 7km and quickly calculated that I was a chance of beating 45min - then I remembered that 4min/km was a few months off yet so I set about keeping pace until the 8k and then deciding what to do.

Doing sums all through that km and still feeling untroubled I decided to up the pace at 8k and try to finish 45mXs.I went through 8k at 37m13s then maintained cadence up the hill and picked up a few runners on the way to 9km in 41m39s.All downhill from here and picking up more runners on the way - heard feet behind me for a bit but they faded and I just had time to pass one more runner on the weir to finish in 45something.Very surprising!Average hr was 175 bpm which means I wasn't bludging - gotta work on that cardio the next few weeks.

It's almost good to have the old teething injuries return as I increase kms/week and pace.Things like a bit of plantar pain and tender toes I scoff at now.I'm expecting some shin pain soon as I start doing some 400m and 800m intervals next week - these too will pass.I'm still deciding what my next half or full marathon event will be but my eyes are still on 6ft 2006 in sub 5hr.

p.s Just received the official times from today's 10k - I finished with a sub 4min km!I know I know I know it was downhill but there was plenty of uphill before it!I think I'm back.