29 November 2007

My Holy Grail !

5.00am Roo run.
Just over 6KM 24m37 - 4min K pace, a slight taper for 3000m Friday night at QA Meet St. Lucia.
Hoping my new spikes arrive from USA tomorrow or else I'm racing in flats on the track for the first time!
It's my first 3000m of the season after running the distance about 8 times last summer!
I recognise the need to work on my speed and reduce the attempts I have on the Australian 3000m 45-49 y.o. Record 8m59.29 = My Holy Grail!
Last year I missed it by about two tenths of a second in my third crack at it that year 2006 November 11th.
I ran 8m59.5 and finished third in a race I led for the first KM, then dug in hard to hold onto Winner Shane George (8m53) and Dennis Fitzgerald (8m55).
That race was on a hot and humid Saturday morning with Race Walkers in the race field.
I am certain that if it were not for having to lap Walkers during that run I'd have broken the record that day.
The rest of the Summer I chased 3000m races where I might get pulled around to the time but to no avail. The next closest I came was Racing at a QA All Comers Meet at U.Q. St Lucia on a Friday night.
The heat falls away by 8.30pm race start time and the humidity levels are dropping.
Sometimes you can strike it lucky and get a real good quality field, other nights there might be no one to push you.
So last year when I ran 9m02 on a windy night, lapping the field, I thought I would eventually break it. But it wasn't to be , now with my recovery from the hernia operation casting doubt over my current form I really don't know! Hopefully doing this blog, writing down some thoughts about it might induce the mystical 'cathartic' experience!
Tomorrow is not going to be an official attempt ( where three watch times or electronic timing has to be used and lap times must be recorded and signed off). I shall just be hoping for good conditions a good quality field and a run that boosts my confidence for the season ahead.

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