GEOFF HOLMES

3000m 9m21

Hard to know what to say about that run!

Disappointing but perhaps still understandable!

After recovering from the Hernia Op , in Sept I ran the Bribie Beach Bash, a 30 KM 'race' up the surf side of Bribie Island and back. I thought it would be a good training run in a fun setting! However, storms had washed away a lot of the beach and left only a small amount of runnable firm sand. Combined with a tide that pushed runners right up into the soft stuff this event really took a toll.

I took a week off after and found I'd picked up a strange injury to the hip muscle.

I could hardly lift my left leg up off the ground. I ignored this 'niggle' as much as I could, and got back to training and just suffered the consequences after each run for weeks afterwards ,of much reduced mobility.

However, with hindsight now I can see the effect on me was far more telling than I'd thought.

I feel that I'm over much of the effect of this injury but at the cost of much reduced level of fitness.

Tonight was a great night for racing and the field was exactly the type and quality that I' d been looking for all last summer!

A big pack of young runners that were running between 8m40 and 9m.

First lap no one seemed to want to take it on so I ended up making my way to joint lead just outside another runner going through in about 72 sec which was fine.

On the second lap a big group of runners (6 or 7) went around me and I was immediately becoming detached and in trouble. This lap was about a 70 sec for me = 2m22 at 800m.

I went through the 1st KM in 2m58 which was good pace and a similar time to most of my races last summer. The gap just got bigger and my pace must have got slower.

I didn't really take in the times too well but remember going through 1800m in about 5m29.

Another runner caught and passed me and I had nothing to offer, and couldn't hold onto him.

At 2200m I thought the clock was 6m44 and at the bell 2600m 8m05.

My delirium with the times at one point had me believing I might be close to running 9mins 10! but the result was a shocker.

Not the boost or motivation I wanted to reach my Holy Grail this Summer.

Perhaps I can use 'it' to push myself harder in training and see if I can eek out a return to form.

That said, there are not too many runners in the World my age who are capable of running the times I will be happy with.

My 'comfort zone' 10,000m a fortnight ago would have got me a Bronze Medal at the World Masters Championship in Riccione Italy last September in the M45-49.

My solo 32m12 10,000m in Hobart last April would have won Gold! See http://www.dbwma2007.org/results/atwma/2007/riccione0409200701/at/indexframe.htm