Back to the Track, Back to Life, Back to Reality!

Sat 7.00am State Athletics Facility Nathan Queensland Masters
3000m 1st 9m33.55


It was back to life, back to reality, today with my first track race in two years!
Up at 4.45am (no need to adjust the alarm!), packed my bag; money,phone, change of clothes,drinks for after, spikes, Garmin, heart rate monitor, visor, towel, Sunnies.
Cup of tea, a few stretches, another cup of tea for the road and then off to Nathan - 
it took 40mins, with the 'new' motorway and bridge. 
3KM warm- up, Register, a few strides, large field of runners and walkers.
Sunny 22 O C (70 O F), humid, and no breeze! I quite like I those conditions but it is warm.
The nerves are really doing my stomach in, the left knee feels OK but slightly worried about right hamstring pain.
Gun goes and I fly off, 33/34s 200m and 70s at 400m. 
Way too fast and I drop it down. 
Had decided to see what the heart rate looked like in a race and wore the monitor. 
Could feel my heart going 10 to the Dozen (what does that mean!!?)
2m28 at 800m and was well into lapping the walkers and some runners! 
Went through 1000m in about 3m08 and 2000m in 6m18, I felt comfortable enough, 
not flat at by any means and was enjoying the feel of racing track again. 
It does take some getting used to and typically for me about 3 or 4 races to get up to speed. 
I ran it in flats, and was happy enough with  my time - I want to run this pace (3m10's  for 5K) in a years time.
It was sobering running through with 200m to go in 8m55.
My Garmin was way off the mark giving me 


3m02, 3m07, 3m07, 18sec   for 3.1 KM 


but the heart rate data should look good,; 


1KM 157bpm, 2KM 169bpm, 3KM 175bpm, 107M 178bpm


I warmed down with Peter Reeves and Phil Davies along the tracks through the bush. Peter is father of Chris, Michael, Andrew, and Mathew - all runners or former runners. 
Chris was a real talent but has sadly given up running , joined the police and weighs 100kg (muscle as someone told me he was into weights). Michael (won the Noosa Half two years ago) has been suffering a number of injuries. Andrew finished just ahead of me in this years Bridge to Brisbane.
I am by no means a Soul Boy (that was my buddy Phillipe Browne - now in Luxembourg), however I always loved this one, enjoy the rest of the weekend;