A Track Race in Canberra - 2 in fact!

This morning, Friday, I ran from the motel in Lyneham along a cycle track to Lake Burley Griffin & took some pics! A very enjoyable run at 8:30 a.m., cool & mostly shaded.....11km total & no one that I know of noticed the Cool Running singlet!

But "yesterday....seems so far away!" I had a first experience of racing 'the mile' on the AIS track as a member of ACTVAC!! And what an experience this was...I had a most wonderful afternoon/evening, beginning with driving from Mittagong to Canberra in time to have a nap/rest at the motel before Ewen picked me up at 5:45 p.m. There was plenty of time to watch some "older" as well as younger people doing hurdles, steeple...splashing about in the water, long jump, high jump & all the other disciplines they have in track & field sport. It was thrilling to see so many older runners attempt what I thought would be impossible! Wonderful people a-plenty!

7:15 p.m. the call went out for the first of those doing the mile...and here's the worst (but turned out to be perhaps the best) words I heard all afternoon : Ewen pointing out a female runner who, he said knowingly .."is in your age category, but is an 800m runner & you'll very likely catch her in the last lap!" It felt like a bucket of water had been tipped over my head! There was actually going to be competition in the Mile Race W75 category! It rarely happens any more.

The loud explosion of the starting gun sent me, almost screaming with fright, off round the track! This was a first time remember! Well, I ran & ran & ran & so did the other 'older' female, only she ran faster & I couldn't get even close, but neither did the distance between us lengthen...it just stayed the same, about 100m - perhaps a little less in the closing stages. "My goodness," I thought to myself, "these Canberra over 75 ladies run faster than anywhere else in the world!"

The plan had been to run as evenly as possible, 1:09.6/200m, finishing in 9:16.8 or, as Ewen said, "9:20 will do!" That was making it faster than the practice run on the previous Wednesday's time of 9:32.2.

But guess what? Ewen had made a mistake...his first that I can recall! The hare that this tortoise had been trying to chase, turned out to be in the 65 age category! And I can only say I felt like Colac must feel when he puts down that bag of cement that he runs with! Relief that I hadn't been so slow after all!

I felt really good during the race except for the start of a lactic build up with 50m to go & nearly died in the last few metres! It's a truly terrible experience when you very own legs refuse to take another step & bring you to a staggering finish!

The splits were : Lap 1 .....2:18.9 (409.34m); Lap 2, 3 & 4 (400m respectively) @ 2:16.5; 2:14.6; 2:16.7...very even we thought!

The Mile Time was: 9:06.88 (26 seconds faster than the practice run 6 days before)! I now know that this time was less than 8 seconds over the W75 World Record!! This was not an attempt at any record at all......though I seem to have got one anyhow (Mile Race ACT W75)...just getting used to a track other than the grass one I use at Chev..... but who knows what the future holds!
..... I was 'over the moon' anyhow!

Having just finished that race, some ladies (in the 65+ age) approached me saying they were one short for the 400m relay & unless I joined them, they wouldn't be able to run at all. So onto the track once more, first runner with the baton & no idea of what to do ......... at the stagger start I was out in front in lane 4 & everyone else was behind me. This meant I had to turn around when instructions were called out, e.g."Move back from your mark 3ft" (or something like that) & I do as the others do. Same with : "On your mark", I look to see the others move forward & I do too; "Set" & no one moved except for me turning around to see what they were doing! A loud bang again as the gun went off & everyone charged past like a stampede of cattle & I was last....again! Anyhow, I made it to the next runner who must have been wondering if I'd got lost.....only just got there & couldn't wait to get rid of the baton & off the track!! Thank you ladies, for making me feel so welcome!

Ewen timed this 400m lap as 1 :52.7...significantly faster than any of the 4 laps in the mile race!
....and I was over another moon!!

And, as the words of an old song have said : we came to the "end of a perfect day"....with Flashduck & Aki joining us at the track & then into Dickson for a meal together & a lot of catching up chatter amongst the 4 of us. Great to see them both again & they'd come straight from taking part in an aquathon earlier that evening. Back at the motel over coffee, Ewen & I decided to put track work aside for now & concentrate on the big one i.e. Canberra 50km, only 7 weeks away! The weekly program will change accordingly as from next Monday.

A couple of other old songs have some words about : "I couldn't sleep a wink last night!" & "It's a Lovely Way to Spend an Evening"!

True! All night I was trying to catch that other female runner! Round & round the track my mind ran...all night! I re-lived every minute of the day....all night! I even had a smile on my face when I got up at 8:00a.m & it had probably been there all night too!

I wouldn't be running anywhere near as 'not so slow' if it wasn't for the help that I've had for some months now; so I have to give recognition to the person really resonsible for any improvements in my running.....Ewen, a.k.a. Wombatface! I can only hope he doesn't give up on me before I run out of sight on some dark night!

A final thought : I think that inside every slow runner is a speed demon trying to get out!