Slew the Beast......

.....and then barbecued him!

...... 1500m Race, ACTVAC, AIS Track, 15th February, 2007!!

..women/woman 75+ yrs to go off first!
Program: 1500m Race against the Beast, Virtual Partner.

Based on recent, not-so-fast times in training, Ewen decided on a finishing time of 8:23 - and Mr G-armin was set accordingly. But this time, I kept a close eye on the bastard & he didn't get a look in until the second lap when I saw he was 1m then 2m ahead of me. I let him stay there for ever so brief a time just to tease, and then decided it was time to go in for the kill, passing him to finish in an unofficial 8:18.4. Splits approx. : first 300m = 1:42; 400m =2:16; 400m =2:12; 400m =2:08

This is 3 or 4 seconds slower than my Age Category ACT Record for 1500m on November 30th 2006. When the official results are up on the website, I'll show the correct time for last night's race. But how can anyone lose a couple of seconds...easy! Just a teeny bit faster would have been a PB & new record! ... I tried my best!

It was a good training run; I thoroughly enjoyed it; no problems at all during the race & managed a good sprint to the finish line! I was tickled pink to defeat the VP bastard again but, more importantly...Ewen was terribly pleased with my run & this gives me so much confidence for the Mile race on March 8th. It's amazing what a difference it makes (to me anyhow) when you finish a race &
see a big smile on the coach's face & then get a bonus hug as well! Cloud 9!! I was passed in the previous lap by the runner in the background, but I waited & waited & waited for the final sprint!

Later in the night I took part in another event for the first time - a Six Lane Spiral Race & I loved it, had a load of fun & ran quite well!

There's always some humour attached to my track races & just as well that I can appreciate the joke because it's always on me!

I didn't know the 'gun-man' was going to have a practice shot of the pistol to see if it was working at the very instant I was lined up first to go off in the handicap 1500m! All fired up, the shot sent me bounding off, faster than a speeding bullet, only to be called back to a crowd of very amused & experienced runners!

And then....at the start of the 6 Lane Spiral Race, again the first to go off after the walkers, someone (Gary, I think!?) called out "Go Norma!". This was meant as encouragement from one of the others waiting their turn to start, but again the reflexes just sprang into action & I made another lurch forward towards the start line! Oh well, it gave some light relief to the other runners, so that's something I suppose!

I made a truly superb sprint (! I wish it could have been captured on camera!) to the finish in this race going 'neck-to'neck' with another male runner, who as soon as I got level with him got such a shock that he blasted away making sure this old girl didn't pass him at that late stage! It was good fun; I couldn't stop laughing at the surprised look on his face as I levelled with him. We shook hands at the finish....still laughing. Ewen said he is one of the very good Six Foot Runners (4.5hrs.?), so he must have been very tired last night! I think he'd run just about every event on the program before the Spiral.

A great night & thanks to CRs AKI.....a cheer squad of one! Strewth, Peter & all who always make me so welcome.