SMC 10km Race

The alarm went off at 4:00 on Sunday morning! I left home at 5:20a.m so as to be at Smithfield for the 7:30 start of my first 10km race of nine in the 2009/2010 series. In the car with me I had "TomTomXL 340" whose sole purpose for existing was to get me to Smithfield as I had no idea at all of where it was. Even though I'd had a couple of practice trips locally with TomTom, it was an entirely different scenario once I found myself in foreign places and trying to listen to directions from an unfamiliar voice! Naturally, it wasn't long before I was taking all the wrong turns and becoming totally lost....and not just once either!

This happened at least three times, but each time TomTom would say very patiently: "When it's safe, turn around" and then guide me through a maze of streets towards my destination which , by this time, I was thinking not only would I not have time for a warm-up on arrival, but that the race itself would have finished!

So there I was twisting and turning every which way towards Smithfield, happy that it wasn't a real live person directing me who, by this time for sure would have been saying : "Turn around again, you stupid woman!" I simply am not used to someone telling me where to go! The return trip went off beautifully however. I did exactly what I was told, when I was told and we both came through with flying colours. I think my TomTom is one of the best friends a person like me could have!

But now for my SMC debut 10km race. Having registered for the whole series on line, I had only to pick up my race bib and timing chip both of which I keep and use for all nine races. Thanks to TomTomXL, I still had plenty of time to do a warm-up jog for 20 minutes, take a break and then do a few drills and strides before what was quite a long walk across a paddock and road to where the races started.

The course was harder than I was expecting, with a few long, steep inclines but a good road race course nevertheless: marshals, sports drink and water sachets along the course and, though the roads are not closed to traffic, I can't remember seeing a single car. The area is industrial rather than residential, so I guess that would account for the absence of traffic early on a Sunday morning. In any case, all runners have to run close to the curb and there were marshals at all sections where we had to cross roads.

Finally, the results according to the Garmin, start mat to finish mat...official results still to come.

10km in 1:08:18
AHR 131 (83%); MHR 144 (91%)
1km Splits....7:25; 7:03; 7:24; 6:58; 7:06.........6:36; 6:50; 6:10; 6:30; 6:04

Obviously I need to pick up the pace during the first 5km to finish in 1:05 or under, so there's something to work on before the next SMC 10km race on 22nd November....or, as a sign posted for all to read along the roadside by some anonymous person said : HTFU!

Official Result: 1:08:43 (1st in age category F80)