Pre-Race Sunday morning

Sitting here at 5:20am Sunday morning, the sound of sporadic gentle rain wasn't what I was expecting. Quick check of the weather stations shows temps around 22-23, but probably more importantly humidity of around 85-97%, depending on which weather station you pick. Hmmm, that would explain the rain. Ick.

Friday
Woke at 5am on Friday with a fairly sore right foot. I had intended to do some 1k intervals, but with still being tired from Wednesday's effort and the foot thing, elected not to. Had my appointment with Martin Horne at 6:30, and copped some acupuncture needles in my hip and foot for my trouble, plus a bit of manipulation. Got an immediate improvement, but will see Martin Monday week for a double consultation over the foot/hip and orthotics.

The fundamental issue is the muscle connecting my right hip and lower back (at a guess, the Gluteus Medius (guess courtesy of ExRx), which I seem to 'redo' whenever I sneeze or bend unusually - example, gave it a tweak on Wednesday ducking under a tree. We've got to get that muscle to release. The hip's not an issue when I run, but it's causing the right foot to mistrack.

I had half a mind to go for a jog Friday night, but the lure of a few drinks in the afternoon put paid to that. It had, frankly, been a bitch of a week (at both a personal and work level), so it was good to let off a little steam in the afternoon.

Saturday
Awoke with what I guess could be referred to as a slight hangover. Eventually got down to the Bay Run a bit before 8, and ran an 8km 'tempo' run in just over 37 mins, having a bit of a push on the 4 and 6th kilometres. Felt quite junky the first few km, as I always do when I haven't run for a day or two, but once warmed up wasn't too bad. I did struggle to generate pace, though, and I've a sneaking suspicion that the Adidas Supernovas are the culprits here - everytime I run in them I feel slow, with the feeling of little energy return through the shoe.

I was a bit sore through the afternoon, but seem to have woken up okay.

Sunday (today)
I'm taking a punt on my light DS Trainer VIII's which I ran my half PB in at Lane Cove a few months back. It'll be interesting to see how much of Wednesday's effort I'm still carrying.

Also having a little experiment with some toast two hours before the start. I traditionally get up three hours beforehand and have creamed rice, but want to make sure I have a back-up plan in case I don't get up then before an important race, plus the experience of having something in the stomach is going to be helpful for refuelling for Six Foot.

If you see someone in a Striders' singlet chucking their guts out at the 4km mark at the SMC today, it was probably me...