Short North Head STaR and the Balmoral Burn

Up at 5 or so for the North Head STaR. Program called for 1h45m. Breakfast was two bits of toast with honey and a strong cup of coffee.

Felt pretty ordinary through the first 15k as silver fox and I fell off the back of the 6:20 group, which featured some unusual faces - suspect the usual suspects were either at the SMC finale or previewing the SMH course - and really didn't feel much chop until a toilet stop at 15k or so.

Felt okay after that, and after fixing each others running and training issues, silver fox and I took the short cut and pushed on towards the finish. I left him at 23k as the course headed downhill and banged out the last km or so, finished 24.05km in 1:53:57, giving 4:44 per km pace for the distance. Good solid hitout, without finishing too smashed up - cheers for the excellent company silver fox!

After grabbing some Coke and enough banana pieces to make up a whole banana (plus the compulsory catch up, which is really the reason I go to STaRs) wandered over to Balmoral for the Balmoral Burn, for which I'd recruited a team as per a request from our Marketing Director.

There were only two people who ran regularly in the squad - myself and Ben, plus an ex-sprinter who hasn't run for some years and smokes, plus another guy who doesn't do much and also smokes. In the interests of Ben and my entertainment, they went first and, to be fair, put up creditable performances - they certainly tried as hard as they could, they were still trying to get their breath back 15 minutes later!

This put us well back in the field by the time my leg (I was third) came up. I deliberately went out easily, employing the short step, high turnover shuffle, with drive coming from the glutes and hammies. About four or fives guys went out when I did and they all immediately went out to 20-30 yards in front of me, and it was with much satisfaction I mowed them down, plus some other guys who had gone out well before me for a 2:15.

Star of the day was our anchorman, Ben, though, who ran a 1:55 (ah, the power of fresh legs) and also picked up a heap of places. Be interesting to see the splits - Ben's wife suggested we finished 12th out of a field of big field of teams that might have been close to 50. I'll put up final results when I get them.

Didn't kill me as much as last year, and I reckon I was a lot faster, using much better hill technique. The last 200 metres was pure gold, as I got everyone single one of the guys who'd gone out so hard at the start plus a heap on top, with my 'poke in the eye' yellow t-shirt and ugly but efficient steep hill shuffle. I tell you, there aren't too many better feelings than mowing everyone down like that.