WHAT a nerve wracking week I’ve just been through.
In last week’s article I mentioned that the previous Sunday I had experienced a very difficult training run and felt as if I had been hit by Mike Tyson.
Well, the week that followed continued in the same vein because my legs just refused to recover and my first 42km qualifier was looming.
Right up until the start of this Sunday’s race, which was held in Hillcrest, I knew it was going to be a long day.
A few of us started at the back of the 3000 odd starters so that we would not get involved in a blistering fast start.
Well, it turned out that we had to deal with a lot of very slow walking as the race headed out of Hillcrest towards Winston Park.
The pace started to pick up and my legs came to the party and felt relaxed and strong.
I saw a nice gap on the pavement next to the road and decided to take it in order to make up the time I had lost at the start.
I was going great guns and was making up fantastic time until I misplaced my footing and rolled over on my ankle on an uneven surface.
I immediately pulled up writhing in pain and managed to pull up to a nearby fence to catch my balance.
It felt really bad as I had ripped ligaments before and the pain was similar.
After a while I hobbled on my foot hoping it would miraculously heal itself and, funnily enough, the more I moved the better it felt so I got back into the race slowly.
The next minute I heard a huge commotion as I saw a young woman run into a dirt bin that had been badly placed in the road as a marker.
She was lifted off the ground by the runners around her and, as she stood there rewarded with two bloodied knees and hands, it reminded me of being aware of safety at the start of and during races.
Always try and start in the batch and speed that you will finish in.
In other words, if your predicted finishing time for a marathon is around three hours or less, you should be near the front and, if you are expecting to finish the same marathon in a time of five hours 30 minutes, then you should obviously tend to start further back to avoid being trampled by the quickies.
When races start in the dark be aware of potholes, pavements, dirt bags, cats’ eyes, speed bumps and other unexpected obstacles you might come across.
I went on to finish the Hillcrest marathon without any pain and the slow pace I ran was exactly what I needed.
South Coast Striders congratulates Andrew Spence on becoming the South African 10km champion. Andrew will be heading for Australia later this year representing his country.
Please be reminded that if you have entered the Maritzburg Marathon in just over a weeks’ time and have not collected your 2016 licence do so this Wednesday at the clubhouse from 5pm.
Time trials for runners and walkers are on Wednesdays followed by a braai.
Keep safe on the roads guys and dolls, remember to keep striding, they all count.
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