Sri Chinmoy 7K
This morning was Race 6 in the Sri Chinmoy Sydney Series 2009. I hadn’t done any of the other races, but Miss Fee did a few of them. She couldn’t run this one so she gave her spot to me. There was a half-marathon, a 7km, and a 4km, and I/Fee was booked in to the 7K. I debated last night on skipping it, due to the extreme heat. (It’s supposed to be 41C/105F today!) But I got a good night’s sleep thanks to the air conditioner, so I headed out this morning to pick up my number. (Go #723!) There was quite a crowd! As I stood there stretching and taking photos, I suddenly realised that the famous w!tchcAt was standing before me! So I did the dorky thing where I said hi and confessed that I read her blog. Hi w!tchcAt! The half-marathoners started at 8, and we started about 15 minutes later. I fumbled getting Runkeeper started, so my race details are a bit off. The course went all over the place, occasionally doubling back on itself. It was really fun! We were on paths, sand, grass, paved track, all over. I tried not to think about my speed and just concentrated on running without stopping. The sun was coming out and the heat was climbing. I hit a couple of the water stops. I was surprised by how many fit-looking people I managed to pass! Finally the finish line was ahead. I don’t have my official time yet, but it should be around 50 minutes. I felt like I could’ve had a PB if it hadn’t been so hot! I drank some water, ate a banana, and headed home for a shower. That’s where I discovered the real fun of running cross country: dirty legs! It was a good run; I’m glad I did it.