Run Auckland - Race Report

Event -Run Auckland Race 4 - Milford
Date - Sunday 30th May 2010
Distance -10km Run
Time - 45:02 minutes
Age Group (30-39) - 5th
Overall Position - 14th

Well after a solid week of training that tipped the scales at 23 hours I had the Run Auckland Milford Race at the end of it! It had been a big run volume week and my calf had been a little niggely at the start of the week so I was a little nervous about what the morning would bring!

I had looked at the course map briefly the night before and it looked like an out and back with a segment of beach running - unfortunatley what the course map didn't show was the gradient of the course and not being familiar with the Milford area I arrived at the race start ignorant of what actually lay ahead! My first sniff that the course may be slightly on the 'vertical' side of things was when I bumped into a friend Simon at the start line who referred to the course as 'pretty hilly' - I would like to take the opportuity to correct that statement to VERY hilly!!

I seeded myself towards the front of the starting pack alongside the 40-50 minute 10km marker so that I would be starting with runners I could hang onto for pacing! Pacing is not my strong point for events like this that are a single discipline and much shorter than the usual distances I race - I have a tendency to get a little over excited at the start and head off all guns blazing only to hit a big wall of 'that was stupid' around the 4-5km mark!! I have deliberately selected a couple of short sharp 10km run races to try and address the pacing side of things and also to force me out of my comfort zone of the long distance endurance events!

So the starting hooter sounded and I got carried over the timing mat in the early surge and around the perimeter of the reserve we started in before hitting the streets of Milford! So here is the point where I learn that Milford is a rather hilly place - less than 1km in we are heading up a very long steep hill that seems endless! Short downhill before hitting the second climb as gnarly as the first and so it goes on for 10km! My legs begin protesting to the relentless gradients at around the 7km mark so it's a matter of head down and hang on to the small cluster of runners ahead that are keeping a solid but even pace! Soon enough I can hear the music of the finish line and both me and my legs are happy to have made it!

Quick glance at the watch to register the 45:02 minute finish which I am pretty pleased with considering the course - 4:30 Kilometres - a little off the 4 minute pace over the same distance I enjoyed in the build up to Ironman New Zealand but week 8 back into things and I'm happy with the result! Not quite so happy about the swim and bike I now have to get through before the run of night shifts I start tonight - there will definitely be a pair of skins under the scrubs tonight for sure!