Oh Jesus, Mary and Joseph. That was one hard day at the office.
It was -2 when I arrived and got sorted. I tried to double up on all of my layers and there were still points when I was cold. The route was icy and although they were gritting - i did slide on a few moments during the first 2-3 laps. I was so impressed by the marshals who stood there for 5 hours.
I later found out they were really close to calling off the race due to the conditions but chose to grit it and hope for the best.
Course: It was 7x 6km loops, mostly on asphalt but there was 1km on grass which throughout the day got progressively more and more muddy.
I managed the laps relatively OK as I think i'm getting used to them but I did not feel 'right'. Today the bones in my feet are really sore. I think I was taking different strides due to the icy conditions?
I ran the route with a variety of people and taking on Weedy's advice - used it as a LSR... so I walked a bit with Robbie, who's 77 and still running marathons! Then I ran with another 100 club member as we chatted our way through 3 laps. I've noticed how much I love talking to people and running with someone.
Lessons Learned: Jam Sandwiches + Emmy = badness. I prepared some jam sandwiches but they just didnt agree with me. I couldn't swallow them and when they hit my stomach... well.... they didnt sit well and I ended up throwing it back up. I need to come up with a different strategy. I had 4 gels and a dozen jelly babies and some coke around the course.
I was the last marathoner on the course so was escorted back by two girls on a bike who were 'encouraging' me to run faster (I kept a few choice words under my breath). I know that they were trying but trying to make me push out a 9 min mile in the last 3 miles of the course was a little ambitious! I know they were cold but it really demoralised me... especially when I was told that there was no time limit! I just didnt realise that they set of the +6hrs an hour earlier!
The finish line: What happened next - I was not expecting. As I approached the finish line a chorus of: Happy Birthday to you.... started. I was so touched! It was completely unexpected. This was followed by one of the marshals telling me "The Boss wants to see me". I was instantly struck by: Oh crap - my chips not been recorded or something like that - No.... they were presenting me with a bunch of flowers! 
As I left yesterday - my legs felt trashed.... and even this morning I would normally have gone out for a recovery run - which i'm leaving until tonight to see how my legs feel today. This was a slower effort (on purpose) but it felt harder than the double I did last month!
All in all - it's good experience. The nutrition strategy is something I need to work on (any advice is appreciated for the next few races) as well as my clothing. I wore underarmour shirt and tights followed by two tshirts and another pair of tights, gloves and a hat. I'm sure that I looked like the michelin lady!
Times:
6km Splits:
1st lap: (this was the extra little lap) 1.06
2nd lap: 40.16
3rd lap:42.33
4th lap:44.58
5th lap:45.54
6th lap: 50.38
7th lap: 53.20
Finish: 48.37
Totals:
Net: 5:27:19
Gross: 5.27.34
Average pace: 7.45 km'h
Edited: 11/02/2013 at 08:16
