21.1km Easy...

I was hoping that would have been a slightly more positive title.

A bit of a disappointing day yesterday, at the end of a disappointing week.

I came down with a bit of a cold last weekend, which forced a much longer taper than was necessary. Then, on Friday I started feeling a bit dodgy at work. I ended up leaving the office a bit early with a pounding headache. I went straight to bed, got up to eat some dinner - but that didn't go down to well. Woke up Saturday morning feeling even worse, but tried to get some brekky down... which didn't stay down too long. The alarm bells started to ring and I was considering binning the Half Marathon. I spent most of the day in bed, still the headache wouldn't shift. I did manage to keep some food down later in the day. I spoke to my running buddy and decided to give it a go at an easy pace.

So I woke up on Sunday, feeling remarkably fine - if a bit dull. Met up with my mate in the City and made our way down to the start.

I was still secretly hoping for a sub 2 hour time, but it was my mate's first Half Marathon, and I didn't know how I'd feel, so we would have been heading into the unknown.

So we just kept a nice Easy pace - probably around 6:00/km (my Imaginary Friend had an off day with all the tall buildings etc). I think we passed 10km in just under an hour and still felt pretty good. Although we were quite apprehensive about the hills on the second lap.

We just stuck to the steady pace up the Hunter Street hill then along to Mrs Macquaries Chair and back up the hill to Hyde Park. As we came back to Hunter Street downhill, we were 'flying'... probably a bit too quick because my buddy just about emptied his tank by the turn into Pitt Street. So I just hung back with him trying to encourage him up Argyle Street and back to the finish.

Official time was 2:07:04.

I don't feel too bad today and I'm just taking the positive of a good long training run for City to Surf and the next Half Marathon - probably in September.