View from Lost World |
A shame really, as the hamstring fixed itself up much quicker than I envisaged and I was able to get back to full training. On Saturday I raced a flat half marathon and was on 1:13-1:14 pace until a huge westerly wind whipped up which blew some of the later km splits out and I finished in 1:15:30. A pretty good time but at the end I felt like I could've held that pace for a lot longer - a good sign that the endurance and speed are coming together nicely.
So what does this all mean for the GOW100? It looks a faster course than TNF100 but then again, I don't know the course that well, so my customary detours off track are very likely! In any case, I know I am fit and ready to have a good crack at it.
Being school holidays, I've been able to get out and about and run some unknown Blue Mountains trails. Yesterday I did a bit off a duathlon, riding down to Springwood to Martin's Lookout and then ran a tough up and down track to Bunyan Lookout and Lost World. After a short break for some photos, I returned and then rode on very trashed legs back up to Woodford. A tough session but worth it. That's my last big hit out done and dusted.
On the gear front, I've been testing out the new Inov-8 Trailroc 245s. So far these shoes have exceeded all my expectations. With this model, it seems Inov-8 have designed the ideal shoe for Australian terrain. They are not so knobbly as the X-Talons, and are super light and super comfortable. With a 3mm differential, they give the support that I need and I can easily see myself going 100k in these without any discomfort. The boys at Ultra168 have done a great review of the 245 and the 255 here.
They are my new lucky shoes too. On Sunday I broke the run of seconds that I've been having by cracking a win at the local Running Wild race 17km race at Mt Portal. They handled beautifully on the leaf littered single trail and proved more than able on the steep descents.
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Running Wild - Mt Portal |