NOSH Foot Race

[rdh]

Nosh Foot Race
6 June 2010 Lindfield to Seaforth
15.03km (Garmin GPS) 1hr 20min 18sec
The race was on tracks that varied from 4WD tracks, wide walking tracks to narrow single tracks. The run followed down one side of middle harbor, crossing Roseville bridge and then down the other side, crossing over a headland before proceeding down to Seaforth. The race was an enter on the day $20 for late entry, which was fantastic value.
After a run trough most of the course the previous week I was uncertain as to how I would go as I struggled a bit with the first longish run in two months. I was quite happy to walk/run with Cecile when she injured her ankle.
Race day was fine and cool and after a nice cycle back from dropping my car off and another coffee. I meet up with the others at Tryon Oval in Lindfield. After a walk to the start, it was race on.
The race started on a wide 4WD track with plenty of large and small puddles. I decided to start out steady and warm into it. After about 5 minutes max the crowd eased out and started to sort itself out. After one short section when we were forced to walk up some steps, it was back into a flowing run. The trail was not hard but you certainly had to keep your wits about you as it was no smooth sealed road.

After about 10 minutes of good steady running I decided that I wanted to be the first to finish from the club so started to push the pace on the flowing down hill towards Roseville Bridge. I caught and passed Stu who was in front just before the climb up to the bridge. Crossing the bridge, caught sight of Ben and Kylie not far behind so knew that I had to keep the pressure on myself. Taking the correct path up from the water; unlike last week, helped and I had a good run up with no-one slowing me up. The climbing from Roseville Bridge up seemed to go on a lot longer than previously, especially when we turned of the Magazine track and up to the houses. That climb was hard as you could see several 100 meters and it was all a constant climb, on wet grass. Then we turned into the bush again to find we had hit a false summit and it climbed again. Then it was down, and a fast technical down, unfortunately the rain had caused a track change so we got diverted around the side of a gully, eliminating a very steep climb.
Then out onto the road, where I nearly choked at the aid station; note to organizers please do not locate aid stations at the top of a hill as runners are breathing very hard.
Once we were out onto the last 4WD track I was running scared that Stu would catch me, so it was simply a case of pushing and pushing, minimizing the distance by running straight lines around puddles. From the previous weekend I recalled the distances to the end seeming to be longer than Brick had said, so was just trying to hang in there. The last km is back to technical running as trying to run hard, not fall and keep going was taxing.
Coming out onto the oval at the end was great, sprint and under the finish line. This was a great race right in my back yard.
Quote of the day goes to Brick “these sprint races are so hard”



The race was a lot of fun and I did well based on my perceived level of fitness which is not that great, I have not don much in the last 2 months and I would be considerably heavier than I last raced at. This type of racing is such fun as it is a challenging but not intimating distance. The course is right by home, and it was a beautiful day.