City2Surf - 40th outright in 47:45

Not a bad result. Actually, I'm really satisfied with this given the past three months of interrupted training due to my left Achilles' tendon. Deep down I would have loved to have run another minute and a half faster, but given the aforementioned, this will do for today. Went out hard-ish, but not suicidal. Tried to stick with Scotty, but the pace was just too quick for me. I then found myself running largely solo until heartbreak hill, where I actually did struggle quite a bit. Firstly, Neil went past, then Hoey (not to mention Cassie, so I was 'chicked' - the first time she has gotten the better of me). I didn't bother trying to stay with any of them, simply sticking to how my body felt (which evidentially was feeling it more than these fine athletes). Was quite concerned when I could make out a black singlet in front of me that I was catching - Barts!!! The poor guy had stomach cramps, so a fantastic effort on his behalf to even finish, especially with a half respectable time (just over 48). Got though the 10km mark in 34:40-something; not too bad when only a handful of weeks ago running a sub-35 on the flat would have been an achievement. The final 4km I just hung in there, somewhat convincing myself that around the next bend the decent into Bondi Beach will start (which at times felt like it would never happen). The final kilometer I thought was much better than previous years - sure there was the initial uphill at the start of Campbell Pde, but a quick hairpin turn transitioned it into a downhill. Plus, it gave you an idea of how far off you were of some others. This is when I saw Scotty - struggling even more than me! Luckily for him, the finish line was close. So all in all, a bloody solid run! The heart rate monitor shows that that was all that I could have given it today, hence why I am happy with the outcome. The worst feeling is finishing a race and questioning yourself if you could have gone harder. I have objective data to show that the answer was clearly 'no.' Two standout runs today we're done by Tom (an amazing 15th outright in 45:28) and Toby (who is having an amazing 2016 finishing in an impressive 56th with 48:24). Didn't hang around for too long post race, caught the bus back to Bondi Junction with Justin before shuffling 4km back to his car at Surry Hills. That final cooldown was almost as painful as the race itself. A well deserved complete rest tomorrow, followed by an easy day on Tuesday to ensure that I completely recover this time. I a, adamant to avoid the same mistake post SMH-Half. I can now focus on getting some race fitness back over the next 10 weeks in preparation for my goal race in Burnie. Looking forward to the journey!