Lane Cove 10km Sydney Striders

Not a great day at all. Woke up to pure darkness and pouring rain, which had well and truly 'set-in' for the day. Registration was completed with the volunteers wearing head torches - another first for me. Felt half decent in the warm-up, but nothing amazing. Saw Alex on the start line, so my race plan then became to stay with him for as long as possible. Noted Tom unusually staying three rows back from the starting line, suggesting that he was not up for racing today either (but never count him out)! The gun went off, with Dave and Barts making a break for it, with Chris gradually gapping myself and Alex. The course itself is unusual - as it is approximately 5.3km out (and mostly uphill), with a 4.7km return (and mostly downhill - but always feels less so at the back half of a 10km race). I glanced at my GPS a few times, but didn't really take much notice, as I have raced here before and it always seems totally unreliable due to the dense tree covering inhibiting the direct line of sight between my watch and the satellite. I stayed with Alex until we turned around, and then he absolutely bolted downhill - leaving me solo for the next 3km. Tom came past me at this point, and slightly towed me towards the finish line, gradually catching Alex - but not quick enough in the end. Ended with a PW (personal worse) time of 34:39. Just didn't have it at all today, and really just capped off a forgettable two weeks of training following a fantastic previous fortnight. Oh well, back to the drawing board in preparation for the State 10km Road Championships in early May. Still deciding whether to travel to Canberra next Saturday for the Australian Running Festival 10km.