It's almost a year since I crashed out in the City to Surf fun run. Which raises two points: Another two weeks and I'll be running in the City to Surf fun run and, I have only just looked at my GPS trace for that last run !
Usual practice is: finish a run, go home, download the GPS trace... look at it, try to find something interesting, forget it. This time I skipped straight to, forget it. It just slipped my mind... for some reason :-)
I have finally looked -- and it's interesting:
The red line is the trace. The green overlays are what I remember...
Right at the start (top right of the diagram), I have vague memories of following the crowd. I am ready to go the wrong way -- memories of the standard 12km run, perhaps -- but the crowd goes the other way. There would have been a start banner. Not only do I not see it, I complain (to myself) that there is *no* start banner.
Going downhill near "A" I remember seeing the busport.
At "B" we turn to follow the river. I remember 100m or so of that. Mostly I remember seeing a km marker flag -- and wondering why it was the first on the course. Still blaming the organisers for not putting out standard fun run items. If this happens again, will I realise that the fault is mine and not that of the organisers ?
A long blank area along the river. Somewhere -- possibly back at B -- I am pleased to see that my pace is as fast as I planned. It's a beautiful run, my pace is fast (for me), steady, very consistent. Pity I am not conscious !
It is at C that I realise that I do not know which way we would enter Kings Park. Luckily, I think, I can just follow the other runners. Then -- as I have told several people -- it becomes a moot point because I collapse before entering UWA. Wrong !
Looking at the trace, it seems that I run down by the river. Through UWA. Back under the road. All without knowing, without remembering. And collapse at D... according to the trace.
Yes, my son tells me that a phone call told him, Your father has collapsed behind Currie Hall. So I completely miss the last kilometre of my run !
I then spend 20 minutes getting on the spot first aid, less than two minutes to get to the emergency ward. First I know of that is waking up, being asked if I know where I am (not really). And being given some rather bad news.
I ran 6km in 38 minutes. That has been my target pace -- for several years -- for running a marathon. Okay, this is only the first little bit of a *half* marathon... Still, I feel that I have finally reached my running goal ! Pity it didn't last :-)
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And in two weeks I will again run the City to Surf. Just the 12km. I do know that I can run the distance, Deb & I did a 12km training run this morning. But will I collapse ?!
Naaahhhh… probably not. But I half wish that my latest MRI scan were before rather than after the run :-)
No, I don't expect to collapse. Still, it's a bit of a worry. So I blog -- get it off my chest -- and stop worrying. Mostly !
Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
... Agamedes Consulting / Problems ? Solved
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"When it comes to ideas, some people will stop at nothing." … per Ginger Meggs
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I can understand you being worried. Nevertheless, you will blitz it. Cheers Col
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