Tuesday 24 January - 10 km Training Walk
I did not walk on Sunday due to the races on the weekend so I needed to do one of the longer walks today. I arrived early at the usual 5 km race so I could pay my entry fee then head out and walk 4 km prior to the start. I averaged 6:52 for those first 4 km which was not a bad warm up. When the race started I wondered if I would be able to manage anything like a race pace and I was quite pleased with what I achieved. John did not race today so I lead from around the 200 m mark when I managed to pass Jackie who always gets off to a good start. It was good racing conditions today and I completed the 5 km race in around 31:50 and the 10 km in 1:07.
A strong field of women entered this race. It is always great to see their strength and technique. Once again my focus was on getting past the judges so I walked well within what I am capable of in respect of speed. My hip isn't completely right yet so that would have limited my speed if I was going for it. It was an evening race and the weather was overcast and calm - great racing conditions. There were 5 judges and the meeting manager had decreed that disqualified walkers would be removed from the course.
I had emailed my entry days ahead of the closing date but I think my entry had been forgotten for a while because my name was not in the programme and I was given the widest spot on the starting line. All other walkers except Kate were in alphabetical order. I think we must have been the 'late' entries. It did not worry me - I learned years ago that it's not a good idea to rush off like a scared rabbit as soon as the gun goes. In my first ever race on the track I felt exhausted after the first 200 m. I had been unsure how to find a position on the inside lane so I went flat out to get to the front.
I walked a little wide for the first 100 m then tucked in behind John and Kevin. They might have been going slightly slower than I wanted but I wanted to settle in before attempting to pass. We did the first 200 in around 1:10 and the first km in around 6 min so it was an okay pace. I passed Kevin on the 3rd or 4th lap and then passed John a lap or two after that. There was quite a big distance between myself and Sue Hoskin who was the next walker in front of me. I noticed one penalty for me on the board at around the 4th lap. I had not seen any warning prior to that but I did get a warning from David on about the 5th lap. I concentrated hard on standing upright and pushing off my back toe. I finished the race in 18:30 and was very pleased to find out that I received just the single penalty. I was 7th woman and 8th overall.
The meeting results are here: http://www.athletics.org.nz/WELL/Resource.aspx?ID=13744
Saturday 21 January - 5 km Tack Walk
We were a wee way down the road heading to the track when I realised that my Garmin was not in my gear bag. It would have made it marginal to arrive on time if we went back and my aim for this race was primarily to get past the judges so I figured it really did not matter. My hip was still sore and I gave it a good long warm up.
There were only three judges for the race, one of whom was my husband. This was my first 5 km on the track this season so I had no idea how I would go. The day was hot and windy - not ideal race conditions. The first five placings were probably decided in the first 200 m - young Stuart in the front, Chris (just returned to racing having given up at the age of 20, now aged 42), Robyn, me, then Kevin. I haven't managed to keep up with Robyn in the last two or three years but I'd like to give it a good go this year. Not on this race though - I had to hold back and concentrate on form. Unfortunately the only judge I managed to convince was Philip so I finished with 2 red cards in a time of 31:18.
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