What Next

Maybe it is time I remind myself why I run. Since the Six Foot Track Marathon I have been a bit aimless and without a significant running goal - first the flu, then the Walk into the Wild and then I fell out of the routine of the regular run since our team has withdrawn from the Wild Endurance 100km event.I have entered the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon as my next race. This used to be my favourite run of all time. It was the event that challenged me to push beyond what seemed, at the time, like a long running distance of the 14km City to Surf. I will never forget the start of the 2nd SMH Half Marathon in 1993 race when I came out to watch Hammer, Adam and Liz and 3000 others, run two anticlockwise loops around the city starting behind the Hyatt Hotel. Sydney was at its sparkling best, cool but gloriously sunny with the Harbour sparkling and shimmering like it was filled with diamonds. I watched Steve Monaghetti floating through the air on his way to the finish and Kerry McCann I think was the female winner. The Hammer, Adam and Liz all finished in admirable times. The atmosphere near the start and finish in Hickson Rd was magnetic and I remember thinking I wanted to be a part of this energy that filled the air. And so I entered my first SMH Half Marathon in 1995 after returning from Adelaide. It was the start on my addiction to long distance running. Over the years I have run pretty consistent times from 1hr 56min in 1995 to 1hr 48 min in 2007.But I fear the event does not hold the same allure for me any more. I have not run this race for the last two years mainly due to injury and also partly also due to the changes in the start location and the increase in the number of entrants. Time will tell if cramming to catch up on fitness will get me by and if the old magic of the event will come back to me. Over the past two weeks, I have run less than 100km mainly short hill repeats and one long run (<22km). >