Very pleased with effort after last time being very disappointed with 5:42.After averaging about 29km per week compared to 50ish last time i thought my goalshould be to simply finish.

I took it easy down the stairs and fortunately the conga line pace allowed me to step down each step before the next and saving me, for a while at least, from painful quad cramps.Got to the river in 95 minutes and waded across in my socks shoes overhead before changing to a spare pair (not sure if this was or wasn't worth the time but i got to keep my shoes dry for a few more km)

Ran up the hills feeling pretty good, walking when the breathing started to get heavier and so on.Got to the top of of Pluviometer 93 minutes later.The guys in front of me were talking about quad cramps and as fait would have it thats when i first got the first taste of the vice like grip around the tpos and bottoms of both quads.

I remembered the advice Blue Dog had given me 2 years before and hadn't been able to act apon.He said that i needed to leave enough in reserve to be able to do a "Cliffy Young" over Black Range Road...

That was my thoughts as i shuffled along and seemed to overtake dozens of tired runners.I thought for every km i could shuffle it was like bonus time and i started daydreaming of sub 5:30 before telling myself to snap out of it as there was still a long way to go and a tough slog downhill that was really going to hurt!

Saw the sign saying 10km to go but it seemed to go on and on especially when you asked the firies how far and they would have a joke and tell you the wrong distance (some of them didn't know anyway!)

Running down the final hill i realised that 5:15 might be a possibility and so picked up my pace and finished with a Hollywood sprint finish under the timer for 5:15:01 and pleased as punch! Net time 15:14:33

A great day and got to stay with some awesome runners (top 10) from Queensland and dinner with some Canberra legends (7th 8th and first female) at the Katoomba RSL and it was great to see this sport hasn't been ruined by money!

Thats all for now,
A tired
R2B