I was pretty apprehensive about doing this. I kinda figured that as I had done the GC Half the weekend before and took it nice and easy....that surely I could manage a slow 20km. Even if I just did it at training pace. I worked out that I should be able to do about a 2:10 or under. Even with the minimal training I still feel I have some base fitness that will see me through. I was also asked to pick up another walker and bring him with me so that pretty much sealed the deal that I was going.
This course is normally a 2km loop. Set out in a big U shape. The start is in the centre of the U and its 500m out and 500m back on each side. At the curves of the U is a rise that would be about 4m in height but over a 15 m slope....so its not tooo god awful. Still I was facing doing this 20 x
When we arrived we had cut it a touch fine and had about 25 mins to warm up and get organised. It was about 5mins to the start that I found out that Dave had changed the course. He had decided to shorten it. Making it a 1km loop....still in the U shape but the long legs had been cut back so you basically start - go down the rise turn go back up the rise....go across the rise turn and go back up the rise to finish your first lap. WHAT THE HELL!!! this meant 40 x over the rises...shit my hamstring is going to hate me!! Infact had I known he would do that I wouldnt have come to the race. There was only 3 women doing the 20km so this changed effected us the most. I pretty much knew then it would be a slow race so 2:10 would be it if I was lucky.
We started out and before the first km was done I encountered a problem. I had forgotten to take my watch off auto lap (normally on this course it works perfect to the measurements) But my watch beeped off its frist km about 100m before the line? Hmmm thats odd I pondered but I carried on..... and each km it kept chiming off further and further away from the start/finish.. Then there was the ACUTAL time....2km in 13:25 NO WAY!!! I went through 10km on my watch 1.01.37 but the offical time was 1:07:15??? My body had held together really well and I was really surprised that I had no major aches..... Some chaffing on my legs due to a touch of extra weight....sigh... and my right hip flexor. I was keeping my pace pretty steady until around the 12km mark and then I just died. Fatigue set in and mentally I was struggling to keep walking. My times kept getting slower and slower and the more I tried to work out my laps the worse it became. I lost track of how many laps I had done as my watch was so out of sync. My watch chimed off 20km 2:10:29 ... so I called out ..how many more laps.... 2 they said.............. I did a really fast calculation in my head and though hang on. Thats a 1:15 for 10km ...are you kidding me!!!! As I turned for my last lap I looked at the dq board and was just guttered to see TWO red cards up. Oh NO.......not now, dont get DQ'd in the last lap, I couldnt bare it. I was doing everything I could to keep in form by my legs were just not responding any more. It was really a death march for that last 800m. the juniors all cheered for us and even ran beside me to keep me going. I finished in 2:22:12.................I wanted to cry. I dont want this time to be recorded....something has to be wrong.
Another girl who had a GPS watch that walked the 10km came and asked me if my watch was gps and asked what I measured the walk at. I looked at saw it said 21.71km her's showed 10.9km So next thing they bring out the wheel and remeasure as everyone is unhappy with their times and at first they blamed the hills. Turned out the course was measured long...... by just over 90m ARRRRRHHHHHH so us 20km walkers had all walked 1.8km more than we should have.
20 km data
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