Stawell Toyota 8km Race Review
I was itching to hit the pavement. A forced hiatus thanks to a family visit to Melbourne and a bout of COVID had left my running shoes gathering dust. Skipping last week’s 5K was a bitter pill to swallow, but my body needed the extra recovery time.
So, this week was all about the Stawell Toyota handicap. A small but mighty field was gathered, and after a quick chat with the handicapper, I managed to wiggle my way into an earlier start time. Perfect! More time to catch up with my sister who was visiting from the big smoke.
Two weeks without a proper long run is basically a runner’s kryptonite. I’d squeezed in a 14K interval session before the world imploded, followed by a pretty dismal 11K just before testing positive. Classic case of ‘pushing through’ when I should have hit the hay.
No game plan, no pressure – just me and the open road. Easy runs had been my jam all week, so it was time to crank up the pace. As I lined up at the start, I knew the downhill would be my Achilles heel, so I held back, letting my body find its rhythm. The kilometres ticked by, and I lost myself in the moment, dodging puddles and soaking up the scenery.
Crossing the finish line in 46:07 felt like a small victory. Not bad for this rusty old runner!