For years I've been trying to run a sub 40 for 10 km and I had my chance two weeks ago to address that issue but unfortunately wasn't feeling the best and didn't run. My pb for 10 km is 40:43 set back in 2006 and I was starting to think that maybe age might be against me the longer the status quo remains. If I can't do a sub 40 for 10, how's a sub 60 for 15 sound, I'm over the moon as that is what I did this morning at LaTrobe University 15 km road race. Unofficially, on my watch, I came home in 59:58 a whopping two seconds under the magical hour mark. Yep, you read it right, sub 60 for 15, has a nice ring to it, doesn't it.

The course we ran was a 3 lap course, obviously each lap being 5 km. It's not the flatest course around and I reckon the first 1 - 1.5 km of each lap were the toughest as basically was uphill. Going through 5 km in 19:35 (only 8 seconds outside my 5 km pb in 2006) I didn't have any inkling about what was to unfold. I knew that I was bang smack on the 4 min mark (just under) and seriously putting effort in but some doubts were in my mind as to whether I could maintain the pace. A plan I quickly formulated in my head was to only look at the next kilometre, maintaining the pace and attempt a sub 40 for 10. I knew though that that would possibly make for a slow last 5 km.

At the end of lap 2, 10 km, and another milestone, a sub 40 for 10, running through in 39:45. At this point I knew I had to negotiate the first 1 - 2 km of the lap which was more up hill and than down and my thoughts turned to getting as close as possible to 60, hopefully under 61 for the finish. Yep, the first two kilometres of the last lap were a bit slower but after that I was able to recover, picked myself up, a just put in. On this last lap at the various kilometre markings I was over the required time (for a sub 60) by 10 - 25 seconds, I can't recall the exact figures but was starting to think that at least I'd get very, very close to it. I ran through the 14 km at 56:30 and thought bugger it, just push it, slight decline anyway, let gravity take over and see what happens. There were a few inclines but pushed it anyway.

Running the last 300 or so metres, what a feeling, I was in the 59 min bracket, couldn't stop now, it was going to be touch'n'go whether I'd come under 60. Turning the last corner and the finish chute in sight along with the official clock which read 59:40 something and counting. From the crowd I could hear 'sub 60' warnings and then at 59:58 I crossed the line.

I reckon I must be doing something right in my training for this result. Here's all my training runs for this week. A little less than the previous week but I added some interval type training to my runs, quick kilometres here and there.