City2Surf 2005

This is actually my second time to join the Sun-Herald City2Surf, but this year the company fielded a team. We were supposed to meet up at St. Mary's Cathedral at 8:30am for a group picture. By 8:45am, I was still queuing up at Hyde Park to pick up my bib. I saw this girl wearing a black Nokia Terminal9 shirt, so I figured she's a teammate. We waited at the church steps, but didn't see anybody else.

The run is supposed to start at 9:30am, but it started later than that. The Sun-Herald Start people went first, then the HSBC Start, then about 15 minutes after time zero, the Back of the Pack started running. I wouldn't really call it "running" with so many people crowding the streets. I spent the first few kilometers weaving in and out of the traffic, keeping to the footpaths as much as possible. The going from Rushcutters Bay to Double Bay to Rose Bay is relatively easy because there's lots of shops and spectators around. There are live bands and drinking stations here and there to refresh the runners. The Durex guys, the Super Friends, and the guys in full body paint are back this year, but I didn't see the running brides and the green dinosaurs.

The point from Rose Bay is where things start to get serious. The upward slope is steep, and most people are content to do brisk walking. It's not called Heartbreak Hill for nothing. By the time I got to kilometer 11, my legs can't take the pounding anymore. It's not sprain or cramps, but my knees hurt with every step I take. I figured if I keep on running, it'll make pain go numb, and I would be fine until I finish the race. Bad idea. The pain got worse so I had to limp all the way to the finish line. It's a pity because it's all downhill from there (literally). I could've shaved minutes off my time if my legs didn't give up.

Last year I did 130 minutes and 58 seconds. This year was 110:11 for 14 kilometers. Not bad. Because of a late start, my real time was actually 93 minutes and 3 seconds. Not bad at all.