I got this!

Here are five reasons why I’ll run fastest today than in May. And yes, this is me telling myself why adding the waistcoat isn’t a problem!

1. I’m going to run slower.

For my last attempt I started way too fast. I ran the first 5km almost as fast as my personal best 5km on a track!

This time, I’m going to relax and run much slower for the first 5km. That should allow me to maintain a more consistent pace throughout the race. I reckon this alone will give me 40–50 seconds.

2. I’m giving up the selfies

Guinness require you to take a photo every 2km. Last time I tried to do this myself, taking selfies. While I got quite good at doing this at race pace without slowing down, I still think it slowed my down a little. Just having to think about holding the phone the whole way, and checking to see that the photos showed my whole suit was a distraction I would be better without. So this time I have got a formidable team behind me. The added bonus is they will not only be collecting evidence, but also cheering me on (see point 4).

3. No more hills.

The SMH Sydney Half course is way too hilly for a record pace. Even the winner, and Olympian Michael Shelley said in his post race interview that he found it tough in the final few kms. And that was without a suit! There are a couple of steep climbs towards the end just when the legs are getting tired and the suit is getting sweatier and heavier. The M7 course isn’t flat, but it is more often described as undulating rather than hilly.

I’ve been out to test the hilliest section and it should take about a minute at race pace to conquer the steady climb and shouldn’t slow me down by more than a few seconds.

4. Crowd support.

Last time there was an amazing crowd out in the early hours. I got lots of hi-fives, from the crowd, volunteers and even the police! But then there was a horrible section of the course on the Cahill freeway from 12k-18k when I saw no-one. This was where I really slowed down.

This time I have friends along the course, including 4 friends during that same section (12–18k) ready to take photos and cheer me on. Knowing that I will see a friendly face every 7 minutes will be an empowering thought.

5. I KNOW I can go a minute quicker

After reviewing my race with me and looking at my splits my coach said that I can go a minute faster. That was one key piece of feedback I needed in order for give it another go.

When it comes down to it, and the pain is kicking in in the final 5km, it really is a mental battle. Having a wise outsider make such a statement is super helpful to have in mind at the low points of a race.

Bring on the race. 10 hours to go!!