When I look back on 2010, overall, I see a successful year. It is a year that could have been much better, but it still wasn’t too bad. Through some ups and downs, I have learnt a few lessons that will put me in good stead for what 2011 will bring.
At the beginning of the year, 2010 was all about debuting at the marathon. I was excited and nervous because you never know how you’ll perform at such a long distance. As luck would have it, it was a fantastic race, a great debut and is no doubt (albeit unfortunately) what i would consider the highlight performance of the year.
In March, I ran my first ever World Cross Country, and that was an eye-opener. The step-up from national to international level is phenomenal. It was amazing how hard everyone started, and then just kept on going, and going like the energizer bunny. It was a great event, and one that I want to compete at again in the future. After all, I can’t have my best placing being 100th.
July brought me my first taste of victory in a little while. Winning the Gold Coast Half Marathon was definitely a highlight for me, because it showed I can win races, and proved to myself that I have made the right decision to continue my transition to the marathon. Although it wasn’t as fast at 2009 (where I ran 62:44 on debut), I was very happy with how I executed the race, and was able to finish strongly. The competition is always good, and it’s a fast course. The Gold Coast Marathon event organizers put on a great weekend, a great race and I’m looking forward to running there again in the coming years.
The Sun-Herald City2Surf and National Cross Country did not go anywhere near as planned, with a 3rd place finish at both races. The City2Surf was a good performance in itself, with a pretty quick time, but I never really gave myself the best chance to win. I did not ever really stamp myself in the race. Michael and Benny showed me why I should have tried harder when I hit the lead because with a kilometre to go, they blew me away.
My result at National Cross hurt deep down because I just ran terribly, and made rookie mistakes. It was as though my head went on holiday the day of the race, and I paid for it. I was fitter than ever before and yet could not get it together on the day. As a result, Marty and Liam showed me a clean pair of heels as they fought it out for the title. Luckily, I managed to hold it together enough to get a bronze medal.
October saw my first Commonwealth Games team representation, and my second marathon. I had high expectations, and did not meet them. I was very disappointed in myself for not performing when it counted, as that has always been my strongest ability. A combination of things, in hindsight, may have led to my poor performance, and while I am working on ways to avoid it happening again, I’m not dwelling on it. It was by no means the way I wanted to run my first Commonwealth Games, but it is now in the past and cannot be changed.
A couple of weeks after Delhi, I got married to Heidi with our friends and family in attendance. It was so much fun and I’m so glad that people enjoyed themselves and were a part of our big day. Our honeymoon in the HunterValley was very enjoyable and relaxing, with the time away from running making me hungrier to get back into it.
Christmas is only 3 days away, and the end of the year just 6 more after that. I’ll be kicking off 2011 at Falls Creek in the VictorianMountains with 4 weeks of solid altitude training. I’ll be down there with the Aussie distance fraternity en-mass for what will hopefully be 4 very productive weeks of training. It’s always a great time of year, and a with a great environment to train in, you can propel yourself into a good or great year.
Until next time, Merry Christmas and Happy New year to everyone.
