Well all I can say is - Mission Accomplished :-)

This has been a fantastic month of racing and everything went according to plan - well almost! I raced four marathon races and won 3 events and only just missed winning the final event. The races on Shongweni Dam were fantastic preparation and I have gained huge experience.

The main races were the KZN Marathon Championships and the SA Marathon Championships. My training went so well in the lead up to the KZN Champs and I peaked at exactly at the right time. The race was held in fairly calm conditions and also quite warm. I had the perfect start and basically blew away the whole field! From the start I ended up racing alone with a time and average speed that was definitely on medal pace for World Champs. Winning the event was very satisfying and I felt very ready for the SA Champs.

A challenge when racing is to decide when to peak and then how to maintain that level over the racing period. Straight after KZN Champs,I got sick - my worst fear! Antibiotics and rest was the only way to recover, but this put me off my programme in a big way. I tried to maintain my intensity, but I went into SA Champs a little undercooked! From the start I broke away with two competitors riding my slip wave. I managed to drop one of the girls with a long interval. The other girl made it very clear her tactics were to only ride my wave. A negative approach, but one that can be effective if you work hard at it. I tried every trick in the book, but just could not get her off my wave. One thing that marathon racing does is show up any weakness you may have, no matter how small. I think the fact that I won all my previous races with such ease in a way counted against me. I forgot to continue to work hard on my portages. The result was that I made a small mistake on the last portage and this gave my opposition the chance to make a 3 second break. I worked hard to catch her, but just missed out on the Gold medal by a few seconds :-(

The main goal for me was to ensure I achieved selection for Singapore World Champs - well...I made it! So in two months I will be racing for South Africa in the K1 and K2 races at World Champs. I am so excited! I know what needs to be done. It is two months now of more hard work and if I improve the portage, you never know - maybe even a medal ;-)