Anzac Day

I have gotten a bit slack on the blog, and this post isn't even going to mention running.   It's about how we spent Anzac Day last Saturday.

Ever since I can remember I have always gone to an Anzac Day ceremony, way back in a past life I played with a brass band, back when I played with FYCB we would attend three Anzac ceremonies on the one day.  Even now I still go, and I probably will forever more.

So last Saturday was an early start.  We had gone to a function on the Friday night and by the time we got home and got to bed it was 12.30am !!  With our alarm set for 4.00am.  Ouch!    Bleary eyed we got up, had a coffee, Mike got himself ready and then we drove near on the hour to get over to Penshurst as Mike was playing pipes.  We have gone to Penshurst for many years now, with Mike piping for them, it's a lovely community event.  This year instead of the 10am service they were going for a dawn service commencing 6am.

The night was still and cool, but not overly cold (certainly scarf and jacket weather with hands firmly in my pockets).   The service was lovely, very moving, a local woman sang and she had the most incredible voice it cut through and then hung on the air.  Mike played his lament as the wreaths were being laid, the lone piper.

I reckon the entire little town turned out.   And afterwards they put on a sausage sizzle and hot coffee breakfast, it was nice to have a chat, as usually we are racing off.

So home we went, Mike flaked it on the couch for an hour or so, and then we headed off for the 10am Mortlake service, as spectators.   It involved a parade, a wreath laying and then a service.  I assisted with a collection for Legacy whilst "Onward Christian Soldiers" was played, I was amazed people were throwing notes in the tray.

Look at that wee little girl on the left there, marching along holding onto her daddy's kilt.  Every now and then her hat (buzzby is that what you call them) went slippy sliding on her head and someone would come out from the gathered crowd and upright it again!

There was a memorabilia display at the RSL, some amazing old newspapers and artifacts.  I really enjoyed it.  Our CWA decorated the hall with poppies and red, blue and white streamers.  The hall looked great.   The crosses were a reminder of the people from the Mortlake area who died in WWI.

And our CWA ladies and other helpers did not disappoint, there were two huge tables groaning with good country fare.  And whilst I didn't run on Anzac Day, I did do laps of the morning tea table I'm afraid to admit!  I did then go for a run on Sunday morning, in the rain.  Impressed?

Geelong Half Marathon - the wrap up

So I've had a few days to reflect on my achievements of last Sunday.   Another half marathon under my belt.  I think back a couple of years to when I started running, having never been sports orientated EVER (apart from spectator sport).  Who would think that at age 49 and age 50 I would run two half marathons.  Geelong was always going to be a good one, home town, beautiful course, and this year I had a time to beat.   Last year was 2:49:53.

So I stayed in Geelong the night before and mum, my brother Trevor and I went out for pasta for dinner.  Well *I* went out for pasta, they tucked into pizza!

Early night for me, I was in bed by 9pm I think with my alarm set for 5.45am.   Up and toast for breakfast, many nervous visits to the loo, and we were out the door heading over to Belmont just before 7am.

The morning was sensational.  I cast my mind back to last year and I remember we were a tad cold on arrival.   Not this year.  It was a gorgeous still overcast morning but it wasn't cold, in fact I was able to take my jacket off fairly early.  Note that I'm wearing the same running top as last year, my fave, from Skirt Sports Australia.   Funnily enough I was feeling really calm, not at all jittery.  I had mum as my entourage (and darn it I forgot to get a photo of us together) and we started chatting to a lass who was there by herself, she was grateful for the company I think.  She was feeling the nerves having only signed up the night before! 

A few messages to Alison and Leah, our Warrnie girls who were also running, and although they were there we didn't find each other.  They gave us the round up to move to the starting line and I hear a call and there's Alison with Anna-Jane.   They too hadn't found Leah.   A quick pic about a minute before the start.

You head down under the bridge and then around the soccer field I think it is, as you circuit the field you see the front runners heading back to the river and at that stage I hear a shout and it's Leah and she has her hand up for a high five.   Now I knew we were all on the course.  It really is a beautiful course, down one side of the river, across, back the other side of the river, across then back to the start again.  Once we were on the other side of the river from the start, I could see my mum waving madly and heard her yelling out across the very wide river, her little voice carried "Goooooo Carol" !!   You run alongside two golf courses.  At one stage one up near Queens Park around about the 15km mark of the golfers yelled out to me "looking strong, keep up the good work".  The organisers say no headphones and I ran naked (so to speak) for the first 10 and a bit km, but by that stage I was so far behind and I was sick of listening to the drivel going on in my head I grabbed them out of my pocket and plugged in some music that put a beat back into my step.

I must admit, far from being a maths lover, I do tend to start doing maths sums in my head while I run.  And it's not for want of getting the run over, it's kind of a game I play with myself.  Like I divide the run up into 4 x 5km fun runs (and a bit), or I get to 7km and think right a third is done, I also start thinking of my time and if I can get to X km by whatever time, etc.  I really wanted to get my time down from last year.  I had written 2:40 in my shoe (yeah yeah I think I've mentioned that on my blog before).  Even with the maths games going on in my head, I reckon between about 14km and 18km I ran in a daze, I don't remember a lot of what was going on.   I was mindful of the really great helpers on the course, the water tables, I made sure I thanked everyone, they would give such encouragement too.

Hmmm a couple of the official photos here.  Okay so we all want an air shot right?  Both feet off the ground.  Well I saw the photographer and think I went a bit overboard!  He was cackling up a storm after he took the photo too.  Excuse the crazy eyes!   Well ... there is air, you can grant me that one!

And the official 12wbt Runners Connect salute!

So when you look at the map, it's a bloody long way!   This map  is from Runkeeper.  My official time was 2:43:51.   Yahoooooo I beat last year by 6 minutes and 2 seconds.   I got a PB!   I was ecstatic.

Some pretty impressive splits in the first 6km for this ol' plodder.   I remember hearing Runkeeper in my spibelt when that first km was run and thought oh jeepers, I'm in trouble, this is way too fast for me.

So I'm approaching the finish line, 50metres to go and who do I spot, but Leah and Alison and Anna-Jane on one side of the road, and my mum (who didn't know them, and they didn't know her) on the other side of the road, all screaming for me.   I'm yelling out "hey mum these are the Warrnie girls, and hey girls this is my mum" - nothing like calling out introductions while running in the last 50 metres of a half.  Can't believe the girls waited for me, they could have been in the car and half way back to Warrnambool by the time I came over the line, being they are all super fast.   Made me feel very humble that they did that.

So over the finish line and they direct me to the table for a bag of lollies, as much fruit as I wanted, a bottle of water, and ... what was this ... NO FACEWASHER this year!!!!  We got BLING!!!!!!     I saw Leah talking to my mum and I almost dropped everything to put it on, cute little dog tags with Geelong Cross Country Half Marathon 2015 on it.  Really REALLY liked it!  You may be able to tell from my expression.

And here are the lovely Warrnie girls - Leah, Anna-Jane and Alison.  We all so missed our friend Kellie who had a bad ice skating accident the week before and hurt herself to the point she was having trouble walking, let alone running.   I thought of Kellie many times during my run, knowing all the training she had put in to get there.    But as I mentioned to her, the races/events are the icing on the cake, we don't always need that icing, she has gotten far more out of the camaraderie and support and friendship that she has received over this journey from her Saturday morning long runs with these girls.

We are a bright coloured bunch aren't we?

So we all parted our separate ways, mum and I ended up at a little cafe down Pako for breakfast, with dreams of eggs benedict in my head.  Ordered quickly but breakfast took an age in coming as forgetting that with Geelong AFL playing at home the place was packed.  No matter.  I was a half marathoner and I was wearing my dog tag to prove it!

I popped my compression recovery socks on after a shower back at mums, got my things together and then drove the 2 hours home, still on a high.   Ended up sleeping in my long compression tights that night, Mike took one look at me thinking I'd gone nuts wearing running tights to bed, but he knew better than to say anything!   And I've pulled up surprisingly well.  I was even walking up and down stairs at work on Monday.  I have had a pain across my abdomen though, I think is more from a weak core than anything, so that needs to be worked on.  My runs this week have been on tired legs, but I've already put in two short runs since the half.   So bottom line, I feel great.

And this makes me giggle - I had seen something like this on facebook before but wanted to use my own pic - so this is a pic I took during the run which I used the Waterlogue app on.  Cool huh?

So what's next?  No more events planned this month, just want to keep the fitness up and not fall back into a slump.  May is shaping up to be a busy month of running, what else is new! ha.  

Getting itchy feet

Taper is hard.   After running some long disances of late being forced to wind it back a bit.  I've stuck with the plan and done just that.

Packing for an event is even harder, remember I don't call them races any more, they are events.   "Race" is such an intimidating word.

So the culmination of the past three months of training, the sore backs, the aching legs, the Osteo appointments, the flying lunches (okay so only one flying lunch!!) it all comes down to tomorrow.    Last year I did it in 2:49:33.   Will I come in less than that, I hope so, I want to make the cut off.  Last year was my first half marathon.  This is my second.  It's a course I know so that's a positive.

So bags are packed, I've made a checklist I can keep referring to now, it's helped.  And I'm ready to go.  Pasta dinner booked in tonight with mum and my brother and early night for me.  

And this little man is one of the reasons I want to keep on this health and fitness path, I want to be someone my grandson looks up to --- hey nanna look at you run --- that kind of thing.  Sure sure, I'm doing it for me, of course I'm doing it for me, but I'm doing it to stay fit and healthy so I'll be around a long time with his Grumpy for this little man.  

Not long now and he'll be off.   They grow up so quickly.   I look forward to the days I can chase him around and he can chase me around back and I won't be puffed after a few minutes and want to sit down, but I'll go as long as the little man will go.

Righto, signing off, back on the flip side with some stories, hopefully !!