GOR Paradise Run - the recap

Saturday and Sunday this weekend was the Great Ocean Road Marathon Festival at Apollo Bay.    There were a 14km, 6km and a kiddies 1.5km I think it was on the Saturday, with the big one the half and full marathon on the Sunday.    I did the 14km Paradise run from Apollo Bay up to Paradise and back.

We got to Apollo Bay around 11.30am after a 2 hour drive.  Hubby surprised me as he decided to come too, ever the cheering champion for me.  As you can see we arrived to chilly and overcast conditions, no wind, it was perfect for running.  A kind man on the beach asked whether we'd like our photo taken.  

Some of the girls from our fantastic 12wbt Runners Connect group were going to meet at the bakery, seemed like an easy meeting point, so we found our way there but first I spotted Leah, one of our Warrnie girls, she was running the half on Sunday.  We were chatting and she pointed over yonder telling me my 'other man' was over there.  And none other than Steve Moneghetti having just finished the 6km race which of course he blitzed.  He was chatting to some boys who seemed to be a running group from Melbourne High.

And I was off!!!  If I was timed it was my quickest sprint ever.  After he finished talking to the boys he started walking off and I tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he minded a photo.  I didn't think it was prudent at this stage to remind him that this would be my fourth photo I had had taken with him!!!    A bit star struck I am.   Plus he chats to you as if you really matter, I love that.  

So as mentioned, meeting up with the runners from our Runners Connect group has to be one of the most funnest things ever.  We all have this online friendship and meet at various races around the country.  New friends and old friends from far and wide.  Not only that, but our club mascot has slowly become the cow (mainly of the black and white variety).  Sue and Shev weren't running until the Sunday, they told us they had something up their sleeves and oh boy they did.  They dressed up and were waiting at the top of the last hill.  I heard them before I saw them, there was a cow bell clanging and then I saw them, oh boy!  Talk about bringing smiles to everyone, plus they were holding a big sign "Run like a cow is chasing you".  I was so overcome they would do this for our 14km runners I will admit to bursting into tears.    Feeling the love!

So I got to catching up with them again, plus Anna, who I'd already met at runs before.  Then Katherine and Diala (who had come from NSW for the run) and Jo at the bottom tapped me on the shoulder at the start line so we were able to chat up until the start.

There's something almost calming about doing a run/event that I'd done before.  Parking no problem, knowing what to expect and look out for, or look forward to.  It made it a really enjoyable run.  I had mentioned it was overcast and chilly, well about a km into the run the clouds cleared and blue sky and sun and it got quite warm.

The runners spread out quickly and you do run through some beautiful countryside on this run.  Again this year we ran alongside a paddock of horses who were galloping up their paddock next to the runners, quite surreal.  You run by the most lush countryside and rippling streams and up into the rainforest where the trees were tall and the ferns were beautiful and it was cool and shady.

About 4km into the run the first wheelchair athlete came flying back followed not too long after by the first runner who had already run 10km to my 4km!  I broke out into spontaneous applause, as did everyone around me.

The elevation truly looks more scary that it was, it looks like we ran a mountain, but it was quite undulating up and down, you didn't realize how you had climbed.

I was almost down to the corner once I had gotten into Apollo Bay and saw my hubby taking photos, it was so good to see him, makes it so worthwhile when you see someone you know.  I rounded the corner to the main street and soon saw Cat waving crazily at me.   We have become friends from reading each others blogs, funny how that happens.  Check her out here, she was running the big one!  Marathon girl she is.   And I can't believe it but in the post race high I completely forgot to get a pic with her, sorry Cat!  Doh.

I ran over the line with a sprint, well I think it was a sprint, in my mind it was, but I may have been shuffling by then, and the people holding the finishers medals were all lined up.  There was a little girl, all of about five years old holding up a medal looking at me, I made my way over to her and she didn't want to just give it to me, she held it up so she could put it over my head, so I bent down low so she could do that, and she did it with all the care as if she was presenting an Olympic medal.  I think I'll remember that most of all.

Such a beautiful medal, they must make different designs every year, this is completely different to last year.  No doubt I'll go back next year just to get another different one! ha.  Maybe the half marathon next year, hmmmm.  Did I just say that out loud.

Caught up with some of the girls afterwards for some post race pics, completely enjoying the endorphin high!  And then it was time to make the 2 hour trek home before it got dark, those windy roads could be treacherous.  Grabbed a chicken salad roll and a chocolate milk from the bakery to have in the car, I was starving as I did not have lunch before the race which started at 1pm and by this time it was 4 and my last meal was breakfast.  

Home and the best darn shower ever.  In fact at one stage I leant up against the shower wall thinking I could go to sleep right here, standing up, water running!   Flannel PJ's and compression socks were the order of the evening, and that's done for another year.    So so happy.  And I've pulled up great today.

Official time was 1:42:15   (2 mins 27 secs better than last year).   It's nice to get a bit faster, but for me now it's all about the enjoyment.  (And the bling) !!

GOR

Tomorrow I'm heading down to Apollo Bay to take part in the Great Ocean Road festival.   A terrific event, which has a number of runs on the Saturday and then the half and full marathon on the Sunday.  I am doing the 14km Paradise run again, inland from Apollo Bay to Paradise and back.  This particular run has gone down as my favourite most prettiest run of all time, it's beautiful.

So let's hope the rain of the past week, the chilling wind, the icy conditions disappear and the predicted 14C temp rings true.  Although looking at Elders Weather right now it says 20% chance of drizzle <1mm and 5km southerly winds.  

Pffft, I laugh in the face of drizzle!

As long as it's in the morning, as the 14km event commences 1pm!  ha

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by the GOR publicity machine to run a story in our local newspaper.  Just a 'feel good' story about my training and running at GOR.  I made it to page 2, on top of an advert for the Great South Western Sausage Roll competition!  Woo hoo, hit the big time!   

When he asked to take a pic of me running, all I could think of was ick, side on shot, stomach issues, bouncy running stomach issues.   Oh well, it is what it is right?   And no hiding how old I am, OH DEAR!

So will be back with a race recap.  The beauty of running the same event as last year is that I not only have a 14km PB to beat, but the 14km is exactly the same.  Catch you on the flip side!

I've turned Hard Core!!!

Crap,what's happened to me?  I go do one run in the rain and I've turned into Rainy-Amazon-Woman !!  I had a run planned for after work yesterday and mind you I hadn't been out of the office all day, just looked at the dismal weather through my window.  I got into my running gear and one of the guys at work says "you're not running out there now are you?"   I just looked and said "maybe ... or maybe I might go to the gym to the dreadmill".  But as soon as I said dreadmill I knew it wasn't going to happen.

So I walked out of work and hmmph, yeah it was cold but I had my running jacket, I could do this.  So I headed down to the waterfront and set off.  Well I was half way up the first road and down it came, the wind struck up and the rain started.  I kept on.  There was a lass who was in front of me who I passed, but only for a moment as the rain turned to hail.  OUCH!  I sheltered under a tree as she headed across the road.

We looked at each other and I said "this is called developing mental toughness or sheer stupidity".

She looked helplessly at me and said "I'm opting for sheer stupidity".

Hail stopped and I headed on.  Wind and intermittent showers continued.   Let's just say it wasn't a good day for men with comb-overs!

I rounded the Pavilion and there were sirens going at the Breakwater and on looking over, OMG, the waves were pounding over the top, and mind you that wall is probably 6 to 10 feet above the water level, maybe more.  There was no going near the pier tonight.

But I finished my run, only 4.2km but ended on a hill and the rain started again mid-hill which did make me try to go faster, reaching the car with teeth chattering in the cold.  As soon as I got home last night it was straight into the shower and then in flannel pj's !  Then all was right with the world and I had a certain smugness last night that was very enjoyable.  Hard core weather running, it's like you've yelled out to the universe "come at me" and well, the universe listened!  For once.

Mothers Day recap - a run, a lunch and a present!

Sunday just past saw Mothers Day in Australia.  It was Mothers Day in the USA too, not sure about other countries.  And Mothers Day in Australia means the Mothers Day Classic.   This is the third year I've done it and it's a great day (usually!!)  Everyone gets their pink on and there are Classics held all over the country.  I head down to Geelong and mum and I go down to Eastern Beach to participate.  Well *I* participate, mum is a very avid spectator.

But then this happened...
The weather.
The icky icky weather.
And for once the Weather Man got it right.  

I was staying down at mum's and I remember waking up at 2.30am to the sound of torrential rain outside.  It was bucketing down.  Oh joy.  I bundled back down under the doona.  My alarm went off at 5.30am and it was still raining, albeit drizzly now.   I had a coffee, I didn't intend to eat brecky this morning before the run as I wanted to be down there by 6.30am, the 8km run was to start at 7.30am.

I took one look at mum and told her not to come.  She probably would have ended up with pneumonia, mum only has one kidney and has had pneumonia before.  I told her to stay home in the warm, I was still going to head down there.  I'm kind of glad it worked out this way, as much as I love running knowing mum is enjoying the festivities down there, this particular year I know all I would be worried about would be mum standing around freezing.

So I got down to the Eastern Beach area at 6.30am and there was a hive of activity setting up.  Umbrellas, people sloshing around, the ground was wet.  I was bundled in my rain coat and took shelter under one of the tents where the volunteers were meeting.   I got chatting to a few people and as the time ticked on I was thinking I was going to have to ditch the raincoat to take with my things to the bag drop.  I can't run in this thing, I get wetter from sweat inside, it's a raincoat, not a running jacket.   But ah ha!  I also had with me in my bag a tricks one of those plastic disposable raincoats that you see people at the footy wearing.  So the plan was to ditch my bag at the bag drop and pop the disposable thing on to stay dry then ditch that in the nearest bin once the run started.

Well it was a good plan, except I couldn't get the jolly thing on to start with and when I did I had it on backwards.  But it worked and it did indeed keep me dry and semi-not cold, I'm not going to say warm, because everyone was cold.   I put my tribute card up on the tribute wall.  I was running for my bestie's mum Helen who passed away last month of a brain tumour.  Yes I know it's not breast cancer and this race was all about breast cancer, but it was my run and I could do what I wanted.

There was a balls up at the start.  They had a lady on stage leading the warm up exercises and they were running slightly late.  She was ready to start the next exercise and a few people realised the run had already commenced and soon she lost everyone as we all headed over to the start.  But it had started and people were already making their way up the hill.  Bah!  I look forward to the anticipation of the start and the count down or the gun going off but none of that.  Miscommunication between the two areas I'm thinking.

The run was rainy and cold, and when we came along the bay front it was freaking windy!  That air came right out of the antarctic I'm sure.  The volunteers were great though, they were cold too, at least we kept somewhat warm by running.   My official time was slightly slowest of all the MDC I had done, but in trying conditions I would take it at 57:28 .   I was mega proud I ran up all the hills, even the Eastern Beach hill.

Came over the line to get my key chain medal and a banana and water and was surprised with this Garnier box full of samples, which everyone got.  That was a lovely surprise.

The 4km walk and run was about to commence as I was heading back to the car and down the heavens came again, it was relentless, I was so glad to make a dash for the car and head back to mum's for probably one of the top 10 best hot showers in my life.

A bit later on we got ready for lunch, we had booked once again at Empire Grill and this year my brother also came.  Mum was delighted to have us both there.

The three course menu was just magical, my choices were pumpkin soup with almonds for entree, crispy skin salmon with a saffron sauce and apple and fennel salad for mains, and then this magical cocoction for dessert - lime cheesecake with mango sorbet and what they called caramel dust which was almost sherbet like with a taste of caramel.  It was AMAZING.  Thank goodness I had run 8km so there was only a little guilt with this.

So after all that a long drive home, but here's a little collage - a pic of me and mum, and then a pic of me and my furbabies.  :-)

And then they "surprised" me with a present.  Hee hee.  Well when I say surprised, I had heard via our 12wbt Runners Connect group of an amazing deal 70% or something ridiculous off and sent the link to the menagerie (via Mike) !!    Yay for me.  A terrific pack containing a Nathan belt/bottle, a Nathan water bottle, socks, earphones, a running shirt, a phone case to hook onto your belt, and gel/protein bar goodies.  Clever menagerie!

And that's how I spent Mother's Day.  A huge day, but oh so enjoyable.