Finding Carol: Last longest run before Melbourne

Because we are going to a wedding today ... who has a wedding on Grand Final day anyway!!!??? And because I have the last Aths Club run on Sunday, I decided to do my last longest run before the Melbourne Half Marathon yesterday, being a public holiday in Victoria. Who has a flipping public holiday because of the football anyway, silly silly.

I had tracked out a route from the Pavillion, to the Blue Hole, back to the Pavillion, up to Thunder Point, then a big loop back to Pertobe Road, down to the Viaduct and back to the car. It was probably about 16km. Bonus, it was 17.8km!! I am using the Marathon Training Academy Plan and between the last HM and this one was six weeks of "I don't know" so I had written to them for suggestions for long run distances in those weeks. This was to be about 16km.

I have also decided that for these long long runs, I either do a very boring out and back from town here along a road that doesn't have much of a verge at the moment (come on Council get your act into gear and mow the grass!) and which the odd truck will fly down, or get dizzy doing loops and loops around town as my town is not that big. OR.... drive into Warrnambool and do a scenic run around the coast. I opted for the scenic run. What a gorgeous day.

Photo from Granny's Grave.

There were a lot of people out and about, mainly between the Pavillion and Surf Club. I ran (with some walking breaks) through to the Blue Hole, and through to the beach access. It was getting warm by this stage.

Back to the Pavillion, oooooh there's my car should I stop, no keep to the plan (the dialogue went on in my head). I refilled my water bottle (I was using the hand held Nathan today) and kept going, along to track to Thunder Point. Yep, views like this was soooooo much better than dusty old roads in town at home.

Did the loop back around past the railway station to Canon Hill and then down Pertobe Road. I don't mind telling you I walked the majority of the last km back. I was done! Hot. I had planned to have some breakfast maybe at the Pavillion but they weren't open. Oh well.

So I got home and had the baked oatmeal I had made the day before, with a big dollop of yoghurt and blueberries. Oh my goodness, first time I've eaten baked oatmeal (courtesy of my friend's photos on her Instagram) and it is delicious and felt quite naughty. Recipe HERE from Food.com if you are interested. I was actually quite chuffed, I didn't see the link to 'nutrition' so had worked out the calories myself at 156 per serve, and doh, saw the link later on in the day and what do you know, 156 cals per serve! (There were two serves below of the baked oatmeal it was that yummy and I had burned a lot of cals!!!)