5.92km fun run!!

What a night last Friday was!  Noorat to Terang a funny distance advertised as a 5.92km!!  Yes I'm not kidding you.  Why they don't just start up the road, call it 6km and be done with it I don't know.  I mean how many others out there have a 5.92km PB???

Very relaxed you enter on the night and they put an age category on your hand.  Yes V for Veteran!! How rude.  I told them they need to change their categories I think Legend is more apt.  They looked at me aghast when I said it, like it's been done this way for years, how on earth could I suggest to them to change it !!  

Even more fun tonight was that Mike was going to run it too.  We would be each running our own races, but he had been training for this, a good follow up to January's SurfTSurf.  Yep, he was ready!   We had parked over in Terang and took one of the courtesy busses back to Noorat to the start of the race.  I love these types of races when you run from one town to another, through lots of countryside.

My friend Floss was going to be running this too, one of our beautiful ladies from the 12WBT Runners Connect group.  A quick pic for the group - unwritten rule when you meet up with someone.

So the walkers take off at 6.15pm on the walking track with the runners on the road starting at 6.30pm.  Last year the sweeper swept me off the road into the track and I was aiming for that not to happen this time.

Off we start and I went with the flow and did the smaller faster steps again.  I feel like I've struck the secret that works for me.  My work friend lives on the route midway and a couple of workmates were in the front yard cheering for me as I ran past which gave me a boost, arms in the air I whoop whooped as I ran past.  

I looked at my watch and was astounded I was in the 6's again for my average pace.  I felt really strong.  I didn't stop at either of the water stations.  Still no sweeper in sight.  Some kids were giving me the irrits.  They would run past me and then stop dead in front of me and walk, I'd go around them and then it would continue, until I grrrr'ed at them.  I must have been scary, they stopped.

I had hit Terang and was so happy. Some people outside their homes were cheering the runners which was lovely.  Turn the corner and see the finish line down at the RSL and off I flew and over the finish line with the ladies there yelling 'you're under 40'!!  My best run at this race was two years ago at 42:41.  Yahoooo PB tonight at 39:20!!!  

Grabbed my certificate and water and back to the finish line as fast as I could to see Mike come over in 43:41.  Darn phone, I couldn't get the camera up quick enough.   He did scare me though, he got across the line and then dropped his hands to his knees and bent over gasping for breath.  He was struggling with his asthma.  There had been a smell from silage in one of the paddocks and he said his asthma had played up from that moment, to the point he was almost drinking his ventolin in.  Calmed him down and his breathing got easier and he got his certificate and a water and, despite being red in the face, he got his breathing under control.  A doctor's visit is in order to re-check his asthma I think.

After the run, pretty stoked.

When I had stopped my Garmin at the finish line it started firing off all these records - told me I'd set three records - fastest km, fastest mile and fastest 5km.  Couldn't wipe the smile off my face.   

   

And check out my average pace!!!  What on earth is happening to me.  

Got home and Mike got nicely lubricated with a couple of ciders and we had the yummy sweet & sour pork I had made earlier so we just had to heat it up in the microwave.  What a night!


So in other news, we are inundated with zucchinis at the moment.  Yes you may look at these and wonder what they're like.  I myself suggested they would be either woody or full of water.  But they're not, they're brilliant.     Proud veggie gardener...

I have pickled zucchinis in jars, made an enormous amount of zucchini slices for lunches for the freezer, an awesome zucchini chocolate cake (strange but oddly nice) which I've cut up into serves and frozen for snacks and this ever so yummy zucchini soup.    Absolutely delicious.   Recipe HERE, you will thank me for it.  Mind you it doesn't turn out as thick as the pic in the recipe, but oh my it is delicious.

Anyone have any other suggestions for zucchinis lay it on me.  Other than that I'll go to the excess produce swap on Saturday that the CWA runs in Warrnambool and take some and perhaps bring some rhubarb or pears home.

Geelong River Run

So last Sunday I had entered the Geelong River Run.  Run by PB Events, and I've done a few of their runs and they usually well organised and a lot of fun.  Having never done this particular event, despite the route being part of the Geelong HM, I was looking forward to it. This was just going to be a there and back in a day run, I didn't go down to Geelong to stay with family the night before.  So I was up at 4.30am and out the door at 5am heading down to Geelong.  Ouch, I seriously asked myself why I didn't go down Saturday as I was winging my way down there in the dark.

Got there near on 7am, bib pick up and checked out the river, looking very mysterious with mist coming off it. 

I wore the Lorna Jane top that Mike gave me for Christmas which I really like.  But I tell you I will never wear this shirt again in an event requiring bibs, the pins got really tangled in the holes/material to the point it almost ripped when I unpinned it, it was that caught and wound up. Nice shirt, but not bib-pin-friendly.  

Saw Carmel, one of our girls from the 12WBT Runners Connect group there with her posse and snapped a couple of pics.  It's so great that generally you can go to an event anywhere and know there's someone from the group there.  I was down there on my own so it was nice to have someone to chat to at the start.

At the start line - sun was out - it was a warm one!

Soon enough it was start time and we were running directly into the sun and it was just a tad warm! The field soon spread out but I was astounding myself at my pace. I was concentrating on my cadence and taking smaller steps, nothing like trying something new on race day huh? But it was working. Up and over the first bridge to the other side of the river and pretty soon a couple of guys in kilts passed me which made me laugh so hard. Now I’ve given Mike an idea for next Friday’s local fun run here, oh dear!  

We went down the other side of the river to Queens Park, there were some up and down bits along the path down there so I took care on the down bits, didn’t want to flare the back up again. Over the one way bridge which had like chicken wire underfoot over the planks, which was weird to run on.

There were five aid stations I think from memory, which was pretty darn impressive for a 10km run, so you were never more than 2km from water, and very friendly volunteers and kids handing out the water. 

Heading back on the first side of the river again I knew I had slowed but my pace was still in the 6’s. Heck it actually scared me for a moment. My legs were aching but I kept thinking of Alison and knowing I was running these 10km for her I kept going. There was a lady in front of me and I tailed her and it was good having her set the pace. There was a 5km runner walking back along the track and he was yelling out really wonderful encouragement to the 10km runners which just made me think how great runners are.

Knowing I had only a km to go, I don’t know where I pulled it from but I sped up and my 6.59 average pace reduced down to 6.55. OMG I was so freaking excited to be in the 6’s I can’t even tell you. Over the line I don’t know if I was grinning or grimacing. Soon met up with Carmel who was ecstatic at her 3 min PB and we hugged and celebrated both our fine runs. And of course took more pics! Haha Got my banana and my icecream and after scoffing those as I was famished, I slipped back to the car to unload my medal and bib as I had another 4km to run (having 14km on my plan to do today).

Pretty happy !!

A catch up with Carmel after the run, we celebrated with my fast (for me) run and 

Carmel had a 3min PB.

Plus there was bling !!!!!!!!!

So our Runner Connect group have a few girls out injured at the moment, suffering silently at home, so we made a pact that those of us who were healthy and running would dedicate our kms to our friends today.   These 10km were for my beautiful friend Alison who had only a day or two prior had a ruptured appendix emergency operation.  I tell you I think that sped me up at the end, knowing any pain I was feeling in my legs and lungs was nothing like what she was going through.

Then my next 4km to make up the 14km on my plan were for Jacqui who has ligament damage to her ankle, so I ran back along the river and up to the streets in Belmont where I used to live about 20 years ago, ran up to Mt Pleasant Road to my Great Aunt’s old place and then back to Kardinia Street and took a quick pic outside where I used to live, haha can’t imagine what the people must have thought if they saw. I was running like Mrs Blobby at this stage courtesy of the icecream I'd eaten, but I still needed to get these 4km done so back to the car and still not quite there so a loop around the car park and done.  A heck of a lot slower but done.

Oh and I do believe the photographer got the last word here!  Hmmm.  He was wandering around the finish area and took my photo as he wandered past.  Why oh why did he not tell me to put my hair down.  It wasn't windy.  It was just sitting up like 'Something about Mary'.  Oh Lordy Lord.  Thanks Mr. Photographer man.

Then I headed over to Winter’s in Pako for the most delicious brunch which I had promised myself – the sweet potato and beetroot rosti, almond cream, sprouts, kale pesto and brulee eggs with kaiserfleisch (which I found out was a smokey bacon). No idea how many zillions of calories this had in it but it was AMAZING. 

Then headed home and got home about 1.30pm. All in all the most fabulous day! Well and truly exhausted and basically did nothing the rest of the day.  

Bellarine Sunset Run

Or Flying Brick Bellarine Sunset run to be more precise.  A running event with the major sponsor being a cider company = match made in heaven!

This took place last Sunday (thought I better catch the blog up as I have another fun run tomorrow!!)

So there was a 10km which ended up 10.7 on my Garmin (St. Leonards to Portarlington) or a Half Marathon (Portarlington to St. Leonards and back to Portarlington).   The half marathon started at 5.30pm and the 10km which I would be running was to start at 6.20pm.

It's a lot different running late like this, but whilst some people seemed to struggle with the time, it was almost second nature to me, being that most of my training runs during the week are after work along the promenade in Warrnambool.

So I knew I would be meeting up with our lovely 12WBT Runners Connect girls, some who I would be meeting for the first time.  Nothing like going to event and meeting up with friends.  There was also I believe a sense of anticipation with this event being that it was the inaugural first one.  And I was excited as my brother was coming, first time he would ever see me run.  I picked him up in Geelong on the way through and we headed down the coast.  Bib pick up was at Portarlington and I loved the race shirt I'd ordered so much that all thoughts of not wearing somethngnew on race day went out the window.  I had to wear it !!

Here's a pic for you mum!

So I had booked one of the busses to take me over to the start at St. Leonards and we knew we were in for a bit of fun when a pirate boarded the bus ... aaaargh looking for a gold coin bounty for us to travel on it.  Off we went and I sat next to a lady and we comment that we were sure the driver was taking us all the way to Queenscliff, the drive just seem to go on and on and on.

Not long after arriving at St. Leonards I met up with Jacqui, CArmel, Leonie and Anna, all who I'd met at various events before, and was thrilled to meet Kim, Annette and Berna also for the first time.  Got some pics amongst us all and soon enough they had us move back as the first half marathon came flying past ... literally FLYING!   This was the turn around point for them and he was out there in front on his own, no one even within sight of him.

We set off at 6.20pm and I soon realised it would be undulating, mixed surfaces including sand drifts, overhead branches, hot hot hot but a breeze at our backs. One thing I loved about this race was that usually I'm right at the back running on my own when a race starts, but with the HM all around us going out and back I felt like I was in the midst of the action it was great.

Running alongside caravan camping sites, kids were high fiving us, campers cheering and calling out our names (although our bib no. was on the reverse only our name on the front large enough to read) it was fun hearing your name called. Some generous campers along the way sprayed us with hoses to cool us down if we wanted. Every aid station had water tanks and Tailwind drink to fill out bottles (it was a cup free/waste free run to keep the environment beautiful) and water melon, bananas and lollies and pirates!!

Pirates were at the ready at the aid stations!

Lots of chatter coming into the last km, a bit of excitement knowing we were almost finished this tough run. A couple of girls I had been cat and mousing with I called out to "come on let's bring this home" and we picked up the pace. Loved running down the hill then the last 100 metres I guess it was with people cheering and calling my name. Finished strong and elated.

And here is the most beautiful bling I've ever received, absolutely loved it, the glow of the sun going down, enjoying catching up with some of the girls as we were all finishing, it was the most brilliant run.

More pirates!

The anchor has written on it "candor dat viribus" which my husband who loooooves his Latin transcribed to read "sincerity gives wings to strength".   I think he actually deferred to Mr. Google though!  ;-)

Yep, it was great catching up with friends from the run after the event, we were all elated.

Berna celebrating her first fun run, so glad I got to meet her at this event.

All these photos with medals, I had to get a pic of my brother holding the camera!

We stayed for the presentations, but they were going to take some time so we quietly left about 9pm, knowing I had an almost three hour drive ahead of me.  Not before I popped down to the donut van for some 'travellers'.  I regretted it the next day when I saw how much sugar had sprinkled on my front seats of the car!   But oh they were good!  

I was really happy with my time considering the terrain and how darn hot it was.  

Dropped my brother home, stopped in at Maccas for a XL coffee to go and drove home. I was the doof doof car playing my running playlist really loud and singing my whole way home. Pulled in the driveway at 10mins to midnight.   Absolutely loved every part of the day.

Kudos to the organisers, only a couple of things I would mention on the survey when it came - lack of portaloos, yes there were public toilets but it's kind of hard when the public want to use them too, possibly unawares they would be inundated with runners.  And the lack of lighting for the presentations, which I'm sure is on their radar for next year.   

Other than that I'll definitely do it again in a heart beat.

Run Downunder

Last year I signed up to Run Downunder, not sure if I ever talked about it on this blog.  It's a great way to really motivate you to run just that wee bit more, or strive for goals throughout the year, and well if you're a stat junkie you're in heaven.

Idea is that you log your runs (either manually upload proof like a screenprint from your fave running app, a pic of a treadmill screen, results from a race, whatever, something to justify why you are entering those kms) or you sync easily via Strava.   Everyone starts at Canberra and your runs take you round Australia.  It's taken me a year and 26 days but I'm just shy of Brisbane.

Even better is when you have a team within the site.  The fabulous 12WBT Runners Connect team now has about 80 members doing RDU and a few of us met up at the latest Oddball race wearing our shirts.  We get a shirt as part of our yearly entry and a medal at the end.

I'm really enjoying the camaraderie from our team within the site, not to mention where I'm sitting on the leaderboard.  Oh I mentioned stats - well you can see where you are sitting within your age group, on the leaderboard for the week, have you moved up or down, check the leaderboard for the year, or overall if you've been doing it for a while.  How's your team sitting against other teams.  What state is kicking butt.

And something I've discovered from checking this year is how I'm doing against the same time last year.  Grey is how my weeks panned out last year.  I can see my back injury where my kms dipped right down at about week 3 of 2015 and again at week 28 when I had the flu last year.  I'm definitely not consistent with my weeks though.  The orange is this year, and it's updated every time you log a run.  I'll look forward to seeing how my year pans out on this map.

Oh and here's where I'm currently at.  Love seeing myself inch around the country.  Although slightly disconcerting that if I keep going the way I'm going it will be 2028 before I finish! hahahaha

But since starting this on 1/1/2015 I've run 1218.88 kms.  Not bad hey.

So anyway, if you're looking for more motivation in your running, Run Downunder is definitely a great tool.  Oh and there's also Ride Downunder for those bike fans, check it out too.

Melb Mara Celebrations! Finally.

So we have a group of runners in Warrnie, we're all part of the Runners Connect group, our fabulous online group of girls who have all done 12WBT and who have found a love of running.  And as it happened we all did the Melbourne Marathon Festival.  Three did the full marathon (ay yay yay!!) and the rest of us did the half marathon (that was hard enough!!).

211 kilometres between this group of seven women.

So Kellie had the great idea we should all pop the smelly runners away in the wardrobe and frock up and have a lovely dinner together.  Yep, we'll all be in that.  Only catch.  We had to wear our medals! bwahahahaha.  To the ritzy chi chi pooh pooh Club Warrnambool.  Well I guess our finishers medals were the perfect bling.

As I was getting ready I texted Kellie that I felt like I was getting ready for one of the old 12WBT finale parties we used to go to.  I was soooo looking forward to this night.

Here are a few of us on arrival...  Pre-dinner drinks.  (excuse the phone photos taken indoors).

Popped together a collage of all of us.  These girls are so freaking inspirational, I'm so glad to call them my friends.  We've all had hurdles to go through in our training, and despite us all running our separate races, it was very comforting knowing we were all out there at the same time doing our thing.

Kellie had a fun idea, she made up some questions and we each had to draw one and answer it.  Heck in the end we all answered each question, it was fun.

Such as "what was the first thing you ate after your run, and would Michelle Bridges approve" oh goodness I got that one.  Okay I fess up, it was a huge bucket of very salty potato wedges and a large chocolate smoothie.  And no she probably wouldn't approve but I ate every bit and licked my fingers too!

Mel had the perfect response to this question.  Yep Mel and Deeks after the race.  Lucky duck.

The restaurant staff must have thought we were a hoot.  One last pic before we left.  I think we should do this more often, maybe after each big event we are all at.  Fun fun.

Until next time my special running friends.  XX

The big day - the Melbourne Half Marathon

Race recap and it's long, so be warned.  ;-)

Having done a half marathon only 6 weeks before I was actually quite calm for this one, the only nervousness was being around sooooo many people.  I was a tad scared of running late or not knowing where I was meant to be. Silly stuff when you look back on it.   Alarm and up at 5am, and I had my Turbo Superfoods Performance and Recovery Powder.  I've been using it before my long runs, mixed with Rice Milk and it's really helped kept hunger pangs away.   My only beef is that you have to buy rice milk in 1 litre cartons, I haven't seen it any smaller, so I only needed 200ml to mix with the choc powder, grrr.

Left the hotel at 6am and headed up to the MCG on foot, didn’t rush, so about a 2km walk and just followed the throng of runners. It was quite eerie actually, so many people walking to the G with the G all lit up in its splendour against the dark sky, and people talking in subdued hushed tones.

Bag dropped, loo stop and then waited for anyone I recognised and thankfully saw Katherine from our 12wbt Runners Connect group, and not long after Jane, Mel and Sara, all doing the half marathon. We got a quick pic... 

... then had a quick visit inside to check out the G (realising also there was no line for loos inside, as against the lines at the portaloos) and then headed to the start. Jane went off to find her pace group, Mel and Sara had already headed to the start so Katherine and I just fitted in where we stood.

Almost ready amongst the throng of runners...

The National Anthem was played and the start gun fired, but even then we were still at a standstill, I think it took 5 minutes before we even got to the point of crossing over the start!   I was really mindful to keep my pace steady and not get carried away, the weather was perfect, cool (but not cold) and overcast, but even still I was grateful for my hand held bottle that I could sip from whenever I wanted and it was nice to keep running through the water stations.   It was fun running through the city and Katherine and I kept pace with each other, just running on our own, but it was comforting keeping each other in sight. At one stage I moved over to the service lane as I wised up that it was better to run on the inner side when there were bends, and at about 4.8km there was a motor cycle beeping along St. Kilda Road and helicopter overhead and the first marathon runner was heading back. Wow. The stride on him was amazing. Although he wasn’t the ultimate winner so not sure what happened there, as the next three runners were a little bit behind him. We all applauded as we were running, it gave me goose bumps.

I found Albert Park the hardest, it’s such a slog around there, particularly as runners were thinning out. 

The out and back section was great as I was able to see some of our girls ahead of me. Ha! Well actually they saw me and called out, I seem to run with blinkers on. It was then the sun started peeking through the clouds and I felt it was getting a bit hot. Running back into the city was good, knowing I was really in the direction of the end. The half marathoners were running in the service lane whilst the marathoners were on St. Kilda Road proper.  The service lane was heavenly because it was shaded with big leafy trees. A friend of mine Narelle called out to me as she blitzed past along the road, she was running her first marathon.

Elisha from our group spotted me and we were a bit to and fro there for a while as I was doing some walk/running, but Elisha kept focussed and kept her pace going. When I got to the Arts Centre area and saw Karen’s hat before anything else - let’s face it, the hat would enter a room five minutes before her!! wink emoticon – it was wonderful. Then saw Beth and the balloon. Karen ran with me for a little bit, feeding me red frogs and making sure I was alright. Heck both Beth and Karen’s cheering and friendly faces were like a God-send, and I swear it was all I needed to keep going.   Both Karen and Beth were out injured and like the troopers they were they were there to support the rest of us.  Plus although I had missed them, there were the obligatory cow posters dotted along the course, as a pick me up for our girls.  I hope it gave lots of runners a giggle, they'd have no idea what they were about!!

Around the roundy bit and one of my friends from work and a member of the Aths Club who was doing the marathon patted me on the back as he passed and told me to run strong (the beauty of having the same shirts recognisable from the back as well). That put some spring into my legs. Then heading to the G and up that flipping bridge. I saw three photographers one after another. Another lass and I said we can’t walk up the hill so we started running for the photographer, first one, second one, but by the third one I said “I’m spent” and he took the photo anyway while I was having a laugh.

Along that road next to the G, there was a mariachi band playing Abba’s Fernando, WTF?  We needed something rousing!!  The crowds were going crazy and then I was at the entrance to the G and imagined all the world runners who had finished races through this entrance and there I was running there too. The colours and the sounds hit me when I got into the stadium and I remember Shev telling me to run on the grass, we needed to say we had run on the hallowed turf, so I did for a bit.  I think I blubbered the whole way round, I felt so proud and emotional. And then it was done, I was through the finish line.  Not my best time but I was okay with that, this was the biggest event I’d ever been in and I was blown away by it all. 2:49:20.  I took some pics in the stadium (funnily enough I only took one pic in Albert Park during the actual race, not sure where my thinking was there, oh well).  I got handed my finishers medal, grabbed a banana and filled up my water bottle, and sat in the stands and just absorbed it all and yes had another cry.

Not that long after Katherine had finished and found me sitting in the stands and so I took her pic and well because I had no supporters there figured time to go, I'd been sitting there for a while soaking it all in.  I slowly made my way back inside and to the bag check, no need for warm clothes today, but grabbed the bag I had left and took yet another pic in front of the board ... 

Then started walking back in the direction of the city and I found some Warrnambool friends and chatted, and then we saw the blind runner (wow!!).   He was tethered to another runner and had the word 'BLIND RUNNER' across his front and back, and well this would have been about the 41km mark as he was doing the marathon, a photographer was trying to grab a photograph and started running with the aim of getting in front of him.  Only just, as he was magnificent and kept powering along.  Never say never huh?  When you see someone with that much guts doing a marathon, we stood in awe and watched.     We also were commenting that it would have been fantastic to see some of the girls from our group doing the full marathon and no sooner had we said that but Shev and Sue rounded the bend, dressed in their Wonder Women outfits.  Loved it !  We screamed and cheered at the tops of our voices.  Later we saw Paula, or she saw us and yelled out.   It was great seeing them run, my only regret was not seeing my Warrnie friends out there. 

BEST . DAY . EVER.

Heading back to the hotel there were a few runners taking pics with the iconic Flinders Street train station behind them so I followed suit!  As you do!!

I was also so incredibly pleased with the official photographs.  One thing I've worked out being a slower runner is that by the time you get to the photographers on point throughout the route, they are a bit bored because the frenzy of the faster runners have already been through and they just keep snapping when you come upon them.  I ended up with 20 photographs being taken.  I particularly liked these finish photos, very emotional doing my victory lap and the end was in sight!

And my all important precious finishers medal, I had cried a bucket load by this stage!  So so happy.

And here's the route.  It was a looooooong way!  

So what's next?  Well after I start walking straight again! haha, I have a busy November - the Hamilton 10km, the City2Sea 15km (and girls weekend in Melbourne!! woo hoo) and I'll do another Park Run in Hamilton.  And I'm also signed up for the Indigenous Marathon Project virtual run 100km for the month of November.  So it will be a cracking month.