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.

The Melbourne weekend

Right I'll split the weekend's posts into two - the Saturday and the Sunday.

I got up to Melbourne mid-morning Saturday and despite check in at the hotel not being until 3pm, they had a room ready and I was able to check in about 10.30, bonus!  Dropped my bags off and then headed up to the MCG.  There she was, by this time the next day, all things being equal, I would have done my victory lap!

I had a wander around the expo and collected my show bag, which had a very nice hat in the half marathon show bag, and then my Sydney friends found me.  Diala, Sue and Karen.  I had met Diala and Karen before, but it was a first time meeting with Sue.  How funny we are in this day and age, all old friends online, just still yet to meet!  So so happy to meet up with these girls, so did a bit more looking about the expo.  Bought some more Balega socks, they have become my sock of choice, they are a USA brand and have the comfort factor I like.  I also bought a Flip Belt.   I had seen these advertised and had my doubts that they would be comfy, but I was able to try one on and bought it.  I'm still yet to run with one, so jury is still out.  I'll report back.

So we had a meet up planned in Federation Square for lunch for anyone from our 12wbt Runners Connect group that wanted to attend.  Some of the ladies I had met before.   Some I had not.  Karen and I shot down to Queen Street to pick up the cow balloon, Karen's first time on a tram apparently!  The cow knocked a few people in the head on the tram, ha!  It was quite huge as you can see.

What a lovely bunch of ladies.  We are all ages, sizes, abilities, and yet we come together with a common love of running and all having done or doing 12wbt at one point.  I feel so soooooo incredibly fortunate to know these wonderful inspirational awe-inspiring ladies.

Some left and even more arrived !!!   I ended up staying at lunch till it was about 5.30 or getting onto 6pm!!

And it was Jacque's birthday on Marathon Day (yes, she was running a marathon on her birthday! Yikes)   And the ever amazing Karen made cow icing toppers for cupcakes (and not to mention brought them all the way from Sydney).  Well we had to carb load right?  There'd be carbs in cupcakes wouldn't there???  ;-)

So I ended up leaving the lunch full of good feelings and laughter and made my way back to the hotel for a bit and then popped down to one of the outdoor cafes in the arcade and had a small pasta dish for dinner.  Just alone with my thoughts, which is what I wanted.  Then back to the hotel for a lazy early night.  Got my gear ready, how colour co-ordinated I was going to be!!   Made sure everything was ready and alarm set for 5am for Sunday.

And got this message from the little one!  Well being that he is 16 months old I'm thinking his mum had a hand in deciphering, ha!   Really, what more do you need right?  This is what it's all about, health and fitness and being a good role model for family and friends.

Lights out!  

Tapering can be hard

Well since the last post and this post, I'm still on hols from work, so have been filling in the time running, scrapbooking and anything else that takes my fancy.  I went to my very first Parkrun at Hamilton last Saturday.  Finally FINALLY there is a Parkrun in south-west Victoria.  It was their first official run and it was great, a lovely scenic course around the lake and thoroughly enjoyable.   Although Hamilton is an hour away from me, so I won't be going every Saturday, but maybe once a month I'll get up there.

So I'm days away from the Melbourne Marathon Festival, my third half marathon for the year (fourth HM overall) and I'm really excited.  We have a stack of friends from our 12WBT Runners Connect group attending, some from interstate, some I've met at previous events, many it will be the first time meeting.  Old friends yet to meet, that's what we are.  So really excited.  But this week I'm keeping the legs ticking over but taking it easy.

Sunday morning Mike decided to lace up and come out with me.  Now Mike is a fair weathered runner at the best of times - he doesn't run in the rain, wind, cold, heat, you get my drift.  And he's attempting the C25K program again, starting from scratch.  I've told him if he wants to climb Mt. Sturgeon he's going to have to get a level of fitness as I don't want him having to be carried back down!!

Excuse the crazy eyes, it was early, he was quite delirious!

So we just started off together and then went our separate ways, he went east, I went west and soon enough we ran into each other on the other side of town.  Yep, delirious!

I was enjoying the morning, the weather although cool to start with, was misty, and perfect.  I ticked off the 8km last weekend run I had over my head on the training plan.

Then Monday I had the massage to end all massages, it was hard and she got into every achey part of my body, but boy I felt like a million bucks afterwards.   I think I'm going to set up a regular monthly session with her, I am still feeling the benefits.  And handy being that she has set up a business here in town.

Tuesday we were going to be having visitors who were passing through on hols, so would be coming for lunch and most of the afternoon.  So I got out early for an easy 5km around town.  My cheer squad were waiting for me, all stopped their eating and gave me a standing ovation as I ran past  ;-)

Today I took Lucky for a walk so we did a nice 3km walk up to the park, around the lake and back.  We walked through the Apex Rose Garden, and I tell you Lucky is certainly my dog in that the only rose he stopped and sniffed at was called "Hot Chocolate" ! ha.

Thursday I'm planning a last nice easy 5km run and packing my things ready to head off Friday.  Staying at mum's overnight and then taking an early train to Melbourne on Saturday where fun will be had with our Runners Connect girls, I'll head to the Expo and then meet up for lunch.  I have a hotel booked in the city for Saturday night.  There may be a bit of shopping done too!

Mike and my bestie Sonia will be following my run on the Garmin Live Tracker, how cool that they can do that from the comfort of their own homes, and in Sonia's case from a different state!  We live in an amazing time.

Roll on Sunday.

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!!!)

So I'm now tapering yet again and in two weeks will be running my fourth (and largest) half marathon - third one this year.  I'm really excited.

Bush walking

Forgive me blog for I have sinned, not keeping up.  I'm out there running and being active, so that's my excuse.  I'm on holiday from work, spent some time in Daylesford with mum, oh heck haven't even uploaded those photos either.  I'll do some scrapbook pages so you can check them out then.  Here's a quick pic at Trentham Falls.  I also ran in Daylesford both mornings I was there - round the lake one morning and from Daylesford to Hepburn Springs and back to Daylesford the next morning.  Uphill against a head wind all the way back.  Who's great idea was that one!!  

And then last weekend Mike and I decided to go bushwalking, just up at the Picaninny at the Grampians, not one of the grander mounts because I wasn't sure how Mike would go.  I have climbed Mt. Abrupt (see below) before but Mike, even with the bravado, I'm not sure he was up to that just yet.  

The aim of the day was that Mike wanted to get some nice photos to use as inspiration for painting and I wanted to take wildflower photos.  They are on my big girl camera which I still haven't downloaded.  These photos are from my phone.  I carried a Nathan water bottle round my waist which was very welcome as the weather was warm.

It was a magnificent day, so beautiful.  Some pics of the trail.

A lovely view from the top, we sat a while and chatted with some other people up there.

Mike decided to do a Ussaine Bolt impersonation, or was that him telling the time from the direction of the sun, you be the judge.

And being that he wanted a good pic of Mt. Sturgeon and you couldn't see it through the trees from where we were, he decided to go off track.  Yes, it's moments like this that gives your wife a heart attack Mike!

All in all a fantastic day, we had previously bought salad sandwiches from Dunkeld and had them in the esky so when we got back to the car we sat down at the picnic table and ate our lunch, chatting to more people who had just arrived.  Yep, we are a couple of chatters we too!  

We have this area just a mere 1 hour north of us, we need to get up there more often for sure.  Mike has made it his goal to climb Mt. Sturgeon so fair warning, he's in training!!

A beautiful Spring morning

I had planned to run 12km this weekend on my plan (well the plan devised between the two half marathons, thanks to Marathon Training Academy) and decided Sunday morning was the go.  A friend Patricia, from our 12wbt Runners Connect group was running a 12km event in South Australia about the same time I was planning to head out so we said we would run 'virtually' together.  It helps even in different states, knowing that someone is running at the same time as you.  Love those virtual runs, keeps you honest and on track.

This morning I thought I would try the Performance & Recovery Powder I bought from a vendor at ARC.   During long morning runs I have been so hungry, as in the pit of my stomach hungry, during the run.  I don't usually eat before a run and usually go out with a chug of water.  As I mentioned to the vendor at ARC, I could honestly grab a low flying magpie and chew the stomach out of it, I'm that hungry.  Not really, but that *IS* hungry, right.  So tried this powder, it's chocolatey good and mixed with 200ml of rice milk.  Delicious!  I can report there were no stomach issues and no huge hunger pains.  This might be something that would be good to have a drink prior to a long run.  I'll keep trying it out and probably end up getting another container while I still have my 30% off voucher from ARC.  But from today, excellent!

The only downfall is that you can't seem to buy little serves of rice milk.  It's a 1 litre container, which I won't drink all of.  Hmmm.  If anyone know if you can buy six packs of rice milk that I can just use as I need, will be grateful for the info.

So decided to head around the lake and then out of town under the cypress trees along the highway to Cemetery Lane and out to the cemetery and back.  Hmmm first mistake.  Even though the sun was out and it was a beautiful morning the grass was dewy damp and the council hasn't cut it in a while so in patches I was ankle deep in wet grass.  My runners got very wet.  All I could hear was squelch squelch.  I had committed so I kept going, and midway along there were some vehicle track marks which made it marginally better.  But cold wet feet in the shade of the cypress trees.  

But this is what I was aiming for.  I had seen from the highway as I was driving the other day the canola fields and just knew I wanted to run out there today.  Stunning.  The yellow as almost an assault to your eyes, it was so vivid against the powdery blue sky, and even this doesn't show it off as I saw it.

So fitted and fussed around there taking some pics, not pausing Mr. Garmin off, whoops.  Oh well.  It was too beautiful to just run and not take pics.

On my way home I decided to run along the verge of the Hamilton Hwy to save running through the grass again.  A Sunday morning, I ran against traffic, and there was very little traffic anyway, and no trucks, so all good.   Then I got stopped by a lady who's dog had escaped so I promised to look out for it on my run - golden lab - goes by the name Macca - right got it.  Then around the corner into Ararat Road and saw my neighbour out for his daily walk so we stopped and chatted.  Oh well, it's what it is living in a lovely community.  You stop, you chat, you help out.  I still got my 12km done.

I knew what breakfast was awaiting me, yum, I had made the 12wbt Buttermilk Breakfast Pancakes yesterday, four serves of them, which the remainder was bagged up in the freezer.  Topped with stewed apples and a dollop (hmmm, a mighty dollop) of yoghurt, and a dusting of cinnamon.  It was amazingly good.  I need to make more, I could eat this every day! ha

Speaking of food, I am doing the September round of 12wbt and I'm really determined to get back to what I was, after a number of kg have slipped back on.  To that end I have made a resolve not to get caught in a rut with food, which I tended to do, and try as many different recipes as possible.  Both Mike and I are enjoying all of them.

Banana Smoothie, oh so good, served in a wine glass for breakfast no less!  :-)

Baked potato and Mexican Beans, ole!

I was all set to not like this because of the chick peas but it was soooooooo good.  Apricot Chicken Tangine with Broccoli (because us country towns aren't fancy schmancy enough to have broccolini per the recipe!!)   I made another four serves to freeze yesterday.

Mike gave this one two thumbs up.  I cooked a steak up with it for him though.  I always beef his meals up a bit - either two serves or add other things - Apricot Chicken Cous Cous Salad.  It was fantastic !!!!  A gorgeous combination of the sweetness of apricot, orange, the peppery taste of celery, the crunch of almonds.  Really REALLY liked this!

So making sure I mix it up with menus rather than getting in a rut, combined with half marathon training, combined with the fact I'm having six weeks off work, hopefully all those moons will align and this will be a successful round.