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20 things I’ve learned about running!


This week, for something a little different, I thought I’d share a few words of ‘wisdom’.

1) Pacing is so important. Too many times I have gone out too fast and paid for it in the end. It happened on my long run this weekend just gone. It CANNOT happen at Gold Coast in 2 weeks! Start (relatively) slow, finish fast. Start (too) fast, finish DYING!

2) You have to pick the right people to run with. If you want to get faster, run with people who are faster than you. 
3) Doing long runs alone is actually OK! It really shows you what you are capable of – and if you’re going to be running a marathon essentially on your own, it’s good practice getting used to your own company!
4) Speed training really works! It hurts, but it works! I wish I’d started sooner but I have got in 4 weekly sessions. I did 4 x 1000m twice, 3 weeks apart. My average pace improved by 6 seconds per km. And hopefully that’s only just the beginning!
5) Doing long runs on Saturday rather than Sunday is great, and I don’t have to sacrifice my parkrun to do it! Consider parkrun a warmup, then get out there and do the long run, and get a bonus recovery day! Plus, in winter, you don’t have to deal with the chilly arse o’clock starts!
6) It is impossible to go for a long run on a weekend in Adelaide without seeing at least one person you know!
7) Sorry to the anti-sugar people but a post-run Coke is the absolute BEST!
8) If you can’t run, volunteer. It is SO much fun! Even more fun if you dress up! I volunteered at a trail race this weekend – running it would have been a recipe for disaster and I was more than happy to see everyone’s faces (smiling or otherwise) at the finish line!
9) I am a little dubious about the effect of compression garments on performance, but I am a recent convert to using them for recovery. After a long run or race I sleep in them – it definitely helps!
10) Other than setting your own pace, another advantage of solo long runs is that you can pick your own route. Lately I have been favouring the coast – not only is it pretty, but you can run continuously without those pesky traffic stops that ruin your rhythm. It gives me great confidence to know I can run 36-38km nonstop – up until 2 weeks ago I had never done that outside of an actual marathon!
11) Finishing a long run at the beach is the BEST. If it’s warm enough a post-run recovery dip is only a few steps away – just make sure you keep a pair of thongs (jandals or flip flops if you’re not from Australia!) and a towel in your car!
12) One downside of coastal runs is the possibility of a headwind. Conversely, you might get a tailwind and that makes you feel amazing! (Frequently, on an out-and-back run, you get a bit of both.)
13) Even if you’re in Dyingsville, you can ALWAYS find a few extra legs when you can see or hear the finish line. I experienced this in the last km of UTA100 while ascending the 951 steps. I experienced it again on my last long run – I had gone out a bit too fast and paid for it at the end, but the sight of the surf club and the thought of that icy cold Coke gave me the boost I needed!

14) Long runs make you hungry for DAYS afterwards! Eat ALL OF THE FOOD!
15) I find it feels easier, towards the end of a long run or a race, to think about how much further I have to go in terms of time rather than distance. For example, even 4km sometimes can feel like it will take an eternity. At 5 min/km pace, I can tell myself “I’ll be knocking back a Coke within 20 minutes” and somehow that is MUCH less daunting!
16) High fiving kids on the sidelines during a race gives you a huge boost. I don’t feel like I’ve earned my race bling if I haven’t high fived at least one kid!
17) While I loved playing soccer for 5 seasons, the year I decided to put my boots on ice indefinitely was the year my running really started to improve. I loved the social side of team sport but I’ve found that running is just as, if not more social! 
18) Further to #17, the post-run ritual of coffee is a lot healthier than the post-soccer ritual of a few cheeky ciders! 
19) If you hang out with runners for long enough you will end up doing things you never thought you would! Like marathons and ultramarathons! And you’ll hear about all these other events that you just have to do – who said running was a cheap sport? THEY LIED!
20) The running community is just awesome. That includes people I’ve met through road running, trail running and parkrun, as well as people I’ve connected with via social media (some of whom I have met in person, and others I hope to meet in future) and via this very blog. People are so supportive of each other – even running friends who are legit elite athletes always have time to support the ‘little guys’. It is an incredible community to be part of!

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TAPER TIME!


Last year I wrote a blog about the pros and cons of running with a group versus running alone. I won’t rehash it here, but if you want to read it, here is the link: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/09/lion-or-tiger/

Last year I did most of my long runs either with a group or with one other person. At the time I preferred that, and the thought of running 30+ kilometres on my own was horrifying to me! There were a few exceptions where I had good solo runs but I would always choose the group option where possible.

When I first joined the SARRC morning groups, I often would end up running on my own – I was very much a ‘mid-packer’ and it took me a while to find my niche. Then, I would be running with others and focusing more on the conversation than the running. For me, it was really a social gathering which happened to involve running! Regular running buddies Leanne and Doug commented that I seemed to be running ‘within myself’ and could potentially be pushing myself a lot harder!
Fast forward to 2016. As I have said many times before, my training this year has been all over the place, with 100k ultra training combined with fast marathon training (when I could fit it in around all the events I wanted to do!). In 3 weeks we will find out if trying to do too much at once was a massive mistake, but I am quietly confident that I will make it work!
Because my main marathon (Gold Coast) falls slap bang in the middle of the two major SA marathons (Barossa and Adelaide), the Sunday group long run distances have never been quite right for me. Therefore, I would have had to extend or shorten the group run to fit what I needed, and thus be running at least a big chunk of the run on my own. Also, I often would have events or other commitments on Sundays, making it difficult to fit the long run in anyway.
So, after UTA, with 6 weeks to go before the marathon, I did a solo 30k out and back along the coast on a Saturday afternoon, and loved it! I only managed to run 10k before I needed to take a walk break, and I did take frequent walk breaks after that, but I still managed to do it at a faster pace than I had been doing for my long runs in previous years. Besides, when doing group long runs, we were constantly stopping for traffic or for someone to get some water, so I was unconcerned by my apparent inability to run 30k nonstop.
Last weekend in a trail loop event I managed to run 38km in difficult conditions without stopping or walking. This weekend just gone, I did my last long (solo) run before the taper – 36km at 5:25/km – SIGNIFICANTLY faster than any of my previous long runs! (Strava said I did my 3rd fastest 30k – the only faster ones would have been during my 2 marathons last year).
So, why now do I seem to be running faster? Well I can’t answer that question with 100% certainty but I think running on my own has actually helped! Because I’m running at my own pace and not someone else’s, I can push myself closer to my limits. It makes sense to train on my own at least some of the time too, because in the Gold Coast marathon I will be running on my own (albeit with roughly 6000 of my closest friends!).
Even in the morning groups I have tended to be running on my own again. I try to stick with some of the faster runners (or at least keep them in sight) and save most of my socialising for the post-run coffee (which often goes for longer than the run itself!). An additional advantage of that, when I can keep up with the fast guys (usually when they’re injured, tapering or recovering, but still…), I can pick their brains for advice to help me in my running!
So now, it’s TAPER TIME! 
That means firstly I reduce the distance of my long run to make sure I am fresh for the marathon. It also means taking it a little easier in my other runs (although I’d like to continue doing one fast run a week just to make sure I can still run fastish!) and gradually reducing my number of runs per week. 
On Sunday, the day after my last long run, I did a nice easy 5k run and I actually think it helped my recovery. (Previously I have done my long runs on a Sunday and NEVER run on a Monday.) Since UTA, I have also started sleeping in my compression tights after my long run and I think that makes a BIG difference.
3 weeks to go – BRING IT ON!

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Race report – Barossa Marathon Festival


Barossa Marathon 2015 was my second marathon (a year to the day after my first), a new PB and the subject of my very first blog post. 

A year later (give or take a few days) it was back to where it all began, this time to run the half marathon.
There could hardly have been a bigger contrast between the two events.
Last year, it was the culmination of 16 weeks’ hard work which was rewarded with a PB. 6 weeks later, I managed to scrape home at Gold Coast for another PB. This year I was definitely racing the half, but the big picture was the Gold Coast marathon in 5 weeks and a Boston qualifying time, therefore it was not just a race but also a marathon training run. (A repeat of last year’s Barossa or Gold Coast time will qualify me for Boston next year)
The bigger story here was that this was Beck’s Boston qualifying race. I ummed and ahhed over the last few months about giving the marathon a crack, in the hope that I might be able to get my BQ time and then be able to relax and enjoy Gold Coast. But I knew that was unrealistic, especially 2 weeks after UTA100. So I had entered the half, partly just to be a part of which last year had been a very enjoyable event, and partly to make sure I could still run long and fast. 
Given that the marathon started at 7 and I had organised to go with Beck, it was an early start. I was up at 4:30 and we hit the road at 5. My race didn’t start until 7:45 which would mean I could have a very relaxed start once we arrived at Tanunda. We were aiming to get there around 6:00. As it gets very cold in the Barossa, I decided to pack my race gear and wear warm street clothes to the start. 
I had had most of my gear organised before going out to a comedy gig the night before. I was in bed by 10:30 so I got close to 6 hours sleep.
Beck was happy to drive up there but I would drive back. That was fair enough, remembering how I had to drive myself home from the marathon last year (I do not recommend it!) We took Beck’s car, being an SUV. I didn’t like her chances of getting out of my little Corolla after the marathon and the drive home!
You know how you never try something new in a race? Well I did several things differently this time.
Firstly, I started speed training on Friday morning. It’s something I have been meaning to do for some time but it never quite fitted in. Then UTA got closer and I focused more on that. Once I had recovered adequately from UTA I was out of excuses. A fast marathon needs speed training. The session this week was 4 x 1km reps. I was not as fast as I had thought I would be, but remarkably consistent which was a good start. And I pulled up OK on Saturday. 
Next, I ran parkrun on Saturday. I ran by myself and I somehow managed to avoid getting carried away like I normally do even when I’m trying to take it ‘easy’. Interestingly I ran almost exactly the same time I had run the week before when I was actually trying to run as fast as I could!
That afternoon I went to a BodyBalance class for the first time in probably a year. For the uninitiated, BodyBalance is a hybrid of yoga/Pilates/Tai Chi. It can be quite challenging and I have been known to be quite sore after, especially if I haven’t done it in a while.
I decided to wear my new 2XU compression socks, which I had only worn once before for a morning run (around 10km). I want to run Gold Coast in them so this was a perfect o to road test them in a longer, faster run. I put tape around my arches to prevent blisters (which I do in every race longer than 20km. I think it’s just superstition now but with new socks I was taking no chances).
Other than this I went with the outfit I plan to wear for Gold Coast – SARRC pink top and lulu skirt with Skins underneath. Given the cold start, arm warmers were also a necessity!
The drive up was uneventful except for a few erroneous road closures delaying our arrival at Faith Lutheran College until about 6:15. Still plenty of time for Beck and ample time for me. 
It was chilly, so while Beck got herself ready I went into the warm room where bib collection and bag drop were happening, and helped hand out race bibs. As 7am approached I braved the chill outside and went to watch Beck and the rest of the marathoners start the 42.2km journey. Beck was running with Jim, another regular running buddy over the last few years who had had a bad run at Boston and was hoping for a better run here at Barossa. Also in the marathon were regular Thursday running buddies John and Liam who looked to be in great form, and ultramarathon legend Andrew whose wife was enjoying the novelty of watching him in a race which would be over in just a few hours rather than taking the whole day!
They were off! After they were out of sight I quickly went back inside to the warmth and started to get myself ready. I didn’t have any sunscreen on me and I didn’t realise at the time that the first aid tent had some, but being a chilly overcast morning, and given that I wasn’t going to be out there all that long, I decided it probably wasn’t necessary. I did wear a hat as always and not long before our start, the sun came out which reminded me to get my sunnies out of the car!
I needed a warmup. My hamstring does not like a cold start so I now have to warm up for every race. Probably not the real big ultras (because I can use the first few kms as a warmup) but when I’m going for a fast time, I know a warmup is now mandatory. I ran about 800m before the hammy started to feel normal and then turned around and ran back. It was a surprisingly fast warmup! Was that an omen? I didn’t know!
I saw many familiar faces at the start, among them Nat, who was hoping for a sub 2 hour half and who had not done a race since August last year; Kate, who I had started several races with and was going for a PB; and Alison and Kay, who were pacing 1:50 and 2 hours respectively. Kay had run most of the first half of Barossa Marathon with me last year.
I was hoping for somewhere between 1:40 and 1:45, and Kate was aiming for just under 1:45 so we decided to start together. I had convinced myself that time didn’t really matter to me. 
Of the 9 halves I had raced before (I have also paced 2 but I’m not counting those), 6 of them had been sub 1:45 including the last 4. My Masters PB of 1:37:54 is so far beyond anything else I’ve ever done that I tend to discount it. I find it hard to believe that I actually did that time and harder to imagine I could ever get close to it again!
We started solidly but not spectacularly. In the first km Alison caught up with us. A rushed start meant that her watch didn’t start until about 300m in, throwing out her pacing calculations. Kate offered to swap watches with her and they almost did swap but then Alison said “No, you’re going to do a PB today!” We then moved on ahead as we needed to stay well ahead of Alison to get our goal times.
Our first 5km (according to Strava, where I am getting all my figures from) was 24:50, average pace 4:58 per km. 4:59 pace would sneak us in just under 1:45. Kate was a bit concerned we were going a bit too slowly but I assured her that if we started conservatively we would have the capacity to take it up a notch at the end.
Our next 5km was a very similar pace – marginally faster at 24:46 or 4:57. A solid first 10km, 49:36, average pace 4:58. Right on target.
I had had my energy drink as per usual, about 30 minutes prior to the start. I had forgotten whether I normally had my caffeine supplement before or halfway through a half marathon. I had decided halfway was the way to go. 10km was close enough to halfway so I took it and estimated that at current pace it would probably kick in at around 16km. This was the point at which I’d hit the wall at Greenbelt 4 weeks earlier, so it would be an ideal stage to get a boost!
My only other fuel was Gatorade in a hand bottle. I had about 500ml and estimate I only had about half or less during the race. 

Sometime in the first 10km we first saw the frontrunners in the marathon. A little later we saw some more marathoners who didn’t look like they were in the lead pack, and then we saw Paul, the 3:45 pacer. We hoped that Beck and Jim were in the pack in between the frontrunners and the pacer. Beck was going for around 3:40. She would need at least 3:42 to be confident of getting into Boston. Unfortunately we did see her and Jim, a little way behind the 3:45 ‘bus’ – things looked like they weren’t going to plan! 
Just ahead of the ‘bus’ was regular Friday and Saturday running buddy Peter, running his first marathon. He was looking strong. 
Kate and I reached 13km still on pace at 4:57. It was here that we parted ways with around 8km to go. My legs seemed to want to go faster and Kate told me it was time for us to split! I wished her well and started to pick up the pace a little.
The great thing about Barossa which I’m sure I mentioned last year, is that with the multiple out-and-backs you get to see so many of the runners! Like last year, people were commenting that I seemed to know everyone, cheering them on as we crossed paths. Well, I did know a lot of them but towards the end I was just calling out names on bibs, and many of the people I didn’t actually know. I hope it helped!
I saw Beck and Jim again one more time and they were still well behind the bus. I suspected that Beck was not going to get her BQ time and hoped she and Jim would still enjoy the rest of their run! 
I saw the frontrunners one more time too, including John who was sitting pretty in the top 5 and Andrew was also up there!
16km came. I first had flashbacks to Greenbelt and the mythical ‘wall’, but this time I decided to punch my way through it. The caffeine had kicked in and I suddenly had this amazing burst of energy. The last 5km were honestly a blur. I remember seeing my friend Tracie taking photos a few km from the end (I had seen her on the way out but too late to pose for her!) and also occasional running buddy and Instagram legend Chantel like a ninja in the bushes with her camera! 
After splitting with Kate, I did not look at my watch at all except when it vibrated to indicate another kilometre had passed. I only looked at my kilometre splits but not my overall time. Kilometre 17 was surprisingly fast at 4:22 (as it turned out, my fastest km).
On the several out and back sections I had seen regular running buddy Maxine, quite a way ahead of me. Each time she seemed to be maintaining her lead over me. I doubted I’d catch her. But then with only a few kilometres to go, I came up behind her, ran with her briefly and kept going. She was running AWESOMELY but she said she was nearly spent.
With around 1km to go I could start to hear the finish line. I remembered the finish last year and all the familiar smiling faces and people cheering for me. Unfortunately I also ran into packs of walkers, walking 3 or 4 abreast, meaning I had to go around them – not exactly what you want after running 20k! 
I reached the road leading around to the finish. I remembered to smile, knowing that David would be there with his camera, having taken some of my favourite photos from last year’s Barossa. (He told me afterwards that he was calling out to me, but I didn’t hear. I was so in the zone by then!)
I remember seeing Chantal, who along with husband Neil had run the 10k. I don’t remember much else!
I rounded the corner and hit the finishing chute. I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch, got my medal from Naomi, and had a look at my time. 1:41:53 – far beyond what I had expected! That Masters anomaly aside, it was a new PB!
I had done my last 8km (since leaving Kate) at 4:35 pace and my last 5km in 22:43 or 4:32 pace. My overall pace was 4:49.

After taking all that in for a few minutes, I saw Kate finish. She got her PB! It was great to have played a small part in that story! Max ended up finishing only 10 seconds behind me and was understandably also very happy! 
I got cold really quickly when I stopped. I couldn’t bring myself to get completely changed so I put on a long sleeved top and Beck’s hoodie which I would give her when she finished. I noticed a few small issues – a hot spot under one of my toes that was probably the beginnings of a blister – served me right for trying new socks, but all in all I was happy with the socks. I also chafed a bit under one arm which was surprising considering I had run Clare half and also my Masters PB half in exactly the same top with no issues.
I got to see the first few marathoners finish. John finished 5th in 2:50 – a massive PB! Andrew also cracked the top 10 and a sub-3 hour time. 
Nat and Dave both broke 2 hours for the half. Nat later found out her official time was just over 2 hours but everyone knows Strava time is what counts. (My official time was actually 8 seconds faster at 1:41:45!)

I then went to get the all-important post-race coffee and then wine! (When in Rome…) and then see the rest of our friends finish their marathons.

I saw Mark finish, followed by Peter, who had done remarkably well in his first marathon considering his longest long run had been 27km! I missed seeing Liam finish but he had done a PB of just under 3:25.

We saw the 3:45 bus go by without Beck and Jim, and around the same time we saw Kath who had entered with not much training and had done amazingly well, along with Tina who had only entered on Wednesday and was treating it as a training run. A marathon as a training run? I couldn’t even contemplate that!
The cheering got really loud when Arwen approached – she broke the 4 hour barrier and had her own personal cheer squad! Even though her partner Vince later noticed that her marathon medal ribbon said ‘HALF MARATHON’ like mine! Oops!
Finally, not long behind Arwen we saw Beck and Jim. They had broken 4 hours but were both understandably disappointed that they had not achieved their goal times. I quickly ran around to the finish line to see them finish and (reluctantly) give Beck her hoodie. While she recovered I went to the car to get my warm jacket and her warm jacket and track pants. I put on both the jackets and went into the bathroom. People had told me my lips were blue but I was shocked when I saw my reflection – they were a lovely shade of purple!
We hung around for a while before heading back home. It was a funny drive home as I had never driven a BMW before and wasn’t used to the European indicators and windscreen wipers! I lost count of the number of times I put the wipers on or indicated the wrong way! Anyway, we made it home in one piece and a few hours later after a shower and quick lunch I picked Beck up again and we headed to the pub for the traditional post marathon drinks. Beck had had a chat to husband Steve who was already planning Beck’s next marathon, Adelaide in 11 weeks, with a longer taper. Steve was not willing to give up on the Boston dream and by the time we all headed off after drinks, the Adelaide plan was well and truly taking shape!
I was super impressed with Beck’s reaction to her race. I think I would have been a basket case! I do know now though, that if Gold Coast in 5 weeks doesn’t go according to plan, I will have a second chance at Adelaide and now I will have a buddy to run it with!

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Race Report – Clare Half Marathon

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Before I go any further, this is a significant milestone for me – my 50th blog post! Who would have guessed when I first published my race report from the Barossa Marathon last year, that I would still be going 50 posts later? What started as a way to disseminate my marathon report to the wider community after having received a number of positive comments from its initial airing via Facebook, has become somewhat of a hobby for me – at times it has been challenging to find a topic to write about, and other times one race has provided 3 weeks worth of material! Thanks to you for reading it and keeping me inspired to keep writing it!

A few weeks ago I found my pace band from last year’s Clare Half, lovingly constructed in an Auburn motel room while inhaling a vego pizza, sipping on an ice cold cider and watching a forgettable football game on the comically small TV. (I say forgettable because I now can’t recall even who was playing.)

For the uninitiated, the pace band was a piece of paper with the numbers 1-21 written down the side, and next to each number, the overall time I would need to be at (or under) to achieve my PB goal. I cut it into a narrow strip, laminated it and made it into a bracelet. Fat lot of good it did me that day.

Clare being an out and back, uphill on the way out and theoretically downhill on the way back, it was the ideal course to try to run a negative split (faster in the second half). Indeed, that strategy had worked perfectly for me in my first Clare.

Unfortunately, in my quest for a PB, I neglected to consider the fact that this course was significantly more difficult than the Greenbelt course on which I had run my best HM to that point. Greenbelt is undulating but essentially downhill and is considered a relatively fast course.

So, I had set myself 5 minute kms for the first 11, with the idea being to increase the pace after that. Unfortunately after running 11km uphill at 5 minute pace, I had nothing left, no chance of increasing the pace and I ended up walk/running the last 10km (this remains the only road race I’ve ever done where I’ve had to walk part of it – marathons included), cursing all the way and actually considering quitting!

Needless to say, the PB eluded me that day. I finished in what most would call a respectable time and made my way back home to a gathering at regular running buddy David’s place, as he and amigos Sally and Fiona were about to head off to Vancouver for the marathon.

It was great catching up with running friends outside of running events (the ‘running’ joke was, “I didn’t recognise you with clothes on!”) and a perfect way to distract myself from what I perceived as a disaster.

That day I met Australian distance running royalty in Jess Trengove, a great friend of David’s. David introduced me to her and told her I had had a ‘shit run’ that morning. I can’t remember exactly what her words of wisdom were but I think the essence of it was, everyone has a shit run at some stage.

Interestingly enough it seemed to do the trick. I went on to 2 marathon PBs in the ensuing 3 months and eventually cracked the HM PB later that year. You could say it was something of a turning point.

Skip forward 12 months and it was Clare time again. This time I had got myself organised a bit earlier than last year but even 2 months out, it seemed all of Clare was already booked out! (I later found out there were 3 weddings in town that weekend – that’ll do it!) With probable chronic hamstring or glute med tendinosis in my left hip, driving the 2+ hours to Clare on race day was out of the question – long periods of sitting are not my friend and do not make for a good race! Hence I needed to find accommodation or I wouldn’t do the race. Fortunately I managed to find an AirBNB within walking distance of the start – perfect!

An engagement party the night before meant a late arrival into Clare but it was still preferable to a race day drive.

Given that I was running better than at the corresponding time last year, I thought, why not give the old pace band another crack? I wasn’t expecting a PB (given that the new mark I set last year was 5 minutes faster than the PB I had hoped, and failed, to break at last year’s Clare) but it would be nice to do another sub 1:40. Or beat my previous PB of 1:42:43. Or at least beat my previous Clare PB of around 1:46.

It was a good, solid pre-race week. I was away for Easter the previous weekend, and had an essentially run-free weekend (excluding parkrun of course). Tuesday morning’s run effectively dispersed the cobwebs accumulated during Monday’s day of driving, and on Thursday I managed to push out a 12k at just under 5 min/km.

Thursday night I (probably not very cleverly, in hindsight) went for a short reccy run up a fairly steep hill, which will make for good Ultra-Trail 100 training. “Possibly not the best preparation a few days before a race” – said my quads on Friday. I skipped Friday’s hill run, opting for a relatively easy walk instead, and decided to change my Saturday plans to include a leisurely parkrun (I had planned to skip parkrun altogether, knowing my history of being unable to ‘take it easy’, however decided that the stiffness in my legs on Friday would be best resolved by a gentle 5k ‘jogette’.)

I tried rolling on Friday night, with my new BFF ‘The Stick’ (like a more convenient but brutal version of a foam roller) but my quads were too tender for me to roll properly! Yep I definitely need more hills training, but, again, maybe not mere days from a big race!

Saturday’s parkrun was a good leg loosener, pacing my mum to yet another PB, with the quads still complaining bitterly especially, interestingly enough, on the downhill section! My Saturday was busy and involved a lot of driving, firstly down to McLaren Vale and back for lunch (an hour each way) and then that night up to Clare which was a touch under 2 hours. And wow, were my legs stiff when I got out of the car on each of those occasions!

I was in a bit of a rush to get everything done before heading out to Clare (via an engagement party) so didn’t spend much time planning my race day outfit. I ended up going with the same as Bay-City – I seem to favour the same style skirt for all my long races, and I went with the SARRC top as I plan to wear that for the Gold Coast Marathon so it made sense to test it in a half. (It is also the top I did my HM PB in last year so I thought that might be a good omen!)

I got into Clare at about 9.45pm, having eaten my traditional pre-race pizza on the way there (homemade this time!) and tried a bit more rolling before I hit the hay (the quads were still sore, not as bad as the day before but still difficult to roll!) I was very thankful for the extra hour’s sleep I was to get due to the end of Daylight Savings (thanks SARRC for that genius bit of scheduling!). I was staying with a lady called Helen who has accommodated people involved with the half marathon in previous years – not surprising given her perfect location in relation to the race start! She herself had also been involved in the organising of the event in the past.

Race day morning dawned cool and crisp. I was a tad unprepared, having packed purely for the race itself, not having considered the possibility of needing layers for the chilly Clare morning! Note to self for next time – bring a tracksuit!

Helen and I walked over to the race start, getting there super early at around 6.45 for the 8am start – I wanted to allow time to collect my race bib, but that took mere seconds! The only semi ‘warm’ gear I had was my arm socks which I recalled not needing at previous Clare events but which were definitely required this time!

Getting there so early gave me the opportunity to catch up with a whole lot of people and suss out who would be good to run with. In the end Beck, who had bravely driven up on race day (and as a result was MUCH better equipped for the cold start than I was), said she was hoping for a sub 1:45, and I thought that sounded pretty good, so we started together. Jim, the 1:45 pacer started well behind us and we hoped it would stay that way!

The gun went off and we were away. In the end, I didn’t go in with a specific pacing strategy, but Beck’s plan to sit on just over 5 min kms for the first half sounded pretty good. I’d done 5 min kms for the first half of the race last year, and came undone in the second half.

The first km was a little fast (as always – no matter how much you tell yourself you won’t, it’s really hard not to get carried away at the start!) – let’s just call it a warmup! From km no. 2 onwards we started to sit on 5:05 pace and were able to sustain that pretty well. Jim passed us pretty early on and quickly moved away from us. It was a little off-putting but we knew what we were doing and were confident we could get him before the end!

At around 9km I decided to make a move and my next 2 km were back down in the high 4’s. Just before the turnaround point I saw Jim and his 3:45 posse coming back the other way. I made note of the time and when I passed the same point it was around 70 seconds later. 70 seconds? Pfft! Piece of cake!

For the first 11km my average pace was 5:02 per km. Last year I did the corresponding section at 4:59 pace.

I was on my own for a little while and took the opportunity to settle into a rhythm. My DOMS-afflicted quads didn’t give me any trouble – turns out I don’t really need them for a flattish run! I distributed the requisite high-fives to a number of the kids lining the sides of the route, and eventually caught up to Peter, a regular at running events (and always just that little bit ahead of me) and also a keen parkrunner. We had a good conversation about the Pichi Richi Marathon (an event I am keen to do one day) and also the New York Half Marathon, where he related the story of the two top women who ran together for the whole race before one of them stuck her arm out to hold the other back right at the finish line! The distraction was welcome during the difficult 3rd quarter of the race!

I finally passed Pacer Jim at 15km. It was a little demoralising to have taken that long to get past, but he was running even splits and I was aiming for a negative split. So theoretically, once I passed him, he should not get past me again!

There was a little glitch with the signage too which caused me some initial confusion. I was sure we were at 17km but the sign said 18km. That could have been an issue if we’d really thought we were at 18, but Peter and I compared Garmin distances and decided that yes, we were definitely at 17km. Still, less than a parkrun to go!

From the start, the kilometre markers were showing how far we had to go, not how far we had come. That’s awesome in the final kilometres but seeing a sign that says ’20km to go’ in a 21.1km race – not so much! Things were back on track at 18ish km – the sign said 3km to go.

My pace for the last 10km was 4:38 per km. Last year was 5:09 – not disgraceful by any means but definitely a fail as a negative split! I was super happy with my pacing this time especially considering I didn’t go in with a real pacing strategy or even a goal time.

In the last km I tried to pick up the pace – I managed a 4:28. My goal was to finish strong but with nothing left in the tank. Towards the finish line I was behind Peter and I didn’t especially want to pass him but I wanted to let him know I was there, so he could either pick up the pace (which he did) or, if he didn’t, I was going to pass him (and no guy likes to be ‘chicked’!) In the end he finished probably about a second ahead of me (no need for him to stick an arm out to hold me off!), and I managed to sprint past quite a few others in the last few hundred metres.

My time was 1:42:27. That was my second best ever HM time, a good 4 minutes faster than my best Clare time, and interestingly faster than the PB I had been aiming for this time last year! A slightly slower first half resulted in my taking almost 5 minutes off last year’s time. That is a huge advertisement for the importance of good pacing!

I ran through the finish line, around the corner to collapse behind the timing tent for a moment. Peter came over for a chat and he had his medal. I’d forgotten to get a medal! Me, Ms AllAboutTheBling, forgot to get a medal! Peter kindly gave me his and went and got himself another one!

I quickly went to catch up with Beck, who had finished not long after me, and importantly also ahead of Jim, and was happy with her result too. I beat a hasty retreat back to Helen’s place for a shower and change of clothes, making it back in time for the presentation. It was well worth it too because I won a bottle of wine in the lucky prize draw!

I’d say redemption is well and truly mine after last year’s ‘disastrous’ outing. It was a fantastic day, a great first half for the year, and in perfect conditions! Thanks as always to the wonderful people of SARRC, the fantastic volunteers and the community of Clare for once again putting on a wonderful event. I will definitely be back!

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It’s all in my hands (feet?)

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As I write this, I’m thinking of my next race, the Clare Half Marathon. It will be my 3rd straight Clare, the first one being my first ever half, and a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The second, not so much. Probably my worst race ever. I’ve talked about it here before and I won’t go into it now, but I’m sure it will get a mention in next week’s Race Report!

I’ve had an easy week this week. Last week I did 65km, this week just 24. I had a weekend of R&R and made the conscious decision to forego a run on Sunday for a few extra hours sleep. There are still 14 weeks until the marathon. Plenty of time. There was some talk this past week about ‘junk miles’. Running for the sake of running. That’s what yesterday would have been. No, the extra sleep was way more beneficial. And I’m sure all the Easter chocolate will benefit me in the long run too (pun intended!)

I’ve been reading the excellent running book, ‘Run Like Crazy’ by Tristan Miller, who ran 52 marathons in 42 countries (including several ultras) in 1 year.

Almost 2 weeks into my 16 week training programme for the Gold Coast Marathon, with a view to qualifying for Boston 2017, I was a bit over the whole marathon caper and thinking of ‘retiring’ from marathons after Boston. However, the book has sort of got me excited by marathons again! And has even given me some ideas of other international marathons I might want to run!

A thought occurred to me. Yes, another one!

I have played team sports before. Most recently, I played soccer (or as some of you probably know it, football) for 5 years before taking an extended break at the start of last year. In my last season, 2014, after a few early games (often coming off the back of a 30km marathon training run) I decided the risk of injury was too great and stopped playing until after my marathon.

But it wasn’t overtraining that I was worried about, as you might think. It was the unknown and unpredictable. The dodgy tackle leading to a broken leg. The quick sprint to the ball leading to a snapped hamstring. Both unlikely but not out of the realms of possibility.

Which leads me, in a convoluted sort of way, to my thought.

Running is far more predictable than any team sport. Essentially, what happens out on the track/trail/road on race day is 100% up to me!

My marathon PB is 3:38 something. I need to do that again at Gold Coast to ensure that I get in to Boston next year. And really, there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to do that!

There are various race predictors you can use, to predict your time in a race based on your time over any distance. I’m not sure how accurate they are, but one I looked at recently, based on my latest 10km time, predicted pretty close to my current PB for the half marathon. And 3:30 for the marathon. 3:30? You must be joking, I thought. But, then I thought, why not? If I do the training, and I know I can sustain the necessary pace for an extended period (just a touch under 5 minutes per km) then why the hell CAN’T I do a 3:30? Who is going to tackle me in a marathon and stop me? (Well I probably shouldn’t say that – I HAVE been pushed over at the start of a big race, after all!) Unlike team sports, I don’t need to worry about the unpredictable. If I do the necessary training – I WILL get the desired results!

I guess only time will tell!

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Race report – Bay-City Fun Run

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Yesterday was the second Bay-City 12k Fun Run. I decided to do it again, after having run the inaugural event last year. I had to choose between that and the inaugural 65km Coastal Challenge, along the Adelaide beaches from Aldinga in the south to North Haven. It was sort of a difficult choice. On one hand I have a 100km ultra in just under 2 months (insert mild panic here!) and 65km would be good ‘time on feet’ training. On the other hand I have a Boston Qualifying marathon to run in 15 weeks and was due to do my first long run (21km), so a fast road run would be the logical choice! Plus, I hate sand! Well, running on it. In the end, the road run won out over the ultra.

I always like to have a goal time in mind when doing a race. It helps me work out my pacing and to know how much to push myself. Last year I did 58:28 so, as always, I wanted to run a PB. I didn’t really have a time in mind other than that. I set my pace alerts on my watch for 4:20 – 4:40 (minutes per km).

Pre-race preparation was not ideal. I had had a pretty big week mileage-wise (I’d already run 40km before Sunday) including 2 solid track races at the SA Masters championships (1500m and 3000m). I gave myself Saturday off to ensure fresh legs on Sunday (plus, I was rostered on as Run Director at parkrun so couldn’t do parkrun anyway). That was all fine, but it was work friend Maggie’s (very fun) 50th birthday party on Saturday night that meant I was a little on the tired side when my alarm went off on Sunday at 5:45am!

I had everything ready to go before I went out on Saturday night, so I could go straight to bed when I got home around 12:30. Gear-wise I went for the tried and tested – my old favourite lululemon skirt over Skins and Compressport calf compression sleeves on the bottom half, and on the top I went with my SARRC top which I had run a half marathon in (and probably will wear for the Gold Coast Marathon). I also had my small Ultimate Direction race vest – normally I would not use a vest in a race except an ultra, but to make up the 21km I needed for my long run, I planned to run back from the city to the Bay, so wanted to have plenty of hydration on board. I carried 1 litre of water and 500mL of sports drink. In hindsight I probably could have done without the water but no doubt if I hadn’t brought it I would have needed it!

After 5 hours or so of sleep I got up and had my usual brekky smoothie before getting dressed and sunscreened ready for a morning in the sun! It was a bit cool when I left home so I put my rainbow arm warmers on.

I drove to Plympton, almost exactly 4km from the start line. I parked in the same spot I did last year, next to the Mike Turtur Bikeway, a shared pedestrian/cycle path that follows the tramline. From there I ran along the path to the start line in Glenelg, the same spot where the iconic City-Bay Fun Run finishes. By the time I got there I had warmed up enough to shed my arm warmers. As with so many races I’ve done, there were plenty of familiar faces to greet before the race started at 8am. Unlike City-Bay, where there is an ‘Elite’ group, then the ‘sub-60s’, then the rest of the runners, then the walkers, in Bay-City, the smaller field means everyone starts together. The fast people still start at the front – I positioned myself behind them for 2 reasons. First, because I know they’re faster than me and will only overtake me within seconds anyway. Second, because trying to stick with them in the early stages would almost certainly derail the rest of my race!

8am came and we were away! Up Jetty Road and eventually onto Anzac Highway which seems to go on forever! I remember running through the busy Anzac Highway/South Road intersection and looking for traffic as I ran across. Somewhat unnecessary given that the road was closed – force of habit!

The first few kilometres felt a bit ‘ploddy’ but actually I ran 4:37, 4:33, 4:37 – all within my goal pace range. I actually got slower after that, my watch seemingly constantly going off, telling me I was going too slow. At the halfway mark (and no, there was no impromptu Bon Jovi singalong!) I was sitting on 28 minutes. Double that and I was on 56 minute pace. By this time I had forgotten what my time last year was, but knew 56 minutes would be a PB. I did want to negative split though, so I decided at 6km it was time to take it up a notch. I managed to get in a few high fives to the kids on the sidelines (When I do a road race, I don’t feel like I can claim a race medal unless I’ve high fived at least one kid!)

After a 4:45 6th km, I managed a 4:37 in the 7th and then a further second quicker in the 8th. When I saw the sign that said ‘4km to go’ I thought to myself, “I got this!” (In City-Bay and Bay-City, rather than having kilometre markers to show how far you’ve gone, the signs tell you how far you have to go. Sometimes that’s nice, although not so much after 1km – “11km to go!” – not very reassuring! )

Although I slowed down slightly in the 9th (according to Strava it was ever so slightly uphill, in fact the ‘steepest’ km at 13m elevation) it was around this point that we hit the edge of the city and I knew the end was in sight.

I was starting to pass more people at this point – some who were doing the 4.5km race, and some 12km runners who were struggling. (It wasn’t exactly hot, but running on bitumen with little shade, it can get pretty warm!)

I was checking my watch periodically and I was still on track. My 10th kilometre was 4:41 but other than this I had managed to keep between 4:35 and 4:40 from the halfway point onwards – I was happy to be able to maintain a relatively consistent pace.

With 2km to go, I picked up the pace again. I managed to speed up to 4:30 for the 11th, and then when I passed the glorious ‘1km to go’ sign, I forgot all about the impending run back to the car, and went for it. The last kilometre was 4:02, albeit slightly downhill. As we ran through Light Square, the Nova radio crew were there with loud uplifting music (from memory, ‘Uptown Funk’) which helped get me psyched for the finish!

I saw the clock as I approached the finishing arch, and pretty much sprinted, thinking I might be able to sneak under 55 minutes. I didn’t quite get there – according to Strava it was 55:07 – but still, a PB by more than 3 minutes – gotta be happy with that!

I didn’t hang around long – just enough time to congratulate a few fellow runners and collect my medal, before the 9km run back to the car, this time along the tramline. It was a bit frustrating, after a non-stop 12km run, to have to stop seemingly every block for traffic lights! Once I got out of the city though, it was plain sailing and I even ran into regular running buddies Beck, Kay and Alison, running back from their long run. (Kay and Alison ran the corresponding ‘City to Bay’ run with me last year – this time it was just a quick ‘Hi’ as we ran in opposite directions!)

Once I got back to the car I headed to West Beach to see some of the Coastal Challenge runners at Checkpoint 5, 46km into the 65km run. I hung around there for a while, and by the time I left there in search of lunch at 1pm, I knew I’d made the right decision. A solid, fast road run was definitely what I needed and I just couldn’t have imagined running 65km along the coast – well done to everyone that did though, makes my 12k (and a little bit more) look like a walk in the park!

I feel like it was a good first week for my 16 week marathon training programme – lots of fast running, some track runs and a nice hill thrown in too, with a total of 65km. That’s probably a bit much for such an early stage and I doubt I’ll be doing that much mileage for the whole 16 weeks, but I’d say it was a good start!

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Looking ahead to 2016!

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Last week I reflected on some of the highlights of 2015 and promised to reveal my goals for 2016 in this week’s episode!

2015 was quite a year! Full of ups and downs, but definitely more ups than downs! Some pretty good results, some pretty poor decisions on my part, some amazing experiences!

My No. 1 goal for 2016 is to complete the Ultra-Trail Australia 100km race in the Blue Mountains. It was my inspiration for entering the Heysen 105 in October, so I would be confident that I could complete a 100k. I entered the day that entries opened (good thing, because it sold out in under 48 hours), have just booked my flights in the last couple of weeks, and already I know of a whole lot of friends who are also going. It’s going to be a whole lot of fun and a massive challenge! It’s nice that all finishers are getting medals next year, unlike in the past when you got a belt buckle if you finished under 20 hours, and anything between that and the 28 hour cutoff got you a lousy sticker! I’d almost rather finish in 27.5 hours because there would be a massive crowd gathered for the presentations, and I’d get the best reception! I don’t really have a goal time in mind yet but plenty of time for that! A week in Thredbo in January for the ‘Fun and Fitness Week’ will be great training for running in the mountains!

Next, I want to qualify for the 2017 Boston Marathon. I have Gold Coast earmarked as my goal race for several reasons. It is known as a fast course. It is about 6 weeks after my 100k so the timing is good. I ran my PB there this year. I do also have some unfinished business there. Although it was ultimately a successful race for me, I didn’t enjoy it as much as my other 2 marathons… crossing the finish line the feeling was more relief than elation. And the trip ended on a sour note so… I need to go back!

Boston is kind of like a rite of passage for marathon runners – it is the world’s oldest annual marathon and one of the 6 annual ‘Major’ marathons (thanks, Wikipedia!). It would be an ideal way for me to celebrate my 40th birthday, and I already know other people who are hoping to qualify, plus it’s been way too long since my last trip to the States. So yeah, that is happening!

My first big event of 2016 will be the 100km state championships. 250 laps of a 400m athletic track. Sounds fun, right? I’m not quite sure if I’m prepared for this but I’ve entered, so I’ll give it a crack. I’m hoping to finish under 10 hours but I think that might be a bit ambitious. The cutoff time is 12 hours so anything under that will be good!

As many readers of my blog will know, I am planning to complete a triathlon next year. I’m currently aiming for April but if that doesn’t happen, I’ll aim for something towards the end of the year, in the 2016-2017 triathlon season. I’m thinking of a Tinman. I think that’s achievable. I don’t have any desire to do an Ironman although a 70.3 does have a nice ring to it. I just can’t see how I could fit Ironman training in around full time work. If I could quit my job (or at least significantly reduce my hours) and still afford to live, maybe I could. To me there are only 2 ways that could happen – a lottery win, and/or a rich husband! Both are equally likely I reckon!

I need to buy a bike. I WANT a Garmin Fenix 3 watch but I have decided (for once) to be sensible and buy a secondhand 310XT which will do the job nicely AND hopefully leave me with enough for a decent bike. I guess a bike is more important than a fancy watch! Cycling is new to me but after a few lessons I’m slowly getting the hang of cleats.

Swimming I am reasonably confident with, having been a fair swimmer in my youth. Yesterday I completed my first aquathlon (swim/run) including my first open water swim. Possibly a topic for a blog post in the near future! I’d like to work on ocean/lake swimming – swimming from one jetty to the next, and there is a big open water swimming event in February which I will most likely enter.

There are a few other ‘minor’ goals too. I’d love to break the 20 minute barrier for a 5k. I’m close – 20:24 is my best time. It will happen one day! I’d also love to do a sub-50 City-Bay 12k. Once again I am getting close!

I also want to run the Clare Half again – more unfinished business from 2015! I won’t aim for an overall PB like I (foolishly) did this year – Clare is a tough course and it’s difficult to run a PB there.

Running aside, but still related, I want to sort out my nutrition… I haven’t quite got it right yet and the somewhat inadequate diet combined with some crazy mileage resulted in weight loss that to a point was beneficial to my performance but went a bit past what I would consider healthy. Where I am now, I am pretty happy with. Some of my photos from earlier in the year look a tad unhealthy. I know eating disorders are very common among runners and other athletes and it’s easy to see how but I don’t think I was ever out of control… I know some people who look like they’ve gone too far…

And just because putting it out there means I’m more likely to do it, I want to try to get back into daily planking. I have gotten WAY too slack with that. Surely I can find 5 minutes a day? And yoga/Pilates/BodyBalance – I need to fit in one class a week – that’s not too hard is it?

I started 2015 hungover like most of the last 20 years. I will probably finish it sober – I’m hoping to finish in what I now believe to be the best way possible – a night trail run with awesome friends! I’ve gained so many new friends this year – many more than I’ve lost!

I really don’t know what 2016 will bring, but what I do know is, if 2015 is anything to go by, it will be quite a ride! (pun intended)

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2015 in review

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Well we’re almost at the end of 2015 (scary as that is) so it seems like an appropriate time to reflect on the year that has been!

So many highlights. A few lowlights but no need to talk about those!

I think if I had to choose one highlight for the year it would be the Yurrebilla Trail 56km ultramarathon. It was much anticipated and of all the events I ended up running this year, Yurrebilla was one of only three that had been on my radar at the start of the year. (For those playing at home, the others were Barossa Marathon and the City2Surf in Sydney which I had already entered back in December 2014)

My Yurrebilla race report: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/race-report-yurrebilla-56km-ultramarathon/?preview=true

Entries are open for 2016 already and I intend to enter before the end of this year. I anticipate that it will be a regular fixture on my calendar, whether it be as a runner or a volunteer.

There were so many other highlights and I’m just going to touch on them briefly. And I will no doubt miss some too!

Barossa Marathon was my favourite of the 3 marathons I’ve done so far. It wasn’t my best time – that came 6 weeks later at Gold Coast – but I think it had something to do with being in front of a ‘home’ crowd with so many familiar faces cheering us on, and also so many friends running in the various events, that made it so enjoyable. I won’t be running the Barossa Marathon next year (next week I’ll explain why) but I do plan to be there either as a volunteer or maybe running one of the shorter events. Probably volunteering though. My race report: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/race-report-barossa-marathon-24-may-2015/

Next highlight – the Yumigo! 6 hour event, just 6 days after the Gold Coast Marathon. As challenging as the weather conditions were, I actually enjoyed (almost) every minute and was surprised and delighted to end up with a podium finish. I plan to do the event again next year if I pull up OK after Gold Coast – either the 6 or the 12 hour, but probably the 6. Not quite ready for 24! My report for the 6 hour: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/47/

The City2Surf was another highlight, not just because it got me back to Sydney, a city I called home for a short time! The biggest fun run in the country, of course I had to do it at least once! Despite the mishap at the start I had a great run and cannot wait to do it again! Race report: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/race-report-city2surf-9-august-2015-3/

Being a pacer at both the Adelaide and McLaren Vale half marathons was such a fantastic experience. Being a volunteer and still getting to run, how good is that? My Adelaide report: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/08/23/your-pace-or-mine-pacing-the-adelaide-half-marathon-2/

I hadn’t planned to run City-Bay this year but managed to get a free entry so of course I decided to run it! I managed to get a new PB which will be VERY tough to beat. I think I actually enjoyed it this year and I may well be back next year! My report: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/race-report-2015-city-bay-fun-run-7/

The Masters Games was meant to be just a bit of fun but ended up also being quite lucrative (in the bling sense) as I walked away with 3 medals. More importantly I got a long-awaited half marathon PB (by nearly 5 minutes) which like my City-Bay PB will take some beating! My HM (and McLaren Vale HM) report is here: https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/two-halves-make-a-whole-right/

If you told me this time last year I would run a 100km ultra this year I would have told you to lay off the mind-altering substances. But it turns out that hypothetical person was not so crazy as I did complete the Heysen 105km ultra back in October (and I still have the tan lines on my legs to prove it!) Despite a few things not going to plan (which you can read about in my report below) I LOVED it! Such a great day! https://randomthoughtsandracereports.wordpress.com/2015/10/25/race-report-heysen-105/

That just about sums it up – plus on the  non-competitive side, I managed to beat my 2-year-old 5km PB and am edging ever closer to breaking the elusive 20 minute barrier.

It really has been quite a year! Next week I’ll talk about my goals for 2016!

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What’s next?

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3 years ago this week, I ran my first ever race. I could never have imagined where running would take me in the ensuing 3 years. Interstate races, overseas races, ultramarathons… back then my only goal (like many new SA runners) was to complete the 12km City-Bay.

Now I find myself in the ‘off-season’ and not quite knowing what to do with myself! This weekend I have had a break from running (other than a parkrun of course!) and a much-needed break from ‘everyday life’ in Melbourne.

I am looking for a new challenge! I rode a bike on Saturday for the first time in probably 5 years. It’s a bit like riding a bike… you never forget how! I did own a bike once – after having ridden it 3 times in 4 years I decided that as attractive as a dust-gathering bike looked as a display piece in my living room, the best option was to sell it. I did keep the helmet though so I guess I must have known that I’d ride again one day!

So what’s next? Well next year my 2 big goals are to conquer the 100km Ultra-Trails Australia event in the Blue Mountains, and to run a Boston Marathon qualifier, probably the Gold Coast Marathon, with the aim of running Boston in 2017. Of course there will be other events in between but those are the two big ones.

I think I’d like to do a triathlon one day. Not an Ironman. At least I don’t think so! Marathon training is exhausting. I run 5 times a week with the long run peaking at 3-4 hours. That works out at about 7.5 hours a week. And that’s just running! I have NO idea how anyone can fit that in along with enough swimming and cycling training!

Maybe a Tinman. I probably need to get a bike first! And I haven’t even thought about the swim leg yet! Swimming! In the open water! Aargh!

I guess one other factor to consider re doing a tri is that I’d need a new sports watch. Which could be a pro or a con depending on which way you look at it! On one hand I’d LOVE to be able to justify buying a new Garmin Fenix 3. On the other… my bank balance! On top of a bike and presumably some kind of tri-suit that’s a pretty hefty wad of cash!

So maybe the tri will have to wait. But it’s definitely in my mind, and once I set my mind to do something…

I have done a fair bit of shopping this past weekend and among my purchases was Tristan Miller’s ‘Run Like Crazy’, the story of him running 52 marathons in 42 countries in 52 weeks. I already have a few overseas and interstate marathons on my bucket list… I may regret buying this book! It cost me $3.50 from an op shop but it could end up costing me a whole lot more!

Maybe I need to take up a cheaper hobby… maybe I should give knitting a crack…

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“Your pace or mine?” – pacing the Adelaide Half Marathon

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Yesterday I had the honour and privilege of being a pacer in the half marathon at the Adelaide Running Festival. It was a no-brainer for me really. I had decided early on in the year that I was not going to enter any of the events, having committed to the Barossa Marathon, and my later decision to enter the Gold Coast Marathon confirmed my decision. 2 marathons in one year was plenty for me! Besides, my focus after Gold Coast was always going to be trail and ultra training. So very early in the piece I had emailed Michael, the event director, and offered my services as a volunteer. I didn’t care what role I did, I just wanted to be involved in some way.

Some time later, I received an email from SARRC seeking pacers for the marathon and the half. I definitely didn’t have another road marathon in me, I was completely unprepared for that, but I could always manage another half! As volunteer roles go, this is a pretty good one as you also get to run!

For those unfamiliar with the concept,  a pacer is someone who runs at a set pace, with the aim of finishing just inside a specified time. The idea is that those runners who want to run around that time, can follow or run with the pacer,  then they don’t have to concentrate on their pace, they can just ‘sit back and relax’ while the pacer does all the work! The pacer is usually carrying brightly coloured balloons to make themselves visible, and often wearing a wacky outfit.  Yeah…  I could do that!

When I had had my shit run at Clare earlier in the year, and had seen how much my friend Sarah had enjoyed pacing her friend in her first half (in a MUCH slower time than me), I thought “There’s something in this pacing caper… I should really try it one day”

So, with little hesitation, I put my hand up to pace 2:15, well within my capabilities (all my halves have been in the 1:40s). I was quickly talked out of this. I didn’t do the sums at the time, but 2:15 is an average pace of 6:23 per km. In contrast, my best half marathon for this year was an average pace of 4:53. Although it should theoretically be easy to run at a much slower pace than my best, it really isn’t! The easiest pace is your natural pace. Anything much faster or slower than this is an effort. I’d be exerting more effort than those who I was pacing! So I quickly changed to the 2:00 pacer which is average 5:38 per km. MUCH more comfortable for me!

At the moment I think I could probably beat my PB if I were to race a half marathon. I have managed to do PBs over every distance I’ve raced this year (12k PB came during the 14k City2Surf but I’m confident of an official 12k PB at City-Bay this year) except for that elusive half marathon! The good and the bad of pacing is that a PB is off the table. Good because it takes all the pressure off me. Bad because I could get frustrated knowing that I could run so much faster. But when pacing you have to have this mindset: “Today is not about me. It is about helping all these people to achieve their goals. My goal today is to get as many people across the line under 2 hours, as I can.”

Being a pacer is a big responsibility! You don’t want to let anyone down. Run too fast early and you could lose people, and they may not have the capacity to catch you again. Run too SLOW and you might miss the target time.

I heard a story last week about a pacer that clearly put himself first. He was a 3 hour pacer in a high-profile marathon. During the race he realised he was on track for a PB and he ditched his balloons (and in turn the people who were relying on him) and went and did his own thing! Needless to say those who were running with him were NOT happy! I don’t know if he got his precious PB but hopefully karma stepped in and he didn’t!

I’d never paced before, other than 30 minutes (6 minute kms) at parkrun when I still wanted to run but I was saving myself for a race the next day. I didn’t really know how to go about it, so I asked my knowledgeable Facebook friends for some advice. The general consensus was that I needed to talk and give constant encouragement to my ‘posse’. A constant pace was important,  something that had never been one of my strong points!

One of the things I decided to do to get my pacing right was to go out for a few runs at 5:38 pace. In the week leading up to the event I did 3 5k runs at race pace. In all of them I ended up averaging 5:35 which was not too bad. In fact in one of my regular runs that week I also averaged the same pace so that seemed to be my ‘comfortable’ pace! The later 5k runs were more consistent pace too, not so much up and down, so I was confident I could run at that pace on race day. My Garmin has a ‘pace alert’ setting and I had it set for 5:30-5:45 (15 seconds was the minimum ‘window’ you could set) so if I ran outside that range it would alert me.

Next item on the agenda was race kit. Well actually that was the first thing I had worked out. It’s useful for a pacer to wear an eye-catching outfit (as well as the coloured helium balloons) to be easily visible. It didn’t hurt that I also don’t mind getting dressed up and making a bit of a fool of myself! So I thought I’d go in my Snow White outfit (sans wig – I couldn’t see myself running 21.1km in a scratchy wig!) and yellow balloons. The socks I would wear were white football socks, which were NOT my standard Nike anti-blister socks, so I taped my feet in the blister-prone arch regions. On race eve I debated whether on not to wear a hat… I had never raced without one but it might look a bit weird with my Snow White headband on top of a hat! Decisions, decisions! (In the end, no hat won the day and I was glad of that because it looks much better in the photos. Always think of the photos!)

It had already been a fantastic running weekend. Friday night I had been to a function at SARRC with race ambassadors (and LEGENDS) Steve Moneghetti and Pat Carroll. Saturday those two had come and run Torrens parkrun with 300-odd others and I had managed a new PB – first time under 21 minutes for 5k! Given that I was going to have to run within myself on Sunday I thought a hard hit-out on Saturday wouldn’t hurt!

The alarm went off at 5:45am on Sunday and I was raring to go. All my kit and breakfast had been prepared the night before so it didn’t take too long for me to be ready and out the door.  The plan was to get there in time to see the start of the marathon at 7, the half starting 50 minutes later. Unfortunately the road closures which were supposed to start at 7, were already in place, so the subsequent detour cost me some time and I had a blonde moment or 2 trying to get out of the Adelaide Oval carpark! I didn’t get to wish everyone good luck for the race but I did get there just in time to see the start.

It was a bit cold but I didn’t have a matching jacket to go with my Snow White outfit so I decided to do an early bag drop and then went to get my yellow helium pacer balloon. Initially we were going to tie it to the bow at the back of my skirt but quickly realised that would result in those following me potentially having to look at my Skins-covered arse for the duration, so we quickly changed to the shoulder strap!

After posing for a few photos and wishing a few friends well (some of whom didn’t want to see me during the race… I didn’t take offence, that just meant they wouldn’t be doing as well as they’d hoped), and a quick media interview (promo for next year’s event, look out for that one!) it was time to head to the start line. It was ideal running weather, a bit chilly to begin with but the chill soon wore off and the sun was very warmly (pun intended) welcomed!

I had planned to start my watch as I crossed the start line but Min-Qi who was standing next to me said I should go with gun time, to account for people who were starting way behind me (there were over 1000 runners in the race). I hadn’t considered that – a lesson for next time! I didn’t quite start my watch on gun time but not long after.

The start was a bit slow due to the congestion, which was to be expected. I wasn’t too concerned – there were plenty of kms to make up the time. It was actually probably for the best because I do have a tendency to start too fast (I had warned my posse that this might happen and not to be alarmed as I would slow down as soon as I realised).

I was on my own pretty early on as a few of the girls I run with regularly who were in my posse (Sally, Victoria, Ali and Libby) had taken off… happily they all made it in under the 2 hour mark even without my help!

It took about 8km to reach my goal pace of 5:35 per km, due to the slow start, gun time vs net time confusion, and also the fact that I didn’t want to increase the pace too quickly.

I really enjoyed the run. I quickly got over having people recoil in horror at seeing me go past them… I kind of felt like the Grim Reaper! I quickly reassured them all that I was running UNDER 2:00 pace so they didn’t need to worry,  they just needed to keep me in sight. Not hard to do, given my outfit!

I didn’t have anyone running with me the whole way but people came and went. It didn’t really matter whether they were with me, just behind me or just in front – what mattered was that they knew I was there, and that they were ‘there or thereabouts’ when it came to pace.

Because I was running a bit slower than usual, I was able to enjoy the scenery and some of the more eye-catching cheerleaders (Tracey, Nikki and Michelle in their bright wigs, Hoa and Rula with their cowbells near the end, and the 2 ‘mad cows’ in their onesies with their motivational signs in the Botanic Gardens, to name just a few!).

Like Barossa, there were a few points where we got to see some of the marathoners – one particularly memorable moment was when a marathoner dressed in full Spiderman suit was high-fiving people along War Memorial Drive… I find it hard to imagine running a full marathon in such an outfit!

I didn’t stop at any of the drink stations and I didn’t have any nutrition with me, but running well within myself I never really felt I needed it. I just wanted to concentrate on holding a steady pace, and I didn’t want to lose momentum.

Towards the end I was running behind a girl (Sarah I think her name was) who was struggling a bit and she had a friend running with her for a while. It was near Jolley’s Boathouse. It was around that point that I saw the sign that said ‘Marathon half way’. I said to her, “It could be worse… you could be running the marathon!”

I thought I was comfortably inside 2 hours (I was looking at somewhere between 1:58 and 1:59) but as I ran past the girls with their cowbells, near the Festival Theatre, well inside the final km, I heard the MC (Pat Carroll) from the other side of the river, saying something about nearly being at the 2 hour mark for the half! CRAP! Had I miscalculated? Surely not! I quickly yelled out to anyone who was in earshot “Right! Gotta go!” or words to that effect, and took off. I also said “This is the best bit! Enjoy it! Remember it!”

As I ran onto the very picturesque Riverbank Footbridge I started yelling, screaming and cheering. I was proper running now. I remembered having run the ‘trial run’ the week before last year’s Marathon, and when I had reached this point, for a split second I wished I was running it for real, so I could experience this amazing finish.

I don’t know if there is any video of the finish line but if there is I’d love to see/hear it… the way I was carrying on you’d think I’d won the thing! It was a mixture of excitement and relief… according to the clock it was about 1:59:30 and according to the official (provisional) results it was 1:58:16 (based on the time I crossed the start line). I had done my job and it was so great to see so many people get under that magical 2 hour mark. I also got a pretty sweet piece of bling to show for it!

I hung around the finish line for a while to see the presentations, watch some friends finish their marathons, and chat to some of the people who had been running with or around me. It was starting to get a bit chilly by then and a bunch of running friends were going to the pub for a celebratory beverage, so after a few last minute photos I headed back to the car, satisfied with my day.

I just want to take this opportunity to thank SARRC and each and every one of the volunteers who made this such a fantastic event. Nearly 500 runners in the marathon and over 1000 in the half, not to mention the shorter events – it really was a huge undertaking and they did a stellar job. Certainly it seemed that SARRC had some contacts upstairs because the weather was just perfect, but weather aside it was a magnificent event, despite the hiccup with the half marathon medals. Everyone will get their medals eventually.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. I’m actually considering offering my services for the McLaren Vale half in October… initially I wasn’t going to run that one as I’m racing the Masters Games half the day before… but I’ll put my hand up if they want me!

Would I recommend pacing to anyone else? HELL YEAH! I had the BEST time. Yes, it’s a big responsibility but the payoff is well worth it!