One of the many great things about running is ‘runsploration’, ie exploring new places by running.
parkrun tourism is one part of runsploration. Sometimes it’s going to a place specifically for a parkrun, and sometimes it’s finding the nearest parkrun to where you happen to find yourself on a Saturday morning. Last weekend I was in Brisbane and I thought I’d give New Farm parkrun a go – it was reasonable walking distance (and easy running distance) from where I was staying, and it was on the mighty Brisbane River. The early start was a bit of a challenge but I could see why all the Queensland parkruns start at 7 (rather than the 8am I am used to) – even by 7 it was pretty warm!
The start of the beautiful New Farm parkrun!
I wasn’t sure exactly where the start was, so I allowed plenty of time. I ran there, just under 4km, and immediately regretted my decision not to wear insect repellent – I was plastered with small flying insects! On the way I stopped to check out the Powerhouse markets – at 6:30am they were a hive of activity! In Adelaide it would be rare to see many people on the streets at that time on a Saturday – most of them would probably be still in bed! No daylight saving in Queensland (meaning effectively an earlier sunrise) and the heat means that people tend to be out and about super early!
The bustling market at 6:30am!
The parkrun itself was nice – probably the largest one I’ve been to, with a crowd of just under 400. And they even had someone leading a group warmup! The pre-parkrun aerobics class!
(I didn’t feel the need to partake, I had warmed up more than sufficiently on the way there!) The start was a bit congested and there were a few tight corners early on but it was a nice straightforward course along the river (in fact, it retraced part of the route I had taken to get there) with lots of friendly, encouraging marshals and a couple of high fives! Hot, sweaty but scenic 🙂
On Sunday I got up at what can only be described as ‘arse o’clock’, partly to beat the heat, and partly because I had places to be, and snuck in a 20k long run. I was ‘meant’ to do 30k but I figured after 100k last weekend I could do a slightly shorter one. It was already pretty warm by the time I started at 5:40 and by the time I finished it was as if I’d been in the shower fully clothed! I ran the familiar course along the river but a little further this time, and broke it up with a double crossing of the famous Story Bridge. Early on in my long runsploration in Brisbane. Dripping with sweat already!
So I managed to see a bit more of Brisbane than I otherwise might have, and at the same time got a few runs in!
I’ve done a bit of runsploration elsewhere. In London I did my last few runs before the Liverpool Marathon, although they were super slow and convoluted owing to the frequent photo stops (which I guess are par for the course when it comes to runsploration!)
One of many photo stops on my runsploration of London!
When in Sydney for a conference a few years back, as well as managing a sneaky parkrun in my old neighbourhood, I managed a couple of morning runs that crossed the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge (unlike the Story Bridge though, the Sydney Harbour Bridge only allows pedestrians on one side – the other side is for cyclists). The sights of my Sydney runsploration – and the obligatory post-run coffee!
In a few months I will be runsploring my way across the USA! Among other things, I plan to sneak in a run in Central Park in New York, some trails in Portland, and another bridge crossing, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Fran (last time in San Fran I cycled across the Golden Gate so it will be cool to be able to run it too!) Obviously the Boston Marathon will take me to parts of the city that I might not otherwise have seen and I hope I am able to take a lot of it in!
And if things go to plan I’ll sneak in a parkrun – my first one outside Australia – in Washington D.C!
Where have you runsplored? And where would you LIKE to runsplore?
Here we go again – around and around and around! And around. And how appropriate that this is also my 100th blog post!
Last year I ran in the inaugural Yumigo 100km state championships. You can read all about it here.
I remember distinctly, immediately after the race, when race director Ben announced that it would be run again this year, fellow competitor Karen and I looked at each other and said “Never again!” (I was reminded twice of this in the past few days – by my mum and by friend Maree). And yet, here we were again!
After a 30k long run the previous Saturday which was very evenly paced, I had 2 runs during the week, both slower than usual – perfect preparation for a 100k ultra! I did go out and run a parkrun with Mum on Saturday morning but there was a fair bit of walking.
Nutrition-wise I went with 3 sandwiches (some peanut butter and some coconut spread – it’s always good to have a bit of variety because you never know what you’re going to feel like eating!), some almonds, 3 nut bars and some mashed sweet potato with a little salt. In the process of peeling the sweet potato with my awesome Y-peeler I discovered that the peeler is also very good at peeling human flesh!
Last year I’d made up a big container of Gatorade but I remembered it was a bit of a hassle pouring it into the cup. This year I decided to fill up 6 bottles which I could then pick up and run with.
As per last year, I had lunch for breakfast, dinner for lunch and breakfast for dinner! Breakfast was peanut butter on toast, lunch was sweet potato mac and “cheese” (recipe here) and dinner was a smoothie.
Carbing up like a BOSS!
I had a few hours’ nap in the afternoon as I was going to be running all through the night.
Gear-wise I had my usual Skins shorts with my black lulu skirt over the top. I went with blue calf sleeves, a pair of road shoes (the same ones I normally wear but half a size bigger to minimise blisters) and my Steigen socks (guaranteed blister-proof!). I started with a (newish) Mekong top, it was a Yumigo one which seemed appropriate given it was a Yumigo event! I thought it was pretty safe though, even though I’d only run in it once before – in this kind of event there’s always the opportunity to change tops if it isn’t comfortable.
I packed a few extra singlets, some arm warmers and a long sleeved top in case it got cold during the night – although that didn’t look likely.
We started at 7, an hour earlier than last year, so it was pretty warm when we started. I think someone said it was 29 degrees at the start and still quite sunny. Consequently I started the race with a hat and sunnies, and with sunscreen on, but the good thing was that I would not need to reapply the sunscreen!
Another piece of good news was the change in the toilet arrangements. Last year we had used the toilets in the grandstand. Nothing wrong with that apart from the fact the it involved walking up stairs! This year they were at ground level which cut out all unnecessary elevation! (Although, by the time I kind of needed to go, I was worried I might get lost so I didn’t end up going! It would have broken my momentum anyway)
There were 12 starters in the 100k and I think 15 in the 50k. This year, the 100k and 50k runners were separated – we had lanes 1-3 and they had lanes 4-6. While last year the 50k runners had done 125 laps, this year the number of laps was calculated based on the slightly longer length of lap in lane 4, and consequently they started at a different point on the track (but at the same time) so they would still finish on the finish line. There were only 3 women in the 100k which meant that we only needed to finish to get a podium position!
The 100k starters!
ONLY needed to finish – I probably shouldn’t use the word ‘only’ there. Last year, out of 12 starters, there were only 5 finishers. 2 more runners ran for the full 12 hours but did not manage to complete the 100k, and possibly some of the ones who dropped out, did so because they knew they wouldn’t make the time cutoff. The last official finisher was averaging 7:10 min/km and only JUST made it. Compare that to trail events of the same distance like UTA100 (28 hours) and Heysen 105 (25 hours). Sure, those events are COMPLETELY different, with lots of elevation, but running 100km on a flat track is not necessarily easier!
There were a few things happening to break up the monotony (I use the term ‘monotony’ in the nicest possible way) – every hour or so the whiteboard near the start/finish line was updated to show each runner’s current lap count, and every 3 hours we got to turn around! I did very much look forward to that, although it did feel quite weird running anticlockwise!
One of the hourly updates!
My strategy was simple. Run 30 minutes, walk 5 minutes. It was the same strategy I’d started with last year, but over the course of the night the “run” sections became shorter and shorter, but I never allowed myself to walk for more than 5 minutes at a time. Last year I’d put an alert on my watch to remind me every time it was time to walk (or start running again) but this quickly drained the battery, and I knew that watch wouldn’t last the distance anyway, plus once I’d changed the run/walk intervals, the watch alerts were useless. So I decided to keep track of it in my head!
As there were only 12 runners in the 100k, I got to interact a bit with all of them – either as I passed them, or as they lapped me with monotonous regularity! I was running with one of the 100k runners, Stephan, at (I think) around the 5 hour mark and was surprised when he told me he hadn’t walked at all up to that point! I guess the run/walk strategy isn’t for everyone, but it certainly works for me over this distance. Even the super fast runners were walking at times (eventual 100k winner David T and 2nd placegetter in the 50k Simon).
I managed to keep the 30/5 intervals going until 3½ hours, which seemed like a logical point to change to 25/5 – much easier to keep track! It worked out well with the stadium clock too, because the race had started at 7:05, so the idea was that on the half hour and on the hour (by the clock), I would walk for 5 minutes. During the walk breaks I would take in nutrition and grab one of my drink bottles. Over the course of the night I only had one lot of sweet potato – maybe about ¼ cup or maybe even less than that – and didn’t fancy it after that. I didn’t touch the almonds, I just existed on sandwiches, nut bars, Gatorade and Coke.
When walking, I started walking on the line between Lane 1 and Lane 2. I got the idea from Kaven, one of the 100k runners who was walking a fair bit and eventually pulled out due to injury – it meant that the faster runners could pass on the left, thereby running the shortest possible distance. At walking pace, it wouldn’t make much difference to the distance I would cover. When running, I’d stay as close to the inside of the track as possible – so when I went from ‘walk’ to ‘run’ I’d drift back across to the inside (after checking of course that DT wasn’t about to fly past me – he was a man on a mission!
The singing started early this year, and surprisingly it wasn’t me who started it! And Michelle, who had started it last year, wasn’t running this year. She was volunteering and was there at the start but didn’t stay the whole night. And I wondered why it seemed quiet! This time it was Karen who started the singing – she had her iPod going within the first hour I think! I was saving mine for after the halfway point (after the 6 hour turnaround) – I didn’t want to get too reliant on it, and it would be later in the night, as 50k and some of the faster 100k runners finished, that it would be needed – less people out on the track to chat to, and less spectators!
As there were only 3 women in the 100k race, and Karen had already said she didn’t think she had a hope of reaching the 100k, and Bec wasn’t confident at all either, I expected I would probably be mainly ‘competing’ with myself, although I wouldn’t count Bec out – she had won the 12 hour race in July and had cracked the 100km on that day. I was confident I would make the distance, I wasn’t expecting to beat last year’s time of 10:43:14 but hoped to do something similar. Anything under 11 hours would be good!
I’m not sure exactly what point it was, but I think it was somewhere around 3 hours, I passed Bec and she said she was already up to run 1 lap/walk 1 lap so at that point she knew 100k was not going to happen – but she was determined to keep going for the 12 hours regardless! So effectively that meant that, out of the females, it was only me left!
Probably around the same time, the pizzas arrived – Ben as always had looked after the vegans by ordering a vegan pizza as well as a vegetarian one and one with meat on it. There were a few of us vegans out there, Simon, Sheena and Alan in the 50k and as far as I know just me in the 100k. I’m not going to say that the 50k vegans ate all the pizza, but suffice to say that when I finished there was no vegan pizza left! (Note to self for next time – ask for a slice to be put aside for me – I don’t like eating hot food during a race, and I’m happy to eat it cold afterwards!)
Team Vegan. Who ate all the pizza?
Even though there was a bit of physical separation between us this year, it was still great to have the 50k runners out there! I went back and forth with Graham for a while – he kept commenting on how my laps were shorter (which of course they were) whenever I passed him! Graham was the first person to tell me about running around in circles for a ridiculously long period of time (he was referring to the 24 hour race at the Uni Loop, and I recall telling him that sounded incredibly boring!) so I guess he’s to blame for all of this!
From the 4 hour mark, the 50k runners started approaching the end of their race, the track getting quieter and quieter with each finisher! The first male finisher was Randell in just over 4 hours – absolutely phenomenal! Not far behind him in second place was Simon who had also finished second last year. Brenton was third in under 5 hours.
The female winner in the 50k was Estha, followed by Debbie and Sheena. As each of the runners approached the end of their race, Ben announced over the PA system that they were on their final lap – it was really great to see everyone finishing even though we knew the finish was a LOOONG way off for us! It was a welcome distraction and very motivating!
The male 50k podium – Simon, Randell and Brenton, with Ben
The top 3 women in the 50km – Debbie, Estha and Sheena!
There were many visitors throughout the night – I won’t be able to mention them all, and there are probably some who were there and I didn’t even realise it! I will just mention a few but all the support from everyone was much appreciated!
First there was Liz who was there probably around the 4-5 hour mark and told me to run more upright as I was tending to lean forward (of course I didn’t realise it, but as soon as I corrected my posture it instantly felt better!). As it’s pretty impossible to be thinking about posture constantly for 250 laps, she suggested that I think about it every time I crossed the finish line. And you know what? I think that really helped! Not long after that, Scuba arrived to cheer us on for a while and i do believe he said he’s going to join in the fun next year! Then, probably around midnightish, Tracie popped in on her way home from a night out (oh yeah that’s right. It was Saturday night. That’s what NORMAL people do on a Saturday night!) and stayed for an hour or so? Maybe more? It’s hard to keep track of time! She sat in my chair and got me stuff out of my esky as I asked for it. So this is what it’s like having a support crew! Actually I managed pretty well on my own – it’s the type of event that is quite easy without a crew – but it was nice to have the support for that time!
Not long after Tracie left, the next turnaround marked the halfway point, time-wise anyway. At this stage I was on 58km so a finish within the cutoff time was looking comfortable. Although, I was somewhat slower than last year when I sat on 6 minute kilometre pace until about 65km. This time, by the 4 hour mark I had just fallen off 6 minute pace. Still, it was considerably hotter than last year, and I’d also managed to keep the 25/5 intervals going. And I was only marginally off pace so I wasn’t concerned.
This was also the point where I got the iPod out. I had planned to sing “Total Eclipse of the Heart” when we turned around (“Turn around…” – seemed appropriate!) but forgot! (Pretty sure that song did eventually come on!) I think from memory the first song was “We Like To Party” by the Vengaboys!
Throughout the rest of the night I had the iPod on and off – the earbuds kept falling out so it was a bit annoying – must get some decent ones for next year (YES I did just say ‘next year’!). I had difficulty hitting the high notes when running (probably not surprisingly!) but I think the highlight for me was when Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’ came on. That, very conveniently, coincided with a walk break, so I was able to give it a good crack! I thought the lyrics were pretty apt too! Hope everyone enjoyed it!
I tried to limit the loud singing to when I was on the straight in front of the grandstand, where all the spectators and supporters were. I thought they would probably appreciate it more than the other runners, and of course I had to conserve some air for breathing! Also I had to pick my battles – for example, Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’ is a great song to listen to and dance to but VERY hard to sing especially while running!
The music had added benefits too. My playlist has about 900 songs, for every occasion, so I found myself skipping through the songs until I found one that was appropriate at the time. It either needed to be something I could sing along to, or something that was the right tempo to suit my running. Surprisingly, the song that best fit the bill tempo-wise was “Umbrella” by Rihanna (I wasn’t tempted to sing that one!) and in fact it worked so well that I listened to it twice back to back! (Probably not a good long-term strategy though – I couldn’t imagine listening to one song for 10+ hours straight! Especially not that one!)
At the 7 hour mark I had 2 Voltaren (I know – anti-inflammatories – bad – but I’d done the same last year and it had worked well!) and an energy drink.
From about the 2 hour mark onwards, I was mostly 3 laps behind Toby, who was in 2nd place overall behind DT. At one point I had closed the gap to 2 laps, and at one point it had blown out to 4 laps, but 3 laps seemed to be the order of the night! I thought at one stage I might be able to catch up a lap or two or even get ahead of him, but he just seemed to get stronger as the night went on and although I was running well, I wasn’t able to make up any ground!
Karen and Bec were still going and in good spirits. At one point Bec went FLYING past me and soon after that, was walking again. This would have been at least 8 hours in – she joked that she was doing interval training! She said that was the only way she could run, and she would cover more ground this way than by just walking!
Around 8 hours 42 the first of the 100k runners, DT, finished! I think it was a tough day at the office for him, and as I said he was walking at times, but it was still a phenomenal performance! As I passed other runners, or as they passed me, I’d mostly call out encouragement (if I didn’t it was because I was concentrating on breathing or possibly singing!) but David looked so focused most of the time I stopped calling out to him! Plus he passed me so many times I would have used up all my energy!
Probably around the same time I cracked the 80km barrier (just goes to show how good DT is!) and that meant I had ‘only’ 50 laps left. I didn’t want to count laps and I had consciously avoided thinking in those terms, but I did get caught up in counting for a few laps after this!
These type of events result in notoriously inaccurate GPS recordings. Last year my Garmin showed I’d done over 102km. So, while initially I was going by my watch to work out how far I’d gone, I realised that I could only really rely on the hourly whiteboard updates, and if there was anyone standing by the computer as I went past the start/finish, I could ask them for an up-to-date lap count. I preferred not to know the exact laps though – all that mattered was, I would DEFINITELY know when I was on my last lap! I worked out that my Garmin was about 2km out so I used that as a rough estimate.
Then there was a quiet period, broken up by Cathie finishing her 50k with an unbelievable sprint finish!
At the 10 hour mark I was on 232 laps – still 3 behind Toby! And most pleasingly, while by the end of last year’s event I was down to 7 min/3 min walk/run intervals, I had managed to keep the 25/5 intervals going right from the 3.5 hour mark to the 10 hour mark!
So, with 18 laps to go (7.2km) I decided that by the time I got to my next scheduled walk break, I would be so close to the end I would be best to just keep going – and so I did! No more walk breaks!
That last 45 minutes went pretty quickly! I knew Toby would still be 3 laps ahead of me so I was just hanging out for his last lap to be announced! Then, I would be only just over 1km away from being done!
Still with my iPod in, Adam, who was in charge of the timing, informed me that I had 5 laps to go! I said, “5 laps? That, I can do!” and set to work getting it done! I left my iPod on my chair, and got down to business!
That last 5 laps was a bit of a blur! First, I got to watch Toby finish (I moved onto the line so he could pass on my inside – I’m sure he wouldn’t have wanted to go around me when he was so close to the end!) and then it was nearly time for me!
With 2 laps to go, Ben (maybe joking, maybe serious, who knew?) called for one last song! So as I ran around for my penultimate lap, I racked my brains trying to think of something appropriate, and something I could sing without the iPod! I was going to go with Michael Jackson’s ‘Ben’ but I wasn’t confident of hitting the high notes so I ended up going with ‘We Are The Champions’! (And failed to hit the high notes!)
That final lap!
I had a look at my split times for each of the 250 laps and even made a graph of it (OK yes I am a nerd!) and the last lap was around 1:50 (4:33 minutes/km pace) – by far my fastest lap of the night! It’s amazing what you can do when you can see that glorious finish line (even though I’d already seen it 249 times, it was different this time!)
My EXTREMELY nerdy chart showing every one of my 250 lap splits!
I crossed the line in 10:44:51 – just marginally slower than last year (under 2 minutes) but I was in a much better state at the end and I was so pleased with my consistency!
That finishing feeling!
Some well-earned bling right there!
First order of business – shoes OFF! As I walked past Toby who already had his shoes off, he said he’d been thinking about taking them off since the start of the race! I had said to first aider Susan as I ran past her late in the race that I didn’t think I had any blisters (unlike last year) so I wasn’t expecting any nasty surprises! My feet looked surprisingly not terrible for having just done 100km ( I won’t say ‘good’ – as they never look ‘good’!). I went back to the start line to see David B, 3rd placed male and the last of the 100km finishers, complete his race. I didn’t realise he was so close, he was only about as far behind me as I was behind Toby. He told me afterwards that he thought he would catch me!
With Ben at the trophy presentation!
With 3rd placegetter David B and 2nd placegetter Toby, and Ben. DT was long gone by the time we all finished! 🙂
Then it was time to change into some warmer clothes and eat the rest of my food! As it turned out I only ate 2 sandwiches and 3 nut bars (plus that little bit of sweet potato) throughout the race so that left me a whole sandwich to eat while I waited for the end of the 12 hours. The only 3 runners left were Karen, Bec and Stephan, who didn’t quite make the distance but did keep going for the full 12 hours.
I chatted with 2 of the other 100k runners who had pulled the pin early but were still at the stadium – Quinten and Alan. They had run together the whole way but were thrown by a big inaccuracy in the Garmin – their watches were showing they were on 56km when they were in fact only at 50! And that being at the 6 hour mark, it would have been an uphill battle to finish under cutoff time (I imagine it would be VERY difficult to negative-split a 100km ultra!). I saw them a number of times as we went around, and despite not getting the result they would have wanted, they said that they did enjoy it!
And before too long, the air horn was sounded to signify the end of the event. Karen, Bec and Stephan were all still standing at the end! Bec said “Never again” (or words to that effect) and Karen said “maybe the 50k”. I said nothing!
As is now ‘traditional’, Karen and I then went to her gym for a lovely hot spa, interspersed with a dip in the plunge pool, and finishing (as recommended by first aider Susan) with the cold plunge pool!
Bliss!
Aaand… not so much! But we were both glad we did it!
Sunday night I slept in my compression pants despite it being a pretty hot night, and on Monday my legs felt surprisingly OK!
So, that just about wraps up another fantastic event! But I can’t end without thanking some people.
Firstly to the supporters, it was great to see you out there especially through the night – I gather it was pretty chilly standing around, as many of you were wrapped in blankets! I can imagine it might be a bit boring watching people run and walk around in circles, so thanks for being there!
To my fellow competitors, thanks for all the support and encouragement out there, and for putting up with my singing! Well done to all of you, whether the night went to plan for you or not. Just turning up to run 50k or 100k on a track on a Saturday night is worthy of kudos!
To Adam for the awesome job on the timing, and to Susan and the First In Sport First Aid team who are always there and always appreciated, especially when their services are NOT required!
Now to the volunteers. I know I’m going to forget someone so please don’t be offended – there were so many of you, and probably some through the night that I didn’t even see! First those who were there from start to finish – Kelly, Kim, Tanya and the ever-present, ever-helpful and ever-encouraging Ziad (although I didn’t need any of his help, it was good to know that he was there if I needed anything!). And others who were there at different times – Kate, Michelle, Tracey at the beginning, Katie at some stage during the night, and Anna and Laura at the end (who also had the unenviable job of helping pack everything up at the end, while I sat there with my feet up and watched!)
And last but not least to Ben, who I am convinced must have cloned himself to be able to do all the things he does to put on these fantastic events (either that or he doesn’t require sleep!) Once again, another Yumigo triumph – a very professionally organised and (I can’t believe I’m about to say this) highly enjoyable event! Thanks Ben for all you do and good luck for your next big event!
Coming down from the post-Thredbo high and back to reality this past week, it’s time to start doing some proper marathon training.
I did my first long run of the programme on New Year’s Day and hadn’t done a proper long run since (although I don’t think all the running and hiking I did in the mountains would have done me any harm).
I was supposedly 4 weeks into a 16 week programme (12 weeks to go!) with only one long run of 21.1km under my belt.
On top of that, I was only a week away from a 100km ultra, and waaaay underdone in terms of training mileage. (On the plus side, I had successfully completed the corresponding event last year on pretty much the same training.)
We are really spoiled for choice here in Adelaide when it comes to running events and social runs. No wonder I have trouble focusing on one event!
For example, this past weekend I had the choices of (among others):
A 14k hilly trail run in Cleland (very close to home)
A 30k (with shorter options available) trail run along the Heysen trail, from the Heysen 105 finish line, into the Adelaide Hills – a section I’d never run or walked before
A 21.1k run at the Snakepit. That one needs a little more explanation. The Snakepit is a soft sand, undulating, running track of around 500m. A 21.1k would be approximately 45 laps. My previous longest run there was 11 laps. There were about 8 people doing the run on Saturday night.
I really enjoy the trail runs – the scenery is usually beautiful, you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere even when you’re actually very close to the city, and they are normally very social outings.
BUT – focus!
My ‘main’ event this year is the Boston Marathon, so I really need to focus on that. Not to mention the ultra that’s only a week away!
That’s not to say I won’t be doing other events this year. Here is a rough list of what I plan to do this year:
It’s quite a list – and since I made it, I have entered the Dolphin Run and the Semaphore Coastal half.
So I decided to do ‘none of the above’.
Given that Sunday was forecast to be hot, I thought a Saturday run was a good plan. I like getting my long runs out of the way on Saturdays and doing them on my own. That way I run at my pace and then I have Sunday free. I don’t especially enjoy long road runs (I’d much rather be out on the trails) but for marathon training there’s really no avoiding them! Also, with the ultra being on Saturday night, I’d have a full week to recover. (I won’t say taper – I think you actually have to train properly to be able to taper!) And, given that I’d be on my own for much of the ultra, it was a good opportunity to get used to my own company (and that of Dr Karl, whose podcasts I would listen to in order to distract myself!)
So here’s what I decided to do. First I planned to do a 3 hour run, from 5-8pm, starting and finishing at the Snakepit, where the half marathon was starting at 8. I’d run for 90 minutes along the coast (my favourite place for long runs), then turn around and head back. Then I would stay for an hour or so and cheer on the crazy people doing the half!
For the first few kilometres (running into a headwind), I was averaging about 5:35 minutes per km. I didn’t know the exact distance I would cover in 3 hours at that pace, but I knew it would be 32+ kilometres. I decided that was probably too much for only my second long run and only 4 weeks in, so instead I decided to turn around at 15km and make it an even 30.
Beautiful Grange, near the halfway point of my run.
I ran from the Snakepit to West Beach into the wind, then turned around and headed back, hoping it would suddenly become easy, but of course with fatigue in the legs my pace didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Still, by the time I got back to the car, I had managed to maintain a pretty consistent pace throughout, which was pleasing.
The view at the end of my run!
And then it was time to sit back and relax and watch people run round and round! I guess in hindsight running it would have been good mental training for next Saturday’s 250 laps, but the toll it would have taken on my legs would have far outweighed any benefits!
How was your Saturday night?
I must admit sometimes it’s hard to watch people run when I’m not running. On this occasion I had absolutely NO ‘runvy’! Alice and I were the cheer squad for the runners, and while Alice made herself useful taking photos and getting drinks/snacks for the runners, I played DJ and cranked some tunes to keep everyone motivated, while alternating between putting my feet up, dancing, and finding novel new uses for the gym equipment!
With chief support crew Alice!Chief instigators Scuba and Chantal sharing a stretch break after 13km!
On Sunday I went and had coffee at Mt Lofty with some of the Cleland group and I really wished I could have run (although I did enjoy the sleep in!) but once again FOCUS! Right now, marathon training is where it’s at, and after Boston I will be all over those trails! Until then I’d better suck it up and hit the road!
I managed just under 70km this week including a reasonably fast parkrun (with a slow start due to the record number of people in attendance) and my first speed session in 3 weeks. I think I’m back on track!
(Unsuccessfully) trying to blend in and be serious at parkrun.
Speaking of which, the track is where I will be next Saturday night and the subject of next week’s blog post! This. This is what it’s all about. Until next weekend and then it will be all about BOSTON!
This is the second part of my review of Thredbo Fun and Fitness Week (TFFW) – for part 1, see here.
Tuesday started with a group of us doing the now traditional early morning Crackenback climb – we would normally leave at 7:30 to allow a generous 1 hour to complete the ascent and time it with the first chairlift down. From there we went back to the lodge to grab a quick bite to eat before heading down to the village for the start of the Alpine Adventure. This is a fun, all inclusive, family-friendly and über competitive team activity which involves collecting points by finding clues around the village. Most of the people from our lodge were taking part and as one of the last to sign up, I was paired with Jeff, who told me that no-one had ever agreed to team up with him a second time! Despite this I found it really fun, especially knowing we had NO chance of winning. He is also a veteran of many TFFWs so had the advantage of knowing his way around the village. I think we managed to accumulate 180 points in our allocated 40 minutes, slightly behind the winners who were well over 400! Oh and there may or may not have been some ‘cooperation’ with other teams including John (aka ‘Speedo Man’ due to his unusual, very distinctive attire during every event in TFFW!) and his wife Jackie. The Armstrong family put on a fantastic event, very well organised and prizes for everyone in the barrel draw despite a huge crowd of over 100 teams!
Given the pretty good weather, a few of us decided to head up to Mt Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia. It is actually a pretty easy climb, considering that the elevation is only about 300m above the top of the chairlift. Certainly a MUCH easier climb than Crackenback!
As we walked across the metal walkway with which we would become VERY familiar by the end of the week, we noticed that there seemed to be a lot of snow up on the higher mountains. Last year I’d seen one small patch of snow but this time there was a lot more than that!
And sure enough, when we got closer, we realised that there was a large patch of snow just next to the walking track! And of course we couldn’t resist playing in it!
This can’t be real, can it? Snow in summer?Wheeeeeeeee!Just a bunch of kids from a city that never gets snow!
It was pretty windy and misty on the walk up, and when we reached the summit we couldn’t see a thing, but unlike last year I did manage to stand up on the highest point in Australia!
On top of the world! (Well, Australia at least!)
We made it back to town in time to watch the Mile handicap and participate in the ‘Mile’ (actually 1km) fun run. The handicap race was good to watch, there were 16 runners who did 3 laps around the Village Green with the last one setting off a full lap after the first, and finishing 5th overall – I reckon if there had been another half a lap he would have crossed the line first!
The fun run was literally just a bit of fun but the main reason I got involved was for the barrel draw that follows every event in TFFW – and this one had some pretty great prizes including a lot of running gear and the prized TFFW mugs! Unfortunately I didn’t win anything this time but I’ll have to encourage more people from our lodge to enter next time!
On Wednesday I left at 7:30 to climb Crackenback. There wasn’t anyone with me, although I saw a figure in the distance that I assumed was Mandy, who has a tradition of doing it every morning. As it was the first time I’d done it on my own, I didn’t have anyone to follow and consequently took a rather ‘scenic’ route!
I don’t know exactly where I am at this point!
After a coffee I headed to the Village Green for the women’s Yacht handicap. The distance was 3.8km and I had estimated about 20 minutes, however when I saw Fiona, Christine and Sue all going off at 24 minutes, I decided it would be more fun to run with other people and take it a bit easier. Also I’m hopeless at judging time/pace without a watch! It was a lovely course, and I was tempted to take my phone out and take some photos, but I thought people might think I was cheating so I resisted the temptation! I did get somewhat distracted near the end and tripped on a tree root and fell over, thankfully in relatively soft dirt. In the end Fiona finished just in front of me, just 1 sec behind our estimated time (the winner guessed her time to the second) and jokingly said that if she hadn’t turned around to check I was OK after I fell, she would have won!
The damage wasn’t too bad – a grazed knee with a fair bit of blood that I cleaned up back at the lodge, and a grazed elbow.
The SA ladies after the women’s runSurveying the damage (and trying to protect my almost new calf sleeve from further bloodstains!)
A little later a group of us set out to run the Thredbo Valley Track to Lake Crackenback Resort, approximately 20km. Jeff was going to pick us up from the other end so thankfully we didn’t have to run back! The track is popular with walkers, runners and mountain bikes – we didn’t see many other runners but there were a lot of bikes – they were supposed to be giving way to foot traffic but I don’t think many of them got the memo!
The highlight for me was seeing my first echidna! A year to the day after seeing my first snake! Needless to say the look on my face (and the words that came out of my mouth) were somewhat different on this occasion!
Soooo excited!
I ran with David and Geoff for most of the run but after the second campsite I decided to take off and just run! It was exhilarating, it is mostly downhill and running down the mountain bike switchbacks was so fun! There were a few points where I had trouble seeing which way to go and I had to ask for directions a few times but I made it to Lake Crackenback! I would have given the $20 I had on me for a cold Coke but the first place I found was closed – eventually I found the place and David arrived not long after me, followed by the rest of the group. I ended up having 2 Cokes because the first one didn’t even touch the sides! Then Karen, Geoff and I dipped our feet in the lake to cool off before heading back to Thredbo.
Serenity…
Later that afternoon I noticed my right ankle was a bit swollen, and locally quite tender, so I assumed I must have sprained it when I fell during the morning run. I had noticed it tended to roll outwards (not inwards like most people tend to roll their ankles) during the river run. While most of the people from our lodge went to the official TFFW dinner, a few of us had opted not to go, which gave me the opportunity to ice it and put it up to try to get rid of the swelling. And it appeared to work because by the morning it was fine.
Which was fortunate, because Thursday was the day we’d organised to do the Big Walk, approximately 30k from the top of the chairlift, along the metal walkway to Rawson’s Pass, and then in a big loop along the Main Range Track before going back along the metal walkway. Last year we had split into 2 groups and my group went anticlockwise. This time we decided to stay together and all went clockwise, although it wasn’t long before we split into 2 groups anyway, the front group walking way faster than we were interested in walking! We had allowed ample time (starting at 8:45 after catching the first chairlift, and needing to be back only for the last chair at 5) and so we had no interest in going fast. I was with Sue, who had done it many times before, and Christine and Fiona, both TFFW ‘virgins’.
But first – more snow play!Karen attempting a snow angel. No idea what I’m doing!Morning tea stop!Crossing the river to our lunch spot.Snowy River – also the start of Saturday’s Kosciuszko Classic – filling up with fresh water!
The weather was perfect. Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and very little wind. We could only hope it would be like this for the Classic on Saturday!
It was also ideal weather for 2 of our less favourite creatures. The march flies were relentless, and appeared to scoff at even the most hardcore insect repellent. And of course it was also perfect snake weather. We saw one, just after morning tea, I got a good look at it as it slithered off into the bushes. It was black, similar to the one we’d seen last year but nowhere near as big. I actually was not expecting to see any snakes up there – thinking that as they don’t have legs they wouldn’t be able to get up that high! I mean, they’re not exactly riding the chairlift are they? At least I hope they’re not! That’s a comforting thought!
The most noteworthy part of the walk was seeing 3 kids, all in electric wheelchairs, trying to go down a steep and not particularly smooth path, with 2 adults that turned out to be their parents. We chatted to them for a while, they had come from the Central West, where it was very hot, to be somewhere a bit cooler. They all seemed to be enjoying it, but decided that going down the path was probably not a good idea as it would require quite a lot of manual assistance to get back up! It put things into perspective for me, whenever I think something is too hard I can think of that family and realise that it’s actually not hard at all!
Friday morning started with my stubbing my toe quite hard on the tiles at the bathroom door – ouch! Then it was time for the final Crackenback climb and was particularly memorable for being Daryl’s first – after watching us all head out day after day, he had finally been convinced by Karen to give it a go. Along with Geoff they got to the top in around an hour to rousing applause from Fiona, Marg and me at the top!
You can do iiiiit!!!
After a well earned coffee we headed back to the lodge to get ready for Eric’s run. This is a ‘veterans’ run (women over 35 and men over 40) which is always put on by the SA contingent. It was formerly run by Eric and May Fazackerley, and Eric, who I’d met last year, had been unable to make the journey to Thredbo this year but was definitely there in spirit and never far from anyone’s mind! I had offered to marshal but they had plenty of marshals so I ended up running. The marshals always dress up and this year it was a ‘Great Gatsby’ theme – they looked great!
The run itself is described as a ‘fun run, NOT a race’, with many hazards along the 3ish kilometre course including a nice new wombat hole! I ran with Fiona and Christine and there was actually a lot of walking too, especially up the stairs! It is a surprisingly tough course! As soon as I finished I put my hand up to marshal next year when we will lose one of our regular marshals – Ryan, who is TFFW royalty, not a South Australian but always marshals at our event, will be eligible to run it next year! So let me put it out there right now that I’m willing to take his spot!
Eric’s run.
Eric’s run.
The barrel draw was epic too – people were called back 3 times before all the prizes were gone! For once, the wine wasn’t the most popular prize – the distinctive purple SARRC Barossa Marathon tops that we had been wearing at the events all week, proved particularly popular!
We then went down to Eric and May’s bench by the river and a number of us got our shoes off and put our feet in (OMG! SO cold!) while we enjoyed sparkling wine (we polished off quite a few bottles!) and some nibbles. I really like this tradition! And even though Eric couldn’t be there in person, Dave, who organises our group every year, had arranged to call him from the river so we could all say hi.
Celebrating in style at the river!
That night we had our traditional party night at the lodge – we had invited a number of people but the torrential rain (which had very kindly held off during the day’s festivities) would have put a lot of people off venturing out. Still, we had a great time, with Fiona and me (also coincidentally the youngest 2 in the lodge) being the last left standing at midnight when the last guests Ryan and Lyn left. I’m not sure I would have danced anywhere near as much as I did, if I’d had to wear shoes!
Awake much earlier than I’d hoped, I watched Saturday dawn from my window and it looked like it was going to be beautiful – but looks can be deceiving, things can change very quickly, and the conditions in the village can be VERY different from those up the mountain.
Last year’s Kosciuszko Classic had been blessed with perfect weather. I think from memory there were 40-something entrants. Could we be so lucky again? Probably not. The Bureau was forecasting strong winds, but thankfully no rain.
First, we had to walk that metal walkway yet again. It was cold and windy – it was hard to even have a conversation with Fiona who was walking right next to me! We had some experienced TFFW’ers with us, who had advised us to take our time on the walk, firstly to conserve energy for the actual race, and secondly so we didn’t get to the start too early and have to stand for longer in the cold.
The long, cold, windy walk to Rawson’s!
We timed it perfectly. The official start was at 11am but there was an earlier option for people who were planning to walk/run. The walk/runners had just enough time for a toilet stop and to change into their race clothes, before they made the 3k trek down to the start at the Snowy River. I’d gone with my pink SARRC top, arm warmers, gloves, Skins shorts, green skirt purchased from an op shop on the drive up from Adelaide, and pink calf sleeves. I’d also worn my new pink hat and had a buff over the top of it to keep it blowing off!
A lot of people were wearing long sleeves and tights but I didn’t feel underdressed when I saw that John (Speedo Man) was wearing shoes, socks, gloves and Speedos. And that’s all! (Last year he also wore a T-shirt, and it was a lot warmer that day!)
There were just 12 people setting off at 11am and 6 of those were from SA – Geoff, David and me from our lodge, and 3 generations of the Sandery family – patriarch and SA running royalty Peter, son Rhys and Rhys’ son Fin. Peter was doing his 30th Classic and Fin his first – they also became the first family to have 3 generations running the Classic together! They were all running in their distinctive red and white Adelaide Harriers tops which looked great but not quite as great as my pink SARRC one!
Next came the easy 3k trot down to the start. (Remember how I stubbed my toe? Well it turns out that made running downhill kind of difficult. Fortunately it had no such effect on my ability to run UPHILL.) We jogged down to the river, where almost all the runners then made a pitstop in the bushes. I wished I could have been bothered getting my phone out to take a photo – it would have been quite comical! I jokingly said to Phoebe, the only other girl in the group, “Do you feel left out?” I decided to start a new pre-race tradition – walking down to the edge of the river to splash some cold river water on my face. Mostly to wake myself up!
I had my light spray jacket on me, at Rhys’ suggestion, to keep the wind out. By the time we got to the start the conditions were actually quite pleasant so I tied it round my waist.
The 11am start group at the Snowy River – photo courtesy of Justin Lalor.
At 11am on the dot we set off for the approximately 4.8km run up to the summit. I knew all the other women in the race were walk/running (they were all from our lodge – I think there were only 24 entrants in total) so I pretty much knew if I could run most of the way I could be guaranteed a placing. And Phoebe looked like a proper runner and set off well ahead of me so I was happy to settle for 2nd place!
After about 1km or so I was warm enough that I didn’t need the gloves anymore, so I took them off in preparation for throwing them at the pile of bags we’d left at Rawson’s. I was tempted to ditch my spray jacket too but I knew that would probably blowaway!
I ran most of the way just behind Phoebe and with Speedo Man and another guy Trevor who had finished just ahead of me last year. At times we were running straight into the wind and seemingly going backwards. It didn’t ever really seem to offer any assistance!
There was a moment when I thought I could get in front of Phoebe (well, I definitely could have, but whether or not I could have stayed there was a different question) but I decided to just keep her in sight. Eventually both Trevor and John went past me but they were never far in front. I had expected to pass some of the earlier starters but never did – in fact most of them were already on their way back down while I was still running up! It wasn’t the kind of day to be hanging around at the top of the mountain – you would get very cold very quickly!
I was tempted to walk at one point but I knew I was so close and plus I didn’t want our team photographers Harry and John to catch me walking!
I could see Phoebe tantalisingly close but didn’t really have a sprint finish in me. Plus, if she’d heard me coming at her I’m sure she would have found an extra gear! In the end I finished 10 seconds behind her, 4 minutes slower than last year and I was satisfied with that.
The Strava elevation profile for the race.With TFFW (and therefore also Kosciuszko Classic) virgins Christine and Fiona at the summit!
I waited at the top for the rest of the SA runners, Geoff, the 3 Sanderys and David, before a casual walk back down (and one last play in the snow!), layering up at Rawson’s and a nice cruisy walk back to Eagle’s Nest where most of the rest of the SARRC group were having lunch. There wasn’t time for me to get lunch though as the presentation was back in the village at 2pm. I got my first podium finish for an event at TFFW (2nd) – the trophy being one of the coveted TFFW mugs! That’s going straight to the pool room! Fiona ended up finishing 3rd and I won yet another bottle of wine in the barrel draw so it was a good day for our team all round! (And a good day for the stalwarts at Friday’s party with Ryan getting 3rd place for the men, just behind brother Chad!)
After that I decided it was time to take it up a notch. As part of our lift ticket we were entitled to 16 rides on the bobsled. I’d had a couple of rides and this was my last chance so I rode 3 times in a row, on the last one had a nice clear track in front of me so I decided to record it on my Garmin and see just how fast I could go! I did the 600m in 1:30 and got up to a top speed of just under 40km/hour!
So.
Much.
Fun.
I feel the need… the need for SPEED!
And that basically sums up the whole week. Just a brilliant time, in a beautiful setting, with awesome people.
This is my second year coming to Thredbo Fun and Fitness Week (TFFW). Last year was my first and I wrote quite a detailed blog about it and if you’re keen you can read all about it here.
As per last year, Karen, Daryl, Geoff and I travelled together in Karen and Daryl’s car, with Daryl driving. We drove from Adelaide to Albury on Friday on quite a hot day, but it was marginally cooler by the time we got to Albury. (I even managed to do a bit of shopping on the way – a $5 adidas skirt from the op shop in Ouyen!)
Most of the other Adelaide people heading to TFFW were staying at the same motel. The four of us were the only ones who opted to do parkrun on Saturday morning before making the journey to Thredbo.
Representing Adelaide at Albury Wodonga parkrun
Albury Wodonga parkrun is a must-do if you’re in the area, as it is the only parkrun in Australia which features a border crossing! We had done it last year but it was a bit warmer this year. There was a huge turnout – maybe a lot of new year’s resolutions – exactly 300 people! The start was comical with people running through the neighbouring farmers’ market and even jumping fences to get around people! Once the chaos of the start was over it was a lovely, scenic, friendly run. Despite pushing fairly hard I was a minute slower than last year!
After the run, coffee and one final shop before we hit Thredbo (Thredbo has only a small supermarket) we made the journey up into the mountains.
We arrived at the lodge in time to unload the car and get changed (although I didn’t, I just changed from my road shoes to my trail shoes) before going to register for TFFW and participate in the first event – the Crackenback Challenge. (I think there MUST be a chiropractor in town who could sponsor this event – how appropriate would that be?)
I don’t think anything can prepare you for this race. 4 hours in a car is certainly not ideal preparation! It is about 1.8km with 600m elevation. Interestingly there is a chairlift that follows almost the exact same route that we ‘run’ but still people seem to want to take the foot-powered option!
There was a tiny bit of running, a LOT of swearing, and a grand total of 2 flies consumed. It was a few minutes slower than last year but still enough to get me 4th female overall.
Practically horizontal, near the top of CrackenbackWorth it for that view though!
The random prize draw (where I won a bottle of wine to add to the lodge’s collection) and happy hour at the pub was followed by a nice meal in town anf then more wine and a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity back at the lodge.
Sunday started with a Merritts Nature Trail walk (in which we inadvertently cut out a large section of the trail and instead walked on steep gravel road) and a coffee at Eagles Nest before heading back down for the Fun Run in the village.
The obligatory selfie at the picnic table!
The Fun Run was a 6km, 2 lap course. Again, I was a bit slower than last year and finished 8th, which was not too bad considering I think a lot of the front runners are legitimate athletes rather than just ‘fun runners’ like me! That was hard work!
Then it was back up Merritts AGAIN – this time to start a new tradition – toasting absent friends! We went to a place called ‘Black Sallee’s’ which is not open in the summer. We took bubbly, chips, cheese, chocolate etc and sat on the deck toasting our 2 friends called Sally who could not be here, plus all the others who weren’t able to come. It was really lovely (albeit windy) and I hope it becomes a regular occurrence!
Very civilised!
Then we took the chairlift down and headed back to the lodge to make dinner and then a few of us went out to the quiz night which was a bit of fun – tables were randomly allocated and Fiona’s team won and mine came second (2 more bottles of wine!)
Monday morning I went out with Karen, Daryl, David and Geoff to do the approximately 20km out and back Cascades Trail run. It was a lovely scenic course, Geoff and I saw a baby snake (just the one thankfully) and Geoff and Karen both saw brumbies (something I haven’t yet seen!) There were some steep uphill climbs and some lovely undulating section that were SO fun to run!
Geoff and David leading the wayHow’s that for a view?The Cascade Hut – the turnaround point – a refuge for hikers!The end of the run!
I’ll leave it there for now – stay tuned for Part 2!
There’s a quote, I’m not sure exactly what it is or who said it, but in essence it says ‘Start the way you want to finish’.
And in 2016, I did just that! I started the year at Long Ridge Lookout watching the fireworks and finished it in exactly the same place!
Top – seeing in 2016 in style at Long Ridge. Bottom – a slightly larger group farewelling 2016 in the same way! THE BEST!
In 2016 I did 5 ultras, 2 marathons, 4 half marathons, numerous 5k and 10k events and a few random shorter events with the Masters.
Out of all of that, the standout moment for me in 2016 was getting that prized Boston qualifying time at the Gold Coast Marathon. Boston here I come!
My other marathon was Adelaide with the goal being to get Beck to Boston too. Unfortunately it didn’t happen this time but it was still a great experience and finishing on the Adelaide Oval was a big highlight! Meeting the awesome race ambassador Steve Moneghetti after the Adelaide Marathon!
Ultra-wise I did 3 100+km ultras and actually managed to get into the placings in 2 of them! I also placed in the 6 hour event and plan to go one better in 2017! Starting 2016 in style at the SA 100k track championships!
Finishing UTA in May with Anna!‘You can take my trophy – but you’ll never take… my Vixen!”Yurrebilla didn’t go as well as I’d hoped but crossing that finish line is always special!Not getting lost here allowed me to take nearly 40 minutes off my 2015 time and sneak into the placings! And I have now been immortalised with a permanent marker on this pole!
In my 2016 half marathons I managed a PB at Clare, close to a PB at Greenbelt, my second best ever half marathon time at Barossa and a challenging pacing experience in high winds at McLaren Vale!
LOVE this pic from Clare – first half marathon of 2016!Having a great time at Barossa!All smiles after Greenbelt – PB for Beck and oh so close for me!Sneaking a high 5 while trying not to get blown/dragged backwards at McLaren Vale!
In the shorter races I managed a few podium finishes – 2 of the SARRC 5k events and the inaugural Clipsal Hot Lap Fun Run.
A bit of fun that ended with a surprise podium finish!
I also ran in the Australian Masters Athletics Championships, placing 2nd in my age group in all my events from 800m to 10000m. My best performance was in the 800m when I finished 2nd out of 3 in my age group (yes, I actually beat someone!) and ran a PB. Sadly the girl who finished 3rd couldn’t hang around for the presentation so all my podium photos look Exactly. The. Same.
With Maree and Clare showing off our bling from the 5000m!
And my final competitive event for 2016 was an 800m Masters handicap at the Bay Sheffield carnival. I may have been well out of my comfort zone and finished a very comfortable last but I do have photographic evidence of me being in front of Lisa at least for a short while (Lisa being the one who beat me in all 4 Masters Nationals events and also in the Clipsal race)
No I am not walking, it just looks like I am!
On a non-competitive note I completed all 11 parkruns in SA during the year, putting me in a small group of ‘Statesmen’ (at the moment there are 6 in the group but that number is set to grow). Mount Gambier was the final piece of the puzzle and probably my favourite if I had to choose one (although it’s probably like having to choose a favourite child – I love them all!)
The most challenging course in SA is made easier when THIS is the view!
And now I am part of the SARRC Board as well as being a Run Director at Torrens parkrun. This, along with my Boston Marathon training, and no doubt many more events, will ensure that 2017 is just as, if not more, busy!
This morning was the annual 2 Jetties Fun Run, which happens every year on Boxing Day, a run on the beach from Glenelg Jetty to Brighton Jetty and back, approximately 8.4km. SA Masters Athletics puts on the event, which is organised by a regular running/walking buddy, Doug Smart.
My first 2 Jetties was in 2012, it was my second ever running event and only about 6 weeks after I started running. I managed a very respectable sub-45 minute time.
The before shot! Dressed to blend in! Photo courtesy of John Martin (SA Masters Athletics)Pretty happy with that. The certificate still lives on my fridge!
After missing 2013 due to being interstate (it wasn’t all bad though – I got to go to Day 1 of the Boxing Day Ashes Test in Melbourne along with 90000 of my closest friends) I was back to do it all again in 2014, hoping for a PB. It wasn’t to be though – due to the tides, we had to run up the ramp onto the path for a bit which ruined my chances of a PB!
Action shot – towards the end! Photo courtesy of John Martin (SA Masters Athletics)Nice day to hang out by the beach!
I again missed out in 2015 as Boxing Day fell on a Saturday and I dragged the whole family out to parkrun (first time we’d all done it together!)
I had initially planned to run this year, but the forecast of 40 degrees put me off. It’s an event that you enter on the day which is good in a way as you can decide in the morning whether or not to go. If I had had to enter in advance I probably wouldn’t have done it.
On Christmas Day I opted for the 5k Mount Barker parkrun at 7am instead of the traditional 6am half marathon at West Lakes. Because, HOT. And SLEEP. It was a great choice as the conditions were nice and mild up at Mount Barker and only after the run was over did I start to notice it warming up a bit.
Action shot – courtesy of Gary Denham (Mount Barker parkrun)Fancy dress was the order of the day! With Kim who had just completed her first ever parkrun!And I even got a pic with Santa! Photo courtesy of Mount Barker parkrun.
After a record 42 degrees on Christmas Day, the cool change arrived earlier than expected and consequently the Boxing Day forecast was revised to the high 20s. I decided that I would definitely run!
It was actually RAINING in the morning when I woke up but I don’t mind running in the rain when it’s not cold. I planned my whole outfit around my brand new PINK running hat (a Christmas present!) I went with pink calf sleeves as the run was on sand so can be a bit heavy on the legs. I opted for compression sleeves rather than socks as my foot was still not quite 100% and the compression socks squash my feet a bit! I also wore a slightly larger pair of shoes which I had bought second hand (barely used) primarily to run the 100k track race in January, but which I had also been wearing since I’d had the issue with my foot.
I like pink – and to be coordinated – don’t judge me 🙂 Thanks to Karen for the pic.
It was still raining when I arrived at Glenelg Jetty to sign up. There didn’t seem to be many people there. Then I noticed a bunch of people standing undercover on the edge of the square ans I thought, “SOFT! It’s only water!” Still, I’m sure the weather would have put a lot of people off.
We started at 9:30, half an hour after the walkers. We gathered under the jetty with about 10 minutes to go. After finding out that the run would be entirely on the beach this year, I wished I’d gone barefoot!
Under the jetty just before go time!
After the run started though, I was glad I’d worn shoes – the first few hundred metres was very rocky!
I didn’t look at my watch during the race – just focused on the Brighton Jetty (when I could see it) on the way out and Glenelg Jetty on the way back. Fortunately the rain had stopped just before we started (as so often happens with runs and races) so the conditions were actually pretty perfect. Add to that the fact that we were staying on the beach, it was a recipe for a PB! There were a few tiny water crossings but really nothing to slow me down.
I wasn’t really racing anyone as such – just going for that 4-year-old PB! Although, there was a girl tantalisingly close in front of me that I was hoping to catch at the end – but it wasn’t to be! (While a podium finish was highly improbable, there were age group prizes, and I hadn’t seen a lot of girls in my age group)
Action shot – in deep focus, didn’t see the camera! Photo from SAMA Facebook page.
With a few hundred metres to go, I could see she wasn’t slowing down, so I just kept up the pace I’d been running, and finished just behind her. (I never did check if she was in my age group – it didn’t matter though, as the overall female winner was also in my age group) Happy with consistent pace. And no elevation!
My time was 39:36, very pleasing and a PB by almost 5 minutes!
A rare sight – Glenelg Beach deserted on Boxing Day!
Afterwards it was time to get my inner kid on, as Karen, Ruth, Ros and I decided to hit the trampolines (the inclement weather worked in our favour as there would otherwise have been a flood of ACTUAL kids wanting to use them!)
FINALLY managed to nail a jumping pic – never mind that there was a trampoline involved! Thanks to Karen for the pic!
And then of course we had to refuel…
With Karen and Ruth. SOOOO classy! Thanks to Karen for this photo!
Thanks to everyone at SA Masters Athletics who made this great event happen – as so often happens, the weather conditions made volunteering WAY harder than running! Although I can’t say I was really enjoying it at the time, I was really glad I did run today and it’s always a great way to get over the excesses of Christmas Day!
As I was on holidays in Melbourne last weekend hanging out with my sister, there was no Sunday run for me! But with all the AWESOME vegan food in Melbourne I naturally felt the need to engage in some form of physical activity in an attempt to justify eating All. Of. The. Food.
Like this, for example. Sunday brunch at Matcha Mylkbar in St Kilda. Well worth the wait!
So on Monday, with my sister working, I went out for a trot along the coast from St Kilda to Port Melbourne and back. A cruisy 14k on a warm morning. It’s always nice to squeeze in a run in a different city! Change of scenery – ships at Port Melbourne, approximately halfway through my run.
On Tuesday, normally one of my regular running days, I was on the road all day driving home to Adelaide. I did contemplate going for a quick few km at one of my many stops along the way (most notably on the border of Victoria and SA) but the heat and the flies put me off, plus I wanted to be home well before dusk. On the border – would have made a cool Strava map for a run but those flies!
As it turned out, I made it home in plenty of time to get to my regular Tuesday evening trail circuit session – a welcome relief following a day spent predominantly sitting on my arse! (Even though I did fall over, running UPHILL, and graze my knee!) D’oh!
I was really looking forward to my Thursday morning run, to get back to my regular routine. However, sometime between Wednesday night and 5am on Thursday when my alarm went off, I suspect I was bitten by something as my left foot was red, swollen and tender. There would be no running so I set the alarm for later and resigned myself to the fact that I would have to be one of ‘those’ people who just turn up for the post-run coffee!
By the end of Thursday the foot had really swelled up – probably a combination of a day at work and a couple of ciders over dinner! I decided it wasn’t even worth contemplating a run on Friday morning so I once again had a bit of a sleep-in and went for coffee in the morning!
Friday night it was possibly even more swollen so I elevated it with an ice pack and watched the cricket (thanks Cricket Australia for embracing the Day/Night test format – much better for us 9-5 workers!)
Spot the difference!
By morning it looked a lot better. Still, I didn’t think I could get a shoe on so I went to parkrun as a spectator only. By the end of a busy day it was a bit swollen but nowhere near as bad as Friday night.
I decided this whole ‘not running’ thing was not working for me, so decided I was going to do the 12k social trail run on Sunday morning. My trail shoes are slightly bigger than my roadies so that meant a bit less pressure on the foot. Morning came and the shoe went on – success! Still a bit tender but relatively comfortable.
The run itself was fine – I noticed the foot when I was on my own but mostly I was running/walking with other people so that was a good distraction. And there did not appear to be any increase in swelling or redness afterwards!
Never thought I’d be so happy to be wearing shoes!
I had contemplated running a 5k event on Sunday but, even prior to the bite (or whatever it was) I’d decided not to, partly because it is a good time of year to have a mini-break, and partly because I’ve been haemorrhaging money lately and I could do with saving on event fees. VERY glad I’d made that decision as I probably would have been tempted to run it even with the foot not 100%. The trail run was a good compromise – I still got to run, but at a more leisurely pace. And closer to home. And fantastic coffee afterwards! With Beck, who had done her own longer run but all roads lead to coffee!
I think the little mini-break has done me good. Next weekend (which also happens to be Christmas!) the training for Boston begins – it’s 17 weeks today! 17 weeks to Boston – wow!
A map showing all the current parkruns in Australia. SA may be complete (for now) but I have plenty of work to do!
This weekend just gone, I ticked off my last parkrun in South Australia, and have now done all 11 parkruns in the state. (I have also done all 11 in 2016)
In the parkrun vernacular, someone who has done all parkruns in a particular state is known as a ‘statesman’ (or ‘stateswoman’). SA is definitely an easier state to achieve ‘statesman’ status given the relatively small number of events compared to other states, and all of them reasonably accessible from Adelaide.
As far as I know there are only 4 statespeople for SA with a couple of people edging closer. First was Rachel, partner of SA Territory Director John, who as part of his role has to attend all parkruns in his territory at least once a year. John has not yet achieved Statesman status as he volunteered rather than ran at the Clare launch. Then there is Brendan, who holds all sorts of records. Brendan actually lives in Melbourne which makes his SA Statesman status quite remarkable! I think he is a Statesman for Victoria too, and possibly NSW as well? Plus I think he has done parkruns in every state and territory in Australia – real parkrun royalty! Before me this weekend, 2 weeks ago Richard headed to Mount Gambier and completed his bingo card. With Richard at Mount Gambier was Chris, who has only 2 more to go, and Christies Beach RD Frank is only one short of Statesman status!
So this week I thought I’d do a brief review of all of the SA parkruns – to be as fair and equitable as possible, I’ll list them in alphabetical order!
CHRISTIES BEACH
Christies Beach parkrun – beautiful day for a run along the coast!
One of six new parkruns to launch in SA this year. With many southerners previously calling Torrens home, this parkrun helped to reduce the numbers at Torrens, with many people choosing to stay closer to home. A scenic coastal course with a few bitey little hills in there!
CLARE VALLEY
The start of the first Clare Valley parkrun!
It was quite a chilly morning when Clare Valley parkrun launched in May 2016. I was tracksuited up right up until the start! It was a good 2.5 hour drive on the morning so a very early start but well worth it. It’s the only parkrun in SA to run past actual wineries AND the only one to have a cellar door right next to the post-run coffee place! Well worth the long drive!
LOCHIEL
Dragged my Mum out to my local Lochiel parkrun – she said she found the concrete track more difficult than the bitumen at Torrens.
My closest parkrun and very much a second home – I try to get there whenever I can. Very similar to my ‘home’ parkrun of Torrens in that it is an out and back along the same river (just a bit further upstream!) and also like Torrens, situated on a golf course! An undulating course, a lot of old Torrens people are regulars here so always a lot of friends to catch up with when I visit!
MOUNTBARKER
Christmas Day fun at Mount Barker!
Just a little way up the freeway, Mount Barker is a nice flat course in the wetlands. With ‘Mount’ in the name, you’d think it would be hilly but quite the opposite! Fantastic people, even if sometimes they forget to put out the turnaround flag meaning that visitors like me run an extra 200m whereas the locals know where the flag is meant to be!
MOUNT GAMBIER
Early on at Mount Gambier – having already negotiated a decent sized hill!
SA’s second parkrun, launching on the day of Torrens’ first anniversary event. It was also the last one I did to complete all the SA events! It was one I’d been planning for a while but being a 4.5 hour drive, I needed to find another reason to go to Mount Gambier other than just a parkrun! In the end I combined it with a trip to Melbourne to visit my sister. I’m definitely planning to go back next year and probably spend the weekend there! Mount Gambier holds the distinction of being the most challenging SA parkrun course (at one stage I think it was rated as the second hardest in Australia) but the stunning views of the Blue Lake and the best post-run coffee I’ve yet had, more than make up for it!
MURRAY BRIDGE
Olympic theme dress up day at Murray Bridge!
Possibly the only parkrun in Australia with a bunyip? Murray Bridge is one of only 3 in SA whose launch I didn’t get to. I had planned to go, but it happened to coincide with Torrens’ 100th event, and there was a raffle for a bike, so of course I had to be there for that. I eventually made it to Murray Bridge this year, during the Olympics so we were encouraged to dress up accordingly. I found an Australian cycling kit and ran in that – surprisingly comfortable! And Murray Bridge is noteworthy for the longest post-run coffee. parkrun starts at 8 – coffee happens at the farmers market and I left there around midday!
RENMARK
The only sub-zero parkrun I’ve done, at Renmark!
One word – COLD! The morning of the launch the temperature dropped to a chilly -3 degrees and it was still sub-zero at the start. I think by the end it might have just snuck into positive territory! About 3.5 hours away from Adelaide, I drove up the night before – it was that little bit too far to drive up on the morning – Mount Gambier being the other SA parkrun requiring an overnight stay! It is the only parkrun I’ve done where I was wearing gloves, a vest and a fleece headband for most of it, but despite the cold weather it is a beautiful course along the Murray River and a good excuse to visit Renmark for the first time!
STRATHALBYN
The second of three turnarounds at Strath!
I missed the Strath launch due to it coinciding with Gold Coast Marathon weekend. I did go to the first trial but that didn’t count as an ‘official’ parkrun so when Torrens, Lochiel and West Beach were all cancelled due to flooding, I had to venture further afield to get my parkrun fix. With only Strath and Mount Gambier to cross off the bingo card, Strath was the logical choice! I went up with fellow Torrens run director Jim and we led the way, at one point unsure where to go so we called out to the person behind us, “Is it this way?” He was unsure himself – he said he was used to following someone else! Strath is an interesting course – I describe it like an ‘M’ – a double out and back, but not going all the way back to the start first time around. And a few nice little hills in there too!
TORRENS
One of many dress-up occasions at Torrens! Or maybe there was no occasion!
The original – 4 years old now! It’s amazing to see how parkrun has grown both in SA and in Australia as a whole since then! I could not begin to count the number of friends I’ve met at Torrens! We have our regular ‘Zoo’ course which is currently out of action (promising to return bigger and better in 2017 – well not bigger, it will still be 5k!) and our secondary course, the ‘Broo’ course, which also goes along the River Torrens but in the opposite direction, towards the brewery. Both are undulating – there is some debate re which one is faster! Personally I prefer the Zoo course as it passes the iconic Adelaide Oval and the Riverbank Footbridge complete with waterfall!
VICTOR HARBOR
How’s that for a view? The Bluff, at Victor Harbor.
My second most often run parkrun, strange considering it’s a good 90 minute drive for me to get there! Awesome people, stunning course (despite the fact they always put on a head wind for me every time I go there) and best of all, VEGAN CAKE for their anniversaries (maybe due in some small part to one of their RDs being a vegan!)
WEST BEACH
With Victor RD Simon, regular running buddy Karen and parkrun legend Brendan after the West Beach launch!
I first heard about West Beach parkrun in January when regular running buddy Shelley was asking me questions about how to set one up. She and Lorraine would eventually launch their parkrun in June this year, drawing a crowd of over 200! The course was familiar to me, being partly the coastal path I would often run on my long runs, and partly up the Torrens which I knew from group long runs as well as a few running events. Being part coast and part river it is a nice variable course, one which I very much look forward to running again in summer and jumping straight into the ocean afterwards, and I love their post-run coffee spot, on the deck at the local surf lifesaving club, definitely the most scenic view for a post-run coffee!
So there you have it, all 11 of the SA parkruns (so far!) I hope to have more to review in 2017 to keep my SA ‘stateswoman’ status intact!
This weekend was the final event of the year for the South Australian Road Runners Club. I had run this event twice before.
In 2013, just after my first ‘runniversary’, I got my first podium finish, coming 3rd despite missing the turnaround marker and probably running a few hundred metres extra (at least) and my time was 26:30. I was glad that no-one overtook me when I missed the turn, I would have been kicking myself! (In fairness, the turnaround marker was a red ‘dot’ on the ground, an inch square, whereas I was looking for something more like a cone or a flag.) 3rd place was as good as I could have hoped for anyway, as 2nd place was taken by regular parkrunner Sarah, who I had never beaten!
A year later I somehow managed first place in the 5k in a time of 22:53. That was also the ‘Club Championship’ so by default I was the Club Champion! (A lot of the regular fast runners were not competing, so it seemed a bit weird, but hey, you gotta be in it to win it!)
This year there was a different (I would say much fairer) system for the Club Championship. It was a cumulative points system, which I have no hope of understanding, with points gained for each SARRC event throughout the year. Faster times = more points. Leading into this weekend’s event I was in 3rd place for the women, but with Nadene pretty much set in first place, as far as I could tell, only needing to show up to win it!
Also adding interest and incentive to this year’s finale event was the Participation prize. One person who had participated in all SARRC events for the year (except Yurrebilla Ultra, which I did run, and the Beach Bash, which I did not) would be randomly drawn out and would win free entry to ALL SARRC events for next year – despite the fact that I will be away for at least one of those, it was a draw well worth being in! In the end there were 11 people (myself included) in the running (pun intended!)
I opted, as per usual, to run the 5k rather than the 10. As I’ve said before, I don’t enjoy the 10k distance, plus the course was a multi lap course around the Uni Loop. 5k = 2 laps (the Uni Loop is 2.2k so extra distance had been added to each loop to make it 2.5) and 10k = 4 laps. I didn’t really fancy going around there 4 times! (Which is really funny when yoi consider that in July I ran around the very same track 28 times in the 6 hour event!)
It was a warm morning so there was no need for arm warmers! I didn’t know there was rain forecast (and as it turned out, quite a lot of it!) I arrived just after 7, plenty of time to collect my number, socialise a bit and get a warmup in. Originally I was going to do a lap of the Uni Loop but decided 2.2k was too much. In the end I did 2k – running in the opposite direction to the race (I always like to do that if I can!)
The 5k and 10k started together. I saw a few familiar faces doing the 10k – Micarla and Louise – and was once again glad to have opted for the 5k (those 2 are way too fast for me!). 2nd place on the Club Champs points table, Rebecca, was also in the 10k, but Nadene was doing the 5, as was another Rebecca who I had not been far ahead of at Glenelg last month. So there was plenty of solid competition there!
The thing about the 2 races starting together is, unless you see someone’s bib as you pass them or they pass you, you don’t know whether they’re in your race or not! I had the same issue at Glenelg – although that was an out and back and we didn’t start together, there was some overlap towards the end.
I tried to keep Nadene, who finished 2nd to my 3rd at Glenelg, in sight at the start. There was another girl ahead of her – I later found out that was Belinda, I hadn’t met her before but she was always ahead of me. So once again, my only chance of a podium was to hold onto 3rd!
We went out pretty fast – my first kilometre was 4:07 and my second was 4:06. I slowed down significantly after that! It’s a trap that I often fall into in these shorter races!
About halfway through the first lap I heard footsteps behind me, and by the sound of the breathing I could tell it was another female. I caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of my eye and my first thought was that it was Bec in the 5k – I couldn’t let her get ahead this early! This no doubt contributed to me going out WAY too fast on the first lap! I picked up the pace and she didn’t pass me but eventually, right near the end of the lap, she got away. And that was when I realised that it wasn’t Bec at all, it was Louise, in the 10k!
As a result of pushing a bit too hard in the first 2k, the last lap was definitely a struggle. The heat and humidity was definitely a factor as well as my poor pacing! At the start at 8am it was 25 degrees – not overly hot and certainly nothing like when I did the River View Run 2 weeks ago, but still warmer than we’ve been used to. My last 3 kilometre splits were (approximately) 4:26, 4:26 and 4:29.
Didn’t even see the photographer!
I was passed by 2 girls during the second lap but I didn’t know if they were 5k or 10k. Towards the end, there was a turn where I could easily look back and see who was behind me. All I could see was one guy, no girls. As a result I did take it a bit easier in the last little bit, knowing that I could not catch whoever was ahead of me, and no-one was going to pass me. I finished in 21:55, my best time since May (just before I went to the Blue Mountains for UTA100) which was pleasing. Given that no-one said anything to me, I assumed I hadn’t got a placing (normally they take down your name and number if you’re in the placings). I laid down on the ground for 5 minutes or so to recover – that really took a lot out of me!
Ducked for cover in the clubrooms – very happy with my time!
After that I watched the remaining 5k runners finish and the 10k runners continue to go around (did I mention I was happy with my decision to do the 5k?) before the weather started to turn ugly with strong winds and then a fair bit of rain!
That didn’t deter the kids though, who not long after, had their own 1k fun run, the ‘Santa Chase’, chasing a Santa on a bike! That was entertaining to watch, and a great way to get the kids involved, all of them getting a stocking full of chocolates at the end! And a few of them looked like athletes to look out for in the future! Santa leads the kids out in the 1k fun run!
After the kids’ run was finished, it was presentation time. They did the 10k presentations first, then the 5k men followed by the women. The 3rd placed man was not far ahead of me, so I quickly checked the live results on my phone to see how far off a place I was. Just before I found my name on there, Nadene was announced as the 2nd placegetter, and I knew I wasn’t far behind her – sure enough I managed to scrape in for 3rd! A great way to end the year!
The 3 placegetters for the 5k – me 3rd, Belinda 1st and Nadene 2nd
Nadene did end up winning the Club Championship (well deserved) and the men’s champion was Bryn, who had been in a two-way battle with fellow Adelaide Harrier Piete for most of the year. Another deserving winner!
New SARRC president Dave Munro with the Club Champions for 2016
All in all I am very happy with my year of SARRC events. I’ve done 4 half marathons (one as a pacer), one marathon, one ultra, plus 2 × 5km, 2 × 10km and a 30km. Bit of a range there! Among all of those I got a 10k PB, my second fastest ever half marathon, and 2 3rd place finishes!
A satisfying year!
Thanks as always to the fantastic volunteers (I say it every time but it can’t be overstated – these events simply would not happen without volunteers!) This year they’ve had to deal with some very challenging conditions – including today cooking the BBQ in the rain! For those who run events regularly, PLEASE think about volunteering, even once a year. It’s possible to volunteer AND still run! And also please try to thank the volunteers out there on the day, they have given up their time so you can run (I know sometimes it’s hard to get the words out, but believe me, even a wave or a nod is appreciated!)
Well done to SARRC on a great year of events! I am proud to be on the Board of SARRC for the next 2 years, to give back to the club that has given me so much over the past 4 years! I look forward to getting more involved behind the scenes and see what goes into putting these events on!
Of course I will still be running with the SARRC groups 2-3 times a week during the ‘off-season’, and look forward to running at least some of the events next year in the lead up to Boston! (Oh and I didn’t win the big prize – that went to Peter, if I couldn’t win it I was very happy for him to!)
