Nothing like good cold Melbourne weather to start the day off, and thanks to the folks dropping me off I got there with plenty of time to prepare/drop off bag/etc… except… getting a certain urge with 10mins before the start time. With no trees in Fed Square and the loo queues being what they were I didn't bother.
I joined the start group in my appropriate time group - the plan being to break 2hrs again. We set off about 10mins after the "elite" runners, which meant I'd would have had time! But, I had other things to focus on like my race plan and all the nicely shaped lycra ahead!
Twas a simple race plan, and the same as I used for the Geelong Half Marathon - keep the heart-rate below 85% (stay aerobic) for the first 16kms, then 'run' the last 5kms ignoring the heart-rate. The terrain around the MCG and Yarra river was not as flat as what Geelong was, so with much uphill running to do, the plan wasn't easy to keep to. And neither was a certain nagging feeling!! However, the nice race organisers did place portable loos around the course, and I was lucky enough to see someone come out of one just as I got to it!! After what seemed like one of the longest pit stops ever, I was away again and feeling far better.
Thankfully, the rest of the event was pretty much incident free and when reached the 16km sign away I went. One definite advantage of doing it this way (other than knowing that you'll have enough energy left to finish) is that you get to pass all those folks who streamed past you earlier, and damn, that feels good! Unfortunately, that pit stop cost me my under 2 hour target by 26seconds, which I'm not too disappointed about, especially as my training was interrupted by some of the last couple of weeks…
The good part though, is that I know the next one will be done in well under 2hrs, but just how much remains to be seen.
I joined the start group in my appropriate time group - the plan being to break 2hrs again. We set off about 10mins after the "elite" runners, which meant I'd would have had time! But, I had other things to focus on like my race plan and all the nicely shaped lycra ahead!
Twas a simple race plan, and the same as I used for the Geelong Half Marathon - keep the heart-rate below 85% (stay aerobic) for the first 16kms, then 'run' the last 5kms ignoring the heart-rate. The terrain around the MCG and Yarra river was not as flat as what Geelong was, so with much uphill running to do, the plan wasn't easy to keep to. And neither was a certain nagging feeling!! However, the nice race organisers did place portable loos around the course, and I was lucky enough to see someone come out of one just as I got to it!! After what seemed like one of the longest pit stops ever, I was away again and feeling far better.
Thankfully, the rest of the event was pretty much incident free and when reached the 16km sign away I went. One definite advantage of doing it this way (other than knowing that you'll have enough energy left to finish) is that you get to pass all those folks who streamed past you earlier, and damn, that feels good! Unfortunately, that pit stop cost me my under 2 hour target by 26seconds, which I'm not too disappointed about, especially as my training was interrupted by some of the last couple of weeks…The good part though, is that I know the next one will be done in well under 2hrs, but just how much remains to be seen.
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