Great Ocean Road 44.9km
The Great Ocean Road Marathon and Festival of Distance Running
features a 44km Marathon, 23km Half Marathon, 14km run, 6km run and The Kids'
1.5km Gallop.
This event is held in a beautiful and unique area of Victoria,
Australia on the Southern Ocean. Each year that this event has been conducted,
it has attracted many athletes from around the world, all eager to participate
in this challenging and pristine environment.
Personally, I believe the
Great Ocean Road (GOR) is one of the most beautiful parts of Victoria, and
Australia. I love mountains and oceans. I’ve wanted to run this course for
years because of the scenery, and memories. I have memories of a family trip along
the GOR (when London Bridge and 12 Apostles were still there), my grade 4 camp
was Apollo Bay (where I ended up in hospital with asthma but refused to leave),
one of my last memories of Dad being alive was at an Ian Gawler conference in
Lorne, and Brad and I returned to Lorne on our honeymoon (such mixed
reflections). I would love to run strong at GOR (and create an experience
similar to Two Oceans in South Africa).
COURSE MAP
ELEVATION MAP
Pre-event -
Six weeks ago I ran Two Oceans Ultra 56km (South
Africa). It was fabulous! The timing was right and everything fell into place…
I survived a week without my children and my boys survived without me. I was
lucky enough to experience my first ultramarathon in a beautiful foreign
country and thankfully my body held it together! I paced myself well and sat
comfortably on 5:35min/km pace. My hips pulled up sore but nothing compared to
what I was expecting.
After Two Oceans, my high kept me running fluently.
I hadn’t followed a program in months because I’d been battling injuries and
speed intervals/hills were too difficult. I’d also been dealing with underlying
health issues, which made training, energy levels and moods inconsistent. I just
ran when I could. The weeks in between Two Oceans and Great Ocean Road, I
entered Adventure Junkie Sprint Series – run/bike/kayak, Wings for Life
Melbourne – with Brad, and Mothers Day Classic – with a friend. They were
enough to keep the legs clocking over without risk of overtraining.
The night before GOR, Brad and I drove across to
Apollo Bay, where we were staying. We met up with friends. We headed to Lorne for the GOR Marathon pre-race dinner. I’d never
attended a pre-race dinner before but Steve Moneghetti and Lydia Lassila were
guests on the panel, and I liked the vibe. GOR is a popular event so I was
hoping to see some friendly faces (even though I’m usually too chicken to say
hello). They served pasta, it was tasty (and they provided great vegetarian
options), but pasta is not my ideal pre-race meal. I have nothing against
carbohydrates however I eat light before an event. I felt heavy after eating the
pasta. Overall the night was good, quality food, great guest speakers (including
Australian and NZ race walkers) and we were home at a reasonable hour.
I already had my gear organised; short
compressions, shorts and a Lorna Jane singlet, long sleeve top, beanie and
gloves (for the start line), calf compressions – new 2XU ones – Nathan 4-bottle
belt, Garmin, iPod, Injinjis and NB 890s. For fuel I packed 3 gels, Runners
Kitchen amazeball and a Nuun tablet split between two bottles.
I‘d been feeling average the few weeks prior to GOR
and as a result I suffered a few aches and pains but nothing serious. I was in
a good headspace and I really wanted to run to the best of my ability. I was
aiming for somewhere between 3:33 (4:50min/km pace) and 3:45 (5:07min/km pace).
I would have to run hard considering hills but I knew I could do it. I’d
run Two Oceans in a relaxed pace because I’d never conquered that distance
before. But GOR was 12km shorter and significantly smaller hills. I wanted to
give GOR everything I had. I wanted to run fast (for me) and maybe break my
Marathon PB 3:23. (The race walkers had a similar time goal… If they could do
it then so could I!) The weather forecast predicted perfect conditions, cool
but no wind or rain. And I went to sleep feeling excited.
Event day -
I set the alarm for 5:20am but I slept lightly and
woke before it sounded. Brad agreed to drive us to the start line in Lorne
because most of us experienced travel sickness in the bus on windy roads. We
hit the road by 6am. It was pitch black and cool but there was anticipation in
the air. We drove roughly 20km before stopping for Lynda and Deb who were
running the 23km event. We said our goodbyes and continued to Lorne. We started
discussing running mantras and I decided on, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!” In the past I was unaware
of mantras even though I did use them; fast, light, strong… you’ve got this…
you’ve done it before you can do it again...
When we arrived in Lorne, we followed the
usual toilet, apply anti-chaffing cream, bag drop, and warm up routine. Voilà!
Kabam! Bazinga! We were ready to rumble! We waved goodbye to Brad (he was
planning on driving back to Apollo Bay and cycling to 35km to cheer us on).
And we headed to the start line.
The buzzer went off! The start was fairly congested
but we weaved our way clear. The first few kilometres had a
bit of a climb but I managed to keep my pace relatively consistent; 4:25, 4:35,
4:40, 4:45, 4:30, 4:45, 4:35. The variations in pace were indicative of the
undulations. Although my motivation and state of mind was positive, my legs were
heavy. It didn’t bother me too much. I often go through phases of feeling sluggish.
Maybe I was getting it out of the way early. Or maybe it was the pasta… or
maybe it was my crazy hormones from the weeks prior. Whatever it was, I had run
tired and heavy before and I could do it again. At this early stage, I hadn’t
turned on my iPod. I was simply taking in the surroundings.
Around 7km we approached our first hill and knowing
my legs were a little heavy, I sat back into a comfortable pace. I didn’t
expect to decrease so dramatically to 5:25min/km pace. It was another warning
that my body was struggling, which was a concern so early on.
As the hills rolled I attempted to keep up the
pace. I averaged 4:45min/km pace, and passed 10km in roughly 47 minutes. I
maintained fluids and took my first gel around 12-13km or 1 hour. About the
same time, my left hip began to hurt… deep, dead-leg type pain. As mentioned
many times, my left hip was diagnosed with a labral tear two years ago. (At that time, I experienced pain getting in
and out of the car, rolling over in bed and anything that required crossing the
midline or internally rotating. With the help of various people, I strengthened
glutes and my hip became manageable. It tends to ache, I have limited range of
movement and I have lower leg issues as a result however I can deal with it
especially during a race).
It hurt to hip flex uphill but it also hurt on impact
downhill. I soldiered on although my pace decreased to just over 5min/km pace.
I remained positive and listened to music to distract my mind (1st stage – Denial & Isolation).
“Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee!”
At roughly 18km, I chose to walk uphill and the
Australian and NZ race walkers overtook me! Bugger! I knew my goal of 3:33-3:45
was slipping away but I stayed focused. I would be happy with my best. If my
best (on the day) was just under 4 hours then SO BE IT! (Denial!)
I crossed the half marathon marker at 1:42 (which
was a sub 5min/km pace but not for long). I was walking more and more. I spent
much of my time taking in the view. The weather was perfect. The ocean was
majestic. And despite my physical body, my spirits were relatively high. I was
grateful for the weather, scenery, people, course and knowingness that I could
conquer the distance no matter what (even if that meant walking). That doesn’t
mean I found it easy… I definitely had moments when I wanted to quit. Part of
me… really wanted to quit. But I have never DNF. It reminded me of The Bloody
Long Walk last year when my plantar fascia flared. It is upsetting and disappointing
but I knew the heartache would be worse if I stopped.
At 23km we approached another hill and I took my
second gel. The splits that followed averaged 6min/km pace. As I walked, I
applied pressure to my left hip and tried to alleviate the cramp/spasm pain. Now
I was walking uphills, downhills and flats. On impact I had pain on both sides
of my knee. And my right hip flexor/abs were pulling (like a stitch), from
carrying my left side. I limped when I ran and limped when I walked. A few
friendly runners asked if I was okay. (I love fellow runners!) I’ve never been
in a situation where others needed to reach out. Of course, I said I was fine.
(Isolation!)
At 30km, I began giving up… I was defeated… I was
bitterly disappointed… I felt I should have been pushing harder. Part of me
believed I could have run faster and part of me knew I was doing my best. It
was my slowest split. I was really over it. (2nd stage – Anger).
Around 34km, we came over the hill and I could see Brad in the distance. I knew
he would be worried because I was behind schedule. When I saw him and the
concern on his face, I cried. I’ve never cried in a race before. All I could
say was, “I feel so defeated.” I explained what was happening with my hip and
he listened. Soon after we saw a photographer and through tears and laughter, I
told Brad to move away so I could “look happy.” It was good timing because it
snapped me out of my sooky-la-la mood (although he did snap a shot of me
walking). Brad cycled slowly and I walked. I took off my hydration belt and
decided not to take any more gels. I was walking through drink stations anyway
so I could just have an occasional water. We relaxed and took some photos, one
of me running backwards and this is when I met Bruce.
Bruce is a distance runner from Pakenham. He had
run Wilsons Promontory 60km (plus 9km because he took a wrong turn) only two
weeks prior to GOR. He was hurting and so was I. I was bitching and moaning (ANGER!)
So Bruce if you read this… Sorry for moaning! Bruce was great; we chatted about
different runs we had participated in and our bucket list for the future.
Neither of us were working hard (heart and lungs) but both of us were
struggling (musculoskeletal). Bruce was running slower than me and my hip only
had one pace – go or stop. We stayed together for a few kilometres and he
encouraged me to keep plodding, while he walked. I plodded along (6:30min/km
pace) until roughly 40km when I told Brad I didn’t think I could finish. I was
tired of every step hurting. I was tired in general. I just wanted my glass of
wine. (And by glass I mean bottle!) 40km was a good effort… I could
stop now... right?! (3rd & 4th stage – Bargaining &
Depression!) Brad said he could attempt to adjust my hip on the side of the
road. Not surprisingly, my hip didn’t respond. So, I just stood there…
dejected. (DEPRESSION!) Bruce ran up along side me and had that knowing
look on his face.
“We can walk it.” He said.
“Nah, we’ll run.” I replied. His kind gesture to
walk the last few kilometres with me, was enough for me to try again. (5th stage - Acceptance!) Between
Brad and Bruce, I had the best support crew around!
We shuffled through the next kilometre in over 7
minutes and reached our marathon marker in roughly 3hrs 56minutes.
(I mention
pace in my race reports because I remember my runs by reflecting on Garmin and
my splits. But pace/time is not the most important aspect for me. If I felt
good and ran my best, 3hrs 56 would be fine. I ran a similar time for Two Oceans
and I was super happy. However GOR just seemed messy from the get-go and I was
so disappointed with my performance).
After the marathon point, Brad veered off and said
he would meet me at the finish line. We continued plodding and passed people
who were walking. We increased our pace slightly. I felt reasonable considering
everything. (Acceptance!) Bruce was struggling but we stayed together and continued swapping
notes about our running experiences. We crossed the line together (smiling… or
perhaps grimacing) in 4hrs 11 minutes. I did my best not to limp through the
finishing chute. Oh… and my garmin measured 44.9km (5:36min/km pace…
Interestingly the same as Two Oceans).
Bruce and I gave each other a high five and I asked
if he was on Facebook (had to ask). He’s not on Facebook but hopefully we will
cross running paths again! He is a great person and runner, and I’m grateful I
met him when I did. I just hope I helped him as much as he helped me.
Post event -
The event, scenery, course, weather, people were
the best! I loved everything about the race and I highly recommend it to anyone,
especially tourists. Personally, I was incredibly disappointed with my run, how
my body felt and my time. It was a long, slow, tough slog. But I finished
feeling like I hadn’t worked my heart and lungs. I like working hard, I like
sweating, and I didn’t feel like I did that. It was not an enjoyable run for me.
The course was hilly and undulating but certainly
runnable. I can imagine a windy day being much tougher.
Lessons -
1. Don’t have a pasta meal the night before race
day
2. Roll with the punches… you win some you lose
some!
3. Always be grateful for an amazingly supportive husband and new running friends along the way! (And wine post-race!)
Event feedback and will there be a next time -
As mentioned, the course was undulating and scenery
was second to none. The volunteers were great (they usually are), and the event
was well-organised and professional. There were enough drink stations to
satisfy participants and leave our environment relatively unaffected. The finish line was
near shops and restaurants which created a fun, supportive atmosphere. The
course was long, 44.9km according to my Garmin, but that didn’t bother me. Although in previous years, the course was 45km, which is a little confusing. The only negative was the inability for supporters to get in and out of the area. I'm intrinsically motivated therefore I'm not too affected by spectator support but Brad found it challenging (as our driver/support crew). And therefore I assume other people found it difficult too. After dropping us at the start line, Brad had to drive in-land and jump on his bike to meet us at the 35km point. Overall I
rank this run 9/10.
