Melbourne Half Marathon
Sunday 16th October 2016
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Click here to
view the course map.
Start
Batman Avenue, head south along St Kilda Road, then right into Lakeside Drive
and do an anticlockwise lap of Albert Park Lake. At the Carousel carpark,
runners proceed behind and around Pits Building before U-turning. LEFT back
onto Fitzroy St. A few more turns until reaching Linlithgow Ave, right onto St
Kilda Road. Turn right at Princes Walk, veer right onto the William Barak
Bridge. Make a hairpin left turn onto Jolimont St, left onto Brunton Avenue before
a final left into MCG and do the MCG loop to finish.
The event
starts at 8am. There are drink/aid stations every few kilometres. Every
participant receives a medal and all results are recorded by an electronic chip
on the back of the race bib.
Pre-race -
Melbourne half marathon is part of the Melbourne
Marathon running festival. Last year I supported friends on their marathon
journey (I wasn’t back running from hip surgery). The year before, I ran the
marathon (still stands as my PB). This year I decided to enter the half
marathon, more as a social event. I organised to stay in the city with two Running
Mums Australia (RMA) friends from NSW – Jenny and Jody. And I was looking
forward to having some fun! My other motivation was for a specific fundraising
event!
Running is my way of helping friends and fellow runners, and contributing to society. In 2014, I ran Canberra Marathon for Epilepsy
Foundation and I ran Melbourne Marathon for Very
Special Kids (for Isa and I used to volunteer for them). In 2015, I ran Canberra
HM for Make a Wish (Abbey) and Two Oceans for Mothers
2 Mothers (South African organisation). I’ve run for Vision
Australia (I used to volunteer for them), Satellite
Foundation, Australian Spinal Research Foundation, Mitochrondrial
disease, Cancer and more. I’m a proud Wings
for Life ambassador (Spinal Cord Research). In 2016, I ran Melbourne HM
for Antonella and her daughter Indi (see below).
Antonella
Marinucci is a friend and running client of mine. Nearly
10 years ago, Antonella had twin girls born at 26-weeks. Due to complications,
Indiana developed a cyst (cystic leaukamalacia) on her brain that affects her
motor skills. Doctors diagnosed her with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Indi needs
surgery however they will not operate until she has the correct wheelchair to
undergo recovery (which cost about $15,000). Every run I participate in from
now until the end of the year, is for Antonella, Indiana and her family… #run4indi
Back to pre-race…
In the weeks leading up to race day, I trained on
hilly trails. My focus race was Marysville (3-weeks after Melbourne). I
scheduled a recovery week for Melbourne, which gave me a break from hills! I
didn’t want to race Melbourne half marathon because it takes time to fully
recover from a hard and fast 21km. However I wasn’t sure how to tackle it… Do I
run tempo; 8/10 Rate of Perceived Exertion? Do I pace someone else? Do I aim to
negative split? Do I run without my watch? I couldn’t decide. The night before,
I was talking to Jenny and Jody about it (in amongst telling some hilarious
jokes). Jenny was recovering from an injury and planned on pacing someone. Jody
was going for a sub 1:40 (PB). I kept playing around with figures in my head.
The weather forecast was a factor too; we were expecting strong head winds and
possible rain. I decided I’d run 8/10 RPE and aim for a negative split (maybe).
The evening before the race, we met with another
RMA (Kate) and had a quiet dinner. We were back in our room around 8:30pm and
organised our gear for the morning. I was running in my new Lululemon shorts
and RMA top (also compressions, Garmin, iPod, headband and Brooks Glycerin). I
was taped from hip to toe on my left leg… typical left leg weakness resulted in
some minor ITB issues. And I carried two gels. We were relaxed and happy
(that’s when the jokes started). We had a fun night, managed to get some
quality sleep and wake with plenty of time to walk to the race precinct.
Race day -
After we finished getting ready, we walked a few
blocks from the hotel to the race area. The wind was blowing a gale as soon as
we stepped outside. It didn’t bother me much because I wasn’t gunning for a PB
(but I hoped it wouldn’t affect Jody). We dropped our bags at the MCG (endured
a strict security check) and found the nearest toilets. The wind was cool but
OK. I stopped and said hello to a few familiar faces (and a few unfamiliar ones
too who gravitated towards our RMA singlets).
Once the earlier races begun, we made our way into
the start area and I encouraged Jody to head up front. Melbourne half marathon has
thousands of participants and the first few kilometres are very congested.
From the website… Number of
competitors
More than 11,000 runners took part in Melbourne’s half marathon
event last year and close to 10,000 runners entered the 10km event, swelling
overall race entries to just over 34,000.
The countdown started and we began running with
thousands of other runners. As usual, I went out quicker than planned. Seriously, why do I bother saying my goal is
a negative split? Although I’m not competitive with other runners, I’m super competitive
with my previous race times. I never negative split!
I watched Jody weave in and around other people and
I stayed on her heels. I was quite happy to let her go, once we were in the
clear. After the first kilometre, I noticed Jenny was on my heels. Jenny
couldn’t find the person she was pacing, so she ran her own race instead. After
a couple of kilometres, the road widened and I could sit back a little. I lost
sight of Jody, however Jenny and I were practically running together. Jenny was
listening her to iPod (mine was in my pocket but I chose not to use it). My
first 5km was 23:49 (4:46 per km), which was 8/10 RPE. I was happy with
everything (except mild asthma from the winds). We continued running along St.
Kilda Road at a steady pace, and turned right into Albert Park. Immediately the
winds picked up and I allowed my pace to decrease slightly. There were bugs and
insects everywhere, and I inadvertently swallowed a few!
Despite the weather, supporters still lined the
streets and cheered everyone on. Melbourne has a great atmosphere and allows
spectators to see runners more than once along the course.
I continued running fairly comfortably and took a
gel around 10km. My split was 48:45 (4:49 per km). Now… if there was no wind, I could probably say it was still 8/10 RPE
but truthfully it probably tipped over the edge a little (maybe 8.5/10). Jenny
was a little behind me and just as I was thinking about her, I saw Jody run
onto the course from the left hand side. Jody should’ve been ahead of me…
Poor Jody was suffering from digestive issues and
unfortunately it wasn’t the first time. Many of us know the pain of stomach
troubles, either before or during a race. There are many theories about this… I
blame nerves.
Jody is a great runner and an awesome person. My
heart sank for her as her PB goal slipped away. I reassured her that everything
would be OK. Run when you can, walk if
you have to and crawl if you must… but just keep going. Jody was dehydrated
and her legs were cramping. Her body was telling her to stop but we were going
to cross that finish line… no doubt! We walked at random intervals and through
drink stations. Jody apologised and told me to keep running. But the thought
never crossed my mind. For the sake of a few minutes (and that's all it would've been), I would much rather help
out my friend. Our 18km time was 1:29:43 (5:07 per km)… my pace had decreased
but my focus remained the same… get Jody to the finish line. I liked the fact I could rehydrated and
catch my breath. I wasn't complaining about slowing down a little ;-)
The last 3km were physically tough for Jody. I
managed to take it all in; scenery, buildings, weather, runners, spectators,
ambience… I was relaxed and thankful. We continued along, under the
bridge, around more corners, up and over the walkway and along the outside of
the MCG. Entering the MCG never gets old. I love it! I can only imagine how
amazing it must feel to compete in a big arena. The buzz is electric! It fuels
the last stage of the race and pushes you over the line. Jody and I crossed the
line in 1:47 (not a bad effort considering the challenges she faced). I was
happy we made it (and thankful for running half of the race with Jenny and the
other half with Jody)! Jenny finished only a minute after us.
Post race -
After we wrangled our way through the crowds,
collected our belongings and freshened up, I met with some friends. I waited
for a few friends and clients to come in…. some achieved their goals and some
missed out (the harsh reality of distance running is anything can happen on the
day). Jenny and Jody had already walked back to the hotel. I ran back as a cool down. We chatted a little more before we headed off. It was a fun
weekend catching up with Jenny and Jody. I can’t wait for the next one!
Lessons -
1. Not really a lesson but a reality check… I need
to be honest about the possibility of a negative split and not go out too fast!
Race feedback and will there be a next time -
Melbourne marathon running festival is my home! The
course is flat with some twists and turns. The weather is usually OK but Melbourne
is notorious for four-seasons-in-one-day. Be prepared for anything. Race
organisers, volunteers and supporters were fabulous. The atmosphere was great
and finishing in the MGC is second to none. I will run there again.
I score this run 9/10.
