Melbourne Marathon 2022
Sunday 2nd October 2022
https://melbournemarathon.com.au
Course
Start at Batman Avenue and head north, turn left into Flinders Street, left into Swanston Street, cross over to the service lane at Princes Bridge and head along St Kilda Road. Turn right into Fitzroy Street then right into Lakeside Drive and do an anti-clockwise lap of the Lake. Follow instructions onto Beaconsfield Parade, proceed north and make a U-turn just before Bay Street. At one point, runners veer right and head towards Elwood. Back on St Kilda Road for a few kilometres and then turn right up Linlithgow Avenue (slight incline). Turn into Domain Road, go right into Dallas Brooks Drive, go left into Birdwood Avenue, left into Government House Drive and right into St Kilda Road. Proceed along St Kilda Road and turn right into Flinders St. Veer right into Wellington Parade South, turn right into Brunton Ave then left into the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The best finish line ever… a final victory lap of the MCG!
Pre-race
*It’s been four months since I ran Melbourne Marathon and I had no plans to write a blogpost. I ran Melbourne back in 2014 which I wrote an extensive race report http://360running.blogspot.com/2014/10/melbourne-marathon-2014_12.html. Back in 2014, my goal was 3hrs 20min and I managed 3hrs 23min. Jump forward to 2022, my goal was under 4hrs (if you want to know the result, you’ll have to keep reading)…
My goals around running have changed considerably for various reasons. I’m now 48 years old and I’ve had my share of injuries and health concerns. But honestly, the main reason for running becoming less of a priority is Covid-lockdowns. My running goals are often centred around a destination event. Events were cancelled and we weren’t allowed to travel. Also, Melbourne had 263 days in lockdown (151 days of 5km and 1-hour limit, 368 days of gym closures). https://lockdownstats.melbourne
Staying motivated or disciplined was very difficult.
Before Covid, I had an epic year of running (2019). I ran 5 Ultra-marathons (including Comrades http://360running.blogspot.com/2019/06/comrades-marathon-2019.html) and 2 marathons. My marathon time was about 3hrs 40min (consistent 5:15min/km pace). Nowadays, I’m closer to 5:45min/km and there’s nothing consistent about it. I start out 5:30min/km and when I hit 30km, I begin to slowly die (or at least that’s how it feels). This is usually a result of being undertrained! In 2020, I had a hysterectomy and took time to recover from my previously heavy training load. In 2021, we were lucky enough to sneak in a destination marathon to Kangaroo Island. In 2022, the borders opened, and I resumed my Australian Marathon Goal – to run a full marathon in every state/territory in Australia. I entered and completed the Australian Outback Marathon. So… my training load had gradually increased, and I went into Melbourne Marathon really wanting under 4hrs. The last time I’d broken 4hrs was Hobart marathon in 2019 (3hrs 43min).
The night before the event, I stayed in the city, walking distance from the start line. I needed some quiet time and space to mentally prepare. I had a light dinner (chicken and rice) and ensured I hydrated properly. I had my outfit ready to roll and my race fuel prepared.
Race day
On the day, I woke about 5:30am, had some oats, went to the loo about a dozen times (nerves) and grabbed my gear. I walked through Kings Domain, past The Shrine of Remembrance and Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Bag drop was somewhere underneath the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) but every time I asked a volunteer where to go, I was given the wrong information. I started stressing and decided to leave my bag on the back of the toilet door and hope it would still be there when I returned! Not an ideal way to start a race, but these things happen. I darted back across the bridge to the start line, which was near Rod Laver Arena. I tried to find my friend but there were literally thousands of runners huddled together and majority of them were taller than me. Melbourne Marathon is a big city event, with approximately 20,000 people running the full and half marathon. There are major road closures, spectators along the course and an upbeat, energetic vibe. I don’t always love big city events, but Melbourne is my hometown and we’re pretty awesome when it comes to putting on events and festivals.
The start gun sounded, and we waited for the herd of cattle to start moooving (haha… see what I did there?). There’s no point explaining landmarks or moments when I felt good or bad, or trying to remember when I had a gel. It’s the same as any other report… I take gels (Endura) roughly every hour, but after 3hrs I struggle to stomach the sweetness, so I swap to savory (salt and vinegar chips are great). Sometimes I carry my own electrolytes (32Gi) and drink water on course, but I must stop to drink out of a cup. I’ve never mastered the art of walking and drinking at the same time (forget the idea of running and drinking).
On this day, my Strava splits clearly show a consistent pace of 5:15min/km and I reached 21.1km in 1hr 49min. I was feeling good, but my heart rate was mid 160s (beats per minute) and that can be tiring for 4hrs. I was on track to break 4hrs, but I couldn’t hit 30km and give into the pain. I had to tap into that mental resilience I had before Covid-days. With 10km remaining (32.2km), the clock read 2hrs 51min. I had decreased my kilometre-splits from 5:15min to 5:30min. I was tired but I was NOT done. I just had to hold on!
Post-race
I waited for my friend on the sidelines (even though there was one marshal aggressively ushering people to keep moving through to bag collection). Once they arrived, we made our way through the sea of wounded people (physical wounded but mostly satisfied), and I went back to the toilets to find my bag was still there! Sub 4hr marathon and I get to keep my belongings… what a great result!
