Wagga Lake Run and Ride 10K, September 2015

The former Lake to Lagoon 9.6km run has now officially become the Wagga Lake Run and Ride 10K. Which is great, really - the old point-to-point course was a real pain in some ways, although finishing right in the middle of town by the lagoon was always a lot of fun.


And it helps that the area where the race both starts and finishes is within easy jogging distance of my house! So this year it was a no-brainer to sign not only myself for the run and Jack for the ride, but I also included Joel for the 10K. So what if he was only due to arrive back from the USA a smidgen over 48 hours prior to the race starting time? Jet lag shmet lag, in my opinion at least.

I've run the new 10K course twice for one second place (2013 - 38:48) and one win (2014 - 39:06), and all that can be said is that it's not an especially easy course. The first mile is flat, the second uphill, the third down...but after that it undulates quite significantly as it winds its way along the shores of Lake Albert. I run in this area every single day and know it like the back of my hand - it's far from the ideal "fast and flat" 10K course that we all long for - but hopefully this counts for something on race day.

A surprisingly tame-looking elevation profile

The Training

Nothing much to say here, just the usual mileage-fest with a small dash of half-hearted speedwork thrown in.....oh, and that race last weekend. Almost forgot about that. I've been thinking for some time that my time has come to slow down, but last weekend demonstrated that I may have been premature in this belief. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting fitness test, if nothing else.


Race Day

One of my favourite things about this event is the start time of 10:30am. Not only does this virtually guarantee a stinking-hot weather situation (good for weeding out the unfit and the unacclimatised), it also means I can sleep in, or at least spend the early morning hours lying lazily in bed devising excuses for why I'm not going to run the sort of 10K time that a person capable of a 2:47:57 marathon really should be able to run. What's not to love about that?

Jet lag is still making its presence felt in the household so I'm awake well before 6am, enough time to devise many useful excuses before rising to prepare and eat my usual toast-and-coffee breakfast, the one that so far has proven safe and effective for races of all distances.

With an hour to go we all head to the start, jogging comfortably along until the neighbourhood dogs inspire us to break into a few strides, with assistance from the local magpie in the form of dive-bombing swoops. It's all good fun, though, and a beautiful day - although this undoubtedly means things will be uncomfortably hot later on.

After Jack sets off on his bike we are milling about near the start line when I see young Hannah - the girl who came 2nd behind me last year - and a few other familiar faces, including Rob who is this year dressed as Flash Gordon. Gotta love small local races!

Muscling our way to the front line, fake muscles optional

I'm not really nervous this year because I know that it's all about who shows up on the day: I'm no spring chicken these days and it will only take one speedy twenty-something runner chick to leave me in the dust. Whatever happens I'm enjoying myself today because it's Joel's first race in Wagga, so we line up together right at the front, ignore the usual dorky warm-up routine, and get ready to have some fun.

Awwww.

Miles 1&2: 5:56, 6:20 (pace in min/mile)

ZOOM! Off we all go at breakneck speed - it's impossible not to join the mayhem and run way, way too fast over the first, flat mile. Hannah is ahead of me until about the 1km mark, and just as I ease past her, a girl in a blue singlet eases past ME on my left. Wait, what? She looks to be running strongly but who knows what will happen during the second, uphill mile - so I hold my ground and stay with her as we head towards the hill.

As usual, the incline starts and people are rapidly fading all around me. My marathon endurance is my strong suit here: I know I can keep going and hopefully even ramp things up again once the hill is over. But the girl in blue - whose name will turn out to be Emma - is showing no signs of slowing down at all. Hmm, this is quite interesting. Should I give up now, or keep trying?


Miles 3&4: 6:16, 6:01

If you answered "give up now", thanks for playing but clearly you've not been paying attention to this blog at all. I have no idea what this girl is capable of, but I'm not letting her get away with anything less than her best. Up to the turn and back down Lake Albert Road towards the lake again, I keep up the effort levels to stay maybe 5-10 seconds behind.

Plenty of people are calling my name and shouting words of encouragement from the other side of the road but I am way too focused to acknowledge many of them - my boss Charles will later tell me I looked very determined, as well as bright red in the face and very hot, when he saw me thundering along down the road. As I speed through the roundabout and back towards the lake I'm already thinking "god I hate short races", but at least there's not too far to go.


Miles 5&6: 6:15, 6:15

Just keep going, just keep going. There are quite a few innocent pedestrians out for a morning stroll around the lake, and dodging them keeps it interesting. Emma is not that far ahead now and she almost collides with a couple of women who are clearly quite oblivious to the torrent of runners that is about to envelop them. Well, now they know. I side-step them neatly and note with glee that Emma finally appears to be tiring - my chance may yet come!

But there's a huffing and a puffing behind me that I can no longer ignore: I'm wondering if it might be Joel but no, it's Marcus, my occasional physiotherapist who has rescued me from injury on a good few occasions now. As he moves to pass me I suddenly realise we are hot on Emma's heels, and the short, nasty uphill by the Boat Club is just around the corner. Ooh! Opportunity knocks - we catch her in the carpark after the sharp incline - and I open the door wide by powering past her without a second thought.

Good grief, I'm in the lead! There is less than a mile to go and I hate short races, I really do now, but it's not time to dwell on that. I have to try to build and hold some sort of lead....and in trying I also pass Marcus back. Perhaps 400m go by before I realise there's someone over my right shoulder - is it him? - oh god no, it's her. Youth trumps ambition as Emma surges past me again and I have nothing with which to respond. Oh well, I did give it my best, and so I focus on not falling too far behind as we approach the finish line and the 6th mile beeps on my Garmin.


Final 0.2: 5:55 pace

I glimpse Mum and Jack on the sidelines and hear him yelling "GO MUM!!" as I charge into the finish chute and finally, thankfully get to stop running at last.

<pained grimace>

Finish time: 38:20 (6:10 pace, 3:50 min/km)

Placement: 8th OA, 2nd female, 1st in AG (F40-49)


Well, that was fun! I didn't win, but I did manage to run a course PR by 28 whole seconds; it's amazing what a difference it makes when you have someone to chase. Joel arrives around 60 seconds behind me - jet lag has done a number on him for sure - and together we rehydrate and mingle until it's time for awards. I'd love to be holding that bloody big trophy again but I'm still very satisfied and happy with the effort I put in today. And I'm still Wagga's fastest old chick!

Looking rather too pleased with myself, really

Racing every weekend is sort of fun, and it so happens that Joel has convinced me to change from the half marathon in Sydney next week to the full marathon. I've never run a marathon as a training run, but there's a first time for everything, or so they say. Let's see what happens, I guess!

Canberra Times Fun Run 14K, September 2015

I'm not entirely sure how this race got onto my radar, perhaps it was via the other Fairfax events in which I have participated, but somehow it came to pass in July that I signed myself up and not only that, I also secured myself a seeded/elite bib for the 14K race.

14km (8.7 miles) is a somewhat strange distance for a race, but it makes more sense when you consider that the famous City to Surf race in Sydney is 14km and it has become an iconic fun run that is in fact the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. There are now various races in cities around Australia that imitate the City2Surf, and with the same sponsors coming on board in 2015 for the Canberra Times Fun Run (Fairfax and Westpac), it seems this is now our national capital's version.

Whatever the history or reasons behind the distance, we all know that when it comes to my racing style, longer is always better. My focus just now is on Melbourne marathon so again, I'm not sure how I ended up entering this race, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm sure I've said that before, though.


The Training

Despite having run the infamous Wagga Trail Marathon only 2 weeks earlier, I had managed to ramp things up again over 80 miles (125km) the week prior to the Canberra race and between us Benita and I decided on a fairly minimal taper that ended up being only one day. Often circumstances dictate that I switch days around in the training schedule she sets for me, and since Fridays are often a day when I have more time, I ended up running 12 miles (18km) in the morning and another 5 (8km) in the evening for an impressive 17 miles less than 48 hours out from the race. Whoops, don't tell B about that.


Race Day

The course starts quite close to Canberra Hospital, where I spent 6 months living and working in 2005. It's sort of nostalgic being back here, although I was still dealing with my broken leg and so not running much when I was last spending time in the area. On reflection perhaps I hate this place, but at least I know my way around.

I park behind the hospital at around 6:15am and set out for what is going to be my longest-ever pre-race warm up: 8 miles. Yes, you read that right. Coach B has suggested a long cool-down to get in the miles that I'd normally do on for a weekend long run, but I know I won't want to run that much after the race so I have made a calculated decision to get most of it in beforehand. Arriving to a start line with 8 miles already in my legs is probably not an ideal race strategy but then again, I have no idea what the field is going to be like today and am not really expecting to place very high.

I manage not to get lost (this is a big deal in Canberra) and 8 miles clicks over just as I get back to the car. I drop off my warm clothes for after the race and make my way to the start line where I find my fast friend Kelly; it seems there are only 7 or 8 of us with seeded bibs on, so we all line up right at the front and stand around joking and sandbagging until it's time to get serious.

Rachel: "I'm just fun-running this. You?"
Kelly: "Oh, it's part of my long run today. No big deal."
Gun: *BLAM*
<both take off sprinting like there's no tomorrow>

Miles 1-3: 6:17, 6:28, 6:31 (pace in min/mile)

The gun sounds and all the people around me tear off at high speed; despite my intentions it's impossible not to go with them. Kelly and Claire (in red shorts above, last year's winner) shoot out way ahead of me and by the 1km mark there are 2 other women also in front. 5th place? I could live with that - given how far I've already run today, it would probably be a great result - and since I've already had ideas about running this race at marathon pace, I settle back after the rather-too-fast first mile and clock off the next two right on target pace.

But during mile 3 something unexpected starts happening before my eyes: the two women ahead of me - one tall in a pink singlet, the other stocky and wearing a seeded bib - are visibly slowing down. I hold my pace and watch as they gradually fall back, wondering what to do. Then the stocky one drops right off the back of the other girl and before I know it, she's within overtaking range. Ooh, should I??


Miles 4-6: 6:08, 6:10, 6:32

What a silly question, of course I should. I surge up alongside her and then sail right on by, inwardly cackling gleefully at having moved into 4th place. Miles 4 and 5 take us up Adelaide Avenue towards Parliament House - it's a great view as we approach and even better, a slight downhill that turns into a full-on one - it's not difficult to keep the faster pace going and wheeeee, now I've passed Pink Singlet as well! 3rd place? Yes please!

Mile 6, however, is not much fun at all. We make a couple of sharp turns and then it's uphill as the course takes us closer than I've ever been to Parliament House before. Everyone around me is clearly suffering and my own pace takes a nasty hit. Mile 6 beeps as I'm most of the way through the lap around the base of the building, and it's not good news: my slowest of the entire race. Oh well, there's the flag marking the 10K point so I look at my watch: 38:40, which is actually not bad!  And the best bit? There's only 4km to go.




















Miles 7 & 8: 6:17, 6:10

Back down from Parliament House I go zooming like a maniac and pretty soon we are heading towards Kings Avenue bridge. To my surprise I can see what appears to be the finish line just beside the lake - but isn't that too close? It's really quite strange, there's this enormous inflatable archway and a multitude of flags beside it, but it's clearly too soon to be the finish line and in any case there appears to be nobody around.

I resign myself to the fact that I'm not done yet, and am at least pleased to see that I've managed to speed back up again after that unpleasant mile around Parliament. Also it seems 3rd place really is going to be mine - this thought provides the motivation I need to get me over the bridge, through the deceptive archway and heading finally for the real finish. Hooray!


Final stretch 0.7 miles: 6:13 pace

Ordinarily I quite like running around Lake Burley-Griffin - other than when the wind is blowing at 50mph directly in my face, of course - but right now I'd rather be elsewhere. More specifically, at the finish, which I can now see up ahead in the same area where the Mother's Day races start and end. I'd really quite like to just jog it in from here but then again I don't know how far behind me Pink Singlet and Stocky Girl are - they could be right on my tail but I'm not inclined to look around to check - so there's no option other than to grit my teeth and power onwards. And so it goes until I'm sprinting down the finish chute - there's a huge grin on my face, not just because I get to stop running now, but also because I've just earned a very unexpected appearance on the podium. What a thrill!

A mixture of disbelief and delight results in this exact facial expression

Finish time: 54:47 (6:19 pace, 3:54 min/km)

Placement: 3rd female OA, 1st in AG F40-49.


I look around for Kelly and am thrilled to find out that she has WON the whole race, and in fact was 4 whole minutes ahead of me. The days of my beating her (which I'm sure I did at the Mother's Day 10K a couple of years ago) are clearly well behind us! We set off for a cool-down jog together and I add on a little more afterwards to bring me up to a total of 20 miles for the day - even though it was fairly piecemeal, this will therefore count as the weekend's long run, which will satisfy my own OCD tendencies on this score.

It's a fairly long wait until the presentation gets underway - I am very glad of my warm jacket and also the large coffee that Kelly's husband kindly buys me while we stand around in the cold. Finally we are up there and I come away marginally richer and with a nice acrylic trophy to add to the cabinet. Cool!

Sorry, sponsors, my jacket is staying ON.

Afterwards my friend Sonia picks me up and we head out to a much-needed brunch; I'm still quite amazed that I achieved the result I did and hopefully it bodes well for Melbourne - coming up quite soon - that I could run as fast as I did with 8 miles already on the legs.

And here's a gratuitous picture of the pancakes and peanut butter smoothie that made the whole adventure worthwhile - because refuelling is sometimes the best part of a race.

Annie, me, and THAT breakfast. Yum.

Wagga Trail Running Festival, August 2015: Marathon

The second weekend in August is Wagga's annual big running event with multiple races spread out over two days, and I have participated in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Although the full marathon is a gruelling course it is also somehow thoroughly satisfying, and the whole weekend is so well-organised that I never thought twice about signing up for it again this year.

The first year I ran the marathon I could barely walk for at least 2 days afterwards - I do recover more quickly now but I'm also 3 years older, and it would make more sense to just run the half and not interrupt my training for Melbourne for nearly as long. But as we all know I've never been one to shirk away from a challenge, and the Wagga Trail Marathon is nothing if not a challenge.


Race Day

I wake early and lying in bed I stretch my legs, testing for muscle soreness in the wake of yesterday's slightly unhinged 5K win. Nothing feels TOO terrible, thankfully, but I'm still a little apprehensive about the torture that I'll be putting myself through today. To distract myself I get up and make a coffee and some raisin toast, then retreat back to bed to eat and surf the web until it's time to dress and leave.

Driving to the start area at Wagga Beach, it's a crisp winter's day and moderately foggy but I'm fairly sure things are going to warm up nicely for the start at 8:30am. Watching the start of the Mountain Bike marathon is very amusing - they end up having to run to their bikes, Le Mans-style, and bike cleats don't make for easy running. Snigger, snigger, cyclists.

The first 50m of the race and the river beyond.

We runners all mill around a bit after the bike riders leave, and I spot the girl whom I yesterday identified as my main competition for the event. My other friend Sonia tells me "Ooh, she's FAST" and I'm tempted to ask "Exactly how fast?" but then it's time to line up for our own race briefing; I strip down and decide to forget about the gloves I've brought, but leave my arm warmers on just in case.


Miles 1-4: 7:06, 6:43, 6:52, 6:48 (pace in min/mile)

As predicted, the fast chick (whose name turns out to be Sarah) is in front of me from the very outset, and over the first kilometre or so she stays there, even pulls a bit further ahead as I resign myself - prematurely, perhaps? - to another 2nd place finish like 2013.

I've decided that I can afford to go a bit faster over the first, flat 10K of this course, so I'm aiming for 7:00 pace or so and am pleased to see the first mile tick past right on target. But then I see something even more interesting up ahead of me: Sarah, with a group of 4 or 5 blokes running alongside her, is slowing down! I am caught on the horns of a dilemma - do I speed up to stay with her, pass her even, or just stay where I am?

As usual, what a silly question. Within a few hundred yards more I'm sneaking up beside her and before the 2nd mile is over I've passed her, even opened up a small gap. The pace is undoubtedly too fast now - sub-7:00, for god's sake - but I feel reasonably good and I might as well see if I can win today. Or die trying.


Miles 5-8: 6:45, 7:03, 7:33, 7:13

I manage to keep things ticking over nicely as the now quite spread-out field makes its way towards the first (but by no means last) nasty incline which will take us all the way up Red Hill. A quick glance sideways after the sharp left hand turn towards the base of the hill confirms my suspicions: Sarah is right on my tail, maybe 10 seconds back at most.

And then it begins - I have run hill repeats up Red Hill Rd many times but somehow today it is much steeper. The top section slows me almost to a walk and I feel like kicking the small sign that someone has planted next to the track, which reads "It's a hill. Get over it." I bet the person who put that there isn't racing today.

Cresting the top of the hill - finally - I ignore the water station and find to my relief that I'm able to start actually running again. Some spectators are on horses, which is slightly alarming, but they're well off to the side and one of the riders calls out "Go Rachel!" - I have no idea who it could be, but thanks! And I head off into the hills that lie ahead. One good thing about having run this race twice before is that I know pretty much exactly what to expect; the only downside is that this is, in a word, HILLS.

What goes down must also go up again

Miles 9-12:  7:03, 7:59, 7:12, 6:58
And here come the hills, indeed. I have always thought that the rocky, narrow, winding MTB paths of Pomingalarna are the toughest part of this course, but my 3rd experience has convinced me otherwise: the first half is worse by far. Pomi is hideously technical but the constant stream of hills that attack me during miles 9-11 are punishing in the extreme; I am reduced to almost (note: almost, not actually) walking by the time I reach the summit of each one.

It's very very tough work, but I manage to keep my average pace under 8:00 (only just) and then finally I'm on the big descent towards the half-way point at Silvalite Reserve. I haven't thought much about Sarah behind me while I've been struggling my way uphill, but I'm still more or less expecting her to charge past me in a repeat of what I did to Singlet Girl in 2012. This is mostly what keeps me going and gets my pace under 7:00 again as I continue towards the next challenge: Pomingalarna Reserve.

Look at how my pace crashes with each grey peak, admire the horrible symmetry.

Miles 13-16: 6:57, 7:21, 8:02, 7:33

Through halfway in 1:33:00 exactly (around 5 minutes faster than coach instructed me to, sorry B) I again ignore the water stop - although I've been taking my gels I haven't taken much water so far this race - but I'm not a big sweater and routinely race a half without drinking at all, so I'm not concerned. The weather is getting rather warm though so I pull off my left arm warmer, fold the right one down as far as I can and shove left one in my bra.

Heading up the first long, gradual incline towards Pomingalarna, I'm rather surprised to see quite a few of the slower half-marathoners just ahead. I guess the starting time might have changed, or perhaps I should just pay more attention, but there are more runners around than I was expecting. I'm still too chicken to look around and check for Sarah, so I put my head down and concentrate on what's coming up. Which, of course, is another goddamn bloody hill.

Mile 15 gets tricky and as expected my pace dips below 8:00 for the first time in the race; also I have to slow down to pass quite a few slower runners. I'm ready for this, though, and I know that I only have a few miles of this sort of terrain with which to contend. Let's see if I can get through it unscathed for the 3rd year running......


Miles 17-20: 8:09, 8:20, 8:16, 7:04

And then, halfway through mile 17, it happens. Right at the spot where I almost fell 3 years ago, a short uphill stretch of narrow, root-filled track, I catch my right toe and BAM: down I go.

"Pete's Precipice" - or Rachel's Ruin perhaps?
photo credit: snucklepuff

I'm not moving very fast but I'm hunched right over, there's not far to fall and I have no time whatsoever to restore my balance or even put my hands in front of me. In a split second I find myself lying right in the middle of the track, landing squarely on my chest and, yes, my face. I feel my nose and lower teeth grinding themselves gently into the dirt, and the taste of it is on my tongue as I slide gracefully to a halt.

Wow. Well, that was unexpected. Quite to my own surprise, I immediately jump up and start running again, not in the slightest bit discouraged or upset. I spit out as much of the dirt as I can manage and then I fish out my arm warmer, spit some more and use it to wipe my face. There's a fair bit of blood on it when I'm done and it seems my nose is bleeding - I pinch it firmly and count to 60, but not even this can stop me running. I'm still waiting for Sarah to catch me, which at this point wouldn't be a disaster (winning with my face looking like this is going to be embarrassing), but I'm not giving up yet.

At the drinks table that signals the end of the punishing uphill of Pomingalarna, the guy manning it is quite alarmed at the sight of me and gasps "Are you alright??" but I'm too busy dumping water on my face and my improvised hankerchief to do much more than chirp out "Yep!" and keep moving.

Finally the path opens up and the course heads downhill towards the City Golf course. I feel confident enough to let my legs go once more and am rewarded with a return to my pre-hills pace. Phew! Both knees are scraped and bleeding but they're not slowing me down and I can ignore them quite easily.


Miles 21-24: 6:57, 7:25, 7:05, 7:36

Zoom! I'm overtaking half-marathoners in droves now, zipping past before they can get a look at my beaten-up face. My legs feel surprisingly fresh and I still haven't looked behind me but I suspect Sarah may be a bit further back than I realised. Could I be on track to win this thing after all?? To my great surprise I now catch and pass two of the guys running the marathon who streaked out ahead of me early on; one of them is Marcus, IronMan champion and also my physiotherapist. As I pass I turn to face him and ask "How bad is it??" - he winces and I know the news isn't good.

But still, I'm winning, and that thought is enough to bring a smile to my face - which in turn sort of makes my lip and chin hurt - and keeps me going as the final miles progress. Even the stretch of sand that as good as murdered me in 2012 seems to be much less onerous this time around, and then finally there are only 2 miles to go. Phew!


Miles 25, 26, 0.2: 7:19, 7:14, 6:36 pace to the finish

I'm finally feeling like I want to stop soon, but the beach isn't that far off now. I've stopped checking pace and am just running by feel - I have no idea what sort of finish time I'll be ending up with and somehow I'm not even thinking about that sort of thing. Not much of anything is going through my mind as I bound down the same stairs that I did in the 5K, other than that it's half a mile to the finish and I'll be there very soon. And finally there it is! I'm tempted to look back for Sarah in the same way I did for Singlet Girl in 2012 but I don't - although I do replicate my wild dash for the line, this time it's with a big grin rather than an agonised grimace - and then I'm done at last!


Finish time: 3:11:39 (7:19 pace)

Placement: 1st female, 5th overall, 1st in AG (F40-49)

"Don't try putting those bandaids on my face. I'm serious."
photo credit: Ewen Thompson

Without much delay the St John's Ambulance guy drags me into the medical tent to examine my wounds. I humour him for a bit but then get fairly bossy when he looks like he wants to put dressings on my knees and face. That is NOT happening - I do let him wipe off most of the dirt and then I set off in search of dry clothes.

I'm fairly stunned at my finish time, actually - it's a 5 minute course PR and almost 10 minutes faster than I expected to run! I must be fitter than I realised, and that's quite a gratifying thought. I change quickly before it's time for the awards ceremony, where I am the happy recipient of a truly amazing trophy and also a nice envelope of cash.

Fast chicks unite! Oldest and shortest in the middle, thanks.

Analysis

What an absolute surprise, a win and a big course PR to boot! I'm quite amazed at myself on several counts today: not only for running so well on such a tough course, but also for being so utterly unfazed by what can only be described as a total faceplant with almost 10 miles left to run. I could so easily have been discouraged or upset at falling but somehow I brushed it off with barely a second thought. Maybe I'm tougher than I realised - this is good news for the rest of the year. Next up? Melbourne marathon with an elite bib! Another course PR there would be lovely -- stay tuned.

Wagga Trail Running Festival, August 2015: 5K race

The Saturday 5K/ Sunday marathon combo has been so much fun for me over the past 12 months - in New York last November and in Boston this April - that I couldn't resist continuing it back here at home in Wagga. The trail marathon is a seriously tough race so I'm actually not really sure what I was thinking, but it might have had something to do with Benita telling me that we'd use the trail marathon as a "specific training run for Melbourne" - my next road marathon planned for October.

A training run? Those are easy, right? So once I managed to survive our annual family ski trip without injury (yes!), I signed myself up for both the marathon and the 5K in one slightly foolhardy swoop. Wheee?


The Training

It's increasingly difficult to comment on training when I seem to be perpetually stuck in the peak part of a marathon training cycle; I guess by now I'm just used to weekly long runs and mileage around 80-85 miles per week. Nothing was different in the weeks leading up to the trail running festival here in Wagga, other than that I found myself inexplicably tired after the week of skiing. Any day when I don't run is by definition a rest day, but I guess 6-7 hours of skiing doesn't qualify as rest. In any case, I was surprised and displeased to find my legs feeling quite leaden in the week leading up to the trail running weekend, although the 2 day mini-taper certainly did help. Until I did something a little foolish, but more about that below. Ahem.


Race Weekend

Perfect weather greets us - the kids and me - when we arrive on Saturday to pick up our bibs and prepare for the first, shorter races of the weekend.

Wagga Beach, aka the Murrumbidgee River, where all races start and finish

We pin on our bibs and install Mum at a table near the playground, where the kids will happily occupy themselves while I run the 5K. It's a casual affair for sure - everyone lines up at a seemingly random point on the path, I insert myself near the front (hoping to thus avoid getting creamed by the inevitable flood of primary school kids who I know will sprint like maniacs for the first 100m then stop dead in their tracks right in front of me), someone says "GO!" and everyone dashes off.

Mile 1: 6:24 (pace in min/mile)
We all race like maniacs down the path towards the river bank and to my relief the short uphill that comes after about 50 metres seems to sort out a good few of the kids, although I'm still going way faster than planned at this point. It's tempting to slow down but rather suddenly I find myself in 3rd place overall - and the 2 people ahead of me are both about 11 years old. There's a boy who is WAY ahead and a girl about 50m in front who keeps looking over her shoulder. Hmm, I wonder if I can catch her?

The competitive part of my personality steps right up, says firmly "Of course you bloody can!", and without thinking further on it I surge until I pull up to and then sail right past her. When the first mile chirps on my Garmin I look at the pace and wonder what on earth I'm doing, but I can't really slow down now, can I?

"Take that, pre-teens"
photo credit: Ewen Thompson

Mile 2: 6:21
We turn on the levee bank and head back towards the beach; I really should slow down but I don't, and I can only hope it won't destroy me for tomorrow. Past the finish and out along the levee bank on the other side of the beach, the Wiradjuri bridge looms ahead as the second mile beeps but I don't even check my pace, I just bounce down the stairs to the narrow track beside the river and head back to the finish.


Mile 3, 0.1: 6:38, 6:11 pace to finish
This mile is going to be slower but looking up at the levee bank I can't even see my little nemesis, the little girl who has tempted me into racing this 5K almost all-out. I could jog it in but that's so not my style - to a smattering of applause and the great surprise of my waiting children I cross the finish line as first female.


Time: 20:03

Placement: 2nd OA, 1st female.

"Nice one Mum!"

Turns out I've been beaten by an 11 year old, and my 10 year old friend (whose name is Maya) finishes in around 21:30, which her Dad informs me is a 1 minute PB for her. Splendid! But it's time for the kids' 1.5K race and I have 2 very excited runners to organise. Thankfully Amelia excuses me from running with her (I only have to beg and whine a little bit) so I am able to watch from the sidelines as everyone departs in a flurry of squeals and flying feet.

It's very soon that Maya appears again in the lead - she wins by a handy margin but wow, here comes Jack in 4th place! I'm yelling at him to overtake the little girl who is in the finish chute ahead of him but no matter, he's done and in his own words, "That was EPIC!" Amelia appears surprisingly soon afterwards, probably in 8th or 9th place overall, declaring "I'm not even puffed!" - there are high-fives all-round and we conclude they are both running the 5K with me next year, no question about it.

My little running champions!

Conclusions
1. Running a 5K race in a nice tapered state the very day before a marathon is fun!

2. It's utterly impossible to hold back when you are in a position to win a race outright.

3. We will know VERY soon how badly marathon performance is affected by racing a 5K less than 24 hours earlier.

Volksläufe, Michigan - July 4, 2015

Anyone who has been following this blog for the past 12 months or more will remember this unique running festival that takes place in Michigan every year - I ran the 20K/5K double last year and was excited to sign up again when we discovered that once again I would be in America at the appropriate time. It's always such fun to be in the USA on July 4th and spending the day trying to win the coolest racing swag ever (in the form of enormous German beer steins - which you can then get filled with free beer) is pretty much my ideal situation all-round.

There's Frankenmuth right near the middle of the pic

The Training
The what? I never seem to train specifically for short distances, but somewhat unexpectedly I find myself training pretty hard in the 3 weeks prior to leaving for Detroit. I manage to clock mileage more appropriate for the marathon, though, hitting the mid-90s each week and with some reasonable quality in there as well. Having been off-plan for so long and with Benita busy as an Ambassador for the Gold Coast Marathon (and associated shorter events), we really never came up with much of a strategy for Volksläufe, but after almost 2 years of working together I think B knows when to just let me do my own thing.

Accordingly I make good use of an 8-hour layover in Los Angeles by finding the nearest gym, where I pound my jet lagged brain into shape by running 9 miles on a slightly dodgy treadmill. Thunderstorms in Houston conspire to make this trip probably my longest ever between Wagga and the USA (36 hours door-to-door) but despite arriving in Detroit at 3am (another personal record, this one for the most unsociable arrival time ever) Joel manages to drag me out for a very pleasant 11 mile run late Sunday morning. 96 miles in an 8 day week! Not bad at all.

The Clinton River trail provides quite the contrast to a 24-Hour Fitness treadmill.

Race Weekend
The winters in Michigan are fairly dreadful - I am yet to experience one in person, but I clearly recall a day during the Polar Vortex of 2013/14 when it was colder in Detroit than at either the North or South Pole - so many fun activities that would normally take place outside have evolved to be indoors there. Think golf driving ranges, sporting complexes - and also water parks. In Frankenmuth both the major hotels - the Bavarian Inn and Zehnder's - have indoor splash parks and water slides that operate all year-round; Joel and the kids have never been to Zehnder's before, so everyone is looking forward to a new experience when we head up there on July 3rd.

Stomping up staircases and sliding wildly down dark and twisty tubes all afternoon - or floating feet-up in a lazy river - is probably not the best way to prepare for a major day of racing. But it sure is fun! We finish the day off with a spectacular fireworks display to celebrate July 4th and head back to the hotel happily exhausted.

Silliness and pyrotechnics. Usually not a great combination, but in this case YES!

Saturday morning sees us all up early and heading over to Heritage Park to start the day's activities. As is usual with children around, it takes so long to get organised and settle them in with the babysitter that we only have time for a single mile warm-up run; and after all the travel and waterpark craziness my legs feel wooden and stiff. Uh oh, now I'm really doubting whether I will be able to run any sort of decent pace today. Oh well, all I have to do to win a stein is place in my age group - that shouldn't be out of reach even with how I'm feeling.

Milling around at the start I see last year's winner, Dani, who is now a professional runner with the Hansons Olympic Distance program. She's going for a course record today, or so I'm told - I decide to leave her alone and hopefully catch up later - because there's zero chance I'll be catching up during the race. Hahaha! There are a good few other people around whom I already know and this makes the time pass quickly until it's time to line up....and we're off!


Miles 1-4:  6:25, 6:26, 6:18, 6:20 (pace in min/mile)
As usual the first 400m or so of this race are over grass, and with very little warm-up my legs are not happy at all about having to go fast. It seems like at least 10 women shoot out in front of me and I have to squash down a feeling of panic at this: focus, relax, HAVE FUN, I tell myself firmly. Up we go onto a gravel trail and I'm barely hitting marathon pace, but at this point, whatever.

After the first couple of miles my legs predictably wake up and suddenly things start feeling easier. One of Joel's friends, Dave, pops up alongside me and we chat  briefly but then I spot two women ahead. Assassin mode, activate! I speed up - one of them has greyish hair and could definitely be in my age group - and in doing so leave Dave behind.

That's Dave (1885) and the two shirtless guys who will soon be in front of me...for now.

Miles 5-8: 6:14, 6:25, 6:32, 6:21

Mile 5 is my fastest on account of my irrepressible competitive nature; I've now picked off all the women I can see at this point and I'm fairly certain that only Dani is ahead - way, way ahead. I slow down only slightly as we pass through a slightly bizarre refreshments station that is set up as a 1950's diner. There are boards advertising ice-cream - are they really passing out ice-cream?? Briefly I consider if ice-cream would be good at this point, before realising that it most definitely wouldn't,

Because I've just remembered that after mile 6 things are going to get hilly - and of course my pace takes a hit in mile 7 as we round the corner to head back into town and hit the first of a series of rolling hills. Press on, you're more than halfway there, I tell myself, and am rewarded for my efforts with something that often happens for me late in races: I start overtaking guys who are fading fast. Ooh, I love this part!


Miles 9-12.4: 6:36, 6:21, 6:31, 6:15, and 6:04 pace to the finish

During mile 9 there's a straight stretch and I realise I am gradually catching up to a posse of blokes who have all been slightly ahead of me since passing by during mile 2 or 3. There are 3 of them running abreast: two without shirts and one wearing blue. I didn't expect to be able to catch them really but when mile 10 starts suddenly here I am, hot on their heels! I can't be bothered detouring to run around them so I wait for an opportunity and then surge past by inserting myself neatly between two of them.

I chirp out a cheery "Good morning!" as I zip through the small gap, and the reaction is hilarious: they do a massive collective double-take and one gasps out "Where did YOU come from??" The only possible answer - although a fairly cheeky one - is "Behind you!" so that's what I say and we all burst out laughing. They, like several of the other men I've just passed, speculate that I must be the leading female runner, but I quickly set them straight. They sweetly tell me "Great job!" as I put my head down and go.

The final miles are through downtown Frankenmuth - many sights are familiar from last year - and by this stage I'm quite ready to be done. I've got enough left to speed up the final mile and then a touch more for the last bit (helpfully it is mostly downhill) before finally I'm dashing across the grass towards the finish. I hear Joel yelling at me from the river side and the announcer calling my name: he sees "Wagga Wagga", takes a guess and announces "Rachel Glasson, our 2nd female, from Ontario!" But I don't even hear that part because I'm too busy hitting my watch and gasping for air.


Finish time: 1:19:19 (6:22 pace)

Placement: 2nd OA female, 1st in AG (F45-49)

Red-faced and happy but I'm not from Ontario

There's not a lot of time until we have to get ready for the 5K - I know from experience that a decent showing here might easily get me another AG win and a stein to match - and I also know that the first mile is going to suck. Somewhat reluctantly I allow myself to be marched over and lined up, and before I have a chance to whine too much, the starter's gun goes off again and I press my unwilling legs into action again.

Mile 1: 6:37
It's a bloody good thing that this race is only 3 miles long, because there's pretty much nothing that I enjoy about this first mile. Joel has gone ahead somewhere and even assassin mode isn't keeping me happy at this point. Gah, whose idea was this again? Oh, mine? Right. I officially hate myself.

Mile 2: 6:32
Ok, well this is a decent pace I suppose, and I'm not *actually* dying yet, so keeping it up for another mile shouldn't be too difficult. I catch a few more women and can see at least 2 more ahead; one looks like a contender for my AG although of course I myself look nothing like I belong in it.....let's just get that straight.

Mile 3, final 0.15: 6:28, 6:05 pace to finish
There are a few spectators along this final mile who know me and later every single one of them will tell me that I looked extremely unimpressed at this point. The AG rival (who is wearing pink) has given me some trouble but I've finally caught her as we swoop down the hill towards the park, so that's good, but I just want to be DONE.

Still running but sporting a king-sized frown

I know I've put a fair bit more effort into this 5K than I did into last year's, and I can only hope this will be rewarded with a nice stein, because there's no real reason I'd be doing it otherwise! I charge across the grass (my legs have finally warmed up, which is pretty funny really) and through the finish to where my sweaty, grinning husband is waiting. As usual he's beaten me but I don't care in the slightest - I'm just very happy to be done. Well, almost. There's still the kids' 2K run in half an hour....


Finish time: 20:42 (6:39 pace)

Placement: 11th OA female, 1st in AG (F45-49)

There's no time to reflect because the kids' fun run is almost upon us: we march over as a group and pair up, me with Chloe and Joel with Zak. The gun goes off and I'm fine with the gentle jog that we settle into over the first 1K - my legs are utterly fried now! We stop for a few drink breaks on the way back towards the park; the boys have shot off in front and are no longer in sight. As we round the tree I say casually, "We can see the finish line now, it's time to run fast, ok?" and am utterly taken by surprise when she takes off at 6:00 pace to cover the final 250 yards to the finish. My brain tells my legs to GO WITH HER!! but my legs are having no part of it, and so it happens that I am out-sprinted by an 8 year old in my 3rd race of the day. Hooray!

When I finally do get around to checking the results from 2014 it's very gratifying to realise that I have run both 20K and 5K faster than last year - maybe I'm not completely ancient and washed-up yet after all?

Joel has also placed in both races again so by the time the awards ceremony finishes we have enough steins that each family member gets one, filled with the beverage of their choice.

Steins all round!

Craft beer and root beer to go with the free bagels and pancakes - more reasons why I keep coming back for Volksläufe - oh and happy birthday, America!

SMH half-marathon, May 2015

The SMH half-marathon was my first ever race of this distance, way back in 2001, and for some obscure reason has always been one of my favourites. Not because it's fast or flat (trust me, it's not) or easy to run (hairpin turns, anyone? Thanks, I'll take a dozen) but because somehow it's so very Sydney. The city where I grew up is without a doubt in my mind the most beautiful city in the world - despite being hilly and congested and therefore not exactly a running paradise - so running a big race there is always something I enjoy.

See?? It's gorgeous!

I've raced the SMH half quite a few times now - my worst outing being 2010 (coming back from years of injuries and babies), my best 2013 (narrowly beating 2014, both years following a sub-2:50 marathon at Boston) - and while I knew that 2015 was very unlikely to be a fast year, it presented the perfect opportunity to show Joel around my hometown. So I signed us both up!

Past results

The Training
Well, not so much training as recovery, really, after our Boston 2 Big Sur extravaganza. Both Joel and I were very surprised to discover how good our legs felt the morning after Big Sur - I'm still not sure how that happened, although I suspect it was the vast quantity of food that I ate in the hospitality tent immediately after finishing at Big Sur - so it wasn't much trouble to run 44 miles the week after, and kick straight back up into the 70s the week after that. All easy jogging, no workouts (I've given Benita the month off, or perhaps it's the other way around?) and all very relaxed and fun. Apart from last weekend, ahem. But that's another story.

We head up to Sydney with the kids in tow and spend the days leading up to the race doing touristy things, which is a lot of fun but of course involves a lot of walking that probably isn't too advisable with a race coming up. Dad comes to stay with the kids overnight before the race, as he has done several times before now, and it's only a mile to the start so we don't even have to get up all that early, really. Both of us are in the preferred start group and I've even managed to score myself a seeded bib this year (after being rather miffed at never having one the past 2 years when I was probably much more deserving!) so we jog a short warmup, wave hi to Neil and then insert ourselves into the crowd forming behind the start line. I have seriously NO idea what my legs are capable of today, but here we go!

A demented spider crawling on my map? No, it's the half-marathon course.

Miles 1-4: 5:59, 6:15, 6:36, 6:07 (pace in minutes/mile)
As usual everyone takes off like a pack of maniacs and we all tear down the first mile to Circular Quay - I'm a bit surprised that the end of the mile now seems to have an uphill in it somehow - but whatever, this is fun, wheeeeee! I slow down without realising it during mile 3, however, and Joel appears grinning beside me once again. Oh no you don't, I think, and take off again like my shoes are on fire. He's going to have to work for it if he thinks he's going to beat me this weekend too!

The usual story: I'm all laser-like focus while he's having way too much fun

Miles 5-8: 5:58, 6:18, 6:16, 5:59
We wind our way out through Pyrmont and I'm astonished to see some really inappropriately fast mile splits popping up on my Garmin - sub-6:00 pace this far into a half marathon? Really?? But I feel good, surprisingly good actually, and I can't see Joel anymore (heh heh) so I might as well go with the flow. Liam Adams heads past in the other direction and he's waaaay ahead of the guy in 2nd; the flow of runners coming back starts to increase as I see Neil storming past in 7th place, then it's around the turn and ooh, there's Joel about 30 seconds behind me. Let's chuck another sub-6:00 mile in there just for fun!

Near halfway, working my way past an unhappy gaggle of blokes

Miles 9-12: 6:10, 6:38, 6:15, 5:59
The course heads back through Pyrmont and so far the blistering pace doesn't seem to be hurting me -  I hit the 10K mark in around 38:30 which is a fairly remarkable split considering what I've put my legs through in the past month. But the short, sharp hills that greet me on the way up to the Cahill Expressway are a nasty shock and I slow down enough for Joel to catch me again - just as the mile 10 split beeps he eases up alongside me, waves cheekily and accelerates past.

Ugh! All I can do is watch him pull ahead as we burn through the tunnel and out along the Expressway above Circular Quay....our mutual running buddy Tony is standing on the left and yells out "Watch it, Joel, she's catching you!!", but he has it completely the wrong way around. Oh well!

Being caught again inspires me to speed back up again and even the painful hill up Macquarie St doesn't slow me down too much; what's more surprising is that I've got enough left to really pick it up on the final downhill mile around Mrs Macquarie's Chair. Another sub-6:00 mile, whoopee! But I know what's coming.....

Is she catching me? Oh god, she's catching me!!

Mile 13-0.1: 6:32, 6:47 pace to finish
The final mile is uphill. Seriously, whoever thought this out needs a stern talking-to. I round the turn at the end of the point and Joel is about 10-15 seconds ahead, but I've given today's race everything I've got and there's not much left with which to battle. I'd love to catch up more - I'm catching all the people between us, in fact - but it's not going to happen. The only pleasant surprise at the end of the very painful slog back up Art Gallery Road is that this year they've eliminated the final, soul-destroying out-and-back along College St (must have been that extra hill at mile 1-2, hmm)  so when I hit the top the course pretty much makes a beeline for Hyde Park where the finish line awaits. Thank goodness for small mercies.

Rounding the corner to the finish, I look up to see the clock just turning over 1:23. Good grief, that's a lot faster than I was expecting! I throw myself at the line with every ounce of energy I've got left and pull up where Joel is standing, very pleased but also rather unpleasantly close to throwing up. Ooog.

"Wheeeeee!!" vs "Uurggghhh"

Finish time: 1:23:19 (6:15 pace)

Placement: 14th female, 1st in AG (F40-49)

He's beaten me by 13 seconds, a much narrower margin than at last week's 10K and this reflects what we already know is true: the longer the distance, the better I get! It's been suggested to me that I should try ultras, and as soon as a day contains 30 hours instead of 24, I'm sure I will have time for that.


Analysis
Less than 60 seconds slower than last year! It's comforting to know that I apparently haven't lost all that much in terms of fitness, despite the random training and of course being a year older. And maybe I *was* in shape for 2:50 or so at Boston - bloody Weather Curse, I can't wait til that one wears out.

Joel declares the race "the hilliest and toughest half I've ever run!" but agrees it was a great way to check out Sydney, and I'm rather excited to find out that although the field was stacked with fast young things, I'm officially the fastest old chick of the day. My first AG win in this race, hooray!! And probably a guarantee that even though it's hilly and tough, we will both be back next year.

Mother's Day Classic 10K, Canberra 2015

In the true spirit of May madness, I've decided to follow up the Boston/Big Sur double with another race just 2 weeks later. What could possibly go wrong? And it presents the perfect opportunity to show Joel our national capital - so it's off to Canberra we go, for a relaxing weekend away and my fourth time at this event. A quick review of previous results just makes me nervous - I've managed to win trophies at every attempt but I'm quite sure my legs are not going to be able to pull anything similar off tomorrow - my usual trick of putting my head in the sand and pretending I'm just off for a nice morning jog with a thousand or so of my running buddies will come in very nicely, thanks.


Previous Mother's Day races in Canberra:

2012: I ran the 5K - 19:17 for 3rd OA female.

10K 2013: I ran the 10K - 39:19 for 3rd OA female.

10K 2014: I ran the 10K - 38:36 for 2nd OA female.

There's no getting around it - this course is a tough one. In the presence of a headwind it's MUCH tougher, and in any case there are two bridges that each need to be crossed twice. My times here have always been slower than in other 10K races and it seems that 2015 may be the slowest yet.

Up, over, down, around, up over, down, around. Repeat.

And did someone mention a headwind? Because the Weather Curse is apparently still in effect: a glance at the forecast has both Joel and myself rolling our eyes and preparing for the worst. The wind is going to be blowing at gale force straight out of the north-west, which will mean a handy tailwind for one side of the lake and a gargantuan headwind for the other. Similar, in fact, to 2012 - only worse. Sigh.


Race Day
We wake easily and have established (by means of an easy afternoon jog the day before) that it's only a mile to the start line from our hotel. Neither of us has any throw-away clothes and we're a bit in denial about how cold it might be, so we put on our race gear with only very light extra layers and head off for an easy warm-up jog. Sure enough the wind is howling across the lake - we run a mile with it behind us and everything seems fine, then we turn back to find ourselves being blown practically to a standstill. Yuk! Our 4th race in a row with a stinking headwind - the only advantage is that perhaps we're a bit immune to the mental side-effects of headwinds, having run over 78 miles in them now, ho hum.

I'm so bored of running in headwinds that I'm actually asleep

We bump into Ewen near the start area; he's running the 5K and we commiserate briefly about the wind, not to mention the temperature which is a chilly 8C/46F. Then we jog up to drop off our thin overshirts at the baggage area, and wander down to the starting line. Might as well get this over with! 

There are a few familiar faces amongst the 4 or 5 women lined up around me, two of whom I know are faster than me, so this is going to be interesting for sure. Rob de Castella shows up and gives a nice speech about the Indigenous Marathon Project, for which he is now almost as well-known as for his 2:07 marathon PR, then hefts the starting gun and prepares to fire.

First lap: miles 1-3: 6:24, 6:32, 6:29  (pace in min/mile)

Whoosh! Off we all go with a gale-force tailwind at our backs. At least 6 women shoot out ahead of me, possibly more - as predicted, today is not likely to bring a podium finish. Oh well, I'm just going to do the best I can in the situation, I guess. Joel is behind me for now; we speed towards the Kings Avenue bridge and by the time I'm on the bridge I've already caught two female runners. 5th place sounds good enough to me at this point.

But oh my god, the wind is insane - I'm being blown sideways towards the guard rail and a few times I'm having trouble staying on my feet. Then as I finally hit the first mile point, another Garmin beeps just behind me. What? Someone else here works in miles?? Ohhh - come to think of it there's a familiar shadow beside me - and then sure enough, my husband appears to my left, grinning and surging ahead.

I guess he's going to make me work today after all; I sigh and step things up a touch to stay close. As the course turns into the wind we both pass a man pushing - of all things - a very large stroller. He remarks as I pass "It's like hitting a brick wall, isn't it??" and yes, the headwind is truly impressive today. At least the equal of New York and probably a fair bit stronger actually. I'm surprised that my pace doesn't take a massive hit;  then again, I'm probably putting in enough effort for 6:10 min/mile but am barely making marathon pace.

The second mile is interesting; I'm distracted somewhat from the wind by the sight of Joel, slowly but surely catching the two women that are now in sight ahead. As he goes to pass the first he glances back and gives me a look that says "If I can catch them, YOU can too!"; come to think of it, he's probably right. Heading up onto the Commonwealth Avenue bridge they are both noticeably closer. And I'm fairly certain they are currently in 4th and 3rd places - if I catch them both, I'll be on the podium after all!

As usual he's looking chipper, I'm looking half-dead.

The wind is still relatively awful on the 2nd bridge, but finally I'm down the other side and can take advantage of the tailwind for as long as it lasts. I make use of the situation to chase down 4th place woman and we go through for the second lap neck-in-neck.


Second lap: miles 4-6.2: 6:16, 6:32, 6:34 then 5:47 pace to finish
Almost as soon as we head back down to the lakeside path, the girl in front slows for a drink and I shoot straight past her. Her breathing indicates that she won't be passing me back - I quickly refocus on my next quarry, who is wearing a pink singlet and black shorts (in fact she's next to me in the photo of Joel and myself above).

She's slowing down or perhaps I'm speeding up, but whatever it is, I catch her on the uphill that leads back onto the Kings Avenue bridge again. Joel is maybe 30 seconds ahead now; all I really need to do is hold of Pink Girl and I'll finish in 3rd, which would be way more than I was expecting today!

The only problem really is this ridiculous wind, which somehow seems to have increased in intensity since the last lap. Running along Queen Elizabeth Terrace is an utter joke - it's so exposed that at one point I feel like I'm not actually moving anymore. The wind has me running on the spot! It's all I can do to hold onto a pace that is WAY slower than even marathon pace, and hope like mad that Pink Girl is suffering the same fate.

Up and over the final bridge, it's tailwind time again and I'm too much of a coward to look behind me. Mile 6 beeps and I throw myself into the final stretch with total abandon - there are slower runners and walkers all over the path around me but I'm coming through like a bat out of a windy version of hell, and there's nothing that can stop me. A bloke is running up the finish chute as I approach and from the side I hear "Don't let her catch you!" - oh god, are they talking to HIM or to ME??

I redouble my efforts and sprint for the line like a madwoman. There are 2 volunteers there, struggling to hold up a tape but the wind has other ideas and it smacks me in the head as I dash across to finish- as 3rd place woman, quite clearly the fastest old chick in the place too - and I've managed to hold off Pink Girl by just 15 seconds. Phew!!

Finish time: 40:15 (6:28 min/mile)

Placement: 12th OA, 3rd female and 1st in AG (F40-49)


Joel stands by the line grinning - he has beaten me by almost a minute and has also won his AG! We shiver in the cold until the presentation finally starts, collect my trophy and then run straight back to our hotel to get warm. Another successful Mother's Day Classic, another race that despite the headwind was quite a lot of fun, and Joel's first race on Australian soil. What an excellent way to spend a weekend!

Sweeeeeet!

Photo credits (all but the last one) to Ewen Thompson, with thanks.