autumn 2017 running adventures.

After last year's running adventures, I decided to set my sights on running some longer distances.

The Run for the Kids race is probably the last major Melbourne CBD running event I hadn't done yet, so I decided to participate in it this April.

probably the nicest running photo of myself in existence. obviously I wasn't running hard enough!

The R4K race is a huge fundraiser for the Royal Children's Hospital, offering a long course of 14.6k and a shorter 4.8k version (very... specific distances. but on the other hand, at least they're honest!). I decided to do the 14.6k because of its unique course - it goes through the domain tunnel (a mile-long tunnel under the Yarra river that connects the freeways) and over the iconic Bolte Bridge, a large cantilever bridge that we can see from our neighbourhood.

the Bolte Bridge, from the waterfront

Training for the race went fairly well, although it was pretty time-consuming. I took the jogging stroller out a few times during the week for short runs, and did a longer run over the weekend while Ben watched Arden. Having a substantial goal and a moderate training plan helped keep me fit (although at the peak of training for this race, I posted a full-length photo of myself on Instagram and was immediately congratulated by a few friends on being pregnant again - even though I'm not...! haha), and I managed to stay (shockingly) injury-free. My GPS watch also broke in the middle of my training, and I decided against replacing it as I wanted to focus on enjoying the event instead of worrying about time goals.

Race day was unfortunately a bit rainy, but everyone was in good spirits and I felt a lot of positive energy at the start line. As the event is a fundraiser for a children's hospital, many of the participants were running in honour of sick children, or in memory of those who had sadly passed. Some runners wore t-shirts with their loved ones' names and photos screenprinted or taped onto them. 

The domain tunnel and Bolte bridge were definitely some cool areas to run through. The tunnel was long and humid, but offered a nice break from the cold and rain. People took lots of photos and selfies (yes, I'm guilty) and there were even race volunteers stationed at the top of the bridge offering to take photos of runners by the iconic posts.

inside the domain tunnel

approaching the Bolte Bridge

view from the bridge

a quick obligatory selfie.

I definitely enjoyed myself a lot more running without a GPS watch. When you're a mediocre runner like myself, the numbers are pretty arbitrary and more for curiosity than anything. Throughout the race I felt strong, but I had plenty left over in the tank, and that was just fine with me. 

Also, I'm not usually a big fan of product endorsement but I have to say... Hoka One One makes some awesome running shoes. I'll admit that I only got the Clifton 2's because they were on super sale and black, and for some reason it's really hard to find all-black women's running shoes. Prior to running in these, I always had to wear a compression sleeve on at least one knee due to runner's knee/PFPS. But ever since I started training in these shoes, I haven't had to break out the sleeve at ALL. Which is amazing!

After completing the 14.6k and feeling great, I decided that hey - a half marathon is "only" about 3-4 miles longer than what I had trained for. Why not go for it, while I had already built up the mileage? I looked up half marathons in the area, and set my sights on the Geelong Half, only a few weeks after the R4K race. We love Geelong, it's a short train ride away, and the timing worked well. However, Ben reminded me about the Great Ocean Road Running Festival, a destination/bucket list race for a lot of people. It's a significant car ride away, a harder race (hills!), and a longer race as well (most half marathons are 21k - this was 23k). This was a rare occasion, as Ben is usually the one who tells me not to push myself. I had to take advantage of this opportunity! :)

The Great Ocean Road Running Festival (previously called the Great Ocean Road Marathon) is a two-day running festival that offers seven distances (all the way up to a 60k ultramarathon). This year the festival saw a record of 7,000+ participants, and a few of the races were sold out.

A few weeks prior to the race, I had barely managed to find a small baby-friendly B&B close to one of the race shuttles (word to the wise: when making travel plans for a race where most people are out-of-towners, book accomodation ASAP!). Skene's Creek is lovely, and upon arrival we enjoyed a walk around the neighbourhood and down to the beach, observing a tree full of exotic birds.

Skene's Creek

pretty birds.

pretty ocean.

Prior to this race I had never taken a shuttle to a start line, so that was exciting. The half-marathon began at Kennett River, which is a popular tourist destination for wild koala-watching. While I waited for the race, I got to witness an amazing sunrise while trying to keep warm on the beach.

The course was long and challenging, as I had expected. But the views were incredible, and it was by far my favourite race experience. I spotted a few koalas sitting above the trees, one of them seriously observing the runners below. At one point, my playlist came to Syd Matters' "Obstacles," the perfect soundtrack for a morning coastline run. 

running along the highway

I ran comfortably but didn't push myself too hard (again, I was GPS watch-free), crossing the finish line in under 2.5 hours, which I was happy with. My 21k time was only 5 minutes over my very first half marathon time, which wasn't too far off the mark. 

Of course, the thought did cross my mind that training for a full marathon is "only" 6-8 more miles than this half marathon (most marathon training plans recommend training up to 20-22 miles, instead of the full 26). I was very VERY tempted to set my sights on my second full marathon, especially being completely injury-free and in great spirits. But after some consideration, I've decided to scale back on my mileage and focus on other things at the moment - specifically artistic and musical endeavours that I've put on the back burner this year. Being a mother doesn't necessarily mean I don't have time - it just means that I need to prioritise my goals differently. 

me and my crew!

I'm very grateful that I was able to dedicate the first half of 2017 to running long(er) distances and regaining some of my pre-pregnancy confidence. I'd love to do a few more half marathons in the future, and hopefully I'll feel up for training for a full marathon again someday, maybe when Arden is a bit more independent. 

Thanks to Ben for the encouragement and taking care of Arden during my frivolous weekend rundays, and to my run-friends for all the love and support!

CK