The Bunbury Runners Club do a great job of organising events, and they are closely linked to the Tri Club and Cycling Club. Bunbury has lots of great events and lots of community involvement. I really enjoy going to their events. Each one has been professional, fun, and really welcoming to the newbie!
This one was no different!
Even though I arrived very late for registration, I was in and they gave me my number: 19 ... I decided it's a good number!
 |
| Ready to go! |
Mat was great, he carried around my extra layers - by 7:45 I was out of my jacket and extra pants. I had dressed like I was still in Katanning! I actually had two layers of shirts on too, and in hind sight could have lost the top one, but oh well! He also took photos and stood around waiting, and cheered me on lots and lots!
So 10k runners were out first, with the 5k'ers to head out 5 minutes later. The start was so exciting! What a rush to be in a huge crowd, with a big count down "5, 4, 3, 2, 1 AIR HORN" and you're just swept away by the big rush of people! Quite exhilarating!
 |
| Where's Waldo? In blue below and slightly right of the tall blue flag! |
But that's when the camera died! So Mat had to take photos on our phone, which isn't one of those fancy ones with great resolution or anything...
Anyway, for the 10k run you do two 5k loops around the estuary. They did a nice thing, making the trip clockwise, which means you run the hills at the beginning and the last 2.5km is all a gentle downhill run.
It was quite congested on the way out, but we started to string along. I passed some people, some people passed me. In fact, so many people passed me that I was a little worried for awhile there that there might not be anyone left behind me! But there was! There was the constant tap-taping of another person's feet, right behind me. I was determined to keep her there, and we ran without chatting the whole first lap.
 |
| 5k - Half-way! (My little shadow in yellow) |
I finished the first 5km in a fairly comfortable 30ish minutes, and although I had a little twinge in my knee I was resolved to complete the full 10k run, even if it meant walking. I tried using positive mental chatter with myself to not focus on the knee or on the challenge, and you know what?! It really works!
I started to chat just a little with the lady behind me. She had only run 10km three times leading up to training, but had done the 5km last year, and was a tri-club member. We ran again in silence for a few ks, and I felt her pressing a few times, but then, along the boardwalk, I felt running magic happen! The best word I can use to describe the sensation was oozing!
I was oozing along the boardwalk.
Long easy strides, just feeling so loose and free, it was incredible! I had been keeping tabs on my pace, and was doing around a 5 minute kilometre for the last three! That was a thrill!
At the 8k mark my shadow asked me how our time was going. I told her 46 minutes and she perked right up! "Oh, I might be able to finish in an hour! I was aiming at an hour ten!" And I agreed, I was going for anything from an hour to an hour-and-a-half, but we were looking really good.
Anyway, we ran and chatted a bit for the 8-9km, about the weather, running, and whatever, for that kilometre, and then at 9ks she hit the gas. And wow did she move! I was chasing her down, and stuck on her for about 300 meters, then she started to pull away, and I had to stop chasing and make sure I finished. I had no intention of vomiting at the end of the race! I still went hard the last few hundred, and crossed the line probably about 30 or more seconds behind her, but I came in around 57:54 (official time will be posted online tomorrow), and I felt great!
 |
| Racing into a sub-60 finish! |
Mat said I looked way better as I came in from the second lap. Moving straighter and more freely than he's seen me run before. It felt great!
I wasn't even as puffed as I could have been, I recovered quickly, but, despite stretching, my legs tightened up pretty quickly. Both calves and upper/outer hamstring on the right side. This is partly why my knee aches, and I stretched my IT band and hamstrings and glutes a lot, but sitting in the car for the trip back to Nell's tightened me back up. I showered and stretched again, and felt pretty good, but had to laugh when, at the Farmer's Market, I decided to quickly jog out of the way of an oncoming car (cars don't stop for pedestrians in Oz) and my body simply did not respond! It was a real laugh to ask for a jog and get ... uh ... NOTHING! hahah It probably resembled something like a penguin shuffling along!
Anyway, we tripped home early, and I had a nice afternoon nap and am feeling pretty darn proud of myself!
However, I do have one note-to-self:
Always charge the batteries!
Whoot! Awesomness! Way to go! :-)
ReplyDelete