No outfit post today - I decided to keep my germs (mostly) to myself, and slept for most of the day. Bliss. But you don't need to see me in my pjs. After publishing my post on the Great Ocean Road half marathon, I then realised I'd missed a few things that were really Firsts for me, so here we are.
1. I now appreciate the value of hill running as part of training. In preparation for last year's Gold Coast half marathon, I ignored the hill running recommendation. However, my half marathon time here was only 2 minutes slower than my Melbourne time, and 4 minutes slower than my Gold Coast time, and this was definitely a much harder course. Aside from that, the hills I was using to train were quite steep going up and down, so the much gentler hills of the race were much easier for my brain and body. And, even better, hill running burns energy like nothing I've come across before.
2. I had never caught a V-Line bus before, or caught a train in regional Victoria. Every time I've come into Southern Cross Station I've thought that would be nice, but usually I'm in Melbourne to visit Melbourne people, so this hasn't been on the cards. This might change.
3. Pre-race day nutrition. This wasn't great. Carbs, yes, but healthy... Not so. And I'm half blaming my current unwell state on the lack of vitamins those 2 days. I was craving apples by Sunday afternoon, if that's any indication.
4. Eating alone. This might sound weird, and I know (quite) a few of you will not be shy in telling me what an idiot I am, but this is a problem for me. When I travel - usually alone - the evening meal is a tough one. I haven't yet managed to eat in a place that is not a cafe or similar. I realise that, for someone who is not a people person (shall we say), having problems eating out alone is odd, but there you go. However, I narrowed down my Saturday night dinner choices to 2 - the bistro in the hotel, or a noodle place I'd passed in the afternoon. The bistro was rather busy, and had nothing that really appealed. I braved the cold, and went to the noodle place. And I'm so glad I did! For less than the price of a bistro meal, I had a massive serving of noodles as well as a glass of wine. The seating was communal (long tables), the food was great, and I didn't feel like the oddball.
5. Warm running gear. A few weeks ago, I did a morning run from home. I was freezing, and it was a toasty 14C. I knew that I would have problems if I didn't sort out some warmer running clothes - it was forecast for a mere 7C in the morning. I bought some long core stability pants, and a long-sleeve top with a high collar and zip at the front. At first I wasn't too keen on the zip, but I realised that I didn't want my neck freezing, and it might get rather warm as I ran, so I went with the zip. I am so glad I did! There were a few parts where I thought I might need to make my top less warm (zip, or sleeves) but then we'd come around a bend and it would be chilly again. I saw some people start the race in shorts and singlet (yes, they looked cold), and others run the whole race in long pants, t-shirt and jumper.
6. Post-race wind down. A short stretch on the grass while I drank a coconut water (standard), but then I followed it by a walk along the beach. Not standard, but the best thing ever. I even put my toes in the water! I was not the only one taking advantage of a wide beach and sunlight to do some post-run recovery. This was especially great as for the last few kilometres all I could think was, I want to be on the beach.
7. Post-race clean up. I knew that washing myself afterwards would not be easy. Not really the weather to rinse off in an outdoor cold shower (at least, not for this Queenslander). And as it was a one-way race, I wouldn't be able to return to the hotel and use their shower (especially as I finished after 10). During the week beforehand, though, I saw an ad for the new Libra fresh wipes. Which sounds pretty awful, but the idea is for a wet wipe type of thing, and just what I needed. I packed the whole box. I didn't end up using all 10 - in the end, only 3 - but they made me feel far less grotty and sweaty and smelly.
Last night, I put in my (earlybird) entry for the Gold Coast half marathon - and I'm so excited!
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