Macleay River Half Marathon

Result

Official Time: 1hr 45min 12sec
Overall Position: 41 / 119
Category Position 10 / 20


Pre Race

I went to bed close to 11pm with the rain pouring down outside, with more of the same promised for the day along with gale force winds!! So what a surprise to arrive at South West Rocks for a truly beautiful morning with a bit of a breeze that was more refreshing that anything else.

One thing that caught my attention on the drive in was the hill climb approaching 1km to go. It threw me out as I was surprised by the length and degree of it…I had known it was there, but I thought it was shorter.

I arrived early enough to sort out the formalities and watch the roughly 60 runners take off for the start of the Marathon. I then wandered back to my car to gear up. I took my sweet time about it too, as I was also having a chat to a couple getting ready in the car next to me. This meant I only had time for a quick jog back to the start to line up with the other 118 runners a couple of minutes before the start.


Underway

So away we went, heading out of the caravan park past the old Trial Bay Gaol and off towards the town of South West Rocks. Much of the course is along pathways until you head out of town again in the direction of Kempsey. I felt fairly comfortable cruising along just under 5 min/km pace all the way out to the turnaround. I didn’t get the exact turnaround time, but I was 48:50 through 10km.

I had a couple of cars worth of “support crew” that arrived just in time to see us run past the gaol at the start before they headed out to one of the intersections around the 9km and 12km mark to provide a welcome boost, as well as catching a bit of video and some photos. They arrived separately to me as my daughter doesn’t do pre 6am too well!

I was around a small group of runners for much of the race. I kept swapping places with one woman in particular. I’d overtake her on the hills and the drink stations, then she’d draw me back in on the downhill and flatter sections.

I know why my pace dropped slightly on the return leg. I was too preoccupied with the hill just before the finish, which in reality was no worse than anything I’ve done in training, but for some reason it played on my mind, and I was too conscious of wanting to make sure I had enough left to not lose much pace on it.

I realise now that I needn’t have been too concerned about it, particularly given my recent habit of finishing my long runs with an uphill climb. With 5km left my main dueller had kicked away and she had half a minute on me at the finish. Part way up the hill I thought “this isn’t so bad”, and I could hear the announcer and crowd cheering at the finish line so I just powered into it from there. I was talking later to another woman that was behind me at the time, and she said that she tried to stay with me on the climb but I took off too fast. From the top of that hill it’s a great downhill run to the finish for the final several hundred meters and I was really charging all the way to the end. I had a 20 second gap either side of me in the end so I had the finish all to myself. It’s a fantastic feeling coming around the bend and hearing the announcer’s voice calling your name and the crowd cheering you in!!

So in the end I got the time that I was aiming for (give or take 12 seconds!) and gained some valuable experience so I am very happy :o)


After thoughts

A wonderful event, characterised by...
Plenty of parking…beautiful location…friendly, well organised event…drinks stations every 5km (more frequent in the first/last 5km)…special needs transported to drink stations…personal announcements for Half and Full Marathon runners…great place for a post race swim …20 cent hot showers…free massage…homemade cakes, and sandwiches…BBQ…plenty of room to lay about on the grass afterwards…heaps of prizes and giveaways…bargain at $30 for the Half.

We were able to spread out the blanket and have a family picnic as the finishers in the marathon came through prior to the presentation. I couldn’t believe how many awards and giveaways there were!! Mountain Man finished his 304th marathon during the course of the presentation and got a big reception.

It really is a well run event in a beautiful location. I’m looking forward to heading back next year, certainly for the Half again if not the Full. I’m still thinking Canberra would be good for a first Marathon though.

A few photos if you're into running photos!

On the way out...about 9km:


On the way back...about 12km:




For later reference…tune out now!

I was way too laid back on the morning and the day before. I was distracted with other things on Saturday, and even on the morning right up to the last minute was more focussed on the now rather than what was coming. Apart from making sure I had everything I needed I didn’t give any last minute thought to my mental attitude to the race. Often if I’ve got a tough training session I’ll run through it beforehand, preparing myself for when I'll have to push through the difficult sections. As such I feel like I coasted through most of the run, which was fine for the first half, but the second half (particularly the final 5km) could have been at a more solid pace if I was better prepared to tough it out. Relaxed is good, but some nerves and mental determination don’t hurt either.
I'm not down on myself for this at all - it's just something I wanted to note for future reference. I'm happier to have had an enjoyable time and finished as I did, knowing that I can improve and will be better for the experience in future efforts.

I was breathing very comfortably the entire run, perhaps with the exception of the last km when I was pushing harder.

I had two gels…probably overkill, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. Both High 5 Raspberry, at 45min and 1hr 20min. Used fuel belt, 2 x water, 2 x powerade…refilled the water on the run from the aid station cups.

1km markers to 5km, then 10km and turnaround at 10.55km, which is not far past the Jerseyville Bridge.