Melbourne Half Marathon

Sunday 7.00am Melbourne Half Marathon(incorporating Australian Half Mara Championships) 78m01s  42nd - 1st Cat
Arrived in Melbourne Friday at 11.00am. Billeted accommodation was the swanky Swanston Hotel on Swanston S.t in the heart of the Melbourne Central Shopping District. I really hadn't got any plans for the day and walking past one of the mega Shopping Centres I decided to kill two hours watching a film. Body of Lies with Russell Crowe and Leonardo Di Cappreo.Was falling asleep in the first part but eventually snapped out of that and enjoyed the balance of the film.
Saturday was another lazy day, I attended the Elite athletes briefing at the MCG
Or simply the "G" as it is known by the locals! Impressive stadium and to think we would be finishing with a lap on the hallowed turf in the morning!
I killed a couple of hours in the arvo at the Victorian Gallery of Art!
I had a late lunch that sat rather heavy so I skipped dinner. I'd suffered stomach problems on Monday and Tuesday and was hoping I wasn't about to suffer another bout!
An early night meant I was in bed by 10.00pm. I was awake by 4.00am but got up at 5.00am stomach not quite right. Breakfast was a muesli bar, tea and a yogurt.
I got to the start line this morning with just the briefest of warm ups but enough to make the Achilles start to bite a little. If I had a plan it was not go off too fast and try to work hard throughout the race and to enjoy it! My fitness level did not warrant any time goals as I simply had no idea how I'd go. As the gun went off I seemed to get swallowed by a big group who were travelling quite slowly so I dropped back more and went past them around the side and caught back up with the main leading pack which was probably about 20 or 30 big.The joys of early exuberance! After the first K fellow Queenslander Brendan Whelan went past me. I thought I was travelling OK but I started to feel some discomfort in the stomach. The knee was OK and the Achilles was there but not causing too much pain. Got to 3K in 10m30 and was interested in how I might go considering the relatively sedate pace. Got to 5K in 17m30 and was enjoying the section through Albert Park and along by the lake.
I had last come to Melbourne back in 1989 when I was working as a civilian at the HQ of Training Command for the Australian Defence Force in Mossman. The Defence force had an annual relay around the lake.
The course headed back out onto the St Kilda Road and toward the beach. Between 9 and 10 K I got passed by the leading two ladies and Matt Skeet for Queensland. Nobody seemed to be travelling excessively fast and overtaking was done by small degrees. I got to 10K in 35m40 which all things considered I was happy with and might have suggested a mid 70's time. The Achilles started to bear witness more and more and I became concerned it might make my calf cramp and that really would stuff me up!As we headed off the beach section we headed into a strong headwind which made progress difficult. Dropped water cups and seed pod leaves from the trees combined to make an unusual obstacle. We started come up against the Marathon runners travelling in the opposite direction but in huge hoards! Most of them stayed to their side of the road so as not to impede us. Some 'older guys' past me but I couldn't concern myself about Category competition as this was really a case of surviving rather than racing. I made myself look at the Bay and take in the view and I said to myself enjoy this (!). I went past 18K in 65m something thinking the winners were finished and were 3K's in front of me! As is always the case when your surviving those last few K's seem to take forever and of course comparatively do take forever! I was looking up the G's floodlight and then the Stadium and finally the Gate. It was really good to fun into the stadium through the tunnel and wonder what it must be like to do it in a major Championship with a full crowd.
I was disappointed as I saw the line and the last few seconds of 77m run out for me to cross out 78m01 but at the end of the day it was about the performance I expected.
I managed to hold off Shawn Claydon to be third and final scorer for Queensland which was something. Having aprox 6 weeks off in the last 8 weeks is no basis to run a half Mara so all in all it was OK! Only two ladies beat me , maybe a few old timers beat me and scored for my State in a National Championship!
After the run I had a massage on my rapidly deteriorating calves/Achilles which was a first for me and felt tremendous!
I'm killing a few hours before my 6.00pm flight back to Gods country but I have to say Melbourne impressed me. Like Sydney I found it to be a very busy city full of people - the crowds! The trams and the buildings make Melbourne an extremely attractive city (much more than I expected) - and this was helped by the fantastic weather (26 O C yesterday 28 O C today!)