My 2015 Great Ocean Road Half Marathon - the perfect event

Last year I swore I'd never do the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon again. Actually, I swore quite a lot during the run. To make a long story short, you can read the recap here. 

Now that you're up to date, 2015 brought absolutely perfect weather conditions to one of the best road races in Australia, and I felt that I was in the perfect condition.

Em and I had booked in last September, and were looking forward to racing this one together. Out previous two attempts at running a race together had met with troubles (for me mainly...) and this was to be the one we both did well. Unfortunately Em met with a knee injury in the last few weeks so I was running solo. 

At 6:25 we were in the car, and as a passenger I got to watch the sunrise over Bass Straight: 

After drop off I decided to check out the toilet queues, not much better than last year. I did a few laps of the caravan park, and by 7:30 had done my bag drop. I did a few more laps to warm up/keep warm and by 7:45, and with 15 minutes to spare the queues were only 10 or so deep. Done, it was another couple of laps to keep warm. 

I hit the start line with 3 minutes to spare, so I shuffled three or four deep and to the left hand side. I hadn't caught any of the GenRun group so it was me, myself and I. Bang on 8:00 am we were off. 

First km: The first km was always going to be at an easy pace, up one of the steepest sections of the race is not an ideal fast start and this is a 23km event. I was pacing at an easy 150 bpm pace and felt great. After this, I had no plan. I was going to run fast if I wanted, I could back off if I needed. In my mind the only limiting factor was an upper HR limit of 175+ and last years ill memories. The shuffle of the start had soon sorted everyone out and I was loving watching the waves roll in along the coast. 

2- 5km: It wasn't too long before Hannah caught me up and I trotted along with her for a km or so before I had to let her move on, her pace was a little hot for what I wanted to do this early.  

With the ups and down of the coast line and as we moved slightly inland, kms 2-5 varied from 4:35 - 4:56 pace as we rode the last of the steeper climbs for a while and beat the Kennett River to Cape Patton climb. 

6-10km: It was about this stage that Ben pulled up alongside me. He'd been pacing me a for while and really liked my consistent pace. We talked goal times and he was aiming for something similar to me - I wanted 1:35 - 1:50. I know this is a huge window but after last years daemons I was just wanting a good strong run. 

We instantly clicked and the kms soon flew by. His pace was just a little quicker than what I was feeling like, but this being the run to just run, I picked it up and enjoyed the run. We'd done the worst of the climbs and descents by the end of the 6th km, and our pace through kms 7-10 was like clockwork - a broken conversational pace of 4:15 - 4:31 depending on the gradient. We ran through Grey River to Carisbrooke Falls and past Sugarloaf Creek. It was along this section I kept reminding myself to look left, the weather and conditions were perfect and I didn't want to miss anything. 

10 - 14km: From Sugarloaf Creek to Hickeys Cutting we averaged 4:21 - 4:35 as the road rose and fell, and we had also caught up with Hannah. I dropped back a little to chat, but as I was feeling great I pulled ahead to continue running with Ben. His subtle encouragement was exactly what I needed and it pushed me towards that goal time.

15km: We ran through Petticoat Creek and Ben was stoked with our pacing - 4:32-4:33 average the undulations were less extreme as we were closer to sea level here. It was here I started to have questions. Ben began to move forward and I started to have questions about whether could I keep going? It was about here last year that I fell apart. I was remembering where I went wrong and the niggles started to appear. The calves were twitching, the hips singing and my left foot was blistering and starting to hurt. 

16-18km: My pace here dropped to 4:45kms and I was starting to ebb as my fellow runners started to slowly swallow me up and spit me out. This was the tipping point. I could ease off and make it home, or hold my nerve. Each hundred metres became a form check. How were my strides, check the breathing rate - 3-2 still, land midfoot to ease the blistering pain and monitor the pulse. 168-170 was good, beyond 172 and I was worried about peaking. 

18-21km: I won the mind games. This last 5km became my Lillydale Lake Parkrun. Stick with me here. I knew I could do two laps of the lake. I knew I could do 5km at 170 BPM and run strong, keeping my form and regular breathing. I dug deep. My pace picked up to between 4:33 to 4:41 on the 18th, 19th and 20th kms. As we ran past Skenes Creek and the Chocolate Gannets, the crowd came alive. The locals were out on the beach chairs, kids were high fiving along the road and I got my third wind. 

I hit the half marathon timer just under 1:36 and made my move for home. 

The last 2.2km: I can't describe the emotions I had along this last section of the run. You could see the township of Apollo Bay and I could smell the finish. Last year it was one foot in front of the other, this year it was passing one runner after the next. My last two kms were 4:37 and 4:33 and I felt strong. I ran with the crowd and every child out there waiting for mum and dad became mine. I loved the smiles on the faces after the high fives and surged home. I saw the buses and could smell the finish. 

800m to go: The final 800m was 4:17 pace and I smashed it. The HR was 180 and rising and I was breathing hard. Running down that main street and the euphoria of finishing strong was almost overwhelming. I saw Em and the GenRun crew and somehow found that little bit more. 

The home stretch - 200m to go

With a flying finish and the flying heel tap over the line I finished in 1:43:39 almost perfecting the 1:35-1:50 time frame. Was I excited, yes, spent, yes, had enough breath to give a post race interview over the mike, big yes! Finishing 167th out of 2400 people and 51st in my category was also a huge buzz (these stats came later).

I found Ben and we were both stoked with our time. Without his company I'd have run a much easier race - he pushed just out of the comfort zone and made me hit my time. Em gave me the most wonderful smile and got the biggest hug ever. The support of Bec and Steve drove home just what I'd achieved and Hannah also had an amazing run. 

After a post race pic and massage I had a quick dip in the Bay before the long drive home. 

Very happy! Thanks to Skins Australia for the great new A400s

I can now say that I don't want to do the Great Ocean Half Marathon ever again in the near future. Maybe one day if the little fishlings become runners and goad the broken old man into running it. For now, I've run it twice in absolutely perfect weather conditions and I've run my perfect run. I battled my mind and this time I won, and I can't beat that.

That's it for now, the Salomon Series is but a month away...

This Fish

2014 Great Ocean Road Marathon

You know you want to...

One of the most scenic drives in the world is Victoria’s’ Great Ocean Road. Stretching over 240 kilometres from Torquay to Allansford, it takes in some stunning coastline. There are serene beaches, breathtaking cliff top views and dozens of little coastal towns and holiday destinations.

Once a year this majestic road is closed off to traffic and opened up for our enjoyment through the Great Ocean Road Marathon. Other events on offer are the Half Marathon, a 14k and 6k event and the kid’s dash. This year I was running the 23km Half Marathon from Kennett River to the event finish line in Apollo Bay. Yes, 23km.

We had booked to stay in Lorne for the Saturday night and our cabin at the caravan park was spot on. We were even granted the luxury of a late check out on the Sunday – perfect as we could come back and shower before the long drive home. Saturday afternoon was to be a rare one of peace and quiet. 

A river front cabin, with local kookaburra!

We checked in had a rare kid free afternoon - they were with the grandparents. We enjoyed coffee and cake overlooking the surfbeach, a walk up the Erskine Falls trail and carbo loading at the local Italian. 

My tummy had been rumbling all Saturday afternoon, and Sunday I woke at 4:00 am for a trip to the toilet. I tossed and turned until 5:15 when the alarm went off. I’ve been told I share too much, so let’s just say I think I was heading into the run on an empty tank. Breaky, a quick shower and stretch and by 6:15 we were in the car with Bec and Dan to the starting line in Kennett River. It was surreal driving down the Great Ocean Road at 6:30 in the morning, the procession of head and tail lights of the cars in front was mesmerising. To Bec and Dan, we loved dinner and a massive thanks for the lift down.

About 7:00am we reached the start and already the toilet queue was huge. The three ‘porta potty’ trucks just didn’t seem to be enough. By 7:30 I’d found Cam and Josie from team ThisFish and had great little chat about our race strategies before we were off for a quick warm up. 7:50 and Em and I headed to the line. My race plan was to run the first 2-3ks with Em and Bec and then move through the field, picking up places and pace as I went along. Well, 8:00 gun time came and went, and we were all scratching our heads as to why the delayed start. It seems the porta potty trucks just weren’t enough for the crowd... (an update, I've also heard that the marathon timing points were delayed in Lorne).

 

My earlier tummy issues seemed to settle and a calmness came over me. We’d been chatting to Bryan at the start and then it was time to run.

The first 1-3kms was amazing. Here I am, running on one of the greatest roads in the world with my wife by my side. Well, and a few thousand others! Em, Bec and I were amazed at how quickly the field had spread, as we could see the leading runners a few bends ahead of us. Our placement in the field was quite congested, you could see how it was thinning out near the lead.The pounding of feet soon became a rhythmic beat as we started up the first hill. We were running an ‘easy’ 5:00 min/k pace and I think I was talking too much. To my left were crystal clear seas with gently rolling waves. To the right, rising and falling hills and cliff tops. The first hill came and went, and the scenery was always changing. As we continued on our ways I saw Josie fly by. She was looking very strong.

At about 2 and a half kms in I said goodbye to Em and picked up the pace. The rad continued to rise and fall and came inland for a while. The bush seemed to close in over the road and at this point I picked up Cam and we ran together for a while. 5ks in and I was feeling really strong. I rarely take in the scenery, but today I made sure I looked to the left and the right. I don’t think I could have had a more perfect day. The seas were perfect, the gentle tail wind flowing out over the cliffs and rocks created the perfect waves, waves that seemed to roll forever. The road rose and fell and I was enjoying playing cat and mouse with quite a few runners. I’d pick them up on the hill and the down and they’d ping me back on the flats.

The sweeping corners always kept that next part of the road hidden, like a great trail run you never knew what was coming up next. I was hitting low fours on the descents, 4:30ish on the flatter parts and about 4:45 on the ‘climbs’. I have to say at this stage the run was one of my most enjoyable ever, as every corner game you a new section of coast and surf on the left and imposing cliffs, rolling hills or Aussie bush on the right.

At about the 15k mark my stomach started to play up again. I was feeling bloated and it was just churning away. I felt like I wanted to pull off to the side and empty my stomach. It came and went like the waves beside me but I couldn’t settle into a happy place. As we neared Skenes Creek I should have been elated, but honestly, I just wanted the end. My pace was dropping and I was pulling off to the side, breaking up the jogging with some quick walking.

With roughly 4ks to go, Em and Bec caught me up. I ran with them for a few hundred metres before wishing them all the best. At this point the camaraderie of the event really shone through. I lost count of the number of people that pulled me along. I’d run with them for a while, the watch them escape into the distance. I hit the half marathon timing point and knew that I was almost home. Soon it was Cam’s turn to catch up with me, and we were going to finish the run together. The last 2kms seemed to take forever. My energy had been zapped and I did what I could to get to the line. 

Running down the main street of Apollo Bay made the trip all worth it. The crowd was buzzing, and seeing Cam run the last few hundred with is little girl reminded me of why I started running and was the inspiration I needed to finish as strong as I could.

I soon found Em, who after sharing her concern for me was elated to have run 1:53. 

Regular readers will remember my running in-laws. Bec was the first female over the line and the always improving Steve smashed a sub 1:35. Happy days for the family.

So, while I was over the line in 2:00:30 and a long way from where I wanted to be, I am proud to be writing this.

I ran the race I wanted. After hearing of David’s slow and steady start strategy at 2 Bays, I took the start of the run easy. It was difficult watching so many people head out and ‘leave us behind’ but I did it. And, I was not going to miss out on the running with my Em on one of the world’s best courses. I had wanted to be that runner that just picks and weaves through the field and I did, for a good ¾s of the race. I ran the way I wanted and it felt good.

So, as I type I am questioning if I’ll do it again next year. For now, I’m hanging up the distance shoes and shifting my focus to the short and sharp 6-10k trail events. I’m looking forward to training shorter yet harder. I’ve got a whole trail runners paradise to explore around Silvan and I’m going to make it my home. 

I'll leave you with one more magical photo as I sign off for now. 

Happy running!

It caught our eye on the way home!