Race 1 – Sunset Series Melbourne Zoo

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Its begun…and there off. Race 1 of 2014 is completed. An easy 7.5km round the outside and inside of Melbourne Zoo. A novelty run really but something nice to experience. In terms of organisation it was a typical Start to Finish run, very well organised, lots of water stations and exactly what you’d expect.

The run was extremely busy so I struggled really to keep any good pace throughout, there were sections inside the zoo on the wooden board walks where the runners were expected to run in single file. There is however two ways of looking at this, after the first lap when I realised where these sections were, I adjusted my style a little bit to run a bit faster on the sections where I knew I had space to overtake people and then take a breather in the sections where the groups bunched back up again.

I managed to sprint the line as well, but maybe only the last 100m because the course was so tight and I wasn’t quite sure where the line was.

I finished in an okay time of 36 minutes and 36 seconds, considering the struggle keeping pace, the hot evening (over 30c) and the first race of the year I’m more than happy with a sub 5 minute k time.

The series is a three series event with 2 more coming up in the next month with races at the Tan and Princes Park. I’m little unsure if they are going to be the same distance because this race originally was billed as an 8k race. Its always nice with a series to compare times over the three events.

6 February 2014

The Pull of the Moon

I sometimes dream I’m running, running towards the moon on the horizon in the darkness. The ground obscures half of it, making it semi circular but as I climb the hill, the moon gets bigger and bigger. I reach the top of the hill and I see the moon in all its glory, the bright shimmering silverness fills my vision and contrasts with the night sky around it almost blinding me.

My shadow extends as I get closer and closer to it, until it seems my shadow is as long as the road I’ve travelled to get there.

I’m not sure what this dream is telling me, I don’t dream it very often, just when I haven’t run for a while. Maybe its telling me like the tides are drawn to the moon, I’d drawn to the open road, to run and to explore. That exploration doesn’t necessarily have to be in a physical sense but maybe in a mental sense.

My 2014 running season begin in earnest tomorrow, Wednesday when I start with a 7.2km run for the Brooks Sunset series around the zoo. Initially when I entered the series (3 races) I thought when the zoo was mentioned this would mean the run would be round the outside, which suited me fine because we live really close to the zoo.

However when I received the instructions a few days ago, I found out the run is inside the zoo and follows the paths past the animal enclosures, so I’m now really looking forward to it.

I’m not sure I’m in that good shape than I’d like to be for this first run, after nearly two weeks off work and have little routine, my running has been piecemeal at best. I’m probably only averaging around 15km a week over two runs. Which for this sort of distance is fine but with the Geelong half on the horizon in April, I really need to start to think about picking the distance up to a weekly 20km or more.

I have run 15km a couple of times this year and handled it better than expected so maybe I’m worrying about nothing. I though have a little niggling injury at the moment and seem to have strained the muscles in my stomach which can make it a little painful once I pick up pace or sprint, but I’m hoping with a bit of rest lately this will clear itself up.

I’m really looking forward to the opening race of my season and hopefully I may even eclipse the 13 races I managed last year. The plan is again a couple of halfs in there and a full but time will tell how we go with that one.

For now I will continue to dream of future glories.

4 February 2014

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