Run Melbourne

What a day! It's so hard to know where to start with this blog so apologies in advance as 

it might be a long one. So here goes...  

Ready to go

Peter was running his first 10km fun run and I was hoping for a PB and to get as close to the hour as I could.. Alarms went off at 6.30 and we were a little bit nervous but both stuck to our own pre race regimes. Pete went for a quick run to loosen everything up and enjoyed his bowl of porridge and banana. I on the other hand, stuck to my toast with honey and a quick walk up to the front gate and back to loosen up and suss out the weather. It was perfect.

We caught the first train into the city and arrived at fed square with an hour to the starting time. I always like to get to fun runs early to allow time to soak up the atmosphere and get in the zone. It also gave us time to meet up with some fellow running buddies from my 12wbt runners connect group. The time flew and with the traditional pre-race group shot done we were off to the start.

The lovely girls from our 12wbt rnnners connect group

As we stood in the starting zone, I was overwhelmed by the amount of competitors. There were thousands and thousands it was crazy. We all stood there waiting patiently to make our way to the starting line. To put things into perspective you, we were suppose to start at 9.15, it was 9.45 by the time we got to the front. It was crazy. Finally, the horn sounded and we were off.

The Pre Race Selfie

My race plan was to smash the first few kilometers, plod my way through the middle bit and finish strongly. Early on it was going well. I got through the first 4 four kilometers and was feeling strong and ahead of my best time. I got myself into the groove and was really enjoying it. We even got to run down the dreaded Anderson Street hill which was nice for a change so I made sure I smashed it... We got to about the 6th/7th kilometre and found ourselves on a dog leg. Peter was smashing it. He flew past me on the side with a smile and a wave. He was bout a kilometer in front.

I was on the home stretch which is when things started to unravel. Not quite sure what happened, by around the 8th kilometer I started to feel sick. Not happy jan. Thankfully there was a water stop ahead so I stopped for a bit and re-gathered.. I managed to pull through it and with the finish line just around the corner and crowds of people cheering us on I managed to find another gear and finished strongly. I smashed the last kilometer in under 6 mins (a new record for me) and finished in 1.04 mins ..  Peter was already over the line waiting for me - we did it. We were so happy. He did it in 50 mins - amazing..

Me and Peter ~ we did it!

I didn't quite break the hour I was hoping to. My nike app said i crossed the line in 1.04, but by the time I pulled it out of the pocket and hit stop, it clicked over to 1.06. Officially my time was 1.07 which would have included the few minutes I stopped when my app was paused. But it was still a pb so gotta be happy with that. Considering my last official 10km race in December my time was 1.11, I should be proud of my improvements and that's all I can ask for.... I will crack the hour one day, no matter how long it takes me. 

With a few post race pics done, we hung around to watch the medal presentations as Pete knew the MC and was keen to catch up with him. We even got to meet Craig Motram who is an Olympic champion and won the mens 10kms in 29.27. The first woman over the line came through in 37.33... Very impressive..

After such a lovely morning, we eventually made it home and collapsed on the couch. It wasn't for long though as we had a dinner booking at Rockpool to celebrate our six year anniversary. Im such a spoilt girl and really want to say thanks to Peter for being such an awesome bf. For not only joining me in our first 10km together but for all his support and encouragement.
It means a lot..

Until next time, here's a few more pics 

Craig Mottram

Me and Katherine

Thanks it folks,
Night all and happy running x