TWILIGHT RUN PLAN

It’s a little under 5 weeks to go until Canberra, meaning that the next couple of weeks will be the last real chances I see to go for longer distances until the lead in focuses on the shorter sharper bursts that I’ve been incorporating into the training lately. It’s also just 10 days until the Twilight Run in Brisbane, where I’m participating in the Half Marathon event.

To me it’s always an advantage in preparing for a major event to include a smaller event to use as a dress rehearsal. It’s a good time to make sure the important gear is working, and to see just how well a race plan will pan out. It’s also a very different event given the start time of 5PM is much later than the morning starts that just about every other event held worldwide uses. So planning for this will be a little different in terms of timing but not so much in the pre-race routine. Also complicating matters is a football commitment in Bundaberg, just a few hours up the road but not as well served in transportation than other major regional centres in Queensland. All things being equal, I WILL avoid injury in the footy the day before, fortunately the coach knows about this so I may not be required to play heavy minutes.

Fortunately in my favor is some course knowledge. With the event based at the St Lucia campus of the University of Queensland, the mind goes back to the City2South event in Brisbane last year. The bulk of the middle stages of the event and the 3rd river crossing are parts of the course that appear to be common to both events. However, instead of turning left after the bridge and running up Highgate Hill, the turn is right to what could well be the unknown. The plan like most other events in this regard will be to stay with a pack or to follow a pack of runners who will hopefully have an increased understanding of this course. The event ends with a lap of what appears to be a proper running track, something I haven’t trained for (none exists in this part of the world) and something I haven’t done since a high school carnival in 1997.

Taking all this into account, and knowing that not all plans come exactly to fruition, here’s how I’m anticipating the pre race plan to be. Note that all bookings relating to transport and accommodation will be completed by Saturday 16/3/2014.

11:40 (Sat Night): Greyhound Bus from Bundaberg to Brisbane. Other transport options on the Sunday would not provide me with enough time after arrival to complete required tasks both related and unrelated to the event. Meal stop scheduled for Kybong’s Matilda Roadhouse at 3:30AM for approximately 30 minutes. Plan to sleep on bus.
6:05 AM (Sun Morning): Arrive Roma Street Transit Centre, Brisbane. Top up “Go Card” enabling me to use public transport services
6:30 AM: Train to Gold Coast (Sleep on train)
7:40 AM: Arrive Nerang Station, bus to Surfers Paradise8:15 AM: Relax at beach, possibly wade in water to aid recovery from previous day
10:15 AM: Commence return journey to Brisbane, train from Nerang Station departs at 11:20AM
12:30 PM: Arrive Roma Street Station, light lunch (Chicken Sub from Subway?)
1:15 PM: Check into accommodation
1:30 PM: Shower/Bath, change into running gear (dry clothing worn over until 4PM)
2:40 PM: Catch CityCat Ferry from South Bank/North Quay
3:10 PM: Arrive University of Queensland (UQ) Ferry Terminal, walk to race area as terminal is short walk to main oval where start/finish area is located
3:30 PM: Collect race pack, pin number to top, organise gear for storage in bag drop.
3:50 PM: Drop gear at bag drop, final toilet break
4:00 PM: Watch start of 5km event
4:05 PM: Commence warm-up, both stretching (15 seconds per body part per side) and dynamic warm-up (4 repetitions)
4:40 PM: Stop listening to iPod
4:45 PM: Watch start of kids race, immediately head to start area afterwards.
5:00 PM: GO TIME
6:45-6:55 PM: Finish, re-hydrate, Stretch
8:00 PM: Return Ferry to Brisbane City (North Quay/South Bank), Snack, hotel room, sleep, return flight expected to be either 8:40 or 10:40 AM the next morning.

Again I stress this is only an outline, but compare that to a normal run such as the City2South, also held in Brisbane where the schedule though similar in content is shorter given the lack of time required to be filled. For an event such as that with a 7 AM start time (Brisbane like to start their events ridiculously early for some reason), I’d probably need to be awake at 3:30 AM, go through the showering/event arrival (usually walk)/warm-up rituals before Go Time. Of course there may well be changes to how everything is scheduled, public transport schedules may be delayed for example and perhaps a Taxi may be utilised later in the evening.

From there, it will be onward to Canberra, to go twice as far, run for twice as long, perhaps to endure twice the pain, and maybe to experience twice the enjoyment. Perhaps I might even blog twice just to keep the theme of two, because that will be event number two for this year, and it will be marathon number two. (Just to ruin everything, this will be half marathon number…..THREE. Oh well!)