From the open area of the Virgin Lounge in Brisbane Airport. And yes that was a Bathurst winnner, a 6 time Bathurst winner to be precise. Too chicken shit though to say anything, probably didn’t want to bring attention to either of us!
In Part one of the game plan for my 2015 Melbourne Marathon experience (found HERE) I detailed a rough guideline of the intentions for the Friday and Saturday before the big day. This post is all about the plan for race day Sunday, the 18th of October 2015. Naturally like many plans they are subject to changes which may happen due to circumstances beyond my control. Hopefully I won’t be talking about that this time next week! Anyway, let’s try to look forward to what will happen on Sunday….
RACE MORNING
PRE-RACE
I have already set several alarms to wake me up with heaps of time on race morning. The earliest will be set at 3AM, with the last alarm set for about 4:40AM, although if I’m not awake by 4:40AM on race morning then there may be a problem (it means I’ll be needlessly rushing). Assuming I get up at close to 3:30AM I’ll more than likely chill for about half an hour probably watching Rage (a TV show which shows music videos on Australia’s ABC overnight on the weekend). I’ll probably won’t be out of bed at this stage, trying to stay off the feet as long as possible.
At about 4:15AM I’ll have a quick shower, and get changed into the layers of clothing for the trip to the MCG. The race gear will go on first, with the singlet and pinned race number going on after the nipples are bandaged. I have had troubles with rashes and bleeding in that area in the past (particularly in Canberra) and find the jumbo band aids are the best remedy. I’ll be wearing the skins on the thighs like I did in Perth as well, with the running gear over the top. A pair of trackpants will go on the legs and either a jumper or track top will go over a shirt which will cover the singlet. The excess clothing will go into bag drop, although I’m sure others will discard the excess clothing over the fences at the start line to donate for charity and the homeless.
I’ll most likely make a stop at a 7-Eleven on the way (no I’m not going to enhance the wages of the workers, sorry I couldn’t resist!) at about 4:45AM. I’ll purchase 2 bottles of Gatorade, one for consumption before the race and another after. I may also get a pack of jelly lollies or snakes, and a protein energy milk drink. The lollies are the only food I feel I can consume before a big event, although many will go for the lighter breakfast and some may not choose to eat anything. Personally, I never seem to perform well at anything I do if I eat close to an event with a preference to maintain fluid levels. Certainly I won’t be trying hot coffee in a hurry like many others try, I’d much prefer not to start a run looking for something to cool my tongue down! Perhaps that’s why this year’s City2Surf didn’t exactly finish according to script.
If all things are equal, I hope to arrive at the bowels of the MCG at the baggage drop at about 5:30AM. At this point I’ll have my iPod on (a selection of tunes I listen to pre-race can be found HERE), probably finding a spot on the concrete to sit and stretch the legs until just after 6:00AM. About that time, following a few static sitting leg stretches for the groins, calves etc, I’ll shed the excess clothing into the bag, find a worthy volunteer to trust handing my gear over to (they’re all fantastic volunteers, just had to find another word), then step outside onto the concourse outside the MCG to commence a dynamic warm up. Plenty of run throughs to stretch the legs and get the body flowing. With 40 minutes to go I’ll take a final toilet break, although I may even swap this around with the dynamic warm up if I think the lines will be excessive. The last thing I’ll do before exiting the loo is to apply the zinc cream on the nose. It’s likely I’ll be one of the few with Zinc on so at least if you’re watching on Sunday morning or looking out for the TV highlights package often shown in November/December, I’ll be reasonably easy to pick out.
The start line area is outside the Melbourne Park tennis precinct, so with about 30 minutes prior to the 7:00AM race start remaining I’ll make my way over the footbridge linking “The G” with the tennis centre. It’s likely I’ll have enough room for some lunges or leg raises to keep the legs reasonably loose. After gulping down the last of the pre-race Gatorade, I’ll make my way into the start house with about 15 minutes to go before the gun. 5 minutes later the earphones get disconnected from the iPod, and they’re tucked into my skins. In the past I’ve tucked them into the armband with the iPod but I ran with them stored in this manner in Perth with a little success so I’ll do the same again here (if I’m wearing the long sleeved skins top as I’ll be doing for Point to Pinnacle in Hobart I tuck them into the sleeve rather than the shorts). Then before I know it, the gun will go off, and the fun really begins!
DURING THE MARATHON
I have 3 race plans for this marathon which I may or may not need to activate depending on weather (at this point it’s going to be ideal conditions), physical condition or positioning within the pack.
PLAN A: Run according to time
This plan is what I intend to use from the gun, and is broken down into 4 intermediate splits and a final goal time.
| DISTANCE | ANTICIPATED SPLIT |
| 10km | 0:54:00 |
| 20km | 1:48:00 |
| 21km (1/2) | 1:53:40 |
| 30km | 2:42:00 |
| 40km | 3:40:00 |
| FINISH | 3:52:00 |
As you can tell the plan is to stick to a schedule of 5:40km splits through the first 30km, then it will probably drop off to a slower time for the final stages to the MCG finish. Naturally if I maintain the pace throughout the 42km journey then the finish time is anticipated to be just under 3:48 which to me would be enormous not just in achievement but in course and distance PB terms (currently 3:58 from last year)
PLAN B: Stick with the pace group of 4:00
Given that they’ll be running close to a pace of 57 minutes for each 10km I may spend time with this group, particularly at the start. This was a plan I used in Canberra this year, and if it wasn’t for an unscheduled pit stop it would have been successful. Many will adopt this strategy, knowing that this is the best way home to get a decent time and they’ll get to share their journey with many like minded people. However if I drop behind the last pace group at 4:30 pace, then I know I’ll be having a really bad day.
PLAN C: Go bananas early and hope for the best
Sometimes runners get too carried away and go hell for leather not knowing the full toll until it’s too late. If I adopt this strategy then obviously the next place I’ll be headed is to the brain surgeon’s. If I try this plan then there’s every chance I’ll be ushered onto the slow runners course for those finishing outside the cut off to run the full length of the beach/esplanade/Beaconsfield Parade section of the course.
FLUIDS
Having trained not to take fluids on too early, and figuring that there will be the charge of the light brigade for the drinks at the first few stations, I’m not likely to have any fluids until the station at 8.5km, which is a water only stop near the old Lake Oval at Albert Park. With personal drinks coming at 23.5 and 36.1km markers, I may only take a splash of water at a couple of stations between those points. My last drinks will likely come at the 39.1km station which is the second last before the finish. With a new electrolyte product being used on the day, I may likely only use that at a late race station or if I get desperate before. I don’t take any gels or food with me on course so I don’t anticipate needing any food during the run.
So there you have it, an almost detailed description of the plans before and during this year’s Melbourne Marathon. I can’t say what I’ll be doing after the event, although fluids, a massage and a big feed and probably a kip for a few hours after are all on the agenda. Let’s hope all this planning leads to success on Sunday!
As of now we are just 9 days away from the start of the 38th Melbourne Marathon, the 3rd in which I’ve been on the start line. Many around the traps have recorded and shared with the world the tales from the training courses (roads, trails or treadmill), others including the many first timers in what is always a lengthy entrants list (the largest over the distance in Australia, even if the top end isn’t as strong as Gold Coast and Sydney) are asking questions over what should they do/wear/consume on race day. In the interests of the many who I’m sure are dying to know what I’ll be doing as a semi-experienced starter, this is a plan of attack that I’ll be trying to stick to for the event and during the run itself.
PRE-RACE DAY
THURSDAY-FRIDAY
Thursday morning for me will see my last training run before the event, which I’m anticipating to be a sharp 8km or 45 minute trot. Certainly at this stage running longer distances can prove to be more of a detriment, after all at this stage getting fitter for Sunday is probably not going to happen barring last minute rehab for those absolutely determined to start no matter the physical cost. A full day of work is scheduled, although I’m hoping co-workers will actually not have to rely on me to do more than required (wishful thinking I know). Then after work is completed after 10:30PM, it’s straight home to try to unwind a little prior to packing the gear for the weekend.
When I pack gear I’ll usually begin with the Sunday race gear to make sure that I’ve packed it before worrying about casual wear. Therefore the shorts, Skins and running top will all go in first, although the specific clothing won’t be determined until sometime next week. The running shoes, which I NEVER wear in the week leading up to marathons generally get packed last on top of the casual clothing. Fortunately I’ve been able to run a number of times with my new weapons which I received upon returning from Sydney last month so there shouldn’t be an issue with blistering or discomfort. With Melbourne’s climate being renowned as unpredictable (30 degrees one day, 17 the next is the norm rather than the exception) there will certainly be warm clothing included, and many will find time in the pre race baggage drop off (meaning that a clothing bag will be packed as well).
Given my flight is early in the morning to Brisbane (NOTE TO VIRGIN AUSTRALIA, LIFT YOUR GAME WITH THE WEBSITE COMPATIBILITY. YOU’LL LOSE CUSTOMERS IF THE SITE KEEPS CRASHING ON FIREFOX) it’s unlikely that I’ll be sleeping too much before boarding the plane. Don’t be too concerned though folks, I’m used to sleeping on planes anyway which is why I always select a window seat prior to even checking in. Relying on the check in for a window seat can come back to bite you, even if you are a frequent flyer. I’ll probably walk some of the way before reaching a taxi rank to save some money, plus to relieve a little nervous tension as I don’t really like waiting for rides to materialise. Given that I’ve made separate bookings for the first leg to Brisbane and the second leg to Melbourne (used my points to get to Brisbane), I’ll need to check in for the Brisbane-Melbourne flight when in Brisbane, although with a few hours up my sleeve time won’t be an issue. A little food from the Virgin Lounge in Brisbane and maybe a pre-race video rant may follow, so stay tuned!
Given that we are in Daylight Savings mode in the southern states (long may it not be introduced into Queensland, if anything we should try to encourage the southern states to stay at standard time throughout) I’m not anticipating getting to my accommodation for the weekend prior to 4PM. Last year I had some mates who had a spare room for the weekend to camp at, whilst in 2013 I had my own room and not much else. This time I’ve booked an inner city room/apartment for 3 nights knowing that there’s at least provisions to cook food rather than rely on take out. Friday Night will probably be spent watching the tube, either the Foxtel in the room or YouTube if I get really bored, plus doing some form for the weekend’s Caulfeld Cup meeting which I won’t think of attending.
SATURDAY (DAY BEFORE THE MARATHON)
I’ll need to wake up reasonably early about 8AM in order to make sure everything is done. The first step will be to find a supermarket that stocks Orange Lucozade so I can utilise the personal drinks stations on the course. Unlike in Sydney or Gold Coast, these drink stations are free for all to use as opposed to being a benefit for the elite athletes. At about 9AM I’ll head to the MCG to collect the bib. Normally I would try to enter well in advance of an event if postage of the bib is available, but given my usage of the personal drink stations to me there’s no point in getting the bib mailed out if I am going to be at the collection point prior to the event anyway.
After putting on a bet or two at about 10:30 and getting a quick bite to eat (usually Subway, but just a single meatball footlong with plenty of onions), I’ll tend to try to find a shop to buy something. Usually it’s something like fresh socks, zinc cream, a new visor or even sunglasses. At about 2PM I’ll return to the accommodation to chill for the afternoon, before a brief outing for the final pre-event meal. If there’s a pizza shop nearby I’ll probably dine on that, if not I’ll hit the supermarket for the biggest Lasagne I can find. The better performances I’ve had have come following a pre race pizza or lasagne, I’ll tend not to eat anything else until race start apart from the odd snake, chocolate bar or jelly lolly. But I’ll be mindful of keeping up the fluids, non alcoholic of course! I’ll try to get a little shut eye anywhere from 9:30-10:30 having set about 7 alarms at 15 minute intervals. Whilst I’m used to getting up early on a Sunday for work, I’ll still make sure I’ve got alarms starting at 3AM in case I sleep in.
IN PART 2: The Race DAY setup and Race plan
Training runs are a necessary evil of the marathon runner, but often the lonely 4:45AM starts can take a toll. There are a few who in my mind get a little carried away and do 35km runs in training, others try to wing it and not do a lot more than 15km figuring that they’d be able to walk the rest of the way. Personally, I love to throw in a couple of event runs to vary my training regimes, which is why I landed in Sydney last weekend.
Like the Gold Coast event in July, the Sydney Marathon has been granted Gold Status by the governing body of Athletics, the IAAF. Unfortunately for me I’ll probably never cover the full distance at this event. It’s not because the course is dull and boring, or that I’m camera shy with the event live on free to air TV in Australia. The fact that this marathon is within a month of the Melbourne Marathon realistically prevents me from tackling the full distance and recovering sufficiently whilst finishing the final training load in a short time frame. To be honest doing the full marathon in Perth at the end of August already meant that it was an uphill battle to get the conditioning right for Melbourne, although that could very well act as the longest training run I’ve had.
But enough of the sadness, moaning and groaning, for this event actually was better than I had anticipated. Sure I have a grudge against Sydney as a city ever since I lost my Game Boy in 1998 (I was 13 folks, give me a break!), and I’ve always preferred Melbourne as a big city, but I didn’t think the course would be as nice as it was. Incorporating the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the first couple of kilometres of the route was a winner with the marshaling area under the bridge adjacent to the North Sydney pool and a stone’s throw from Luna Park providing more than enough room for warm ups. The finish line for the longer events (Half and Full Marathons) were at the Opera House which again provided the iconic setting to attract many a traveler. It was in between that was a pleasant surprise, mixing botanical garden roadways with inner city streets. There were enough elevation changes without having the grueling hills on the half marathon course to discourage those who may struggle with any course that isn’t pancake flat. There were some narrow sections of the course, particularly in the last kilometre in the finishing chute which disrupted the finishing kick as the traffic became as congested as what would be found on Sydney’s roads in peak hour.
Personally the run exceeded what I had expected, anticipated or planned. What I had in mind when running this event was to try to stick as close to the plan for Melbourne in terms of pace per kilometre, knowing that many like minded runners would be attempting to run consistent 5:20 kilometre splits. The plan very quickly flew out the window upon the first check of the timing mechanism after the second kilometre. Instead of 5:20 splits I was churning out 5:00 per kilometre splits, give or take a few seconds. Pride dictated I didn’t slow down from this pace, although if success is to be gained in Melbourne I’d need to be able to vary the pace when the need arises. Perhaps this is a training exercise that I’ll undertake this week!
It actually also felt good to pass a number of slower runners this time as opposed to a number of events this year where I’ve been the one overtaken. With the separation of start waves being effective at the start line (it took close to 4 minutes for me to cross the start line), there was a little incentive to go quicker, especially as the dedicated pace runners were all located in wave A as they were running to gun time as opposed to chip time. Naturally I also passed several at the drinks stops which as usual were deliberately skipped. I always cringe a little when a recommendation in the pre-event guides and at the start briefing comes to drink plenty of fluids, for to me it gives a wrong impression that you are obliged to take a drink at every station. I only used 3 stations in total, and only took on board a little water at each stop using the second small gulp to wash the mouth out. A similar strategy will be used in Melbourne, with personal drink stations being used in the latter stages. Importantly the thirst I felt was so minor at the end of the run that I only consumed a minimal amount of the bottle of water provided at the finish line.
If you are in a hurry to get in and out of the recovery zone, then this race ISN’T for you. Understandably there was a lack of space around the opera house precinct so runners had to walk another kilometre to accept the finisher’s medal, and to gather their belongings at bag drop….which brings me to another gripe I have with organisers these days. I understand that they want to reduce on road traffic prior to the event taking place, I understand that they don’t want runners having to worry about dropping gear off earlier than anticipated on race morning, I even get why they want runners to drag their behinds through the race expo even though they may not want to (I had to this time, needed another running top). But I don’t understand why they are encouraging runners to drop their gear off at the expo up to 24 hours before race day. I always want to leave personal belongings in my clothing that I wear to the warm up zone on race day. Why should I be forced to run with my phone and wallet when my race gear has no pockets? Why should I have to purchase bum bags and extra armbands if I want to reduce the weight I’m carrying on course? Besides dropping off my gear on race morning is generally part of my pre-race routine as it generally is the last thing I do before the dynamic warm up, so why would I change that part just to satisfy people who have little idea of how runners think?
The new “weapons” I’ll be wearing in for the final lead up to Melbourne!
Anyway, after a free 8 minute massage where I got decent treatment on the calves and hamstrings (they haven’t felt this good in ages, thanks fellas!) and a $12 pork roll which tasted rather ordinary, getting out of the precinct proved to be an exercise in frustration. The most obvious route out (a gate leading out of the gardens) was blocked off by barriers for other events which was fine. So why then wasn’t there signage signifying this rather than having a loud mouthed female volunteer having to yell and treat those trying to go the right way with little respect? Anyway after wandering out of the area having backtracked through the recovery zone, I was able to catch a few of the full marathon runners heading past as I wandered back to my accommodation. The racing prior to Melbourne is done and dusted, there is only now a couple of hard weeks on the training track before the taper period to what I regard as my running Grand Final.
Apologies again for the lateness of the report, been slightly busy in between work commitments and training for the yearly ultimate goal, the Melbourne Marathon. Training for that has been a little behind where I would like, but more on that at a later time, especially given that this event in Perth was being used as part of the training program.
I had first heard of Perth’s City to Surf a few years ago thanks to following another of the bigger events in Perth, the Run for a Reason. After considering going last year I made the decision to attend this year, figuring that if I was going to make it worthwhile to fly across the country I would enter the full marathon. Unlike Sydney’s more famous and world-renowned event which is a single 14km event, Perth’s run (which is part of a statewide series as opposed to being part of the Fairfax run Run Out Loud circuit) offers a variety of distances from a full marathon to a short 4km blast.
With Melbourne firmly in my mind, my goals for this marathon differed from what I would usually aim for. Finishing time for once wasn’t important, although finishing naturally was the ultimate goal. Instead I would be focusing on getting a fast time at both the 10km and mid-point (21km) splits. Consistency in Melbourne would be the major factor in my view to improve upon last year’s 3:58 time, and what better time to practice than 7 weeks before the big day, whilst there was still sufficient time to recover.
So just what were these goals I had in mind? Figuring that consistently running 5:20 kilometres would be the key to reaching the major ambition, I wanted to run a 10km time somewhere in between 51-55 minutes. Given I usually cover this distance usually in 52-53 minutes in training this probably seemed a little easy. I was also looking for a sub 1:55 through the half way checkpoint, then anything after that would be seen to be a bonus. A quick reconnaissance of the early part of the course on the Saturday would provide the final confirmation of the plans.
After a quiet pizza in the late stages of Saturday afternoon I rose on Sunday to what was a windy morning. The showers that were intermittent on Saturday Night had passed, meaning that the roads at least weren’t slick (and whatever dampness remained would be dried with the breeze). Unusually it would be a very early 6AM start time but this didn’t stop me from doing a nice dynamic warm up session prior to the start. Soon after we were off, looking to settle into the rhythm that would help me achieve the goals. The first few kilometres were smooth, as it should have been after the course study a matter of hours before. After about 4km though the left hand turn at the Esplanade train station would lead onto the motorway, and the unknown.
The first half of the marathon course was as close to flat as possible, with only a couple of small rises leading into a park and leading back into the start house where the mid-point was located. It was difficult however to find a pack that would both make it easier to pace myself to my goals and provide a little protection from the breeze. It was almost as though I was protecting others from the wind as the course wound adjacent to the Swan River. Not trusting the brand of electrolyte on offer at the drink stations, I decided to only take on board water at the drink stations I elected to utilise after the 10km marker. In the end I was pleased to reach the mid-point in 1:48, although I was concerned that I was traveling at a speed excessive to what I had anticipated.
It was tough going in the second half of the event as the course elevation changes took effect. Running through the King’s Park precinct proved to be a testing time as the many hills and the earlier effort took a toll. Even taking into account a couple of walk breaks to try to rest the legs, the time at 30km still would have me well placed to run a reasonably quick time. Sadly the body started to let me down. Both hamstrings were screaming “enough” as the course wound towards the City Beach finish. I was even joking with the course volunteers to see if I could borrow their hamstrings to finish, although I suspect that their legs were in even worse condition despite their relative inactivity. Then after a late race comfort break, the right ankle started to feel sore and upon the finish I even spent about 15 minutes in the first aid tent utilising ice treatment as a precaution more than anything.
As I have mentioned the finish time wasn’t important, although based on the first half some may be disappointed with the 4:25 finish time. What was important on a personal level though was the lessons from the event. I had achieved the personal goals I set out for, and given Melbourne doesn’t have the elevation changes that this course has I feel as though a quicker time than 2014 is within reach. I also learned that perhaps giving this course more respect was needed, particularly after half way. My training to that point did include some hill climbing, but that was done with fresh legs rather than with after several kilometres under the belt. I’m sure there will be a next time, even if it is to cover a shorter distance just as I am doing in Sydney, which is the next leg on the running journey.
MHJeffrey027 Running 