The Great Ocean Road

This blog post is kinda all about me, hehe.  I just wanted to share my experience running the Great Ocean Road Half Marathon on May 18th.  A friend from work told me several months ago how she was going to run her first half marathon in May.  After the holiday season, it was time to get back in shape and I thought it would be fun to run a race in a different country.  Two additional nurses from the ICU decided to run as well. So, Anita, Cindy, Ann and I signed up and started training.  I put myself on a 12 week running plan and occasionally checked in with Anita to see how she was doing.  The longest distance she has ran in one time is a 10k.  She was nursing an injury but still going on long runs which is good.  Rob booked our flights, rental car and hotel accommodation and we were set to go on May 17th.  

The Great Ocean Road Marathon and Half Marathon take place on... you guessed it, the Great Ocean Road.  This scenic drive is a total of 151 miles of winding beach along Australia's southern coastline.  Built between the years of 1919 to 1932, it is dedicated to World War I veterans.  It's considered the world's largest war memorial.  The historic road starts in Torquay and ends in Allansford, Victoria.  At one point along the coast, you see a cluster of massive, limestone rock formations, jutting out of the shore.  These are named, The Twelve Apostles, although only eight remain standing today.  Rob and I missed the Twelve Apostles on this trip.  It turned out we needed more time to take a drive further to see them.  Maybe next time!

Rob, Anita, Cindy and I stayed in the seaside town of Lorne.  We met up for a pizza and beer dinner before the big race.  The next morning, at the very early wake up time of 0530, Rob made me a cup of coffee while I pinned my race number to my shirt.  The next time he'd see me was at the finish line.  I boarded a bus with Cindy and Anita and headed to the start line around 0630.  Quite an early start for a race that was set to begin at 0800, however 3,200 people were there to run the half marathon.  Another 3,000 people were running the full marathon.  It took a lot of coordination from the race organizers to keep this race in order and fun.  When it came time to line up at the start line, the area was overwhelmed with the sense of energy, nervous smiles and anxious legs.  The starting bell rang but most of the runners slowly filed through the start line.  Just too many people in a small amount of space.  Eventually, walking turned into jogging, jogging into long strides that quickened into running... and I found my race pace!

Did I mention that this race is actually 14.1 miles instead of a typical half marathon (13.2 miles)?  I'm not entirely sure why the race is longer than usual but I surmise that the start and end points are within town quarters, which makes set up and break down easier.  I really enjoyed this race because the ocean remained my constant running companion.  It gave a sense of calm while we all ran along the paved road.  I enjoyed the race so much that I ran faster than I typically do in my training runs.  A time clock was positioned at the half marathon point which saved our half marathon time and placement.  I couldn't believe that I made a personal best time of 1 hour 44 minutes! Yahoo!  The last mile took some effort and a bit more time than my entire race pace but I finished the 23k or 14.1 miles in 1 hour 55 minutes.

Rob wasn't physically at the finish line due to traffic and limited roadways into town.  He gave himself plenty of time but for a race that's hosting over 6,000 runners, it is hard to imagine how many supporters were there to cheer.  He ended up calling me just as I was closing in on my last mile.  My headphones have a speaker so I was literally talking to him (catching some strange looks from fellow runners) while running through the finish line.  Thank you technology!  Rob arrived about 20 minutes after I crossed the finish.  Cindy finished 15 minutes after me. Anita completed the 23k in about an hour and a half.  Congratulations Ladies!!

Ladies and Gents: The Great Ocean Road!

We are on the road, driving to Lorne for the night

Beautiful

The Great Ocean Road

Having a refreshment at a restaurant in Lorne. Sans alcohol, this is a coconut/banana slushy drink.  Very tasty!

Hydrate!!

Before dinner, Rob and I jumped in the car and drove the entire distance of the race so I could get a feel for the course.

Clouds rolling in as the sun sets

The clouds did bring rain over night but only a short and light shower in the morning right before the start.  Not a problem; it's better to be a little cool than a little hot on race day.

Pre-race pic that morning! Smiling and ready to run!

I also wore a fuel belt, heart rate monitor, GPS watch, sunglasses, cellphone carrier around my arm, and my Steelers hat. Anita, Cindy and I had a laugh at the start line regarding all my gear.  It's obvious this was my eighth half marathon based on all my stuff.  One of these days, I'm going to run a half marathon, naked of technology and see how it goes!

Selfie past the finish line!
Rob is still on the phone at this point.
The finish line was in Apollo Bay.

Rob has found me and I'm making a "V" for victory at the finish line!!

Whoot!

You know you really love someone when you can't wait to see them after accomplishing something important.  And you're tired.

Suz, Anita and Cindy!
Anita and Cindy drove back to Melbourne that very day while Rob and I stayed one more night in Lorne.  We gave them a ride back to their hotel after the race.

The inland track back to Lorne.  The Great Ocean Road was closed due to the race.  It did take a long while to get back home.

Back in Lorne, Rob and I celebrate over lunch at a local Mexican restaurant.  Aussie's have a hard time cooking up Mexican food (flavors and spices are not quite right) but the food tasted good.

My favorite post race meal is a burrito!

Later that evening, we walked along the beach in Lorne

Lovely sunset

We walked out to that pier then back into town for a nice dinner.

For this short trip our friends, Darren and Martina, looked after Maggie. They have a fenced in yard (complete with ball) and a soft spot for Maggie.  She had a great time with them and we are grateful :)