Jenn on the Run: Melbourne

Showing posts with label Melbourne. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

2013 10Oct13 - Melbourne Marathon

Crappy sleep due to noise situation at the lodge.

Even KS felt crappy.

Dress up in warm clothing and took a final photo before departing.

Ben from Nike Rundle Mall run group's, advised to me.

Sternly looked at me and said 3 important words

DO Not STOP!

My first thought was, u think easy ah??!!!

But the next time reassured me.

A slow job is still faster than walking

He told me to write it on my hand.

Well, KS did that for me =p

*In truth, in the middle of the run, only my right hand was cold, i kept rubbing it to keep warm.

Next thing i knew, the whole thing was smudged off =p*

It's the thought that counts

Starting time was 7am, we started making our way at 6am.

I would like to say the quiet streets greeted us, but it was Saturday night in Melbourne CBD.

We weren't the only participants making our way.

I thought there would be a huge traffic getting there.

MCG in sight.

KS trying to see if he could blow mist due to the cold

Ok, route review.

Starting off at Batman Ave. There weren't that many runners for the full marathon event so there's no pushing or fighting. It's always wiser to start off on a main road than the stadium.

*photo by Felicity*

Up from Batman Avenue towards Flinders Street, and turning left at the Federation Square (1km mark).
Head downwards along St Kilda Rd. Slight downhill put don't push it (5km mark).
Turn right towards a park with the lake on your left. Nice & flat surface. Getting out of the park towards St Kilda beach was winding with uneven road surfaces.
Beaconsfield Pde at St Kilda beach is a looonnng road. You will see runners on the opposite side.
If you are a leisure runner, stick to the middle & cheer on your friends. If you are chasing for time, keep away and focus on your pace & road. There will always be the thought of "where's the bloody u-turn point?"
A difficulty for 4-eyes (glasses) wearer when it rains. Where do you wipe the moisture off your glasses when your apparel is already drenched?
The route back on St Kilda Rd seemed faster then coming down. I was trying to catch a few runners to pace with.
Getting back was not as straightforward as coming down.
We had to go underneath a flyover, then back up again towards Domain Rd (500m uphill then down again).
At this point, I had reached my limit. I was looking at anything and everything. Noticed another group of runners on the other side of the road, and I was questioning myself if i was running with the correct group.
Even once we reached Federation Square, the other group turned off towards the footpath while I'm still on the main road. Found out that that was the 21km runners route.
Another 1km towards MCG, I gave my all. Sprinted thru the wet roads, I felt goosebumps popping.
Supporters on both sides cheering. I saw the gun time on the board as we entered the grounds 3hr 55mins ??secs. Just another 200m around the grounds to the finish arch. KS asked why didn't I cherish the moment. In my mind, every seconds count.

*photo by Felicity*

I wanted to cry when I ran pass the finishing arch but I remember I told KS to return to the hotel first. I didn't want him waiting for me so long.

I hobble to the luggage area to change into warm dry clothing. Then, I realised that I had to walk the longer way back coz the shortcut was used as a race route.

Passing runners along way walking back to hotel

I'm still alive!!

*Plastic bag covering my head coz it was raining*

Participant shirt

Once I got back to the hotel, I didn't say anything to KS.

I just showed him my watch and CRIED!!!

Laguna Phuket Marathon 2009 - ??? (forgot to record my time)

Macau International 21km 2009 - 2:04:33 hrs (21km)

Sundown Marathon Singapore 2010 - 5:01:58hrs

Penang Bridge Marathon 2010 - 5:06:01hrs

Taroko Gorge (Taiwan) Marathon 2010 - 4.28.41hrs

Standard Charted KL Marathon 2010 - 4:51:32hrs

Singapore Marathon 2010 - 4:59:22hrs

Hong Kong Marathon 2011 - 4:18:07hrs

Putrajaya Night Marathon 2011 - 5:06:57hrs

Seoul Marathon 2011 - 4:24:10hrs

Tokyo Marathon 2012 - 4:37:22hrs

Rotterdam Marathon 2013 - 4:26:22hrs

Melbourne Marathon 2013 - 3:54:23hrs

*photo taken by Sarah*

Timesplit (avg 5.38m p/km)

sub1hr - 11km

sub2hr - 22km

sub3hr - 33km

With Felicity, fellow Lakers

*photo taken by Sarah*

I knew that once I hit the 33km mark in sub3hr, the max avg page I can do was 6min pace. No slower than that. That really helped me alot because once the legs hit >35km, it automatically started slowing down.

There came to a point that I didn't know I had slowed down to 7min pace.

Hello..sub4...I welcome you with open arm...pls never leave me

Comparison time with KS

only 5:14mins behind him

Final treat before we left Melbourne

Accidentally cracked my laptop screen on the flight home ... sighh...

BUT

*no idea who she is...doesn't matter

OK...I'm done gloating =p

- Previous review on Pre-Melbourne Marathon Trip

Monday, October 21, 2013

2013 10Oct13 - Pre-Melbourne Marathon Trip

Melbourne Marathon trip was the next even after my pole competition.

Only 3 weeks to properly trained for it.

I had a hard time finding a place to stay near the starting line (Batman Ave) & finishing area at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Mantra on Jolimont was too expensive.

And reviews on the East Melbourne accommodation wasn't tat great either such Magnolia Court.

So, I took the risk & booked us the EconoLodge City Square in the city.

Still walking distance to the venue, plus the review seemed better than Magnolia.

Everyone kept saying they had difficulty finding the location.

But the signage is so big along the main Swanston street.

I had requested for a double bedroom that is on the higher floors & facing the back.

The front faces the busy street of Swanston where trams would run.

Bedroom has a queen size been with and foldout sofa bed.

Bathroom was alright. Many had complained that it was old & chipping. Well, it is a lodge/motel.

However, the shower hot/cold faucets was tricky.

U have to twist the cold on first until water comes out, then only twist the hot to balance the temperature.

Towards the toilet is the closet & coffee/tea area with toaster, microwave & fridge.

Oh, found bread in the fridge for our usage. As it...

Met up with my bro residing in Melbourne.

He's not sleepy. That's his smug look =p

I was craving for taiwanese delicacy that I can't find in Adelaide.

Starchy meesuah, fried chicken (u can find in Adelaide) & oyster omelette.

Then we took a stroll to MCG for the Melbourne Marathon expo.

err..kinda sad.

But due to my weakness to expo, I spend $120 for a pair of Compressport compression shorts =(

In view, i could see the Rod Laver Arena where Australia Open is held annually.

To those like me confused about about where this Carpark A to dropoff your warm clothing on race day, its actually near the flyover near the participant shirt collection tent.

Weekend gathering at the Federation Square.

Hot sun with chilly wind.

Can't tell to wear the jacket or skip it,

Actually, we were considering on cycling to the starting line however we didn't know how long it would take.

So i took it out for a test run (in the end, we walked to the starting line instead).

Went to Pelliegrini's for Fri night dinner.

Supposed to meet Chin Chin but she ran into trouble with her train.

Food was the basic italian menu which was pretty good.

Kindly expensive. Front part of the shop were bar seats while the back in the kitchen was table (so i read).

We ate like 30mins, then left. Went for a last foot reflexology massage at Vigorous Thai Massage.

KS wasn't happy with it coz the masseur didn't have strength (no men masseur there)

We had frequent party ppl walking past and making gestures at us when they walk past.

Amazed though on the sound proofing inside the shop.

It was the Zombie walk weekend.

We went to the one in Adelaide last year.

It was sooo stupid. You think that zombie's were taking over the city but its the human's with their handphones & cameras stopping the traffic instead.

The scary ppl couldn't even move!

Saturday morning, KS & I went for a short chilly jog.

He was informed that we should try pancakes for breakfast to fuel our body up.

Went to Pancake Parlour (1st time) for some expensive pancakes.

I ordered the Cheese & Potato Pancake while KS ordered the IT (banana & walnuts)

Then, he ordered another 3pancake.

When we left, he said he overate. Duhh!!!

- Next review on Melbourne Marathon 2013

Thursday, May 23, 2013

2013 04Apr24 - Ironman Melbourne

IRONMAN MELBOURNE REVIEW

We always tend to spend $$$ during expos as Adelaide doesn't have that many triathlon items locally found.

Picking up his race pack. Given a IM bag and normal stuff

Signing his name on the wall of pain

Weight taken during registration. It's suppose to be compared to the weight after your race to make sure there's no huge drastic change. I wonder if they do check it.

The ever colourful CompressSport with their vibrant calf compression.

So itchy-fied to get a few pairs.

The ever delicious looking wheels

Spotted my pink Lazer aero helmet which I only wore like twice since KS got it for my birthday in 2010.

Saturday is Bike Check-in day

Organiser also had organised transportation for triathlete, supporter & bike to Frankston (starting point & transition area) at a price of course.

Since I'm the driver, the lucky bugger & his "mate" just sat in the car.

Difficulty finding parking, so had to walk a distance to the transition area.

Queueing to enter transition area but no worries it was pretty quick.

2 large transition area : small & big.

He was located at the smaller area which was a distance away from the bike exit

While the pros were at the larger area, closer to bike exit

At the run items bin.

So pitiful on your precious helmet, shoes & sunnies.

All squashed up in there.

Bike tent

Ocean was really rough.

Everyone was hoping that it'll calm down the next day.

Met up with Malaysian contigent.

Spot the "Australian" in red =p

We stayed at the Frankston Beach Motor Inn only 500m walk away from the starting line.

The backside of the inn leads to the ocean.

A few people were sitting on the beach.

It's like the calm before the storm scenario.

Race morning.

Road was blocked and people walking to the starting area.

Supporters waiting outside for their love ones to setup the bike & race gear.

Due to the rough sea condition, the starting time was brought forward 1hr.

Since we stayed nearby, KS took the opportunity to head back to rest & toilet usage.

Later, the triathletes were notified on the change of swim route & distance shortening.

Final luck wishing before jumping into the ocean.

It's also a big day for me as I would usually drive & follow the race route.

Scary looking at how they try to counter the waves.

A few people only made it out about 200m then was wash back to shore.

KS's review on SWIM

After seeing the condition of the swim, I didn't really have a strategy on how to approach the swim. I decided to just follow where everyone was going and tried to stay close to everyone as possible. It was quite a horrible swim, and I never actually settled into any rhythm. I was swimming front crawl a little, then switch to breast stroke to properly sight where the buoys are and to see where everyone is too. After I got to the buoys, I just followed every other swimmer back to the beach, we just kept on getting pushed to the further side away from the pier. At some points, I just let the waves pushed me forward and just went with it. When I reached the beach, I was about 100m or more away from the swim finish. I don't think the swim was even 1.9km, it's definitely shorter than that.

Overall, this was the most horrible swim conditions I've ever experienced. I felt so tired just battling the waves and chop.

Swim start video by Effortless Swimming (3mins)

Swim Course Footage (2mins)

*beware of seasick*

Seems like the swimmers were suppose to swim past 2 bouys before returning back, but many only swam 1 bouy then back. Cheating? Up to u....

I was waiting for KS at T1 for sometime.

When I checked the online athlete tracker, I found out that he has left on his bike already.

Transition out to cycle is an incline for about 100m up.

The return of the cyclist to T2

KS's review on Bike

The conditions didn't get any better on the ride, crazy strong headwinds and crosswinds heading out. I stuck to the plan of keeping my power below 175 watts, I keep on playing with the gears just to keep the power as low as I could on inclines and headwinds, and used a bigger gear on the declines. I like this strategy a lot as I was able to go much faster than others on the declines. On the first loop, I encountered some mechanical issues with my gears, my chain dropped 3 times on the first loop when I was playing with my gears to keep the watts consistent. I decided to not use the 39 anymore after that. On the way back, I made up a little time, but the last 15k of the first loop was extremely windy, I couldn’t go on the aerobars as I had trouble controlling the bike, the front 808 wheel was so hard to control in these conditions.

The 2nd loop was pretty much the same thing, but I definitely went more that 80% of my FTP for majority of the inclines. I was really afraid that the chain would drop again if I tried to switch to the 39 ring. So I tried to keep my watts in the low 200s on the inclines. I think the winds picked up even more on the 2nd loop, I had a lot of trouble controlling my bike when I was on the aerobars. The last 20k of the ride was the worst ever; I did all I could to keep the watts as low as I could. No way could I go on the aerobars until 5km to go.

One thing that worked out great was the nutrition on the bike, I used Infinit nutrition custom mix for the whole ride with some gels. I drank the less concentrated mix the first 40minutes, and switched to the concentrated mix with water at the hour mark. From there onwards, I drank the concentrated mix at the 20 and 60 minute mark and had a Shotz gel at the 40 minute mark of every hour. I also chewed on peppermint gum every 2 hours. I felt that I was well fuelled for the ride and did not have any cramping issues.

Overall I was quite happy with the ride, pacing with the power meter is much better than the HR. I wish I have a higher FTP now. The nutrition strategy worked well too. I can’t complain much about the weather as it’s beyond my control, so I just went with it and took what it gave me. For conditions like this, I think a front 404 would be a better option.

Superman running out for his marathon

Quite fast leh...very aero with his apparel

KS said he saw the cape flew during the bike ride

Uncle Tang didn't hear me when I called out to him.

He got off the bike. Sat down on the curb, took off his shoes.

And looked dazed. Eventhough I was right in front of him.

It was an experience for my brother too coz he was with me the whole time during the chase.

To be precise, after KS went for his cycle, I went to pick up my bro (1hr return drive).

Came back to the original location, fighting road blocks & parking.

Sat under the sun with takeaway lunch & tracking KS over the phone.

Don't think bro wants to join me again. Supporters work too you know.

He's back & handed bike over to the handlers

While running to the tent, he said to me "the wind was crazy!!"

Out from T2 to the run and getting ready for the blistering sun.

Cyclist coming back & runners starting their marathon

Starting strong on the run

About 400m away from the finish line, I was waiting in the dark along the alley way.

KS's review on the Run

My plan for the marathon was simple:-

1. No matter what, do not to walk

2. Pace myself by feel and not the HR, I didn’t wear the HR monitor the whole race

3. Just keep on going no matter what

4. Wrap a towel around my neck and keep it soaked for cooling

I think I was running pretty well the first half of the marathon, it was quite flat, I just went as fast as I could while staying relaxed and controlled. I hydrated with water only at every aid station, and had a gel around 8km and 14km. I could only eat half a gel at 21km, I felt like vomiting at that point when I smelled the gel. The 3Ž4 of the marathon was really hard, the sudden change in running surface and terrain slowed me down. I could feel the cramping feeling on my quads and calves, but I forced myself to push on no matter what. I had to walk up a few of the inclines along this stretch as the quads were really stinging, and I was also walking through aid stations instead of jogging by them. I drank as much coke as I could stomach at every aid station because I knew my body needed the calories to go on, and I sip on water a little too. By around 33km, I felt much better and decided to just go for it, so I ran the whole way back without any major issues. I just kept on telling myself to just run and don’t walk. In fact, I was just talking to myself the last quarter of the run.

Overall, I’m extremely happy with the run. I just didn’t want to slow down no matter what. In fact, I thought I could be running a sub4:30 at the halfway point, and that felt good.