Well the predicted minus degrees at the start did not happen. In the past it was necessary to scrape the ice off the car window before heading to the start. Just some overnight dew on the car.
Was the weather at the start was just prefect fro running. Probably about 6 degrees. The first 5k was run with the sun peeping over the hills to the east. You are immediately out of town and the open feilds appear with either grape vines or cattle. This year I particularly noticed the cows lined up against the fence no doubt wondering what was happening.
The marathon starts with the half marathon runners. So it pays to watch your early pace otherwise you will be sucked along an run much too fast. I held pack trying to maintain 5.10 pace but it was so easy to glide along at 5.00 pace if you were not careful. You run with the half marathoners until about 8k when they reach there turnaround.
The field then very quickly thins out and there is a quiet peace as the marathoners reset their pace and HTFU for the journey. The course then commences a long climb that continues until 18k. It is gradual to start with then become short and sharp. Enough to take a lot of the pace out of your legs if you push too hard.
Once over the large hill at 16/18k you tend to relax but forget that although after 22k it is essentially downhill there are some testing long inclines between 30/34k come just when you don't need them. It is a course that I enjoy running.
My time was about 6 minutes slower than last year. But at 12k or so I knew this would be a very enjoyable run. It was one of those days when the running was feeling effortless and the body was working without any effort. Sometimes you know that early and so I relaxed and decided to enjoy every stride. Thankfully that feeling stayed all the race. A 3.41 with about 1.50 + 1.51 splits. Yes slower than last year but did I enjoy this run - YES.
A week of mostly recovery before Shepparton. No predictions as I have not run this marathon before but from reports it is flat so under 3.45 should be manageable.
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