Shepparton Marathon (No. 2) - 26/08/2012

Last weekend I ran the Shepparton Marathon in preparation for my second Melbourne Marathon in October. The 2012 Shepparton Marathon was a country race in Victoria which had a grand total of 84 entrants.  It was also a good excuse to get out of town for a couple of days with my faithful support crew of Sonia and Angus. 

After a two hour drive from Melbourne we arrived in time to pick up my race bib from the start/finish at the local footy oval. We checked into the Quest Apartments in central Shepparton. That night we dined on salmon, sweet potato and spinach, a power packed pre-race meal of carbohydrates, protein, greens and Omega-3 oils.

The following morning I walked to the start in near perfect marathon conditions. Cool  enough to warrant wearing a beanie, with the prospect of the day warming to a maximum of 13C. I lined up with half a dozen other early starters at 7am feeling at ease.  

As I was treating this as a training run, I felt under no pressure to achieve a time goal. My only concern was having only just recovered from a virus, I was unsure if I had the fitness to complete the course. All the more reason to take it easy with regular walk breaks from the beginning .

I had intended to run with my trusty iShuffle but the battery was flat. It turned out to be a blessing, as I was able to focus on the run itself including the picturesque Goulbourn River scenery.  It also kept me out of the way of time goal runners and able to engage in conversation with race volunteers and other runners. 

Due to flooding, the original three lap course along the Goulbourn River bike track had to be abandoned. The alternative course was a two lap run from the footy oval through the outskirts of Shepparton (3miles).  Then it was into the bush on a dirt road and out over undulating sand dunes along the banks of the Goulburn River to the first turn around (7miles). 

Having started an hour earlier, it wasn't until after the first turn around that I encountered the first time goal runners.  Back on the sand dunes, the sun came out and I was able to remove my beanie. At the half marathon turnaround (13.1 miles) I changed into a singlet, scoffed half an energy bar.

I was feeling good on the second loop, once I got back into my running rhythm. At the turn off from the suburban streets to the river road, I joked with a marshal that I couldn't go any slower than the "Slow" road traffic sign he was holding.  At the final turn around (21 miles) I ate a couple of  pretzels and a piece of dark chocolate to provide a boost and give some relief from the sweet energy gels and sports drink I'd been quaffing every 30 minutes. 

The 23rd mile marked my previous long run training milestone. Apart from some lower shin soreness, the body felt great.  I increased my pace knowing that I was on the home stretch. At the finish line I felt a sense of elation, in stark contrast to the Melbourne Marathon last year when all I felt was relief that the trauma of running was over. I collected my medal and headed back to the hotel knowing that Sonia and Angus would give me a hero's welcome.

Later that afternoon I took Angus to Kidstown, an adventure playground which doubled as a recovery session for me.   That night we ate at a local hotel - fish and chips for Angus, a chicken parma for Sonia and a big juicy steak for me which I devoured with all the satisfaction of a lion. The following morning we departed for Melbourne with the body well on the way to recovery.

Route: Shepparton Marathon

Actual Distance - 42.2km

Time - 5:32:24

Pace - 7:54 min/km

HR/%/Zone: 141/70/2.0

RPE: 7

Temp:  13.1C

Total for week: 58.2 km

Cumulative Total: 914.53 km