Run Ballarat

I found out about Run Ballarat around June.

To be honest, I’m not too sure when exactly this year, but I remember finding out about it before registrations were open.

On the 27th of July (2012), I paid my $43 for my registration, and not long after that I got my shirt (but via Run Geelong, yes I thought this was very weird, but I was also not aware that Run Geelong was in partners with Run Ballarat, anyway back to the story).  Yay a free shirt, and I decent dry fit t-shirt too.  I love getting free shirts.  I love having race t-shirts, and I haven’t bought them for all the races I’ve done because they can get quite expensive.

I’ve done a few other races since July until now.  Run Melbourne, and Run for Russ.  Now the time came for Run Ballarat.  I was actually really looking forward to the race.  My running time has improved 10 fold since I started running a year ago. So competing in races, not only helps me set PB’s but I love the atmosphere and the environment.  They are also truly family-friendly too.  I can not wait to do a family fun run or walk, ok walk cause at the moment, the distances are a bit too much for the kids to run them.

Run Ballarat

So this is me before the run, yes I was cold, but as soon as I started running, I got hot.  I love leggings, but now that the weather is warming up it’s going to have to be shorts, and just a sports top (not a tank like I have on here).

Now loads of people were wearing their Run Ballarat Shirt, which I think is fantastic, but in my opinion, you can’t wear the shirt unless you’ve earned it.  And well I hadn’t earned it yet, so I’m not wearing it. I usually like to wear my last race t-shirt, however, that was Run Melbourne, and that’s a long sleeve black shirt.  I would have been roasting if I wore just that.

So I made my way over to the warm-up area.  Now, what is it with people not wanting to go up to the front?  Are they scared?  I don’t care.  I’d rather be up the front, and just get it over and done with.  The warm-up was only 2 songs, and I was kind of disappointed with it. The first song was the nut bush.  So yes it was the nut bush dance.  I couldn’t remember all the moves, so I did get some of them wrong, but I was laughing and didn’t care.

The 2nd song, well I have actually never heard of it (as in the radio, I knew of it) until this moment. And that was the Gangum song.  I didn’t even know the dance.  I felt like a complete goof and was laughing during the majority of it, but I was having a good time that was all that mattered.

After the warm-up, I made my way over to the start line.  I had planned on being in the 2nd wave, so I expected a finish time of 55mins, as to be honest, There was no way I was going to get a time less than that.

I set my music (a Genius playlist based on Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You”), and was pumped.

The course wove through the city.

At aid stations, they had tubes of water instead of cups. You tore off a corner to consume the water. Good idea in theory, but I can see someone slipping if they aren’t careful.

Lake Wendouree is a Ballarat landmark and was a part of the course.

It was around this time I noticed my heart rate monitor went a little bizarre. It went from 170 bpm to 237 and then stayed at that anaerobic threshold.

Was it the headwind that was causing the spike? I’m not sure, but it will be something that I will monitor.

Around the 9km, I was starting to feel fatigued. Keeping the pace to the best of my ability I knew the end was in sight.

Crossing the line at an official time of 53:58, I ranked 311 out of 870 competitors for the 11km event.

Overall had a great time and look forward to running it again next year.

The event was highly organised and run (no pun intended there) efficiently.  I did see that someone on the Run Ballarat facebook page complained about the road closures but coming from out of town, and not being a local there were plenty of signs to warn people, and there were fliers and posters all over town, and in the paper, and on the radio.  So the fact that this person complained I found annoying.  But what can you do, there is always going to be one person who ain’t happy. Maybe they need to get out and run.  Because that runner high afterward is so worth it.

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