It was a dark and stormy night ... and it looked like more of the same for the 2008 Adelaide Marathon.
As Support Crew and I drove to the start at Santos Stadium the car's wipers swooshed from side to side and streetlights glittered off a wet road. Getting out of the car at the stadium wasn't a lovely experience with a biting wind reminding me that I had forgotten to bring a pair of tracky daks to Adelaide.
But no matter, the starter's gun fired at 6.45AM and the cavalcade sallied forth. The initial part of the run took us along some deserted roads before branching onto a cycle path and heading towards the beach. The shelter of the cycle path ran out after about 6km as we reached a canal. The wind seemed to be in our face then for the next 25 or so km - hard but honest work for the runners!
I reached Glenelg beach (about the 15km mark) feeling pretty good, but consciously not trying to push too hard into the head wind as we turned and followed a terrific pathway next to the beach. I spotted Support Crew at about the 20km mark and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. I was still feeling pretty good and after about another 5km the course took us back past roughly the same point.
At somewhere around the 30km mark I was expecting to stuggle after running at Uluru just 13 days before. But surprisingly I felt pretty good. I concentrated on clipping along steadily and even stretching out on the short downhills. The last 10-15km of the marathon follow a cycle path along the Torrens River. It's very scenic with just a few small undulations and, most importantly, we finally got some relief from the wind.
I enjoyed a few chats with some of the other runners. One guy was running his 22nd Adelaide Marathon - his 98th overall. He was in his late 50s - wow! I hope to see him again in Sydney and Melbourne when he will crack the magical 100 barrier. There was another young guy running his first marathon going through a pretty tough time at about the 32km mark when I cruised up behind him. We had a chat for a minute or two before I eased away. He found his second wind soon after and raced past me with about 5km to go!
Over the last few kms of the course I was still feeling surprisingly strong - tired and stiff - but still pretty strong. I was able to push on a little more than in some of the previous efforts and in the end I galloped home in a time of 3.37ish by my watch and the finish clock.
I was really pleased with how I went and how I felt considering the windy nature of the run. After the customary cold bath, a couple of paninis and a bag of chips, Support Crew and I headed out to catch up with a friend in Adelaide.
Next stop Sydney on 21 September.
As Support Crew and I drove to the start at Santos Stadium the car's wipers swooshed from side to side and streetlights glittered off a wet road. Getting out of the car at the stadium wasn't a lovely experience with a biting wind reminding me that I had forgotten to bring a pair of tracky daks to Adelaide.
But no matter, the starter's gun fired at 6.45AM and the cavalcade sallied forth. The initial part of the run took us along some deserted roads before branching onto a cycle path and heading towards the beach. The shelter of the cycle path ran out after about 6km as we reached a canal. The wind seemed to be in our face then for the next 25 or so km - hard but honest work for the runners!
I reached Glenelg beach (about the 15km mark) feeling pretty good, but consciously not trying to push too hard into the head wind as we turned and followed a terrific pathway next to the beach. I spotted Support Crew at about the 20km mark and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. I was still feeling pretty good and after about another 5km the course took us back past roughly the same point.
At somewhere around the 30km mark I was expecting to stuggle after running at Uluru just 13 days before. But surprisingly I felt pretty good. I concentrated on clipping along steadily and even stretching out on the short downhills. The last 10-15km of the marathon follow a cycle path along the Torrens River. It's very scenic with just a few small undulations and, most importantly, we finally got some relief from the wind.
I enjoyed a few chats with some of the other runners. One guy was running his 22nd Adelaide Marathon - his 98th overall. He was in his late 50s - wow! I hope to see him again in Sydney and Melbourne when he will crack the magical 100 barrier. There was another young guy running his first marathon going through a pretty tough time at about the 32km mark when I cruised up behind him. We had a chat for a minute or two before I eased away. He found his second wind soon after and raced past me with about 5km to go!
Over the last few kms of the course I was still feeling surprisingly strong - tired and stiff - but still pretty strong. I was able to push on a little more than in some of the previous efforts and in the end I galloped home in a time of 3.37ish by my watch and the finish clock.
I was really pleased with how I went and how I felt considering the windy nature of the run. After the customary cold bath, a couple of paninis and a bag of chips, Support Crew and I headed out to catch up with a friend in Adelaide.
Next stop Sydney on 21 September.
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