So, now that Steamboat is over (I’m working on a follow up post to the recap), I’m already a few weeks into training for the Equinox Half after taking it easy in June.
I’m spending a couple weeks in Melbourne, Australia for work and was invited by a coworker (in the black Mel tank) to run with a local Nike+ running club last Wednesday. We ran with the 5:30 training group for a 10k distance. It was so much fun that I plan to go again this week.
One thing I learned: hills at sea level are a lot easier than at 5,000 feet! I was flying past everyone on the uphills and not feeling any extra effort. For someone who is definitely not a sprinter, it was an interesting change. 
Saturday morning was an easy run of just over 2 miles across the Yarra to Albert park to join a free 5k put on by parkrun. The first 5k that I’ve joined because I’m too cheap to pay for such a short race. Ha!
Northern Colorado needs to jump on the parkrun bandwagon ASAP!
parkrun organizes free, weekly, 5k runs complete with timed results and the runs are staffed by volunteers.
When I signed up, I received a barcode that I printed off (the instructions suggested laminating it) to bring with. Before the start, all of the first time participants are brought to the side to receive some brief instructions about the race and what to do at the finish.
The gun went off at the start and 235 runners jostled each other between the lake and a hill as we all found our pace and spread out. I started too far back and ended up half jogging/half walking for a bit until I could move out to the edge to pass. It takes me a while to build up speed anyway so a slow start was fine with me.
The race goes counter clockwise around the lake and is mostly a flat, dirt path. I discovered that I don’t really care for the 5k distance. There isn’t enough time to really fall into a good pace but it’s too long to just sprint and get it over with. The morning was cold and sunny; perfect for running.
As I crossed the finish line, a volunteer clocked my time as another one yelled 89 and handed me a chip with a barcode. Cones are set up from the finish to guide runners to a picnic table where two volunteers scan your personal barcode and the chip you receive at the finish. There was also a volunteer going down the line with a clipboard gathering volunteers for the next week. Good idea.
I asked someone to take a picture of me by the finish and two volunteers started photobombing behind me so I pulled them into the picture with me. The guy on my left apparently fell in the lake during one of the runs. Now that I look at the picture, it looks as though I’m shaking the other guy’s hand but in a very compromising position…..
After that, I restarted my Garmin which had been paused during the pre and post run stops and ran back across the bridge and past the aquarium to the hotel.
The rest of my runs have been just meh and in the rooftop gym at the hotel as it’s winter here and there isn’t much daylight.
It’s a million times better than most hotel gyms that I’ve experienced on work trips though.
Tonight, I’m joining the run club one more time and then I get to go home on Saturday!