Canberra Half Marathon

It's been a hectic week to date and finally I've got a chance to post my report on Sunday's Canberra Half Marathon.

Sunday was a beaut day, perfect for kindred spirits to get out and do their thing. I am tempted to say it was another one of those 'great to be alive' days but all of Canberra's days are like that for runners. The day opened with a beautiful blue sky, no wind, and a little morning mist rising from Lake Burley Griffin. The autumn leaves were everywhere, multi-coloured rose pedals that us runners would soon be sending into little eddies as we trounced and shuffled along on the bike track around the lake. Even the ducks that I noticed in Lotus Bay near the start seemed to be in duck heaven. Their cute paddles stirred the water just enough to break the trance the water seemed caught in. Ah Mother Nature, you've done it again.

Watching Mother Nature was all very nice but it was not what I was here for. My main goal for the Canberra half was simply to get in a training run as I prepared for one of my favourite races, the SMH half in Sydney on Sunday. As it was a training run, I was not going to bust a gut. I decided, instead, to do what others have done for me over the years and that was to be a pacer and supporter for one of my running friends, Michelle. She had a tremendous race. In only her second half marathon she took five minutes off her PB to do a sub-1.50 finish. She showed great restraint in the early stages, not going out too hard. She then maintained a good consistent pace throughout to finish strongly in a sprint. I ran beside her the whole way and it was great to see her run well. I remembered what Horrie and Speedy Geoff had said on the pleasure they had received after they helped their friends achieve their goals in similar situations during the Canberra Marathon.

Running with Michelle in the Canberra half gave a new dimension to my running. Previously I had only to think of myself. Now I had to think of someone else's running needs, and helping them achieve their goals gave me enormous satisfaction. Congratulations Michelle on a wonderful run.

It was great to catch up with Speedy Geoff, Griffin, Maria and Jim, Natasha and Oliver, Aki, Jen and Julien, Marg, Peter, Neil and Kerry. My virtual friends, you too were there in spirit.

The run itself was very well organised and it is a credit to all those involved. The supporters too, were fantastic. They seemed to be everywhere, including one lady I noticed who literally was just about everywhere. It was almost as if she had levitated from one spot to another, as I didn't see any visible form of locomotion. A bit freaky, but nice just the same. Then there was the toddler we saw with the bare bum. She definately wasn't levitating but was waddling around like the ducks I saw earlier. She was almost stripped down to the core essentials, the way Nature meant it to be. Apparently oblivious to the temperature still in single digits, she too was a kindred spirit in her own little way.

Next report: Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon.