Blackmores XTERRA Race 1 - Shakespear Regional Park
Official Stats
Distance: 6.5km
Elevation: 175m
Time: 1:05:51
Pre-race
I had a friends birthday party to go to the night before so pre-race meal was pizza and it was a bit of a later night that I wanted but my race later in the morning so I didn't need to leave the house until 8am and I could have left it later since we were there with heaps of time to spare.We wandered around the finish area, picked up our numbers and chip and got a coffee whilst watching the earlier runners that were doing the longer distances run up and along the top of a very large hill. I felt a bit nervous at this point but also a bit in denial, reminding myself that this was for all abilities.
On The Course
The race is 6.5km, my gps mapped it as 6.7km.0 - 1km
The horn sounded and the first part of the course was up hill on the road. Everyone started running but I wanted to start with a walk to warm up and not tire myself out right at the start - I think this was a good choice. Once we got onto the flat we ran to the electric gate where we turned to go up a bit of an incline between some bushes and we continued to jog until it got too steep.
1 - 2km
We came out into a paddock and we hiked up the hill to cattle gate where we turned left along a dirt road. It was a small incline and we jogged along until we came to another cattle gate and we turned to run down a big hill.
2 - 4km
We then entered a very nice trail and we had to keep a look out for tree roots and overhead branches and vines. The path was very narrow in places but we were able to run and keep a nice pace through this section.
4 - 5.5km
When we came out of the trail we were back in paddocks and heading up hill towards the electric gate again. We then had the dirt incline between the bushes and back up the first hill in the paddock. Once through the cattle gate this time we took a right and were heading gently downhill towards the finish area. A few people around us were saying that this was the last hill and with the finishing line in sight I was feeling pretty happy with my efforts. However it was neither the finish nor the last hill.
5.5 - 6.7km
We ran along the flat behind the finish line and then it was a crazy massive hill with long grass. I was feeling tightness in both my calves on and off but thankfully it never got any worse. Once I got to the top of the hill I was pretty much done in. The downhill was hell and my muscles were too fatigued. It was also incredibly muddy and slippery here. Once off the hill there was a nice flat section which I jogged and then we were on a short section of sandy beach to navigate before we turned off and crossed the finish line.
Post-race
I got handed a One Square Meal and munched on that while waiting in the grill line. I went and got us our free Speights and since they didn't have any vegetarian sausages we got a pile of cooked onions and covered them with ketchup and wholegrain mustard - so delicious!At home, I had a bit of a nap before Choir and the next day I used The Stick on my quads and calves but didn't feel too sore. I was a bit stiffer on Tuesday but thankfully had my physio appointment and got my calves worked on (which was sooo sore!).
