Bridge2Brisbane: Freebies!

Setting the alarm for 3.45am but waking up at 2.30am.

Pre-buying a second hand sweater to discard at the race start. Which was redundant, as the weather was perfect.

Flutters of excitement and fear making my breakfast turn to stone in my stomach (not literally).

Feeding off the buzz from my fellow runners - all wide awake despite it not yet being 5am.

Worrying about getting to the event with only 1 train (no buses) passing my stop and over 40,000 people expected to participate.

... It must be Bridge2Brisbane time!

Yep, one of my favourite runs of the year! It is magical. Even the 2.30am wake-up. I got on the train without hitch and we were the first train to pull up at the race start. As I haven't been training for any 10k's this year, I wasn't sure what to expect.

A-Goal: sub-54.00 (This current record was held by last year's B2B)

B-Goal: sub-60.00

The gun went off and...we waited.

The event is too big to start everyone at once. Wave one has the elite runners, wave two the non-elite runners, and wave three the walkers/joggers. I was in the second wave, and somehow fluked my way to the very front of the group - lucky me! Double lucky since I had been called into work right after the race, so the clock was ticking.

1k: up, up, up the hill! I happened to be running next to the 55min pacer and told him, "I hope I finish in front of you". At this point, I was his sole runner, so he was pretty keen to have me on board. He told me he would be going 5.30 on the flat Kingsford Smith Drive section. Since I was hoping to go at a 5.20 pace, I decided I would try to stay in front.

2k: Down, down, down the other side of the bridge! I focussed on maintaining effort and comfortably passed the 55min pacer as I galloped down the hill.

3-8k: Kingsford Smith Drive. Flat and gorgeous! At the 4k mark, I was on target for my A-Goal but knew I didn't have it in me to hold the pace. So I let myself drop back...and back...and back. At 5k my friendly 55min pacer cheerily called out, "I'm catching up to you!" and encouraged me to join him. I tried. I really, really tried. But after the first few hundred metres he gained a few steps on me. And then a few more. And then a few more. Until I decided I would go my own way. At 7k I gave myself a mental slap. I had spent km 4-7 feeling unsettled over my poor running time. And it was here I realized how much fun I was missing out on by stressing. So I settled back to enjoy the final stretch of this beautiful course.

8k: The Second Hill hits somewhere on this marker. It is a sneaky sucker: it deceives you into thinking it's short and steep...but then it turns a corner and you realize you're still heading uphill...

9k: top of the hill! Down to the finish line we go! Now is the point where I could have really booked it to try to make up a minute of time. But I was a bit too busy enjoying myself.

Total time: 57.22min

Total distance: 10k

And onto the best part of the race...FREEBIES!!! Wow, did we get lucky. 

Adding to my race collection hoard...more things I already have too much of!

Aside from the usual B2B t-shirt (left), we also got a hat and thongs (the Aussie kind, not the Canadian kind). 

Suncorp Bank was the main sponsor and had teamed up with my beloved Park Run. As such, Park Runners also got the chance to get a free running singlet mailed out to us ahead of the day, with the hope that we would wear it on the day. I was more than happy to wear mine. Free running singlet? Yes please!

Park Runners were also given the chance to receive a free breakfast at the Suncorp tent after the event. Yes, I may have needed to get to work, but post-race breakfast is a tradition that is not to be missed! 

The sun was shining, my sweat was drying, and I was munching on a breakfast muffin as I swapped racing stories with  my fellow Park Runners. Work shmirk. Right at that moment, life was good! And really, who cares about the numbers on a watch, anyway?