To prepare for the Run Prix 10km event, we wanted to do a longer run the week before. The plan was to do 8km-9km because we heard it’s a good idea to do slightly less than your event distance, however, like the cheeky monkeys we are, we ended up doing almost 11km.
Here’s Josh’s Strava post from the run:
Parking in Black Rock
We parked the Jimny (shoutout Ayuki for all the good times) at a little 4-hour parking area in Black Rock close to Beach Rd. Was perfect in terms of location and also had a toilet out the front. There was someone in the toilet when we walked past so Josh decided not to go even though he needed to.
Massive mistake.
For most of the run, Josh was struggling with needing to go, so will always go pre-run in the future to avoid that situation.
The parking was also really close to a heap of cafes on Balcombe Rd (more on that later).
First Impressions of Beach Road Running
Kate really liked Beach Rd running. It was flat, with not many people on there and not many interruptions (cars, crossings etc), so you could really focus in on your running, pacing and all that good stuff. Good for creating runner’s high.
Kate experienced runner’s high at about the 3km to 5km section of the run. Right before we turned around.
Great views on Beach Rd, all the way down to Mordialloc really.
Kate Smoked Josh
With about 3km left to run, Josh was unsure about how close we were to the finish, so pacing was a bit all over the place. He ran hard for a bit, then would slow down, and it really impacted his flow. With about 1.5km-2km to go, Kate increased her pace and created a 50m gap to Josh.
This motivated Josh to continue pushing and to increase his pace.
When the finish line was in sight, he caught up to her and she told him to go hard to the end to beat the 1-hour/10km milestone. F yes.
Not Checking Phones (Time Only)
One thing we did on this run was to ignore our phones/Apple watches so we weren’t aware of how far we had run. We found this strategy to be really useful.
Kate checked the Strava after we reached the area we said we were going to turn back and she saw we were at 5km so suggested we turn around.
This is when the 10km became an inevitability, even though we were aiming for 8km. F yes.
One thing that stopped Josh from checking his Strava was his new Nike Pro compression shorts. They have a little pocket for your phone that doesn’t move around when you run (You can also add gels/keys on the other side). Meant he wasn’t constantly checking Strava. Highly recommend the shorts.
Here’s a link to the Nike Pro Shorts ($40)
Post-Run Protein Ball and Orange Juice
This run was the first time we had a post-run feed and drink. For this run, we went to Black Drop Espresso and Wine.
We had a gluten-free protein ball and orange juice. The protein ball was a bit crumbly and the orange juice seemed a bit basic for how much we paid ($9 for an OJ). The location was great though. We sat on a table outside looking onto Beach Rd as we ate and debriefed about the run.
Was great to spend some time together after achieving what we did.
Reminders
- Don’t look at your Strava mid-run
- Maintain pace instead of trying to power to the finish line
- Go to the toilet pre-run
