Learning to run with my mouth shut :)

It was a small, but cheerful group that participated in the Jacaranda Festival Fun-Run on Sunday morning this week.


In fact, I think volunteers outnumbered the runners - there were only about 26 of us taking part - but I have to say, the flies outnumbered us all, hundreds to one!


The Fun-Run has apparently been a tradition at Goodna for more than a quarter of a century - but seems to have 'dropped off' the running calendar. In fact, I only knew it was on because RobR at Coolrunning.com.au mentioned it.



It started, just after 7am, at a dry and dusty park at Goodna, in Brisbane's west, and then winds its way, via (mostly) bitumin roads, to the old Railway Workshops at Redbank, before returning.
The weather was fine - but quite hot. In fact, as I drove to the start at 5:45, I passed a time-and-temp clock which showed 20 degrees .. so I'd put the 7am start temp at around 24 or so.

There were a few small hills, which was fine, and some lovely shade from Jacaranda trees. But unfortunately, not enough for some people.

Within the first kilometre-and-a-half, the field (such is it was) had spread itself across about 800 metres ... with the faster runners powering ahead, the plodders like me at the rear, and about 5 people who were taking the 5km 'walk' option at the back.

By the 3k mark, there were only three runners in my sight - a woman who was around 150m ahead, an older runner who was about 150m behind me, and a young woman who had, it appears, gone out far too hard for the conditions.

She was collapsed against a road-marker, obviously in some distress. The woman in front of me had stopped, to make sure the lass was ok - leaving just before I arrived. I, too, stopped to offer some comfort and concern, before leaving the young woman in the hands of the runner behind me, A few moment later, some volunteers were there, to give the distressed runner a lift back to the start, and make sure she was properly hydrated, etc.

Of course, that then meant that it was hard to get back into the rhythm (you know, once you stop running, its hard to get back into it) so I essentially gave up any chance of setting a PB and decided to just run as best I could, enjoying the communing with nature.

Except the flies.

I mentioned that there were a few flies out and about on Sunday... and more than a few ended on me. And in me.

You see, I'm one of those runners who breathes through the mouth. And these flies seemed to think that there was some moisture to be found there.

Mmmm! Free Protein! (Ack! Thwat!)

The final time? A slow 1:09:09.

But I had fun - and that's what fun-runs are all about.