Nothing short of impressive, dad chose to begin his fun run
career in style and with gusto, opting for the 12km City to Surf in Perth.
After training fairly consistently, on both Australian and international
(Indonesian) soil, dad felt he was ready to give it a go. True to the Meagher
style though, he completely underestimated what he was capable of. We had
agreed on a plan of attack the night before, as I was still pretty anxious
about dad over exerting himself on the course and aggravating his freakin heart
condition. We said we would walk the hills, and aim for a 2km/run and 1km/walk
interval system. I don’t know our official numbers etc but that plan went out
the window and became more of a 3 and 1 rotation. But I’ll try and recap in a
bit more detail – such a special and fun day for us.
Night Before – Mama made us an amazingly derish pasta w beef
ragout sauce. It went down an absolute treat.
It was an awesome family night in and after a hectic day driving around
and up to Perth, very much appreciated. Made all the more special with a visit
from my beautiful cousin.
Morning Of – Alarm went off at 6am, and although I could
technically sleep in for a while more, I got up as my infamous ‘nervous tummy’
was in full swing! Daddy was up a short time later and I could tell, as nervous
and anxious as we seemed, he was overwhelmingly excited too. We electrolyted up
w a drink and then had toast for pre-race fuel. We made really good time and
ended up getting into town 2hrs before we were due to start... Oh well! We pottered
around (and it allowed us time for emergency toilet stops for yours truly!).
Eventually meeting up with Dad’s long time mate and my ‘uncle’ Pol who had
agreed to run with us. And impressively so, we found out he had been sick with
the flu all week!
Daddy and I about to head out the door!
The Run – I cannot emphasise how blessed we were with the
weather. Absolutely beautiful day. Started off well, jogging at the very
beginning (our first deviation from the plan!) and quickly encountered the
first hill up alongside King’s Park. WHAT THE FRIG? It is a ridiculous hill!
Haha. Anyway, as soon as we got to the top, it was run time. And the man can
move!! He is a quick little silver fox and was darting through the crowds to
try and gain ground. According to my Garmin when we were running – we were
averaging 5:30-5:45min/km. THIS MAN DIDN’T RUN 5 MONTHS AGO AND HE IS (easily)
KEEPING UP THAT PACE! We kept this rest and run plan throughout the run. I
don’t know if it was the sentimentality of it – running alongside my dad was
pretty special and something I had looked forward to for ages – but it was one
of the most enjoyable fun runs. Everyone’s energy and the motivational support
on the sidelines was so encouraging (I think I high fived about 20 random
children along the course, they would stand there with their hand stretched out
for runners as they came past – how could I not!?). Running over that last hill and seeing the
beautiful coastline was the best feeling. We only had 1.5km to go and I knew
dad would absolutely smash it and there was sooo much support on the final leg
of it.
DONE!
Dad, me and Uncle Pol.
Overall it was an amazingly perfect start to a day. I am SO
proud of dad. Beyond proud. I have no words. And even more than that, I am
impressed! All his dedication and training definitely paid off and was
reflected in his smile at the finish line.
Still Smiling :)
Can’t wait for the
finish line photo!!
Mle x
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