My first City2Surf!

Having run my first ever City2Surf on Sunday, I've now had a chance for my legs to recover and to reflect on achieving this goal - one I've had for many years.

I answered some questions and have included these and my responses below:

Why did you decide to run the City2Surf?

I decided to do the city to surf mainly because during the training for the half marathon we heard the entries were selling out so it was a snap decision because we thought we had done all the training so this would be a fun event to do.  Also as mentioned previously it had been a bucket list item for a long time.

How did you feel before and during the run?

I felt much more relaxed before the city to surf, there was really no pressure as our goal was always the half marathon, so this was just something fun to do.  Once again on the day I was very relaxed, I only had one goal in mind which was to run the whole way - I was super excited to have done this, I think I surprised myself.

What was the toughest part?

The toughest part was the first couple of couple of hills, especially coming up to Edgecliff, my legs were a bit heavy, and I was a bit worried that heartbreak hill would be too much.  Thankfully the legs got better and thanks to Archie I didn't even notice that we had done heartbreak hill.  Also, the last kilometre was hard because the finish line seemed to take forever to get to!

How did the body hold up?

The body held up well, heavy legs at the start and then a small calf twinge with a kilometre to go was all I had - so very thankful I got through unscathed.

What was the atmosphere like?

The atmosphere was electric, so much excitement among the runners as we were lining up for the start. Then as soon as we began, there was entertainment and music - this continued for the first few kilometres - then the local residents came out to shout their support, and as we were coming into Bondi the atmosphere was insane - the crowds and the vibe was like nothing else. 

Everyone ran in a great spirit, and it was a joy to run with Archie as he really appreciated the atmosphere and just got into the vibe of the day.

What was it like crossing the finish line?

Crossing the finish line was a complete relief! 

Just a mixture of satisfaction and surprise that I had done it and that it seemed to be over really quickly. 

It left me on a high all day - so worth it!

Anything funny or memorable?

I think the most memorable thing was the size of the crowd at Bondi, most of whom had not run - they were just there to have fun and enjoy the atmosphere - it had the feel of a festival.

Would you do it again?

I would most definitely do it again.  I just have to find someone to do it with, as I think running with another person made it much more fun.

And finally, what's one thing you took away from the experience?

The thing I took away was to just enjoy the day. 

We live in the best city in the world and we get to run through this city to one of it's most iconic beaches.  What a privilege!