Run 59. Flat as a Pancake. 7/12/2019.
Having run along the beaches south of Elwood in the early stages of this challenge, I decided to test whether the beaches north of Elwood were any faster. The path along the Elwood tp Port Melbourne beach is flat, very flat. The steepest part of the run was about the same as the slope from one side of my shower basin to the other. If the elevation chart from my Garmin was my heart rate monitor – I would be dead. But as expected, the flatness led to a better time. My run along the south beaches (Run number 2) took 1:49:18. This run was 40 seconds faster at 1:48:38 and whilst just about everything else about the run was different, if we assume everything else cancelled itself out – then only the north / south comparison remains. This makes north faster than south. Two data points seem to be enough for that conclusion.
Worth noting that drinking water also helps. It wasn’t that long ago that I ran in Singapore (Run 50) and the lack of water was a significant issue. Here in Melbourne there were drinking fountains dotted along the shoreline – thumbs up City of Melbourne – certainly runner friendly.
Got a selfie with a cruise ship at Station Pier Port Melbourne. The ocean was as flat as my run and I’m sure the passengers on that boat appreciated the conditions.
My Three Learnings
Flat is faster than hilly.
Beaches north of Elwood are faster than beaches south of Elwood.
Regular drinking of water is a good thing.