"Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." – Mary Oliver

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Gold Coast Weekend and A Few Other Things

Last weekend was the Gold Coast Marathon weekend. G, S and I all did the half-marathon, along with our friend M. None of us were aiming for PB’s as we were all a bit under-trained but we had goals and made them. I decided to aim for 2:10 which is the pace I’m hoping to run in the marathon in September. I was not feeling super optimistic about this because my longest run so far in this training cycle was 15.5 KM, run very slowly. The weather was perfect and I was feeling great (which can be a bit of a lottery at the moment due to hormones and the associated migraines). Let’s just say, that the pace felt good for most of the race and I finished in 2:10:04. S, G and M also hit or exceeded their expectations so everyone was pretty happy with themselves.

Sunrise over the half-marathon

We had brunch then went home for showers, naps and lazing around.

Some cheeky visitors on our balcony

In the evening we went to Kiyomi for our celebration dinner. This was a return visit for us. We had the banquet and some a few different sakes. The food was still very good. I love Japanese.

Sunday was another early morning start to see the marathoners run past our place. The elites are amazing. I don’t think I can even run 10 m at the pace they’re running the marathon. We also got to cheer on some friends before nabbing a table at the Winey Cow while we waited for the elites to come through on their way back.

Heading South
and on their way back

Afterwards we went back up to the apartment to pack up so we could check out by 10 am. We saw one friend running back up from our balcony.

Once we were packed up we parked the car on the street then met up with friends for a coffee. Then it was time to hit the road heading north to Brisbane airport to drop S off for her flight home. That went off without a hitch and then we continued to Sunshine Coast airport to pick up H and finally on to Noosa. We are staying in the apartment my parents stayed in the last couple of years because they have moved to a different one with a lift. Once at Noosa we picked up some groceries from the supermarket, then walked down to see my parents.

This week has involved the usual things—work, running, we joined the gym up here for four weeks so I’ve done a couple of strength sessions. I also looked after my niece one day. My sister, J, and her daughter are staying with my parents and J had to do a couple of days work in Brisbane but on that day mum had high blood pressure and had to go into the hospital so H and I took over those duties. I’ve also had a cluster of migraines this week. I’m so glad they were this week instead of last week which was lucky timing. I’m hoping I will be OK this weekend to get my scheduled runs done. H and I have also been doing some puzzles we picked up form the op shop.

This one was really tricky. The pieces were not really unique, so we kept having to undo bits we had put in the wrong spot. We also found the two missing pieces after we took these photos

What we’ve been eating in Noosa:

  • Normal breakfasts
  • Tray bake chicken thighs
  • Pan-fried fish
  • Quinoa and brown rice bowls with lots of veggies and either tuna or black beans for lunch
  • Leftovers
  • Dad took us out for dinner at Gusto and for lunch at Izakaya Ate
  • We went out to dinner at The Stone Bowl Vietnamese
  • We have also had coffee at The Depot and Bullitt Espresso


Comments

15 responses to “Gold Coast Weekend and A Few Other Things”

  1. Those birds are gorgeous!
    Also, every time I read one of your posts, my mouth starts watering. Food is just so yummy!!

    1. This is the first time I’ve managed to catch one with its wings open which was a bit special. The food was amazing.

  2. Those birds!! We’d have to go to the zoo to see birds like that! And the views from your condo were gorgeous.

    It’s so inspiring to watch the elite runners. I volunteered at the marathon finish line one year so got to see the elites finish the 10 mile and marathon races. They barely looked winded when they finished!

    1. We have a lot of the Rainbow Lorikeets at home as well. They obviously do very well in cities.

  3. Wow, great job by you hitting your goal exactly!
    Elite runners astound me as well. My husband and I always joke that there should be a regular person in Olympic events, especially running, just to see the difference. Imagine! It would be great.

    1. Buzz not being the regular person in an olympic event!

  4. Fantastic job, Melissa!! You did really well with your pacing. I’m impressed that you hit your goal so precisely – that’s rare!! This bodes really well for your marathon in September.
    You also got some great shots of the elites! I noticed how many of them are of Asian descent, and I couldn’t help spotting all the Asics shoes too… my favourite brand! 😄
    At what kilometre were they when you photographed them heading south? And at what kilometre were they on the way back? The runner in the dark red vest looks strong!

    1. Thanks Catrina, I was on track to go a bit slower but slowed over the last couple of ks. A lot of Japanese runners come to the Gold Coast probably because there’s very little time difference. We were about the 7km mark and the 28 km mark of the marathon.

  5. Oh I love Japanese food too.
    It looks great.
    Congrats on hitting your goal at the half marathon.
    Migraines suck. You know that. Hope it’s done for now.
    I’ve been having less migraines these past few months and I am hoping the new medication is the reason and it will stay that way.

    1. I hope your new medication works for you. I do not have migraines frequently enough (currently 3-5/month) to warrant preventative medication.

  6. Dang, you executed that half to the ‘T’. Amazing job, Melissa.
    And how fun you got to watch the marathon the next day, too.

    The Japanese dinner looks amazing!

    1. Thanks San, and yes, the dinner was amazing. It was a great way to celebrate.

  7. What a beautiful view from the apartment or hotel you were in. Congrats on meeting your time. That’s awesome. I have never run in an organized race. I hope your health /headaches don’t cause you any trouble this week. It’s ‘good’ that your issues cropped up when they did, but regardless, it stinks to deal with that. Love the photo of the bird on your balcony.

    1. Haha, yes “good” is relative.

  8. Congrats on hitting your goal, especially when you say you’re “undertrained”. That’s a great milestone to hit! Hopefully the body pulled up well after that.

    The sunrise over the race looked gorgeous, what a cracking day.

    I’ve sent you an email to catch up while you’re on the coast, hopefully it didn’t go to spam. It’s a chilly morning this morning but so far it seems like the weather has turned it on for you!

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