Different or unusual hobbies you have

[Axe Man]

Not at all different or unusual since every man and their dog has started running since Covid but I ran my first marathon in Ballarat yesterday and I just want to be insufferable and tell people about it. Amazingly all went to plan and I came in 4 minutes under my goal.

Also do some smoking like others on here, my weapon of choice is a ceramic kamado style smoker. Always a learning experience and actually heading to a BBQ class in a few weeks to learn more.

[angelopetraglia]

Not at all different or unusual since every man and their dog has started running since Covid but I ran my first marathon in Ballarat yesterday and I just want to be insufferable and tell people about it. Amazingly all went to plan and I came in 4 minutes under my goal.

Also do some smoking like others on here, my weapon of choice is a ceramic kamado style smoker. Always a learning experience and actually heading to a BBQ class in a few weeks to learn more.

Well done on the marathon. Incredibly challenging distance and to tick one off is signifant. To hit your time goal on a first outing is also super rare as the difficult of the distance is commonly underestimated until you do your first.

I'm also into my smoking and grilling and I purchased a Kamado Joe a few years ago and absolutely love it. I would cook something it on it most weeks and have had a crack at most things overy the journey. It is not a cheap bit of kit, but one of my favourite purchases in recent times.

[Vred]

I probably have one of the most expensive hobbies on the planet.
I build and race cars.

[angelopetraglia]

I probably have one of the most expensive hobbies on the planet.
I build and race cars.

That sounds awesome. What type of cars?

[Vred]

That sounds awesome. What type of cars?

Old Valiants and mopars in general, have a collection that's probably worth my retirement.

[Axe Man]

Well done on the marathon. Incredibly challenging distance and to tick one off is signifant. To hit your time goal on a first outing is also super rare as the difficult of the distance is commonly underestimated until you do your first.

Thanks. I was really surprised and expected to hit the wall or have something go awry as at least 50% of my long runs didn't go as planned. Fortunately my training and fueling must have worked.

I thought I was capable of a 3:40 but decided to err on the side of caution and go with the 3:50 pacer as I didn't want to blow up. Felt good at halfway so decided to run my own race from there on and ended up under 3:46. Really I would have been happy with anything under 4 hours in my mid 40s when my best running form was 15 years ago!

[angelopetraglia]

Thanks. I was really surprised and expected to hit the wall or have something go awry as at least 50% of my long runs didn't go as planned. Fortunately my training and fueling must have worked.

I thought I was capable of a 3:40 but decided to err on the side of caution and go with the 3:50 pacer as I didn't want to blow up. Felt good at halfway so decided to run my own race from there on and ended up under 3:46. Really I would have been happy with anything under 4 hours in my mid 40s when my best running form was 15 years ago!

That is absolutely awesome. Well done. Massive congrats. Well executed race plan. The marathon rewards patience.

I didn't start running seriously until my late 30s. I'm not too far past 50 and I ran my PB in the Half Marathon last year at Melbourne and my PB in the Gold Coast Marathon only a couple of years ago and will have another go at taking that down at the Melbourne Marathon this year. Yesterday, I did not put it all on the line and ran a little slower than I'm capable of as I was running with a good friend to help him finish his first marathon.

If you are new to running, you will still have a number of years of improvement left. If you can stay injury free and build your weekly KM, you will get fastser, even into your 50s.

A little bit of inspiration is that Sinead Diver set the Australian Record in the Marathon at the age of 45.

[Mantis]

Well done to Axe and AP on their recent achievements.

I ran my 2nd marathon in Canberra just over 2 weeks ago, my 1st was back in 2018.

I missed out on my goal time by 80secs, but ran it just over 13min faster than my 1st attempt.

The marathon is a no joke event, absolutely no where to hide, and it pushes you to the limit to what the body can do… I probably pushed too hard given I’ve been in a moon boot since soon after the event and just had a MRI for a possible stress fracture in my foot.. isn’t running supposed to be for fun?

[Axe Man]

Well done to Axe and AP on their recent achievements.

I ran my 2nd marathon in Canberra just over 2 weeks ago, my 1st was back in 2018.

I missed out on my goal time by 80secs, but ran it just over 13min faster than my 1st attempt.

The marathon is a no joke event, absolutely no where to hide, and it pushes you to the limit to what the body can do… I probably pushed too hard given I’ve been in a moon boot since soon after the event and just had a MRI for a possible stress fracture in my foot.. isn’t running supposed to be for fun?

Well done, especially considering how hilly Canberra is. When I was deciding on a marathon I quickly ruled Canberra out with it's 380m elevation gain vs 98m in Ballarat!

[Mantis]

Well done, especially considering how hilly Canberra is. When I was deciding on a marathon I quickly ruled Canberra out with it's 380m elevation gain vs 98m in Ballarat!

It didn't feel ''hilly'' in the run, sure there was spots where you knew you were on an incline, but I never felt that it took extra effort to get to the flat spots.

The 6.15am start at Canberra was an attraction for me compared to the 8am start time for Ballarat.

[angelopetraglia]

It didn't feel ''hilly'' in the run, sure there was spots where you knew you were on an incline, but I never felt that it took extra effort to get to the flat spots.

The 6.15am start at Canberra was an attraction for me compared to the 8am start time for Ballarat.

I'm the opposite! 8am start means a 4:30am alarm clock to fuel, caffeinate and hydrate. A 6:15am start means a 2:45am alarm clock!!!!!!!!

[angelopetraglia]

Well done to Axe and AP on their recent achievements.

I ran my 2nd marathon in Canberra just over 2 weeks ago, my 1st was back in 2018.

I missed out on my goal time by 80secs, but ran it just over 13min faster than my 1st attempt.

The marathon is a no joke event, absolutely no where to hide, and it pushes you to the limit to what the body can do… I probably pushed too hard given I’ve been in a moon boot since soon after the event and just had a MRI for a possible stress fracture in my foot.. isn’t running supposed to be for fun?

100%. There is absolutely nowhere to hide in a marathon. 13 minutes faster than your first attempt is a MASSIVE improvement. Well done!

One thing I found difficult at Ballarat (and I did not even put it all on the line) was the two laps. I had mental demons during the 15-20km period, when you had some KM in the legs and you are looking at two markers, the KM for the lap you are on and the one for the second lap! It made the distance feel even further. I'm starting to feel the pinch and I have not even completed one lap yet!

[Mantis]

I'm the opposite! 8am start means a 4:30am alarm clock to fuel, caffeinate and hydrate. A 6:15am start means a 2:45am alarm clock!!!!!!!!

I was up at 4am and started the process... but I wasn't too fussed as I was already awake (sleep before an event is tough!) and the 3rd RD of the Masters was on, so it gave me something to watch while I prepared.

[Mantis]

100%. There is absolutely nowhere to hide in a marathon. 13 minutes faster than your first attempt is a MASSIVE improvement. Well done!

Thanks... I was aiming for a qualifying time for Boston for my age group but had some cramps over the last 5-6km which meant I had to slow down a little... which was very frustrating, but overall, I was happy with time.

One thing I found difficult at Ballarat (and I did not even put it all on the line) was the two laps. I had mental demons during the 15-20km period, when you had some KM in the legs and you are looking at two markers, the KM for the lap you are on and the one for the second lap! It made the distance feel even further. I'm starting to feel the pinch and I have not even completed one lap yet!

I'm not a fan of running events where you do the same course again (or multiple times) for the reasons explained... it's mental torture!

[Axe Man]

I was happy with the 8am start so I could get up at 6am. Only thing I was concerned about was if it was a warm day with the later start but thankfully the weather gods were kind.

I thought I would hate the 2 laps with the half runners finishing as we went around again but as it turned out I quite enjoyed it as I knew all the milestones to tick off the second time around. I guess it's easier logistically with less road closures, fewer aid stations, etc. My only suggested improvement would be not starting the half and full at the same time, it was very congested early on.