Mel's running adventures

In parkrun terms, 150 is not recognised as an official milestone. There is no shirt. No official list to join. Yet it felt like an achievement that needed to be celebrated. So.....one evening I had a crazy idea of an open invitation for my running friends to join me (there may have been wine involved that night). Wilson Botanic was chosen as the location because a) It's close and meant a sleep in for me. b) Having run it twice I was keen to return for a sub 30 attempt. c) To entice my friends with the lure of one of Victoria's prettiest and toughest courses. I awoke to a beautiful sunrise. This was a good omen I thought. Rain was forecast and my fingers were crossed it would hold off. Arriving at Wilson I was bubbling with nervous excitement. Why do I do this to myself? Why don't I just go off to someplace distant, on my own, and blend into the background? No, I tell the world and throw in the desire to PB on the course. Good one Mel!! This day was about the journe...

Last year I had watched many running friends post about Wonderland. I thought it looked like fun. I wanted in on the fun. I discovered that the 20km event required a qualifier the same as for TwoBays 28. That was good because I had achieved my qualifier at Wangaratta in February (y). So far I had only really run road events (apart from Sharpies in March) so I entered the Trail Running Series as a sort of training regime. I poured over the race info  and suggested gear for Wonderland and decided I would carry everything that the 36's had to carry. If I was to get lost or injured, I figured I would be best to be as prepared as I could be! First I sourced and purchased my apple green waterproof jacket, then a whistle and emergency blanket. Being a dedicated parkrunner, my arrival at Halls Gap was delayed by a launch at Newport Lakes. Even so, I managed to arrive in time to see my friends (and cabin buddies) run in the Saturday 2km and 8km events. The vibe around the town ...