Half–marathon is magic for local runner

MYRTLEFORD'S Pauline Anderson goes running three to four days a week, often getting up at 5:30–6am for the 10 to 12km stints. She also does gym training twice a week, primarily to strengthen her legs, and pilates once or twice a week. "Training hasn't been as hard as normal," she said. Anderson is training to compete in the 21.1km half–marathon at the Melbourne Marathon Festival at the start of October – a race she has run four times before. The 53–year–old first started running marathons when she was around 40, having previously been a keen athlete in her younger years. "When I lived in Melbourne, I did little athletics, then went to seniors, then moved up here and had kids and stopped running," she said. So she started regaining her fitness for endurance running by simply jogging and walking in 200 metre intervals over long distances. "It takes time," she said. "As long as you don't worry about it too much and get a little program happening you'll find it becomes easier each time and you'll run further or you'll do a better time the more you get out there. "If you can try and make it a habit and go a couple of times a week, you can still do it, doesn't matter how old you are." Now the race is drawing near, Anderson is aiming to complete a 16–18 kilometre run to condition herself for the half–marathon, while the day before she will be carb loading to ensure she has enough energy for the half–marathon. But she doesn't take it as seriously as she has in the past. After serious training for her first half marathon 11 years ago, the run took one hour and 54 minutes to complete, an achievement she has not repeated, despite feeling pressure to live up to her best time. But right now she simply wants to prove she can do the half–marathon again. "It's been a couple of years since I've done it, so it'll be good to get back out there and prove to myself that I can still do it," Anderson said. "If I'm feeling like I'm struggling I can slow down, or you can always buddy up with someone and have a chat. "That's the good thing about it – it's a good fun run." The October 2 Melbourne Marathon Festival will feature a range of races – a marathon, a half marathon, 10km and 5km runs, a wheelchair marathon, and a 3km walk – all starting near Rod Laver Arena.

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