A (non)- runner’s marathon journey – MD-3 weeks

With less than three weeks until MD, I’m feeling a little anxious about this big scary goal I’ve set for myself. From what I hear from experienced runners, that’s pretty normal. From this week on, I start to taper my training and that in itself seems strange. I feel like I need to do at least one more 35km run just to prove to myself that I can do it but the people who know what they’re doing (like my running coach Sean, the guys at Marathon Talk, experienced marathoners like MM & MW) all say, the hard work should have been done by now and it’s time to start to pull back a little and let the body recover. The big question is, have I done enough hard work to get me through the 42.2kms?

After the run last Saturday, my calf was too painful to run again on Sunday or Monday so I took a rest. When I tried to run again on Wednesday, my calf seized within the first 100 metres so I just stopped and went to the gym and rode the spin bike for 45 minutes, doing some intervals and hills. So the first part of this week was not good, when I should’ve been running quite hard and fast.

On Thursday, I went to have a massage with the wonderful Natalie who also did a little acupuncture on my calf. I then went to the Physio for a bit more manipulation. Felt quite sore afterward. I’m doing everything I should – soaking in Epsom Salts, taking magnesium powder, doing stretches and strength exercises. It isn’t getting any worse and I can run but it’s not very comfortable. My Physio recommended seeing a Sports Physician to see whether a cortisone injection might help so I’ve made an appointment.

Friday I did 5km at 5:43 average pace, and for me that’s pretty good. My calf was tight but I felt good. On Saturday I was planning a long run with a friend who is doing the 1/2 marathon but unfortunately she had to pull out at the last minute. Now, this shouldn’t make any difference to my motivation, but it. Instead of doing 22km or so with company and then another 10-12km by myself, I was now facing 35km alone. I don’t know why I didn’t just head out as planned and do the run I’d mapped out without a second thought but instead, I went into a bit of a slump. I decided that I’d just do 21kms and go out again on Sunday. This meant I only took 1 gel with me and this was a BIG mistake.

I started out well. It was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day and my calf felt good. I’d mapped out a run which followed as close as possible, the actual marathon course. My goal, was to run at a steady pace of 6:30min/km which is my target race pace. I was feeling good until I reached about 20km at which point I just ran out of energy and I had quite a lot of pain down my whole right leg. At this point, I had intended heading back home but I started getting cross with myself for wimping out, knowing that I’d just have to face it all again the following day if I didn’t make at least 30km. So, I kept on running.

At 24km, I took my gel (Endura Raspberry) and it tasted soooo good. I virtually inhaled it and I’m sure some of the people who saw me in the toilet at Darling Harbour, were wondering what I was doing! I had a few glugs of water and headed back out. By this time, it was quite busy down at Darling Harbour so a nice distraction. There was a marching band preparing to play and without a lie, as I reached them, they struck up the Rocky Theme Tune! It was perfect timing. I had a huge grin on my face and my energy levels lifted. I’m sure the crowd thought it was a set up – they were all watching me run by. Too funny. Not sure who was playing down there on Saturday – but thank you – you got me through that run!

I managed to do almost 32km in the end and as usual I was exhausted but I’d survived another one. Here’s how the 5km pace splits went:

• 0-5km……6:05
• 5-10km….6:31
• 10-15km…6:13
• 15-20km…6:05
• 20-25km…6:54
• 25-30km…7:02

My average pace was 6:40 but as you can see, I went out too fast in the first 20km and paid for it in the back 10km. This was in part because I ran out of energy and should’ve had my gel earlier but also because I need to learn to pace the first part of my race better. My new Garmin Forerunner 405cx is a great gadget and gives me lots of useful data to analyse – not sure it helps me run better – but it’s fun!

So, here I am with less than three weeks left until MD. Here’s what’s worrying me:

• Will my calf hold out or will I be in pain for the whole 42.2km?
• Can I actually run 42.2km?
• Will I be able to pace myself?
• What if I just can’t finish it or can’t make the cut-off?

But as Mark the owner of my gym reminded me “only 10% of what we worry about actually comes true and what’s the worse that can happen?” He’s right. If I don’t make it well it’s not the end of the world and it’s not the last marathon ever to be held. I’ve trained hard. I’m determined. I’ve still got about three weeks to get my head in the zone. I will do it.

I’d love to hear stories from other marathon runners. Can you remember your first time? How did you feel in the lead up? How was your race?

I’d also love to hear any other Big Scary Goal stories. Do you have one? If not, what would you secretly love to achieve but are scared to take on?

Until next week….

A non-runner’s marathon journey – MD-4 weeks

“Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, ‘Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'”
– Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner

This quote is very apt for this week’s blog. Why? Well I’ve been feeling a bit wimpy. After my great week 5 with my longest ever run, this week I’ve really struggled mentally and physically. The week started out OK with a shortish 6km run but at an average pace of 6:28 which is pretty good for me – especially as it’s an undulating course. My goal for the marathon is to run at this pace the whole way. That would see me finishing in under 5 hours (ahead of the 5:30hrs cutoff time). I only did 6km at this pace and couldn’t imagine running the whole 42.2km at that. So, that was the beginning of the wimpiness.

Wednesday was my favourite (NOT!) hill repeat day and this week I was only scheduled to do 30x100m. I say only but believe me I was dreading it. After 10, I felt like quitting. I just couldn’t get my head in the right place. Physically I felt OK but mentally I was struggling. I talked myself into doing another 10 and then finished off the last 10 as well but I fought with myself the whole time. So I suppose, I was strong but I felt very wimpy.

Friday i just had an average sort of a run. Did 7km at an average pace of 6:28 and 5x100m sprints – yuck! Not a bad effort, but on a rating of 1 (total wimpy burger) to 10 (wonder woman), I only ran about a 5.

Saturday I headed out for my planned 35km run, alone again as MM has done more damage to his hamstring by running again too early so is now out for 6 weeks!!! MM will only have about 3 weeks of training before his Athens Marathon but he assures me that will be enough. I hope so. He is strong. No wimp in that man! MW is still up in the NT battling against heat, humidity and unsafe running conditions. She’s still training though – no wimp in her either. Anyway, I digress. I have to say my heart and head wasn’t really in it, despite the fact that I spent about 2 hours planning my route on Friday night. I like to know where I’m running when I’m by myself because 35km is a long way and I don’t want to take a wrong turn and end up unintentionally adding on or missing kms. So off I went. I was feeling pretty good and my head got in the zone. I was cruising along through Darling Harbour enjoying the weather and messages from my Facebook and Twitter friends, when out of nowhere, my calf pulled again. Bugger. I stopped, stretched, walked a little but it was painful and very tight.

Now at this point, I really felt like jumping on a train and heading home. I had to give myself a good telling off. I continued on but at a slower pace and with much limping. I felt like I was running like Cliff Young – only not as fast.

On a positive note, I managed 25km which is not wimpy at all but I did have a bit of a sook with Adonis when I got home and that was pretty wimpy.

A few of my friends and my family think I’m a bit crazy setting myself the goal to run this marathon. They often say “why are you doing it?” Well, I think this quote sums it up pretty well for me.

“I run because it’s so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can’t. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you’re capable of so much more than you thought.”
–Arthur Blank (the only Arthur Blank I could find on Google is the CEO of Home Depot!)

For me this quote is spot on. We face many obstacles in life and we need to find ways to overcome them. We can be wimpy and just quit, give-up, walk-out, throw in the towel, resign etc or we can find our inner strength and get on with it. My grandmother described me as a young child as being a “determined little bugger” and I have to admit she was spot on. I love the sense of achievement and finding out that I am capable of achieving more than I thought.

I’ve been back to the Physio this week and am doing my exercises and getting treatment for my calf. I will overcome this obstacle and I will finish the marathon – even if it is with a Cliff Young shuffle. Run Forrest Run.

I’ve had a few conversations and tweets with people about the title of my blog. I’ve been contemplating what makes a runner and whether I’ll ever consider myself to be one. MM said to me that he can’t imagine life without running – he’s definitely a runner 😉 I, on the other hand can. Real Commando thinks it’s when a person starts training for more than one event. I was still not convinced. Then I found this quote.

If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”
–John “The Penguin” Bingham

I like this. I’m going to start thinking of myself as a runner and see if it helps me to be a faster, stronger runner. Visualisation and self-belief is a big part of running a marathon.

So what are your thoughts on today’s blog quotes?

• How are you going to be strong this week?
• What obstacles have you overcome that made you realise that you’re capable of more than you thought?
• Are you a runner?

Well, that’s it for this week. The countdown is well and truly on now. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Quotes sourced from http://running.about.com/od/runninghumor/a/runningquotes.htm

A non-runner’s marathon journey – MD-5 weeks

I’ve finally officially entered the Sydney Running Festival Marathon 2010! I know, I’m training to run it and that’s what this blog’s all about but yesterday I actually registered so now I’m committed – or should be 😉

Across the finish line

I’m pleased to report that my strained calf is well and truly on the mend and apart from the odd niggle now and then it is behaving itself. In my last blog, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to finish the City2Surf but not only did I finish it but I smashed my goal, finishing in 84 minutes – 16 minutes under my 100 minute goal! You can see from the photo how pleased I was with myself. I did a 5km warm up jog from home to my blue start group and my calf felt fine so I knew I would be good to run. It was so crowded but I managed to meet up with one of my pals so it was good to have someone to get excited with. We lost each other before the 1st km because it was so crowded and I was keen to hit my goal so pushed on. It was her first City 2 Surf and she finished in just over 100 minutes – so a great result, well done Jenn. I felt fine when I finished and could have pushed it harder to come in under 80 minutes but I didn’t want to risk aggravating my calf. Next year 🙂

My training went quite well last week. I managed to do 35x100m hill repeats! I felt my calf strain after about 15 but I just slowed a little and kept at it. I was thinking back to the first time I faced the hills when I could only manage x10 repeats. I’ve improved over the weeks and I feel it. Heartbreak hill slowed me down a little but it wasn’t that awful and I’m sure those hill repeats have helped.

My running buddy MM is still out injured with his hamstring so I headed out on Saturday for my longest ever run – alone. I decided to follow a slightly modified marathon route so that I could get a feel for it. Here’s the link to the run. Unfortunately my GPS failed on my iPhone after 4.93km so I wasn’t really able to keep track of my pace and distance as accurately as I’d liked. I made it to the 16km mark in 1:35 so my pace was about 5:55! Had I been running that pace in the City2Surf, I’d have come in at 77 minutes!

Needless to say, I suffered in the next 19kms. I was feeling ok until about 28km but then my body started screaming at me to stop. Well, my mind was screaming but it felt like my body. I pushed on but slowed the pace, stopped for a quick comfort break, walked a few 100 metres, had a sports gel and just got my legs moving. It took all of my strength to keep going but I was determined to make it and I did. This back 19kms took me 2:07 with an average pace of 7:05 so considerably slower than the first 16kms.

I was absolutely and totally exhausted when I arrived home. I just laid down on the floor for 15 minutes to recover. All I could think was “how am I ever going to do this marathon in just 5 weeks. I’m not ready.” The good news is that I recovered pretty quickly and within a few hours was dressed up in my 70s fancy dress costume and ready for a 70s trivia night – a school fundraiser for my pals kid’s school. I wasn’t exactly the life of the party but we had a fun night.

I went out on Sunday morning for a 7km run just to round off the 42kms. I felt a little fatigued in my legs but generally pretty good and am surprised at how quickly my body is recovering. I am still worried that I won’t make all of the cut-offs points in the marathon though so had a chat with my running coach about how to make sure I finish and within about 5 hrs. He told me the reason I struggled so much on Saturday was because I’d gone out too fast which meant that I over did it. He advised me to practise running at a pace of around 6:30mins and to focus on doing each 5km in about 32-33mins. That’s what I need to be aiming for. He also told me to keep my heart rate steady and not up near my maximum. My average heart rate (AHR) on long runs tends to be around 170bpm. If it gets to >180bpm then I start struggling so I need to conserve energy and keep it steady to make the time and distance. So that’s what I’ll focus on over the coming weeks.

While I’m running I listen to podcasts – my favourite is definitely MarathonTalk – and I also think….a lot. During my running this week, I had two thoughts worthy of sharing (yes only two – the rest are not worthy!):

• I think I have a fear of failure. My 6 yr old son doesn’t like to do anything that he’s not good at. He only likes to do things that he either already knows how to do or knows that he will succeed at. Guess what? I realised I’m like that too. As you know from previous posts, I don’t consider myself a runner and I’m certainly not going to finish the marathon in a “good” time and I’m struggling a bit with that. Now it’s probably OK for a 6yr old to act this way but maybe not OK for a 40 something. I think I have a fear of failure. Do you only like to do things you’re already good at or do you like learning new things?
• It’s good to have a support team. Without my husband Adonis being supportive, encouraging and uncomplaining about my many hours of training, I would find this so much harder. Without my running buddy MM, those long runs are much longer. Without my running coach, I wouldn’t be improving nor understanding the reasons behind the training plan. Without the comments I get each week from my blog readers, I wouldn’t be as motivated to write this blog. Without the messages of encouragement and support I get from my Twitter peeps and Facebook friends, my solo runs would be much lonelier. Do you ask for support and help when you need it? Or do you struggle on alone.

Looking forward to hearing your worthy (or unworthy) thoughts.

A non-runner’s marathon journey – MD-6 weeks.

Only six and a bit weeks until MD – aaaahhhhhhhh. It suddenly feels very close and this week I’ve been out with an injury so feel like I’ve lost a week. I can feel my anxiety building as I type so need to take a deep breath *inhales deeply* *exhales* and focus on the positives.

The biggest news I have to share this week is that I ran my first 30+km run last Sunday! Now that is big news. My running buddy MM, is still out with a torn hamstring – ouch. He’s running in the Athens Marathon in October and this is a big deal because it’s the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon in 490BC, the original marathon race! Speedy recovery MM.

I was facing my 30km run alone but as fortune would have it, someone I’ve only known ‘virtually’ contacted me and asked me if I wanted to join her for a long run! This amazing women (Sook54), and I ‘met online’ back in 2006 while we were both doing the Weight Watchers online program. We were both about the same height and weight and wanted to lose about the same amount. We also both started running back then as part of our weight loss journey. After I completed the SRF 1/2 marathon in September 2007, I sort of stopped running – apart from the odd 5km jog here and there. Sook54 on the other hand has gone from strength to strength, competing in many fun runs, a couple of 1/2 marathons (one of which she did as part of a 35km run!) and in June this year her 1st full marathon in 4:02:32!!! She is, what I call, a runner. So, despite ‘knowing’ Sook54 for a few years, we’d never really met in person ando I was thrilled to finally get to meet her and run with her.

We mapped out a course which had Sook54 running 10kms to the meeting point and me running 5kms. I’m not silly you see, hoping to wear her out a bit before our meetup 😉 We then had a 9km run mapped out around the city before heading back across the Anzac Bridge and into Drummoyne where Sook54 would leave me and I’d continue to complete my 31kms.

The run started out well. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and the meetup was perfectly timed. We had a nice easy run through the city – which early on a Sunday morning is gloriously quiet. We chatted about running and Sook54 generously shared her experience, her tips and her encouragement. At around 14km, just after doing our fastest 1km (sub 6min/km), I felt a tightness in my right calf muscle. I did the right thing and stopped for a stretch before continuing on at a slower pace. However, another km later at around 15km I couldn’t continue. My calf was very tight, was cramped and very painful. I was not happy!!! Sook54 waited with me while I stretched and tried to walk it out but it was still too sore to run so I told her to go on ahead without me. No use both of us ruining our long run. She wanted to stay with me but I assured her I had my taxi money, my phone and Adonis would come to collect me if needed.

I continued to walk and stretch for a further 500m and then decided to just do an easy, slow jog to see how it felt. Unfortunately for me, this last 15km was the hilliest part of the run so I had to take it very slow. My calf was tender but it didn’t feel like it was getting any worse and by the time I got to about 26km, I was feeling pain everywhere! By then though, I knew I could hit 30km and my head was in a really good place. I just had to keep moving forward, knowing I was going to do it. When I finally made it home, 4 hours after setting out, I was spent. If Adonis had been home, I think I would’ve burst into tears.

So, despite the injury, I managed to run about 31km. Couldn’t tell exactly because my iPhone battery died at 28.75km. For the first time since deciding I was going to run a marathon, I actually believed that I could do it. There’s something very reassuring about knowing that it’s only another 11km on top of what I’ve already done.

However, the irony is that while mentally I now feel ready to do the marathon, physically, my calf injury means my body is letting me down – aaagggghhh. I R.I.C.Ed it when I got home and went to Physio who told me it was strained but nothing too major and to rest it for the week. You can imagine how disappointed I was that I wasn’t able to do my 35x100m hill repeats this week ;-D I also had a massage and have been very good at resting, stretching and taking it easy.

The Physio told me to go for a run today to see how it felt. So off I headed, looking forward to a trot after being off the road a few days. Unfortunately my calf pain returned within just a few hundred metres and continued to get worse as the run progressed. I stopped to strectch it but it didn’t really help. I only managed to do 6km as I didn’t want to risk damaging it any further.

So today I feel extremely demoralised because with only 6 weeks to go until MD, I’m worried that my injury will affect not only my training but also my ability to complete the marathon. Also, Sunday is the City 2 Surf and I was all set for a good fun race and was hoping to crack 100 minutes so that next year I can make it into the SH2 group. I had a big cry when I got home and one of my dear friends called me just at that time to wish me luck for the weekend. I sobbed in her ear – sorry B. It’s so frustrating for me because I’ve already put in so much effort and was doing so well. It’s also out of my control somewhat and as a bit of a control freak (shhh don’t tell Adonis I admitted to that!) it’s hard to take.

I know I just need to focus on sorting out the injury and not worry too much about the City 2 Surf. As MM reminded me, my goal is to complete the marathon. I can run the City 2 Surf anytime. So, I’m going to see how I go today and tomorrow. At this stage I’m planning to run the C2S but will take it easy if my calf starts hurting – no point winning the battle and losing the war.

I’d love to hear your comments about how you’ve coped with injury – mentally and physically.

Good luck to all my readers who are doing the City 2 Surf this weekend. Until next week…..