Mental Game

I was explaining to someone the other day that you can't just wake up and run 42.2km - for weeks and months before Canberra every time I went for a training run I mentally prepared so that when I woke up on race day I knew I would do it, no doubt, no "I can't", there was no other option but to cross the finish line.

Recently I have been congratulating myself just for getting out of bed to go for a run or continuing in the heat - - - really... I realised yesterday that this attitude isn't helping because it has allowed me to walk up those hills and not run quite as far as planned.

Its time to toughen up mentally - stick to the training schedule exactly, no excuses...

I think another reason is that Paris still feels so far away but actually (for my benefit) it is only 19 weeks from today!

So for accountability here is this weeks plan (that I am sticking to!!)
Monday night lazy 4k to the pool 1k swim
Tuesday Lunch - 5.5k fast
Wednesday Lunch - 3k time trial - the last BGI one
Saturday morning 10k to/from and around Centennial Park

Author Apology

In my last post I told the story of eating sushi recently but carelessly failed to mention who it was that introduced me.

As I think I have a whole 6 readers of my blog (subscribe please for a little encouragement!) I need to be more careful and mention them when they feature.

So it was Giddo, my boss, who took me to sushi for my birthday. I enjoyed it so much, but haven't been back to this particular sushi train cause it was slightly over my regular lunch budget.

Thanks Giddo! You have broadened my lunch options from oporto...

Ps. He thinks also thinks I'm a control freak - no, not me ;)

For the love of Sushi

Recently I ate sushi for the first time. The sushi train restaurants are now common around Sydney but I never went in as the thought of raw fish just turns my stomach. I never knew that there was chicken teriyake, edamame, seared salmon and wagyu beef! I've was slow to join the trend but now eat it for lunch at least once a week - its a healthier option than oporto :)

Meanwhile, this last week has revealed two hurdles in my training effort.

1. Party season - yes, its that time of year, the Christmas celebrations have started and my first work party was on Friday night.

2. The onset of summer. Today is scheduled to be 39deg! I was up early to try and beat the heat but an hour after my return my face still looks like a tomato! I knew it would be tough training through summer, but I did it last year and understand that I just need to plan to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Although, I'm finding it difficult increasing my distance, I'm still feeling really motivated to get out and run. My marathon mentor - Mark, who got me through Canberra - has provided me with a training diary that starts tomorrow. So I'm on track... Paris, here I come.

Niggling Injuries

Managing injuries is one of the challenges of making it to the starting line on April 11. My left leg is the weak link. It is the one that I broke years ago on Christmas day on a ski mountain in Austria and while it healed well enough for 'normal' activities, the training required for my first marathon revealed its limitations, mostly through the ITB.

A common problem for female runners due to our natural shape, the ITB is a band that runs down the outside of your thigh from hip to knee and the injury often reveals itself through knee pain. I thought the time off from training since Canberra would have alleviated the problem. I haven't yet had knee pain but often feel quite tight through that part of the leg. I manage this with a foam roller, quite a painful exercise, but laying on the roller has become addictive for the relief it provides.

The other therapy is massage and I have had some weird looks as I use the palm of my hand to repeatedly bang up and down the band.

In addition to the ITB, I also sprained my left ankle back in July and the flexibility just hasn't returned. After the 10k last weekend there was some light bruising but thankfully no pain. Hopefully this won't cause too many issues.

The First Milestone - 10k

Yesterday was a fun run around Olympic Park which finished by running through the tunnel and into the Stadium just like the Olympians 9 years ago.

My goal was to beat my 38yo brother. Ha ha, but truthfully, he is pretty fit at the moment and could be a challenge, especially as I know him so well and he will save something for that last 100m, not to mention want to tease me the whole way if he could...

Really though - I hoped to finish around 55mins. Anything under 60 and I'm on track, anything over and I would be disappointed.

The result...

Me: 58.53
Waz: 53.58

He beat me by 5 mins! I let him get too much of a start, thinking he would crash and burn along the way... oh well.

All up I was happy with my run, prepared that the last few k's would hurt as I hadn't run further than 7k in months.

Viv and Sus made the trek to Homebush with me and both ran well, Viv coming in sub 60mins. We tried to convince her to sign up to Paris - C'mon Viv!!!

WE'VE BOOKED!!

Ash and I have booked flights to Europe - YEY. Departing the Easter weekend I will have time to recover from any jet lag and prepare for the Big Race. Keen to lock in any early bird specials, I'm almost as excited to be flying there in the A380 as running the race!

This trip is getting bigger every time I speak to my Mum - she's coming, bringing with her 3 friends, my sister is coming in from London with maybe others and now today, Mum tells me that my big bro is coming too!! Apparently there's going to be an Aussie contingent in the crowd - flags and all - look out Paris :)

Now all I have to do is be able to run the race - that is: train, stay injury free, eat well, find a solution to the toilet issue (an upcoming blog) and well, find the right outfit!