2 weeks to go - I'm Ready

Its now time to taper.

That's what elite athletes would do anyway.

For plodders like me, its a good chance to relax for a bit and consider the hard yards that I have put in recently. Yesterday and today are good examples. Both days were hot (I'm fairly confident Paris won't be >30 deg) and both runs (11 and 15ks) didn't feel easy. Yesterday I thought that my legs might be tired from the training session the day before but this morning I just felt ordinary and pushed out 15 of my planned 20.

When it comes to race day I'll be able to remember the work that I put in even when I wasn't feeling great. Hopefully that will make me tougher.

Good news though - the calf has held up and feels ok. I am relieved that I gave it the week's rest when I did so it didn't develop into anything more serious.

I guess I'm now in a kind of forced taper, on Tuesday I fly to New York and next weekend to London. My plan is to be careful to stay hydrated throughout the flights and get out on my legs when I feel up for it after arrival for a relaxed jog. Then with a few days to go I will concentrate on my food and liquid intake.

I'm getting excited...

Just in case running past the Louvre and Eiffle Tower don't remind me I'm in Paris, at the 35k refreshment stand, alongside the expected refreshments, the organisers serve cheese and red wine!

Can you believe it? I wonder if we can head back there after the finish line 'cause there is no way I can think of pausing at 35k - my legs would never get going again!!

I'm envisioning the race to have a party atmosphere like Sydney's City to Surf. Here are some of the 2009 stats:

* 30,334 finishers (in '10 there are 40,000 registered runners)
* 220,000 spectators
* 2,700 volunteers
* 9 refreshment stands with:
• 18 000 kg of bananas,
• 17 050 kg of oranges,
• 440 000 bottles of water,
• 2 000 kg of dried fruit,
• 2 000 kg of sugar (cubes),
* 7 sponge stations: 30 000 sponges
* 84 music groups on the route
* 17 000 runners at the Pasta Party (Saturday),
* 50 000 gifts/samples distributed to spectators on the route by sponsors

I CAN'T WAIT!

The Weakest Link - my left leg

Referring to my blog of 15 November, I talked about the challenge of making the start line avoiding/managing injuries along the way. It turns out my left leg has let me down again.

While nursing the injured calf I've been able rest my body and spend time re-assessing the goals for the race. With exactly 3 weeks to go, they haven't changed much from when I started this journey. In order:
To Finish
To run the whole way
To finish strongly
To beat my last time of 4h42. I still believe this is possible. (yes Giddo - I'm putting it out there now!)

Who'd ever have thought that I would be frustrated by not being able to run. Definitely not me! I have been able to train, just not run. During my warmup on Friday I had to walk around a park twice. Walk?? It took all my concentration not to break into a trot.

I have done a boxing session with Jess, swam 1.5k and today was in a gym following a program provided by Jess. I worked up a sweat on the rower, bike and cross-trainer at repeating intervals and followed this with some lunges, pushups and abs. I actually enjoyed it. I impressed a local trainer with my effort and when we were chatting I mentioned my goal and he said that I looked strong.

More importantly I still FEEL strong.

I am on the mend, the leg hasn't been tested yet but feels ok, I will start running again tomorrow - a slow flat plod will be the first test. Bring it on!

Not a good day

I can't believe it.

Today I am feeling disappointed and frustrated as I've received bad news from the physio. I have a small tear in my calf muscle.

Bummer.

(Stronger swear words may have been heard at the time).

Only a day after feeling so strong and ready for the race my preparation has been stalled. With less than 4 weeks to go to the race, I cannot run - at all - for at least a week.

It was a simple circuit I was doing with my trainer yesterday when I was running backwards and I felt it for the first time. It was only a little sore, not throbbing pain, but not 100% right either. I went to get a professional opinion so I didn't do more damage by continuing to train. Not what I wanted to hear.

It is my left leg, the weaker side that is prone to injury, the one broken years ago skiing, last year I suffered from keen pain through ITB tightness and mid year, while not running at all, I sprained this ankle. I never had the ankle properly treated and today it was revealed that the limited flexibility in that region may have caused the weak point in my leg after all the training I have been doing.

Did I say Bummer??!!

It could have been worse, at this stage I should be able to run the race. I'm in a R.I.C.E. routine (rest, ice, compress and elevate) for the next few days. Have to avoid the temptation to run across a road or for a train. I should be able to start running slowly again by the weekend. Between now and the race any stop-start training, hills, sand, intervals are not allowed.

Advice from Giddo today:
"turn it around and see this as a positive"
- maybe tomorrow I'll be able to see it that way!

4 weeks to go - Feeling Strong at last

I have had a good week with training. Finally I am feeling like I can do this.

In addition to my morning sessions, I did an 8k run which felt good and was fast, average pace 5m15/k, that is much faster than my marathon pace but I felt strong at the end and finished with a sprint. Good sign.

Then yesterday I ran 35ks along the M7, a great unbroken pedestrian path/cycleway in western Sydney. 2 hours out, 2 hours back. The turnaround point was the hardest mentally, thinking another 2 hours! But I broke it down into 1/2 hour, 5k bits allowing myself a drink at each milestone and it wasn't too bad. There were moments when I stopped for a stretch but I can honestly say it was my best run so far, not lengthy walking stretches and again, I finished strongly (couldn't call it a sprint though!). I did this same run last year as my longest run leading to the race and it was the first time I "hit the wall" while running. I literally was close to tears and angry and refused to move! This year, no such thing so I think I must be doing ok :) I was well rewarded with my large frozen coke from Macca's - do they have them in Paris?

I have woken up today not too sore and no injuries to note. Another good sign.

There has been a shift in my thinking this week. As much as I have been training, until recently, there were still doubts about my ability to finish in Paris. Now finally, I guess right at the right time with 4 weeks to go, I am feeling strong.

This week I will train 6 days again and next Sunday I have entered a 30k race. I'm going to approach it like the main race and look forward to seeing how I do.

The long runs

Training has become a slog with the longest runs of the program on the weekends this month. In addition to my 3 training sessions per week working on legs and core strength and runs of 8k whenever I can fit them in (1-2 a week) I am running 30+ km on the weekends.

Last weekend I was on a girls trip to the Central Coast. While I enjoyed the spa on the Saturday with a lovely massage, I avoided the champagne on Sat night and got up at 6.15am on Sunday morning for 30km.

I was grateful and motivated by one of the girls who came with me for the first 15k - what a trooper! - she was able to run that distance without training recently, thanks Chez, hope you weren't too sore :)

This weekend I'm out to the M7 first thing on Saturday to go 34km. My mantra: "Stopping is NOT an option". This one worked for me last year. I know what I'll be thinking about for the last 10k - the large frozen coke waiting for me at Macca's where I park my car!

I am feeling it in the legs, tonight they are just fatigued, a sensation difficult to explain, no particular sore point but just an overall tired ache up from the knees to the hips. I have used the roller on them tonight and my own tourettes-like therapy of using the heel of my hand to bang up and down them a few times!

I'm also finding it hard to prepare mentally - it is difficult to keep running when the thoughts inside my head are "why am I choosing to do this again?" or "I really don't need to go through with this".

Enough of that, is the next thought. I will run 42.2 in 32 days, I won't give myself any other option...

PS. Thanks to all my sponsors - I have raised $2,250 and almost reached my goal for Harry.

My new friend

Jess is mean.

And Jess has a friend - a 3kg medicine ball.

Apparently this is my new best friend. Every run I do in training (this morning it was up and down Observatory Hill) I have to carry this green thing above my head! I'm not joking. She says it will make me strong. Hmmm was this really a good idea?

I am finally feeling a little like athletes / biggest losers must feel. Every day a different ache from the session a day or 2 before. I never thought I would get a six pack from running a marathon, but it feels like Jess is determined to give me one!

Back to the running, on the weekend I was on my feet for 30k. Note I didn't say I ran 30k. I can't say that because I was sprung at about 26 by a colleague of mine from work. It had hit the middle of the day and warmed up by then as I didn't get the early start I had planned. No excuses, I was happy to spend the extended time on my feet - all good preparation (she repeats to herself...).