Feeling Guilty

Its been a while since I have written and I'm feeling guilty. It is closely correlated to the number of times I have run, maybe that's why I feel guilty. It's a similar guilt to when you pay for a gym membership that you never use, I feel like I owe myself a blog.

The truth is, as many of you know, I have had a crazy week. A death in the family, boyfriend departs for overseas, moving house and resigning from work. Just a little on my plate.

I did manage to do 25ks on the weekend, thanks to Viv who met me half way and was the only reason I got out of bed. I ran from my place near Bondi Beach to the Harbour Bridge, around the Opera House and Botanical Gardens and back again. It is a spectacular run in the city, but the hills of the Eastern Suburbs get me every time and there was some walking on the return journey. Surely central Paris is not as hilly!

So its onwards and upwards from here, with a plan to increase that distance each weekend for the next 5 weeks with at least 3 mid week sessions in between. Its serious now.

Tomorrow I run to work. 8.5ks. Hopefully it is not as hot as today.

Respect the Race

This was the excellent and very valid advice from one of my colleagues today.

Many of my friends have said "don't worry, you'll be fine, you've done one before" when I explain I need to go for a run. But honestly, a year later, it doesn't mean any more than knowing how hard it is going to be to cross that finish line. None of my fellow marathon runners have given such advice - they know how hard it is!

At least last year I was ignorant to how it would actually be. All the reading and talking to others only prepared me slightly for the wall that would hit me at about 38kms. I was literally running up and down on the spot though felt like I was running as fast as in the first 10km. The final km, according to my garmin, took 12 mins!

Respect the race means preparing physically and mentally for enduring the 42.2km. This includes the obvious running, increasing my km in training so I am confident I can cover the distance on the day. Along with that, I need to start looking after my body, eating the right foods, hydrating, stretching and getting plenty of sleep which is great recovery for the body. Also start trialling the (all important) outfit and the accessories, ie fuel belt etc as you don't want nasty surprises on the day.

Respect the race means learning the detail of the course, breaking it down into section, knowing where to expect hills and refreshment stations. Luckily I know Paris very well, so from the marathon map I am able to visualise most of the route.

Respect the race means taking this seriously. Without enough preparation that day is going to feel like 100km, not just 42.2.

So tonight I ran 14.5km, a rather slow run at an hour and 40mins but I was determined to get out a decent distance to see where I am at after an inconsistent 2 weeks training.

No more excuses - I still believe I can do it, now just have to respect the race enough to put the effort in prior to race day.

I'm Back!

I learned today that I could run again this weekend as the surgery line
on my finger is healed! While I still have 15 stitches (gross!) until
Tues, the actual skin has closed so there is no risk of infection. When
I realised I actually felt excited! That means I've only had a week off
and so the dent in my training is not too bad.

Great, so Sunday morning, I'm up and going for a run - 12ks.

64 days to go.

Even on Holidays

Last weekend I went away for a long weekend in Victoria with Ash. I took my running gear determined to fit in a few runs and I ended up going out twice over the 5 days.

The first one was along Corio Bay in Geelong, I intended to do 10, ended with 11.5ks as I ran along the bay, into the Botanical Gardens and back.

We then spent a few days staying with his family in Wye River on the Great Ocean Road. What a beautiful part of the world – for those that haven’t been, add it to your list! The highlight was definitely seeing koalas in the wild, right off our verandah. We had a lovely time and though I found it a bit fresh to swim, it was perfect conditions for running. Thanks David for getting me out early one morning for a lazy 10k along the famous coastline. Thoroughly enjoyable.

While holidays interupt my training, they aren't enough to stop the km's from racking up but this Friday I have a small surgery scheduled on my claw of a finger. Trying to get this old basketball injury corrected for good is going to halt my training for the period that the stitches are in - up to 10 days says the good surgeon.

This is far from ideal but I am learning that in any journey to a marathon there are hick-ups along the way and so I am looking at this postively to give my body a rest and then will hit the road hard as soon as possible after. At the moment though, those time goals I've talked about previously are seeming somewhat out of reach.

Just finish Trace, I hear myself saying... and get out and do those 8ks at lunch tomorrow!

Ps. Thanks so much for the incredibly generous donations so far, your support has been overwhelming.

Running in Paris for Harry

Harry is the son of a good friend of mine who was born with an extremely rare genetic brain disorder. As you can see from my pic, he is a beautiful, happy little boy and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI) has set up a 3 year, donation-funded, research program into his condition. They need to raise $300,000 over 3 years to complete the project that aims to learn more about Harry to benefit him along with other children in the future.

Harry is one of only a handful of children worldwide (no other in Australia) living with the condition called microcephaly with simplified gyration pattern, which slows his physical and mental development. Since birth Harry has astounded doctors with his progress, he is the first child with the condition to walk and talk. At 4 years old, he still wears 00 clothes, weighs only 8.9kg and stands at a tiny 85cm.

I have dedicated my run in Paris to Harry and am fundraising for the MCRI Genetics of Brain Development Research Program.

If you would like to sponsor me, please click here. All donations are tax deductible and will receive a receipt by email.

For more information on the work of MCRI you can visit their website - www.mcri.edu.au.

Thanks in advance for your support, I’ll be sure to be thinking of you as I run the course.

Ps. I have random readers of my blog! I received a comment from Wazza in Victoria who is also running in Paris – Wazza, thanks for the comment, hope you enjoy the read and good luck in the race.