Looking Forward To Melbourne

I don't like the week after a big event. Before the event there's all the anticipation. The excitement. The nervousness. The preparation. And then there's all the fun of the event itself. Spending time with friends. Getting away from the hum-drum of everyday life. Eating out (and eating stuff you normally wouldn't). And then it's all over.

Ughh! Back down to earth with a bump. Washing to do. Dinners to be made. Groceries to be bought. Bikinis to be cut out.

And there's the post-race fatigue - totally normal after giving it your all and being on a high for a couple of days. So it's important to have a bit of time off to recover but not running makes me feel a bit blah anyway so it's a catch 22 situation. And add to that my breakfast buddies have been away this week. Well let's just say that it's been a long week.

So I've been trying to relax and enjoy a couple of sleep ins this week. I've done some strength work (still working on my weak left hip which was pretty obvious in this photo - thanks for pointing that out Sam when all I wanted you to notice was the new-found muscle definition in my quads)  and lots of stretching and I'm feeling ready and raring to jump into marathon training.

Melbourne marathon is only 13 weeks away! 

I'm a little bit scared. Not by the training. I'm looking forward to that in a weird, masochistic kind of way. I like spending hours on Saturdays slogging away. And I really like the re-fuelling afterwards and the well-earnt afternoon naps and wearing compression gear all day to remind you of your big achievement (as if the tight, sore muscles and the stiff walk don't do that). 

No, my fear comes from not being able to totally forget the last 7 kilometres of my only other marathon. You'd think that three years would be long enough to forget something considering that I often have problems remembering where I put my keys or people's names or where I parked my car. Getting lost in the Arts Centre trying to find a toilet is not something you easily forget. But the lesson learnt here is that if you need a toilet try to find one on the course. And the nausea that made me go searching for the toilet in the first place is something that I want to avoid this time round.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it was the gels that I was using that made me feel so awful. Yes, I'd used them in training but they were filled with a lot of chemical things that were unpronounceable and I've had the same reaction in other races after taking them. So I've switched to just plain honey and I'm hoping that will do the trick. 

I also suspect that my stomach got to the point that it just wasn't digesting anything any more and all that gel and water was just swooshing around every time I took a step. So my plan is to practice my fuelling strategies in training and make sure I have them right. I may even go see a sports nutritionist and get some good advice. Anything to avoid feeling that bad again. 

And I'm also asking for advice from any of my weak-stomached readers. If you've had issues on long runs or in long races what's helped you?