I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has spent the time to share all their amazing advice. The biggest theme running through most of the comments is to stay positive, have faith in my training and to enjoy the experience. I'll do my best to do all of those.
We're getting closer and closer to the big day and I'm surprising myself. I thought I would be a nervous wreck this close to M day but I'm not! I'm relaxed and calm and (I know this smacks of mild insanity) I'm sort-of looking forward to it. I can't believe I just said that.
When I signed up for the race I had to force myself not to think too much about it because it would give me nervous nausea. For weeks after I signed up there was hardly a day go by that I wouldn't think of down-grading to the half or pulling out altogether. I had to mentally slap myself around the head and tell myself not to overthink it and to just take it one run at a time. Self-doubt can be a b@*#h!
The other thing I'm surprised about is that I'm quite enjoying the taper. It's school holidays here at the moment and tapering has given me the chance to sleep in for 3 days in a row! Unheard of!! I'm not wishing I was getting up early to pound the pavement. I'm enjoying the enforced laziness.
So I'm down to only three runs to go. An easy 12k on Saturday, a modified speed session on Tuesday and a light recovery run on Wednesday. Then Melbourne here I come!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Questions, Questions, Questions
So all the hard work is done - what next? I know I've got to run this thing but I'm really not sure how to do it (apart from left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot) I'm wondering how I should pace myself and how will I keep myself going when my brain starts screaming at me to stop.
I know that a lot/most of you out there have done this before and I'd really like to pick your brains for any morsel of useful/dubious/useless advice that you'd like to share. Things that other people shared with you. Things that worked or didn't work for you. War stories. Anything marathon-related.
I'll be doing the same at my running group. I'm an information-junkie and I firmly believe that Scientia est Potestas - Knowledge is Power
Friday, September 24, 2010
I've done it! All those really long training runs before Melbourne are finally over and finished. That's all the hard work done - it's time to taper.
This morning was a relatively short (I can't believe I'm using that adjective) 30k run. I must admit I found the going a bit tough from 25k on but when I looked at my Garmin data later I realised that some of the k's had been pretty slick. In fact one of them was only 4:44. What the? Note to self - don't run with speedy Deb for too long. She is way faster than you'll ever be and will only put you in a world of pain.
So I finished my run in 2:41:44 which made it my fastest paced long run since I've been marathon training. I think I'm ready. Or as ready as I'll ever be.
Our squad has a big contingent going down to Melbourne. There are 30 runners tackling everything from the 10k to the half and the full. The event has now sold out so I think the race-day buzz will be huge. My Mum and Dad and half-brother are coming down to cheer me on, as is Iven. I'll have my own little cheer-squad!
It's hard to believe that just a week ago I was in Sydney anticipating the half. I've been a bit slack with putting up pics from the weekend. I didn't get any race ones but I did get some great ones at the zoo. So I'll leave you with my favourite.
Actually, that wasn't the one I meant. It was this one ...
This morning was a relatively short (I can't believe I'm using that adjective) 30k run. I must admit I found the going a bit tough from 25k on but when I looked at my Garmin data later I realised that some of the k's had been pretty slick. In fact one of them was only 4:44. What the? Note to self - don't run with speedy Deb for too long. She is way faster than you'll ever be and will only put you in a world of pain.
So I finished my run in 2:41:44 which made it my fastest paced long run since I've been marathon training. I think I'm ready. Or as ready as I'll ever be.
Our squad has a big contingent going down to Melbourne. There are 30 runners tackling everything from the 10k to the half and the full. The event has now sold out so I think the race-day buzz will be huge. My Mum and Dad and half-brother are coming down to cheer me on, as is Iven. I'll have my own little cheer-squad!
It's hard to believe that just a week ago I was in Sydney anticipating the half. I've been a bit slack with putting up pics from the weekend. I didn't get any race ones but I did get some great ones at the zoo. So I'll leave you with my favourite.
Actually, that wasn't the one I meant. It was this one ...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
All Kinds of Happy
I have had some golden moments in the last couple of days. Moments that, if you could bottle them and breathe in their essence whenever you're feeling a bit down you would never need antidepressants. Of course the Sunday was one of those moments spending precious hours doing special things with one of my boys. Sitting down with him over breakfast just after the race, feeling so happy I could cry ... or laugh ... or both.
Yesterday I had another of those moments. It came in the form of an email from the Mum whose daughter I made swimmers for. Little Ivy was so excited to get the package and more excited to try them on and Mum was excited that they fit well and covered the port in her chest. Could they pay me? No!! Could they advertise me on their blog? No, I'm happy with my workload. Could they do anything in return? Well they did - they sent the most beautiful photos of little Ivy in the swimmers I'd made. And the feeling that those photos gave me was better than money.
See what I mean ...
Yesterday I had another of those moments. It came in the form of an email from the Mum whose daughter I made swimmers for. Little Ivy was so excited to get the package and more excited to try them on and Mum was excited that they fit well and covered the port in her chest. Could they pay me? No!! Could they advertise me on their blog? No, I'm happy with my workload. Could they do anything in return? Well they did - they sent the most beautiful photos of little Ivy in the swimmers I'd made. And the feeling that those photos gave me was better than money.
See what I mean ...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sydney Half
Sydney is done and dusted! Josh and I are sitting at the airport, bone-weary and ready to be home. How did the race go? I'll have to start at the very beginning ...
The beginning was about a year ago when I did this very same race. I was trying to break my PR but only managed in breaking me! I had the most miserable race that I've ever experienced. From 15k on I just wanted to die. So I was a little bit nervous about the race. I knew I could do the distance but I didn't want to feel BAD again. I also wanted it to be a great experience for Josh - something positive and good for his self-confidence.
We flew out early on Sat. and were able to book into our hotel straight away. Then we headed out to the expo to pick up our race numbers. Having done that we decided to have a wander so Josh could look at the harbor. We went back to the hotel and had a nap and hung out till it was time for dinner. Coach Chris had organized a booking for all the squad members who wanted to attend. There ended up being six of us eating and laughing and tying up the table longer than we should have. Then it was back to the hotel for an attempt at a good night's sleep.
My sleep was restless but 4:30am finally came around and we could get ready. We were out the door by 5:00 for the quick walk to the train station where we met Lucy (a squad member) Sydney lets all runners use public transport free on race-day which makes life so easy. Josh and I were wearing some really old jumpers which we left at the start and were collected for charity. It was a really well-organized starting area and Josh and I spent our time amusing ourselves by photo-bombing unsuspecting groups.
Soon enough it was start time. The gun went off and we waited ... And waited... And six minutes after the gun we were finally across the start. Josh's plan was to run with me to stop himself going too hard. I didn't really have a plan apart from finishing. We were running pretty freely right from the start - up the hill and onto Sydney Harbour Bridge. My watch went off after one k and we were sub 5 mins. Oops! I had intended to be cautious and moderate. But that was hard with Josh bouncing along at my side. He was finding the pace too comfortable!
The k's ticked over and we were hovering around the 5min per k mark - mostly under rather than over. I was feeling okay but the scared voice in the back of my head kept reminding me about last year and I started to freak out a little. I encouraged Josh to gp ahead - he was running so well - and finally at 11k he listened and took off. It was quite freeing to just be able to do my own thing. I was still feeling pretty good so my pace didn't slow very much. The k's ticked over and I found myself at the 15k mark - my horror spot from last year. This year, though, no problem! I cruised through and was heading back towards the harbor bridge and the Opera House. The last couple of k were hard but not unbearable and I stopped my watch at 1:47:39.
I caught up with Josh in the recovery area. He had no idea about his time but we found out later that he came in at 1:43:20. Pretty awesome for a first attempt especially when he's only trained once or twice a week and his longest run was only 17k. I was sooo proud of him!
The rest of the day was spent wandering around Taronga Zoo - probably not the best way to recover but lots of fun!
Yesterday was one of those special mother/son days which we'll both remember forever. I'm so lucky that I got the chance to have such qulity time with my #2
The beginning was about a year ago when I did this very same race. I was trying to break my PR but only managed in breaking me! I had the most miserable race that I've ever experienced. From 15k on I just wanted to die. So I was a little bit nervous about the race. I knew I could do the distance but I didn't want to feel BAD again. I also wanted it to be a great experience for Josh - something positive and good for his self-confidence.
We flew out early on Sat. and were able to book into our hotel straight away. Then we headed out to the expo to pick up our race numbers. Having done that we decided to have a wander so Josh could look at the harbor. We went back to the hotel and had a nap and hung out till it was time for dinner. Coach Chris had organized a booking for all the squad members who wanted to attend. There ended up being six of us eating and laughing and tying up the table longer than we should have. Then it was back to the hotel for an attempt at a good night's sleep.
My sleep was restless but 4:30am finally came around and we could get ready. We were out the door by 5:00 for the quick walk to the train station where we met Lucy (a squad member) Sydney lets all runners use public transport free on race-day which makes life so easy. Josh and I were wearing some really old jumpers which we left at the start and were collected for charity. It was a really well-organized starting area and Josh and I spent our time amusing ourselves by photo-bombing unsuspecting groups.
Soon enough it was start time. The gun went off and we waited ... And waited... And six minutes after the gun we were finally across the start. Josh's plan was to run with me to stop himself going too hard. I didn't really have a plan apart from finishing. We were running pretty freely right from the start - up the hill and onto Sydney Harbour Bridge. My watch went off after one k and we were sub 5 mins. Oops! I had intended to be cautious and moderate. But that was hard with Josh bouncing along at my side. He was finding the pace too comfortable!
The k's ticked over and we were hovering around the 5min per k mark - mostly under rather than over. I was feeling okay but the scared voice in the back of my head kept reminding me about last year and I started to freak out a little. I encouraged Josh to gp ahead - he was running so well - and finally at 11k he listened and took off. It was quite freeing to just be able to do my own thing. I was still feeling pretty good so my pace didn't slow very much. The k's ticked over and I found myself at the 15k mark - my horror spot from last year. This year, though, no problem! I cruised through and was heading back towards the harbor bridge and the Opera House. The last couple of k were hard but not unbearable and I stopped my watch at 1:47:39.
I caught up with Josh in the recovery area. He had no idea about his time but we found out later that he came in at 1:43:20. Pretty awesome for a first attempt especially when he's only trained once or twice a week and his longest run was only 17k. I was sooo proud of him!
The rest of the day was spent wandering around Taronga Zoo - probably not the best way to recover but lots of fun!
Yesterday was one of those special mother/son days which we'll both remember forever. I'm so lucky that I got the chance to have such qulity time with my #2
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Grade 12 Formal
My baby had his formal last night. I can't believe how grown up he looks wearing a suit and tie. We had such a lovely afternoon preparing. His date, Wendy, got ready at our house because my niece was doing her makeup. That was lovely! Having three sons it was so nice to be involved with some girly preparations. She was so excited that she didn't stop talking the entire time she was here or for the trip to the venue.
My Mum and Dad got to be an integral part of the evening. Mum made her corsage - which was beautiful! And Dad dressed up, chauffeur hat included, and drove them in his '37 Chevy. He'd polished and cleaned the car within an inch of its life.
So it's the morning after and I'm now waiting for the call to pick him up from his after-party. Can't wait to hear all about the evening and see his pictures.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I Heart Technology
I love technology! I have embraced it with open arms - I text, I email, I blog. I can't imagine my life without it and something happened this week that brought to mind a conversation that I had years ago with my now-deceased father-in-law.
He was very old-school. He didn't hold to all these new-fangled gadgets and he was happy to let everyone know his opinion on the matter. He firmly believed he could be in business without a fax, a computer or the internet. I disagreed and said that it sped up the process when working with people interstate but he wouldn't have a bar of it. When I explained that someone could ring me with a request then fax or email a design, I could start on the order within a day. But if I had to wait for snail mail I might not be able to start for the best part of a week. He was a stubborn old coot, still didn't believe me and I think the conversation ended up with me walking out of the room muttering "stupid old man" under my breathe.
Scroll forward a decade. This week I got a message on Facebook about making a special pair of swimmers for a special little girl who has some medical issues. The message was from a running acquaintance who'd seen something on Twitter. I Facebooked her my email address and the next day had an email from a family friend of the girl's. I emailed her Mum today for size information and what design modifications she needs. She sent back a digital photo of her little girl showing me the medical device she wanted to be covered. By late this afternoon I had 3 pairs of swimmers made, ready to be posted off in the morning. Without technology I would have never heard of this girl, let alone be able to help.
I'm taking tomorrow off from training. With my half in Sydney on Sunday I want to be feeling a little fresh so I can enjoy it. It's getting close and I'm starting to look forward to getting away and having no responsibilities for the weekend. I'm really looking forward to going to the zoo. Zoos have to be some of my favourite places. I haven't decided how I'm going to run it yet - I don't think it should be an all-out effort with Melbourne only a few weeks away but I'm hoping to go a little harder than I did at Gold Coast.
Woohoo! Sydney, here I come!
He was very old-school. He didn't hold to all these new-fangled gadgets and he was happy to let everyone know his opinion on the matter. He firmly believed he could be in business without a fax, a computer or the internet. I disagreed and said that it sped up the process when working with people interstate but he wouldn't have a bar of it. When I explained that someone could ring me with a request then fax or email a design, I could start on the order within a day. But if I had to wait for snail mail I might not be able to start for the best part of a week. He was a stubborn old coot, still didn't believe me and I think the conversation ended up with me walking out of the room muttering "stupid old man" under my breathe.
Scroll forward a decade. This week I got a message on Facebook about making a special pair of swimmers for a special little girl who has some medical issues. The message was from a running acquaintance who'd seen something on Twitter. I Facebooked her my email address and the next day had an email from a family friend of the girl's. I emailed her Mum today for size information and what design modifications she needs. She sent back a digital photo of her little girl showing me the medical device she wanted to be covered. By late this afternoon I had 3 pairs of swimmers made, ready to be posted off in the morning. Without technology I would have never heard of this girl, let alone be able to help.
I'm taking tomorrow off from training. With my half in Sydney on Sunday I want to be feeling a little fresh so I can enjoy it. It's getting close and I'm starting to look forward to getting away and having no responsibilities for the weekend. I'm really looking forward to going to the zoo. Zoos have to be some of my favourite places. I haven't decided how I'm going to run it yet - I don't think it should be an all-out effort with Melbourne only a few weeks away but I'm hoping to go a little harder than I did at Gold Coast.
Woohoo! Sydney, here I come!
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