Back on the Run

Checking out South Bank parkrun

 It's been aaaaages since my last post, simply because I have had no running to talk about!

The shin splints took a long time to heal up post-marathon - I was getting no pain walking or doing anything else, but it hurt to run.  Finally, 6 weeks after the marathon (just last week), I was able to do my first 5km run, completely pain-free - hooray!

I followed that up 2 days later with another 5km, then 3 days after that, my first parkrun (that I have run, not walked) in months.  Ahhhh, the feeling of achievement and satisfaction has been amazing!  It is just so good to be back out there - I have missed running so much!

However, the frustrating part of it, is how much fitness I've lost!  Dean & I decided to visit South Bank parkrun for the first time last Saturday and it was our first run together in such a long time.  We were without the kids, so it was nice just to be able to get out together and have fun!  It's a great course - I love that it's a loop, and the shade over on the city side of the river.  I had to really push it to keep up with Dean, which was good - I really want to gauge where my fitness was at.

A beautiful course on the Brisbane River

My PB is 22:33.  On Saturday, I ran 26:21.  Practically 4 whole minutes slower than I was :-(  I know it's to be expected, it's just annoying!  I also know it won't take me too long to get back to speed - I just have to keep up the consistency now.

I'm also so glad I attended an amazingly helpful workshop on the weekend, put on by Body Leadership, called Running Injury Free.  WOW!  I would recommend this to anyone, at any level of running.  It was free and soooo informative.  I learnt heaps, and am really confident now that I'll be able to get back into running without the setback of shin splints, or any other injury.

For a bit of a sneak peak, here's their blog, with the post on how to avoid shin splints.  If you're a runner, take a look around, because these guys know their stuff and are so passionate about getting people running injury free!

Keep a lookout for the next free workshop - you will learn so much!

Just another random thing that's happened in the last week (that all other distance runners will relate to!) is that the toenail on one of my second-biggest toes started turning black, then came off completely.  I'm really baffled as to why it happened now!  It happened on the same toe last year when I was training for and running half marathons.  I fully expected it to do the same in the lead up to the marathon, but every toenail stayed intact.  Then, after 6 weeks of no running, I do 3 x 5km and it comes off?!?  Strange!  But it doesn't gross me out anymore at all, I'm completely not phased by it.

Okay, so the plan now that I'm back on the run:  to start off with, about 3 x 5km runs a week.  Although tonight Dean pushed me to 6km.  And I might start doing a hill session, which will probably be about 6km also.  I'll just stick with these distances for a few weeks.

I'll be back at Sandgate parkrun this Saturday, running there for the first time since May (that's crazy!), pushing the green machine.  I'm also really keen to start going to a weekly bootcamp/fitness session to mix it up a bit, so hopefully I'll work that out this week.

Here's to running injury free!

Life After the Marathon

It's now one month since the marathon.

It's interesting to reflect and think about what has been both my best and worst month of running.

Best, because I ran a marathon.

Worst, because I haven't run since.

I've been dealing with the shin pain since the big run.  It's now completely gone in my right leg, but still persistent in the left.  It's not painful anymore, but it's just there niggling away.

The 3 weeks after the marathon were a bit of a write-off in terms of exercise and nutrition.  Because I couldn't run, I didn't want to do anything else.  Plus I did want to give myself a bit of a break too.  Then we went on holidays and I didn't really have much self control in the eating department.  I could feel myself put on a couple of kilos, so decided it was time to bite the bullet.

Since the start of last week I've been back on calorie counting and exercising and have already felt some of those excess kilos come off, thankfully!  I'm mainly taking the kids for a walk in the afternoon, and also doing a daily abs challenge, of pushups, crunches, planks and pushups.  As soon as I got back on the discipline of a healthy lifestyle, I just felt so good!  It's amazing what routine, healthy eating and some fresh air can do!

Yesterday was a bit of a milestone, in that I ran 2 x 1.5km - to our favourite park and back (with a play stop in the middle).  As I described already, it wasn't painful, but I could just feel that little niggle.  I felt like I didn't know how to put my foot to get the least amount of feeling - so in a way, I feel I need to go back to the start and work on my technique a bit, to avoid injury in the future.

And in saying that, I'm signed up to a "Running Injury-Free" workshop the weekend after next.  I'm really looking forward to it, and I know I'll get a lot out of it.  I might just stick with some teeny tiny runs until then, because the last thing I want to do is any more damage!

I'm also trying to work out what to do next.  I'd really love to do some hard strength training, and some high-intensity cardio that won't affect my shins - something like pump, step and/or fit box classes.  I've looked at the local gym, but I'm hesitant to commit, because I'm so limited with the times I can go around the kids, my work & Dean's work.

So for the moment, I'm making the most of a bit of a rest period, and am really looking forward to running some short distances again.  If nothing else, this whole period has taught me a whole lot about patience!  I'll keep you posted.

After the Event

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind since the marathon!

I was back at work two days after, and had to prepare my presentation for the Utopia Women's Wellness Expo the following weekend.  Utopia was a blast - I had a great time hanging out at the parkrun stand and really enjoyed presenting too.  It was a great vibe and just a fun day all round!

I've also been so humbled and encouraged by all the amazing feedback to my marathon story.  I'm sure most of you wonderful blog readers have already come across my video on Facebook, but here it is again.

I'm so glad I took a video of the run - it's great to have captured the raw emotion.  I laugh at how fresh & chirpy I am at the start, compared to how drained and exhausted I am at the end!  I guess that's what you get after 4.5 hours of running!

Before the marathon, and for a few days afterwards, I said NEVER AGAIN.  But so many of the comments I've gotten have inspired me and planted the seed that maybe I will do another one.  Not in the near future, but never say never.

Recovery-wise, my muscles took almost a week to get back to normal.  I was hobbling and in a lot of pain in my legs for a few days.  Once that eased, the shin pain returned (I kind of expected that, but aaargh!!!  So annoying!!!), so I haven't run yet.

We are heading off on a bit of a family road trip holiday tomorrow, and the plan is to run Newy parkrun on Saturday morning, and the 10km at the Hunter Valley Running Festival on Sunday.  I'm not sure yet if my shins will hold up, but fingers crossed.  I'm itching to get back out there.

I think I'll have to find another form of exercise to focus on in the short-term, to give my shins a break, and a chance to recover properly.  I still really want to get under 1:50 for a half marathon this year, and even possibly run a half marathon event with the pram.  But if that's not realistic with getting my injury sorted, I'm happy to put that off until next year.

I feel like I have a lot of toning and trimming to do, so I'll aim for that for now, and slowly get back into running.  Hopefully that will allow me to get back to running at Sandgate parkrun every fortnight - while I'm always there, I haven't actually run there in ages now, and I can't wait to do it again.

I'll keep you posted!  In the meantime, keep running :-)

The Marathon

Pre-marathon: looking fresh & excited!

Marathon day arrived on Sunday 7^th July, six months after setting that crazy goal to run 42.2 kilometres.  The shin splint injury meant I was going into it with no expectations, just hoping to make the distance without walking.  I did some pretty full-on carb-loading in the three days prior, I had my race nutrition planned out, my mind was in the right place – so it was just a matter of my body holding up.

I was pretty nervous on Saturday, but felt much more relaxed when we arrived on the Gold Coast.  I had a pretty good sleep on Saturday night and woke a bit before 5am to have some porridge and a coffee.  I got ready and Dean & I walked down to the race precinct, just in time to see the half marathon start at 6am.  The atmosphere was great, and I wasn’t too nervous – just excited to get the run underway.  The next hour or so flew by and I saw several people I know, which definitely helped me feel relaxed.

7:20am rolled around and I met up with my friend Rachel at the start line.  Everyone was buzzing, the crowd was loud and there was so much anticipation in the air.  The weather was cool and fine and pretty much perfect!  Rachel & I found ourselves with the 4:15 pace runner and felt comfortable sticking to that pace.  He was great – giving out lots of tips and encouragement, as well as just general banter, to keep our minds off the run.

The first 16km flew by and felt really easy.  I had no shin pain, my body was feeling great and confidence was high.  This was about the point where we had our first turnaround, and that’s where Dean, along with my friend Danielle, had planned to meet me, and give me some more power bars.  It was a real boost to see them there and the encouragement along that stretch was fantastic!

16km: Danielle handing me my supplies; Rachel next to me in green.

So, then it was a matter of heading back to the start line for another 16km.  At the halfway point, I was still feeling great & sticking right with Rachel and the pace runner.  I had a bit of tightness in my thighs, but no pain.  I was glad I’d done a double layer of bandaids/blister strips on my usual blister spots, because they didn’t give me any trouble at all.

I was looking forward to getting to 31km and seeing Dean & Danielle again, and there they were, cheering along from the sideline – I loved having a support crew!  It was around this point that I found myself slipping behind the yellow balloons of the 4:15 pacer, after slowing down at a drink station.  He was not too far ahead, but I just didn’t have it in me to go faster and catch up.

31km: the hard part was about to hit

It felt good to get to 32km and know that all I had to do now was 5km out and back and the marathon was over.  But it was from this point that I felt my body start screaming out for a break.  My feet were tired, my legs were sore and I really wanted a break.  People all around me were starting to walk – and all I wanted to do was walk too!  But I remembered some advice I’d been given – ignore the walkers and keep on running!  I knew that if I started to walk, it would be so much harder to run again.  The stretch to 37km was a real challenge, but I just said my mantra to myself over and over: “I am strong, I am tough, I believe in myself”.  My pace had dropped drastically, but I didn’t walk a step.

Finally, I reached the turnaround and there was just 5km to go.  From here, I just had to break it down and do 1km at a time.  They seemed to stretch on forever, but I used all my mental strength to keep on running and not walk.  And as if the last 5km of a marathon aren’t hard enough, there was a head wind.  A head wind!!!  How inconsiderate!!!  But I have to say, the people lining the street at this point were amazing.  We were being cheered along the whole way, people even reading my name on my race number and encouraging me by name.  It really helped to get me through.

I couldn’t wait to get to 40km, because then it would be only 2km to go, and 2km is doable.  I just had to keep perspective in mind and think about all of that training, the number of kilometres I’d run to get here, as well as the 35km+ I’d done in the run, giving up was NOT an option.  I was so close and just had to keep going.

At 41km, the finishing area was in sight and the crowd really picked up.  I reached the finishing chute and knew that Dean & Danielle were just around the corner, along with several other friends and supporters, as well as the massive crowd of cheerers.  It was so loud and buzzing, and the best feeling to turn that corner and see the finish line.  I crossed it and was overwhelmed with relief, happiness, soreness & emotion – what a feeling!

There were tears – I was just so happy it was over and so glad I had done it.  I had some fruit, Endura and water in the finishing area, before collecting my finisher’s t-shirt and medal.  I was so proud to hang that around my neck.

Finished!

I headed back to where Dean and Danielle were, and finally had a chance to sit down, debrief and stretch.  I was unbelievably sore in my thighs, but the feeling of finishing was so exhilarating.

I completed the Gold Coast Marathon in 4:30:08 (you can see my 5km splits below, and how my pace dropped so much in the final quarter of the run!).  I am so happy with that time, especially considering my injury and lack of training over the last 6 weeks.  This was definitely one of the craziest, hardest, most rewarding achievements ever.

Was it harder than drug-free childbirth?  I think it was more difficult than my second labour/birth, which only lasted 3 hours (WAY less than the marathon!) – but I think my first labour (which lasted 9 hours) was harder J.  And like with childbirth, I am saying it’s something I NEVER want to do EVER again.  However, I’m sure when the pain goes away (wow, I am SOOO unbelievably sore!!!), I may change my mind.  Certainly not while the kids are still young though – it’s just such a big commitment to fit in to family life.

So, here we are.  It’s been one amazing, rollercoaster journey and I am so happy that it’s now ticked off the list.  I would not have made it here without so much support and encouragement.  I cannot thank my husband Dean and kids, Hope & Jed enough – they are the reason for it all.

There are too many others to list, but to the rest of my family, to all my friends from all areas of life, to my loyal Sandgate parkrunners, to the people who’ve looked after the kids while I’ve gone running, to my amazingly supportive workmates, to all my listeners on 96five, to everyone who’s read my blog – THANKYOU!  You’re the best!!!

Stay tuned on the blog for my race video and for what this running mum has her sights set on next J.  I love you all! xo

Official time (the top time is from when the starting gun went,                                                                                                   the bottom time is from when I actually crossed the start line)

Prepped & Ready

The countdown is on & marathon day is just 3 days away!

I attended a seminar last night called "Race Day Planning & Tactics", which was great for getting in the headspace & hearing very experienced marathoners share their tips. Excitement is building!

Today is day 1 of carb-loading and it's been quite full on! We're talking big quantities & lots of the food I usually try to avoid or cut down on - breakfast was a double serving of cereal with milk, plus an English muffin with honey & banana. Lunch was 3 pieces of white bread, baked beans and an apple. Afternoon tea: a glass of juice, a crumpet and fruit & yoghurt. You get the picture - it's a lot! But the experts say it makes a huge difference on race day to have big glycogen stores ready to go.

I'm also thinking of my checklist if things to take down the coast - you can see above what I've got so far: jellybeans, power bars, recovery drink, oats, blister shields, sunscreen, muscle cream & Epsom salts. It's so much more involved than doing a half marathon - it really is a step up to the next level! 

My shins are feeling completely pain-free & I'm still pretty nervous, but also really looking forward to it! Dean has also arranged a Go-Pro camera from his work, so I'm planning to do little video updates along the way.

Stay tuned - we're nearly there!

One Week

In one week, I will be a marathon runner.

6 months ago, I set a crazy goal, and the big day is just one week away.

Cue major freak out!

Since my injury, my spirits have been pretty high.  I've been really anticipating just getting out there for the run, but now reality is setting in.  42.2km is a loooooong way and I know it's a distance that has to be respected.  I'm feeling like my shins will be fine and pain-free on the day (still just a couple of niggles, but only very minor), but I know I have lost some fitness.

At the peak of my training, I was so in the zone.  I was running about 55km a week, and in a great mindset.  But over the past month, since I've hardly been running, I feel somewhat out of the loop.  And I'm feeling some regret about things I wish I'd done differently.  If I knew I'd do very limited running for the 6 weeks before the race, I would have set a plan to do more strength & core training, really keep on top of my nutrition and lose a couple of kilos.  But because it's all been a bit in limbo, I haven't had a plan to stick to, and I just haven't been as disciplined as I feel I should have been.  I've been doing regular cycling...but it's just not running.

It's really disappointing to be going into this far less prepared than I wanted to be.  Two months ago, I was so confident about my 4-hour goal - but now, I have no time goal.  Two months ago, I had no doubt in my mind I could go the distance - now, I'm just hoping and praying I can stick it out.

When my freak out moments pass, I do feel excited.  I really want to get out there and soak up the atmosphere, and for the first 30km at least, I hope I can just have fun!  I have several friends who'll be there spectating, and I can't wait to see them along the way.  Dean & I are planning his movements, and where he'll be situated to restock my supplies of power bars and jelly beans.  I can't wait to get down the coast and enjoy a couple of nights in a nice apartment (child-free - bonus!), plus we have a big family gathering on Sunday afternoon which I am looking forward to SO much.  And I just want to achieve this for my kids.

This week I'll try and do a lot of visualisation about my goal and the race and focus on the result.  I want to have a mantra to use on myself during the run when times get tough, so I'm formulating a punchy sentence to memorise.  I'll have a good look at the course map, and plan out what fuel I'll be taking at what points.  I also have to plan my carb-loading for the 3 days prior to the race.  Check out this plan for an example of what I'll be eating - it's pretty full on!

I'm really excited to be heading to an intraining seminar too, about race day tips, so I know that'll really help to get in the zone.  I'm also preparing my presentation for the Utopia Women's Wellness expo, which is the weekend after the marathon.  I'm writing my speech now, about having run the marathon and succeeded - and that's really helping to motivate me as well!  It's so exciting to think that will be reality in just one week's time!

So, with mixed emotions, I'm heading into the final week.  Most of all, it's anticipation - I can't wait for the day to arrive!  Stay tuned!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Just as training was getting back on track, things have hit another hurdle.

On the weekend, I wrote about how my shin splints had healed up and I'd managed a 22km run - I was so excited to back in the game...but now the injury has flared up again.  FRUSTRATION!

The pain in my shins isn't as bad as before, but it's there.  This week has been a tough one.  I know I need to rest my legs (again), but I haven't even had a chance to get out for a bike ride, with the husband away and a really busy week at work and home.  I haven't been eating as well as I should, so I'm just ready to get this run over and done with!

At this stage, I feel a bit more rest and the pain will go away again - this might mean hardly doing any running until the day of the marathon.  It's not ideal, but I'm just hopeful that my preparation up until I was injured, is enough to get me through.

Another pretty major blow is that my running buddy, main motivator, inspiration, husband and best friend, is pretty certain he won't be running the marathon :-(  Dean has struggled with hamstring issues for several weeks now.  Every time he feels better, he'll go out for a run and get 6-7km before he feels a tweak and has to stop.  He hasn't done a long run in weeks.

It's pretty devastating for him, and me.  We set this goal together and have support each other as we've worked towards it.  We've done many runs together and planned to run the big one together, getting each other through the tough moments.  We've had some great quality time training together, and it's been so fun having such a big, crazy, shared goal.  Unless something miraculous happens, he just won't be up for it.

I've felt pretty disappointed about it...this wasn't the plan!  Neither were these annoying shin splints!  It's felt like such a roller coaster this past few weeks...now I just want the day to be here, I want to get out there and give it everything and tick it off the list.  These last few weeks have been far from ideal preparation, but my mindset still feels strong.  I know if I can get to the start line pain-free, I can run it.  I've come too far to give it up.  Bring it on.