17 kms

Firstly, apologies for being a bit slack and taking a few days to get this post up. 

What can I say?? I've been a busy girl.. 

So here we go.. 17k's was the challenge, my equal furthest run yet. 

The alarm was set for 8am but I reckon I hit the snooze button at least 3 times before I eventually dragged by butt out of bed and left the house at 9.. 

What a perfect morning

It was another cool, sunny and perfect morning as I set off... As usual the first few kilometers felt really good as I tried to get to into a rhythm and not think about how many k's I had left to go. Before I knew it, I reached the 7km mark and found myself running along a new part of the trail I'd never reached before.

Whilst exploring new parts of the trail, turned around a corner and this appeared outside a temple

Awesome, I thought. But then I had a little scare. These 3 kids on their bikes were coming towards me and taking up the whole path, refused to move out of the way of duck behind each other. I found myself having to quickly run off onto the grass to avoid being hit and in the meantime, nearly rolled my ankle. I took few deep breaths, walked for bit, stretched it out and it was as good as old. Phew... That's the last thing I need with 4 weeks ago. Stupid kids.. 

Anyways the good thing was, despite the scare, I was able to get the through the last half of the run relatively ok however I still can't seem to run the full distance without stopping. But like I learnt from the running convention last week, that's ok. I tend to use the water taps as my relief and then try to keep going. The way I'm traveling at the moment I think i'll go close to beating my 2 hours 30 mins for the half.. But then again, I am starting to doubt it just a little a bit.  

I made it ... Taking a well earnt rest on the front lawn

With 4 weeks to go I'm starting to get a bit nervous, but that's normal, right?  I really need to ramp it up one more gear and focus more than ever. More mileage, clean eating,  no excuses. (says she, who's just polished off the last bit of ice cream as I write this)... Mind you I did smash out 30 min intervals plus a CX works class a lunch time so it's all good..

And with that in mind, it's time to say good night all, happy running, and lets do it all again tomorrow.. xo

Australia's First Running Convention

As usual, it's been another crazy weekend ... It all started on Saturday when I was lucky enough to attend Australia's first Running Convention at the Parks in Albert Park with my friend Louise.
 The day was full of workshops and seminars that covered a range of topics to suit all levels of runners and interests.

We arrived at the venue at 10 which allowed just enough time to wonder around and check it all out before sitting down to the first couple of seminars. We were asked to show a hands of those that had competed in ultra's right down to those who were training for their first 5k's. The amount of elite runners in the room was inspiring.

It then went into discussions around planning your running year, goal setting and some tips and tricks in preventing long terms injuries. Will summarise these later on. After these had finished we had a first break in the day, where we were finally able to meet up with another 12wbt runners connect buddy and fellow blogger Carol.. We'd only every chatted through FB and blogs, so it was lovely to finally meet up, and even better,  it felt like we'd know each other for years, don't think we stopped talking all day. Another reason why I love our 12wbt running family.

Carol, Me and Louise finally get to meet. Thanks for the photo Carol and excuse the bad hair

The next session took us outside into the glorious sunshine for a yoga & injury prevention session. Here, we learnt some basic poses and stretches to help find our core and further improve our running.



This then led into a session around strength training for runners. Here, we did a circuit style program that included 3 rounds of 10 x squats / lunges / v-sit ups / push ups & burpees.
Our lovely trainer then took us through some basic moves on the foam rollers and explained the importance of self massage...

Taking it all in..

Finally after our work out it was time for a lunch break. There wasn't much variety to choose from, but thankfully, I stumbled across Dineamic. Delicious tasty nutritional ideas and co founded by ex Essendon player Jason Johnson. Even bumped into the great man himself. They offer a great range to cater for all dietary requirements ie. Gluten Free / Vegetarian / Fructose / No preservatives etc and are designed to aid with preparation, performance, recovery, and diet planning.

After our lovely lunch it was back to the seminar room for a psychology lesson and a panel discussion between 4 elite runners. I nearly didn't stay for this but I'm so glad Carol talked me into it especially when I found out who they were. They talked about how they overcame things like obesity / depression and lost loved ones to become young healthy and inspirational athletes.

The Panel

 Sarah Joyce, the editor of Women's Running Australia Magazine hosted the panel which included,
- Tristan Miller: 52 marathons/52 weeks across 42 countries
- Kelly Hetherington: AU 800m champion
- Oska Inkster-Baynes: NZ ½ marathon champion  
- Brendan Davies: AU Ultra Runner of the Year 2012

The Man behind 52 marathons in 52 weeks - Crazy!

I was so inspired that afterwards, I went to purchase Tristan's book. Thankfully Carol was with me as she pushed me into a photo and mentioned to him that I was about to tackle my first half marathon. He was full of well wishes and then had time to sign my book..

It was the perfect way to finish of such a great day..

I was definitely exhausted by then and not to mention brain fried but it was totally worth it.... In summary here are some of the things I walked away with:

When you're on a long run, and finding it tough play games like, I'll just run to the next tree and then see or picture your running in your favourite place around the world.

 Listen to your body. If you're sore/tired, it's okay, to walk if you have to.

It's okay to split up your runs. As long as your getting the kilometers into legs it doesn't matter. If you're time restricted & need to to do 10s then split it up with 5 in the morning & 5 in the afternoon.

Strength and core training is sooo important. I guess we knew that anyways, but It's nice to be reminded and shown some extra stretches and movements etc

Of course there were plenty more, but I think it's time I wrap this post up..
Thanks for reading if you're still with me.

Night all and happy running x

Byron Bay Bliss

What a weekend! I woke up on Friday so excited as our countdown was finally over and we were just about on our way to Byron Bay for a weekend away in paradise.. But before getting on that plane it was business first. Our flight wasn't scheduled til late Friday afternoon, so I decided it was best to fit in my long run before we left. It was a good thing I did, cause our time in Byron was limited and it meant I could make the most of it.  

 17kms was the target and I smashed it. Well maybe not time wise, but it was the best longest I run I've ever done and the most comfortable I've felt with anything over 15.. I completed the 17ks in 2.06 mins which I was pretty happy with. Apart from a few stops at some drinking taps along the way, I managed to run most of it without stopping..  It also probably helped that I had an awesome holiday to look forward to at the end of it, because the time flew by and I really enjoyed the run.

Somewhere along my 17k run.

We eventually got to the airport that arvo and what was suppose to be a nice cruisy wkened didn't start off quite so well.. Delays, then cancelled flights, then got diverted to Brisbane instead of Gold Coast which meant an extra hour drive. We really got stuffed around... But we eventually made it Byron by lunch time on Saturday and it was soooo worth the effort... It was just Bliss.. 

And this was what was waiting for us ~ Byron Bliss

 Walks along the beach ....  Drinks with a good friend ...  Steps and more steps up to look outs and more amazing beaches....

Ran 17ks then was rewarded with this!

Dolphins / Sunset walks along the beach / Lounging by the pool / Spas ... 

Even managed to fit in a 5 k run along the beach before heading home again. I didn't want to leave. 

But like I said it was short and sweet and my last horrah before getting back to reality and really knuckling down... Can't believe there's only 39 more sleeps to go..  Crazy isn't it...

 So thanks to my beautiful boy for such an awesome weekend... Was exactly what I needed.. 

Night all and Happy Running x

When something is better than nothing

Today was just one of those days I woke up and just didn't feel like running. I was suppose to attempt 17k's but knew both mentally and physically I just wasn't up for the challenge and thought it wasn't even worth trying. Not quite sure what brought it on, I guess some days, your body knows it's just not up for it...

I had my alarm set for 9 am but hit the snooze and didn't get up til 11. Whoops.. No. 1 mistake hey... I had a quick bite to eat and then procrastinated for about an hour as to whether to even go out at all.. Thankfully commonsense prevailed and I snapped out of it. I thought just get out there and at least do the 4km loop and hopefully once I get going I might just wanna keep going.

I finally got my butt into the car and headed down to the river. Conditions were perfect. I enjoyed the run but pretty much just went through the motion. On a positive note, I got through the first 3k's and felt good so decided to extend my run to the 7k loop instead of the 4. I smashed it. I normally plod along around the 6.40 - 7 min per km pace but managed to keep a pace up on 6.30 mpk, so was pretty happy with that.

It may not have been the 17k's I was suppose run, but I know I have time up so sleeve til my half, so one slip up aint gonna matter too much. The best thing was I still got out and did something. The old me, would have just stayed at home and not moved off the couch.. I'll just have to make sure I get out and make up for it next weekend.

And on that note, only 48 sleeps to go.. Just a little bit scared..
Night all and happy running xo

A Day of Firsts ~ 16ks

I can proudly say that yesterday was my LONGEST RUN EVER!! And better yet, it was the first time I really started to feel comfortable with that distance. 

It was a day of many firsts, so here goes,

It was the first time I listened to my body and had a rest day before my long run. I even took myself off to a local massage therapist and enjoyed a painful but much needed sports deep tissue massage. I also had a Hammer fuel electrolyte to make sure I was well hydrated the day before my run. I've always taken them after my runs, but never thought of taking them before. 

It was the first time I'd ever tried a Gel. I was little bit nervous about it as Id heard so many different stories about them but I wasn't gonna leave it to Race Day to try so it was now or never. I decided to try it at the mid way point, just cause it seemed logical. Plus, I also knew there was a drinking tap roughly at that point so I could gush it down with. Surprisingly, I didn't mind the taste, and i didn't gag. Bonus I thought. Off I went again feeling pretty pleased with myself that I could not only keep it down and but I didn't break into cramps. 

It was the first time I ventured into the reserve on the other side of the bridge. Normally I would turn at one of the bridges but I needed to add on an extra couple of kilometers and thought why not. It was time to enjoy a new part of the river, and that I did. 

 

But the biggest first time of all was that I got to the last few kilometers and didn't feel sore or tired. Mentally I was in a happy place and I was able to finish strongly.... Big Big relief...  

It was to be my LONGEST RUN EVER!!! I couldn't be happier...

My records never stood a chance. But importantly, for first the time in a while, I felt that I just might be able to do this. And that is scary, but exciting. I don't know whether it was a combination of all these firsts, but something definitely worked so I'll be sticking with it..

And on that note, only 55 days to go!
Night all and Happy Running xo

    

15k's and my equal furthest yet

So the challenge for Sundays long run was 15ks which was to equal my furthest longest run ever.

Although I was a little sore from a pump/grit double two days before, I went into it this run with a much better mind set than this time last week. I decided to try a different technique and set off a bit slower than usual to try and save energy for the last few k's..

As usual the first 5k's were pretty good, then I got to the 8/10 k without too much drama but then the same old battle began. I started feeling the pain by the 12/13th and it became a real struggle. I nearly cut my run short but thankfully I had some fight left in me and pushed through by walking/running the last few k's.

Some good news though.. I managed to beat my first attempt at 15ks in run for the kids earlier this year by 5 minutes so that's something, right?

As I waddled my way through these last few k's I couldn't help but feel anxious and wondered how I could possibly add on another 6 k's on top of this. Thankfully, since then, I've seeked and received some great advice from a very good friend who just happens to be an experienced marathon and ultra marathon runner. With this new advice and some tweaks to my current program I'm feeling much better about things and know I've got time up my sleeve to re-focus and get my run on. So thank you CB - you're support and avice means a lot and it couldn't have come a better time.

And with that in mind, it's off to bed for another big day tomorrow.
Night all and Happy Running xo

14 km's ~ it was a cold one

AKA Sunday long run. The Goal 14km's in 1.30... According to my program I should have been running 15 k's this wkend but with Run Melbourne on last weekend it put me a week behind. The plan was simple. Go out and try my best to get to 15 but the aim was to get through 14.

All rugged up, it was that cold I had a red nose, lol. Weird though cause also needed the sunnies

 It was 1.3 degrees which felt like -1.6 and was very frosty when I left home but that didn't bother me. I layered up, and just wanted to get it over with. Despite the cold and frosty conditions the sun was out and there was no wind. The perfect conditions. As I headed out, I wasn't very confident at all and was already pre-empting a bad run... That probably set the tone all morning and I haven't got anyone else to blame but myself. Since Run Melbourne last Sunday I haven't run all week and I think that must be why I really struggled. 

A very frosty morning

As usual, my first 4 k's were awesome, another record - I smashed it. Got through the next few k's ok, but as I approached the 10k mark I was really struggling. Although, somehow, looking at my splits, my 10th k was the quickest so not sure how that happened. By the 11th the mind games set in and I was finding any excuse to not run. I stopped at the loo, stopped at the drinking taps, it wasn't good. I thought at this rate I'd never get home, and every time I hit the next km and my nike app came on with my times & pace I was getting more annoyed with myself as it kept slipping. I eventually got to 14ks and then walked / ran the last kilometer home. 

One of the bridges covered in frost which I nearly face planted on as it was that slippery.

During the last couple of kilometers all I could think about was how can I get better at running the second half of these runs. I'm really comfortable with 8-10ks but how can I finish better and stronger. With 69 days until my first half, it's getting a little scary now. I know I can do it, and we're allowed to have bad runs. Its just annoying that you can go from having an awesome run one week to then have a bad one the next.

Today's run

At the end of the day, I can't be too disappointed with the end result. I eventually completed the 14ks in 1.36. (6 mins outside the suggested time) and I still managed to keep under my overall average pace of 7'mpk... I guess all I can do now is put today's run behind me, move on and work towards a better week next week. After all, I still just ran the 2nd furthest run I have ever run before.  

But, after getting home, there was no time to rest cause it was off to our favourite cafe where my man shouted me a lovely a brunch and I indulged in some lemon ricotta pancakes with mixed berries and ice-cream. So yum and very spoilt.... 

So until next time, here's to a better week next week, 

Happy running and night all xo