Husky 10K Fun Run Wrap Up!

I did it!!!!

I finally have enough energy/time to sit down and post about my big 10K Fun Run on Saturday!

The days in the lead-up to the big day were filled with sore DOMS legs from toning on Tuesday, feeling very under the weather with a sore throat and fatigue, so I just took it easy, took my vitamins and took a little walk around the block.

The day of the race dawned sunny and steamy. Big storm clouds threatened the horizon. When I went to pick up my husband from work, it was a stinky 30C:

It was so hot and steamy that as I did my housework, I sweated buckets. I wish I took a photo of my bra which was nearly sweated through, but I took pity on you and thought better of it :-) I drank heaps of water and even a coconut water to make sure I didn't dehydrate myself. I had wholemeal toast with banana for breakfast and chicken and pesto pasta salad for an early lunch.

The check-in was at 2:30pm. As we drove there, the heavens opened! 

Hubby was not looking forward to standing in the rain for well over an hour (I bet he was wishing he married a faster runner at that point!). We met up with my partner-in-running-crime Tracey and her fabulous kids who had just competed in the kids triathlon.

We look nervous! What on earth have we signed up for???

It was sprinkling and then raining as we gathered in the start area. There were some very serious looking athletes there and only a few weekend-warriors. We didn't want to be up the front, but I was afraid if I was at the very back I would stay there for the whole race! 

Not a flattering shot - still have a few kilos to go!

That looks better - check out those clouds!

The rain magically stopped, leaving high humidity just as the starters pistol fired!

In both my fun runs (such experience!), the early pace has been fast. And I tried to balance keeping up and not going ridiculously faster than what I'm capable of.  Trace and I just wanted to be able to run the whole thing (a tough ask given the conditions) or failing that, finish!  I soon found my place at the back of the pack, as runner after runner past me, and I felt totally out of breath and stressed! Turns out my pace for that first kilometre was (fast for me) 6:03 min/km. 

Racing down the main drag.

I tried to settle down into a comfortable pace. I turned around and was relieved to find at least a couple of people behind me. Tracey had settled into a comfy pace just in front of me - I watched her bouncy little ponytail most of the race! 

Me at the far right, Tracey to the left in white. Someone else forgot to get a  babysitter... 

I think the only  good thing about this pic is that I'm not heel-striking

I have to say that apart from a few hundred metres or so, it was not an enjoyable run. The only thing in its favour is that it was relatively flat. It was very uncomfortable and my face felt beetroot red for most of the way. The water was for pouring over my head, although I think at one point I must have poured energy drink over my head because my white peak was all orange afterwards! There was some beautiful soul with a hose whom I'm forever grateful to.

The crowd was great, cheering us last few runners on - particularly as we came back to the start position to do lap 2. It was the best feeling to see my hubby, patiently waiting for me to turn up! I handed him my peak as it was just too hot on my head. 

I just kept trying to keep running and not stop. At the halfway point, it was pretty depressing to think I had to do it all again. But our training 10km run is like that, so in some way, I've learned to deal with that. There were only a couple of points (water stations, a little uphill stretch) where I slowed to a walk, but to be honest at times it felt like I was running slower than the girl in front of me who seemed to walk the whole way! I would just catch her, have a little chat (we cheered ourselves on!) and then she took off and I could not keep up.

But I did it. I ran (mostly) 10 kilometres in a race. And I didn't come last - but in fact, even if I did, I still did my best. It wasn't "fast", it wasn't pretty, but I did it! 

The scenic course

Just got slower and slower (but a spurt at the end!) - still a good pace for me :-)

Add caption

So - that's a PB!!! I think perhaps I need to rethink my half marathon plans - not entirely, but for this year. I will continue to work on my weight (much less to lug around!), my fitness and my speed. Next year, I should be able to shave quite a few minutes off that time and move up the finishers list a bit! 

And I have to say a HUGE thank you to Tracey - she and I have done this together and shared a common goal - we ran a 10K! She spurred me on to turn up at dark-o'thirty on Saturday mornings. She kept me running when I wanted to stop. She gave me a ponytail to focus on. And we are going to keep running and keep trying :-)

PS: No bling!!! What's with that? If I run my little heart out, I want a medal - just sayin'....

Too far...

Can I smash all of this open

Can I pass the hurt with a little pain

I wanna see all of it crumble

Start afresh and over again

Another "red flag" day on Friday - a work do at the local pizzeria. I skipped my snacks, ate clean and went and bought low-alcohol bubbles. And stuck (mostly) to the vegetarian pizzas (which were delish!).

And the biggest test of how far I've come of all - the dreaded muffin-top jeans. These are the "too tight" pair that give me indigestion. But not tonight! They are fitting much more comfortably (nicely, even) and maybe, just possibly, are a little loose around the legs!

Might need to clean the bathroom mirror...

And other little things are becoming noticeable - when I'm not sweaty, my watch is looser too:

Saturday morning - I had all the excuses under the sun not to do my long run:

• it was dark
• it was cold (southerly change blew up, bringing winter-like conditions)
• my running buddy couldn't make it
• I got my period the night before
• my blister was sore
• I had to be at work at 9am
• my hair was all lovely and straight from the hairdressers
• I didn't feel like it

All of these went through my head on Friday night and also Saturday morning when the alarm went off at 5:30am (noooo!).

But I Just Freaking Did It. I got up and ran. And it was about a billionty degrees cooler than last week and I ran the whole bloody 10km and then a little bit more (the hard bit around the golf course). I felt strong and for the first time, I felt that maybe, just maybe, this half marathon idea is not so crazy.

OK, so Usain Bolt has nothing to worry about
 and don't even talk to me about the pathetic amount of calories burnt!

I'm not totally sure of the distance there, because Garmin thinks I swam part of the way...

I'm scared of pushbikes to be contemplating a triathlon any time soon...

So here we sit on the threshold of Week 12 of the 12 Week Body Transformation. Will I have "transformed" my body? Not totally, but damn, I'm sure I've made a good start! 

Not sure I'll get to my little goal of being in the 60s by Wedneday's weigh in, so stay tuned for that and the "big reveal" of the before and after shots (eek!).

Where there is no one else

Where I'll be from under and can uncurl myself

Too many, too much, too hard

Help me, this time I went too far

10K Milestone!

So, long run on Sunday this week, as my running buddy Tracey had a Kick class on Friday, but didn't want to back up on Saturday. That was OK, because I had to work yesterday, but not today!

We had a big storm last night and I was hoping it wasn't bucketing down. It wasn't - it was just warm (23C) and HUMID. Yuck.

You can see the lights of the fishing boats at 6am!

We did 8.5km last week, so were keen to give it a nudge and go the 9, but the route we took pushed us over the 10km mark.

I felt fine until about the 6km mark, when things got a little harder. I paused then to slug some water (I was sweating like a PIGGY) and a little gel. I didn't think I would be able to run up my Heartbreak Hill the second time, but I did and kept going....until about the 9km mark when my body just gave up. I had a little walk break and then shuffled along. I'm not totally convinced I could call the last kilometre actually "running" but it was marginally faster than walking, so I'll take it!

The conditions were a bit tough - no cooling rain or breeze, so I just got slower and slower:

Don't count that last km - I'd stopped then!

No matter how slow I went, I didn't stop and we did it! Tracey ran the whole way - what a legend!

We stretched and drank gallons of water! Legs are tired now...but I can finally call myself a 10km runner!

Time to print out the shopping list and go shopping and get organised for the week ahead :-)

The Girl Gets Around!

This was the temperature at lunchtime on Friday:

46C - 115F

Can anyone say climate change??? Friday broke all sorts of records for temperature - it certainly was the hottest day in our little seaside village EVER. It was like an oven out there and our home air-con really struggled...

You think I'm exercising in that? Think again! I couldn't even think about exercising, so I was very happy when a big ol' southerly change blew through that afternoon, instantly dropping the temperatures about 20 degrees.

I awoke at 5:30am (OK, so I pressed the snooze button and re-awoke at 5:40am) to grey skies, 21C and drizzle - perfect!!!!

And caught a tiny glimpse of sun to light up my way:

Met up with fellow 12WBT-er Tracey, who left me in the dust two weeks ago as I struggled with 7km. Today was ear-marked for 8km. How did I go??

That my friends is 8.57km of all running, no walking, no stopping! It felt really good! I kept up with Tracey all the way (including up Heartbreak Hill) and we even picked up the pace for the last few hundred metres! That run is how you want to feel when you run! Woo hoo! We rock!

My fiddling with my callous and the damp conditions have given me my first running blister though:

But that's OK - I ran in the rain and got a blister - I'm hardcore!!

Ready to eat clean for the next few days, work hard at my toning (which I've been slacking off a bit) and push my tempo run and hills. Let's see what number turns up on Wednesday, shall we???

Back to it!

Well, after a rather ordinary week diet- and exercise-wise, I'm back into it properly today, starting with my "long" endurance run. This week was another 5.5km run (plus 5min walking for warm up and cool down).

I loved last week's run - it felt so good, I felt as if I could actually run for 10km. This week? Oh. My. God. It killed me! I did it at the same run pace as last week, but damn, it hurt this week and I really felt as if I was struggling the whole way:

It's bizzare to me that the same run, same route, same pace, on hour later (I slept in a little) can feel so different! I think even the dog felt it, because about halfway through he put his bum on the ground as if to say "nah, I'm not feeling it today". Unfortunately for him (and me) we had to get back to the car, so I encouraged him with an enthusiastic voice that I did not feel. I did lots of "disassociating" where I purposefully relaxed my shoulders and just listened to the words of the songs and tried not to think about running and how much I want to stop and walk. It did the trick and I got there (although I will admit to walking the very last 200m or so of the run interval - it was uphill!).

Perhaps the excess of Christmas has caught up with me (not that I was that excessive!) and certainly this bug I've been fighting off has knocked me for a bit of a six and I've been feeling very tired and washed out. But a nutritious diet, some vitamins and maybe some Yakult yoghurt will see me bouncing back, I'm sure!

And it was PACKED out there today! I knew there was a reason I meant to wake early and it wasn't just to miss the heat. Our little seaside town is overrun with visitors, which is great for the economy, but it makes for a very crowded footpath. Every man, woman, child, toddler, baby in a pram and their dog were out and about! And soooo many runners! And all of them faster than me (which, apparently, is not hard). At least I run faster than the walkers (gotta look on the bright side).

Home to a healthy, protein-packed egg-white omelette (it was OK, but yolks are sorely missed!):

Going grocery shopping this afternoon to make sure the fridge and cupboards are stocked up with the necessary ingredients to stick to the food plan! I have a relatively quiet week work-wise, so no excuses on the exercise front either!

Back to it, baby!

Red flag alert!!

You know, I did ponder the wisdom of joining up to 12WBT during the silly season. It's not like I have a lot of social engagements, but this time of the year seems to be a good excuse to let it all hang out.

But no! Not for us trying to lose weight!

So this weekend I am driving up to Sydney for a pre-Christmas catch-up. You know what that means. BBQ. Nibbles. Drinkies (or ten). So - a Red Flag Day. How to keep on track?

Well first up, I moved my long run to this morning (as I have to work early tomorrow as well). I might be able to fit in a little abs work on Saturday morning, but will struggle to fit in a 4.5km run. So I did that this morning:

I really, really did not feel like doing this this morning! If I was the 'old' me, I wouldn't have done it. But it had to be done and I just JFDI. Made sub 8:00 min/km pace, but was overtaken by every member of the local running club except 90 year old Ken. But I reckon I still have my L-plates on and about 20kg to lose, so things can only get better. I still ran faster than everyone still in bed!

My legs felt heavy towards the end, but I focussed on cadence, keeping "light" and relaxing my shoulders. And it's now all done.

Healthy breakfast:

And tomorrow? I'm on bringing nibblies and I'm going to cut up carrot, celery and capsicum and make some yummy vego dips. And bring chippies for the unhealthy ones (which is NOT me!). And I'll bring low-alcohol options (let's see how I like vodka, lime and sodas - they will fill me up much more than wine). I'll give it my best shot, and let you know how get on....

Go!! Sydney Running Festival 2011

Race day!!! My first fun run in 16 years!

I committed the cardinal sin of racing - wore a new top (lovely new lululemon ultra-light racer-back tank) and new lululemon running socks (sooo comfy!). Had my iPad all loaded up, drank lots of water the day before (it was forecast to be warm), had pasta for tea (ha ha - carbo loading!) and I was set.

It is always amazing to attend these big events. The public transport rises to the occasion, the organisers had done a fabulous job to deal with such huge numbers - 16,500 people in my 9km Bridge Run alone! 3700 odd marathoners, 8500 half-marathoners and 6000 family fun runners/walker (4km). And yet it didn't feel crowded.

Just some of the crowd gathered in
 Bradfield Park under the Harbour Bridge

Sydney put on a stunning, if unseasonably warm, day for the event. By the time my race started at 9am it was mid 20's (celcius!). The marathoners had started 1.5 hours earlier at 7:25am (got to see the start!), but many were still going long after I'd finished!

The end goal...

The day before, I had picked up my bib, but they couldn't find my bib number! So they printed out a new bib and put me in the "A" seedings! Well, I felt like a complete fraud. I'm NOT a fast runner, more a jogger at the best of times, but the saving grace was it wasn't so crowded up the front and you couldn't see bib numbers as you ran! 

I had Runkeeper all set and ready to record my big run, but as started I mis-pressed buttons and it wasn't going. I didn't bother with it, as I had my music all pumping. And finally, we were away!

Running across the Harbour Bridge was pretty amazing! I was wishing I could stop, take photos and just soak it up. So many people! So many people running fast!! But by halfway across the Bridge, there were plenty of walkers. I can proudly say I kept on running! And kept running all the way along the Cahill Expressway and up Macquarie St (which was uphill all the way and it was getting very hot by then!). I gratefully soaked up water at the first water station (some of which was poured over me!). 

I knew the hardest bit would be the Botanic Gardens and it was. I succumbed to some walking stretches - particularly on the uphill bits. I was VERY grateful for any bits of shade I could find! It was still quite crowded and many people stopping, starting, and a few near collisions. There were also many people succumbed to the heat, being attended to by first aid officers - I seriously didn't want to be one of those! Later that night on the news, I heard one 31 year old guy went into cardiac arrest - they revived him and he is recovering in hospital.

The best part of the run was the return down Macquarie St to the Opera House. Downhill all the way, able to get some speed up and it was so nice to aim to the big blue arch...

After the event - it was much more crowded
when I ran through there!

...except that wasn't the finish line! I still had a few hundred metres to run! I could see the time up ahead - 1 hour, 12 minutes - I really wanted to finish under 1:15. What an amazing feeling to have all those people cheering, the Sydney Opera House looming and "Holding Out for A Hero" playing in my ears! Bonnie Tyler really did help :-)

Just as I finished, the loudspeaker announced the first female finisher of the marathon on the course next to us! What an amazing moment to see that achievement.

I had hot swollen feet (no blisters!), hot swollen hands, sweat dripping off me, my usual beetroot face, but I finished - I didn't leave much in the tank. My timing chip said 1 hour, 10 minutes, 31 seconds! 7:50 min/km pace (even with walk breaks). I'm happy with that. The website says I came 11,007th! I won't be happy with that next year, but considering I could barely run 1 minute four months ago, it is a good achievement. I also raised $370 for children's cancer research in the process.

Unbelievably, I saw a friend from home after the race (there were soooo many people). She had to pull out of the half marathon due to injury and ran the 9km race instead. She had done it at least 5 years previously, and said it was the hardest one she had ever done and there were sections she had never walked before but walked this year. Made me feel much better!

I hung around to get the free Powerade etc and then watched the marathoners come home. Saw the sub-4 hour finishers and I am totally in awe of anyone's ability to run 42km, let alone in those conditions!

All in all, it was hard work, but a fabulous day and I'll be back next year. And I think I'm gonna have sore legs in the next day or two...

Get ready....

So, I decided after last week's run that I would "upgrade" my entry at the Sydney Running Festival from the 4km Family Fun Run (/walk) to the "proper run" - the 9km Bridge Run. Eeek! But I figure if I'm going to drive 3 hours to Sydney and run, then bugger it - I'm going to really run! And I'm running in memory of Sophie, my friend's 12 year old daughter, who died earlier this year from a brain tumour. Every day I'm out there running, I'm glad I'm able to. You can help by donating at my page:  http://bsrf2011.gofundraise.com.au/page/McCarthyI

My calves were sore after my one hour triumph last week. But I did some "intervals" on Tuesday anyway - 3 min running "fast" and 2 min recovery. Felt pretty good! But my calves were pretty sore after that. So, on Thursday I just ran for half an hour - 3.82km in 32 min (8:23min/km av pace). Not fast, not long, but still out there. And I saw wildlife:

It's a heron...

On Sunday, I was torn between seeing if I could run close to 9km (or at least make 8km) and taking it a bit easier seeing how I've increased my mileage the last two weeks and I should be "tapering" (LOL - can't believe I'm using those words in a sentence about me!!) and taking it easy.

Well, I've decided I'm hopeless at setting my pace (even with Runkeeper telling me every km what it is) because I obviously went out fast (7:15 min/km for the first two km). But I had nothing left in the tank after about 5.5km. It was a bit warmer, sun was out, my mouth was a desert and to be really honest, I was feeling a little dizzy. So I maxed out at 6.6km, 52 min (7:53 min/km). I need to learn to take it slow on low runs, or they aren't going to be very long!!

Been reading Run Like a Mother - fabulous writing, wonderful tips and great for keeping me up late at night as I read "just another chapter".

Less than a week until race day!!!

The one hour runner!!!

What happened to winter?? I think it missed the NSW South Coast!! It's September and therefore Spring. For most of winter the temps when I ran were 10-14 degrees (Celcius). It's only going to get warmer. Uggh. I'm only going to get redder and sweatier. I'll have to lose a ton of weight and the muffin top so I can wear those little crop tops - I'm already in a singlet!

I heard a great quote the other day: "That's not sweat, it's liquid awesome!"

Liquid awesome!

So after Monday's "long" run, I did cycling on the stationary bike on Wednesday plus some strengthening exercises, 30 minutes of running intervals on Thursday, swam laps on Friday and then today (Sunday) I got up early (for me) and did my first ever long run of 1 hour - all running, no walking! Not super fast at 8:14 min/km, but I covered 7.32km!!! So proud of me!

I have two weeks until the Sydney Running Festival. I am entered in the 4km Family Fun Run event, but am considering upgrading to the 9km Bridge Run. Both go over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and end up at the Opera House. But obviously the 9km one is longer...I should be able to do it (before the cutoff time of 1hr 30min). Mmm....

Loving Melissa Etheridge "I Run for Life" for inspiration:

Running in da rain

Wet week here. But I managed to get out twice - and miss the worst of the downpours. But I did do my first run in the rain (well, sprinkles!). Maybe I can call myself a "runner" after all?

Took my hubby out on Wednesday morning. He has run (all the way, no walking) several City to Surf's (14km), but his last one was 16 years ago (leaving his then fiancée in the back of the pack). He did the Boot Camp with me 2 years ago, and when it was running time, he was up the front and I was at the back, huffing and puffing (and cursing). That was the last time he ran...until now! I've been sweating it out for months now.

Well, he kept up with me (the bastard!!! LOL), but he was huffing and puffing. We did 2.84km in 21 minutes (7:43 min/km). That was enough for him and I'm quite proud that he did so well. I'm even more prouder of me, that although I still looked like a beetroot, I felt quite comfy and "fit".

Today (Sunday) I dodged the worst of the rain and got out for my "long" run. I really wanted to increase my distance and managed 6:00km in 48:32 minutes (8:05 min/km - not too bad!). The cooler weather was really nice and I enjoyed the sprinkles on my face - I was wishing for a downpour at the 4km mark!!!

Loved listening to "Summer Rain" (Slinky Minx remix) and I found this song on a running blog - didn't have it on my playlist and it seems appropriate today:

Dreadmill vs. outside!

Playing catchup here! It was raining on Friday, so I decided to "just do it" and head off to the gym (of which I'm not a member) and hit the treadmill. $16 later (what the?), 20 minutes on the bike and eliptical waiting for a treadmill to free up, and I was on.

Did half an hour of intervals - 2 min with a 2 degree incline and speed of 8, then 2 min flat and 7. I have no idea if this is fast or slow, but it felt OK. The woman next to me was sprinting for half and hour at 13!! No problem - I used to look in awe at anyone running on a treadmill, and now that was me for 30 minutes! I think I did about 3.5km. And it sure was more humid inside!

Sunday was after Saturday night... I had planned on doing a local fun-run, but upon discovering it was a leisurely 12km instead of my imagined 5, I decided against it. So on Monday morning I was up and at 'em. 5.09km in 38.51min (av pace 7.38min/km). 2 minutes faster than last weekend! Woo hoo! I felt really good (after the first 5 minutes) and kept up a consistent pace. So proud of myself!

And, importantly, at the 4km mark (Blackmores Family Run distance) I was at 30 minutes. I'm hopeful I'll do the race in  less than that - that's the goal anyway, and you've got to have goals!!!

The long run

One day I'll be this skinny!

The Sunday morning "long" run! Bit warmer - 14 degrees. The markets were on at Mollymook - there was no way I was going to be sweaty and beetroot coloured in front of that many people, so I drove over to the creek path.

What I did:

My last runs have been whatever I could achieve in 30 minutes. Today, I wanted to time myself for 5km. I tried to take it easy, so, I ran (and walked!) 5.12km in 43.05 minutes, with an average pace of 8.25min/km. Yes, it did include a couple of short walks, but I'm sure I'll build up my endurance and they will become fewer.

How I felt:

I am struggling to know what "easy" is - my Runkeeper says my "easy" part was the fastest!  But it was hard work - the mental monsters tell me to stop and I have to try not to listen to them! I was actually pretty happy with that time - it kept recording after I'd finished the 5km. 

Playlist highlights:

Breathe (TNT Club Mix) - Kylie Minogue

Full Moon - The Black Ghosts

Inspiration:

Imagining myself running up to the Opera House at the end of the Sydney Running Festival! 

Hubby and the kids on our last visit to the Opera House