It’s been 2 ½ weeks since my half marathon and I’m still not back to running. Why? Well, because me knee is still hurting every now and then and the Physio said I should wait until I have been without pain for at least 5 days before I start running again. She said these kinds of injuries are tricky because once you have them they are really hard to get rid of permanently. And starting training too early after an injury is pretty much the safest way to ensure you will never fully recover ;-)
So right now I’m going to the gym 3 times a week in the mornings. I do strength training (taking it easy with the workouts that put stress on my knee) and I do some cardio on the bike. Apparently riding the bike is good when you have knee injuries because it trains the muscles but because you’re sitting it’s low impact – unlike running! I also try to go for walks at least 2 or 3 times a week which is actually really nice because we have been having absolutely beautiful spring weather and I walk either in One Tree Hill which is a park just a few minutes from where I live or I go somewhere to the waterfront, like Mission Bay, and walk there. So in a way I’m enjoying taking it a bit easier after all the full on marathon training. But at the same time I’m getting a little impatient and nervous.
In a way it is totally stupid. I’m still working out 3 times a week and I’m doing active stuff on weekends like walking so compared to what I used to do most of the past 26 years it’s pretty damn good. And the weight loose has continued to go well, too. I was a bit concerned that when I started reducing the amount of work outs the weight loose would slow down or I would have to change my eating habits but it all worked out really well. I’m eating a little less carbs then I did in the last weeks of marathon training but besides that my diet is still the same and I’m still losing weight at about the same rate than before. So technically it is all going well and there really is no reason to stress or be in a rush to get back to running.
But for some reason I’m very anxious about not running. It’s kind of like I’m scared to fall back into old habits. I had this really good rhythm before the half marathon, it was like a routine I didn’t have to think about. I had my running days and my gym days and a plan for how much I would do each day and all I had to do was follow that plan. Now all the sudden there is so much more flexibility and it’s so easy to trick myself into thinking it doesn’t matter if I don’t work out today, I can just do it tomorrow and what difference makes a day. You’re probably thinking I’m totally overreacting and you’re probably right ;-) I should just relax and take it easy for a while until the knee has recovered and then start running again slowly. Too bad patience is not exactly my strong suit ;-)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
so, what's next?
That's the question!
As far as running is concerned I already know what the next challenge will be: Round the Bays 2011. Round the Bays is a 8km fun run that takes place every year in March here in Auckland. You run from the city centre along the water front all the way to St Heliers.
Now you probably think, 8km???? Wait a second, didn't she just do 21km? How can 8km be the next Challenge?
Well, the challenge will be to run the complete 8km. Because, even though I can do a half marathon, I still can't actually RUN more then 2-3 km before I have to walk for a bit. So the next goal is to run more and walk less. And in March I want to run 8km without walking along the way. I know, it's not a huge challenge like a half marathon but I think it is perfect. It means I keep challenging myself to get better but at the same time to training will be less time intensive than training for the half. And given that summer is right around the corner it might actually be nice to have time for some other stuff.
The other challenge for 2011 will be to reach goal weight. I'm still about 15kg way from what I've set as my personal goal so I definitely want to reach that in 2011. I know from many others who have been through the weight loss experience that the last 5-10kg are often the hardest and take a bit longer. So I will try to be patient and set my expectations right but I should definitely be able to get rid of those 15kg sometime during 2011.
The title of this blog is "It's all about the (half marathon) challenge". And there is a reason why 'half marathon' is in brackets. This was never meant to be just a blog about running or exercising , let along weight loss. It was simply about challenging myself and writing about it. Right now I kind of enjoy the feeling of just having successfully complete the half marathon challenge and I feel like I'm taking a well deserved little break from challenging myself. But sooner or later I'm gonna pick a new challenge. And that could really be anything. Maybe it will be another physical challenge, but it could also be something completely different like learning another language. I have a few ideas but kind of need to sort that out with myself before I blog about it.
Right now the challenge is to make it through the next 5 weeks ;-) Everything has been so busy lately and I'm tired and exhausted. I'm really in desperate need of a good break. Just to get away from everything (work mainly) and just relax for a little bit. Luckily I will have exactly that in 5 weeks. Today in 5 weeks I'm flying to Germany so spend Christmas with my family. I so cannot wait, I'm counting the days! It's gonna be a very short trip this time, only 12 days in Germany ;-( But it's better than nothing.
Whatever I end up doing in the end, I'm pretty sure I will keep blogging about it. Maybe not quite as much as in the last months though. It really depends on how much I feel like I have to say, so I guess will just have to wait and see ;-)
As far as running is concerned I already know what the next challenge will be: Round the Bays 2011. Round the Bays is a 8km fun run that takes place every year in March here in Auckland. You run from the city centre along the water front all the way to St Heliers.
Now you probably think, 8km???? Wait a second, didn't she just do 21km? How can 8km be the next Challenge?
Well, the challenge will be to run the complete 8km. Because, even though I can do a half marathon, I still can't actually RUN more then 2-3 km before I have to walk for a bit. So the next goal is to run more and walk less. And in March I want to run 8km without walking along the way. I know, it's not a huge challenge like a half marathon but I think it is perfect. It means I keep challenging myself to get better but at the same time to training will be less time intensive than training for the half. And given that summer is right around the corner it might actually be nice to have time for some other stuff.
The other challenge for 2011 will be to reach goal weight. I'm still about 15kg way from what I've set as my personal goal so I definitely want to reach that in 2011. I know from many others who have been through the weight loss experience that the last 5-10kg are often the hardest and take a bit longer. So I will try to be patient and set my expectations right but I should definitely be able to get rid of those 15kg sometime during 2011.
The title of this blog is "It's all about the (half marathon) challenge". And there is a reason why 'half marathon' is in brackets. This was never meant to be just a blog about running or exercising , let along weight loss. It was simply about challenging myself and writing about it. Right now I kind of enjoy the feeling of just having successfully complete the half marathon challenge and I feel like I'm taking a well deserved little break from challenging myself. But sooner or later I'm gonna pick a new challenge. And that could really be anything. Maybe it will be another physical challenge, but it could also be something completely different like learning another language. I have a few ideas but kind of need to sort that out with myself before I blog about it.
Right now the challenge is to make it through the next 5 weeks ;-) Everything has been so busy lately and I'm tired and exhausted. I'm really in desperate need of a good break. Just to get away from everything (work mainly) and just relax for a little bit. Luckily I will have exactly that in 5 weeks. Today in 5 weeks I'm flying to Germany so spend Christmas with my family. I so cannot wait, I'm counting the days! It's gonna be a very short trip this time, only 12 days in Germany ;-( But it's better than nothing.
Whatever I end up doing in the end, I'm pretty sure I will keep blogging about it. Maybe not quite as much as in the last months though. It really depends on how much I feel like I have to say, so I guess will just have to wait and see ;-)
Sunday, November 7, 2010
just a few more pictures
It's been a long and very busy week which is why I haven't had the time to upload some pictures from my half. But now it's Sunday evening and I already know it's gonna be another long and busy week so I thought I might better get this done.
These are some of the official race photos. There where event photographers at a few points along the course so they took these pictures. You better enjoy them, they were about the most expensive pictures of me you have ever seen ;-) Unbelievable how much they charge for a few photos. First I wanted to boycott is just because the prices seem so unreasonable but then I thought I only get to do one 'first' half marathon and in a few years, when the memories of this day start to get a little fuzzy, I will hopefully be really glad that I did spend this much money for these pictures so they remind me.
So, here I am just on the middle of the Harbor Bridge:
Here is me on the last 2km, you can see the bridge in the background. I was pretty much just walking at this stage and as you can see, so was everyone else. You might also notice that I look pretty tired ;-)
This is about 100meters before the finish line. I used the last few energy resources I had at this stage to run the last few 100meters and run across the finish line
And here is me right before the finish line - almost done ;-)
And last but not least, here is my official certificate!
These are some of the official race photos. There where event photographers at a few points along the course so they took these pictures. You better enjoy them, they were about the most expensive pictures of me you have ever seen ;-) Unbelievable how much they charge for a few photos. First I wanted to boycott is just because the prices seem so unreasonable but then I thought I only get to do one 'first' half marathon and in a few years, when the memories of this day start to get a little fuzzy, I will hopefully be really glad that I did spend this much money for these pictures so they remind me.
So, here I am just on the middle of the Harbor Bridge:
On top of the world, eh Bridge (felt the same in that moment) (-:
Here is me on the last 2km, you can see the bridge in the background. I was pretty much just walking at this stage and as you can see, so was everyone else. You might also notice that I look pretty tired ;-)
This is about 100meters before the finish line. I used the last few energy resources I had at this stage to run the last few 100meters and run across the finish line
And here is me right before the finish line - almost done ;-)
And last but not least, here is my official certificate!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
just some reflection...
It’s Wednesday today, 3 days after the half marathon and I’m happy to report that I’m walking normal again ;-) The muscle soreness is mostly gone and I’m feeling much better. I still feel a bit of pain in my right knee and my left ankle but besides that I’m almost back to old strength. I’ve been to the gym this morning and had a good workout. They say that a short recovery time in a sign that training has been good and well balanced so I guess I can give myself a pat on the back :-)
The only thing is, I’m sooooooooooo tired. I slept almost 9 hours last night but felt really tired and exhausted all day. And now it’s just 8.30pm and I could go to sleep (probably will as soon as I’m done writing). I guess it will take some time for my body to really recover. I think I haven’t looked forward to a weekend this much in a while ;-)
Despite all the exhaustion, pain and soreness, Sunday was one of the best days in my life. And who would have ever thought I would say that about a day where I had to get up at 4am and run/walk 21km? But that is exactly what makes it so great. I did something that no one would have ever expected me to do, least of all myself. I’m so not the Athletic type and I have never been good at any sport. Actually, I have never really done any sport or exercising despite horse riding. But now I’ve done a half marathon.
I don’t really believe in things like “you can do anything you want if you try hard enough”. It sounds nice and all but let’s face it, there are some limitations to what we can do. I will never be a famous singer, no matter how much I would want to, I simply don’t have the voice (and yes I know, neither have the likes of Britney Spears but trust me, compare to me Britney has the voice of the century). So I don’t think all the sudden I can do anything I want just because I finished a half marathon. But what I do believe is that I can do a lot more than I often think I can. And I think that is something I share with most people. It’s about comfort zones and getting out of them. It’s about challenging yourself to try something new. Some of the greatest things I’ve done and experienced are things I never thought I would do, like moving to the other side of the world or doing a half marathon. It is a very exciting feeling to achieve something you didn’t even think you could do and often didn’t even consider doing.
You often hear people say something like “the best things in life are for free”. I think it’s more like “the best things in life are the ones you’ve worked for the hardest”. I’ve done and achieved other great things before, like graduating from School and University among the top 10%, being exceptionally good as the Marketing Lead for Spark, being fluent in two languages, travelling to foreign countries all by myself and many other things. But it often felt like these things came natural. Not saying I didn’t work hard to achieve them or make them happen but they are kind of ‘typical Lisa things’. Or I guess you can say they were within my comfort zone :-) Doing a half marathon is definitely not typical and far outside my comfort zone. And that is what makes it so great.
Where am I going with this? Not really sure, just wanted to share some of the things I’ve been thinking about. I don’t really want to give advice on how to live their lives to anyone, I think I’m in no position to do so. I think that everyone needs to figure things out on their own and something that works for one person might not work at all for someone else. But there is one piece of advice I have that I think works for everyone: DO SOMETHING! Just do something, anything. Something you always wanted to do. And it can be anything. It doesn’t have to be a half marathon, it doesn’t have to be any things active at all. Maybe there is a challenging book you want to read, a country you want to visit or something you want to learn.
I’ve been involved in the entrepreneurial community here in Auckland for a few years now and I have heard from a lot of different successful and very inspiring entrepreneurs. They all have different stories and are successful for different reason. But there is one thing a lot of them seem to have in common and I think they also share this with others (non-entrepreneurs) that are successful in life. They have found something they are passionate about and gave it/are giving it their all!
That is what I want! I want to love what I’m doing and really care about it. And for the last 6 months the half marathon has been that something for me. Now I have to find something new and I’m sure I will, sooner or later.
So if I have one piece of advice for other people this is it: Do something! Just get started. Just pick a project and get started. And yes, maybe you’re gonna fail a few times, but trust me, the feeling of achieving something you never thought you could do will be worth the failures in the end!
The only thing is, I’m sooooooooooo tired. I slept almost 9 hours last night but felt really tired and exhausted all day. And now it’s just 8.30pm and I could go to sleep (probably will as soon as I’m done writing). I guess it will take some time for my body to really recover. I think I haven’t looked forward to a weekend this much in a while ;-)
Despite all the exhaustion, pain and soreness, Sunday was one of the best days in my life. And who would have ever thought I would say that about a day where I had to get up at 4am and run/walk 21km? But that is exactly what makes it so great. I did something that no one would have ever expected me to do, least of all myself. I’m so not the Athletic type and I have never been good at any sport. Actually, I have never really done any sport or exercising despite horse riding. But now I’ve done a half marathon.
I don’t really believe in things like “you can do anything you want if you try hard enough”. It sounds nice and all but let’s face it, there are some limitations to what we can do. I will never be a famous singer, no matter how much I would want to, I simply don’t have the voice (and yes I know, neither have the likes of Britney Spears but trust me, compare to me Britney has the voice of the century). So I don’t think all the sudden I can do anything I want just because I finished a half marathon. But what I do believe is that I can do a lot more than I often think I can. And I think that is something I share with most people. It’s about comfort zones and getting out of them. It’s about challenging yourself to try something new. Some of the greatest things I’ve done and experienced are things I never thought I would do, like moving to the other side of the world or doing a half marathon. It is a very exciting feeling to achieve something you didn’t even think you could do and often didn’t even consider doing.
You often hear people say something like “the best things in life are for free”. I think it’s more like “the best things in life are the ones you’ve worked for the hardest”. I’ve done and achieved other great things before, like graduating from School and University among the top 10%, being exceptionally good as the Marketing Lead for Spark, being fluent in two languages, travelling to foreign countries all by myself and many other things. But it often felt like these things came natural. Not saying I didn’t work hard to achieve them or make them happen but they are kind of ‘typical Lisa things’. Or I guess you can say they were within my comfort zone :-) Doing a half marathon is definitely not typical and far outside my comfort zone. And that is what makes it so great.
Where am I going with this? Not really sure, just wanted to share some of the things I’ve been thinking about. I don’t really want to give advice on how to live their lives to anyone, I think I’m in no position to do so. I think that everyone needs to figure things out on their own and something that works for one person might not work at all for someone else. But there is one piece of advice I have that I think works for everyone: DO SOMETHING! Just do something, anything. Something you always wanted to do. And it can be anything. It doesn’t have to be a half marathon, it doesn’t have to be any things active at all. Maybe there is a challenging book you want to read, a country you want to visit or something you want to learn.
I’ve been involved in the entrepreneurial community here in Auckland for a few years now and I have heard from a lot of different successful and very inspiring entrepreneurs. They all have different stories and are successful for different reason. But there is one thing a lot of them seem to have in common and I think they also share this with others (non-entrepreneurs) that are successful in life. They have found something they are passionate about and gave it/are giving it their all!
That is what I want! I want to love what I’m doing and really care about it. And for the last 6 months the half marathon has been that something for me. Now I have to find something new and I’m sure I will, sooner or later.
So if I have one piece of advice for other people this is it: Do something! Just get started. Just pick a project and get started. And yes, maybe you’re gonna fail a few times, but trust me, the feeling of achieving something you never thought you could do will be worth the failures in the end!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
The official race report
Distance between start and finish line: 21.09km
Time it took to cross the finish line: less than 1 second
Time it took to get there: 26 years and 6 ½ month!
Time it took to cross the finish line: less than 1 second
Time it took to get there: 26 years and 6 ½ month!
It’s the day after my half marathon. I’m still sore pretty much everywhere and can hardly walk but besides that I’m feeling good. The stomach pain is gone and so is the headache I got last night. I was so tired I went to bed at 8.30 and was asleep in a matter of seconds ;-) My knee is feeling very sore today but I’m sure with a bit of rest that will get better soon.
But now, as promised, the official race report.
So my day started at 4am. I slept relatively well and thanks to the excitement and adrenaline getting up was relatively easy. I had an energy bar and some yoghurt for breakfast and then got ready and made sure I had all my stuff ready. Then I took a taxi to the downtown ferry terminal. The closer we got to the ferry the more people I saw with their running gear and their blue race bags coming from all directions. It was kind of funny seeing all the people walking around in the dark in their sports gear.
At 5.30 I was on the Ferry over to Devonport together with hundreds of others. It was an absolutely amazing mix of people. I’ve noticed this before during the training races I’ve done but it still amazes me. There are people from all walks of live, all ages, all sizes and all fitness levels. Some people looked more like they were going to a Sunday picnic with their friends, with big backpacks and happily doing small talk among each other. Others looked really professional in their running gear and with all sorts of gadgets and they look very concentrated, like they are mentally preparing for the race. And then there are those that look somewhere between intimated and amazed and like they are still trying to figure out what the hell they are actually doing here – just like me.
When we got to the Ferry Terminal in Devonport there were already a lot of people just sitting around waiting. We got there just past 6am and the full marathoners had just started. First I followed the crowed outside but when I realized how cold it was I decided to stay inside a bit longer. I just sat down among all the other runners, had another ½ energy bar and check all my gear. Making sure the number is pined to my shirt and that my timing chip is fixed to my shoe correctly. At about 6.30 everyone started to go outside so I followed. I wanted to make a quick toilet stop before the race so I got in line with hundreds of others who apparently had the same idea. Despite what must have been around 30 porta-loos, the lines where long and it took some time. I used the time to do some stretching and did some small talk with the people around me. By the time I was done with that, I just had enough time to walk over to the start line in time for the start. And then off we went.
Here are some pictures from the start in Devonport.
It took about 5min before I crossed the start line and then another maybe 300meters before the whole field was really running and I started to have a little bit of space around me.
500meters! That’s about how far I got until my knee started to hurt. At that point I just thought “GREAT, this is going to me fun”. But then about 2km later it stopped, or maybe I just stopped feeling it. It all went by kind of quickly then for the next 10km or so. I was still waiting for the 9km sign when the 10km one showed up already. I was feeling good the complete first half of the race and I was really enjoying it. It was really good that I had been running on the course a few time before. That way I knew where I was going and what was coming next. The people around me were all doing pretty much the same as I, run a bit then walk a bit and run a bit again.
Here are some pictures from the first half:
And then before I knew it, I was running on the motorway towards the harbour bridge. I was really good on time and wouldn't have any problems getting across the bridge before the ‘bus of shame’ comes and collects people that don’t make it over in time. This is when I started to walk more. Until this point I hadn’t walked more than 1-2 minutes between running intervals but there was just no way that I could run up the bridge. And besides, I wanted to enjoy it. It was a really beautiful day, A little bit cloudy to make sure it’s not too warm but with some sunny moments and a nice fresh breeze. And everyone around me was walking too. So there wasn’t much motivation to run. Here are some images for the bridge. There were official photographers taking pictures on the bridge and I will put them up as well as soon as I have them.
When I was on top of the bridge it kind of hit me. I was really doing this. This is the day I had been training for for months. Despite the knee pain and no running for the last two weeks and all the mental stress that caused, I was really gonna do it. I knew I would finish my first half marathon. It was still about 6km away from the finish line but I knew the rest would be flat and I could crawl home if I had to. I had made the bridge in time. Actually with plenty of time. It was 8.52am when I reached the top so I could have been almost ½ an hour slower – typical me, all this stressing beforehand for nothing.
I started running again down the bridge but this is when I started to feel the pain in my knee again and started to get really tired. I had pushed myself very hard in the first half to make sure I make it to the bridge and once I had made it motivation to keep running kind of dropped. My legs were hurting and this is also when my stomach started to feel weird. I still don’t know why I was having stomach issues. I mean I was expecting my legs to hurt and my back to feel tense and all that but I never had stomach problems during any of my training runs. Maybe it had something to do with having breakfast so early which I’m not used to or maybe it was just all the excitement and stress and pressure I had put myself under.
Point is; I just wanted it to be over. I walked a lot on the last 4km and only ran very little. I was just too tired and there wasn’t really a reason anymore to keep pushing myself to go faster. And everyone else around me seemed to feel the same. Still, we were walking fast and my legs were hurting more with every step. At km 18.5 we were almost at the finish line, just that we had to do another 2.5km loop before we could actually cross it. I’m telling you walking ‘away’ from the finish line was not easy for any of. Everyone kept glancing over and it was written on everyone’s face that they just wanted to take the short cut and be ‘home’. But we all kept going. About 200meters before the finish line I started running again because I really wanted to run across the finish line. I know, this is cheating a bit but come on, I’m sure most of you would have done the same ;-) I finished in just under three hours, but I so don’t care about the time.
At the finish Tina and Peter (with a blue Powerade) and Sonali met me and it was just great to have some friends there to enjoy the moment with me. Thank you guys so much for coming, you’re the best!!!
Right after the race I actually felt OK. I was exhausted of course but I think the excitement of actually having done it kept me going for a bit. But then it kind of hit me and I had to sit down for a bit. My stomach was feeling really tight, like I had swallowed a brick and I was just tired and overwhelmed. I didn’t even like my coffee – that should tell you all ;-) So Sonali gave me a ride home. Back at home I just took a shower, heated my wheat bag and went straight to bed for a few hours. The rest of the day I pretty much spend in bed and on the couch.
This morning I already felt better and I’m sure in a few days the soreness will disappear as well. As I’m having the day of today, I’m just relaxing, reading, watching TV etc. I went for a little walk earlier just to move the muscles a little bit and will do some stretching tonight but that is about all the activity I’ve got planned for the day.
I’m gonna go to the supermarket now to get some Chocolate ;-) – I feel I have really deserved that after yesterday. But tomorrow I’m gonna be back on the ‘eating healthy’ trip. Still have some kilos to get rid of and also want to keep the running up. Not sure yet what is next for me now, but regular exercising will definitely be a part of it.
I still have a few more things to write about but this should be enough for today ;-)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
I did it!!!!!!!!!!!
If someone had told me a year ago that I would do a half marathon, I would have laughed at them. But today I did it, I finished a Half Marathon in just under 3 hours. The knee was alright during most of the run and I made it to the bridge with plenty of time.
I will post a detailed race report tomorrow, with pictures and everything. But right now I'm just to tired and exhausted. Everything is hurting, my legs, my back and even my stomach. I'm not sure what I did to my stomach but for some reason it doesn't feel good. I've finished about 7hours ago and I still haven't eaten more than a Banana and a piece of bread. Normally I should be really hungry now, but somehow I'm just not. Maybe it's just some sort of exhaustion/stress thing. I'm sure it will be better tomorrow.
Taking tomorrow of work pretty much seems like the best idea I've ever had. I'm so looking forward to a lazy day at home.
OK, details will follow tomorrow!
I will post a detailed race report tomorrow, with pictures and everything. But right now I'm just to tired and exhausted. Everything is hurting, my legs, my back and even my stomach. I'm not sure what I did to my stomach but for some reason it doesn't feel good. I've finished about 7hours ago and I still haven't eaten more than a Banana and a piece of bread. Normally I should be really hungry now, but somehow I'm just not. Maybe it's just some sort of exhaustion/stress thing. I'm sure it will be better tomorrow.
Taking tomorrow of work pretty much seems like the best idea I've ever had. I'm so looking forward to a lazy day at home.
OK, details will follow tomorrow!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Only one more sleep!
It’s the day before the big day.
Everyone keeps asking “and, are you ready?”. Thing is, I don’t know. I haven’t been running in two weeks and they all say that doesn’t matter. After 5 months of training two weeks break don’t change anything, I should still be as fit as I was two weeks ago. But I guess I won’t know for sure until tomorrow. And then there is the knee situation. I know it’s going to hurt but I don’t know how much because I haven’t been running in two weeks. So lots of uncertainty and I hate uncertainty.
But then again, sharing this experience with people has also been a really great experience and I would have missed out on that if I hadn’t told anyone. Not to mentioned that I wouldn’t have gotten all these encouraging messages ;-)
Anyway, tomorrow this time it will all be over so now point thinking about would have and could have now.
But now, as promised a bit more about the actual race course. I’ve put in a map below. 
The race then starts pretty much next to the Ferry Terminal in Devonport. It then leads towards Narrow Neck Beach and then north towards Takapuna which is where about 1/3 is done. It then turns west towards Northcote and then South towards Auckland city. The Highlight is the Harbour Bridge. The whole approx 14km until the top of the bridge are hilly. They officially call that ‘slightly rolling hills’ but I think that makes it sound much less hilly than it actually is. It’s pretty much up or downhill all the time, there is hardly a bit that is just plain even. Which, by the way, is typical for Auckland – it’s a Volcanic Island after all.
On top of the Bridge about 2/3 are done. Once down the bridge, the rest of the course it flat and leads along the waterfront towards the city. The course ends at Victoria Park, which is pretty much in the middle of the City.
The weather forecast is pretty good. It’s suppose to be a sunny day and it might actually get quite warm in which case it is good that the marathon is so early in the morning. I dehydrate really quickly when it’s warm and sunny and need a lot of fluid. So I prefer a bit colder and a little cloudy.
Tonight I will have a good dinner with pasta and mushrooms (lots of carbs) and then go to bed early so when the alarm goes off at 4am I’ll be rested and fit (or at least as fit as I can possibly be at 4am in the morning).
OK, more tomorrow once it’s done (one way or the other).
Everyone keeps asking “and, are you ready?”. Thing is, I don’t know. I haven’t been running in two weeks and they all say that doesn’t matter. After 5 months of training two weeks break don’t change anything, I should still be as fit as I was two weeks ago. But I guess I won’t know for sure until tomorrow. And then there is the knee situation. I know it’s going to hurt but I don’t know how much because I haven’t been running in two weeks. So lots of uncertainty and I hate uncertainty.
And then there is the pressure factor that makes me kind of nervous. I started this whole blog because I wanted to share the journey and also because I thought it would help with the motivation if everyone knew what I’m up to. It totally worked and all your encouraging messages and words have been really great. However, now it means the pressure is on! Everyone knows I’m doing the half marathon tomorrow and everyone expects me to finish and be just fine. So now I’m thinking it would have been easier if I hadn’t told anyone. Cause I could just relax and try my best tomorrow and if I finish I could have surprised everyone with the news that I just finished a half marathon and if I wouldn’t finish it I could just not say anything at all and no one would ever know that I failed.
But then again, sharing this experience with people has also been a really great experience and I would have missed out on that if I hadn’t told anyone. Not to mentioned that I wouldn’t have gotten all these encouraging messages ;-)
Anyway, tomorrow this time it will all be over so now point thinking about would have and could have now.
But now, as promised a bit more about the actual race course. I’ve put in a map below.
As you can see, it starts on the North Shore, opposite of the Auckland City Centre. That means in the morning I have to take a ferry over to Devonport to the start line. Thinking about it, it actually seems kind of weird to start there. If I were to organize an event in Auckland which would require about 7,000 people to be a location around the same time, I would not pick Devonport. There is only one road going into Devonport or you can take the Ferry from the city. There is like zero parking and the one road going there is also part of the course. So it will be a total mission to get there. The half marathon will start at 7am and I plan to be at the Ferry terminal downtown around 5.30. There will probably be some waiting required at the Ferry and I want to make sure I make it over in time.
The race then starts pretty much next to the Ferry Terminal in Devonport. It then leads towards Narrow Neck Beach and then north towards Takapuna which is where about 1/3 is done. It then turns west towards Northcote and then South towards Auckland city. The Highlight is the Harbour Bridge. The whole approx 14km until the top of the bridge are hilly. They officially call that ‘slightly rolling hills’ but I think that makes it sound much less hilly than it actually is. It’s pretty much up or downhill all the time, there is hardly a bit that is just plain even. Which, by the way, is typical for Auckland – it’s a Volcanic Island after all.
On top of the Bridge about 2/3 are done. Once down the bridge, the rest of the course it flat and leads along the waterfront towards the city. The course ends at Victoria Park, which is pretty much in the middle of the City.
The weather forecast is pretty good. It’s suppose to be a sunny day and it might actually get quite warm in which case it is good that the marathon is so early in the morning. I dehydrate really quickly when it’s warm and sunny and need a lot of fluid. So I prefer a bit colder and a little cloudy.
Tonight I will have a good dinner with pasta and mushrooms (lots of carbs) and then go to bed early so when the alarm goes off at 4am I’ll be rested and fit (or at least as fit as I can possibly be at 4am in the morning).
OK, more tomorrow once it’s done (one way or the other).
Thursday, October 28, 2010
who picked the colour of this shirt???????????
Today I went to pick up my race pack which contains my number, timing chip, some event info, lots of flyers and leaflets for all sorts of things, some free samples and my official Auckland half marathon shirt. As soon as I saw the shirt I just had one questions: Who the hell picked that colour? It's about the ugliest colour I can think of. In the past marathon shirts have been red (2009), purple (2008), royal blue (2007). Now, I'm not a fan of red either so I was kind of happy that colour was out. But this year's shirt is some weird mix between neon yellow and neon green. It kind of looks like the road safety clothing just a bit more greenish. Well, point is: It's really ugly! What is wrong with black, white, green, light blue, ...? Couldn't they have picked any of those colours? Oh, and just in case you don't believe me, here is what it looks like:
Picking up my race pack today was kind of cool. I walked in there and there were all these other runners and everyone was really friendly and smiling at each other and I just felt so weird being a part of this. I'm nervous, especially about me knee, but I'm also really looking forward to doing this.
So much for today, tomorrow I will post a bit more about the race and course.
The good news is I don't have to wear this shirt. I'm gonna be wearing what I'm used to from my training because I know that works for me. But still, I would have liked to wear this shirt maybe to other occasions. And it's from Adidas, so it's good quality it would have made a good running shirt.
Haha, I'm just thinking, imagine all 7,000 people who are doing the full or half marathon on Sunday would actually be wearing this shirt! You could see us coming from the moon - even in the dark ;-)
OK, enough with the bitching now ;-)
Otherwise the last two days have been pretty busy at work which is kind of good cause it didn't leave much time to get nervous. I've done an easy workout at the gym this morning and will do some more stretching tonight and tomorrow. My knee is getting better, so hopefully that will be alright.Picking up my race pack today was kind of cool. I walked in there and there were all these other runners and everyone was really friendly and smiling at each other and I just felt so weird being a part of this. I'm nervous, especially about me knee, but I'm also really looking forward to doing this.
So much for today, tomorrow I will post a bit more about the race and course.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Only 4 days to go
Just thought I write a quick update now that there are only 4 days to go until the half marathon.
My knee is healing slowly – ways to slow for my liking. Yesterday I made it down the 3 flights of stairs in our office without pain for the first time since the injury. It’s still a long way to a half marathon, but at least it’s getting better.
I’ve been doing everything the Physio told me: Taking anti-inflammatory, stretching, cooling, resting, not wearing heals, etc. The last part is actually easier said than done because I only really had one pair of flat shoes that would qualify as “office appropriate” – red boots. And let me tell you, I do not have a lot of outfits that work with red boots. In fact I have exactly one – black pants and black blouse ;-) But then I thought. I have about 25 pairs of shoes (not counting the other approx 50 pairs in my parents basement in Germany) there has to be something I can wear. And I was right, somewhere in the back of my closet I found a pair of black flats that go with pretty much anything. I bought those a while ago, wore them once and found them uncomfortable and never wore them again. Turns out they actually get a lot more comfortable once I’ve walked in them for a while, guess they just had to stretch a little ;-) I’m still not completely happy because I think dresses and skirts just looks soooooo much better with heals but my friend ensured me it doesn’t look that bad. But then again, when one of your female friends tells you, ‘you don’t look that bad’ it pretty much means you look ridiculous and she is just being nice ;-) Good thing I spend most of my days looked away in the office anyway ;-) OK, but now enough of the fashion drama.
I am starting to get a little nervous now! It’s all happening so fast and before I know it it’s all gonna be over. I still have to sort out a lot of details as well, like who to get to the Ferry in the morning, what time to get there, how much time I will need before the start, etc. I have to go and pick up my race package which will include my number, timing chip and some other stuff. I also have to make a playlist – no way I can do this without some good music ;-)
I’m having (another) super busy week at work so I guess most of that will have to wait until Saturday. I have another appointment with the Physio tomorrow to get one last massage before the race (massage sounds better than it is - I have bruises from the last one). On Friday I will do another easy Gym workout and then rest on Saturday.
OK, so much for now. I plan to write a quick update everyday now until the event so more soon….
My knee is healing slowly – ways to slow for my liking. Yesterday I made it down the 3 flights of stairs in our office without pain for the first time since the injury. It’s still a long way to a half marathon, but at least it’s getting better.
I’ve been doing everything the Physio told me: Taking anti-inflammatory, stretching, cooling, resting, not wearing heals, etc. The last part is actually easier said than done because I only really had one pair of flat shoes that would qualify as “office appropriate” – red boots. And let me tell you, I do not have a lot of outfits that work with red boots. In fact I have exactly one – black pants and black blouse ;-) But then I thought. I have about 25 pairs of shoes (not counting the other approx 50 pairs in my parents basement in Germany) there has to be something I can wear. And I was right, somewhere in the back of my closet I found a pair of black flats that go with pretty much anything. I bought those a while ago, wore them once and found them uncomfortable and never wore them again. Turns out they actually get a lot more comfortable once I’ve walked in them for a while, guess they just had to stretch a little ;-) I’m still not completely happy because I think dresses and skirts just looks soooooo much better with heals but my friend ensured me it doesn’t look that bad. But then again, when one of your female friends tells you, ‘you don’t look that bad’ it pretty much means you look ridiculous and she is just being nice ;-) Good thing I spend most of my days looked away in the office anyway ;-) OK, but now enough of the fashion drama.
I am starting to get a little nervous now! It’s all happening so fast and before I know it it’s all gonna be over. I still have to sort out a lot of details as well, like who to get to the Ferry in the morning, what time to get there, how much time I will need before the start, etc. I have to go and pick up my race package which will include my number, timing chip and some other stuff. I also have to make a playlist – no way I can do this without some good music ;-)
I’m having (another) super busy week at work so I guess most of that will have to wait until Saturday. I have another appointment with the Physio tomorrow to get one last massage before the race (massage sounds better than it is - I have bruises from the last one). On Friday I will do another easy Gym workout and then rest on Saturday.
OK, so much for now. I plan to write a quick update everyday now until the event so more soon….
Friday, October 22, 2010
There’s good news and bad news
The Good news is: I’m gonna live :-)
I know what you think, ‘of course she’s gonna live no one dies from a little sore knee’. But hey, people went to see their doctors with far minor things and never made it back. So the fact that I’m not gonna die from this qualifies as good news :-)
OK, getting serious now. The actually good news is that there is no permanent damage in my knee. It’s just a little stress fracture from too much running, especially running a lot downhill. The physio recommended to not run at all until the event next weekend to give it as much time to heal as possible. She also showed me some stretches and recommended cooling the knee and taking some anti-inflammatory. She massaged the knee muscles and I’ll be going back next week for some more of that. As far as workout goes she said I should do my normal gym work out just skipped those exercises that put stress on the knee and for cardio I could cycle or swim/aqua jogging. As the later requires a bathing suit and I’m not really comfortable with that yet I think I will go for cycling :-)
The bad news is: I will, most likely feel pain during the half marathon. Even if everything heals exceptionally fast within the next week, the stress of running 21km will make it worth again and will cause pain. I hope I’ll be able to do about 10km before the pain comes back but then I’ll just have to deal with it. The Physio said there is no risk of any permanent damage at this stage so she says it’s OK if I ‘ignore’ the pain and keep running. However, she said I should try to avoid running downhill too much. NOW, that is a problem! I can’t really run uphill because, well I just can’t, and I can’t run downhill because it will hurt! Given that this is Auckland that doesn’t leave much of the course. The last 4.5km are flat, but by then I will probably already be in pain anyway. Not quite sure yet how I’m gonna deal with this. I guess I will just see what happens and how it all goes.
So overall it probably could be much worth and I’m really glad that there is nothing permanently damaged. But at the same time this just really sucks! A half marathon is tough enough on its own, I really didn’t need this to make it even harder. Now I’m gonna spend all week worrying whether my knee will be alright and whether I will be in a lot of pain. I’m gonna try my best to just ignore it but knowing me, that is not really gonna work :-)
I know what you think, ‘of course she’s gonna live no one dies from a little sore knee’. But hey, people went to see their doctors with far minor things and never made it back. So the fact that I’m not gonna die from this qualifies as good news :-)
OK, getting serious now. The actually good news is that there is no permanent damage in my knee. It’s just a little stress fracture from too much running, especially running a lot downhill. The physio recommended to not run at all until the event next weekend to give it as much time to heal as possible. She also showed me some stretches and recommended cooling the knee and taking some anti-inflammatory. She massaged the knee muscles and I’ll be going back next week for some more of that. As far as workout goes she said I should do my normal gym work out just skipped those exercises that put stress on the knee and for cardio I could cycle or swim/aqua jogging. As the later requires a bathing suit and I’m not really comfortable with that yet I think I will go for cycling :-)
The bad news is: I will, most likely feel pain during the half marathon. Even if everything heals exceptionally fast within the next week, the stress of running 21km will make it worth again and will cause pain. I hope I’ll be able to do about 10km before the pain comes back but then I’ll just have to deal with it. The Physio said there is no risk of any permanent damage at this stage so she says it’s OK if I ‘ignore’ the pain and keep running. However, she said I should try to avoid running downhill too much. NOW, that is a problem! I can’t really run uphill because, well I just can’t, and I can’t run downhill because it will hurt! Given that this is Auckland that doesn’t leave much of the course. The last 4.5km are flat, but by then I will probably already be in pain anyway. Not quite sure yet how I’m gonna deal with this. I guess I will just see what happens and how it all goes.
So overall it probably could be much worth and I’m really glad that there is nothing permanently damaged. But at the same time this just really sucks! A half marathon is tough enough on its own, I really didn’t need this to make it even harder. Now I’m gonna spend all week worrying whether my knee will be alright and whether I will be in a lot of pain. I’m gonna try my best to just ignore it but knowing me, that is not really gonna work :-)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So now it happened! I’m injured. At pretty much the worst time in this whole project!
I’m totally annoyed and frustrated! I mean here I am, doing all the right things and doing so great all these months and now, less than two weeks before the event my knee is hurting :-(
I first felt pain in my right knee towards the end of my long run last Saturday. And, honestly, this was the first time since I started training that I felt any pain beyond muscle soreness. The pain is on the outside of the knee about 2cm under the knee cap. It only hurts when I’m running or walking steeply downhill. When I’m walking normally, it feels a bit tense but no real pain (I think it’s mostly me knowing something is wrong that makes me think I feel something when I’m walking). I’ve done a bit of online research and I guess I have what they call the ‘famous runners knee’. Apparently it’s quite common among people who train for a long distance run for the first time. It’s nothing too serious but it is kind of painful.
The big question is what to do know? I’ve no idea if I should stop running altogether or if I should maybe just go walking until the event. And what about my gym workouts? Should I stop doing any exercise that includes the knees? I really don’t want to do anything wrong so close to the event. I mean I can rest and do all the right things after the 31st of October but until then I need a quick fix to get me ready to do the half marathon.
So I talked to one of the instructors at that gym this morning and he suggested two things. Firstly, cool the knee as much as possible and secondly, go see a Physio. He said under normal circumstance he would just tell me to stop running for a week or two and see if it gets better but as I want to do the half marathon in 11 days it is better to be careful now and get professional advice while there still is a little bit of time to do something. I have an appointment with a Physio on Friday and until then will just not do any workout at all, just to be on the safe side. My gym trainer also told me that I should be fine during the race even if I don’t run at all anymore from now until the event as I have been training so consistently over the past month. It is better to train less in the next 11 days and make sure I’m fit on event day. None of the training I will do in the next 11 days will really improve my marathon performance anyway. It’s sort of like “what I haven’t achieved by now I won’t achieve in time for the event anyway”.
OK, I will give you an update after the Physio on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed that everything will work out and I can do my half marathon without too much pain.
I’m totally annoyed and frustrated! I mean here I am, doing all the right things and doing so great all these months and now, less than two weeks before the event my knee is hurting :-(
I first felt pain in my right knee towards the end of my long run last Saturday. And, honestly, this was the first time since I started training that I felt any pain beyond muscle soreness. The pain is on the outside of the knee about 2cm under the knee cap. It only hurts when I’m running or walking steeply downhill. When I’m walking normally, it feels a bit tense but no real pain (I think it’s mostly me knowing something is wrong that makes me think I feel something when I’m walking). I’ve done a bit of online research and I guess I have what they call the ‘famous runners knee’. Apparently it’s quite common among people who train for a long distance run for the first time. It’s nothing too serious but it is kind of painful.
The big question is what to do know? I’ve no idea if I should stop running altogether or if I should maybe just go walking until the event. And what about my gym workouts? Should I stop doing any exercise that includes the knees? I really don’t want to do anything wrong so close to the event. I mean I can rest and do all the right things after the 31st of October but until then I need a quick fix to get me ready to do the half marathon.
So I talked to one of the instructors at that gym this morning and he suggested two things. Firstly, cool the knee as much as possible and secondly, go see a Physio. He said under normal circumstance he would just tell me to stop running for a week or two and see if it gets better but as I want to do the half marathon in 11 days it is better to be careful now and get professional advice while there still is a little bit of time to do something. I have an appointment with a Physio on Friday and until then will just not do any workout at all, just to be on the safe side. My gym trainer also told me that I should be fine during the race even if I don’t run at all anymore from now until the event as I have been training so consistently over the past month. It is better to train less in the next 11 days and make sure I’m fit on event day. None of the training I will do in the next 11 days will really improve my marathon performance anyway. It’s sort of like “what I haven’t achieved by now I won’t achieve in time for the event anyway”.
OK, I will give you an update after the Physio on Friday. Keep your fingers crossed that everything will work out and I can do my half marathon without too much pain.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
The last BIG test!
18km!!!!!!!!!!! That’s how much I ran/walked on Saturday.
It was the last big test before the half marathon in 2 weeks. And let me tell you, it was tough, especially since my knee, and kind of my whole right leg, started to hurt after about 14km. It was the first time that I actually really felt pain, besides the sore muscles and exhaustion pain that seems to have become a ‘normal’ thing in my life right now. This was different, it was real, something is not right, kind of pain. Which is a bit concerning. But I managed to finish the 18km, even though I walked a bit more towards the end than I wanted to. And now my knee and leg are fine again so I’m hoping it was just because of pressure and stress and not because something is actually wrong.
I have pretty much been following my training plan to the book, so I’m mostly confident that I will be able to complete the half marathon. The only thing I’m still worried about is the Harbor Bridge cut of time. Just for those of you who haven’t read about this in a previous post: The Auckland Half Marathon goes over the Harbor Bridge (the highlight of the course). However, due to traffic and safety issues, everyone who has not crossed the Bridge by 9.20am will be picked up by a bus and taken to the other side. Furthermore, you need to have been past the 13km mark (right before the Bridge) before 9am otherwise they won’t even let you on the bridge. I don’t have a specific goal as far as finish time goes, but I really do want to run over the bridge and not be driven over it on a bus (there is a reason why they call it the bus of shame). The half marathon starts at 7am which technically would give me 2 hours to do 13km which would not be a problem at all. However, as there are thousands of people doing the half marathon, it might take some time until I actually cross the start line. So it might be 7.15 or 7.20 by the time I actually start. And that would leave me with 1.40hours to do 13km and that might not be so easy to do.
So I wanted to do my last big training run under ‘realistic’ conditions to be able to assess what my chances are to make it to the Bridge in time. Therefore, I drove over to the North Shore to run as much as possible on the actual race course. As I also wanted to do kind of a loop around where I parked my car (so that I don’t have to walk back to my car for several km after finishing the 18km), I parked the car sort of halfway along the course, ran a 4km loop and came onto the race course at about the 4km mark. Then I followed the course until the 13km mark and then did a 5km loop back to my car. I reached the 13km mark after about 1 hour 40min. I did lost some time in the beginning because I didn’t really know where I was going and had to check the map a few times (I love my iPhone) and the first bit was also very hilly (more hilly than the actual course). And besides that, I think the adrenaline and excitement on the day will also help to make me run a bit faster. So I’m carefully optimistic. Now I just have to make sure that I do cross the start line by 7.20am the latest. Might have to push some others out of the way ;-)
Oh, and if you read this and have any experience with running (half) marathons, especially the Auckland one, and can give me any advise how long it might take until thousands of people have crossed the start line, I’d really love to hear it ;-)
Well, anyway, besides the knee issues on the last 4km and the usual soreness the next day and blisters on my feet, it was actually an alright run and I’m rather positive now. I do feel like I still have some reserves so hopefully I can go all out in two weeks.
Until then I will keep up my two 6km runs during the week and will probably do 10-12 next Saturday. I’m also hitting the gym 3 times a week but am thinking I might have to reduce that a little for the next two weeks to make sure I’m fit and ready for the big day.
Not long to go now! Will keep you posted ;-)
It was the last big test before the half marathon in 2 weeks. And let me tell you, it was tough, especially since my knee, and kind of my whole right leg, started to hurt after about 14km. It was the first time that I actually really felt pain, besides the sore muscles and exhaustion pain that seems to have become a ‘normal’ thing in my life right now. This was different, it was real, something is not right, kind of pain. Which is a bit concerning. But I managed to finish the 18km, even though I walked a bit more towards the end than I wanted to. And now my knee and leg are fine again so I’m hoping it was just because of pressure and stress and not because something is actually wrong.
I have pretty much been following my training plan to the book, so I’m mostly confident that I will be able to complete the half marathon. The only thing I’m still worried about is the Harbor Bridge cut of time. Just for those of you who haven’t read about this in a previous post: The Auckland Half Marathon goes over the Harbor Bridge (the highlight of the course). However, due to traffic and safety issues, everyone who has not crossed the Bridge by 9.20am will be picked up by a bus and taken to the other side. Furthermore, you need to have been past the 13km mark (right before the Bridge) before 9am otherwise they won’t even let you on the bridge. I don’t have a specific goal as far as finish time goes, but I really do want to run over the bridge and not be driven over it on a bus (there is a reason why they call it the bus of shame). The half marathon starts at 7am which technically would give me 2 hours to do 13km which would not be a problem at all. However, as there are thousands of people doing the half marathon, it might take some time until I actually cross the start line. So it might be 7.15 or 7.20 by the time I actually start. And that would leave me with 1.40hours to do 13km and that might not be so easy to do.
So I wanted to do my last big training run under ‘realistic’ conditions to be able to assess what my chances are to make it to the Bridge in time. Therefore, I drove over to the North Shore to run as much as possible on the actual race course. As I also wanted to do kind of a loop around where I parked my car (so that I don’t have to walk back to my car for several km after finishing the 18km), I parked the car sort of halfway along the course, ran a 4km loop and came onto the race course at about the 4km mark. Then I followed the course until the 13km mark and then did a 5km loop back to my car. I reached the 13km mark after about 1 hour 40min. I did lost some time in the beginning because I didn’t really know where I was going and had to check the map a few times (I love my iPhone) and the first bit was also very hilly (more hilly than the actual course). And besides that, I think the adrenaline and excitement on the day will also help to make me run a bit faster. So I’m carefully optimistic. Now I just have to make sure that I do cross the start line by 7.20am the latest. Might have to push some others out of the way ;-)
Oh, and if you read this and have any experience with running (half) marathons, especially the Auckland one, and can give me any advise how long it might take until thousands of people have crossed the start line, I’d really love to hear it ;-)
Well, anyway, besides the knee issues on the last 4km and the usual soreness the next day and blisters on my feet, it was actually an alright run and I’m rather positive now. I do feel like I still have some reserves so hopefully I can go all out in two weeks.
Until then I will keep up my two 6km runs during the week and will probably do 10-12 next Saturday. I’m also hitting the gym 3 times a week but am thinking I might have to reduce that a little for the next two weeks to make sure I’m fit and ready for the big day.
Not long to go now! Will keep you posted ;-)
Monday, October 11, 2010
Less than 3 weeks to go!
Today in 3 weeks it will all be over – ALREADY! As much as I’m looking forward to getting it over with, it’s also kind of sad. Time is just going by too fast. I first decided to do this half marathon in May and at that stage it seemed like this huge project and the date seemed ages away. And now it’s already almost here.
On Saturday I’m gonna do the last ‘long-run’ training session – 18km! After that I will be slowing down to make sure I’m fit on the day. It all just seems to be happening too fast. I’ve followed my training plan almost 100% and I think I’m able to do it but for some reason I don’t feel ready. And it’s not so much that I don’t feel ready for a 21.35km race, it’s more that I don’t feel ready to complete this challenge. I really like having this big challenge to work towards. It’s been very motivating and has always pushed me to go further when I felt like giving up. And yes, I have also changed a lot of other things over the last months. I’m eating much more healthy, I’m generally more active (going for walks and hiking on weekends, walking shorter distances instead of taking the car, etc) and the result (losing weight, looking better) have been very rewarding. But let’s face it, the reason why I manage to get up at 5.45am and go for a run or to the gym is because I know that if I don’t I will never be able to actually complete a half marathon. So I’m a bit worried that I might fall back into old habits once the half marathon is done.
I guess being aware of this is a first step in making sure it doesn’t happen. Maybe I need to find a new challenge afterwards. Doing something completely different or maybe keep training and aim to completely RUN (no walking) the half marathon next year. And if some of you are going to suggest a full marathon now, forget about it. There is only so much I can handle form a psychological perspective ;-)
Well, I think the best thing to do at this stage is to ‘enjoy’ the next three weeks as much as I can and fully concentrate on the event. At the end of the day completing a half marathon is a huge achievement for me and I want to make sure I actually enjoy it and appreciate it. I have taken the Monday after of work (actually I have ‘moved’ a NZ holiday. It’s Labor Day in NZ the week before the marathon which means I would have that day of work. But I asked my boss if I could just work on Labor Day and then take the Monday after off and he’s fine with that). I think it will be good to have a day to relax afterwards.
On a not so happy note, I found out that my flatmates won’t be able to come see me cross the finish line as they are all going to a movie marathon (=you watch movies for 24 hours in a row. Yes, apparently there are people that would do something like that ;-). It’s just a typical case of bad timing. I would have really loved to have them there as they are not only flatmates but also really good friends but what can you do. They have their own marathon challenge to tackle. I guess we’ll be a very tired flat that afternoon ;-)
OK, that’s it for now. Will let you know how the 18km on Saturday go.
On Saturday I’m gonna do the last ‘long-run’ training session – 18km! After that I will be slowing down to make sure I’m fit on the day. It all just seems to be happening too fast. I’ve followed my training plan almost 100% and I think I’m able to do it but for some reason I don’t feel ready. And it’s not so much that I don’t feel ready for a 21.35km race, it’s more that I don’t feel ready to complete this challenge. I really like having this big challenge to work towards. It’s been very motivating and has always pushed me to go further when I felt like giving up. And yes, I have also changed a lot of other things over the last months. I’m eating much more healthy, I’m generally more active (going for walks and hiking on weekends, walking shorter distances instead of taking the car, etc) and the result (losing weight, looking better) have been very rewarding. But let’s face it, the reason why I manage to get up at 5.45am and go for a run or to the gym is because I know that if I don’t I will never be able to actually complete a half marathon. So I’m a bit worried that I might fall back into old habits once the half marathon is done.
I guess being aware of this is a first step in making sure it doesn’t happen. Maybe I need to find a new challenge afterwards. Doing something completely different or maybe keep training and aim to completely RUN (no walking) the half marathon next year. And if some of you are going to suggest a full marathon now, forget about it. There is only so much I can handle form a psychological perspective ;-)
Well, I think the best thing to do at this stage is to ‘enjoy’ the next three weeks as much as I can and fully concentrate on the event. At the end of the day completing a half marathon is a huge achievement for me and I want to make sure I actually enjoy it and appreciate it. I have taken the Monday after of work (actually I have ‘moved’ a NZ holiday. It’s Labor Day in NZ the week before the marathon which means I would have that day of work. But I asked my boss if I could just work on Labor Day and then take the Monday after off and he’s fine with that). I think it will be good to have a day to relax afterwards.
On a not so happy note, I found out that my flatmates won’t be able to come see me cross the finish line as they are all going to a movie marathon (=you watch movies for 24 hours in a row. Yes, apparently there are people that would do something like that ;-). It’s just a typical case of bad timing. I would have really loved to have them there as they are not only flatmates but also really good friends but what can you do. They have their own marathon challenge to tackle. I guess we’ll be a very tired flat that afternoon ;-)
OK, that’s it for now. Will let you know how the 18km on Saturday go.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
It's not all positive and happy
In the last week 3 people who apparently follow my blog have told me that I make it sound easy and fun. They also told me I’m an inspiration and how cool it is what I’m doing but the thing that stuck with me is that I make it sound easy and fun. And I’m not saying that it isn’t fun, it partly is, but it definitely is not easy. I started this blog with the intend to share the whole journey and that means the positive and the negative stuff. But reading through my post I realize that most of them take a very positive approach and those that do mention the not so pretty stuff often do so in a kind of sarcastic/not totally serious kind of way. So no wonder that someone tells me that I make it sounds easy.
This is nothing new. I often tend to show people the positive and happy stuff and keep the negative stuff to myself. I’ve always done this and I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. But this blog is supposed to reflect the whole story. So I decided that it is time for an entry about the not so pretty stuff.
OK, so let’s start with something easy - the time commitment. I’m training about an hour per day 4 days during the week and on Sundays. That alone is already a significant time commitment. And then on Saturdays I have to do my long runs and at this stage in the training plan that means at least 2 hours running. That makes for about 7-8 hours per week.
Related to that is the energy level issue. These days I do my training and I go to work and when I get home at night I’m often so tired that I could go to sleep right away. They say when you lose weight you energy levels go up and that might be true, but I guess when you spend 7-8 hour working out every week there is not much left of that extra energy at the end of the day. On Wednesday morning I got up and got ready for my run and then I started to feel really dizzy and sick. That was actually quite scary – I guess that was my body telling me that I should slow down a little. So I skipped my run that day and on Thursday I felt much better again. But still, definitely not something I want to experience again.
Another LITERALY not so pretty aspect of this are my feet (and I apologize, this is going to be a bit disgusting). I have tones of blisters and sore areas on my feet. I have no idea how I’m suppose to wear any jandals this summer.
And, believe it or not, there is a downside to losing weight too. And if you are trying to lose weight yourself (and btw, wanting to lose 5kg is not ‘losing weight’ it’s pissing of all those people that really have to lose weight.), so if you are trying to lose serious amounts of weight, you might want to stop reading here otherwise you will probably end up hating me a little. OK, so the problem with losing weight is that nothing fits anymore. Almost all of my clothes are too big, but I don’t want to spend too much money on new ones because I still need to lose some more weight so it would kind of be a waste of money. As much as I love getting skinnier, sometimes getting dressed in the morning is more challenging than it ever was before. And because of the combination of weight loss through healthy eating and weight loss through exercising my figure is changing so quickly sometimes. The pants I’m wearing today were a bit tight until about 2-3 weeks ago. This morning I looked in the mirror and realize they are getting too lose and don’t really fit all that well anymore. And I know I shouldn’t be complaining about this but it’s negative day so I’m just dumping all that stuff that annoys me. And this totally does. I mean, I obviously have to wear something and my job requires proper business clothes and those are expensive. And as a women you are expected to wear something different every day. This is another thing that annoys me. The guys at our office have maybe 2 or 3 suits/suit pants and then a couple of shirts and that’s it. As a woman you are expected to have a number of different outfits, at least one for every work day. If you lose a dressing size per month that is very expensive. So I’m trying to get along with the clothes I have and keep telling myself that once I have reach my goal weight I will get lots of new, great fitting clothes. I just have to get there first.
OK, that should be enough negativity for now. I promise the next entry will be in the usually happy, positive and slightly sarcastic tone again.
Until then, keep the motivating and encouraging messages coming I think I will need them ;-)
This is nothing new. I often tend to show people the positive and happy stuff and keep the negative stuff to myself. I’ve always done this and I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. But this blog is supposed to reflect the whole story. So I decided that it is time for an entry about the not so pretty stuff.
OK, so let’s start with something easy - the time commitment. I’m training about an hour per day 4 days during the week and on Sundays. That alone is already a significant time commitment. And then on Saturdays I have to do my long runs and at this stage in the training plan that means at least 2 hours running. That makes for about 7-8 hours per week.
Related to that is the energy level issue. These days I do my training and I go to work and when I get home at night I’m often so tired that I could go to sleep right away. They say when you lose weight you energy levels go up and that might be true, but I guess when you spend 7-8 hour working out every week there is not much left of that extra energy at the end of the day. On Wednesday morning I got up and got ready for my run and then I started to feel really dizzy and sick. That was actually quite scary – I guess that was my body telling me that I should slow down a little. So I skipped my run that day and on Thursday I felt much better again. But still, definitely not something I want to experience again.
Another LITERALY not so pretty aspect of this are my feet (and I apologize, this is going to be a bit disgusting). I have tones of blisters and sore areas on my feet. I have no idea how I’m suppose to wear any jandals this summer.
And, believe it or not, there is a downside to losing weight too. And if you are trying to lose weight yourself (and btw, wanting to lose 5kg is not ‘losing weight’ it’s pissing of all those people that really have to lose weight.), so if you are trying to lose serious amounts of weight, you might want to stop reading here otherwise you will probably end up hating me a little. OK, so the problem with losing weight is that nothing fits anymore. Almost all of my clothes are too big, but I don’t want to spend too much money on new ones because I still need to lose some more weight so it would kind of be a waste of money. As much as I love getting skinnier, sometimes getting dressed in the morning is more challenging than it ever was before. And because of the combination of weight loss through healthy eating and weight loss through exercising my figure is changing so quickly sometimes. The pants I’m wearing today were a bit tight until about 2-3 weeks ago. This morning I looked in the mirror and realize they are getting too lose and don’t really fit all that well anymore. And I know I shouldn’t be complaining about this but it’s negative day so I’m just dumping all that stuff that annoys me. And this totally does. I mean, I obviously have to wear something and my job requires proper business clothes and those are expensive. And as a women you are expected to wear something different every day. This is another thing that annoys me. The guys at our office have maybe 2 or 3 suits/suit pants and then a couple of shirts and that’s it. As a woman you are expected to have a number of different outfits, at least one for every work day. If you lose a dressing size per month that is very expensive. So I’m trying to get along with the clothes I have and keep telling myself that once I have reach my goal weight I will get lots of new, great fitting clothes. I just have to get there first.
OK, that should be enough negativity for now. I promise the next entry will be in the usually happy, positive and slightly sarcastic tone again.
Until then, keep the motivating and encouraging messages coming I think I will need them ;-)
Friday, October 1, 2010
Training Event 2: 16km
Today was training event number 2 for me. After the 14km 3 weeks ago this was the second and last test event for me before the half marathon. This time I had to do 16km - 2 loops of 8km.
The event was out in East Tamaki, about 20km from where I live.
It was pretty much the same deal as 3 weeks ago. It started at 9am and I had to do the course loop twice - just that this time the course was 8km instead of 7.
And let me tell you, I did really well. Actually I surprised myself a little. I finished the first lap in just under 1hour which was already good but I managed to do the second lap at almost the same speed. Overall I finished after 2:02:30. That is a huge improvement from the 14km race which I finished in 1:55:and a few seconds. At the 14km 3 weeks ago I had an average pace of 8:16 min per km. This time my average pace was 7:41 min per km. That is almost the same pace I do during my short 6km run during the week. I'm a little surprised by that myself and of course really happy. It's really great to see the progress I'm making.
So that already tells you that, overall, the race was really good. However, I struggled quite a bit in the beginning. The first 2km are usually good - I'm still fresh and motivated. But then after 2km it starts getting a bit harder and then when I think about how far I still have to go it's really hard to stay positive and motivated. And that is just what also happened today. The course, especially the first 4km, was very winding and lots of little ups and downs which I found quite exhausting and kind of annoying ;-)
But once I had reached 4km it got better. The course got better and the thought that I had already done quarter of the course motivated me. Juts as last time, running past the finish line knowing I had to do the whole thing again was hard. But overall I felt much better than I did during my 14km race. And even now, about 7 hours after I finished I'm feeling OK and nowhere near as sore as I did after the 14km.
I do have to say one thing though. It seems that my idea of "mostly flat" and "minor rollers" is kind of different then the organizers'. On the website they describe the course as:
"The course is 8k loop course over a mainly flat course, it has a few minor rollers but generally this will be a fast course."
I'm sorry, but my idea of mainly flat is something else. There were quite a few ups and downs along the course, OK so they weren't big but still flat is definitely something else. But it's probably good that the course was not completely flat as the half marathon course is definitely not flat, so I need to practice running hills.
Now I have 4 weeks left till the half marathon. And even though today was a good event, I don't think I would have been able to keep the pace up for another 5km, so I still have to do some training. I will do one more long run of 18km, either next weekend or the weekend after, depending on how I feel. Besides that I will do shorter runs and then make sure I'm rested and fit for the half.
The event was out in East Tamaki, about 20km from where I live.
It was pretty much the same deal as 3 weeks ago. It started at 9am and I had to do the course loop twice - just that this time the course was 8km instead of 7.
And let me tell you, I did really well. Actually I surprised myself a little. I finished the first lap in just under 1hour which was already good but I managed to do the second lap at almost the same speed. Overall I finished after 2:02:30. That is a huge improvement from the 14km race which I finished in 1:55:and a few seconds. At the 14km 3 weeks ago I had an average pace of 8:16 min per km. This time my average pace was 7:41 min per km. That is almost the same pace I do during my short 6km run during the week. I'm a little surprised by that myself and of course really happy. It's really great to see the progress I'm making.
So that already tells you that, overall, the race was really good. However, I struggled quite a bit in the beginning. The first 2km are usually good - I'm still fresh and motivated. But then after 2km it starts getting a bit harder and then when I think about how far I still have to go it's really hard to stay positive and motivated. And that is just what also happened today. The course, especially the first 4km, was very winding and lots of little ups and downs which I found quite exhausting and kind of annoying ;-)
But once I had reached 4km it got better. The course got better and the thought that I had already done quarter of the course motivated me. Juts as last time, running past the finish line knowing I had to do the whole thing again was hard. But overall I felt much better than I did during my 14km race. And even now, about 7 hours after I finished I'm feeling OK and nowhere near as sore as I did after the 14km.
I do have to say one thing though. It seems that my idea of "mostly flat" and "minor rollers" is kind of different then the organizers'. On the website they describe the course as:
"The course is 8k loop course over a mainly flat course, it has a few minor rollers but generally this will be a fast course."
I'm sorry, but my idea of mainly flat is something else. There were quite a few ups and downs along the course, OK so they weren't big but still flat is definitely something else. But it's probably good that the course was not completely flat as the half marathon course is definitely not flat, so I need to practice running hills.
Now I have 4 weeks left till the half marathon. And even though today was a good event, I don't think I would have been able to keep the pace up for another 5km, so I still have to do some training. I will do one more long run of 18km, either next weekend or the weekend after, depending on how I feel. Besides that I will do shorter runs and then make sure I'm rested and fit for the half.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A BIG thank you to all of you
Over the last weeks I've been getting messages from a lot of you telling me how great I'm doing and how impressive and inspiring I am. Unfortunately I haven't had time yet to reply to everyone individually. After work, training and sleeping there just isn't much time left for anything else ;-)
So I decided to just post a BIG thank you to all of you on my blog!
Your support and encouragement really means a lot and is very motivating.
I keep telling myself that I am doing this for me and not to get anyone else's approval, recognition or admiration. But let's be honest, if that were completely true I probably wouldn't blog about it ;-)
All of your comments and messages are very motivating and just make me feel really good about myself, especially on days when things are not going so well.
So THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support and PLEASE keep the motivation and encouragement coming, I'm going to need it if I want to complete a half marathon in just over 5 weeks.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
A visit to the half marathon course - I HATE hills
One of the things I found difficult about the event I did last week, was not knowing the course. It kind of made it impossible to plan and structure my race correctly if I don't know what's coming my way - especially what types of hills are coming my way.
Hills are my biggest problem at this stage. The thing is, I simply can't run up hill without being totally beat once I get to the top. When I'm doing my short 5 or 6km runs than that is not such a big problem, but when I'm doing 14km (or even more) and I'm totally beat after 3km just cause I had to run uphill I'm never gonna see the finish line. That is why I usually walk uphill on my long runs. I know it's cheating a little bit but what can I do. For my defence, I grew up in one of the flattest areas of Germany, so I'm simply not used to hills. What we call mountains in that area of Germany is a total joke to any really Kiwi.
However, unfortunately I have decided to do my very first half marathon on an volcanic island and that means that there will be a quite a few smaller and larger hills along the course, not to mention to harbour bridge.
But I'm getting of topic a little here. The point is, I like to know the course I'm running so that I know how many uphill and downhill parts there are and how steep they are. That is why I decided to do some of my long runs on the actual marathon course. So yesterday I drove over to the North Shore, where the marathon will start, and did the first 7km of the course, then turned around and by the time I got back to me car I had done just over 13 km. Now, if you read my post about my training plan you might remember that I was suppose to do 15km this week. There are a couple of reasons why that didn't happen. First of all, the course was quite tough with lots of uphill parts. In addition it was REALLY windy (we're having a storm the size of Australia passing over NZ at the moment) and most of the first 7km I had headwind which made the uphill parts even harder and the downhill parts less relaxing.
The other problem was that, despite the wind, it was sunny and sort of warm and I ran out of water. Turns out that really sucks! The last time I did 14km was at the run/walk event and there were drinks available along the course. That, in addition to the water I always take with me when running, meant that I had more than enough liquid. But only having my 750ml water bottle, like yesterday, is just not enough. That means I need to figure out a way to either take more water with me next time or get some more somewhere along the way.
Anyway, as I was already really exhausted after about 11.5km and had no more water left I decided to take the straight way back to my car instead of doing the extra 1.8km detour as I had planned.
Well, I made it back to the car and the good news is that my muscles are nowhere near as sore as they were after the 14km last weekend so hopefully that means that my body is getting used to it.
So the overall impression of the first 7km of the course: Hilly (well, at least based on my standards) - and I HATE hills. And I need water - lots of it. Especially when it's sunny.
This coming week is recovery week which means my long run on Saturday will be shorter. But I'm trying to increase the distances I do during the week a little (the hard part here is that it would mean to get up even earlier than I already do). On Saturday I will do the next 6km of the course (and back so that it ends up being about 12km).
Hills are my biggest problem at this stage. The thing is, I simply can't run up hill without being totally beat once I get to the top. When I'm doing my short 5 or 6km runs than that is not such a big problem, but when I'm doing 14km (or even more) and I'm totally beat after 3km just cause I had to run uphill I'm never gonna see the finish line. That is why I usually walk uphill on my long runs. I know it's cheating a little bit but what can I do. For my defence, I grew up in one of the flattest areas of Germany, so I'm simply not used to hills. What we call mountains in that area of Germany is a total joke to any really Kiwi.
However, unfortunately I have decided to do my very first half marathon on an volcanic island and that means that there will be a quite a few smaller and larger hills along the course, not to mention to harbour bridge.
But I'm getting of topic a little here. The point is, I like to know the course I'm running so that I know how many uphill and downhill parts there are and how steep they are. That is why I decided to do some of my long runs on the actual marathon course. So yesterday I drove over to the North Shore, where the marathon will start, and did the first 7km of the course, then turned around and by the time I got back to me car I had done just over 13 km. Now, if you read my post about my training plan you might remember that I was suppose to do 15km this week. There are a couple of reasons why that didn't happen. First of all, the course was quite tough with lots of uphill parts. In addition it was REALLY windy (we're having a storm the size of Australia passing over NZ at the moment) and most of the first 7km I had headwind which made the uphill parts even harder and the downhill parts less relaxing.
The other problem was that, despite the wind, it was sunny and sort of warm and I ran out of water. Turns out that really sucks! The last time I did 14km was at the run/walk event and there were drinks available along the course. That, in addition to the water I always take with me when running, meant that I had more than enough liquid. But only having my 750ml water bottle, like yesterday, is just not enough. That means I need to figure out a way to either take more water with me next time or get some more somewhere along the way.
Anyway, as I was already really exhausted after about 11.5km and had no more water left I decided to take the straight way back to my car instead of doing the extra 1.8km detour as I had planned.
Well, I made it back to the car and the good news is that my muscles are nowhere near as sore as they were after the 14km last weekend so hopefully that means that my body is getting used to it.
So the overall impression of the first 7km of the course: Hilly (well, at least based on my standards) - and I HATE hills. And I need water - lots of it. Especially when it's sunny.
This coming week is recovery week which means my long run on Saturday will be shorter. But I'm trying to increase the distances I do during the week a little (the hard part here is that it would mean to get up even earlier than I already do). On Saturday I will do the next 6km of the course (and back so that it ends up being about 12km).
Monday, September 13, 2010
just a few more comments about Saturday's event
It's Monday evening and I'm still a bit sore from the run on Saturday. Funnily I feel it a lot when I'm walking but during my run this morning I actually felt alright.
I already posted an official report about the event on the weekend (my first running even ever) but there are a few more (not always completely serious) comments I would like to add:
I already posted an official report about the event on the weekend (my first running even ever) but there are a few more (not always completely serious) comments I would like to add:
- It's unbelievable how fast some people can WALK (and I really mean walk, not run). I mean, there I am running as fast as I can and this person just WALKS right past me!
- The mix of people at this event (and I imagine other run/walk event will be similar) was really interesting. All ages, sizes, attitudes and levels of fitness - VERY COOL!
- Running past the finish line to do another 7km loop was really tough - I can only imagine how those people that did 4 loops must have felt about that when they passed the finish line for the 3rd time.
- Feeling really tired, thinking the 10km sign has to show up any second now and then seeing the 9km sign just up ahead is very frustrating!
- The fluid dilemma: Whenever I drank something during the race I could feel the fluid swap around in my stomach afterwards. Kind of made me feel sick. But not drinking anything is not really an option either. Have to practice to drink slower and less at a time!
- Around km 11 (just after it started raining) I seriously doubted my own sanity - Why the hell am I doing this again?
- Around km 12 I thought it would be really cool if Artemon (my horse) where here. This would be so much more fun (easier and faster) if he would do the running.
- Around km 13 the iPod played 'Save me from Remy Zero' - Very fitting!
- Putting 6 flights of stairs between the finish line and my car is just mean!
Friday, September 10, 2010
14km in under 2 hours - offical race report ;-)
I did it!!!!!!
14km in under two hours, 01:55:44 to be exact. And let me tell you, it was tough but also feels really good. But let's start at the beginning.
The event was at Waitakere Trust Stadium, which is about 15km from where I live. The run started at 9am but as I still had to register and wanted to make sure I had plenty of time, I made sure I arrived early. So I got up at about 6.45 (on a Saturday!!!!!!!!!) and left at around 7.30. I got to the stadium just before 8am and it was still very quite and only few people around. I went to registration and picked up by number and timing chip (this little thing to tie to your shoe so they can take an exact time for you) and then spent some time figuring out how best to attach both of them (it's not that simple when you're doing something like this for the first time). But I just observed how others did it and copied that. I then spend some time just walking around, eating an energy bar, stretching etc.
At 8.50 the organiser did a quick event briefing to make sure everyone knows what's gonna happen and then at 9am sharp of we went. As I am doing a mix of running and walking I started in about the middle of the back half, sort of behind the runners and before the walkers.
The track was a 7km loop which I had to do twice. I've inserted a map of the loop below. The quality is not so good, so it you want to get a better look, follow this link.
There was only one bigger hill at the beginning, the rest was just slightly rolling - typical for Auckland. About the first 4km we were running through a residential area. I felt good in the beginning and was happy that the good night sleep I got meant that I felt much better then yesterday. After 4km the track went along a river, first on one side and then on the other for about 2km. That was the nicest part of the track with the river on one side and trees and bushes on the other. After the river track we had to walk/run uphill to the stadium again, then once around the stadium round and then of into loop two and do the whole thing again.
I was having a low towards the end of loop one and running past the finish line knowing I had to do the whole thing again was really tough. I finished my first loop around 55 minutes so I knew I was on goal to finish in under 2 hours. At the same time, however, I also knew that the second loop could not be much slower than the first. But to see that I was on track motivated me and I started to feel a bit better again. I made good time in the first half of loop two but then from around km 11 it got really tough. The longest run I had done so far was 12km just two weeks ago, so everything longer than that was really stretching my boundaries. And the fact that it started raining a little wasn't really helping either.
I had to walk quite a bit in that second half of loop two but wasn't too worried because I could see on my watch that I was still on track to finish in under 2 hours. Once I made it up to the Stadium I pushed myself a bit harder again and was able to run most of the last km. Most importantly, I RAN across the finish line (I was a bit worried I might be crawling over the finish line, so that's a really success).
And here is what I looked like after I finished. (I do admit this picture was taken after I recovered a little and was able to smile again)
Overall, I'm really happy and proud. First of all that I was able to actually complete a 14km run/walk and secondly that I achieved my goal to finish in under 2 hours. That means I'm on track for the half marathon!
After I got home I took a shower and went back to bed (with a BIG cup of coffee of course). My legs were feeling really heavy and I was sooo tired. But they all say you have to stay active on the day of the race and NOT just be lazy to avoid muscle soreness etc. Well, luckily I got the long awaited message yesterday that my iPhone finally arrive and what better motivation to get out of bed than to go and pick it up ;-)
OK, honestly I'm too tired to write anymore right now, but I might add a few race details tomorrow.
A quick pre-first-ever-race update
I'm less than 12 hours away from doing my first running event ever. How would have thought I would EVER do something like that.
The only problem is, right now I'm so not in the mood for running 14km tomorrow morning.
I had one of those really crazy weeks at work. I haven't been home before 8 once this week and doing my exercising before work means my days start at 6am these days. So I'm exhausted and really tired and would really like to just sleep in tomorrow and have a lazy day. It's moments like these when this whole half-marathon thing seems like a really bad idea.
I guess in a way it's kind of good that I have the event tomorrow because if I would just run on my own I might have cheated a little. This way I'm sort of forced to see it through.
So the best thing to do is probably just to go to bed early and try to get as much sleep as possible and then just go for it tomorrow. My goal is to finish around 2 hours.
OK, tomorrow I will tell you all about the even (hopefully with good news).
The only problem is, right now I'm so not in the mood for running 14km tomorrow morning.
I had one of those really crazy weeks at work. I haven't been home before 8 once this week and doing my exercising before work means my days start at 6am these days. So I'm exhausted and really tired and would really like to just sleep in tomorrow and have a lazy day. It's moments like these when this whole half-marathon thing seems like a really bad idea.
I guess in a way it's kind of good that I have the event tomorrow because if I would just run on my own I might have cheated a little. This way I'm sort of forced to see it through.
So the best thing to do is probably just to go to bed early and try to get as much sleep as possible and then just go for it tomorrow. My goal is to finish around 2 hours.
OK, tomorrow I will tell you all about the even (hopefully with good news).
Friday, September 3, 2010
I love those days were I can really see the progress
Today is one of those days where I can really see the progress I'm making. Sometimes it feels like I'm not really getting any better for weeks which can be kind of frustrating, but then there are those days like today where the difference to just a few weeks ago is just huge.
It's Saturday and you all know what that means - Long run day!
However, it's also recovery week (My training plan always has two 'build' weeks followed by one week recovery). That means, I did 'only' 10km today. Only seems a funny word in this context (unless you take into account that one of my flatmates ran 30km!!!!! this morning) but after doing 12km last Saturday it's 'only' 10 this week.
The point I'm trying to make here, is that I ran 10km and I felt great the whole time. It took me about 80 minutes of which I ran 48min & 30seconds! In comparison, when I did 10.5km 2 weeks ago I only ran 41minutes and it took me almost 90 minutes.
Besides that I felt really good and was able to run for over 4minutes even towards the end before I had to walk for a little.
I've generally been having a good week. As I mentioned before my sisters was staying with me for two weeks and we did some traveling around New Zealand which was just AWESOME. However, it meant that my exercise routines got a little messed up and so did my diet. But despite that I still lost some weight during these two weeks which is just really great. I'm happy to know that I can make little exceptions every now and then, as long as I keep up a minimum of physical activity.
Nevertheless, I've been really looking froward to this weekend to get some rest as the last two weeks have been pretty full on. And given that I already know I'll be working late everyday next week AND have my 14km race next Saturday it's probably good to the rest while I can.
It's Saturday and you all know what that means - Long run day!
However, it's also recovery week (My training plan always has two 'build' weeks followed by one week recovery). That means, I did 'only' 10km today. Only seems a funny word in this context (unless you take into account that one of my flatmates ran 30km!!!!! this morning) but after doing 12km last Saturday it's 'only' 10 this week.
The point I'm trying to make here, is that I ran 10km and I felt great the whole time. It took me about 80 minutes of which I ran 48min & 30seconds! In comparison, when I did 10.5km 2 weeks ago I only ran 41minutes and it took me almost 90 minutes.
Besides that I felt really good and was able to run for over 4minutes even towards the end before I had to walk for a little.
I've generally been having a good week. As I mentioned before my sisters was staying with me for two weeks and we did some traveling around New Zealand which was just AWESOME. However, it meant that my exercise routines got a little messed up and so did my diet. But despite that I still lost some weight during these two weeks which is just really great. I'm happy to know that I can make little exceptions every now and then, as long as I keep up a minimum of physical activity.
Nevertheless, I've been really looking froward to this weekend to get some rest as the last two weeks have been pretty full on. And given that I already know I'll be working late everyday next week AND have my 14km race next Saturday it's probably good to the rest while I can.
Friday, August 27, 2010
12km = tough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today is Saturday = Long run day!
I just came back from a 12km run, the longest I've ever gone. Actually, I can't even remember ever having walked 12km let alone run parts of it. It took me about 100minutes which is alright. It feels really good now that I'm home, had a shower and am now having coffee in bed, but I have to admit it was pretty tough along the way. The first 6-7km were OK but then I really struggled for about 2-3km before it got a bit better again towards the end. Those tough 2-3km were pretty hilly which is probably one of the reasons why it was harder then the rest. But it's good to see that I can recover from a low during my runs. It was tough for a few km but I kept going and then it got better towards the end.
Nevertheless, thinking about the fact that this run today was just a little more then half a half marathon makes me panic a little. There is no way I would have been able to run another 9km today. But luckily I still have a few weeks till the half marathon, so hopefully by then I can do it.
Next week is recovery week which means I will 'only' run about 9-10km on Saturday, but the weekend after that is my first ever race - 14km.
Otherwise things have been pretty hectic this week and I haven't trained as much as I should. My sister is still staying with me and of course I want to spent as much time with her as possible. We went on a 4 day trip last week and will be going on another trip around the country today until Monday. Besides that work is very busy at the moment especially since I'm taking some days of to travel around with my sister. That just doesn't leave much time for running and the gym. But things should be getting better after this week and as long I manage to do my long runs on Saturday plus 1 short run during the week and 2 gym sessions I should be alright.
This whole half marathon thing is extremely important to me but I also have a lot of other things that are important and sometimes I need to priorities them. But as I said the week after next I will be back to my old schedule with 3 runs and 2 gym session.
I just came back from a 12km run, the longest I've ever gone. Actually, I can't even remember ever having walked 12km let alone run parts of it. It took me about 100minutes which is alright. It feels really good now that I'm home, had a shower and am now having coffee in bed, but I have to admit it was pretty tough along the way. The first 6-7km were OK but then I really struggled for about 2-3km before it got a bit better again towards the end. Those tough 2-3km were pretty hilly which is probably one of the reasons why it was harder then the rest. But it's good to see that I can recover from a low during my runs. It was tough for a few km but I kept going and then it got better towards the end.
Nevertheless, thinking about the fact that this run today was just a little more then half a half marathon makes me panic a little. There is no way I would have been able to run another 9km today. But luckily I still have a few weeks till the half marathon, so hopefully by then I can do it.
Next week is recovery week which means I will 'only' run about 9-10km on Saturday, but the weekend after that is my first ever race - 14km.
Otherwise things have been pretty hectic this week and I haven't trained as much as I should. My sister is still staying with me and of course I want to spent as much time with her as possible. We went on a 4 day trip last week and will be going on another trip around the country today until Monday. Besides that work is very busy at the moment especially since I'm taking some days of to travel around with my sister. That just doesn't leave much time for running and the gym. But things should be getting better after this week and as long I manage to do my long runs on Saturday plus 1 short run during the week and 2 gym sessions I should be alright.
This whole half marathon thing is extremely important to me but I also have a lot of other things that are important and sometimes I need to priorities them. But as I said the week after next I will be back to my old schedule with 3 runs and 2 gym session.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
busy, busy, busy
These coming two weeks will be a real challenge for my training plan. My sister is visiting and of course I want to spent as much time with her as possible. At the same time I'm very busy at work as I have a new colleague and I need to work him in and also do my own job. Usually that wouldn't be a problem I would just do some late nights, but at the moment I would really like to get home early to spent time with my sister. Keeping up with my training plan is much more difficult now then it was last week when all I had to do is work 9 hours a day and train 1 hour a day. That still left plenty of time to just relax and do nothing. But today, for example, I got up at 6, went to the gym and had a 1 hour workout. at 9 I was at work, at 6.15pm I left and rushed to my Weight Watchers Meeting. I didn't stay for the meeting but I wanted to weight in to make sure I'm not dropping the ball now that things are a bit hectic. At 6.40 I was home, got changed and then me and my sister went to a shipping mal to have dinner and do some shopping. It was a fun day, but now I'm really tired. So keeping this up for the next two weeks is gonna be difficult.
That makes me appreciate how easy things are for me in some way. I've been reading about some other people who are training for a half marathon and want to lose weight and some of them also have families to look after. I imagine that eating and living healthy is much more difficult when the changes you make in your life affect other people a lot and not all of these people might always be supportive. For me its all just about me. I don't have to consider a family or anyone else. I just have to plan and schedule my day and food and that's it. So I have A LOT of respect for those women that manage to do this while also looking after their kids and husbands and all that.
Well, so far I've been doing good and have sticked to my training plan and healthy diet. But next Monday and Tuesday I'm of work and we will go for a long weekend trip. I hope I will be able to at least stick to the healthy diet. I will let you know how it all works out.
That makes me appreciate how easy things are for me in some way. I've been reading about some other people who are training for a half marathon and want to lose weight and some of them also have families to look after. I imagine that eating and living healthy is much more difficult when the changes you make in your life affect other people a lot and not all of these people might always be supportive. For me its all just about me. I don't have to consider a family or anyone else. I just have to plan and schedule my day and food and that's it. So I have A LOT of respect for those women that manage to do this while also looking after their kids and husbands and all that.
Well, so far I've been doing good and have sticked to my training plan and healthy diet. But next Monday and Tuesday I'm of work and we will go for a long weekend trip. I hope I will be able to at least stick to the healthy diet. I will let you know how it all works out.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The losing weight part – I’m not on a diet, I’m getting fit
I’ve mentioned a couple of times that one of the main reasons why I’m doing this is because I want and need to lose weight. However, so far I haven’t really written anything about that at all. Today seems like a good day to tell you a bit more about that part of this whole project. Why? Well, as of this morning I’m unhealthily overweight which is a good thing because until last week I was extremely unhealthily overweight - I guess you have to judge success based on your starting point ;-) So let me tell you how I’m losing weight and why I haven’t really written much about it (and probably won’t in the future).
See, the problem is that I have lost weight before; I’ve just never managed to keep it off. I simply don’t believe in diets anymore and even less in my ability to do one successfully in the long term. That is why weight loss cannot be my goal this time. I’m simply not motivated to lose weight because I don’t believe anymore that it could actually solve the problem for good. Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m not on a diet. What I’m doing is getting fit! There are so many things I always wanted to do but never could because of my lack of fitness. Like doing some of those beautiful, but tough, walks here in NZ, or simply being able to walk up a hill without getting out of breath. The fact that I’m losing weight while getting fit is sort of like a VERY welcomed side effect.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like losing weight is not important to me. It absolutely is! It’s just that I’m trying to take my mind of that part of this journey as much as possible. By thinking of it as getting fit I can actually believe again that I can lose the weight AND keep it off. I’m sort of tricking myself here a little ;-)
I am very much watching what I’m eating. I’m sort of doing Weight Watchers. Why ‘sort of’? Well, because I’m going to the meeting and I do listen and take their advice (which is really great by the way) but I’m not always counting my points exactly. I usually have a general idea of how much points I’m eating but I’m not taking it too serious and I’m not keeping a food journal or something similar where I’m writing down everything I eat and the exact points value. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, as mentioned before, I have lost weight in the past and I know how much and what I should be eating. The main reason why I’m overweight is not that I don’t know what is healthy food and what isn’t, it’s more that I didn’t care in the past. I’ve always been eating relatively healthy meals, it’s the snacks and food I used to eat in addition (mainly chocolate). Therefore, I feel like I’m able to eat healthy without keeping track of every single point I’m eating. The second reason is that counting points would make this a diet. I’m 26 years old, I don’t want to count points for the rest of my life, I want to get to the point a healthy and balanced diet just feels normal. So if I were counting points right now than I would want to stop at some point, which would make this a temporary diet.
The one thing I am absolutely certain about when it comes to diets is that there is no ONE perfect diet for everyone. I think everyone’s individual perfect diet depends on their personality and habits. I strongly believe that one of the keys to successful weight loss is to know yourself and design a diet for you! It’s one of the reasons why I like weight watchers. They give you tools and advice but what you do with it in the end it up to you. I know that I’m busy and I hate annoying little details. So sitting down every day and thinking what exactly I’ve been eating, how many grams salad sauce I put on my sandwich this morning and who many ml of milk I had in my coffee – that is just not gonna work for me!
I guess you can argue about whether this is the right way to do it or not. Fact is, it’s working right now and if I get to the point where it’s not working anymore I can always count my points for a while to make sure I’m eating the right stuff and the right amount.
I’m generally easting very healthy these days, with lots of veggies and protein and less carbs and I’m drinking a lot of water which I think helps as well. Also, I’m hardly drinking any alcohol at the moment (I do make exceptions every now and then but very rarely). This is simply because not drinking is quite easy for me and thus it feels logical to safe those calories and rather have a little bit of chocolate ;-)
What I really do love about weight watchers are the meetings though. It’s always very interesting and fun and I like being accountable to someone once a week. It’s also great to be part of a group and see that others are struggling with the same problems.
So that was my entry about dieting and weight loss. Not sure if there will be many more of this kind but I will keep you in the loop and let you know if my way of doing this works out for me.
See, the problem is that I have lost weight before; I’ve just never managed to keep it off. I simply don’t believe in diets anymore and even less in my ability to do one successfully in the long term. That is why weight loss cannot be my goal this time. I’m simply not motivated to lose weight because I don’t believe anymore that it could actually solve the problem for good. Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m not on a diet. What I’m doing is getting fit! There are so many things I always wanted to do but never could because of my lack of fitness. Like doing some of those beautiful, but tough, walks here in NZ, or simply being able to walk up a hill without getting out of breath. The fact that I’m losing weight while getting fit is sort of like a VERY welcomed side effect.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like losing weight is not important to me. It absolutely is! It’s just that I’m trying to take my mind of that part of this journey as much as possible. By thinking of it as getting fit I can actually believe again that I can lose the weight AND keep it off. I’m sort of tricking myself here a little ;-)
I am very much watching what I’m eating. I’m sort of doing Weight Watchers. Why ‘sort of’? Well, because I’m going to the meeting and I do listen and take their advice (which is really great by the way) but I’m not always counting my points exactly. I usually have a general idea of how much points I’m eating but I’m not taking it too serious and I’m not keeping a food journal or something similar where I’m writing down everything I eat and the exact points value. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, as mentioned before, I have lost weight in the past and I know how much and what I should be eating. The main reason why I’m overweight is not that I don’t know what is healthy food and what isn’t, it’s more that I didn’t care in the past. I’ve always been eating relatively healthy meals, it’s the snacks and food I used to eat in addition (mainly chocolate). Therefore, I feel like I’m able to eat healthy without keeping track of every single point I’m eating. The second reason is that counting points would make this a diet. I’m 26 years old, I don’t want to count points for the rest of my life, I want to get to the point a healthy and balanced diet just feels normal. So if I were counting points right now than I would want to stop at some point, which would make this a temporary diet.
The one thing I am absolutely certain about when it comes to diets is that there is no ONE perfect diet for everyone. I think everyone’s individual perfect diet depends on their personality and habits. I strongly believe that one of the keys to successful weight loss is to know yourself and design a diet for you! It’s one of the reasons why I like weight watchers. They give you tools and advice but what you do with it in the end it up to you. I know that I’m busy and I hate annoying little details. So sitting down every day and thinking what exactly I’ve been eating, how many grams salad sauce I put on my sandwich this morning and who many ml of milk I had in my coffee – that is just not gonna work for me!
I guess you can argue about whether this is the right way to do it or not. Fact is, it’s working right now and if I get to the point where it’s not working anymore I can always count my points for a while to make sure I’m eating the right stuff and the right amount.
I’m generally easting very healthy these days, with lots of veggies and protein and less carbs and I’m drinking a lot of water which I think helps as well. Also, I’m hardly drinking any alcohol at the moment (I do make exceptions every now and then but very rarely). This is simply because not drinking is quite easy for me and thus it feels logical to safe those calories and rather have a little bit of chocolate ;-)
What I really do love about weight watchers are the meetings though. It’s always very interesting and fun and I like being accountable to someone once a week. It’s also great to be part of a group and see that others are struggling with the same problems.
So that was my entry about dieting and weight loss. Not sure if there will be many more of this kind but I will keep you in the loop and let you know if my way of doing this works out for me.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sport in the Morning Week 2 - has anyone seen my determination?
This is week 2 of exercising in the mornings and somehow my determination has left me. I did my runs on Monday and Wednesday so I've been good as far as that is concerned but I haven't been to the gym on Tuesday or today! I simply couldn't get out of bed! For my defence, it really is very cold this week and that has made it so much harder to get out of bed. But still ....
The problem with going to the gym in the morning is that it also means that I have to get ready for work there. That means I have to shower there and get dressed etc and I prefer doing that at home. However, the gym is only 5 min from work and 20 min (with traffic) from home, so driving back home to get ready is just a total waste of time.
When I go for my runs I can shower and then have my much loved 30minutes coffee in bed session and then get ready for work. When I go to the gym I can't do that. I usually get a coffee on the way to work but it's just not the same.
Well, I'm gonna go today after work. As tomorrow is rest day anyway it doesn't really matter. However, if I go in the evenings on Tuesday and then for a run on Wednesday morning that might be a bit much.
I think I'm just gonna wait and see if I make it out of bed next week, but if it keeps being so difficult I might have to change my routine a little. At the end of the day this is suppose to be fun and not torture ;-)
The problem with going to the gym in the morning is that it also means that I have to get ready for work there. That means I have to shower there and get dressed etc and I prefer doing that at home. However, the gym is only 5 min from work and 20 min (with traffic) from home, so driving back home to get ready is just a total waste of time.
When I go for my runs I can shower and then have my much loved 30minutes coffee in bed session and then get ready for work. When I go to the gym I can't do that. I usually get a coffee on the way to work but it's just not the same.
Well, I'm gonna go today after work. As tomorrow is rest day anyway it doesn't really matter. However, if I go in the evenings on Tuesday and then for a run on Wednesday morning that might be a bit much.
I think I'm just gonna wait and see if I make it out of bed next week, but if it keeps being so difficult I might have to change my routine a little. At the end of the day this is suppose to be fun and not torture ;-)
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Looks like the weather is not on my side afterall
A couple of weeks ago I said that the weather had been on my side so far as I haven't had any runs in the rain despite the fact that this is Auckland and it's winter. Well, I take that statement back after I had the fourth rainy run in a row this morning. On Saturday I did 8.5 km in an hour and 10 minutes. It started raining about 5 minutes after I left and didn't stop till I was back home. I was totally drenched and it's not like 8.5 km wouldn't be hard enough just on it's own.
So as it turns out the weather is one of those really cheeky fellows that are all nice and make you feel like they are on your side and just when you start to trust them and rely on them they stab you in the back ;-) Well, I guess that proves it's a weatherMAN - no, I'm not cynical, this is my sense of humour (-:
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Choosing a Training Plan – aka: Mission Impossible
After signing up for my first two races, a 14km on the 11th of September and a 16km on the 3rd of October, I realized I really need to get my training plan sorted. However, that was easier said than done. Just for the fun of it, go to Google and search for “Half marathon training Plan”. You will get about 65,000 results. Of course there will be some double ups and some are not actually training plan, but is does give you an idea of how many training plans there are. And they are very different, too. Of course you could say “Just pick one” (as many of my friends did) but that is just not how I do things ;-). My way of doing this: read about 1,000 training plans (OK so I’m exaggerating a little, but I really did read A LOT), then analyze all the information, get frustrated because there are so many conflicting information, and then decide to just pick the first one I read :-) (I know, what a waste of time but I just couldn’t stop myself). But I have modified it a little bit based on everything else I’ve learnt so I guess all the reading was not completely wasted. I will tell you about my ‘personalized’ training plan in a few minutes, but I thought before I do that I outline why it was so difficult to find one (just for the fun of it).
1. Setting my goal
First of all you need to decide what your goal is for the race. Do you want to achieve a new personal best, finish in under 2 hours or just cross the finish line (alive) – my category. So that should have been the easy part as I knew from the beginning that my only goal would be to finish the half marathon. However, there is one little problem and that is called Harbor Bridge cut off. For those of you that don’t know Auckland, we have a Harbor Bridge similar to the famous one in Sydney. The half marathon starts on one side of the bridge and ends on the other, meaning you have to cross it. As it is the only real traffic connection between Auckland Downtown and the North Shore it can only be closed for the marathon for a very limited time. More specifically this means that everyone who hasn’t crossed the bridge by 9.20am will be moved in a bus and driven across the bridge and can continue running on the other side. Now, I might not be the most competitive person ever, but I do really want to run the whole thing. Besides, the Harbor Bridge is the absolute highlight of the Auckland Marathon so driving over it in a bus is not really an option. The middle of the Bridge is 13.5 km from the start. Start is at 7am but considering that the fastest people get to start first and slow people like me have to wait. So that means I probably won’t actually start till about 7.10-7.15. So I need to be able to run the first 14km in 2 hours. So I need to somehow incorporate that into my training plan.
2. Finding the right training level
This is where it gets surprisingly complicated. First I thought ‘this is easy, I’m a beginner’. But then I actually read some of the definitions of beginner and turns out a lot of training plans consider someone a beginner when they are able to run about an hour without problems (that makes me think some of the people that write these training plans should look up the definition of ‘beginner’. I mean seriously if I can run for an hour WITHOUT PROBLEMS how can I possibly be a BEGINNER?). Well anyway the conclusion here is that I’m not a beginner, so what am I and where do I find a training plan for that category? Well, as it turns out, there is a category called ‘Absolute Beginner’ and that is where I fit in :-). But it took me quite a while to figure that out.
1. Setting my goal
First of all you need to decide what your goal is for the race. Do you want to achieve a new personal best, finish in under 2 hours or just cross the finish line (alive) – my category. So that should have been the easy part as I knew from the beginning that my only goal would be to finish the half marathon. However, there is one little problem and that is called Harbor Bridge cut off. For those of you that don’t know Auckland, we have a Harbor Bridge similar to the famous one in Sydney. The half marathon starts on one side of the bridge and ends on the other, meaning you have to cross it. As it is the only real traffic connection between Auckland Downtown and the North Shore it can only be closed for the marathon for a very limited time. More specifically this means that everyone who hasn’t crossed the bridge by 9.20am will be moved in a bus and driven across the bridge and can continue running on the other side. Now, I might not be the most competitive person ever, but I do really want to run the whole thing. Besides, the Harbor Bridge is the absolute highlight of the Auckland Marathon so driving over it in a bus is not really an option. The middle of the Bridge is 13.5 km from the start. Start is at 7am but considering that the fastest people get to start first and slow people like me have to wait. So that means I probably won’t actually start till about 7.10-7.15. So I need to be able to run the first 14km in 2 hours. So I need to somehow incorporate that into my training plan.
2. Finding the right training level
This is where it gets surprisingly complicated. First I thought ‘this is easy, I’m a beginner’. But then I actually read some of the definitions of beginner and turns out a lot of training plans consider someone a beginner when they are able to run about an hour without problems (that makes me think some of the people that write these training plans should look up the definition of ‘beginner’. I mean seriously if I can run for an hour WITHOUT PROBLEMS how can I possibly be a BEGINNER?). Well anyway the conclusion here is that I’m not a beginner, so what am I and where do I find a training plan for that category? Well, as it turns out, there is a category called ‘Absolute Beginner’ and that is where I fit in :-). But it took me quite a while to figure that out.
3. Training by minutes or km?
I admit I was somewhat surprised when I saw that most training plans have you train by minutes instead of km. For me that doesn’t really make any sense. I mean everyone is doing a different pace, but come race day we all have to go the same distance. So shouldn’t someone who plans to run a marathon in let’s say 3hours have longer training runs than someone who plans to finish in 2 hours? Shouldn’t I be training by distance? Some training plans, even those for beginners, schedule their longest training runs at about 100-120 minutes. Given my current speed (and being optimistic that I will get faster during the training program) that would mean I run about 14-16km as my longest training. But that means I’m still 5-7km short of a half marathon. I think I should be running at least 18-19km once before the race just to have the confidence that I can go the distance. However, there must be a reason why the far majority of training plans is by minutes instead of km …
4. What, when, how often and for how long?
Another somewhat complicated question. Most ‘experts’ seem to agree that the minimum is 3 runs per week but after that it really just seems to be up to you and how much you want to do. Some plans have you run up to 6 times per week while other are just 3 runs per week. Most training plans also point out the importance of cross training. However, somewhat frustrating is that no plan really seems to incorporate that. Some have a ‘cross training’ day but they hardly ever specify what to do and for how long. I’ve read many times that strength training is also important for runners, but again, I haven’t found any training plan that really incorporates strength training. And here is the problem with it all: The people at that gym say I should do 3 circuit training (=strength training) session per week. Most training plans say I should run 3-4 time per week and have at least 1 cross training (biking, swimming, etc.) day. In addition everyone seems to agree you need at least 1 rest day per week. Well, too bad my week only has 7 days ;-)
Well, the good news is, there are some things everyone seems to agree one:
- I need to run at least 3 times per week
- I need at least one rest day
- I should be doing several shorter runs during the week and then 1 long one on the weekend
- I need to do some form of cross training
- Training weeks should generally be structured in a build – build – recover - build – build – recover- … rhythm. Meaning for two weeks I increase the distance of the long run and then I week I take it easy followed by two weeks increasing the distance and so on.
- I should be doing some hill training. But since this is Auckland you would have a hard time finding a run without any hills in it so that shouldn’t be a problem.
OK, so what I’ve done now is to take a training plan that includes all the aspects that everyone agrees on (which happes to be the first one I read) and then modified it a little bit to fit me. I chose this training plan because it schedules runs during the week in minutes but then the long ones on the weekend in km. Besides that it perfectly aligns with the 14km race I’ve signed up for on the 11th of September and the 16km one on the 3rd of October.
So here is what my average week will look like:
Monday: short – medium distance run (30-45min)*
Tuesday: Gym – 20-30min Strength Training
Wednesday: short – medium distance run (30-45min)*
Thursday: Gym - 20-30min Strength Training and a short run on the treadmill (25-30min)
Friday: REST DAY
Saturday: Long run
Sunday: Gym – 20-30min Strength Training and some cross training if I have time
*Monday and Wednesdays will be a bit interchangeable. If I do a longer one on Monday I do a shorter one on Wednesday. This will probably depend on things like weather, work commitments and my general mood. Also, closer to the even I will probably include a few 60-80 minutes runs during the week as well.
Saturdays will built up as follows
And if I survive all of this, without getting injured or begin taken away to that place for crazy people, I will be a half marathon runner by the end of October ;-)
OK, now I feel like I should apologies to those of you who have actually read this whole post. I know it’s kind of long and not really that fascinating and quite obviously I’m totally over thinking the whole thing. But hey, no one forces you to read my blog ;-)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A change in routine
Today is the first day of my new 'running in the morning before work' routine.
Everyone knows I'm not exactly a morning person so in the past I have preferred to run in the evening after work. That has worked pretty well for me so far. However, there are two reason why I've decided to change that and go in the mornings instead. First of all, the actual half marathon starts at 7am - BTW, whose idea was that? Why does an event that only really takes 4-5 hours has to start so early in the morning? If you ask me, a 9am start would have been much better :)
Anyway, as running apparently is a early morning sport I need to prepare my body to do this level of exercising at that time of the day. So I might as well start now and get used to it.
The other reason is that my job involves a lot of contact with companies all over Asia Pacific and they are all 4-7 hours behind New Zealand. As a consequence I often have very busy afternoons and frequently late meeting and conference calls. I usually like going out for a run after I've spend all day at my desk staring at my computer, but when I get home at 8pm after a long day the motivation is pretty low. As it's now only 12 weeks till the half marathon, I think it's gonna be quite important that I train regularly and develop some sort of routine. So I decided I might as well get the training out of the way in the morning so that I don't have to worry about it anymore the rest of the day. Besides, I'm one of those lucky people that have quite flexible working hours, so now I'm starting a bit later which gives me enough time in the morning to go for a run and still have time for my much loved "1/2 hour coffee in bed" session every morning :-)
So that was the plan. Well thought through and with good arguments - as pretty much everything I do - and I was motivated to make it work. Until this morning that is, when I was rudely awoken by my alarm at 6.15am, it was raining like hell outside and it was so nice and warm in my bed. I almost decided that this was a really bad plan (I mean seriously what was I thinking. running at 6.30? Me, who usually doesn't even have enough energy in the morning to make breakfast? Me, who needs at least 3 'snooze' phases before I'm even half awake?). But then the determination won over the laziness and I got out of bed. And i had a good run. I was a bit slower than usual but I think that is just because I need some time to get used to be active at that time of the day. And the fact that it was raining like the end of the world is close was not exactly helping either. But I made it through and once back home I had a hot shower, made coffee and then went back to bed for half an hour. I was really proud of myself and happy that I didn't give in to the lazy part of me that just wanted to stay in bed this morning (-:
Everyone knows I'm not exactly a morning person so in the past I have preferred to run in the evening after work. That has worked pretty well for me so far. However, there are two reason why I've decided to change that and go in the mornings instead. First of all, the actual half marathon starts at 7am - BTW, whose idea was that? Why does an event that only really takes 4-5 hours has to start so early in the morning? If you ask me, a 9am start would have been much better :)
Anyway, as running apparently is a early morning sport I need to prepare my body to do this level of exercising at that time of the day. So I might as well start now and get used to it.
The other reason is that my job involves a lot of contact with companies all over Asia Pacific and they are all 4-7 hours behind New Zealand. As a consequence I often have very busy afternoons and frequently late meeting and conference calls. I usually like going out for a run after I've spend all day at my desk staring at my computer, but when I get home at 8pm after a long day the motivation is pretty low. As it's now only 12 weeks till the half marathon, I think it's gonna be quite important that I train regularly and develop some sort of routine. So I decided I might as well get the training out of the way in the morning so that I don't have to worry about it anymore the rest of the day. Besides, I'm one of those lucky people that have quite flexible working hours, so now I'm starting a bit later which gives me enough time in the morning to go for a run and still have time for my much loved "1/2 hour coffee in bed" session every morning :-)
So that was the plan. Well thought through and with good arguments - as pretty much everything I do - and I was motivated to make it work. Until this morning that is, when I was rudely awoken by my alarm at 6.15am, it was raining like hell outside and it was so nice and warm in my bed. I almost decided that this was a really bad plan (I mean seriously what was I thinking. running at 6.30? Me, who usually doesn't even have enough energy in the morning to make breakfast? Me, who needs at least 3 'snooze' phases before I'm even half awake?). But then the determination won over the laziness and I got out of bed. And i had a good run. I was a bit slower than usual but I think that is just because I need some time to get used to be active at that time of the day. And the fact that it was raining like the end of the world is close was not exactly helping either. But I made it through and once back home I had a hot shower, made coffee and then went back to bed for half an hour. I was really proud of myself and happy that I didn't give in to the lazy part of me that just wanted to stay in bed this morning (-:
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Running in the rain, breathing, and signing up for my first two races
As my last post is from Monday and it's now already Friday I thought I fill you in on what I've been up to this week.
First of all, on Wednesday I had my first run in the rain. I know that's kind of hard to believe considering that I'm in New Zealand, it's winter and I've been running at least 3 days a week for the last 3 months. But I guess the weather has been on my side. Until this Wednesday that is. It was raining quite heavily and for a few seconds I thought about not going but then I thought what if it rains on the race day. Besides, it's just water :-)
And it turns out running in the rain is really not bad at all. While I was running it kind of felt like it was only really raining a little bit. It wasn't until I got back and noticed how wet all my clothes and especially my cap were that I realized how much it must have been raining. It's good to know that running in the rain is not a problem for me :-)
As part of improving my running technique I'm working on my breathing this week. It's kind of funny cause I feel like breathing should be easy, but it's totally not. It's actually quite difficult to breath in through my nose and then out through my mouth. It works fine in the beginning, but then when I get more tiered it's really difficult and I find my self breathing through my mouth all the time. So what I'm doing it I've shortened the running intervals a little, especially in the beginning. I used the start each of my runs with running as far as I could and then starting to walk - run -walk -run. I like doing this long bit in the beginning because it makes me feel good to know that I can run a little bit longer every week - was up to 8 minutes on Monday (-: But the problem is that towards the end my running intervals get shorter and shorter. Usually I do a few 1.30-2min intervals after the first long one, but towards the end I'm struggling to keep running for 1.30min. So on Wednesday I changed the strategy and only ran 3 minutes in the beginning, followed by 1 minutes walking - 3min running- 1 min walking -... (you get the idea). I was a lot fresher towards the end and my breathing was much better, so I'm guessing this is the way to do it. Still, it's weird having to concentrate so much just to breath right (-: Overall I did the same distance as on Monday in the same time and with the same amount of running, just spread more evenly across the distance (-:
I've also signed up for my first two races. I thought it would probably be a good idea to have one or two test races before the marathon to get a feeling for this type of thing. It also is a good training as it forces me to go the distance. The first one is a 14km race at the 11th of September (when I figured out that is only 7 weeks away I almost had a panic attack) and the second one a 16km on the 2nd of October (which is only 4 weeks before the half marathon - almost another panic attack). This means that I REALLY need to get my training plan sorted now otherwise this is probably going to kill me :-) So my mission for the weekend is to plan my training. I will probably tell you about it sometime soon!
First of all, on Wednesday I had my first run in the rain. I know that's kind of hard to believe considering that I'm in New Zealand, it's winter and I've been running at least 3 days a week for the last 3 months. But I guess the weather has been on my side. Until this Wednesday that is. It was raining quite heavily and for a few seconds I thought about not going but then I thought what if it rains on the race day. Besides, it's just water :-)
And it turns out running in the rain is really not bad at all. While I was running it kind of felt like it was only really raining a little bit. It wasn't until I got back and noticed how wet all my clothes and especially my cap were that I realized how much it must have been raining. It's good to know that running in the rain is not a problem for me :-)
As part of improving my running technique I'm working on my breathing this week. It's kind of funny cause I feel like breathing should be easy, but it's totally not. It's actually quite difficult to breath in through my nose and then out through my mouth. It works fine in the beginning, but then when I get more tiered it's really difficult and I find my self breathing through my mouth all the time. So what I'm doing it I've shortened the running intervals a little, especially in the beginning. I used the start each of my runs with running as far as I could and then starting to walk - run -walk -run. I like doing this long bit in the beginning because it makes me feel good to know that I can run a little bit longer every week - was up to 8 minutes on Monday (-: But the problem is that towards the end my running intervals get shorter and shorter. Usually I do a few 1.30-2min intervals after the first long one, but towards the end I'm struggling to keep running for 1.30min. So on Wednesday I changed the strategy and only ran 3 minutes in the beginning, followed by 1 minutes walking - 3min running- 1 min walking -... (you get the idea). I was a lot fresher towards the end and my breathing was much better, so I'm guessing this is the way to do it. Still, it's weird having to concentrate so much just to breath right (-: Overall I did the same distance as on Monday in the same time and with the same amount of running, just spread more evenly across the distance (-:
I've also signed up for my first two races. I thought it would probably be a good idea to have one or two test races before the marathon to get a feeling for this type of thing. It also is a good training as it forces me to go the distance. The first one is a 14km race at the 11th of September (when I figured out that is only 7 weeks away I almost had a panic attack) and the second one a 16km on the 2nd of October (which is only 4 weeks before the half marathon - almost another panic attack). This means that I REALLY need to get my training plan sorted now otherwise this is probably going to kill me :-) So my mission for the weekend is to plan my training. I will probably tell you about it sometime soon!
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