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!

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 ;-)

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!

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.

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).

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:

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.

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….

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 :-)

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.

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 ;-)

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.

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 ;-)

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.