Running really IS good for you. It is!

I am trying to believe that headline IS true as I nurse aching legs, hip joints, a sore hand and a headache after a 20km run this morning involving another fall (my third in six months) in which I cracked my head on the concrete. 

I do.  Running is why paracetamol and anti-inflammatories were invented, don't you know?  I was actually super pleased to run 20km today but wouldn't have made it without my buddies Natalie and David.  The rest of the group were far ahead but as we three were pounding along at about the same pace, we made a bit of an unspoken pact and stuck together.  So, after falling and wondering if I was concussed, it was David (ex-Army) who got me up and walking straight away, before I could turn into a pansy and wimp out - on a day where I had no CityCat money!  The three of us egged each other along and before long, we'd made it back, just in time for coffee, which I'd been thinking about for the last 10kms -  and talking about for the last five....

Even though my back (sacroiliac joints) is still hurting, the exercises I'm now doing are starting to help, I'm pretty sure.  I think some swimming might be good too so I need to find myself a pool, preferably heated!  I'm trying to take the pressure off myself about the marathon and think of it as a FUN thing rather than a difficult, challenging thing.  

Now, back to my uni assignment and perhaps some more analgesia - or ONE square of Whittaker's peanut butter chocolate?  Today was the inaugural City2South run in Brisbane and by all accounts, it was fantastic.  So, perhaps next year I will give that a go - after I have retired from marathon running for ever! 

The CityCat cop out

This Sunday I resorted to the CityCat "rescue service".  Yep, for the first time in my six year running history, I resorted to the CityCat.  It was humbling.  But I had a pretty good excuse!

I set off with team InTraining for our long run from the shop and set my mind to run with my buddies from last week's run, Natalie and Tiffany. However, for some reason they were "too slow for me".  MISTAKE NUMBER ONE!!  They weren't too slow - I was just running too fast.  It was a truly scenic run.  We ran from Milton along the river, through the City Botanic Gardens, around Riverside and across the Story Bridge.  Then along Kangaroo Point Cliffs, through South Bank, back across the Go Between Bridge, along Coronation Drive, through the back streets of St Lucia (getting tired yet?), to the University of Queensland rowing sheds, and.... Time to Bail!  I was in a world of pain.  My back has not really been right since our overseas trip and probably all those hours of flying haven't helped but I certainly didn't want to make it worse by forcing myself through the last 6km of the run.  However, I can't stop wondering whether I'd have lasted longer if I'd stuck with the girls....  Foolish me! 

Here I am with Tiffany at Kangaroo Point.  I have re-jigged the Marathon School program to fit my marathon and luckily I am only up for 10km this weekend so that's a bit of a relief!  I have made my physio appointment with Rosie at Peter Dornan Physiotherapy so she will sort me out and set me on my path to glory! I think regular exercises and strengthening through my middle will help me a whole lot.  So, a pretty boring post this week I'm afraid because I don't have anything much to be proud of... 

The Curtain Call

Okay, GiddyUp Jen is making a curtain call.  I am reprising this blog in the name of motivation.  After vowing never to run another marathon, I've decided to pull just one more tiny one out of the bag.  That said, I've signed up for the Blackmore's Sydney Marathon on Sunday 22 September - which happens to coincide with my 50th birthday.  Yes, yes, yes.... If it hadn't been for that, I could easily justify not doing a marathon ever again but really, ON my actual birthday?  I can't really say "no" can I?  And I have the thought of a fabulous post-run lunch to help drive me on!  

This time I will be running on my own and pretty well training "on my own", or at least, off the InTraining Running Centre program as they are all targeting the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, which is on in four weeks.  However, a few of my run buds are targeting the Brisbane Running Festival which is in early August while others are doing the Melbourne Marathon, so if I can slot in somewhere between to do my long runs with them, that will help a whole lot.  Like this morning for instance, when I ran with Natalie who is doing her first marathon at Brisbane....  Running with her and Tiffany really helped me get those 23kms done.  I've never struggled with my head but this year, my head is doing its own thing and I am trying to reign it in! 

In the meantime, I am feeling very motivated by Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967, where she was kind of attacked by a race official, trying to remove her from the course.  Here's her story: http://kathrineswitzer.com/about-kathrine/1967-boston-marathon-the-real-story/

So, of course, with girls like THAT to inspire me, I should be set!  I think writing my blog and writing how I feel about my training will also help me, which is why I've reprised it.  I've added some new photos, changed the template a bit and am ready to log the "trials and tribulations" of the next four months of training.  At the same time, I have my other blog, Life As Inzy AND Twitter AND my master's thesis AND work...  In fact, speaking of marathons, last year I documented the Gold Coast Airport Marathon weekend for ABC News and, if you wish, you can read about it here.  It was my first ever published "news" article and I learned a Whole Lot that weekend.  It was also the weekend I ran my fastest ever 10km (48:37) and won the Nu Pure Media Challenge!!!!!!  My first ever trophy - a coffee cup, which I've never used because it is Too Precious! Okay, enough for now.  Time to do some uni work.  Cheerio!

Goodbye dear readers!!

Hello wonderful readers and "fans" (ha!).  It has been a very long, long time between blogs and I have NO excuse.  I just seem to be busy doing all the things I neglected while I was training for my marathon.  So, here I am now, at work, doing this.  Tsk, tsk.  I admit I may have lost a large proportion of my readership with my tardiness in updating the blog and now, in an endeavour not to lose any more, I am spending my work lunch break setting this up.   

So, I have to tell you that I am putting this blog to bed.  Yes.  It is O.V.E.R.  However, do not despair!  I have another well-established blog which I will be contributing to regularly.  I would love it if you would come over and take a peek.  The blog is called THE BANKSIA BULLETIN (for the time being) and the address of it is:   http://www.dailytwinkle.blogspot.com/

Please drop by and say hello! 

Recovering

This morning was our speed session.  The first one since the marathon.  It was really difficult.  I felt like a person who has never run in her life!  I really struggled and found myself wondering how on earth I've ever run 42.2kms and indeed, how on earth I might run the Sydney Half Marathon in September.  I felt like I was just about ready to enter a rehab unit…  Talking to some of my running buddies made me realise that I am possibly experiencing a mild form of PMS (Post Marathon Syndrome).  While I have not exactly been FLAT over the past week, I have felt a little underwhelmed by my achievement.  I have found myself wishing my time had been better or thinking that if I can run a marathon, it can't actually be that difficult.  I know these feelings are wrong but they are there, nevertheless.  I am not feeling like I have done an Incredible Thing, which is a shame.  When will I feel it?  Hmmm…  This morning was absolutely freezing cold and it was quite difficult to drag myself out of bed and off to training, in the cold, misty dark now that I do not have a specific event in my future.  It's made me realise how important it is to have a running goal so I need to get that sorted out pronto also.  The worst news of all is that it seems The Sacred InTraining PomPoms have gone missing, since the marathon!  Woe is me.  I can't function without them (ha, ha).  We are all hoping some, as yet unnamed person, has picked them up and is planning to drop them back to the shop soon.  I can't lose the faith re the pompoms.  I can't!

2011 Gold Coast Airport Marathon // Results // tiktok results

basking in my glory...

That's a terrible title really isn't it?  "Basking in my glory". I  hope I don't let all this go to my head and become worse than a Hollywood starlet!  Here is a photo of the half-marathon girls basking in THEIR glory!

It's been a week now since I ran (and completed) my first ever marathon and I still don't feel quite "normal".  While I only really hurt for about two days and actually felt really good all over, I think the fatigue has snuck up on me in a far more subtle way.  I have felt a bit spaced out all week.  Like… not really tuned in. Do you know what I mean?  And I feel I've not really had any down time as on Thursday, it was off to the Gold Coast again for three days to attend the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons meeting so the week basically has been a BLUR.  I have so many people to thank and so many emails to write and I just feel I've not had one second of spare time to do it!  So, perhaps that is all a side effect of a marathon.  What do you think?  I did manage to send a thank-you email to all of you who sponsored me to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation and I am very happy to report that we made $2300 for them!  Hooray!  

Here is my "official" photo from the run.  I actually got 29 photos and in almost all of them, I am smiling and laughing!  I had SUCH A GOOD TIME!  I've never had a good running photo of me either but I think the one I have chosen is not bad at all.  Almost covergirl stuff!  Ha, ha, ha!  Besides, it shows me running with my two hunky buddies, James and Jason, which makes it a bit more special - and we're all smiling.  Speaking of hunky men (!!) I forgot to mention in my last post the thrill I got during the marathon when overtaking youthful, strong-looking, fit men.  I couldn't believe it!  Eat My Dust boys!  I still don't really understand how I can be a faster runner than, for example, a 25 year-old, well-muscled, obviously fit young man.  It's quite a sensationally satisfying feeling, I have to say!  Next event in my sights is The Sydney Running Festival on 18 September.  I had thought I could attempt the marathon then, and go for a SHINY medal, but my coach Linda has suggested I re-consider and do the half marathon instead and you know, I think she is totally right.  Even though I had a great marathon run and found it FUN, I do feel it took a toll on me emotionally/mentally and I just don't want to risk that burn out when I will be mid-term into my uni degree and also when I am about to go on a two-week holiday.  It might just blow me right out and turn me into a complete vegetable, as opposed to a quasi-veggie, as I've been for the past week.  Now that I know I can run a marathon, I will do another.  I will just plan it for something scenic and possibly linked in to a holiday destination.  Austin, Texas?   Or Paris?  London? The problem I see immediately is that they are all held in the first half of the year, being in the Northern Hemisphere spring, which means I would be needing to train throughout a brutal Queensland summer but I guess that wouldn't really matter if I was just doing it for fun, rather than for a good time.  Hmmm, something to think about!

Yippeeeeee!

Hi everyone!  Hello, hooroo, g'day, howdy…  Here I am, alive - after the Gold Coast Marathon!  My First Ever Marathon. I did it. I ran the entire way (except for walking through the hydration stops so that the water and Endura went IN to my mouth rather than all over my shirt).  I can NOT believe I have done it. I can't!  Me!  Me….  I ran 42.2kms.  26 miles.  Without stopping.  Without carking it!  Yippeeeeee!  My net time was 4:23:25.

Where shall I start with my recollection of The Big Day?  Maybe I will tell you about the three days of carb loading.  Oh My Heavens.  Never, ever wish that upon yourself.  Never.  I will not look at a jam donut again the same way (ie - with lust).  By the end of Day 3, the thought of another lolly or soft drink was enough to make me bilious.  The funny thing is this:  at the very end of the Marathon, when I was collecting my t-shirt and medal, I burst into tears and the lovely volunteer lady gave me a hug and offered me a … a…. jube!  Luckily I was so busy bawling that I didn't throw up at the thought of another sweetie.  

This amazing sign was made by one of my beginner runners, Shihoko and her daughter Lizzy, and it popped up all over the place during the Marathon.  I spotted in three different locations and it gave me SUCH a boost!  It was FANTASTIC!!  My run buddy James may have something to say about that sign though girls.  He was of the opinion that Chuck Norris invented the marathon!  I have Googled the subject and it looks like there may be a few Chuck fans out there! Speaking of "Runner's World" magazine, I met the editor of Australian Runner's World, Lisa Holmes at the Expo and we had a good chinwag.  Now I need to sit down and belt out a story or two and see if they are good enough for publication.

The Asics "flying shoe" at the Expo

Saturday morning was the 10km event and a few of my beginners were running in that, including Fiona, who has been plagued by injury (and the angst of motherhood) recently and was in dire need of some mind-blowing achievement - which is exactly what she and the girls did that morning, completing their 10km event in flying colours.  Fantastic stuff!  Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of them in their tee-shirts and medals!  Why IS that?

Sunday morning, in the dark, the half marathoners took off and and hour or so later, it was …. our turn.  Honestly, by that time I was desperate to get started.  If I'd been told they'd postponed the race another day,  it is possibly I may have turned to violence.  I so wanted it to start!  Amazingly, Marathon Mal and his wife Dom found us at the start line, in amongst the 5000 others and we all took off south, at a very easy pace, due to congestion.  Despite all our prep, three of the four of us running together needed to make a nervous pit-stop early in the race, which was a bit soul destroying.  Our fourth, Jason, accused us of having a cup of tea at the same time, but how can he ever understand??  Anyway, we quickly hooked back in to the event, joining in to a discussion about Shane Warne's recently (cosmetically?) transformed face with a bunch of girls in fluoro orange from Can Too.  

That's the first fun thing I discovered about a marathon - it's a great way to meet other people.  We're all running along, chatting to eachother and encouraging eachother, even though we have no idea who we are!  I met Marathon Mal that way.  Just by our joint love of running and blogging.  Cool!  The run was so scenie and along the way, people who knew me yelled out to me, which was a major surprise because I had no idea they were there. It was really, really, really, really wonderful to hear words of encouragement along the way and I found myself getting a bit teary about how lucky I am to have made so many wonderful and supportive friends through running.  It sure as HELL beats smoking ciggies and lying on the sofa (not that I did that but, I am just setting the mood).  James, being the Manly Man, kept my feet on the ground, literally, and pulled me out of my emotional meltdown on more than one occasion.  

Unfortunately, there was a bit of medical carnage during the marathon, with more than one runner down and out on the side of the road and I found that hard to see.  Of course, they had people there helping them, otherwise we would have stopped (of course) but it was very, very unnerving and distressing to see fellow runners unconscious or flailing about on the grass.  It was quite a warm day and I guess people either ran too fast or didn't hydrate enough or… I don't know.  James kept me on track, even though I could see it was upsetting him too, but there was nothing at all we could do to help them.  I am so lucky I felt so good throughout.  I had a brilliant time.  I had an absolute blast!  At 32kms, when we ran north past the InTraining tent, everyone cheering and waving pompoms, I actually leaped into the air and waved madly because I felt so great.  James and I used the "get angry" technique in the last 5kms to give us energy to finish but I wasn't very good at it, instead choosing to point out pelicans on light poles or to encourage walking runners to "dig deep".  It's a wonder I didn't get smacked by someone to be honest!  I think I was a bit hypoxic however because I did see Mal at about 39kms and I couldn't work out why he was there (errr, running a marathon) and I did develop a tiny, tiny bit of heart palpitation but I am sure it was nothing (it's gone now).  For those watching me cross the finish line, arms thrown up in the air and a smile that threatened to split my face in two, some scepticism that I pushed myself would not be unreasonable.  I think I could have pushed myself harder - but I wouldn't have had as much fun and I really wanted my first marathon to be enjoyable and memorable.  And it will be.  

There is no way I could have done this without my wonderful, fabulous coach Linda (above) or my run buddy James or all the support and love and friendship of my InTraining friends.  We are such a great running club and I am so happy to be part of it!  xxxx  Thanks everyone for everything!  

The Turtle Club - well, part of it.  Left to right are Anne, Jason (our pacer and Mother Hen), moi, Justine, James & Sarah.  Missing are JJ, John, Peter, Dinesh, Steve, Averil and Justine - probably already on the turps somewhere! 

As for the emotions I have felt, well… I don't really know how to explain how I felt.  There have been so many strange, complicated, inexplicable emotions throughout.  However, the one thing I am very aware of is that the 12 hours following the marathon are a total blur to me. I really do not have much recollection at all.  I wish so much that I could do it all again in slow motion.  I was totally "out of it".  Could it be due to endorphins?  I do remember Steve asking me to marry him and me saying 'YES'.  There's the secret, spinsters of the world.  Run a marathon and you will get a marriage proposal!  

And speaking of hypoxia and mental well being - I am seriously contemplating…..  the Sydney Marathon, on 18 September!!  Linda, bless her, has advised me not to sign up until the end of the week and if I still feel like this after that, then go for it!  I am officially addicted!!!