Newcastle Swisse Color Run

Life has been crazy for a while, with work and assignments, family commitments and illness, and, of course, running! I have got nowhere near Blogger to read or post! But yesterday, I ran my first 5k race!! With Candice, Luke, Tracy, Garry, Daniel and Jazmin. Michael was there too, watching and looking after Teagan. It was such an amazing day, from beginning to end. Candice and I stuck together and ran most of the way, walking when we needed to. It felt very comfortable, except for kilometre 2 which was tough. But you know what, I did it! And I'm quite proud of my efforts, and very motivated to run all the way next time! As to tracking my kilometres, I have done 208.4km so far this year and am well on my way to Glen Innes, NSW. It feels amazing that it's already May and I'm still going. I'm not perfect, by any means. I have missed training sessions, walked instead of run and even missed whole weeks, BUT, I'm still going!! And feeling so good about it!

C25K Reflection

I went looking through my old journals to see when I started this C25K challenge. It has taken me a LOT longer than 8 weeks! The first time I ran Week 1 was on 24 July 2011. Then I stopped and started again in August 2011. I think I only ever made it to Week 3 until this year. Of course, I've changed things up and done it my own way, so I'm not technically following the program anymore, but still heading to the same place - being able to run 5k! Up until now, I have been able to run for 20 minutes non-stop and I have also done lots of 10 minute intervals. It seems that belief in myself is the key. I seem to reach a point where I don't think I can ever go further. Not while I'm running, but in the planning stages. But time is running out.... I have registered for the Color Run in Newcastle on the 5th May 2013. That's 5 weeks left, eeek!!So I sat down yesterday and planned how I will get there with 3 to 4 runs a week. I KNOW I CAN DO IT!! This week's plan: Monday: 5k route - 3x 10 minute runs - DONE in 52.45 minutes! Wednesday: 5k route - 3x 10 minute runs Friday: 5k route - 3x 10 minute runs Sunday: 5k route - 2x 20 minute runs On the map, I am now well and truly through Delungra and on the Gwydir Highway heading to Inverell! It feels amazing! I think it is about a third of the way to the eastern coast of Australia!

Personal journey of growth

This is such a personal journey for me. It's only me who can get me out the door! And that's where I usually struggle. If I have made a commitment to anyone else, I will make sure I get it done, but anything I have to motivate myself, I just don't. What I have learnt from Ruth Field, in Run, Fat Bitch, Run! is that if I wait for motivation, it will never happen, I just have to do it anyway! I love her book more every time I read it :) Since I have really been struggling to get anything done on workdays, I committed to a plan that included something everyday this week, except today, my rest day. I had also been struggling to run for 20 minutes without stopping, after doing it the first time, It was as if I couldn't believe I could actually do it. But something changed last weekend. After Saturday's run (2x intervals of 9 minutes each) and Sunday's walk (6.5km), a friend on Facebook posted a picture of herself and her team that completed the Raw Challenge. Then and hour later, on of my school friends (who I would least have expected) posted a photo of herself and her team that had completed a triathlon! Both of these women are my age and something just clicked in my head! I sat down right away and worked out a plan for the coming week, entering it into my calendar with an alarm added.This was it: Monday: 20 minute run 3km - Done!! Tuesday: Upper body and core workout - Done!! Wednesday: 20 minute run 3km - Done!! Thursday: Body weight workout - Done!! Friday: Rest Day! Saturday: 25 minute run 3km Sunday: 5km Walk So far so good! The 20 minute runs were great. Even on Wednesday, where I struggled, I still did it! So tomorrow, before leaving for our holiday at Port Macquarie, I will run for 25 minutes then on Sunday, it will be time for a walk on the beach :) I am also planning some runs on the beach this week, which will be different as I only ever run on the sand tracks at home. It is all just so exciting. More so because it is all me, planning, doing and pushing myself out the door!

Through Bingara today.

My 3.1km walk/run today took me through Bingara!So far this year I have walked and run 127.3km from the Kamilaroi Highway close to my home, through Narrabri and (today) to Bingara. This is a huge achievement, especially since it's March, and I'm still going. No broken New Year Resolutions this year!! This week, my plan is to increase the times I get out there. I'm hoping to do at least 4 walks or runs during the week and a few other workouts. But considering that I work full time and am now studying part time by distance education, it is getting a little challenging to do anything other than read and work on assignments whenever I have a spare moment. But 30 or so minutes a day is not impossible for anyone, and most days, just getting out the door is a battle won.

I feel like a runner today!

Yes I do!
I ran continuously for 20 minutes today! For the first time, instead of running intervals, I just ran! And I've smiled every time I've thought of it at work today :)
The amazing thing was, that apart from some tiredness around my knees, I felt no different to when I ran for 9 minute intervals on the weekend.
So now the challenge is to run 5km before the Colour Run in May. Today was 2km, so I will build on from there.
Still smiling :))

March running goals

This month, I have set myself 2 goals: 1. Run non-stop for 20 minutes 2. Cover 14km every week These seem quite modest but I really want to achieve both, so have made them achievable. The most challenging will be covering 14km every week. I am really struggling to find a balance between family, work, study and my fitness. Yesterday, 2/3/2013, I set out to do 2x 8 minute intervals and cover 5km. I have found that using the stopwatch to time my intervals instead of the timer, makes a huge difference. The timer seems to limit me to what I have previously decided on, while the stopwatch allows me to continue further. I managed 3 intervals of 9 minutes 15 seconds each!! Woohoo, GO ME!!! Still heading towards Bingara! Total distance covered in 2013 = 118km!!!!!!

February: Running Goal Achieved!

This week has been such a personal learning curve for me! After my triumph in being able to run for 8.5 minutes, I was feeling confident on Tuesday when I set out to do 2 running intervals of 8 minutes. But...... Withing 2 minutes of the first interval, I had to stop. I was feeling completely overheated and my heart was pounding as if it was going to pump right out of my chest. This is the first time this has happened and it gave me a huge fright. I have had trouble in the past with an irregular heart beat, caused by anemia, and I have not been taking my iron supplements as well as I should have, but this was quite dramatic and very scary. I continued to walk to finish my 3k route, but it took all day to recover. I think it might have been some dehydration and the humidity, but, you just don't know. So on Thursday, I decided to just go for a walk. Then at the 500m mark, I decided to just run for 1 minute and stop immediately if I felt anything strange. Well, I ended up running 2 6 minute intervals and feeling great throughout! So GOAL ACHIEVED for February - to run for 6 minutes at a time. And I've learnt that I can listen to my body and react appropriately. Still not sure what happened on Tuesday, but I have been religiously taking my iron supplements and drinking plenty of water and will go back to my doctor if it happens again. So still heading towards Bingara, slowly but surely.