I’ve just had a photo shoot in the lower fork of a large gum tree! The photographer from the Community Newspaper Group arrived to take a photo for the article. The editor I’ve been dealing with got the article fast tracked and it is going in this coming week’s edition. How exciting!!! I didn’t get to see any of the photos she took, but hopefully she is kind and picks a flattering one.
The day started with another run. I am very happy as this is my 4th run since Saturday last weekend, and my leg is fine… touch wood. I am really babying it, and icing and stretching and coaxing it gently to remain sound. So far, so good. Today I went for 5kms and there wasn’t a problem; which makes it 4 (short) runs in 7 days with two bike rides in between. The other bonus is that my pace is always coming in under 5:30/km so my fitness is still ok even though my distances are down from what they had been. I think getting out on the bike helped, physically and mentally. At least I felt like I was doing something and not just waiting around for my leg to heal. I’ve actually dropped another kg in the last week as well due to alternating the cycling days with the running days. Before I’d been alternating running days with nothing much days. Now that I’ve strung them altogether I am finally getting some more weight to shift. I am not unhappy with my weight or my shape, but I figure if I lose another 6kgs before the race, that’s 6 kgs less I have to haul over 3 mountains and along 125kms! I wore my HR watch yesterday while cycling and burned over 500 calories. I hadn’t been worrying about wearing it while riding, but now I will so I can keep track of everything. Now, just to get a battery for the bike computer which is still sitting in the bottom of my handbag.
Now I have to go back to the drawing board with SGuy of Eclipse Fitness and get back on track with a program again. I will be far from my goal of having a 4-5hour long run once a week by the time we go away in early December, but I figure I’ve still got plenty of time and I want this past month to be the only time I am sidelined with an injury. Maybe I would’ve peaked too soon anyway… so I have to stay positive that all things happen for a reason. I can’t complete the race if I don’t get to the start line.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
October 14th 2010 – OK… big step a coming….
Riding to work this morning was like sitting in a wind tunnel. I’m glad I don’t have the speedo on the bike yet as I don’t think I want to know how slowly I was going. One pleasant bonus of riding down the Roe Highway is passing the Tip Top Bakery in Canning Vale… the smell of freshly baked bread is intoxicating; it makes me think of a thick slice of crusty bread with peanut butter! I’ve been able to leave the house guilt-free in the mornings, almost. Knowing MGirl is home between her mock exams and the real ones and that she is kindly walking FD#1 for me really lightens my load on a daily basis. She and CBoy have been really helpful with the dog, even if they let her jump in the stinky creek down by the railway line one day after I’ve taken her to the hydro bath at the pet shop!
With the enthusiasm of yesterday with NOVA, I am feeling a little more confident about selling my endeavour and have been in touch with the local community paper. There is a photographer coming to work tomorrow to take photos of me in my Death Racer gear attempting to look like a serious ultra-marathoner! (Who at the moment is back to running 5kms! Ironic really; one thousand steps). This is a big step as I am truly starting to make my cause more public, no anonymity, no backing out. Just as it should be; being accountable in life makes you a better person. I am excited by the prospect of what may come and I will hang on for the ride. Better get my running shoes on!
With the enthusiasm of yesterday with NOVA, I am feeling a little more confident about selling my endeavour and have been in touch with the local community paper. There is a photographer coming to work tomorrow to take photos of me in my Death Racer gear attempting to look like a serious ultra-marathoner! (Who at the moment is back to running 5kms! Ironic really; one thousand steps). This is a big step as I am truly starting to make my cause more public, no anonymity, no backing out. Just as it should be; being accountable in life makes you a better person. I am excited by the prospect of what may come and I will hang on for the ride. Better get my running shoes on!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
October 13th 2010 – A journey is made up of one thousand steps…
I guess this quote (or mis-quote) is kind of appropriate for me on my Death Race journey. This morning I realised how much it applies to now also. With the issues I’ve been having of late with my leg (which hopefully have now passed) I have felt a bit despondent because I kept looking at the enormity of the task and telling myself it is impossible. I made a conscious decision in the shower this morning to keep myself in the present and be thankful for the small things. All of the small things I accomplish will ultimately lead me to the race, and in tackling one thing at a time I feel growing confidence that I will achieve my goal!
Last night MGirl and I spent some time dissecting the race. In the brochure there is a stylized map of the course, with the ups and downs of the mountains and the distances and cutoff times. It is only a graphic representation, but it puts things into perspective. MGirl was gob-smacked when she saw the elevation changes in the mountains, and that was just on an A4 piece of paper… imagine it in real life?! I can only but try. I am banking on my naivety of the terrain in Alberta as a good thing, because if I saw it before I made the decision to run, I may have made a very different choice. Naïve is not to say I will be unprepared. As far as possible the trail running will kick up a notch soon, and I plan to be out on the Bibbulmun weekly, if not twice weekly, and I have to have faith that the tough Australian trails will toughen up this Australian enough to be a Death Racer. It’s not like I have much option when it comes to terrain!
With another 30kms on the bike to work yesterday, today was another run day. I am still so nervous about undoing my calf again, that I am quite happy to stick with short distances for the next few weeks to build up my leg again. I probably couldn’t run much more than that anyway; it’s quite amazing how quickly your aerobic fitness drops off! I was up at 6am and FD#1 was quite disappointed that me heading out the front door didn’t include her. As I was getting ready to head out the door I had the radio on, as usual, on NOVA, as usual. Nathan, Nat and Shaun often accompany me on morning training sessions and they didn’t even know it… until this morning! (I figure there is no need to disguise their identity by calling them NGuy, NGal and SGuy as everyone knows who they are anyway!) NOVA is out on the bus for the next two weeks on their breakfast show and it just so happened they were pulling in not far from where I live and I impulsively made the decision to run over to where they were. Kill two birds with one stone, an easy run distance and maybe the opportunity to talk to them about my Death Race goal.
Last week while riding my bike to work the station opened up the phone lines to “community announcements” which would have been the perfect opportunity to stop and call and let them know about it, but I couldn’t stop as I needed to get to work. So it was almost like fate this morning when they were around the corner. With my “Death Racer in Training” shirt on I headed out the door and ran with a smile on my face. I am a people person, but not typically good at asking for help. I think it comes from being a single mum for such a long time; you just get on with life and do what you have to do. So although I am happy to talk to anyone, I feel like I am imposing on people if I ask for anything. Running into the netball courts where their big blue bus was parked, there weren’t many people around and I hoped they didn’t think I was some crazed fan running to be the first person there! As it turns out, I kind of was… other than NGal who was there to unlock the gate and let them in.
Sometimes in life you just have to bite the bullet, so I introduced myself to Shaun and Nathan and showed them my shirt! I’ve decided it’s a good conversation opener! Not only were they curious as to what it meant, they all gave me the opportunity to talk about it on air; I felt nervous and proud. I also got to talk to Scott Russell Hill (numbers man extraordinaire) and asked him if the commitment I’d made to the Race and the Lung Foundation was really something I could pull off! Scott explained that since my birthday last year I’d been in the start of a new spiritual cycle, and that I needed something big in my life to challenge me and that he believed I would achieve this goal; and it would lead on to bigger things for me. I was nodding my head as he was speaking, because it made sense TO ME. Now, I know not everyone believes in numerology, psychics and the like; but I liken it to my years of horse riding. I spent a lot of money and many hours doing lessons and clinics, sometimes with very accomplished riders and trainers. Sometimes the things they taught made sense, and sometimes they didn’t. I applied to my riding the things I understood and believed worked for me and my horse, the rest I just listened to and let float on by. I think life is like that; a big melting pot of information. You take onboard what makes sense for you, and you leave the rest. I don’t really feel there is a right or wrong, as something that is wrong now could turn out to be right at a point later in time. So Scott reaffirming what I had already believed of myself months ago when I first decided to tackle the race was reassuring; especially as of late I’ve been a bit despondent about my commitment!
So, that brings me back to my shower, taking little steps at a time and focusing on the small wins on a daily basis. Today I ran 5km (with 30mins in between!) and my leg is fine. I got the opportunity to publicise my endeavour on my favourite breakfast radio show and meet Nathan, Nat and Shaun. I got to feel the rush of excitement I had when I first decided to do this “thing” 3 months ago. I feel invigorated again. Oh, and I got a free hat from True Local! Great for running… It’s a good day!
Last night MGirl and I spent some time dissecting the race. In the brochure there is a stylized map of the course, with the ups and downs of the mountains and the distances and cutoff times. It is only a graphic representation, but it puts things into perspective. MGirl was gob-smacked when she saw the elevation changes in the mountains, and that was just on an A4 piece of paper… imagine it in real life?! I can only but try. I am banking on my naivety of the terrain in Alberta as a good thing, because if I saw it before I made the decision to run, I may have made a very different choice. Naïve is not to say I will be unprepared. As far as possible the trail running will kick up a notch soon, and I plan to be out on the Bibbulmun weekly, if not twice weekly, and I have to have faith that the tough Australian trails will toughen up this Australian enough to be a Death Racer. It’s not like I have much option when it comes to terrain!
With another 30kms on the bike to work yesterday, today was another run day. I am still so nervous about undoing my calf again, that I am quite happy to stick with short distances for the next few weeks to build up my leg again. I probably couldn’t run much more than that anyway; it’s quite amazing how quickly your aerobic fitness drops off! I was up at 6am and FD#1 was quite disappointed that me heading out the front door didn’t include her. As I was getting ready to head out the door I had the radio on, as usual, on NOVA, as usual. Nathan, Nat and Shaun often accompany me on morning training sessions and they didn’t even know it… until this morning! (I figure there is no need to disguise their identity by calling them NGuy, NGal and SGuy as everyone knows who they are anyway!) NOVA is out on the bus for the next two weeks on their breakfast show and it just so happened they were pulling in not far from where I live and I impulsively made the decision to run over to where they were. Kill two birds with one stone, an easy run distance and maybe the opportunity to talk to them about my Death Race goal.
Last week while riding my bike to work the station opened up the phone lines to “community announcements” which would have been the perfect opportunity to stop and call and let them know about it, but I couldn’t stop as I needed to get to work. So it was almost like fate this morning when they were around the corner. With my “Death Racer in Training” shirt on I headed out the door and ran with a smile on my face. I am a people person, but not typically good at asking for help. I think it comes from being a single mum for such a long time; you just get on with life and do what you have to do. So although I am happy to talk to anyone, I feel like I am imposing on people if I ask for anything. Running into the netball courts where their big blue bus was parked, there weren’t many people around and I hoped they didn’t think I was some crazed fan running to be the first person there! As it turns out, I kind of was… other than NGal who was there to unlock the gate and let them in.
Sometimes in life you just have to bite the bullet, so I introduced myself to Shaun and Nathan and showed them my shirt! I’ve decided it’s a good conversation opener! Not only were they curious as to what it meant, they all gave me the opportunity to talk about it on air; I felt nervous and proud. I also got to talk to Scott Russell Hill (numbers man extraordinaire) and asked him if the commitment I’d made to the Race and the Lung Foundation was really something I could pull off! Scott explained that since my birthday last year I’d been in the start of a new spiritual cycle, and that I needed something big in my life to challenge me and that he believed I would achieve this goal; and it would lead on to bigger things for me. I was nodding my head as he was speaking, because it made sense TO ME. Now, I know not everyone believes in numerology, psychics and the like; but I liken it to my years of horse riding. I spent a lot of money and many hours doing lessons and clinics, sometimes with very accomplished riders and trainers. Sometimes the things they taught made sense, and sometimes they didn’t. I applied to my riding the things I understood and believed worked for me and my horse, the rest I just listened to and let float on by. I think life is like that; a big melting pot of information. You take onboard what makes sense for you, and you leave the rest. I don’t really feel there is a right or wrong, as something that is wrong now could turn out to be right at a point later in time. So Scott reaffirming what I had already believed of myself months ago when I first decided to tackle the race was reassuring; especially as of late I’ve been a bit despondent about my commitment!
So, that brings me back to my shower, taking little steps at a time and focusing on the small wins on a daily basis. Today I ran 5km (with 30mins in between!) and my leg is fine. I got the opportunity to publicise my endeavour on my favourite breakfast radio show and meet Nathan, Nat and Shaun. I got to feel the rush of excitement I had when I first decided to do this “thing” 3 months ago. I feel invigorated again. Oh, and I got a free hat from True Local! Great for running… It’s a good day!
Monday, October 11, 2010
October 11th, 2010 – Starting over…
With a run safely under my feet on Saturday morning, and another this morning, I finally feel like I am able to start running again. The trick now is to not get too enthusiastic and blow my leg again. I only ran 3.5kms both Saturday and this morning, and iced my calf straightaway. MGirl asked me why I only ran such a short distance and I explained that I didn’t want to jinx it by going too far too quickly. This week I will alternate riding to work and runs of the 3.5km loop; and next week extend the runs to 5kms. I hope to hit the Bibbulmun Track or the hills in Darlington by October 23/24th, so I’m just being sensible for now. I hope that I can build the distances again in less time than before, as I do have my base fitness still. Having said that, after 3.5kms I was thinking how unfit I felt but I am sure that will change quickly.
The weekend was busy with the beginning of baseball season, CBoy on Saturday afternoons, and MGirl on Sunday mornings! So that is the weekend committed until the end of March. At least Saturday morning is still free for me to do my long runs in the hills, and I am so looking forward to getting out there again. There is something very cathartic about running over rocks and under tree canopies; you don’t realise how far you’ve gone and the exertion is actually enjoyable. As our holiday plans get closer for a northern hemisphere winter, I also think about the foreign places I’ll be able to run and get just a little excited!!!
The weekend was busy with the beginning of baseball season, CBoy on Saturday afternoons, and MGirl on Sunday mornings! So that is the weekend committed until the end of March. At least Saturday morning is still free for me to do my long runs in the hills, and I am so looking forward to getting out there again. There is something very cathartic about running over rocks and under tree canopies; you don’t realise how far you’ve gone and the exertion is actually enjoyable. As our holiday plans get closer for a northern hemisphere winter, I also think about the foreign places I’ll be able to run and get just a little excited!!!
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