Looking back and looking forward

I swear the end of the year has snuck up on me this time around and I really can’t believe it’s already the end of December. Strava reminded me with their annual funky video that it was time to reflect on my running so here it is!

I snuck over the 1000km mark in my running which I was happy about – less than last year but still feels like a lofty enough amount and something I wouldn’t have dreamed of a few years ago.

It has been quite an interesting year of running and one in which I’ve certainly encountered struggles. Completing the Dopey challenge in January with my first marathon was both an incredible way to kick off the year and a difficult one. After that, all goals seemed lacking and I found motivation hard to come by. I convinced myself to ‘just keep running’ and hoped my mojo would return which it did yet it really ebbed and flowed all year.

I had a couple of setbacks which were tough at the time (including 6 weeks out with a sprained ankle) but which made me appreciate being able to run when I was able to. The hardest things to push through have been the mental barriers – quite a challenge that running helps me keep my brain and moods balanced and yet is also sometimes the cause of the imbalance in the first place. I started then gave up training for my second marathon, deciding I just wasn’t ready to give it the time and energy it deserved. Yet.

Losing my Mum halfway through the year coloured everything including my running in both hard and wonderful ways. I’ve learnt that grief just does its thing and takes over when it wants to, sometimes leaving me unable to get out the door to run. And then other times, I wanted to run because I knew Mum would have liked that. It was funny that she was never a runner and it wasn’t something that played any role in her life but it had become something we talked a lot about in the last few years so I connect her with it and I know she was proud of what I’d achieved.

This all seems a bit flat but there are many things I’m hugely proud of this year – here are my highlights:

• Completing the Dopey challenge and my first marathon. Seriously nothing has ever (and probably will ever) compare to that. I still get goosebumps thinking about it and it’s the thing that gets me through all tough things ever since – if I can run a marathon, I can do anything.
  
• Finishing the Surf Coast Trail half marathon. It was the second time I’d attempted this beast but did it on my own this time, fighting both the demons in my head and those in my body as I left my stomach contents on the trail. Several times. So many reasons to give up and yet I just kept going. I can do hard things.
  
• City2Surf. My second go at this event too but just as much fun as the first, if not more so. I loved having my husband there to share the weekend and a PB topped it off delightfully.
  
• Barossa Brave half marathon. Every now and then, I like to do something that scares me, just to see if I can. And this scared me with its big hill in the middle and the thought of doing 3 loops of it. Without my usual running buddies. I loved absolutely every minute and smiled so much my face hurt.
  
• Portland Winter Solstice Run. This was another one where I proved to myself that I can do hard things. I could have stayed in bed and listened to the wind and rain but instead I sucked it up and ran in all that the weather could throw at us. And loved it.
  
• My running friends. I spend so much time running alone but, whether they’re with me in person or in spirit, they’re always there and always offering encouragement and understanding without judgment. When I am lucky enough to run with them in person, the kilometres fly and we solve the problems of the world. I wouldn’t have been able to complete Dopey without them and cannot stress enough what a better place my world is for having them in it. Some are in this picture but I extend this to my wider running family, some of which I only catch up with occassionally at far off parkuns but who still have a significant impact. As do those I’ve only met online in the two running groups that are a big part of my running life – their constant encouragement and advice boost me up.
  

So that’s my year. 1001.8km. 1 marathon and 4 half marathons. 34 parkruns plus another 8 as a volunteer. 11 more medals to add to my bling collection. And a whole lot of new and precious memories to add to the store. On reflection, I’m feeling very blessed and grateful for what the year has brought, despite any hardships. It all balances out in the end and the dips really do make you appreciate the heights. Looking forward to what 2019 will bring!

parkrun tourism @ eastern gardens

I must say, I have quite liked having my NENDY (nearest event not done yet) for parkrun a mere 22km away. There was something reassuring about knowing that I had the potential to do a new event at any time I wanted without worrying about accommodation or working out whether it was driveable in the early hours of a Saturday morning. In fact, we’d considered leaving Eastern Gardens parkrun as our last event in Victoria but, in need of a change, we ventured there this morning instead.

I tried really hard to see this one through tourist eyes but it’s hard – firstly, I know the course very, very well and secondly, I know many of the team behind it (all fabulous!). So forgive my familiarity. Eastern Gardens parkrun takes place very near Eastern Beach on Geelong’s beautiful waterfront. It really is an ideal spot for a parkrun – a gorgeous park with a wide track, ample parking, toilet facilities, a shelter for rainy briefings and a stone’s throw from the water for a post-run dip. Tick, tick, tick!

Eastern Gardens course is a very easy to follow out and back with an added shorter out and back to make up the distance. While it’s easy to follow and the track is easy to run on, the hills make it not a particularly easy run. They’re those sneaky hills which don’t really look like hills until you try to run them and they then feel very much like hills. Being incredibly familiar with this course, I knew what to expect but it didn’t help – they were a challenge, particularly in this morning’s humidity. However having a couple of out and back bits does mean there are lots of opportunities for cheering others on and receiving encouragement, all of which were flowing this morning.

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Another benefit of this course is the ample selection of cafes for post-parkrun breakfast – the team generally meet at Winifreds which I can highly recommend. Or meander along the waterfront for coffee or ice cream (or both!).

And now I’m back to having a far away NENDY and facing the prospect of a long drive to tick off another parkrun – such a tough life! I suspect it will be a looooong time until we tick off all Victorian parkruns and I’m ok with that – I’m enjoying sampling them slowly. Although, with a New Year’s double coming up, maybe not that slowly at the moment 🙂