2015 – the wrap up

Linking up with Smitha and Dani to tell you all about my year in running!

Is there such a thing as a ‘bad run’?

If you’ve ever hunted around on pinterest or instagram for running related stuff, you’ll have come across various inspirational quotes declaring that ‘there’s no such thing as a bad run’. But is that actually true or just something we tell ourselves to get ourselves out of the door?

This week, I’ve been catching up on reading my favourite blogs and came across this one from Laura at Lazy Girl Running and it got me thinking. It was still on my mind when I went out for a run yesterday. It should have been a great run – I’m on holidays, there’s no pressure, I was running on one of my favourite routes and the sun was shining. But it just wasn’t a good run.

Don’t get me wrong, I managed to talk myself into not completely hating it – after all, with views like these, it can’t be all bad. But the running part was hard, it hurt in general, non-specific ways that just sucked and making myself run further than the first 500m was a huge challenge. I’m completely surprised that I managed to push it to 7km as I swore I was ready to give up at 1km.

So yes, it’s possible to have a ‘bad run’. I think the secret is to not let that fact beat you and try to put it into perspective. One bad run doesn’t mean I hate running. And I still appreciated being able to run, get outside, enjoy the amazing place I live….all the while, wishing it was done and I was back at home. So maybe I don’t have ‘bad’ runs, just ‘hard’ ones.

What was your worst run?

Reflecting on 2015

At the end of last year, I set some goals so I guess it must be just about time to see how I went…

• Finishing a half marathon √
  Done – still the proudest moment of my year. Up there in the top 3 ever 🙂
• Reducing my 5km time. Anything closer to 30 mins will make me happy √
  A little. And it was very early in the year. My times lately have started to come back up but I’m not where I want to be
• ‘Run sensible’ and injury free – listen to my body and do what it needs, not necessarily what I feel like √
  Mostly. The fact that I’ve run pretty much all year tells you I’m doing ok. I still get achilles niggles but am getting better at listening to them and stopping when needed.
• Increase my running habit, gently and carefully. Aiming for 4x per week √
  Sometimes. Very much dependent on the previous goal. Sometimes I can get away with it, sometimes I can’t. However I am a lot more consistent with my running and have run more this year than I did last year.
• Try out a trail event
  No – haven’t officially got to this yet. They still scare me a little bit. I’ve run solo on trails but haven’t yet made it to an official event.
• Get back to my happy running weight (which was about 10kgs ago – oops!)
  Not yet but I’m moving in the right direction!
• Run as many parkruns as I can √
  Absolutely. I’ve just clocked up #30 and have been a lot more consistent with this throughout the year.
• Volunteer at parkrun √
  8 times & every one of them was so much fun. Not sure which I enjoy more, volunteering or running!
• Be a parkrun tourist at any opportunity I get √
  Yes! This year, I’ve visited Toolern Creek, Altona Beach, Castlemaine, Hervey Bay, Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo and Tuggeranong so I’ve definitely made the most of touristing opportunities!
• Most importantly, ‘run happy’ (as the lovely people at Brooks say) and remember why I run – because it clears my head, makes me smile and makes me an all-round nicer person to be around. √
  Definitely. I was at risk of losing my running mojo again recently – feeling a little burnt out and stressed about my upcoming half marathon. And then I remembered why I do it. There really is nothing quite like heading out for a run at sunset to clear your head and put a smile on your face.

Bring on 2016!

Sussan women’s fun run – race recap

My favourite run of the year was on this morning – the Sussan women’s fun run – and I’m pleased to say it didn’t disappoint.

This year, I was lucky enough to be at this event with some great friends – Jo, Jill & Maggi – which all just added to the fantastic atmosphere. We left home rather early but were rewarded with my usual easy and close car park and time to meander through the event village to pick up bibs and my prize (I won some Natio sunscreen, which will definitely come in handy over the next few months!). We queued for the porta-loos (clean and with real toilet paper – bonus!), browsed the stands and entered a competition to win some shoes then it was time to gather at the start. We wished each other all the best and set off at our own paces.

The thing I love most about this run in the atmosphere and general camaraderie of all who participate. The looping course also means you’re never on your own as you get to see the same people multiple times and cheer on those faster and slower than you. The huge cheers for the fastest 10km runners were a great sign of this but there was equally large support for those at the back of the field.

The first few km whizzed by and I felt good. My foot was giving its usual twinges but I had energy and, most of all, felt happy to be doing this. I’d worried that I had lost my running mojo with City2Sea and the general flatness I felt at the start of that but it was well and truly back this morning. I even had a few vaguely teary moments at particularly loud cheers from the crowd – it’s that sort of event where you can’t help but be lifted by the generally positive mood.

I stuck to my 3 min run/1 min walk throughout and felt strong and happy. Coming in to the finish shute, Bastille’s ‘Pompeii’ came on my iPod which made me smile (brilliant song!) and felt like an anthem worthy of pushing me over the finish line. Hearing my friends cheer me over the line was great – so much more fun to be doing this event with others.

It wasn’t a PB although wasn’t far off it and it was my 2nd best 10km time this year. But it really wasn’t about the time today (not that it ever is!) – it was about enjoying the run and I certainly achieved that. Most importantly, it reminded me how much I enjoy running and how grateful I am to have met some awesome running friends this year. Bring on 2016!

100kms in a month – done!

For the second year in a row, I signed up for the Indigenous marathon project‘s virtual run. Last year, I managed to run a cumulative marathon (42.2km) in a month so wanted to push myself further this year….by more than doubling it to 100km.

I’m pleased to say that I accomplished my goal. It hasn’t been easy and my creaky achilles is as creaky as ever. Despite a few twinges, my run tonight was bliss – I felt so comfortable and found my rhythm easily which definitely doesn’t always happen.

So many happy memories in this collection of pictures – can’t believe I fitted all of that into 1 month!

Naked running….with clothes

This morning, I ran naked. No, not like that – I did keep my clothes on, I just got rid of some of the techie gadgets that normally accompany me on a run, inspired by International day of running naked (check out the Naked Runners page for more inspiration). I will admit that I still had my iPod – I have been known to run without this but find it disturbing to listen to my breathing (or ‘gasping’ as it is more accurately described).

I did, however, run without my Garmin which is a huge thing for me. Normally, my pre-parkrun ritual is all about finding satellites and not letting it go to sleep before the run. I was a bit nervous about this – I like my statistics and like to know how I’m going so I wasn’t really sure how I’d feel without it.

I’m pleased to say I felt fantastic. I hadn’t realised how much it clearly is a distraction for me, constantly checking in on my time or pace and worrying about my finish time. Today, I didn’t care. I just ran. And, if I felt like walking, I walked. And if I felt like going faster, I did. Interestingly enough, my finish time was 1 second faster than last time; a week when I didn’t enjoy the run so much and it felt like a chore. Today I felt quite free and unencumbered.

I can’t say that I’m going to bury the Garmin in the bin but perhaps I have been persuaded to leave it behind sometimes, especially when my running mojo is in short supply and I just need to enjoy it.

City2Sea – race recap

We were blessed with an absolutely perfect morning for today’s City2Sea, very different from the rain-fest that was last year’s event. My friend and I were dropped off at the MCG about an hour before and, soon enough, joined the inevitable queue for the portaloos. This ended up killing 1/2 hour of our time – there were clearly not enough for the thousands of runners who were waiting. We were lucky that we managed to get in and out in time to join the other ‘blue start’ runners.

I’d forgotten how far it was from the shute to the start line & there was no confetti for us this year to kick it off so the start actually felt like a bit of an anti-climax. The downhill stretch makes up for it – perfect way to start a long run and made me feel like I was doing ok. We caught up with another friend, got a running selfie, bid our goodbyes and focused on our own races. My friend was on fire today and sped ahead while I dropped my speed to ‘run comfortable’.

There seemed to be a lot more people this year although that didn’t result in having to duck and weave too much, just made me feel like I wasn’t out there on my own. Soon enough, we were dropping underneath the Arts Centre and back around onto St Kilda Road. By the time I got to the 5km mark, I was feeling tired and, while I was enjoying myself, wasn’t feeling like I wanted to keep running for another 10km. I wasn’t quite at the point of seriously considering dropping out but was definitely feeling like I would rather be somewhere else.

My saviour came in the form of a running friend I’d met through parkrun, Brendan. He’d run the first 6km fast and was happy to have an easy run/walk for the rest so we ran together and our chatter distracted me perfectly. So much so that my 10km time was within a minute of my yearly PB. I’m not often lucky enough to run with to others as it’s rare that I find someone at my pace (or willing to slow down to my pace!) so this was a bit of a novelty and really helped with get me to the finish. Even the slog around Albert Park lake was quite pleasant and felt a lot quicker than it did last year.

Turning out of Albert Park, we only had the short run along Fitzroy Street to go and then the finish line was in sight. My achilles was grateful and happily carried me there, even managing a spurt of speed for the finish line. My time overall was 2 minutes slower than last year but I was really happy with it – from not wanting to be there a 5km to a relatively fast run at 15km was definitely a big shift 🙂

Overall, a good run. I’m happy I did it and had a lot of fun with my running friends. However I suspect, unless some of the points below change, I won’t be doing it again next year…

Summary:
+ Great course. Being a point to point course, you don’t have to traipse past the same place twice and you get both the beauty of the Melbourne skyline and the fun of finishing at the beach

– Bib pickup. Yes, you actually have to go and pick it up, even though this is 2015 and we’ve had a reliable postal service for years. This is basically so you’ll be forced to walk through the ‘expo’ (hence placating sponsors) but, to be honest, it’s not much of an expo. The opening hours for it are also not particularly convenient nor is the location.
– Lack of toilets. Despite knowing how many registrations they had, there was still a complete lack of toilets at the start, made worse as a block of them didn’t appear to be working (with no water attached). Not a great start to a 15km run.
– Cut off times. I got grumpy about this last year so at least I knew it was coming. The overall cutoff is fair however if you don’t make it to the 10.6km in time, you’ll be diverted onto the path. This cutoff time is completely at odds with the pace required to finish the course in time. I understand that they have to have cutoff times but I paid the same money as the first person over the finish line and I deserve to run the same course. Because of this detour, I didn’t actually get to run the 15km I’d paid for (only managing 14.85km)

Lara fun run – race recap

The 5th anniversary of the Lara fun run was held yesterday but, despite being local, it’s the first time I’ve actually run it. I was convinced to join by some friends and signed up for the 10km, which is 2 laps of the beautiful Serendip Sanctuary.

The start/finish line in the grounds of Pirra homestead

Being a small event, it was all very friendly and low-key with around 700 participants overall (105 finishing the 10km). The conditions weren’t ideal – it was already 20 degrees when I arrived and starting at 9am meant the sun was up and at its relentless best.

From the first few minutes, I knew this one was going to be hard. The heat and the humidity made it such a challenge, despite the flat and easy course. It is also a two-lap course which is always a challenge and starting the 2nd lap, I was close to giving up. The only thing that kept me going was my friend’s voice in my head – “parkrunners don’t pay for 5km”!!!

The 2nd lap actually turned out to be a lot better – there were no crowds left (as all the 5 km runners were now gone), the course was no longer an unknown stretch of road and I knew I was on the home stretch, regardless of it being a fairly long stretch. And I was last. You’d think this was a negative thing but it was actually a bit of a relief. I had known going into this that I was probably going to come last as I’d checked out times from last year and knew they were all faster than my best. Realising I really was last therefore took the pressure off – the worst had happened, the world hadn’t ended and I couldn’t come any further behind.

This emu hung around a while after crossing the road in front of me

A big bonus of running after all the crowds had gone was that the animals came out to play and I was treated to an emu crossing the road and some wallabies stepping up to say hello.

I’m also really pleased to say that the volunteers were all absolutely lovely. In bigger events, you don’t always get treated well at the back of the pack but I was encouraged and supported all the way to the finish line and didn’t feel I was holding anyone up. I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved to see a finish line – it was beautiful but a tough, tiring run.

Will I do this one again? I’m not sure. The course is stunning and the organisers and volunteers are friendly which are both huge pluses. However I really don’t like multi-lap courses and the late start time meant it was hotter than it needed to be. I can see this becoming one of those events which I enter on the day if I happen to feel like it 🙂

parkrun #25 & a reminder that ‘This girl can’

I was back at my home parkrun this morning after a few weeks trekking the countryside and visiting some parkruns interstate and it was lovely to be home. The weather was typically Geelong-like – a bit nippy and overcast but perfectly suited for running without heat or glare.

Having completed Melbourne marathon 10km last weekend and done no running all week, I didn’t really have a plan for today, just wanted to get out and run which is what I did. For only the second time ever (yes, ever), I ran 5km without walking. Same as last time, my overall time was slower than when I run/walk (which I find hilarious) but I felt really good, extremely happy and not at all as exhausted as I thought I would.

It is a funny thing – this need I have to occasionally cut out walk breaks. They’re something I put in consciously, as per Jeff Galloway‘s program, to help me manage my dodgy achilles and push my distances out. However I also like to run it all every now and then to prove to myself that I can. It allows me to prove to myself (and the doubts that live in my head) that I run/walk because I choose to, not because I have to.

So, another successful parkrun done and halfway to my 50 milestone.

Melbourne marathon festival 10km – race recap

Right up until yesterday, I wasn’t sure that I was going to run in this event. My training had been going quite well, even while I was away on holiday, but my last run had been cut short by weird pains in my foot and twinges in my calf. My physio gave me the all clear (with a ‘take it easy’ caveat) but something didn’t feel right.

Despite this, I trekked to Melbourne and checked in to my quirky accommodation – Melbourne Central YHA. I had an awesome room up on the roof and, after visiting the running expo at the MCG, I spent the afternoon and evening chilling out, trying not to stress out over my foot and stop myself from just going home.

My alarm went off at 5.45am but I didn’t need it as I’d been awake half the night. It was weird to be nervous about a run – it’s not my first fun run, not a distance I wasn’t used to and not really a huge deal but the nerves were there anyway.

I walked along to the MCG and found my friend Jo very easily, dropping off bags and we met up with the others from our running group. I still wasn’t really feeling it but was so grateful to be there with a group as their energy and positivity was infectious and got me to the start line. From there, it was just up to my foot as to whether I would make it to the finish.

After various selfies, it was our turn to start so we wished each other all the best and set off at our own paces. I started slow, testing out my foot for any niggles and, with huge relief, found none. It appears the physio massage, rest and taping had done the trick. Spurred on by this fantastic news, I kept running steadily for the first few kilometres and felt really comfortable.

I didn’t really need a walk break but something made me think of my leg so I decided to do intervals from then on although, in a sign of how good I felt, I kept running longer than intended on a few of my running bits.

Getting to one of the drink stations (I think at around the 7km mark), there were huge cheers coming from the volunteers for all of us running past and it made me quite teary. It was one of those ‘I’m really going to finish this’ moments and I realised then that my nerves all along had been nerves about not finishing and feeling like I’d failed. It’s odd the pressures and expectations that we put on ourselves – they’re so much bigger than those that others put on us.
Running up William Barak bridge was the only hill that gave me any challenge today although I remember it being a lot harder when I first ran this course 6 years ago so that made me feel better. Most importantly, the MCG was clearly in view and we all knew what that meant – the finish line wasn’t far away.

Probably the hardest bit is the loop you have to do to make up the distance before heading into the MCG – it felt like such a slog to the turn around point and back and was only made better by seeing Jo and Maggi.

I paused for a moment before I entered the MCG to take a picture and a breath – I remembered how much I loved this part of the run last time I ran this event and wanted to savour it. I’m pleased to say it was just as good second time around. Running a lap of the MCG is just spectacular, especially with people sitting in the stands cheering us all on. Even better, the first marathon runner was just coming in to the arena as I was finishing my lap so the crowd were cheering even louder…and I pretended it was for me to help get me over the line.

I didn’t run a PB but I was really happy with my time, considering that 24 hours before, I’d been thinking of not bothering. Most importantly, my calf, foot and achilles all felt great, as they had throughout the run. And I had another fabulous event hanging out with a great bunch of running friends – what more can you ask for?