Now it's the end of the month....

I just realised I tallied my monthly kms to quickly... I still had one more day in July to run.. and that was today!


Today I ran with my new water belt that I wrote about in my regular blog.

I only ran on the treadmill because I want my joints to heal a little more and the treadmill is far more forgiving than the road...
The water belt annoyed me at first and the velcro bit has to be covered but I think it will be ok. I got used to it after a few kms but when I got off and undressed, I saw my middle was completely red raw!
I ran 16kms on the treadmill which sounds like torture but there's so little stress on my body while still giving me running time and kms... I don't know why I feel like I need to defend it.
Sometimes I prefer the road, sometimes I don't mind the treadmill. I don't have a passion for either although if I had to choose one, it would definitely be the road...

So now my revised stats....


July km's 265kms Y.T.D 1457kms

Injuries Nothing significant... just general muscle soreness after longer runs

Excuses None although feeling overwhelmed a little..


Upcoming Race Adelaide Marathon - 15th August


Summary Can't complain as I'm on track with my training. I've gotten a couple of 30kms or 30kms+ runs in so the rest is just up to performance on the day.

End of my running month

Well I've got a two day break now so thought I'd write a quick catch up entry.

18 days till the marathon now.

I'm still unsure what I'm going to do for water. I don't think I'm going to like the water stops... drinking from those cups.... So I think I have no choice but to bring my fuel belt.
I think I just have to play with it to see if I can make it sit more comfortable.
It's so bulky though! I think I'll be a little embarrassed with it but never mind... better than no water.
And it has a nice pouch where I can put some goodies in case I need some extra energy near the end...

Not feeling so depressed/overwhelmed about it today. I've done all I can do.. Just have to perform on the day now.

July km's 248kms Y.T.D 1441kms

Injuries Nothing significant... just general muscle soreness after longer runs

Excuses None although feeling overwhelmed a little..


Upcoming Race Adelaide Marathon - 15th August


Summary Can't complain as I'm on track with my training. I've gotten a couple of 30kms or 30kms+ runs in so the rest is just up to performance on the day.

A 30km run..

Saturday I set out to run 28kms. I wouldn't normally have done a run that long so soon after a long run (32kms run last Saturday) but the marathon is in 3 weeks and I wanted to get one in and let my legs rest for the following 3 weeks.

Anyhow, I did a completely different route than last time and it didn't actually seem very long at all. I was wearing a new water belt and it annoyed the S*&( out of me so I ended up taking the water bottle out and just holding it the whole way. I knew I shouldn't have trialled it on a long run! ugh!

So I started off good. I got to 21kms in 1 hour, 56 mins and 49 seconds. I little slower than last week. Don't know if it was that that started to make me feel depressed. I know I shouldn't have been depressed about it but I was. And I'd been toying with the idea of running 32kms instead of 28... I figured I was there, I was out, why not just do the extra?
Well the balls of my feet (of all things) were hurting and I was starting to cramp a little. It wasn't bad but I was just looking forward to that finish line so badly! I passed 28kms, my original goal, and kept going (that was a miracle in itself) and then at 30kms I finally stopped and walked the last 1 1/2kms home.

Another thing that's bothering me is that both weeks when I've done these longs runs, I haven't been able to walk properly straight afterwards. Makes me realise that if I do have to stop during the marathon, and walk a little, I don't know if I'm going to be able to start running again!

The good thing about the run though was that I didn't have any calf soreness like I did last week and the cramps really weren't bad at all. overall, my body is a lot better than last week. My hips are still a little niggly but this is the first time I've ever really felt it and now that I won't be doing any more long runs I should be fine.

I completed 30kms in 2 hours, 49 minutes and 56 seconds. Slower than last week.

I was a little depressed and disheartened and again overwhelmed at what I'm going to have do in 3 weeks time.

Am I maybe not ready?

Ready or not, I'm still giving it a go but it seems like such a massive task.

Total kms for July 212kms

Longest run yet...

Don't know how I feel about today's run.

I did 32kms in 3 hours and 19 seconds. Damn those 19 seconds! I even brought out a semi sprint at the end to try to keep it under 3 hours but never mind.

It started off pretty good. I tried not to think about anything and just focused on running a new route. I was going towards part of the course that will be in the marathon in 4 weeks time.
Part of it is on a bike path and goes up and down and I was worried how my tired legs would handle those (as the last 12kms of the marathon is on a similar path) but I did it ok. In fact, at one point, my husband (who was trailing behind me on his bike carrying my water) asked me if I could feel that when I was going up an incline and I had to say honestly that I couldn't. But I think I couldn't because my legs were numb!!

Towards the end I was on familiar ground... a familiar route and rather than be comforting, I just wanted it to be over so bad!
I don't think I dipped in speed too much which I'm happy about. I kept it pretty steady for the three hours...
I guess I should be happy with it, and I am, but I have to wonder how I'm going to cope in 4 weeks time, doing an extra 10kms.

The difference will be, I'll be on a new course and I'll have people around me encouraging AND I'll know at the end, I would have completed a life time goal... so they're all motivators...

I'm glad I didn't stop when my head was telling me so many times!

I'm also not too sore but I probably will be tomorrow...

Total kms for July, 158kms

Been absent from blogging

I haven't written here for a while but I have been running.
Mostly I just feel overwhelmed by the enormity of this goal I've assigned myself.

I will do it, even if I don't finish, even if it's the windiest, stormiest day out...
I don't think I'll have another chance.

And last night I was thinking it's kinda cool that I'm running 42kms when I'm 42. Maybe there's something in that?

So I've been doing my usual daily 12kms and now will have thursday and friday off before my 32kms run on Saturday.
Hubby will be following me on his bike. He wants me to go along the beach the whole way so it will e easier for him on the bike.
While I don't mind that, I know it's going to be against the wind for at least part of the way and that's going to be awful. It will go over some of the route that we'll be doing in the marathon though so I guess it's beneficial.
I'd mapped out another route entirely which I thought would be a lot easier mentally (and would be sheltered from coastal winds) but never mind.

On Sunday it will be four weeks until the marathon so I've left plenty of healing time after this long run.. I'm sure I'll do another long run before the marathon but I want to cross this bridge first.

I'm really worked up about it no matter how much I try to talk myself down.
I'm excited but scared. Scared of failure.

I don't know what to wear either.. I usual go no sleeves but I don't start running at 6.45am which is when the marathon is supposed to start. I'm pretty sure I'll heat up quick but what if it's stormy and windy? Will I wish for long sleeves?

I wish I had this achievement under my belt already!!

Total kms for July - 126kms

A sense of urgency

I keep feeling this sense of urgency, like I should be doing nothing but running...

I'm doing my normal 12kms runs during the week, having Thursday and Friday off and running 30kms + on Saturday.
That's the plan anyhow..

The marathon is now 5 weeks away. I want this to be over so much because as much as I'm trying to relax, I think I'm getting pretty worked up about it!

Did 12kms this morning

Total kms for July, 90kms

Couldn't make it outside...

I was all set for a 20kms run outside today, no matter what the conditions, just to get used to running outside in awful conditions..

Well, the conditions were more awful than I could have imagined. The storms were so violent last night I couldn't sleep....
So I did just under 2 hours on the treadmill instead.... Yeah I know, it was torture! Although I couldn't make myself go outside in that weather.. Hubby said "what if you get sick and won't be able to train?" and while I don't believe getting wet in the rain makes you sick, it still made me stay inside today.

Total kms for July, 78kms

Really didn't feel like it

I wish I knew if I were doing the right thing with my training.

Ran 12kms on the treadmill tonight after work.

I'm NOT a nightime runner. I HATE it! I hate doing it especially after a mentally draining day at work...
But because I want to build the kms, I did it tonight...
And I was tossing up between 8, 10 and 12kms... Naturally I did 12 because I'd feel like a failure if I did anything less.
I don't know if it's a good thing or bad that I push myself like this.

Anyhow, Saturday has been forecast to be windy and rainy!! I'm going to run my 20kms in it though no matter what it's like, just in case it will be like that on the day of the marathon... Gotta get used to it!

Glad the run is over tonight anyhow... and now I better hit the shower!!

Total kms for July, 60kms

Training Training

I ended up taking yesterday off as my legs were just so sore. My quads were the worst hit.
Funny though, after the 24kms run on Saturday, I felt ok and ran 12 on Sunday but was a wreck Sunday night...
So rather than chance injury for no reason (and mental fatigue) I took Monday off.
Think it did me good.

I still found it hard today, Tuesday, to do my 12kms. As usual, once I got into it, it was ok but I was still counting down to that finish...

So now I have a few days off until my next run on Saturday where I hope to do about a 20kms run.
I guess I should show someone who knows about training for a marathon my proposed training schedule to see if it's ok... I haven't done that yet!

Sometimes I'm confident I can do it, other times I'm thinking "what the hell was I thinking when I signed up!!!!"
So who knows how I'm going to do on the day!
Sometimes I wish the day was here already so I can just get it over with!

Total kms for June, 48kms

Back on the treadmill

Had a 'recovery' run in mind today on the treadmill. Just wanted to loosen up.

Actually my body recovered pretty well from the 24kms on the road yesterday. I don't know if it's conditioning with many kms behind me, or the 45 minute bath I had after my run.... Think I'll go with the bath!

So this morning I didn't know whether to set the treadmill for 8, 10 or 12kms... I ended up setting it for 12 with the option of stopping earlier if I wanted.
I ran the 12.
I had an interesting sbs movie on which started slow (bit like my run) and then got interesting. I was pretty sore and stiff to start off with but loosened up nicely and felt pretty normal by the end of the run.

Although it was only 24kms and 18kms shy of a marathon distance, running it yesterday gave me a lot of confidence and I'm really looking forward to my 32kms run coming up in the next few weeks.
I know a lot can happen and mental preparation is a lot too... part of me just wants this marathon to be over so I can say I've done and got the first one under the belt!

Total kms for June, 36kms

First of the long runs....

So today, my aim was to do at least 21kms, and maybe look towards 24kms depending on where I was when the finish line was coming up.
This was going to be my first "over 20" since before hubby and I went overseas in April. So it had been a while!
Anyhow, I was confident and trying to keep the right thoughts in the head...not overthinking it all, just going out and doing it.

Don't you find that it's not always the amount of kms you run, but the route you choose? Sometimes it's 15kms but on one course it can seem so long to get to the end, while on another, it just flies!
The end 7kms of my course seems to go quite quickly. I wonder what it's going to be like on marathon day as it's all going to be new roads more or less. I've cycled on them before but never run...

I checked my time at the 21kms mark and it was 1 hour 57. Not great but I'm not unhappy about it either.

I ended up running 24kms in 2 hours and 14 minutes and 34 seconds. It's ok I guess. Makes me wonder if I'll get the marathon in under 4 and 1/2.. just depends on how much I taper off with the last 10 kms..

So I'm glad I've got that run under my belt now. Am aiming to do a 30kms run in 2 or 3 weeks, depending on how my body recovers from this run.
So far feel good but have only just come home and spent the last hour in the bath!
Heaven!

Total kms for June, 24kms