Surprise!

A few weeks ago, when I was feeling overly-confident and perhaps a tad arrogant, I made a bet with my BF that I would beat him at a 7km run. The winner would have to buy the other one dinner. Our local running club puts on 'Super Sevens', which is, I think, seven weeks of a 7km run on Tuesday nights. The course literally starts over our garden fence. Like, for the last three weeks I have been able to watch them start and finish from right out our living room window, which is great. It is so fantastic to see so many people enjoying Summer and running.

So, I made a bet that I would beat him. I started training, but unsurprisinly, that quickly went downhill (NOT in a good, momentum-building way), as I realised I was no where near fit enough mentally or physically to run 7km.  On my practise runs, I was gasping for breath, felt my calves tiring (a new sensation, having never had any issues with my calves before) and had to bargain with myself to make even 5km. My goal had been to run it in around 45mins, but the two 7kms I did manage to do, (with a bit of walk/sprint thrown in as a self-bargaining tool) I came in at 48.37 and 47.13. 

I panicked. I wasn't going to beat him! I would have to buy him dinner! How embarrassing!

 The first week rolled around, and we honestly had totally forgotten it, and had just finished a long afternoon of tennis, so called it a day. When I injured my back the next week, I was glad of the excuse not to get out there, and I am sure he was quite pleased too. But then on Monday, he 'rolled his ankle' on the way to work. However, I had no excuse. In fact, this week was my only option, as I start back at working the evenings next week. He couldn't do it, but I would beat him by going without him. Even though I would be running alone, I headed out our back gate, straight to register.

I saw a few people I knew at the start, asked them about the course, and waited around to start. The first stretch is across a field, through a gap in a fence, and along a thin walkers' track. Talk about amateur hour. There were people with buggies and babies and kids, which was great, I am a big family person. But if you need to stop - don't stop in the middle of the very thin track! Same goes for walkers. If you are going to start and walk, don't do it in a bottle neck where no one can get around you. Maybe I am being unfamily friendly, but the first km took me 7.28, and the second 6.45 purely because I actually had to stop and walk in some places, and was stuck behind people for aaaaages, which threw my pace. It is so so great they got out there, and I know better than many what it feels like to be the walker, but I also remember being very careful not to take up more than my share of the track. So that was a bit frustrating, and it definitely slowed me down.
 
And that is really all I remember for the first 5km. I remember making a bit of an effort to pass the people ahead of me and when I got to the 2km mark I thought, 'Phwoar, that was crazy easy, barely noticed that going by.' I passed some more people, got to half way where there was a drink station, got a stitch in my side, but ran on, passed some more people, and was passed by two blokes.

At around 5km, I could feel someone creeping up behind me, and I knew it was a girl I had just passed. With a couple running holding hands (Really?!!) in front of me, and the other side of the road blocked off for traffic, I was stuck. I could feel her breathing right behind me, and as we got to a slight incline, I moved to the left to let her pass. Killing it on the hills was not in the plan (and never is!)

But when it leveled out, I had a Will Smith moment. Was going to sit back and be passed? Oh, hell no. And from then on, I got deeper in the running zone, and ran harder and harder. I passed her, and one of the men who passed me earlier. After running around 6.20-6.30kms (6.34, 6.23 and 6.27 to be specific!), the 6th kilometre took me 6.10 minutes. I passed a lady and her partner, and when it came to a decline, I thought I heard a kid giggling as they built up momentum and lost a bit of control running down the hill. I smiled, imagining this wee kid having a great time, when the person passed me, and I realised it was the lady and her bloke. She sounded effing ridiculous to me at that point, putting on a baby voice for a male. I could not let her beat me.

From then on, every person in front of me became a target. Even though were were running through a bottle neck, I just weaved and zoomed in and out of and around them. Some I barely noticed, because there were so many, and because I was concentrating on going fast.

It honestly felt like I sprinted the last km, and I actually did sprint the last length back across the field to the finish line. I didn't even look into my living room window to see if George was watching my awesome strong finish. With about 500 metres to go, I did start to feel quite ill, but with such little distance to run, I knuckled under and ran harder.

The last km took me 5.33.Overall, it took me 45.20, and for the rest of the evening I was on a major high. I still am on a semi-runners high, just because I surprised myself and reached a goal I thought was out of my  reach. #Runninggeek! lol


When I walked towards my house, I saw George watching from inside, and I raised my arms in triumph. Between you and me, I reckon I definitely would have bet him, but it felt even better to beat myself... and maybe some of the other runners out there last night, haha. I rarely get competitive when running. But last night showed how much I love this sport, and how much I value it, and how glad I am to be back on track. 

Singing in the rain

Two runs this week - tick!

Any run is a good run. Or at least, that is what I tell myself while I get back into the swing of things. Thursday I did a 4km run, and today I did a 3km.

What I have realised is that since September last year, I have not done more than two runs a month. No wonder I am finding it so tough! I am pretty much starting from square one... maybe square two or three, because at least I know now what I am capable of. In some ways, though, that's a bit of a draw back. When I started running, every extra km made me feel like a mega-champion. Now, knowing I am capable of smashing a 10km, it sucks to only just manage 4km. My fitness is a crazy low. It makes me feel like this.

On the upside, I am getting back into it with some positives! In Feb. I hope to do the same triathlon I have done the past few years (just the run. Let's not go crazy). I have done a few practices, most of which have taken me more than 18mins.

Today was a different story!

I know it isn't my fastest, but I've got to take the good days when I can, haha! And it was a negative split. AND as soon as I got home under shelter, it started to bucket down, so I could stretch and cool down with the rain overhead. It was really nice :)

My goal is to run it in under 16 .30, so hopefully things keep getting better.

I'm back

Hello! How are you? It's been a while!

As I am sure you can tell from my post title, after a year-long, intentional break, I have decided to get back into blogging.

This is largely because I really want to also get back into running. I still run, and I still love running. But recently, I have really loved... sitting around. And going for long walks. And developing my not unconsiderable Pinterest boards.

There are few things different about me now. I wish my success with the 21.1km was one of them, but unfortunately, last year I did not manage to run a whole Half Marathon. I did one, but it was a bit of deja vu. In fact, sometimes, I feel like I did worse last year than I did with my first. But that is for another day! The point is, I still have the big 21.1km to tick off my bucket list.

Since 2012, I have moved, twice, and I have been promoted at work for just over a year and a half. Although it has been is great, the new job, along with the added stress of living with people who were not amazing, did wear me down. Like, I am getting grey hairs from it. Some days it makes my heart feel heavy and old, and while I love the people I work with, I have huge respect for my boss (the owner), and there's almost never, ever a day when I dread going to work, it is hard. I stress. I worry. I let it get to me, which then makes me not want to attempt any work. Which, obviously, stresses me out further.

Thing is, despite knowing it helps my mental state, I have barely managed to keep up a once-weekly schedule, let alone got in enough runs to be any kind of training for a half mara. I've done a few 4kms, a bit of walking, a bit of Netball and Tennis here and there, I even do a bit of strength training, but I know I could do more running. For my health, I need to.

Which brings me to another reason for starting up blogging again.  Running calms me, makes me feel happy with myself (mainly when I do well... not so much after a crappy run), and keeps me physically and mentally fit. That's clear. I need to run to counteract the stresses of my job, and to take time for myself. I need to run.

But more than that, it  makes me feel like I am doing something, and this is hard for me to admit, to help me stop getting fat.

Don't get me wrong, I know I am healthy. I'm not a thin girl freaking out about unnecessarily. I was always a wee chubby thing, and have always been a not-thin adult. But recently, now that I am 25, I can feel it creeping up on me. I have more muffin. I have to eat way way healthy in order to not have a wee food baby. Some days it feels like it just spills over my jeans like it's a melting ice-cream. Sorry for the visual. It's no fun.

So. On that cheerful note, I would like to set some goals for 2014, just like I did when I first started blogging. Time to get back on the running bus (oxymoron?), the blogging band-wagon, and, for the first time, actually stay on the eating-right-for-more-than-two-weeks-being-fit-and-beating-middle-age-spread, umm, I've run out of synoymns for 'trend'... track. How's that for a running-related metaphor?!