Part of me seriously and quietly thinks there is no way I will actually run the full marathon on the 1st of July at the Gold Coast this year.
I managed the half marathon last year, but that's only half the distance! (dah).
But I have put it 'out there', I shook hands with my friend Nic a long time ago and have also made a deal with other Twitter friends (i.e. Nikki Chapman) that we will all do the full this year.
But these girls are so much fitter and lighter than me! Nic was able to easily run a 10k a few weeks ago with minimal training (she did lean and strong last year and did amazingly well). And well Nikki just runs! Big distances and quickly...(with a Tiffany necklace to boot).
I tried to do Lean and Strong Rd 3 last year also, but seriously fell off the wagon with work stresses (I ended up resigning with the encouragement of my friends and family). I then had 4 weeks of complete rest over the Christmas period. Like COMPLETE rest. My husband thinks I've forgotten how to cook actually.
And I barely ran at all.
But I joined a new gym just before Christmas and I have really enjoyed doing the classes. I love Pump and I am starting to feel a bit stronger at last. Also RPM which really kills but I can feel it strengthening my quads. I'm a bit scared of developing the hip flexor pain and ITB knee pain I got after the half and I think being generally stronger will help. So I will try to keep these both up each week - I don't want to 'just run' like I did last year (well I did do boxing once a week, but not real strength work)
The other thing is my weight - I have put on a solid 3 kilos over the past couple few months and it just wants to sit there, right around my middle like a big fat spare tyre. I can feel it when I run and it's gross - so hopefully I can start to lose that soon too, which in turn will help me run a bit faster!
I've been doing lots of reading about going sugar free etc., and the Paleo diet and obviously need to start counting my calories again 12wbt style. I made an appointment with one of the trainers at my new gym and he has very kindly put together a marathon training program for me, using all my best times etc. and he was very pleased when I said I want to lose 5 kilos! But he also said "you can do this"....(of course he is 20 years younger than me and full of confidence!)
The plan includes 5 runs per week, of mixed distances and speeds. I know that I managed the half last year purely because I followed the plan (mostly), so that does give me a little more confidence.
I officially start my 22 week 'program' on Monday! I did manage 5 ks on the treadmill yesterday reasonably easily, so I do have a bit of a base to start on. I've been donwloading running books onto my iPad Kindle app too, to try and get some inspiration and encouragement. As you can see I have a newish toy - but the newest bit is the foot pod (thanks Wiggle.com). I know I will end up doing quite a few runs on the treadmill because of this Queensland weather (flooding or sauna - haha Mish Bridges just asked if she should train outdoors in Brisbane on Twitter and there was a resounding 'NO') and this amazing little thing is so accurate! I want to record and journal all my running weeks and now even my treadmill runs will count.
These are my new 'lightweight' runners which I will probably only use for short runs or on the tready til I get used to them. I've still got my heavier and cushiony plodders for the long runs..........
So there you have it. No excuses and it all starts in earnest in 2 days!
Thanks for supporting me :)
