So I sit here now one week after running my first marathon.
16 weeks of training and preparation all came down to one
day.
More about that in a later post, you’ll have to stay tuned ;-)
More about that in a later post, you’ll have to stay tuned ;-)
It feels like a lifetime since my last post, now that all is said and done!
My last long run was a week before race day, I strapped on my trusty Camelbak full of water (to get a feel for the weight, I didn't use it the week before and didn't want to get used to running without it) and set off for 60 mins along our old
route along the Dandenong Creek Trail at slightly quicker than my goal marathon pace. The run felt good and I felt ready to go. I stopped my watch at the end of the run and it was then I first realised the summary screen showed a pace approximately 15-20 secs out from what I believed I had run, according to the pace shown during my run. I figured I must have slowed down a bit at some point so didn't think too much about it.
Later that day,I had my last massage and dry
needling treatment. My legs and hips felt great afterwards and I was feeling pretty calm and
quietly confident. I then spent that night watching Spirit of the
Marathon and felt overwhelmed with excitement and emotions, I will admit that I teared up while watching it. Surely I can't be the only one who finds running emotional at times? Although I am a bit of a sook and someone who cries easily! It was a crazy feeling to know that I’d be preparing for my
own marathon in exactly one week!
Before I knew it, Marathon week was here!
I wanted to make sure I was well rested that week so I chose a sleep in instead of my early morning weights session on the Monday morning and stuck with just going to my normal Monday night running session with the crew. My legs were still a bit tender from needling the day before, so I ran half the session easy and the second half hard.
I ended up only doing the one (upper body) weights session that week on the Tuesday morning and had my final running session on the Wednesday night where we did 200m reps on the track. I was feeling pretty good at that point, I was happy with my speed and how my legs felt, fresh and fast (well fast for me!).
Then it was time to pack for our big running trip! Our flight was 8.20am on the Thursday morning so we were up super early to get to the airport in time.
.JPG)
After our flight was delayed an hour, we finally arrived on the Gold Coast. The weather was stunning, sunny and warm in the sun without being too hot. I was confident the heat wouldn't bother me too much on Sunday as it was forecast to be a few degrees cooler.
I was super excited to get to the hotel for a family reunion, my Mum & Dad and Mel who had been in the US for the last 3 weeks and had had flown direct to Brisbane earlier that morning. We had dinner together that night and caught up on all their holiday goss.
By the next morning, pretty much the whole crew had arrived so we meet up and headed to the Gold Coast Convention Centre to pick up our bibs and check out the expo.
It was starting to feel very real at this stage but the nerves hadn't gotten to me yet!
The next day was the first race day of the weekend, with the 5.7km and 10km events. We had many members of the crew running the 10km, including Mel & Ronnie and my dad running the 5.7km. We had quite a big group up there this year so Mel organised a Run With Life tent for our team and we were able to base ourselves there to cheer on the guys 500m from the finish line. I loved being there the day before to soak up the atmosphere and this year was no different! I couldn't wait to get out there the next day after seeing everyone smash their runs!
Mel was the first 10k'er through, she killed her race even though she was still pretty jet lagged!
Ronnie had done minimal training this time around but still managed to smash out a 50 minute 10km, a time I've always had to work hard for! Very proud wife!
Our 10km crew! An awesome morning with PB's and first time 10k'ers!
The race precinct is approximately 3km's from where we were staying in Surfers Paradise so once everyone had run their races, I took the opportunity to shake out the last minute nerves and run back to our hotel. I figured I'd run the 3k's at marathon pace to get a feel for it and obviously used my watch to check I was at the right pace. I stopped my watch at the end of the run and once again, the summarised pace was showing 20 seconds more than the pace that was shown on the watch while I was running. I was pretty sure then that there was something wrong with my watch, I knew I'd kept an even pace so I decided to ditch my watch and use Mel's for the race.
The rest of the day was spent 'carbing up', hydrating, resting my legs by the pool and a quick dip in the ocean before dinner.
I laid out all my gear for the next day and had an early dinner of salty carbs (Nasi Goreng from Noodle Box!) and sat down to watch a movie to try and take my mind off the next morning.
The marathon was to start at 7.20am so I had a super early wake up call of 4.20am to make sure I had my brekky 3 hours before. I was actually feeling pretty calm, very unlike me, who usually freaks the eff out before a big race! Thankfully, the nerves were kept at bay and I started to feel tired half way through the movie so headed to bed about 8.30pm and went straight to sleep.
And that's all for now! Race day re-cap to come!
To be continued.....
I wanted to make sure I was well rested that week so I chose a sleep in instead of my early morning weights session on the Monday morning and stuck with just going to my normal Monday night running session with the crew. My legs were still a bit tender from needling the day before, so I ran half the session easy and the second half hard.
I ended up only doing the one (upper body) weights session that week on the Tuesday morning and had my final running session on the Wednesday night where we did 200m reps on the track. I was feeling pretty good at that point, I was happy with my speed and how my legs felt, fresh and fast (well fast for me!).
Then it was time to pack for our big running trip! Our flight was 8.20am on the Thursday morning so we were up super early to get to the airport in time.
After our flight was delayed an hour, we finally arrived on the Gold Coast. The weather was stunning, sunny and warm in the sun without being too hot. I was confident the heat wouldn't bother me too much on Sunday as it was forecast to be a few degrees cooler.
I was super excited to get to the hotel for a family reunion, my Mum & Dad and Mel who had been in the US for the last 3 weeks and had had flown direct to Brisbane earlier that morning. We had dinner together that night and caught up on all their holiday goss.
By the next morning, pretty much the whole crew had arrived so we meet up and headed to the Gold Coast Convention Centre to pick up our bibs and check out the expo.
The next day was the first race day of the weekend, with the 5.7km and 10km events. We had many members of the crew running the 10km, including Mel & Ronnie and my dad running the 5.7km. We had quite a big group up there this year so Mel organised a Run With Life tent for our team and we were able to base ourselves there to cheer on the guys 500m from the finish line. I loved being there the day before to soak up the atmosphere and this year was no different! I couldn't wait to get out there the next day after seeing everyone smash their runs!
Mel was the first 10k'er through, she killed her race even though she was still pretty jet lagged!
Ronnie had done minimal training this time around but still managed to smash out a 50 minute 10km, a time I've always had to work hard for! Very proud wife!
Our 10km crew! An awesome morning with PB's and first time 10k'ers!
The race precinct is approximately 3km's from where we were staying in Surfers Paradise so once everyone had run their races, I took the opportunity to shake out the last minute nerves and run back to our hotel. I figured I'd run the 3k's at marathon pace to get a feel for it and obviously used my watch to check I was at the right pace. I stopped my watch at the end of the run and once again, the summarised pace was showing 20 seconds more than the pace that was shown on the watch while I was running. I was pretty sure then that there was something wrong with my watch, I knew I'd kept an even pace so I decided to ditch my watch and use Mel's for the race.
The rest of the day was spent 'carbing up', hydrating, resting my legs by the pool and a quick dip in the ocean before dinner.
I laid out all my gear for the next day and had an early dinner of salty carbs (Nasi Goreng from Noodle Box!) and sat down to watch a movie to try and take my mind off the next morning.
The marathon was to start at 7.20am so I had a super early wake up call of 4.20am to make sure I had my brekky 3 hours before. I was actually feeling pretty calm, very unlike me, who usually freaks the eff out before a big race! Thankfully, the nerves were kept at bay and I started to feel tired half way through the movie so headed to bed about 8.30pm and went straight to sleep.
And that's all for now! Race day re-cap to come!
To be continued.....
Nice that you had family and friends there to cheer on - certainly adds to the atmosphere for the weekend. Looking forward to reading your race report!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your Information. Keep up the good work. Gold Coast Physiotherapy
ReplyDelete