Gold Coast Marathon 2014 - Race Recap

My alarm went off at 4.15am on Sunday, July 6 and I woke up with a jolt, it was Marathon day!

I was so glad I'd slept through the night, I usually toss and turn and have a terrible sleep the night before a race! I was still feeling fairly calm, which again, is really unusual for me pre-race but I wanted to try and save my mental energy for those last 10km’s, so I did my best not to over think things…which usually leads to stressing out for me!

I jumped out of bed straight away, got my brekky from the fridge (rice, Chobani, cinnamon & blueberries) and ate it in bed while listening to some tunes on my iPhone to pump me up.

It was still pretty early by the time I finished breakfast but I decided to get ready anyway and made sure I was covered in Body Glide to make sure I didn’t get a repeat of the epic chaffing I got from my Camelbak on my 33km run (I never ended up mentioning it in a post but the damn thing left a nice big slice in my shoulder) and plenty of time to check, double and triple check I had everything.

Dad dropped Mel, Lisa, Ronnie & I off at the race precinct at about 6.30am, which gave me plenty of time to do all my pre-race activities, dump my bag at our tent, go to the toilet, quick warm up, Camelbak on and a dose of Voltaren. I decided against taking another Voltaren with me as I expected to only be running 4 hours or so...and it's meant to last 6-8 hours right?

I made my way to the start line and found a spot in the crowd just behind the 3.45 pacer - may as well be optimistic right?
Ronnie stood next to me behind the gate at the start line and I did some quick stretches, he gave me a kiss good luck and all of a sudden, the gun went and we were off!

As I crossed the start line, I remember thinking, "Well this is it, you're running a marathon!" 
I glanced across and saw Mel sprinting along next to the start line, she ran up as far as she could before yelling "Go Bec!" and then I was off on my own.

I looked down at my watch (which was actually Mel's watch), I was obviously a bit excited and was running close to 5 min per km so I slowed my pace down to my target pace of 5.30 per km and tried to get into a rhythm. I was feeling pretty good at that point, the temperature felt comfortable and pace felt fairly easy. I was enjoying the view as we headed into Surfers Paradise and the crowd started to build the closer we got. Mum and Dad were waiting for me at the 7km mark, I gave them a wave and they cheered me on as I headed for the Burleigh Heads turnaround, just over 8km's away.

As I headed into Broadbeach, I noticed my body was easing back to a 5.40 pace and I really had to keep an eye on my watch to keep myself at 5.30. My first 10km split was a little slower than I targeted for but I figured it would've helped save energy for later so I wasn't too bothered by it. The plan was to try and stay at 5.30 for 32km's then do my best to hold on and not drop under 6 min per km for the last 10.

I picked up the pace a bit after that, making sure I stayed under 5.30 and was going along well until just after I passed the 15km marker. It was then that I started to feel slight tightness in the outside of left quad, just above the knee. I'd never felt any tightness in that area in any run prior so I figured it would just sort itself out. We turned around at Burleigh Heads at this point and just after I passed the 16km marker I started to feel the same tightness in the right leg. I did my best to ignore it and keep going.

My pace was still on track for a 4 hour marathon as I approached the half way point, but by then the tightness in my quads had become painful. I continued to push through it, sipping my Endura from my Camelbak and I found that combined with the Dextro tabs I was taking every 15 mins, it would help ease the pain for a bit.
By the 25km point, the watered down Endura I had in my pack was no longer helping so I decided to grab a cup of Endura from a drink station. It helped slightly and I continued on through Surfers Paradise for the second time. It was then that the 4 hour pacer ran past me and I knew I had no way of being able to keep up.

As I ran past the Surfers Paradise sign along the beach, I heard Kelly and Hayley from our running crew call out to me, I gave them a wave and a smile, their cheers definitely lifted me up at the point!

I kept plodding along, the pain was continuing to get a bit worse with every step. I grabbed another cup of Endura and focused on putting one foot in front of the other, doing my best to block out my screaming quads as much as possible. My pace had slipped to 6 min per km but I didn't care, I just wanted to keep running. At the 29km point, I honestly thought the muscles were going to pop out of my skin so I stopped quickly and stretched both quads out before continuing on. I was definitely regretting not popping the extra Voltaren in my pack earlier! The stretch definitely helped relieve some of the pressure and I focused on getting to the 32km mark where Mel would be waiting for me.

The plan was for her, if she was able to get onto the course, to run the last 10km's with me to hopefully give me the push I needed to finish under 4 hours.

By the time I got to the 32km mark, I was mentally drained from trying to distract myself from my quads and the plan had well and truly changed at that point, I just needed someone to keep me going full stop! A time goal was definitely out the window, I just had to finish this thing. 
I saw Mel on the course and I ran over to her, told her about the pain in my quad and I stopped again to stretch and she quickly tried to massage them. Ronnie was also on the side line, I can't remember if he said anything to me or not but I pleaded asked him if he had Voltaren on him which unfortunately he did not.

I continued running again with Mel next to me and all of a sudden, coach Bec and Lisa were also running along next to me. Lisa unfortunately and much to both our disappointment, was unable to run the marathon that day due to her ITB injury. I remember asking her if she was ok to be running. She stopped after a few hundred metres but not before Bec's husband and crew member Steve snapped this picture of the four of us, my favourite picture from the day. It brings back so much emotion every time I look at it, I was truly so lucky to have so much support on the day.

I don't remember a whole lot from this point on but I know any mental strength I had had pretty much gone when nausea started to hit as well. I'm pretty certain it was caused by ingesting too much sugar from the Dextro and extra Endura, I'd had no plain water at all. 
Mel & Bec continued to run with me and were so amazing, getting me cups of water to drink and throw over myself and did their best to keep me running. I stopped to walk several times when it all got too much, and in that moment I honestly wanted to ground to open up and swallow me. 
There was this tiny voice still there inside me though, and it was telling me I had to finish this. So along with that tiny voice and Mel & Bec next to me, I finally ran past the RWL tent with 500m to go. That was the longest 500m of my life as I entered the finishers chute with Mel still next to me. I turned the corner and saw the finish line and found the energy to smile and put my arms in the air, I was going to do this!

I crossed the finish line 4 hours, 23 minutes and 14 seconds after I started. 
I bent over, put my hands on my legs and cried. It was a total mixture of emotions - so much relief that it was over, happiness that I'd finished, disappointment in myself and how it all went. 

Ronnie had managed to sneak into the finishers area and gave me a big hug and I continued to cry into his shoulder. I then tried to sit down and because my quads were still so sore, I kind of collapsed to the ground. All of a sudden a medical team were running over with a wheel chair, I told them I was OK and got up. It's pretty funny now that I think about it!

Once I'd had some water and my nausea had settled, I got up and hobbled through to pick up my finishers shirt and medal and back to meet up with the rest of the crew. More tears and hugs followed as well as photos with everyone.

A quick dip in the water was amazing relief for my quads and we then headed back into Surfers Paradise for lunch, ice cream and recovery. I thoroughly enjoyed that night and the next day, even though I was sore as hell, I ate my weight in food and loved every minute of it!

Once my post run brain fog started to fade, I started to dissect the run and how things went so pear shaped. I beat myself up about it for awhile after that, I should have been mentally stronger, I should have done this, I should have done that.
I know for a fact that I went out too hard so whether or not that caused the quad issues, I'm not sure. But there's no point in me continuing to over analyse things now.

At the end of the day, it was truly the hardest thing that I've ever done but I'm proud that I finished, I know I have learnt a hell of a lot and it will only make me a stronger runner. I'm choosing to remember the positives, like the photo of the girls running with me and the complete strangers on the sidelines who offered me water from their own water bottles during the last 5km's.

Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey to my first marathon, I was quite overwhelmed with all the wishes of congratulations I received on Facebook and Instagram.
Most of all I am thankful for the amazing support I received from my husband, sister, family, close friends and the Run With Life running crew including coach Bec, Lisa, Steve and Carly to name a few - I couldn't have got to that finish line without any of you.

Before I reached the the finish line, at approximately the 40km mark, I remember saying to Mel "I am NEVER doing this again!"

But you should never say never, right?

Countdown to the Gold Coast Marathon 2014

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 ;-)

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.

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.....

Time to Taper

I can't believe it - the main part of my marathon training is done and dusted!!
I'm excited that I've made it this far, I remember looking at my plan all those months ago now and freaked out about 3 hour + runs and now I've done it and it's all over! Phew!

Saturday 14/06 was my peak long run. Unfortunately Lisa is still nursing an ITB injury (please cross your fingers and toes that she'll still make it to the start line!) so I was to run this one alone again.
I figured I should run somewhere different and scenic for my last super long run, so I decided to start from Mordialloc Beach and run along Beach Road to Brighton Beach and back. And somehow I convinced my lovely husband to ride along with me...the entire way!
Rain was forecast for the morning but I was so lucky to be blessed with clear, dry weather again. I have really been very lucky with the weather on all my long runs!
I wanted to hit 32-34km's, hoping to get it done in about 3 hours 15 mins. 
I found this training run mentally tougher than the previous week, even with Ronnie there motivating me along the way (he was amazing though, snapping plenty of pics and videos along the way). In the end it was long, slow run but I finally got out 33km's in 3 hours and 20 mins (approx. 6 min per km) which is slower than I'd anticipated but still only roughly 20 seconds per km off my goal marathon pace.

I was initially disappointed with this last long run but at the end of the day, I have to be happy that I was able to do the distance and am injury free! 
One of the many things I've learnt during marathon training is that there's no need for me to 'smash' out my long runs, this is something I have tried to do in the past when training for shorter distance. The body takes time to recover between long, endurance runs and the harder you go, the more time your body needs to recover so you can't back it up the following week or possibly cause injury. I've been advised by my coaches Mel & Bec as well as doing abit of my own research that long runs during marathon training should be at a pace you can hold a conversation at or 10-20 secs per km slower than marathon pace. So I'm trusting that and hoping I'll be able to step it up a bit on race day.

I've also decided to re-assess my goal in regards to time for the marathon, not due to my pace in my training runs, although it did play a small part but as I am by no means an elite or naturally talented runner, therefore I shouldn't be too hard on myself for my first marathon. 
(I know I said originally that I was going to do one and one only....but I'm not ruling out possibly running another one day!) 
So the goals I have now are to run the whole distance at a fairly even pace (ie. not slow down too dramatically in the last 10-12km's) enjoy it as much as possible (ie. not hit the wall!) and finish the race with a smile (ie. not collapsing in pain and exhaustion!)
I'll still follow a race plan that should get me to the finish line in under 4 hours which will be a bonus if all goes right and I get there! But I know if I focus on a time goal and things unravel (as I'm assured they often do in a marathon) and I don't get it, I won't enjoy the feeling of actually finishing my first marathon as much as I should!
So I'm now going with making it to that finish line - with a smile on my face!

Following my last long run, I started the taper phase of my training. Last week I started reducing my km's, and will continue to reduce it this week and into next week (Marathon Week!) but will be keeping the intensity of my shorter mid week sessions as per advice from coach Bec and including in short periods of marathon pace in my long runs. 

Last Saturday 21/06, Ronnie and I headed back to Anglesea for the weekend and I was lucky enough to do a 90 minute long run along the Surf Coast Trail in Torquay, mixing it up with some trail and sand running finishing with 5km's at marathon pace along the Torquay Esplanade. It was the most fun I've had during a training run, I just listened to my body and went for time (except for the last 5k's obviously) and as I said on my Instagram page (@bec_heskes) it was 90 minutes of pure bliss running along the cliff tops above Bells Beach on a perfect Winter morning! 

This weekend I have a 60 minute long run planned...I'm not going to know myself! And my last massage and dry needling session before the marathon following that.

So that brings me to today - 12 days to go and feeling good!!

Bec xx

Countdown is on!

Countdown is now officially on, can't believe it's less than a month to go now!
Since my last post, things have definitely improved, training is on track and my body is feeling as good as can be expected at the moment!

The recovery seminar which Mel ran a couple of weeks ago now was fantastic! Amongst a wealth of knowledge presented by both Mel and Ross Kinsella (sports physio from www.free2run.com.au), on recovery and injury prevention, we were shown how to use massage balls and foam rollers to effectively release tight muscles. I found, in particular, using a spiky massage ball to release my glutes have been amazing and I've been feeling the benefits in my long runs which is awesome!! I would definitely recommend getting your hands on one!

My new bestie - the spiky massage ball!

My last two long runs have been alot better than the last one I posted about, but not without their fair share of dramas!
Week ending 27th May (5 weeks out), Lisa and I had 2 hours 40 planned along the Dandenong Creek Trail from Bayswater to Jells Park and back again. I was intent on getting through this one as pain free as possible. I'd had my massage and needling on the Tuesday, changed some things up nutrition-wise in the days leading up (increased salt to prevent muscle cramping, cinnamon to improve glycogen storage, small meal including high energy carbs the night before etc. More about my nutrition later) as well a couple of small changes to my training nutrition (gel every half hour after 45 mins and Endura in my hydration pack) and had planned to get to bed nice and early. So I may have gone obsessively above and beyond to make sure I didn't have a repeat of the week before! 
Well - the run went well, we ended up running an extra 7 mins to complete 28km's and I was feeling pretty good the entire time, except for feeling a bit sore and tired for the last 5km's which is to be expected. But it wasn't without drama! One of my dogs had to be rushed to the Animal Emergency Centre at 10.30pm the night before after an accident and resulted in emergency surgery and a stay overnight. So suffice to say, I didn't sleep much that night and was almost going to pull out of my run but yet another benefit of having a running buddy - I didn't want Lisa down but she was lovely enough let me sleep in an extra hour and we ended up heading out an hour later than usual. 

28km's for my poor girl, Tarli

I pulled up pretty well and was stoked I was able to run hard on Monday's session and get back into FIRE training that week.

Last weekend (Week ending 8th June - 4 weeks out), Mel had suggested earlier in the week that Lisa and I try running on our own - we were both like 'hell no!" as we had a 3 hour run planned and neither of us were keen on doing that alone! So in the end we decided to keep running together til our shorter taper runs. Well, as fate would have it, Lisa unfortunately was unable to run due to injury so I did it on my OWN! 
Not going to lie, I felt sick about it the night before and almost didn't get out of the car on Saturday morning (it was dark and raining too...) but in the end, I got started, took me 6km's to find my groove and then just kept going! 3 hours later I was 30.74km's down and feeling pretty damn good about myself! It was the best paced run I'd done over 23km's so was very happy and it has been a massive confidence booster. So turns out Mel was right yet again, her intentions are only the make me stronger.
The running crew were running the Warby Trail from Seville that morning so Mel kindly dropped me off at Mt Evelyn half an hour before and I was able to run past some of the guys on their way back. They then all met for breakfast after their run and, almost as if I'd timed it perfectly, they were all walking back to their cars just as I was finishing. I was lucky enough to have a cheer squad help me finish off my last 700m. Was a great finish to a great training run!

I haven't spoken a lot about my nutrition since training for the marathon, I'm still following Metabolic Precision as I have been for the last 3 years, but have had to tweak things a bit around long runs. There's been a bit of trial and error involved to get the balance of high energy carbs right, too much and I start to gain weight, not enough and my runs suffer. 
I'm definitely not a natural born runner so I rely on good nutrition to fuel my runs, especially my long runs. I can always feel the difference if I haven't been putting good food in my body and that doesn't make for a fun time when you're running close to 3 hours or more! That last shocker of a long run was probably a combination of a couple of poor food choices earlier in the week (I recall pizza and cake for my MIL's birthday!), tight muscles and not enough high energy carbs around the long run. I'm pretty confident I have my long run nutrition on track now, as the last two runs have felt good for the most part. Obviously prior to race day, they'll be more emphasis on carb loading but for training purposes, this is what seems to be working for me, so I'm sticking with it! (This is in no way a recommendation nor should you follow what I'm doing, this is only what works for me)

Night before 
- After my easy 30-45 min run - Nuun electrolyte tab with water, small meal of brown rice, lots of vegies and 1/2 my normal serving of protein with himalayan sea salt, omega 3
- Small meal of cottage cheese, berries, omega 3 & cinnamon before bed

Morning of run 
- 2 hours prior - small meal of brown rice, 1/2 normal serve of Chobani yogurt, berries and cinnamon
- Pre-run - 1 banana, 1/2 scoop Bioflex Carbfusion, 1/2 scoop protein powder
- During run - Dextro Energy Tabs, 1 every 15 mins from 45 mins, Endura mixed with water, I've been carrying a maximum 1.5 litres in my hydration pack.
- Post run - 1 scoop Bioflex Carbfusion, 1 scoop protein powder, Nuun electrolyte tab with water
- Meals following run - 2-4 small meals including high energy carbs depending on how long my run was (I like to indulge in a brunch at a cafe if I'm feeling up to it, eggs/smoked salmon with vegies and sourdough bread)

Off for a massage tonight, can't wait! Got my peak long run this week then it's taper time - can't believe it!

Bec xx

6 Weeks Out - Recovery Week

With six weeks til the big day and three weeks of increasing to my longest run, the theme for this week is recovery.

I was feeling pretty tired and run down last week after Great Ocean Road, but kept up all my sessions, swapping Monday's long interval session to cross training on Thursday. My long run was 2 hours 25 mins and I was hoping to hit between 25-26km's. We ended up getting out 25km's and this was definitely the worst I've ever felt during a run! I felt good for the until the 18km mark, pace was a bit slower than normal but it didn't bother me too much as it had only been 6 days since GORM. By 18km's, my hips were feeling incredibly tight and sore and as I kept going, I could feel the pain all through my glutes and lower back. I'm pretty sure if Lisa wasn't there with me, I'd have given up but I kept plodding along, almost at walking pace at some points, but finally managed to finish it off. I'm expecting to feel tired and sore at some point of the marathon, just not the 18km mark! 
I'm not going to lie, that run affected me mentally as well as physically (my body was tired, sore and I had come down with a head cold), I've had thoughts of chucking in the towel, that I can't possibly run 42km's if I can barely manage 25, it's all too hard etc etc. I guess this is when you need an amazing support crew around you, lucky I have Ronnie to listen to me whinge and moan, Lisa to be there pushing me along during the run (I know I would have felt 100% worse if I'd given up) and Mel to reassure me that I'm doing ok, remind me it's training and not to put too much pressure on myself. Plus the running group to keep me accountable, helped get my ass out of bed and along to sessions this week!

So my recovery week has come at a great time, Mel has given us a forced break from FIRE sessions this week and it's given me a break mentally, extra time to catch up on sleep and mix my running sessions up a bit. I'm in a much better mindset than I was earlier in the week, that's for sure!
I was also way overdue for a massage and dry needling treatment so made sure I had that scheduled in for this week and my body is feeling so much better for it now. My massage therapist seems to think tight ITB's contributed to my hip and glute pain so we'll see how we go this week. 

Yes, that's me with needles in my back ;-)

Mel is also running a recovery information session tonight with sports physio Ross Kinsella so I'm looking forward to finding out some more ways to recover properly from my long runs. Told you it was Recovery Week!

As I mentioned in my last post, I trialled a hydration pack during my long run last week after seeing a few people using them at Great Ocean Road. I can't stand hydration belts as they always tend to ride up around my waist when I'm running and I find it annoying to fiddle around trying to get the bottles back in and out. And while I got away with not really hydrating during training for half marathons, I'd definitely need to have some from of hydration during any 25km+ runs.
So I got my hands on the Camelbak Classic 2 litre hydration pack - it is not specifically marketed towards runners but I read some good reviews on it from runners and was recommended a similar one by a friend on Instagram. 

It's very compact and sits nice and snug on your back once the the straps are adjusted. I filled it approx 3/4 full for Saturday's run as I didn't want it to feel too heavy on my back. It did take some getting used to at first, obviously I'm not used to having something on my back when I'm running but wasn't long before I'd forgotten it was even there. When it came to drinking, it was amazing! The straw made it so easy to get water in, 100% better than drinking from a bottle or cup while on the run. I would highly recommend using a hydration pack! This week we're trialling Endura (the electrolyte drink they'll have on the marathon course) and over the next few weeks I'll make the decision whether use the pack for the actual race or not.

Thanks for reading - sorry for being a bit of a Debbie Downer at the moment!

Bec xx

Great Ocean Road Marathon

What a weekend! I've decided that races are the perfect excuse for a weekend away! 
Friday night Ronnie and I headed down to Anglesea for the Great Ocean Road Marathon where I would be running the 23km half marathon course.

We spent the Friday night relaxing, went out for dinner and had an early night ready for the rest of the weekend ahead. We were up early Saturday morning and Ronnie joined me for my easy 30 min run around Anglesea, nothing better than running by the beach!
After a delicious brekky at an awesome retro cafe (Red Till in Anglesea, definitely worth a visit!) and lunch in Torquay, we decided to head into Apollo Bay along the Great Ocean Road to meet up with some of the running crew. Mel participated in the 6km race earlier that day and one of our members, Kelly, was participating in the 14km race so we'd be there just in time to see her finish. It also gave me an opportunity to see the course I'd be running the next day.

I've never driven the entire length of a course prior to a race and I don't think I'll do it again! The marathon course is actually 45km's and starts from Lorne and finishes in Apollo Bay - respect to anyone who takes that on for their first marathon, the first 25km's are some pretty hardcore rolling hills and not to mention the extra 3 km's added to the standard marathon distance.
The half marathon starts from Kennett River, finishing in Apollo Bay with two fairly big hills at the start. The drive along the course left me feeling very nervous as the hills seemed bigger and longer than I'd anticipated as well as the distance feeling very....well, long! Suffice to say I was pretty much shitting myself that afternoon and I wasn't too much fun to be around!
I tried to calm my nerves (and my calves) with a quick dip of my legs in the surf before heading out to dinner with the running crew.

I didn't sleep well that night at all, I honestly think it was the most nervous I'd been before a race, but by the time morning came, I was ready to get it over and done with! Ronnie dropped us off at the start line about 7am, which gave us plenty of time to line up for the toilets and warm up, with the race to start at 8am. Lisa and I decided to try and stick together for the run, she was feeling pretty nervous as well so it would be good to have each other there. We promised that if either of us was struggling at any time, the other would go ahead.

And so we were off! There was about 200m of flat course before the first incline began and by the time we'd reached the top and started on the decline, I was feeling more confident, that wasn't so bad! We started the climb up the second hill, which I knew from the drive the day earlier was the longest, and I was surprised once we'd made it to the top - those two big hills weren't so bad after all!
The rest of the course was undulating with spectacular views and a cool sea breeze which provided some relief to the (unusual for May) very mild and humid conditions.

At the 18km mark, Lisa told me to go on ahead as she wasn't feeling the best. It was a hard decision for me but we'd both made to promise to run our own race so I went on ahead. I crossed the 21.1km mark at 1:51.33 - approx. 5.18 min per km pace which I'm actually pretty happy with considering the course and that I'd planned to use this as a training run. It was then abit of a struggle into the unknown for those last 2km's, pace dropped dramatically and I was close to being physically spent, my glutes and legs were sore and I remember wondering how I could possible run another 19km's on top of this is 7 weeks time!

I heard Mel yelling at me with about 500m to go and saw her, Ronnie and the crew all cheering as I ran past. I somehow managed to sprint to the finish line and finished the entire 23km course in 2:05.01 - 5 minutes under the time I'd initially allowed for myself. 

Despite all my nerves, I'm so glad I did this run, I have no doubt it's made me a better runner and I will benefit from it on marathon day. I pulled up pretty well, just general soreness so decided to rest on Monday night and will make up the session later this week. Legs are feeling pretty good now and ready for our track session tonight.

So now starts what I guess would be the hardest part of my training, 4 big weeks building up to my longest run on 14th June (hoping to hit 32km's) with 3 weeks to taper before the big day! Bring it on!

In other news, the new Mizuno's are feeling great, I wore them for all my shorter sessions last week and might transition them over for my long run this weekend. Also doing some experimenting this week on my long run, testing out some gels and a hydration pack so will see how I go with those! And yay - excited that we have finally got a cleaner who will be cleaning our house once a fortnight starting this Friday. One less thing for me to worry about, woo hoo!

Bec xx

Gold Coast Marathon - 8 Weeks Out

Life is pretty crazy busy at the moment! I was prepared for this to happen but sometimes it feels frustrating and the stress can sometimes get the better of me! In reality, I’ve only really increased to one extra training session (Friday’s 30 min easy run…funny that, it actually feels like the hardest session of the week!) but I suppose I’m starting to notice the extra 20 mins tacked onto my 2 weekly running sessions and the minimum 15 mins I try to allow for daily stretching. 

And I’m not complaining at all, I love my life and the way I’ve chosen to live it but with the constant food preparation for a minimum of 6 meals a day, a full time job, finding time to study, doing my best to keep our household running plus all the training, some days it feels all too hard and the motivation starts to waver. I try to visualise myself crossing the finish line and how I’ll feel once I get there (pic below is the new background on my phone) and I'm able to find my mojo again. It's not always going to be easy so sometimes you need a good vent! 

Last weekend was my first Puffing Billy Great Train race and despite a freezing cold morning with a bit of rain, I absolutely loved it! I’m so glad I finally got the chance to do it and I think it’s knocked off Run for the Kids as my favourite race. The course was fantastic and never boring, plenty of rolling hills and amazing scenery to keep things interesting. I was pleasantly surprised that the hills were definitely not as bad as I’d heard/anticipated and it was a great confidence booster passing quite a few walkers on the 2km incline between Selby and Menzies Creek. After a brief discussion with Mel on the Saturday afternoon, she convinced me that I’d get more out of the run by giving it a good crack rather than holding back as I discussed in my last post. So I ended up finishing in 70 mins, which is a pace of approx. 5.10 mins per km and I’m pretty happy with this result, considering the hilly course. Definitely a race I’ll be hoping to do every year from now on!

Monday’s session ended up as a recovery session, I was happy with how I pulled up and did a steady 7.8km’s while the group did a fartlek session. That’s when I noticed that the new Asics weren’t feeling the best. I’d been slowly transitioning into them, running in them on Mondays and Fridays and they hadn’t been feeling amazing but I figured I was just getting used to them. I wasn’t ready to wear them for Puffing Billy and I’m glad I didn’t! I wanted to give them a crack on a long-er run just to make sure it wasn’t me still getting used to them, so I ran in them on Saturday for a 60 min run and that’s when I conceded defeat…the Asics weren’t for me.

I was able to exchange them thanks to our friend Steve so now I’m back in Mizuno’s – the Wave Inspire 10’s. They are definitely not as pretty as the brightly coloured Asics I had for a total of 3 weeks, but they feel amazing and after running in shoes that felt truly crap, that’s the only thing that matters! Will be giving them a good test with 1km reps tonight.

The week ahead will be the biggest one yet with the Great Ocean Road Half on Sunday (distance is actually 23km’s) and will only increase from here so I’d better get used to it! Stretching, nutrition and sleep will be a big focus for me this week.

Thanks for reading!

Bec xx