Tough Mudder/Goals

I have been more than a little bit terrible at keeping you all updated but HEY, HI, HELLO.

You’ll never guess what I did coming off an 8-week injury with absolutely no training. Oh, you all already know?

I FINISHED TOUGH MUDDER!!

Dad and I completed the course in 4:29:48 and the next day I registered us for the 2016 run.

I had so much fun and even though there were a few obstacles I couldn’t complete, mostly because of my fitness level, I gave it everything I had, and I ran across that finish line utterly cheerful… and very muddy. And it gives me a lot of training goals for next year!

These last couple of months have been pretty tough on me physically and mentally, but the last couple of weeks have found me in a really, really good place, and I’ve started making some major changes to my diet/fitness (now that my injury has healed) and just to my mental processes in general, trying to push myself and let myself be pushed.

I’ve ran a couple of PB’s this week which has been awesome considering I haven’t run for 10weeks.

I have a complete list of goals I want to achieve in the next year and a bit. Strength goals, running goals, weight goals, you name it.

This week starts with aiming for a 35 minute 5k time. I’m whittling it down run by run from 40 minutes. I know I’m probably ever going to be in that sub-30 category, but I’ll aim as high as I can til I can’t get any better.

Mud Girl over and out!

Middle Earth/Injury update.

Kia Ora! It’s been just over a week since I hurt myself so I thought I’d check in.

First thing’s first, I went to New Zealand on Saturday for a bit of a whirlind weekend trip with my best friend, and I have decided I think I want to move there because it is absolutely gorgeous in every single way.

The last time I was in NZ I was 5 years old, so it’s safe to say I don’t remember much of that trip. I flew into Wellington and as we were coming into land I was just gaping, jaw to the floor, absolutely in awe of what surrounded me.

Wellington is stunning, and I cannot recommend visiting there enough. For three days, every time I walked around or looked out the window I was just filled with life at the beauty of this little city. It is so sleepy and peaceful and green and so differen’t to what I’m used to here in Sydney.

I could honestly just rant all day about how much I loved it. Long story short, I had a fantastic time, and I cannot wait to go back.

My foot flared up a little bit on the trip, from all the walking I was doing, but I am walking unsupported (just a bandage), and back at work. It hurts, but hopefully it starts healing soon and I can get rehab going and run again. Not being able to run has made me realise how much I love it, and I definitely miss it.

At the moment, because I can’t do any/much cardio, I feel like I’m filling out a bit and putting weight on which I really don’t want. I’m hula hooping a little bit, and working a lot on my arms. I might start some ab routines as well this week.

It’s definitely been a downer, but also an excellent learning experience because there is no way in hell I will let this happen again!

Until next time!

A Lesson on Injuries.

After my monster effort on Sunday, I didn’t realise until after the adrenaline had worn off, after I got home, that something in my left foot didn’t feel right.

I went to the doctor this morning and it turns out I’ve got some soft tissue damage, which, if it doesn’t heal in the next couple of days, I need to get scanned to make sure it’s not a stress fracture; which I am hoping, praying that it’s not.

Regardless, I’m out for four weeks. Which means I will miss running the Melbourne Marathon Half Marathon, which absolutely devastates me. I’ve been on the verge of tears since yesterday, but it’s been a valuable lesson for me, in I need to learn to a) listen to professionals about running shoes, b) listen to my body more, c) train harder.

It is very likely that this injury is the result of running in the wrong shoes, and that is something I will never make the mistake of doing again. I think it’s so important as a runner to take note of what professionals are saying, because they know better, and I am just a beginner.

While I am incredibly sad that I’m going to miss out on Melbourne, and the idea of also missing Summer Starter, I’m just going to take it in my stride, and make it make me better. I’m going to give my foot it’s time to heal, and start focussing on making myself stronger in other ways. Gym sessions now mean the chance to get off my feet and strengthen my arms and core, and later down the track rehabilitation runs mean working more on my stride and form.

This is just one (and the first) hiccup in an otherwise pretty flawless running journey, and I guess it had to happen eventually.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words, it means a lot.

I’ll be back on the road in no time.

Jess Ran 21.

I DID IT!

Today was phenomenal; Scary, painful, and hard… But worth every. single. step.

Earlier in the week I told myself if I could run it under 3.5hrs I’d be happy… Then we realised the cutoff time before you start being moved out of the way to walk was 2hr45, and I panicked. I told myself there was NO WAY I could finish in that time or under. So, I set myself a pace to get me there in that time, terrified I would fail myself. Flash forward to today…

LOOK AT THAT TIME!!! 2.5hrs. That’s it. That’s all it took for me to achieve a dream.

I never in a million years thought I would be standing at the finish line of a half marathon, let alone finish in the time that I did. I am beyond, beyond proud of myself and everything I have achieved in the last year. I still cannot believe how well I did. All the pain and struggles and self doubt just disappeared and I sprinted the last couple of hundred metres even when my body was giving up on me and screaming at me to stop. Finishing that race and getting that medal was such an awesome feeling.

Dad and I ran together for 99% of the race. He was keeping pace with me to help me push through, and we started so strong and ran our first 10k in 1hr06, and 15km in 1hr57. The 15-16km mark was when I started to hit the wall a little bit, by km 18 I was done, but I persevered. By the 20th kilometre I threw caution to the wind and just let loose. Dad fell behind and told me to fly, so I did. It’s the first time I’ve ever beat him across the finish line.

To everyone who has wished me well today and congratulated me, thank you. You have no idea how much it means. To everyone who stood on the side of the road today cheering for your family and for all the strangers who ran past you, you’re all amazing and have no idea how much courage and motivation you inspire by simply being there and cheering us on to the end.

Thank you to Blackmores and Asics and all the other sponsors for organising such an awesome event. We were never without support, we got jellybeans and Isowhey during the race, and free Flexagil (my best friend) at the end. I can’t even begin to tell you how well run this event is, and it’s what will make me keep coming back every year.

Next stop on the calendar is Melbourne half mara. I’m not going to set out to beat my now PB, I just want to make sure I can finish twice.

Til next time,

A very happy and very sore Jess.

7 Days To Go

Well folks, this is it.

One week until the Blackmore Sydney Running Festival Half Marathon. One week until I run the race that prompted me to start this blog. One week until I achieve that goal and go home with that medal.

I am absolutely, 150% nervous for Sunday. Race nerves are a thing I usually get, and I’m not entirely sure why. It’s weird, because it’s not like I’m really running for competition. I think it might be because I’m expecting to fail at any moment. I’m waiting for my legs or my heart to give out, or to just give up completely when it feels too hard. So far I haven’t, but every race is like the first one.

I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to be at this point, and how proud of myself I am. Even last year, when I ran BSRF and dad and I made the decision to run the half mara, I don’t think I actually thought I would end up here.

It has been an awesome journey. Not without it’s ups and downs, I have learned so much about myself, been proud of myself, disappointed in myself, and just generally amazed at how someone like the person I used to be (lazy, anti-social, with terrible eating habits) could become the person I am now (basically the opposite).

The last 4 months have been hard, with my epic weight gain, but I am working harder (and eating better) than ever to get back to where I was this time last year (looking skinny as hell, and now I realise I even took that for granted). Every challenge brings me closer to being a better person, inwardly, and outwardly. I’m learning a lot about how to deal with myself. I’m learning so much about who I am and what I am capable of achieving; and most of that has to do with running. It all started at the finish line last year, and I have loved every single moment, every single run, and every single challenge since.

In the lead up to the race on Sunday, I’m going to make sure I stop doubting myself. I’m going to train, eat, sleep, and treat my body like the temple it is.

Stay tuned for Sunday, it’ll be a big one.

I am a WARRIOR.

Today I ran the first ever Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF) Father’s Day WARRIOR Run, and I think I can safely say that although it rained and I got soaked to my bones, I had some of the most fun I’ve ever had at a run.

Sadly, my dad wasn’t there to join me, but every step of this run was for him, and proving to myself that I am strong enough to run by myself, without my mentor/inspiration/motivator waiting for me at the finish line (because he runs faster) – and although it sucked not being able to celebrate with him at the finish line, I did it. And I’m not letting him get away from next year’s race.

The 10k started at 8:45, so I wandered to Centennial Park around 8am, and was welcomed by a small, but tough group of people. Being the first ever event, I knew it would be a smaller turnout compared to other runs, but honestly I can see this one growing and growing over time, because the spirit and community I saw today was nothing short of inspiring. Before both the 5k and 10k, the traditional owners of the land were recognised, and a traditional smoking ceremony cleansed the ground to ward off bad spirits.

I got to run with, and chat to, some incredible Indigenous athletes today, and linking arms with my fellow runners at the start chute, listening to Charlie King talk about his No More campaign (aimed at putting an end to family violence), was a touching symbol of peace and community spirit that I will never forget.

I ran my 10km in 1hr12m, which, to date, is my fastest 10k time yet! 

If you’ve also noticed, I got a new watch! My very first GPS watch – unfortunately I don’t have a heart rate monitor for it yet so I ran heart rateless, but I managed okay! Today was the first run with it, and for a while I thought I was going crazy and that the markers had been set too close together or my GPS was out, before I realised I hadn’t changed my settings from miles to kilometres. Oops.

Nevertheless, I ran 10.2km almost as fast as I ran last month’s Bay Run! I ran with a couple of energy gels too, which helped me a lot in terms of endurance. I can’t recommend them enough for long distance runners. I know 10k isn’t incredibly long, but for someone like me, the kick is enough to bring me back to life and stop me from bottoming out and finishing a race completely exhausted.

Last but certainly not least, I’d like to say thank you to the IMF and all the sponsors and volunteers for making it such a great day despite the rain (which weirdly I enjoy running in). I was honoured to be a part of this event, and getting to meet people like Charlie Maher (one of the first Indigenous Australian men to run the New York Marathon, also the man on the back of our medals!!) was nothing short of inspiring. Onwards to next year!

All you’ve got to do is try.

Today went a little something like this:

2:45am – Wake up

3:30am – Shower/eat breakfast/get ready for work

4:30am – Get to work

10:30am – Eat “lunch”

1:30pm – Finish work

2:40pm – RUN

It was an absolutely gorgeous day for a run around Iron Cove/The Bay Run, and even though I am 150% exhausted, I felt completely motivated, and I’m glad I made the effort.

I was a little too enthusiastic, thinking I would make another 14km Sunday happen, but the honest truth is, after three 4:30am starts at work, I was just too tired, mentally and physically. I put my best foot forward though (hah), and I made it 7.43km.

It’s exactly a week away from WARRIOR RUN, and 21 days until the half marathon! I’m really impressed with myself lately with all the training I’ve been doing, and even though I feel physically hopeless after work sometimes, I’m doing the best I can to make sure I’m doing something physical every day. Even if sometimes it’s just walking to or from the train station before or after work (2.5km)

Doing something is better than nothing, and if you’ve tried, no one can ever say you never do your best.

Run Proud.

This girl just registered for the first ever IMF Father’s Day Warrior Run on the 6th of September, at Centennial Park!

From the website, “the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF), a not-for-profit charity that uses running to drive social change, create inspirational leaders and provide life-changing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country.”

This is a fantastic organisation that helps so many people through the power of running, and this alone was enough to get me to register (having the weekend off work helped a bit too)

This will also be my first solo run, as my dad (#1 [only] running buddy will be celebrating his birthday/father’s day without his kids, on a cruise). But, I’ve got my partner and brother in tow as my cheer squad!

The run is two Sunday’s before the half marathon, so I think it’ll be the perfect warmup to the main event.

Registering for this run means I have one run every month until November when I do the Mudder! Unfortunately this year I think I might have to skip Balmain Fun Run, which I was really looking forward to, because Tough Mudder is the day before – but depending on how my fitness is closer to November, I might even just sign up for the 5k. Balmain was one of my favourite runs last year and I really don’t want to miss it!

I’m so excited for all the events I have coming up, and I’m really glad I found the Warrior Run, because having runs to look forward to means more motivation and more training and just generally more inspiration.

Happy running, folks!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

I felt rather useless when my alarm went off at 7am this morning, but I didn’t realised how keen I actually was to run until dad and I parked up at Haberfield Rowers and walked down to Leichardt Oval to start running.

14km is a long way. But we did it, and I am SO proud of both of us. It’s the first time either of us have run much over 10k, and we decided to casually run it on a Sunday morning.

We ran the whole 14 in under 2hrs (just! but still) and despite my knees (and a couple of blisters) giving me some grief towards the end (I need new socks) – my stamina, pace, and heart rate (!!) were all fantastic, and consistent.

I definitely think we’ll start using some running gels on our long run training sessions, because towards km 11-12 I started feeling a little less energetic, and I feel like the kick from the gel is what I might need to get me that extra 7km up to 21 for the half marathon.

Regardless, it was a brilliant run, and an absolutely fabulous day for it. Le Montage even treated us to a little Supercar show afterwards which was an awesome way to cool down. And as usual, we stopped for breakfast at Rozelle Espresso, for a vegetarian feast.

All in all it was a fantastic day for a run, and it’s making me even more excited for the half marathon.

I wish all Sunday morning’s were this productive.

Melbourne…

I’m coming for you…