Maribynong River Run - 12km

Last Sunday I participated in another Sri Chinmoy event. The one thing I love about these events is that it is cheap to enter ($25) and you get pancakes at the end of the run! Since I done the Melbourne Marathon a couple of weeks ago, I have continued to run 2-3 times a week, although I haven't run more than 12km in a session yet.

Whilst I am still deciding whether I am going to go for another marathon next year, I have decided I want to concentrate on shorter distances (when I say shorter I mean 10-15km) and aim to reduce my times for these shorter distances, which will then contribute to reducing my overall marathon time.

I decided going into this 12km event I would aim for a sub 65 minute time. I was basing this on the fact that in my last half-marathon I had run 10km in 54 minutes. I felt I would be able to achieve this goal but also challenge myself.

I don't think we could have asked for better weather for the Maribynong River Run. It was a clear day but not too hot, ideal for running. I had a feeling I could actually go sub 65 minutes.

I was aim to set into my pace quite quickly. The 4km loop was quite flat and given it was along the river, it was a lovely view to have whilst running. I only took drinks from every second station however, because my pace was faster than my training runs, I did find it difficult to take on liquids. On the final lap with about 2km to go, I noticed the time on my phone and thought I actually had a chance to go sub 65. A girl did overtake me and whilst I did try to keep pace with her, I was not able to.

I ended up crossing the finish line in 65:41. Just slightly over the time I wanted but I was happy to take that. At the medal ceremony, the girl that overtook me, ended up coming third in our age category. I was a bit upset because that could have been me! Oh well, if anything it has lit a fire because I really want to be able to place in the top three, so I will be aiming to do that at the next Sri Chinmoy meet in December in Altona. I ended up finishing 4th in my age category (18-39) and 5th overall.

The one great thing I got out of the run is that I was granted priority entry to City to Sea on the 17th November. This is a 14km race and in order to start in the front half of the field (and avoid the joggers and non-serious runners), you had to provide the organisers with official times from your run.
The event is just over two weeks away, so I don't think I will be able to improve my time too much, however I am going to aim for 76 minutes for this distance.

A couple of things I have noted from this run:
-My first pair of Lorna Janes which are a size Large (the rest I have are medium) are still good for the gym, not so good for running. Must stick to my mediums from now on.
-I don't usually run in singlets because I am scared of chaffing but I fund that wearing a singlet for this distance did not bother me.

This Week's Training Plan

So I was very happy with my training plan last week. I mostly stuck to it (except for one day) and actually did add a couple of extra things. The only thing I did miss was my hill sprints and this was due to crappy Melbourne weather. However, I covered it with a Body Attack/Body Pump double class so I am still happy with what I achieved for the week.

This is what I done during the previous week:
Monday: 30 minute Spin Class and 45 minutes boot camp (focus on legs - lots of sprints and lunges)
Tuesday: 12km run in the morning, including 2 laps of The Tan
Wednesday: 1 hour Body Pump class and 45 minute Boot Camp (mixture of sprints, skipping, triceps, etc)
Thursday: Timed Weekly Challenge (2km sprint, 3km bike, 50 compound rows, 50 push ups & 20 burpees -as fast as you can - any order, I completed in 21.50). I also did 30 minutes Body Attack & 30 minutes Body Pump.
Friday: 30 minutes Personal Training. I will do a post soon with the routine I am currently doing in PT.

Saturday I had a rest day and today I competed in a run, which I will blog about soon once the official times come through.

The one thing I did miss this week was a Body Balance/Pilates class. So I need to be able to add this to my training. I was wanting to do Pilates on Tuesday lunch, but I did have some urgent work to do so I missed the class. However, I am determined I will be there this week. So here is this week's training plan:

Monday: AM: 30 minutes Spin Class and PM: 45 minutes boot camp
Tuesday: AM: 12km run in the morning and PM: 30 minutes Pilates. (if I feel good I will also do 30 minutes of Body Step but I will not hold myself to this).
Wednesday: AM: 1 hour Body Pump and PM (evening): 45 minutes Boot Camp and 45 minutes Body Balance (I need it!)
Thursday: AM: Morning Run including hill sprints (distance will not be too much of a concern) and PM: Body Attack class.
Friday: Personal Training
Saturday: REST
Sunday: Run - 15km.

Should be a busy week! I also got a heap of Lorna Jane tops during the week. I had been given a few vouchers for my birthday which you can see in the top picture along with my dog.

Have a good week!

Fitness Friay - On a Saturday

link

 

So I missed my Fitness Friday post yesterday, due to the fact it was my birthday! It's actually been a good week for me post Melbourne Marathon. I managed to recover quite well and managed a reasonably active week at the gym. Although I did not do 100% of what I would normally do, I was about 80% there which I was happy with post marathon. I think doing cycle on both Monday & Tuesday after the marathon helped to keep my legs moving with minimal impact.

 

Today I gave myself a rest day. The Boy & I had a wonderful lunch at Melba at the Langham. The food was delicious but I have not ate that much in one sitting for so long. Great to do once in a while but wouldn't want to make it a habit. The peking duck pancakes and Indian food station were highlights.

 

This week, my focus is going to be to get my diet back on track from Monday. No unhealthy snacks and preparing meals to ensure correct portion size. I also want to start incorporating some endurance into my running. By including hills and sprints, I can start to develop my endurance and hoping reduce my times. This is my plan for the upcoming week:

 

Sunday: 12km run (easy pace) Just trying to get back into things

Monday: 30 min Spin & 45 min Boot Camp

Tuesday: 13km run in morning (2 laps of the Tan)

Wednesday: 1 hour Body Pump Class & 45 min Boot Camp

Thursday: 8km run at lunchtime. Incorporate Anderson Street Hill. I am aiming for 6 hill sprints but will see how I go as this is my first time doing multiple hill sprints.

Friday: 30 min Personal Training (focus on building endurance)

Saturday: Rest Day!

Sunday: Sri Chinmoy Maribyrnong River Run - 12km - I have done 10km in 54:23 (PB) so I am aiming to do 12km in less than 65 minutes.

 

So quite a busy week for me but hoping the weather will be on my side for the runs and boot camps! 



Melbourne Marathon - Going the Distance!

For the past 24 hours, I have been on such a high! I completed my first marathon! What an amazing feeling. I have spent the better part of six months preparing for this and to actually be able to cross that finish line in the MCG was such an amazing feeling.

To put my increase in fitness in perspective, in 2012, I walked the Upstream Foundation 50km challenge, and that was at one of my most unhealthiest points. That took me 10.5 hours to complete. To be able to do a 42.2km marathon in 4:39:48 is such an amazing turnaround from one of the lowest points I have had, just under a year ago.

Some of the most memorable points of the marathon for me were:

-At around km 15, I had a pain in my left quad. It felt quite tight but I was able to run through it. However, there were a couple of times during the marathon that I stopped on the side of the road for a minute to stretch. This really helped.

-The run from Bay Street to Elwood was the most tedious part of the marathon. I found this stretch to be a it boring (not sure why, it's a lovely part of Melbourne).

-My PT, Casey and another Fernwood instructor, Emma were at the 30km point giving out snakes. It was so great to see a couple of familiar faces at that point of the run and although I quickly ran past them and only exchanged a couple of words, it did give me a lift.

- At 32km, Melbourne decided to open the heavens and it poured! And it did not stop for the rest of the marathon. Whilst the rain itself did not bother me, the effect it had on my clothes was annoying. My t-shirt started to rub and this caused some chaffing on my arms. Also my socks quickly got wet and the rubbing caused some blisters which I was not expecting. Ouch!

-From the 38km point onwards, I felt a real lift. I actually stared to realised I was going to finish the marathon and in a decent time. I think at that point some adrenalin had kicked in and I no longer felt any pain.

-Just past 41km, me and this other guy were keeping pace with each other. I found it helped me keep to a speed I wanted to. After a couple of minutes he started to pull up. I am not such if it was injury or pain. I turned around and said 'Come on mate, we are so close.' He managed to run with me for another 400m and then he had to stop and walk. He encouraged me to go on. I realised I love the running community, everyone is so encouraging of each other and we all want everyone to do well. I really hope that guy was able to cross that line and I hoped my little encouragement did help him.

-Seeing The Boy in the stands when I was running on the MCG was fantastic. He was screaming my name and it was great to see him there.

-After the race, The Boy, my Dad and brother were in the stands. It was great to see them after the marathon and their words of congratulations were so great to hear.

-My 1.5 hour bath after the marathon was amazing! Seriously, I think that helped in my recovery so much because today I work up feeling good with only slight stiffness in my legs and some mild pain from blisters. I even managed to do a spin class and some foam rolling this morning at the gym.

For me, completing the Melbourne Marathon has been a turning point for me. In the past year, I have managed to come so far and honestly, I am a completely different person. I have lost 1/4 of my weight and I am much more confident with myself and being able to buy clothes from any shop I like is an amazing feeling. The detail of the split times is in the I Wanna Run tab.

What's next for me?
I am still not sure if I want to do another marathon. It was an amazing feeling to finish, but the amount of time I had to put into training for it... there are a lot of Saturday mornings I spent doing long runs and early mornings I would have to catch a train at 5.30am to run The Tan. On the other hand, I wanted to run sub 4:30. Whilst I only missed this by less than 10 minutes, I still have the desire to beat this time. I have discussed with The Boy about completing the Gold Coast Marathon (that way we get a bit of a holiday at the same time!) That is in May next year. Whilst that could work, I am going to be on my honeymoon for a month, so my preparation might not be ideal. However, it is something to think about over the next couple of months. I would need to also complete some serious base training but that is another blog post.

There are a couple of shorter runs I want to complete, the main one being the City to Surf so I will try and sign up for that this week. The 14km distance will be a lovely change from what I have been doing in the past few weeks!

Fitness Friday - Just a Lazy Marathon

On my old blog, I attempted to start a 'Fitness Friday' series of posts. I was not 100% sure what I wanted from them, but I wanted to use it as a way to look at the week ahead and what my focus would be for the upcoming week.

My focus for this week is easy. RUN A MARATHON. Hopefully in sub 4:30 which is one of my long term goals. The time will challenge me but it is realistic.

However, I am keen to continue with my routine once I am finished the marathon. So I guess the question is what my goals will be after this, as I have dedicated the last four months to preparation for the marathon.

Whilst it is going to be a massive achievement to do a marathon, as a runner, I prefer the half-marathon distance. The two hours challenges me but I find that I do recover quite quickly from the distance. Although I do have my eye on a couple of marathons next year, I think I will end up signing up for more half marathons, because whilst preparation is required, it will require somewhat less commitment then the marathon.

I don't believe I will have an issue with completing the distance on Sunday but I think it is important to start to build a better base for my running. I want to be able to beat my personal times and to do this, I need to incorporate some more speed and hills into my running, not necessarily just distance.

I also want to lose those last few kg's because the lighter I am, the better runner I can be. In order to do this I have signed up to Fernwood's Beach Bod Boost Challenge. This has food coaching and PT (which I am already doing) plue 3 boot camps a week. This week has been a write-off in relation to the Boot Camps because I have been tapering for the Marathon but next week I am determined to throw myself back into it!

Melbourne Marathon - 6 More Sleeps to Go

This year when I started on my fitness journey, the one thing I wanted to do was a marathon. 42.195km. 26.2 miles. However you look at it, it is bloody scary! The first person I done about wanting to do a Marathon was my Fernwood Food Coach in late May. I had wanted to set goals for myself that would help me to continue to lose weight but also maintain my weight loss.

When the words, 'I want to do Melbourne Marathon,' came out of my mouth, I could not believe it. By telling someone, I was committing myself to it. Making myself accountable. Since that day in May, I have used a schedule to train for this marathon and I have stuck to it about 90% of the time. My focus is on finishing the marathon, not speed, so my main focus was to get the km's in every week.

So now, I have six more sleeps until I will be running my first marathon. I feel I am as prepared as I can be. I completed a number of long runs with the longest one being just shy of 33km. I have participated in two half marathons so these were great opportunities to take in fluids whilst I was running and to run against a clock.

This week, I am focusing on resting my body and adding additional carbs to my diet. I also need to keep myself well hydrated during the week. In relation to my gym schedule, this is my plan for the week:

Monday: Body Balance & PT
Tuesday: Running - 8km (roughly, will go with more about how I am feeling rather than distance)
Wednesday: Body Pump & possibly Pilates (depending on how I am feeling)
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Yoga
Saturday: Rest - maybe take Ally for a walk
Sunday: MARATHON!

My PB for a half marathon is 2:06:52 on what was quite a flat course. Based on this I am hoping to complete a sub 4:30 marathon. *Fingers Crossed!*

Welcome to my Blog

Hello and welcome to my new blog. I spent the last two years bogging about things I have wanted to change in my life and have decided I wanted to focus my blogging on my running and fitness and therefore I decided to start a new blog.

So, here's some info about me:

1) Since January 2013, I have lost about 27kg's. I knew I was overweight for a long time but the fact that I am getting married in February 2014 made me want to lose weight. The bonus of losing this weight is that I actually have found a new love for running and fitness in general.

2) I still have about 8 kg's I would like to lose but I am generally happy with how I am now, so as long as I maintain this, anything lost from now on is truly a bonus.

3) I have completed running/walking events for the past five years but I lacked fitness so I don't like to refer to those times when comparing my PB's. If I refer to an event as my 'first' it is my first as the 'better' version of me.

4) I still love my food and sweets, I have now learnt how to be in control of them and part of my love for running comes from the fact that I can give myself the occasional treat, hence the title of my blog, 'Later I Shall Have Chocolate.'

5) Next week I complete my first marathon. I am nervous but this has been a goal of mine for so long so I felt it was an appropriate time to start a new blog.

6) Currently, I am dreaming about different holidays I can have around completing marathons in different states/countries. I am not sure how The Boy will feel about that.

7) I love instagram and am an occasional Twitter junkie.

8) My favourite gym classes are Body Pump, Body Step & Spin. I also love my PT session one a week and my PT, Casey is fantastic and a great motivator.

9) I have a fur baby, Ally, (affectionately known as #allypooch). Photos of her may sneak in this blog once in a while.

So that is me! I am using this blog to keep track of progress, so hopefully I can continue to improve on my running goals!