The Fridge of Glory

Marathon Training Weeks One and Two complete - hoorah! All runs, including the longest run of 7km, were completed without Lola's help for a grand total of 34km. I still owe Sunday a 50 minute walk but I am off the minute I post this! The best bit was that my average pace was just under 8 minutes and 30 seconds a kilometre for the first time. On a scale of one to human snail, I'd say I'm closing in on a 6 or 7.

I have to admit Week Two got harder and I did notice a steady decline in my energy levels as I went along. Fortunately, the long run was only 5km in Week 2 so I didn't have a big increase in distance to contend with but I realise that I am going to have to be much more mindful of my nutrition and increase my carbohydrates in particular to keep this consistent expenditure of energy up.

The last two weeks have certainly been easier in terms of making the time to train, though, and I'm quite sure having my Novice Supreme plan prominently displayed on the fridge has had a large part to do with that. And having a set plan means there is a lot less room for thinking (read, procrastinating) - I just have to look at the plan and then do what it says. It also helps that every day when I look at that plan I see the word 'marathon' in bold. And there's nothing quite like THAT particular scary word to keep me focussed.

Speaking of the fridge, mine continues to morph into a Low-Level Hippie Central. Witness below the Novice Supreme and map of the NYC marathon route held up with Oprah-like inspirational quotes and a New York magnet (and sticky finger marks as well, no doubt. Too busy running to clean properly.)

My fridge still thinks we live in Fremantle. (I know, Fridge. I miss it too.)

 And speaking of New York, I picked up a helpful New York Marathon tip the other day from someone who knows someone (etc. So Perth); when crossing the Queensboro Bridge, which takes you into Manhattan from Queens at the 25km mark, you will have a choice to go on the upper or lower level of the bridge. Under NO circumstances go on the lower level. Unless you want to get wet. Because people use the bridge as an opportunity to have a quick wee. Ew. (And duly noted.)

The beautiful Queensboro Bridge that I get to run across! (But on the top level, obviously)
Photo by and (c)2006 Derek Ramsey

On the fundraising front, the magic half-way mark was reached this week - thanks to a generous donation from the lovely Sally and Stephen. And our big movie fundraiser 'Red Dog' (see the trailer here) is now booked for Friday the 12th of August at 10.30 at the Cygnet Theatre in South Perth. More information, including how to get tickets, coming very soon!

The Novice Supreme

[Insert random sounds of excitement here] Introducing my New York 2011 Marathon Plan!! The one that will take me through to the big day in November. The one that WILL. NOT. BE. changed in a fit of Libran indecision. This.Is.It. Really.

The plan is the wonderfully named 'Novice Supreme' (which kind of makes me feel half pizza/half Motown superstar) from the equally wonderfully named Hal Higdon website. Hal's website is full of great marathon information and, among other resources, contains a full 30 week marathon training plan (unlike most books, which have 16 to 18 week plans). It is 25 weeks until the marathon so I have a plan I can work with right now, starting at Week 6. And I can even tick off Monday! Gosh, that WAS difficult.


The 'Novice Supreme' Part I. 'Cross' does not relate to my expected mood after doing all that running but cross-training, most likely cycling or swimming.

 
I am excited to get started with this program. And, in a triumph of synchronicity, the 'Novice Supreme' schedules a 21km run on the weekend of the City to Surf (August 28th) when I had already planned to run the half-marathon. Perfect timing.

Speaking of the City to Surf, if anyone is interested in running (or walking) the event too, you might like to consider running as part of Team World Vision. You'll be getting fit and raising money for a wonderful cause at the same time! Team World Vision raises money for the World Vision Multiplying Gift Appeal. This appeal operates in partnership with the UN to deliver 10 times the value of donations in food aid, which helps families in desperate famine circumstances in Africa and Asia. You can find out more at http://www.worldvision.com.au/TeamWorldVision.aspx

I didn't quite get to the $5000 by mid-May (or is it still mid-May?) but donations have now reached $4790! So pretty close to the magic halfway mark which is wonderful! Plans are afoot for a big movie fundraiser (this time inside an actual movie theatre) so as soon as we have a date locked in, I'll circulate the details.

And in the meantime, I shall continue to work on my running playlist. My iPod is a sad place but even I do not know how 'I Go To Rio' got on there. Honestly. (The really tricky bit will be running without singing along. It's just as well I can't fit maracas in my running belt). Obviously, I cannot allow 'Eye of Tiger', not even ironically, but I need some ideas for some good, beat-y, running-y type songs to keep me company. Would anyone be willing to share their favourite running song? I promise to keep it just between me, my iPod and the Internet.

My Name is Lola L-O-L-A Lola

I got a huge boost to my marathon mojo when I ran the Mother's Day Classic in Langley Park last Sunday. After my unbroken 5km run at the Around the Bridges in April, my goal was to do this event (an 8km run) without walking. I really didn't think I'd done enough to achieve that but was most happy to prove myself wrong, running the entire 8km course. Hoorah! (Now to just do the 8km five and a bit times...)

Unlike the Around the Bridges run, which was one 10km lap, the Mothers Day run was two laps of a 4km course. I had promised myself that I would complete one whole lap at which time I would allow myself to walk if I needed to. The first 2 kilometres went by without incident (high!), other than to have the disconcerting feeling of what seemed to be the entire field run past me (low). I got some verbal encouragement from Nana Shuffling James at the 2km point (high!). I was almost at the 3km mark, when something shot past me - a VERY fast runner (and, funnily enough, one of my students, who did at least have the decency to go on and win the event). I got lapped (low). At the 4km point I told myself I could get to 5km since I'd done it before. At 5km (high!), I told myself I could get to 6km and then I could at least say I had beaten my previous best. Just before 6km, my 42 year old knees (which I had forgotten to truss up in their support garments) started to really hurt (low). And then I spotted Lola.

Lola was struggling but running with a VERY encouraging friend. 'Come on', said Lola's Encouraging Friend, 'youre almost at 6km and you haven't walked at all. THAT IS SO COOL, LOLA!!!!'. At which point, other disturbingly fresh runners who knew Lola bounced over. 'You are a STAR, Lola!', they screamed. 'We are SO proud of you, Lola!!! YOU CAN DO IT, LOLA!!'. From 6km to 7km I ran right behind them and in the slipstream of their encouragement. It felt vaguely like an intellectual property theft (is there copyright in encouraging words? Should I have paid a licence fee? Am I an encouragement pirate?) but by pretending my name was Lola for a kilometre, I made it past my own little mini-'wall'. Once I got to 7km, I callously charged ahead of Lola. Because by then I was so close to the finish line that my legs could have been dangling from wispy tendons and I would still have run. And I just really wanted to feel that I had beaten someone. (Sorry, Lola.)

Just after I finished (Mary here had finished WAY before)


Thanks to some wonderfully generous donations, I am now only $370 away from the $5000.00 mark I have promised to World Vision by the 14th of May. So, (you know where I'm going with this, don't you?!) if you have been thinking of getting behind me by donating to WorldVision's SEE project now would be the most wonderful time! Any amount large or small is tax-deductible, doing so much good and SO much appreciated! You can donate online at http://www.everydayhero.com.au/kate_offer. Thank you!

The One With The Naked Marathoner - But It's No-One You Know

So, something big happened a few weeks ago at the 2011 Boston Marathon (one of the 'Big Five' marathons in the world, along with New York, Berlin, Chicago and London). Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya beat the previous men's marathon record held by Haile Gebrselassie by almost a minute. He covered the distance in 2 hours 3 minutes and 2 seconds! AMAZING!!  Unfortunately for Geoffrey (if I may call him that), his time isn't recognised as a world record by the International Association of Athletics Federations since the undulating but overall downhill Boston course does not meet the eligibility criteria. Bummer. If it weren't for the over $US200 000 prize he took home, I might even feel sorry for the guy.

On a sort-of related note, in that this happened at a recent marathon, and which I include because... well, what's NOT funny about a naked marathoner... Brett Henderson was spotted by police running without his pants on during the Flying Pig marathon held in Cincinatti, USA last weekend. Police told him to get in the car but he wouldn't so they tasered him. And then they charged him with public indecency. (Mental note to self .....).

This slow but fully clothed (soon-to-be) marathoner has gotten her training mojo back. The weather in Perth has been so beautiful lately with cool mornings and sunny days that it's not really a chore to get out and get back into it. And now we have moved nearer to school, I can get into a regular routine of running and biking to uni. I thought I would ride in, run home and the next day run in then ride home. That gives me my training hours for the week but doesn't take too much time out of my working day. This schedule, along with the swimming, will keep me going until early July, when the proper marathon training program, complete with long runs, kicks in. Yikes!

My colleague Tony Buti and I were interviewed by the lovely Lindy of UWA News yesterday. Tony is running the New York Marathon as well this year, except his chosen charity is Amnesty International, rather than WorldVision. You can donate to Tony's campaign here. And mine here! Tony has completed two marathons already and runs into Parliament from his home near the Hills on a regular basis.  While I aim just to complete my first marathon, he is aiming to do a sub 3:30. So I've just made him promise not to lap me on the New York course.

Some photos, courtesy of UWA News:

The official photo to accompany the article:

The photo where it looks like I might have said something to upset Tony:

And finally, the photo where I perform possibly the lamest quad stretch known to mankind and which undeniably marks me out as a complete novice:

Thanks once again to Lindy Brophy and UWA News for letting me put the photos on The New Walker!