Industrial Disease

DAYS (wha..??!!) to Go: 8!!
Money raised: $17 353.70!!

Well, the plan for this post was quite different from the one that is actually going to be written. It WAS going to say something like 'I really can't believe that in just over 1 week's time I'll be running the New York freaking Marathon' and such-like and there were tentative thoughts about writing an ode to the Treadmill of Wonder. I had also thought I might write (IN CAPS since I was so excited) that I entered this blog in a competition to be a roving social media reporter for the New York Road Runners (the marathon organisers) and actually GOT SELECTED!! (See I did end up in caps after all). But ...

But now, as I write, these plans are in doubt. Qantas, our national airline and the airline taking us charity runners to the marathon, has upped the ante on its long-running dispute with its discontented workforce and cancelled all flights indefinitely. Who knows what will happen from here? Mike from Team WorldVision suggested we turn this into a triathlon - a swim to L.A. and cycle to New York and then the marathon. Could work. Whatever happens it's going to be an uncertain few days ahead as Plans 'B' and no doubt 'C' get put into action. 

So here's what I'm doing... I'm still packing. I'm still assuming we'll all get there. (And if anyone can get us there, Nadia from Inspired Adventures can). I'm going to stay optimistic and flexible and be open to whatever happens.

I should probably out myself now as one of those tedious hippies who believe that everything happens for a reason. So if for some reason this dispute means that I really can't get there I am going to be sad but I am also going to accept that that is the way it was meant to be. And I have already got SO much out of this year that if this is where the story ends (is that a song?) then I'll be ok with that. I'll have to be. I've raised over $17 000 for something I really believe in, gone WAY outside my comfort zone and learned and experienced things I would never otherwise have learned and experienced. It's been incredible. I want the chance to complete the experience with the trip but if I don't get it, I can still look back on this year and feel proud of what I've done and grateful for everything I've learned.

BUT, it's not over until the weight-challenged gender-neutral homosapien sings and in the meantime, I will continue to hope for a resolution to the conflict and that come Wednesday morning I'll be sitting with other charity runners on a Qantas jet bound for New York City. Oh yes!!

Wait! Why should Alan Joyce ruin your moment in the sun, Treadmill of Wonder? You deserve some attention. You have made it possible for a mother of three to do something as time consuming as train for a marathon. Without your smooth belt and strong arms, I'd have been running the streets at odd hours rather than training and watching 'How I Met your Mother' at the same time. Thank you, Treadmill of Wonder. (Although you are rather large and frankly, I'll be glad when you're out of the family room.)

So, stay tuned, New Walker readers! (Oh, and if you were thinking of doing so and haven't yet, please donate at www.everydayhero.com.au/kate_offer! Because whether I run this thing or not WorldVison's SEE Solutions project still needs your support!)

Pregnant with Anticipation

Weeks to Go: 3
Money Raised: $16 401.70!

At this point, my marathon preparation is starting to remind me of my first pregnancy. Admittedly, much smaller clothes are involved in this major life event and I am optimistic there will be less blood. But a) I'm having cravings. For every carb I see. Just like in '97,  b) my feet hurt. Just like in '97 and c) I feel like my body no longer wholly belongs to me. It's fully occupied elsewhere and has better things to do than just cart my monkey mind around. Just like in '97.

If you've been reading my blog (or you know me and that's pretty much the same thing) you'll know that I have three lovely children and if you're good at maths, you'll also know that means I've had three pregnancies. But this is like my first pregnancy because that was the only one where I didn't have any idea of what really lay ahead of me. You know, on the Big Day. Would there be whale music playing in the background while my obstetrician spoke softly and reassuringly to me? Or would the sound of surgical incisions drown out my screams? I had absolutely NO idea.

The feeling then was being carried inexorably towards something unknown and unknowable. Much like this marathon. But I remember that I didn't think too much about that inevitable end point then since I couldn't in any way prepare myself for the experience. I just did what I could (which admittedly mostly involved me sitting on the couch watching 'Friends').

I have been getting anxious about November 6th lately. But I'm trying to do what got me through in the weeks leading up to the birth of Baby #1 (not his real name). Focus on what I can do and choose not to think about what I can't control. And just go with it. Accept that the experience will be what it will be. (But I'm taking the phone number of the doctor who gave me the epidural back then, just in case).

Speaking of pregnancy, Amber Miller ran the Chicago Marathon last weekend at almost 39 weeks and gave birth just a few hours after she finished. Just as well I did not notice her time (6:25:50) otherwise I might compare myself and my projected time unfavourably (She didn't even have to ride the 'Bus of Shame'!!)

Amber Miller with her new baby. What a woman!

I was pretty tired after my trip to Darwin and work has been busier than it's ever been these last few weeks. I even had to miss my last week's long run because of a really bad migraine. It's all been a bit stressful. I've found that even though it's harder to get started at the moment but my body has needed the mid-weeks runs more than ever. There's a true chemical change that takes place after a run. I've always justified not exercising on the grounds that I was too busy but it's the running that's been keeping my stress levels (largely) under control and is making me more effective through what is traditionally the hardest time of the year, work-wise. Oh, running... I'm so glad we found each other.

This weekend's long run this week is 25km. The furthest one yet! My Assistant Coach and I plan to run really early again because it's going to be hot on Sunday. Fingers crossed for a good one. With no epidurals required.

A Strategy. I Has One.

Weeks to Go: 4 and a 1/2
Money Raised: $16 301.70 ($2923.70 of that has been raised offline, in case you're looking at the total that shows on the blog and wondering about my ability to recognise numbers!)

Last Sunday's 23km long run actually happened on Saturday morning as I was heading up to Darwin for a conference on Sunday afternoon. And I have to say, unfortunately, it was the polar opposite of that most excellent training run from the week before. I was very much 'in the zone' for that 21km run - and very much out of that same 'zone' for the 23km run. Only 2km more somehow felt like double the distance. I have it on reliable authority that not all runs can be good runs but I suspect this dud run had more to do with water or rather, the lack thereof. Saturday's run started at 6am so as to fit it in with our other commitments and I felt slow and leaden from the start. In hindsight, I should have paid much more attention to my water consumption on Friday and also gotten up a bit earlier to hydrate. It made a huge difference and the lesson is duly noted. 

It was a very short and action packed trip to the top-end and there wasn't a chance to get any runs in. I'm not sure how well I would have gone in the humidity and heat anyway. But my 'mini-break' from the schedule ends tonight. Despite my fatigue (I always forget what a big trip it is to go anywhere from Perth) a 5km warm up run on the treadmill tonight should get me back on track for a longer mid-week runs Thursday & Friday, culminating in a 24km long run this Sunday.

After that, there are only TWO more long runs until the actual day!! And, as Alan Parker (a motivational speaker and marathoner who spoke at the Team WorldVision day in Sydney) suggested I'm starting to formulate a real live strategy for the marathon.

Strategy #1: It seems to me that the last 2km will be the hardest so I've decided to do that first and get it over and done with. And because it is the last 2km of an actual marathon I figure there's no shame in walking it. And then I'll only have 40km left to go.

Strategy #2: I'm aiming for a 'negative split', i.e, a faster second half that first half. As I expect that I'll be walking a proportion of the marathon (like most first-timers) an alternating 5km run/ 5km walk strategy will get me through the first 20km. Depending on how I'm going at that point, I can increase the running to walking ratio for the second half. But I'm definitely timing it so I can run across the finish line. AND I'm SO raising my arms triumphantly above my head as I do it. I've been practising.



Oh and by the way, Katie Holmes. Competition is off. I'm REALLY not supposed to set a time goal.

Subscribers may have noticed a few old blog posts coming through this week. Not quite sure what happened there, some sort of glitch in the system. I wasn't doing a 'Best Of' or anything!! And many, many thanks to those who continue to donate. I celebrated my 43rd birthday this week (a shame as I was kind of keen on the symbolism of a 42 year old running 42km in the 42nd New York marathon with 42 000 other runners) and was very touched to get many donations in celebration. Thank you all once again!