Sunday 16 August 2015

A chance to cross train

My foot is most definitely on the mend now, only the occasional twinge if I move it in a funny direction, and I'm not even limping anymore which is great. I'm planning to stay off it for just a bit longer yet - hopefully when the weekend comes I'll be out there pounding the pavement. 

A week after the half marathon, without any physical activity meant I was pretty frustrated, cranky and craving some exercise endorphins. 

Sunday morning I did a session at the pool, such a good time to go! There were heaps of lanes and a few happy swimmers. I shared the slow lane with another lady.  We each had our side which was great; no need to worry about being held up for either of us. 

I'm probably the fittest I've ever been in my life but I'm always surprised at how different swimming is. It's exhausting! I think it's due to the breathing and water, and using different muscles? (Yes, my triceps were sore the following day) I managed 40 lengths (1km) and felt pretty awesome after that. 

Today I took hubby's bike along the river track - 16.5km, no traffic (apart from the occasional dog and child who are unaware of passing cyclists!!) and a lovely scenic outlook. Had to stop for the obligatory selfie! Lovely to get out and enjoy the sunshine, though I know the old saddle will be sore tomorrow!!! 


Being unable to run sucks, but I have enjoyed the chance to do something different the last couple of days. Hopefully I can get myself organised and add some regular cross training to my schedule going forward. 

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Ice, heat and repeat..

It seems I have an injured foot.  I noticed no pain during or after the run, or the first day afterward, but randomly on the second day after the half marathon my left foot hurts to walk. 



The pain is on the outside of my foot, along the sole, and radiating up towards the knobby ankle bone (not the technical term, hehe). 

I'm currently icing and heating alternately when I can. Also bought some deep heat from the chemist this morning. Lots of rest and treatment, I hope it comes right asap!!

I feel pretty well recovered elsewhere, hamstrings and quads were most sore on days 1 and 2 post-half. I can feel a minor amount of glute soreness but it's a good feeling really!

I've been thinking about my next set of goals and will post about that soon. Perhaps once my foot has healed fully and I can get out for a couple of runs to shake things out. 

Saturday 8 August 2015

My First Half Marathon!

I did it! I ran a half marathon today.  

Pretty chuffed with myself. I think I paced it nearly perfectly (although I did slow somewhat in the final third) as when I finished I didn't have anything more to give.

The run was along the river, out and back.  It's quite exposed in places and the southerly winds were pretty brisk!  I'm not sure what the temp was for the race but it was 6deg when I left home at 9am.  Once we got started though, I didn't really notice the cold.

My goal was to average 6:00min/km for the distance.  My GPS told me I did exactly that (but also recorded the distance as 21.4km!) so something was a bit off there... 

My unofficial mat time was 2:08:30 so not quite the 2:06 I'd hoped for but I'm still happy!

Actually a photo after I'd finished (once I'd had something eat and drink!) Should've
stood on the other side for the 'FINISH'!!


Split timings from Runtastic are below.  First half or so was great. I felt strong.  Then I got a splitting side stitch at the 9km mark. A quick fuel and some water at 11km marker and I felt better after that.

Sadly I ran out of steam a bit after around 15km! My mental game started to falter a bit.  That's the hard thing about 'out and back' runs I reckon. You can see just how much further you've got to go... Had another bliss ball and perked up a bit.  

The last 2km were pretty horrid.  So close, yet 2km is still 2km!  The final push up to the finish line was a fairly short but still pretty steep hill (you can see it in the elevation profile below). I had to just keep plodding, one after the other, to get to the top.  My husband and three boys were at the top to cheer me on and it was the best thing ever.  Hubby told me to sprint.  I just laughed.

Split timings from Runtastic.com

GPS Elevation and pace from Runtastic.com

It was a great event and I enjoyed it.  Especially the start and the finish! Hard not to feel enthusiastic taking off with a couple of hundred other keen runners.  Bit of a buzz.  At this stage, I'm thinking it's something I'd like to do again, and soon :)

Looking forward to some Dominos Pizza for tea tonight and a long hot bath once the kids are in bed.  (and on that note, a big thanks has to be said for my hubby for doing his best to support me in training by looking after the kids when needed.  You're the best, hun!)