Running has given me far more than what is obvious. When I started running it was for a simple reason - to lose weight and to stop bending over on the soccer pitch and coughing like a smoker. Running helped in those areas, but running has given me so much more than that. Running has given me inner peace (yep like a hippy), a love of the great outdoors, confidence and above all else, it has given me the most amazing bunch of friends, a group of people who include me and help me out. It has given me somewhere to belong.
In the last few years, I have developed such an appreciation of the great outdoors. Where previously my traveling expeditions took me to big cities and famous historical sites (still of interest to me), now I find myself drawn to mountains, lakes and trails. I care deeply about the world in which I live. I enjoy seeing the sunrise and running under the light of the moon. I get a thrill out of spotting wildlife (with the exception of birds of course). In discovering this new appreciation of the great outdoors, I have found it easier to let things go, to accept the good with the bad, to see the highs and lows as the ebbs and flows of life. I am just one tiny spec in this beautiful playground. There is no need to get hung up on what I cannot change.
Running has also taught me that I can do things that scare me. I can run in the dark by myself; I can travel 100 miles by foot; I can hike up mountains. Where I once thought I couldn't run two laps of a soccer pitch, I now have this belief that if I put my mind to it and work hard, my body can take me wherever I want it to (albeit slowly). This confidence has infused into other elements of my life.
The friends I have made along the way in this running adventure are what I value most of all. I have found a group of people who make me laugh, who inspire me, who help and encourage me and who want to share this adventure with me. Of course I have wonderful friends from outside running too, but with running I have found an entire group of people with whom I belong. I don't simply have a handful of friends that I have met through various elements of my life, but there is a whole group that I am a part of. There is this little niche where I can sit and not feel like the odd one out. Recently I have been going through some rough times and along with my two best friends and my family, my friends I have met through running have been amazing. I cannot express how grateful I am for all the love and support that has been shown.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Hello Pavement My Old Friend
I went for a road run last week - yikes. I'm not much of a road runner but recently it has been my only option as it is a lot more practical than trails. I had a bit of a run in with this nasty bit of pavement.
I know, very technical. I did that thing, where you almost catch yourself but don't quite. Pavement hurts when you hit it. Hurts your pride too, but mostly it hurt my hip and knees.
The knees didn't come up too well in this photo, but I have some nice bruises.
Anyways, I think I should stick to trails. I generally stay upright on those. On the positive, I did get back up and run faster than the 5km goal I have been working towards, and that included 20 seconds face down on the sidewalk.
I know, very technical. I did that thing, where you almost catch yourself but don't quite. Pavement hurts when you hit it. Hurts your pride too, but mostly it hurt my hip and knees.
The knees didn't come up too well in this photo, but I have some nice bruises.
Anyways, I think I should stick to trails. I generally stay upright on those. On the positive, I did get back up and run faster than the 5km goal I have been working towards, and that included 20 seconds face down on the sidewalk.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Motivation
Somedays I really lack the motivation to go out for a run. This is a pretty new feeling for me, as I have always looked forward to runs in the past. Once I am out running I have a great time. I think it must come from being tired. Most nights I get about 6-7 hours of sleep but it is usually broken up into 2 or 3 hour lots (I don't complain as this is a lot better than what a lot of mums get). My days are then spent trying to cram as much in as I can. When I finally get a break, it means everything is done and my husband is home to look after V. It is very tempting to use that time to sit in front of the tv or have a nap. Going out for a run also means I will probably need to pump when I get home as I have missed a feed. When V was sick for a couple of weeks, I basically did no exercise because then I was getting about 4 hours sleep, broken up into 1 hr segments.
I have found the motivation to go back out now. This week I did my longest post pregnancy run - a tick over 15km. I ran in Moggill Forest and it was slow going but that just means it is easy to improve on :) The most amazing part was that in 15km I only encountered one other person. Solitude takes on new value these days.
I have found the motivation to go back out now. This week I did my longest post pregnancy run - a tick over 15km. I ran in Moggill Forest and it was slow going but that just means it is easy to improve on :) The most amazing part was that in 15km I only encountered one other person. Solitude takes on new value these days.
Monday, June 2, 2014
On The Trails
I only discovered Moggill Forest about 12 months ago but I sure am glad that I did. It doesn't have heaps of single track, and the single track is not marked on the map, but I like finding single track in there as it is usually very fun.
I have altered the usual loop that I do in Moggill Forest as I discovered some awesome single track that I now like to add on. This week I did the loop twice, as fast as I could (which isn't very fast), but I took two minutes off my time when I did the second run. I think that it is important to concentrate on that. I also like to concentrate on:
I also went for a run in Toohey Forest on Sunday with two mates. I had to stop and walk for the last km or so as my abs hurt but it was just exhilarating to be on the single track again, running with friends! Running on trails is like being a kid again.
When I was a kid, there was a big farm down the road from our house. The farm eventually got sold and a small estate was put in with a shopping centre. Beside the shops was a piece of land that remained vacant and me, my brother and some other neighbourhood kids road our bikes through there all the time, creating trails and jumps. Trail running reminds me of riding through there.
I have altered the usual loop that I do in Moggill Forest as I discovered some awesome single track that I now like to add on. This week I did the loop twice, as fast as I could (which isn't very fast), but I took two minutes off my time when I did the second run. I think that it is important to concentrate on that. I also like to concentrate on:
- I am having fun
- Sometimes I get to run with my friends
- One day my abs won't hurt after a run.
I also went for a run in Toohey Forest on Sunday with two mates. I had to stop and walk for the last km or so as my abs hurt but it was just exhilarating to be on the single track again, running with friends! Running on trails is like being a kid again.
When I was a kid, there was a big farm down the road from our house. The farm eventually got sold and a small estate was put in with a shopping centre. Beside the shops was a piece of land that remained vacant and me, my brother and some other neighbourhood kids road our bikes through there all the time, creating trails and jumps. Trail running reminds me of riding through there.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Trail Fun
On Saturday morning I headed out to Mt Coot-tha with Kaiser (my German Shepherd) and met up with my best friend for some trail fun. The morning started a bit later than intended (I don't think I have been on time for anything since V was born) but all was good once we started.
First we headed down Honey Eater and we were having a great time until I realised I probably should have gone to the bathrooms up the top. I need to think about these things a bit more now. By the time we reached the bottom we had to walk or things might have gotten embarrassing for me. The trails were pretty busy so I wasn't too keen on a bush toilet, so we headed down Greenford St to get to Gap Creek Reserve and use the bathrooms there.
Ah relief. We could run again. I decided I had been missing Kokoda so we should head up there. Consequently, the running didn't last long. It was a tough climb up Kokoda but not as bad as I thought it would be. Kaiser struggled though. I guess fur coats don't mix with warm Brissie days and walking up steep hills. By the top, Kaiser had gone through all his water and most of mine too. From the top we headed back along the road towards the cars but Kaiser was really struggling and it wasn't long before he had us slowed to a walk. I didn't mind though, I am always unmotivated to run on road.
All up we did 10km and it was more of a walking pace than anything but we had an awesome time. Plus, I can blame Kaiser for the slow pace :)
First we headed down Honey Eater and we were having a great time until I realised I probably should have gone to the bathrooms up the top. I need to think about these things a bit more now. By the time we reached the bottom we had to walk or things might have gotten embarrassing for me. The trails were pretty busy so I wasn't too keen on a bush toilet, so we headed down Greenford St to get to Gap Creek Reserve and use the bathrooms there.
Ah relief. We could run again. I decided I had been missing Kokoda so we should head up there. Consequently, the running didn't last long. It was a tough climb up Kokoda but not as bad as I thought it would be. Kaiser struggled though. I guess fur coats don't mix with warm Brissie days and walking up steep hills. By the top, Kaiser had gone through all his water and most of mine too. From the top we headed back along the road towards the cars but Kaiser was really struggling and it wasn't long before he had us slowed to a walk. I didn't mind though, I am always unmotivated to run on road.
All up we did 10km and it was more of a walking pace than anything but we had an awesome time. Plus, I can blame Kaiser for the slow pace :)
Friday, May 23, 2014
Starting Over
My little girl will be 9 weeks old tomorrow. Motherhood is a new and exciting adventure that I am loving.
I am also loving running again. It took me a lot longer to get back into running than I expected, as the birth was a little more traumatic than I expected. My body needed a bit longer to recover and it wasn't until 7 weeks after the birth that I even felt like running. Here is a week by week summary of progress.
Week 1: The first few days I could shuffle from the maternity ward down to the special care nursery a few times a day. By the end of the week I was shuffling around the house.
Week 2: Walking with a bit more ease
Week 3: Starting to feel human. Went walking most days and included hills.
Week 4: Increased my mileage and got out on the trails. Hello trails, I love you.
Weeks 5 - 6: Lots of trails but still just walking.
Week 7: Still mostly walking but I did my first trail 'run'. It was pretty awesome to be back out there.
Week 8: I would say this is the week that I started running again. I did 2 runs at the start of the week and I was really happy with my fitness on those. I wasn't too happy with my leg strength though and I got some strange lower abdominal pain. I went for a run with some friends a couple of days later and the abdominal pain was quite bad. Maybe I just did too much too soon, but I backed right off after that. It seemed to improve.
Week 9: I did a couple of runs early in the week and was quite happy with my fitness. My shins were a bit sore though and my knees felt pretty weak, like they weren't supporting me properly. Probably that relaxin hormone at work. The abdominal pain was pretty minimal but still there. In the middle of the week I got sick and did nothing for a few days. I then decided it was a good idea to go for a 10km trail run the first day I felt better. It wasn't a good idea. Very light headed and so very thirsty (ie I was dehydrated). The positive though was that my legs felt good and I didn't get the abdominal pain.
I am excited to see what week 10 brings. I guess my progress is slower than expected but I am feeling happy and positive. I am not in any rush to enter races. I would like to do GOW in October because it has always interested me, but I'm not too worried if I have to give it a miss. Oh and I love my new training partner. She is too tiny for the jogger pram still, but she joins me on all my walks.
I am also loving running again. It took me a lot longer to get back into running than I expected, as the birth was a little more traumatic than I expected. My body needed a bit longer to recover and it wasn't until 7 weeks after the birth that I even felt like running. Here is a week by week summary of progress.
Week 1: The first few days I could shuffle from the maternity ward down to the special care nursery a few times a day. By the end of the week I was shuffling around the house.
Week 2: Walking with a bit more ease
Week 3: Starting to feel human. Went walking most days and included hills.
Week 4: Increased my mileage and got out on the trails. Hello trails, I love you.
Weeks 5 - 6: Lots of trails but still just walking.
Week 7: Still mostly walking but I did my first trail 'run'. It was pretty awesome to be back out there.
Week 8: I would say this is the week that I started running again. I did 2 runs at the start of the week and I was really happy with my fitness on those. I wasn't too happy with my leg strength though and I got some strange lower abdominal pain. I went for a run with some friends a couple of days later and the abdominal pain was quite bad. Maybe I just did too much too soon, but I backed right off after that. It seemed to improve.
Week 9: I did a couple of runs early in the week and was quite happy with my fitness. My shins were a bit sore though and my knees felt pretty weak, like they weren't supporting me properly. Probably that relaxin hormone at work. The abdominal pain was pretty minimal but still there. In the middle of the week I got sick and did nothing for a few days. I then decided it was a good idea to go for a 10km trail run the first day I felt better. It wasn't a good idea. Very light headed and so very thirsty (ie I was dehydrated). The positive though was that my legs felt good and I didn't get the abdominal pain.
I am excited to see what week 10 brings. I guess my progress is slower than expected but I am feeling happy and positive. I am not in any rush to enter races. I would like to do GOW in October because it has always interested me, but I'm not too worried if I have to give it a miss. Oh and I love my new training partner. She is too tiny for the jogger pram still, but she joins me on all my walks.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Fear From the Sidelines
I haven't exactly been running for a long time. Instead, I have been growing a tiny human inside of me.
Falling pregnant didn't just happen for me and eventually I was told to to cut back my exercise regime a lot to even fall pregnant. That part alone was almost 6months of low mileage. That part was difficult. Nobody gave me a rule of what was too much, so I just had to try and figure out what I considered to be stress on my body and what I didn't. It was also hard to give up one of the things I love most, for something that I wasn't even sure would happen. There was no guarantee that if I halved my mileage and cut out my long runs, my body would suddenly start doing all the things it needed to. I stuck with it though, and every month that I didn't fall pregnant, I cut back my mileage a little bit more.
Finally I fell pregnant. Cutting back my exercise for that was actually a lot easier. There was a 9 month time limit and the baby was real. It was easy to give up the thing I love for something I already loved more. I just did what made me feel comfortable. Probably a lot less than what some pregnant women do, and probably a lot more than what other pregnant women do. All I know and care about is that it was right for me. I felt comfortable both physically and mentally. Could me and my bub have handled more mileage or higher intensity? Probably, but I don't mind that I didn't try it.
Now I am getting pretty close to the end of pregnancy and I am starting to freak out. Really freak out. I have two issues. The first is, when will I be fit again? When will my body even be ready to start exercising again, and how will I fit it in around feeding and raising a little baby. I would love to run GOW 100k in October, which is around 6-7months after bub arrives. Is that realistic? My second issue is my weight. I accept that you have to put on weight when pregnant. My weight gain has been spot on in the middle of all the pregnancy weight gain charts that I have seen BUT, it has also been all over my body, not just my tummy. Even my arms are chubba. Plus, I wasn't exactly petite to begin with. How hard will it be to lose that weight? I have never been one to exercise for the purpose of weight loss, but this time, it is going to go hand in hand with getting fit. Losing weight will help me regain my fitness. I don't think I will be able to exercise without considering how many calories I am burning. What if that takes away the joy?
I am hoping that once bub arrives, these worries won't bother me anymore. Just as when I fell pregnant and didn't mind exercising less, will I find that I am not worried about these things anymore and I can just let them take care of themselves. If I am not fit enough for GOW, will I just sign up for a race a bit later and not be phased? I hope so. I want running to be about running and adventure. I don't want it to be about feeling down on myself for not achieving arbitrary goals.
I am keen to know what other women experienced post pregnancy with both weight loss and getting fit. Did it take a long time? Did it matter?
Falling pregnant didn't just happen for me and eventually I was told to to cut back my exercise regime a lot to even fall pregnant. That part alone was almost 6months of low mileage. That part was difficult. Nobody gave me a rule of what was too much, so I just had to try and figure out what I considered to be stress on my body and what I didn't. It was also hard to give up one of the things I love most, for something that I wasn't even sure would happen. There was no guarantee that if I halved my mileage and cut out my long runs, my body would suddenly start doing all the things it needed to. I stuck with it though, and every month that I didn't fall pregnant, I cut back my mileage a little bit more.
Finally I fell pregnant. Cutting back my exercise for that was actually a lot easier. There was a 9 month time limit and the baby was real. It was easy to give up the thing I love for something I already loved more. I just did what made me feel comfortable. Probably a lot less than what some pregnant women do, and probably a lot more than what other pregnant women do. All I know and care about is that it was right for me. I felt comfortable both physically and mentally. Could me and my bub have handled more mileage or higher intensity? Probably, but I don't mind that I didn't try it.
Now I am getting pretty close to the end of pregnancy and I am starting to freak out. Really freak out. I have two issues. The first is, when will I be fit again? When will my body even be ready to start exercising again, and how will I fit it in around feeding and raising a little baby. I would love to run GOW 100k in October, which is around 6-7months after bub arrives. Is that realistic? My second issue is my weight. I accept that you have to put on weight when pregnant. My weight gain has been spot on in the middle of all the pregnancy weight gain charts that I have seen BUT, it has also been all over my body, not just my tummy. Even my arms are chubba. Plus, I wasn't exactly petite to begin with. How hard will it be to lose that weight? I have never been one to exercise for the purpose of weight loss, but this time, it is going to go hand in hand with getting fit. Losing weight will help me regain my fitness. I don't think I will be able to exercise without considering how many calories I am burning. What if that takes away the joy?
I am hoping that once bub arrives, these worries won't bother me anymore. Just as when I fell pregnant and didn't mind exercising less, will I find that I am not worried about these things anymore and I can just let them take care of themselves. If I am not fit enough for GOW, will I just sign up for a race a bit later and not be phased? I hope so. I want running to be about running and adventure. I don't want it to be about feeling down on myself for not achieving arbitrary goals.
I am keen to know what other women experienced post pregnancy with both weight loss and getting fit. Did it take a long time? Did it matter?
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