I can call myself a "runner"!

I've been running for a while now, and had completed a few half marathons when a friend who had done many full marathons and a few ultras, informed me that I couldn't call myself a runner until I had completed a full marathon.

Well............My name is Marcia, and I'm a runner!

It may have taken me a very long 5 hours, 17 minutes and 28 seconds to do the 42.195km required to complete the Sydney Marathon, but I did it.
 So there - I'm a runner!

Health, wealthy and wise!

There's an old saying: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!"

This morning I was up, out of bed and running by 6am! And after seeing my favourite friends on my runs, two kookaburra's (they laugh with me, not at me!) and a very unusual sighting of a wild deer (in suburban, semi rural Brisbane), I started thinking about how wonderful it is to be out so early in the morning, and my mother's voice, with that saying, popped into my head. And so I unpacked it on my run..........

Healthy................ that's the easy part. If you're up early, it generally means you're out exercising, or maybe starting work early (which gives you extra time to exercise after work). The air is crystal clear, there is little, if any pollution, and everything just feels fresh and good for you. While you're out there taking in the fresh air, you're waking up your cells, and getting rid of all the toxic fumes you've built up over the night.

Okay, now its starting to get tricky.....

Wealthy................okay, so if you're up early, then you have more time throughout the day to work hard and generate more wealth. Technically, you could just work a longer day - put in more hours and thereby generate the wealth. But if you've done the healthy bit, and got your body running on all cylinders, then your brain must be super charging to think of great ideas to generate more wealth with less effort.

And that flows on to the wise part............... so the brain is supercharged, working really well. And while you're out there exercising so early, there are few real distractions - yes, there are the birds (I also saw 2 Rosella's) and the deer etc. but they are hardly distractions - more like pleasantly exciting observations. This leaves you brain time to wisen up by thinking of all sorts of interesting things, like unpacking the saying: "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise". But I'm a woman! Will have to figure that one on tomorrows run...............

6 more sleeps......what have I done?

Only six more sleeps until I run my first full marathon!!!
My first thought on waking this morning was: "What was I thinking?"
I dragged myself out of bed, and off to hot yoga - and felt alot better.
And then I went for a slow 5km jog and the voice in my head kept on: "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"
And then I came home and watched the Michelle Bridge's podcast about Motivation from the current 12WBT, and the message was loud and clear: JFDI (Just F................. Do It!)
So that's what I'm going to do.
What's the worst that could happen? I don't make the cut-off, I don't finish..............so what!
I got to this point.............and I can do it..................and it might take forever................and it's the longest distance I've EVER run..................but I've raised $800 for the McGrath Foundation...........and I've got 2 new running shirts.....................and I CAN JUST F................. DO IT!
I'll be the one at the back..............in the pink tutu! But I'll be there!!!

Orienteering....first attempt

Browsing through the Saturday paper, I noticed an article on 10 things to do in Brisbane, and my interested was piqued at “orienteering”. So I read on, and before I knew it, I’d hopped on-line and was printing off maps, calendars and various other bits of information.

Sunday dawned bright and a little chilly. We set off on our usual run, which was fabulous in the crisp autumn air. But arrived home to pick up the small one, reload our water bottles, grab a bite to eat and head off to our first orienteering session.

Orienteering (the walking version) or rogaining (the running version) involves using a map and compass (and a torch if you’re doing night navigation), and logging in at various check-points along the route. In most instances you have to find the check-points in a particular order, and the winner is the person or team who goes to all the right points in the quickest time. Teams are separated at the start by a particular time period (ours was 2 minutes).

You can run or walk, or a combination of the two. You can follow roads or tracks, or head through the bush. And you can be young or old – we were behind a lady who was in her seventies, and we came across loads of families with littlies in tow. This is a sport for everyone – great to be out in the open, and excellent exercise! You’re slugging up and down hills without even realising it because you’re so intent on finding your place on the map and looking out for the orange marker which hangs near the device where you have to log your station.

The seventy + lady I mentioned arrived in a psychedelic green tracksuit and decked out with what looked like hockey shin pads on her legs, black plastic “sleeves” covering her ankles, sturdy boots and a contraption around her waist featuring all sorts of pockets, attachments and hidden gizmo’s. We were intrigued, and had a bit of a chuckle at the start, not know what this was about. But about 15 minutes and 2 check-points later, we got it. By then we were covered in cobblers’ pegs (black-jacks) and various other Velcro-like concoctions from nature. And had a small colony of something living inside our now very muddy running shoes.

We finished our 8 stations in just over an hour, were drenched in sweat and felt ever so pleased with ourselves. Even the small one survived, and may have improved her map reading skills somewhat. It has occurred to me, since looking at her SOSE homework that the kids of today are not exposed to maps other than the cars on-board GPS, or the mobile phone version. How are they expected to develop map reading skills from a small talking screen?

Tonight I try out the night nav series – in the woods in the dark…..

PS. The cost of our Sunday experience was a whopping $5. Go to http://oq.asn.au/ for more information.

http://oq.asn.au/

Conquering..........take two

This week was the start of the next episode of running..... and with it the resurgence of the need to blog about it. The reasoning behind the insanity:

I've just come back from a three week stint in the 'homeland' and undertook the Two Oceans Half Marathon for the third time. My first ever half marathon was the Two Oceans in 2006, and I ran it again in 2007 - the year we came to Australia. This time was very different, with a changed route, about 4000 more people, an extended cut-off time, and gale force winds followed by an icy downpour. Also, this time I started the race with my husband Kevin, and my cousin, Kevin (kept them the same so I didn't get too confused) and finished with cousin Kevin.

The victorious sloshers, Kevin Cahi and me ... as seen on TV

The race went as well as can be expected, slogging along in the wet with another 16 199 people. And we finished within the required time frame, with not too many aches and pains. Sloshing through ankle deep mud for the last 100m was not exactly fun, and I felt for the finishers of the full marathon who were sloshing through knee deep mud by the time their turn came. But it was after the approximately 4km run at the end of the race, to our car, in the rain that caused the light-bulb moment: "I've just run 21.1km and feel pretty good, and now I'm running another 4km and it feels pretty good, and I recon I've got at least another pretty good 6km in these legs, so why not try a full marathon" said she who has spent her entire life thinking and saying that people who run full marathons are clearly off their heads.

Gift vouchers for psychological evaluations would be greatly appreciated for my next birthday, thank you very much! I am now training to run the Sydney Marathon on 12 September 2012............... so watch this space!
And team tutu is always after willing participants, so please do come along....

Reminiscing....

Today, as I cycled along on my wee bicycle, something triggered a memory. You know that feeling: when you're doing something totally common place, and all of a sudden you're right back in the past. It could be a smell, a sound, an action, or a thought. In my case it was changing gears up a hill.

All of a sudden I found myself back in New Zealand, on the last day of our epic Otago bike trek. The last leg of the last day featured just 4 lonely souls: Julia, Tim, Uncle Mike and yours truly. It was a magnificent day, crisp, clean and cold and we were meandering along a beautiful tree lined path next to a river bank. But the meandering was short, because quite soon into the track we came across loads of little hills - and so up and down we went, with sharp turns, the failure of which would send us straight into the river. And all of this under a closed canopy of magnificent trees.

Uncle Mike and I left Tim and Julia behind, and I spent a wonderful time whooping and hollering along the track. Trying to get up as much speed as possible on the down hills and screeching (literally) up the up-hills. With Uncle Mike not far away - either in front or behind me. The man needed earplugs by the end, I'm sure, but put up with me without complaint!

At one stage we stopped and created a "tree fall" by stacking up twigs and branches across the path, and then hid in the bushes from Julia and Tim. Okay! It was all me! Uncle Mike just looked on in mild amusement! The idea, and look on Julia's face, kept me giggling for hours.

At one point on the journey, after much gear changing I said: "if we haven't got the hang of the gears by now, we never will", and it was that comment that came back to me as I changed gears up Savages Road this morning. And not only the comment came back at me - the feeling of pure joy that I experienced on that day, came right back at me. I remembered feeling exhilarated and having so much fun! Thank you Uncle Mike, Julia and Tim, for sharing that special day with me - and adding to its pure joy!

I love, that on any ordinary day, a memory can recreate the wonderful feelings of the past.....

And we're off!

Off we go. Out of yin yang square and turn right. Along the main high way. Have they forgotten to close it? Why are the trucks flying past us, belching smoke and diesel? Past the lone camel, and the half dead horses. Should we take one now, just in case? The locals are out: "nee how, nee how!"

Under the beautiful archway, and we realise we're at the foot of THAT hill. Up and up we go. Oh my goodness! What have we done! And we know what we're headed for - the aches in our muscles are a recent reminder of inspection day!

But before we know it, we're at the wall. Deep breaths, try not to choke on the smog, engage low gear, and off we go. We're on top before we know it: "Hey! I'm on top of the world!" We're having fun! Our tutu's are tottering along! It's still surreal! We're in China - on the Great Wall - wearing red tutu's - running in the race of our lives!

Up and down, down and up. Trying to gather speed on the flat bits. Laughing at the sensation of going backwards. Bottlenecks on the dangerous bits - a good excuse to stop and get the heart rates down. We're making new friends: 14 year old Mackenzie from Canada - how can you be doing this at 14? Grumpy old men, pushing past - annoyed at our chattering breaking their pace! Rude Danish runners - telling us that their time is important! Ha ha! Where are they going to go? There's a traffic jam! This is rush hour on the Great Wall, and it's either wait your turn or fall off the wall!

Heart rate is stable, and we're off again. Up and down, down and up! Loving it. Knowing we will miss it when it's over. And then it is. We're at the goat track, and the legs are fine - not shaking like they were on inspection day. Down the stairs to yin yang square. We're still together. Turn left at the square - we have to run around on the walls - mind those drains! "Hoe Poepal Hoe" we chant! Past the prayer rooms - why are the monks not summoning us to prayer today? We need all the prayers we can get? We've lapped it, and down the stairs, and through the square. The announcer says: "here come the tutu triplets!" On the main highway again!

Now we also have to contend with the street vendors - there's a butcher shop, and a fishery. They're out on the road, in the boiling sun! The faster runners are passing us: "nice tutu's", greeting old friends, it's getting hotter! Past the archway and onto the dirt track to the village. At 13km we find our deposited goodies: my coke has been lying in the sun! But it's sugar, and it's great. Stop long enough for a drink without choking. And we're off.

Through the village. People outside their homes. "nee how, welcome to our China". Young ones practising their English. Old people with wrinkled smiles. Chickens. Dogs who don't like tutu's. Toothless grins and chuckles of disbelief. This is why we came! Red lanterns swinging in the breeze. Turn left. Turn right. Follow the chalk arrows. Mind the bicycles. Out of the village. Through an orchard. Up a dry waterfall. Dodging the rocks on the river bed. A lady bearing two big cans of water dangling from a long stick across her shoulders. Patiently waiting for us to struggle up that hill. And there's Mackenzie, struggling with a cramp in her neck. Makes me ache for my girls at home. She's only 14! Rub her neck.

We're on top of the village. I feel like I'm on a Sound of Music set - makes me sing: "Climb every mountain...........". Looking back. The other tutu's hot on my heals. Hear my name. It's Darryl, from New Zealand. He's doing the full marathon, so is actually about 8km's ahead of me. We run together for awhile. He pulls ahead. Kyle and Jenny ahead. I sing their names. They've upgraded from the 10km to the half and are looking good.

But now we're tired. The legs are feeling like jelly. The sun is beating down. Making new rules as we go: we can only walk in the shade, and there's not much of it. Past the meat and the fish again. Smelling worse than it did earlier. We can hear the announcements in yin yang square. Nearly there. How much further? Do we have to run around it again? Can't remember. In we go. The tutu triplets together. And we're on the red carpet. We're over the mat. Our running chips beep. We've done it!