Sunday, May 19

City to Surf 2013 Here I Come!

Fast forward to two weeks from today and I can guarantee that I will not be sitting in front of the computer as soon as I get up. Well as long as all goes to plan (touching wood and all that) Last night I entered in the local city to surf fun run. I am beyond excited!

A few days ago a friend asked me if I was interested in doing the 4km section of the run. Which brought my attention to the fact race day was only two short weeks away. Which leaves little room for preparation. Mind you last minute always seems to be my style.

Last year I fleetingly thought about entering a few of the fun runs around town but decided I lacked enough running experience and knowledge (aka confidence) to run amongst others. To ease the guilt I felt at not entering I assured myself that I would make amends this year. 

With over twelve months of running under my belt by that time I was certain I would have the skills and fitness needed.

Hmmmm..... 

Now those twelve months have been and gone I am suddenly faced with the same dilemmas. The cooler weather is on the way and running season is about to start. Actually I think it probably has.

The other week as I trawled through my Instagram feed I was greeted with endless photos of proud runners completing the Mother's Day Classic. As happy as I was for my friends who completed the run, I was disappointed I had no photo to join in with. In fact for a little bit I got quite cross at myself.

There are a whole bunch of excuses as to why I wasn't there. The biggest of which was I couldn't be bothered. Yes I know a terrible thing to admit to, but at the end of the day that is what it all boils down to. It was easier to say oh the logistics are too hard, I won't bother. I haven't been running enough lately, it will all be too hard, I won't bother.

I am currently hanging my head in shame.

Sure my running hasn't been as consistent as what I thought it would have been. Especially in the last few months. It nearly petered out altogether, but it hasn't. And I won't let it. I refuse to. I want to be a runner. I want to say I ran in a race. I don't want to wait another year for that.

As I went to fill out the entry form for the city to surf I discovered that this year marks the 40th year the race has been run. If you entered the main race there was a hat, water bottle and even a medal up for grabs. I then found myself clicking on the 12km rather than 4km. Who wouldn't want a medal?

I am pumped. I am nervous. I am excited. I don't really want to wait the two weeks.

It just so happens I have some lovely new sneakers
and new lenses for my sunnies.
Last night I went for a run to see if I could at least last that distance. It is with great pride I say I did. Sure there was some walking involved but that's ok. It was certainly a lot more running than walking. In fact the ratio was quite surprising.

Overall I don't think my time was too bad, 1:41:32 if you were wondering.

 Not fast by any means and probably considered
slow by many, but I don't care
At least I know I can move for that distance. Even though it is only two weeks away I am sure that there is still time to improve somewhat.

My plan is to stick to 3-5km runs and just solidly build on that. I don't think I will run every day but I will do something every day. Be it riding, water running or swimming. I will just make sure I am extra active. Trying to ensure my body is a strong as possible without sending it into shock or shut down.

Next weekend I will think about 9km run but will wait and see how my body is feeling. I don't want to over do it or anything crazy like that. The most important thing is that I run the whole race, time is irrelevant.

The super best part about all of this is that the race goes right past my back yard so Mr Awesome and the girls will be able to stand on the balcony and cheer me on. We are at about the halfway mark so I imagine by then I will need a bit of an extra boost. They will then be able to hightail it to the finishing line to cheer for me when I get there.

Have I mentioned my excitement?

Are you a runner?
Do you have any hot tips for me?




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10 comments:

  1. You are amazing. I am doing Sydney City to Surf in August. Your time looks great to me.
    My tip is to follow your instinct and stick to what you outlined above. On the day the crowd , runners and adrenalin rush will help you. I did my faster time ever for 4km in MDC. I can't do it again at home.
    Protein is good for muscle recovery after each run, I read we need to consume protein after running within 30mins.

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    1. Thanks for the tips lovely, and the kind words. Go you for August. You know that I really do think of you at times as my inspirations to keep running. In fact I really owe my running to you and Kate, I can't ever thank you enough. Super yay for your fastest time as well!

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  2. I love running - I often think of Forrest Gump and relate - i can just run and run and run. If i'm excited about something I can run even more. If i'm hungover I run. I run outside where there is beauty and fresh air. I run to clear my head, write heavy duty work assignments and to feel good. I can't tell you how much running means to me and what it has done for my life so go for it in the City to Surf - it will make you feel fantastic!!

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    1. I run outside as well and like you I just love it. You don't need to tell me how much running means to you, I know exactly what you mean. It is totally amazing!

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  3. I love it! I am running City to Surf too but in Sydney, it was my first big run!

    I enjoy the peace and quite that a late afternoon run away from the kids gives me. I also love running around the lake and watching the sun set. If I run in the morning I love the colour of the light. I found running helps me enjoy my life more.

    My tips for running, is never increase your distance by more than 10% per week, this helps keep injuries down. Also if it is cold, do a short slow jog to get the blood flowing before you set off. Have fun!

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    1. How exciting to be running in Sydney, but oh my, all those people! I love the alone time it brings as well. Thanks for the tips as well, not that I really ever have to worry about it being cold here! I generally briskly walk for 5 minutes before I start running and then again for 5 minutes at the end.

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  4. Good on you for taking the plunge! Am not really a runner so no tips from me.

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  5. That's amazing Rhianna, good on you for signing up and making the distance in your training run! I haven't run in a little while, but I find that the main struggle is mental. You'll probably get to a point where your head tells you to walk, or that you can't make it - be stubborn and push past it!

    Thanks for adding this post to the May Festa :-)

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    1. My pleasure, thanks for hosting. You are so right about so much of it being mental.

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