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Friday, December 23, 2011

Mizuno Brand Ambassador for 2012

Yahoo!! An early Christmas present and a fabulous way to finish off the year.

Yesterday afternoon I was (very literally) dancing around the house after receiving an email from Mizuno offering me a place in the Mizuno Brand Ambassador Program for 2012.

I've been fortunate enough to have support from Mizuno since 2010, after winning the National Capital Marathon in Canberra. The timing back then was serendipitous - I was desperately looking for new shoes for both racing and training because the brand I had worn for many years completely changed the models I wore and they were causing me no end of trouble. I thought it may have just been me, especially after being told by a fitting specialist there wasn't a significant change in the shoes, but my husband and a couple of friends were also having problems with their arch support and archilles, so it was definitely more than my imagination.

I had never tried Mizuno before (simply because I was lazy and it was easy to stick with something else while it was working for me), and I was thrilled to find they were exactly what I was looking for. I was recommended the Nirvana for training and the Elixir for racing, and both proved to be spot on.

Not only did Mizuno support me by providing me with shoes, they also gave me a clothing allowance so, for the first time, I started to get outfits that not only fitted really well, but actually matched! So exciting!

I was invited on board again in 2011, and I was just so grateful (and surprised) that an international company like Mizuno would actually consider me worthy of representing its brand. Again, I got some fantastic kit, including the coolest looking shoes I've ever had to date - the Elixir 6 (pictured left). Love, love, love them. Everyone does.

A little while ago all the 2011 Brand Ambassadors received an email thanking us for the year and explaining the program was going to be consolidated for 2012 and only those selected for 2012 would be receiving another email. I very honestly thought that was the end of a very good (very lucky!) wicket for me. I was so sure that I actually went and purchased a new pair of Mizunos from the store because mine needed replacing!

Needless to say I am absolutely over the moon to have the opportunity to represent Mizuno again this year. It has been such a privilege, and I desperately hope I can have a few excellent performances over the next 12 months to prove their selection was warranted.

Now, I can't WAIT to see what the new range is like! Happy days!

Monday, December 19, 2011

A break!

I was flicking through my calendar (yes, I still use a paper and pen diary!) and I found myself a little surprised at everything I've done over the past couple of months. I am not a prolific racer, so the number of events I've done in succession is a little different for me - but I'm feeling quite good about it.

The Sydney Marathon debacle in September was followed by the Melbourne Marathon success in October. Usually after a marathon I'll give myself at least four weeks before I race any distance again, just because I think my body needs that time to recover.

Exactly four weeks after Melbourne I did the Horribly Hilly Half Marathon, which was a very informal and fun affair organised by the infamous Ratdog and co. That was a super, super hot morning, made worse by the fact I had neglected to read the race instructions and didn't realise there was only one point (very early) on the course that I could get water. No wonder everyone was carrying their own!

The following week was Nepean Tri, which I really enjoyed.

Then came a half marathon at SMC (first place). The next week was the Central Coast Half (second place behind the spectacular Kirsten Molloy who I became friendly with at Melbourne as we were both on the NSW team that won the state teams challenge). The week after that was the Balmain 10k fun run (first place).

Then a weekend without any racing, a really hectic week of work, followed by another half marathon at SMC (first place) yesterday.

And now there's less than a week until Christmas - my absolute FAVOURITE time of the year - and only two more days of work. Hurrah!


Sunday, December 4, 2011

A win at Balmain 10k

Believe it or not, this was my first ever 10k race - and it wasn't a nice and flat one either!


I was really pleased to come away with the win today, especially seeing as though the body is feeling a bit fatigued because I've raced for the past five weekends. Combined with it being the end of the year, which is always the busiest time for me at work, I'm feeling a bit drained and well and truly ready for a break over Christmas.


I've always avoided 10k races - and the longer I avoided them, the more nervous I became about ever doing one. However, the time has come for me to bite the bullet and do the speed work. I know I'm not going to get much faster over a marathon if I continue to neglect this shorter stuff, so the year ahead will bring some shorter races. Fast twitch muscles I will find you in there somewhere!


I was very surprised at how hilly (i.e. tough!) the course was. I have trained around the Bay Run a bit, because work is nearby, so I thought most of the run would be pretty flat. Err, no.


Ended up finishing first woman home in 38:47, which I found out later was a course record by about three-and-a-half minutes. Was I happy with the way it went? Well, the time was slower than the 10k I did off the bike at Nepean (37:46), so that was disappointing, but I was happy to win and even happier to finally get the 10k monkey off my back. It was a very low key and friendly event, and I'll definitely be back again next year.


One thing I really loved was watching the kids run/walk the 2k event - especially the really young ones. They were so determined and looked so happy when they crossed the finish line.


While I was waiting for the presentation I did another 9k around the bay and some side streets - it's such a nice place to run.