2:49:47! I did it!

2:49:47. Ninth woman overall. 

Yes friends, you read that heading correctly.

2:49:47 in the Melbourne Marathon. 

A new marathon PB. More importantly, proof positive that I have conquered high hamstring tendinopathy and I am back and running stronger than ever.

At the end of last year I was told there was a chance I would never race competitively again. This ripped my heart out - not only did I love to run, but I had lots more I wanted to achieve with my running. The ensuing months of treatment and rehab and false starts and set backs are documented a little in this blog, although I refrained from posting about the really, really dark times.

Always, always at the back of my mind was Melbourne Marathon. My big goal for the year and, as the months progressed and recovery took far longer than I wanted, my ONLY goal for the year. I just couldn't write this entire year off - I needed something good to come out of it.

Crossing the finish line on the MCG on Sunday and seeing 2:49 on the clock was the most wonderful reward for all the work and patience and perseverance and the many, many tears that were shed whilst trying to get back to running.

Personal drinks ready to go. 

I can't even begin to express how utterly grateful I am to everyone who had a role in my recovery since last November. Without my wonderful husband Andrew, my family, friends, coach (Sean Williams), physio (Brent Kirkbride), doctor (Donald Kuah), massage therapist (Michael Viera - Complete Body Dymamics) and Mizuno I couldn't have done it. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I know I'm going on as if I've won a gold medal at the Olympics or something, but I really need to express how much I appreciate everyone who has supported me. I love to run and, as much as I freak out before a race, I love to challenge myself by racing. I am so incredibly grateful and happy to be back at it again - and to be racing better than I ever have been before.

Wooooohooooo! Seriously! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! I'm sorry I can't be more eloquent - if you picture me running around madly waving my hands above my head you may have an inkling of how I'm feeling. 2:49:47!! YEAH!

The race went well. I wore the Mizuno Ronin - the first time I've worn them for the full marathon distance and they felt fantastic. No blisters, no bleeding and I still have all ten toenails. Excellent.

Early morning at the 'G'.

The weather wasn't as bad as I feared, although there was some wind and it started to rain a bit near the end. By about 9k I hooked up with two other women (Aarthi Venkatesan and Fleur Flanery) and we started to work together to maintain a pace of about 3:59/k. We were soon joined by some other women and a few men and our pack ran together quite strongly until that dreaded turnaround point near St Kilda Esplanade (25k). Not too long after that (I'm not sure where) we started to fall apart. Laura James and Hannah Flannery took off like they had jet-packs on - they both ran such strong, smart races and made it look so easy - while a few women fell behind me. I had a couple of bad stages but managed to hold a reasonable pace together until the 37k mark, where a hill and fading legs caused me to go from a 4:01km (@36k) to a 4:19km. Ouch. From there I had a couple of other bad splits which caused the anxiety levels to spike a little because I knew I'd be close to blowing the sub-2:50 time.

The last few seconds of the race, as I ran towards the finish and knew I was about scrape in under 2:50, were magic. A mix of utter relief and complete joy. The worst year suddenly became the best year, thanks to that little 42.2 kilometre run through Melbourne.

So happy. So grateful. So blessed.

Mizuno 2013 - love it!

Mizuno Wave Ronin 5

I received the best Valentine's Day presents. No, not flowers. Not chocolate. Not a romantic night out with my husband. Truth be told, the gifts weren't even from my husband. 

That's right. 

Oh, well played Mizuno. Delivering my parcel of 2013 apparel on Valentine's Day. You know how to make a runner's day. 

I received my shoes (Nirvana and Ronin) and compression socks last week and yesterday's parcel completed the package. It was like Christmas. Except better because you know you're going to love everything.

Embossed flowers and shapes on the singlet

This year the main women's apparel colour is pink (coral and rouge red according to the labels). And oh how I adore it.

Not only is the colour fantastic, but Mizuno has added funky little details - like the embossed flower motifs on the singlet and the print on the shorts. Oh, and the lining of the shorts matches the singlet too. I love feeling coordinated. 

The Ronin are FLURO YELLOW and I'm so excited about it. I love bright shoes (like the aqua Elixir from 2011). I've given them a test run which reaffirmed that they are indeed my favourite shoes ever. 

A quick side note on the shoes. For years my training shoe has been the Nirvana, a really comfortable and supportive shoe that I chose to do most of my running in. Now I'm running again whilst being treated for/recovering from high hamstring tendinopathy I'm finding the shoes that have a little less support (the Elixir and the Ronin - both of which used to be my race shoes) feel better for me to run in. This may well change when I begin to increase my distance again, but for now I'm doing most of my running in the Elixir. 

Another reason I like training in the Nirvana (aside from the support factor which is important when you're doing loads of kilometres) is that the it is slightly heavier than the Elixir (and the Ronin is lighter than both shoes) so on race day my feet feel super light and ready to run fast. 

Mizuno Wave Nirvana 9

Also included in yesterday's package were gloves, which I really appreciated seeing as though I threw my last pair on the side of the road during the Sydney10 last year. I strategically threw them somewhere I thought I could go back and get them (they were my good pair because I'd forgotten to bring a cheap throwaway pair) but when I went to find them after the race someone had already picked them up. 

Shorts - see the designs that show up in the light? Love it. 

I am incredibly grateful to be a Mizuno Brand Ambassador again, but I really want to make it clear that's certainly not the reason I'm so positive about all the gear. I want to be the best runner I can be, which means I'm not going to wear something unless I truly believe its the best thing for me. What's the point in having a relationship with a brand if that brand isn't going to help you reach your goals? Mizuno's philosophy is 'Never Settle' and it's something that strongly resonates with me. 

Back in 2010, after winning the Canberra Marathon, I was desperately searching for a new model of shoe. I had been wearing Asics up to that point but something had changed and the new Asics shoes were uncomfortable and causing me calf problems. I had friends who were having similar issues so there was obviously a change in the design. 

I was introduced to a Mizuno rep and he spoke to me about becoming a Brand Ambassador. I said I'd be keen to try the shoes as I hadn't worn Mizuno before and I was having a hard time finding a suitable shoe. As soon as I tried the Nirvana, I knew I was on to something good.

Since then I've been really fortunate that Mizuno has continued the relationship with me. I've tried a number of different models and I'm convinced the Nirvana (training, although we'll see what happens when I return from injury and get back to full training), Elixir (marathon distance racing, perhaps my new training shoe), and Ronin (so far up to half marathon, but I'd like to try it for a marathon) are the shoes for me.

Finally, I thought I'd include an extract from Mizuno's 'Mizunofesto' because I really do like it.


Our victories are personal.
Our devotion is perpetual.
And our potential is limitless.

Every day you make promises to yourself.
Be tough, only tougher.
Be strong, only stronger.
Be yourself, only better.

And, above all, never waver.
Never quit.
Never settle. 

So excited. Need to get out and race now. Hopefully that won't be too far away. 

Sweaty hugs from strangers (and Run4Fun)

One of the things I love about racing is the camaraderie that occurs between runners in the seconds after crossing the finish line. In my experience I've found the general rule is the more exhausted you are, the more inclined you are to throw your arms around the nearest person (and vice-versa).

If you think about this is a non-race situation, it's gross. I certainly wouldn't go near a panting, sweaty, often-sticky-with-gel-and-sports-drink stranger if they approached me in the street, mumbling incoherently about "thatlastkilometrekilledmeyoudidsowellIjustcouldn'thangon."But put me in a race situation and I'll welcome those hugs as if they were coming from Grandma herself.

What sparked these (oh so insightful) reflections you ask? I ran the Rebel Run4Fun on Sunday 4 November and the friendly atmosphere at the finish was magic. I was hugging strangers as if they were old friends and having conversations with people as if I'd known them for years. Truth be told, I was a little disappointed with my time but I felt so incredibly happy to be out amongst other like-minded runners. There is something so wonderful about feeling part of a community.

Run4Fun - Homebush - 10k
So, to the race. I was aiming to break 37 minutes. I thought I had a shot, but I've had so little experience racing 10k that I wasn't sure how things would pan out. My first half was quicker than my second half (I have to learn to pace myself) and I ended up finishing in 37.09, fifth woman. Happy enough because it's a PB (my third PB in as many races) but a bit miffed because I hadn't broken the 37 mark.

Interestingly enough, there has been a fair bit of discussion about the course being 200m long. The course was certified, but talk is that a turn point was put in the wrong spot. If true, this would mean I would have hit my target time, which is a bit disappointing. Having said that, the race has been run (and won by Lara Tamsett and Ben St Lawrence for those of you playing at home) and all I can do is look forward to the next 10k to try and achieve my goal.

I wore the Mizuno Ronin for the race and I can now say, without a doubt, they are definitely my favourite shoes to race in. They are light, responsive and really comfortable. I'm pretty confident they'll stand up to the marathon distance too.

Life has been incredibly hectic lately - work is taking precedence over everything and I am working incredibly long hours to get everything done. Working from home is a joy but it also means that if you need to stay up until 2am to get something done, you do it.

Naturally, this is making it hard to fit in quality training sessions, but I am trying hard to get it all done. I surprised myself on Tuesday - I had done an easy 7k in the morning because I thought that may have been my only chance to get a run in but the interval session was hanging over my head like a big, black cloud. At about 5.30pm I pushed myself out the door and headed to the oval. I felt flat and sluggish and I couldn't focus (I kept thinking about work), but I got through my session. What a change! A few months ago I would have looked for any excuse to avoid interval work.

I had a pretty solid weekend too, which has probably taken a bit of a toll on my legs. I did a three-hour ride on the M7 on Saturday, followed by a very short run (I am still considering doing Canberra half Ironman, but things are looking very doubtful right now). On Saturday I did a 30k run (I had 35k scheduled, but that was without taking the Saturday ride into consideration). This was on top of a lot of work, which is doing my head in and stressing me out.

This is always the busiest time of year for me and I am really looking forward to Christmas so I can take some time out. Still, I have a few more deadlines and a few more races before then.

Keep on running.

Hard work = results. Who knew?!

In my last post (the one about the horribly disappointing M7 Marathon) I mentioned that I had sent an email that would hopefully set me on the path to some achieving some good results. That was six weeks ago now and yes, I think it's safe to say things have been going well.

The email I referred to in that post was to Sean Williams, highly respected coach and owner of SWEAT .  I asked him if he'd help me prepare for Melbourne as best I could and, thankfully, he said yes. The next day my first program arrived and I committed myself to doing everything as well as I could - no quitting halfway through a session if I wasn't hitting certain times or paces, no missing a session because I was too busy.

The program, quite honestly, scared me. I saw speed work and paces that I didn't think I could ever achieve. So I simply didn't look too far ahead - I just started by looking at the sessions I had to do on any given day and I did them.

I've surprised myself at how well I've stuck to the programs. Even more surprising, is the sudden development of fast twitch muscles. After the first couple of weeks I was despairing of ever being able to run fast - I even told Sean he would have to readjust his paces for the upcoming sessions - then all of a sudden I could do it.

With Belinda Martin, winner of the NSW half champs. 

The work is already starting to pay off. I came second in the NSW Half Marathon Championships (Westies Joggers Hidden Half on 2 September) and ran a PB of 82:37. Given that this is a tough and hilly course I was really, really pleased. I felt strong and in control the whole time and looking back on it I should have trusted myself a bit more and pushed harder. A few days before the race Mizuno sent me some new racing flats - the Ronin - and after trying them out on a couple of runs and loving how fast they felt, I decided to see how they'd hold up over 21k. In short, they were brilliant. They felt magic. Part of me would like to test them over a marathon too, but I think I might need a bit more support for the full 42. 

Yesterday I ran a local 3k fun run (the Leonay Loop) and won it in 10:06. A milestone in my life - my first ever 3k race! Did a 33.6k run today and felt pretty good the whole way. I've been a little worried by the reappearance of some symptoms I had when I was diagnosed with Glandular Fever earlier in the year, so I'm going to the doc this week just to get things checked out.

Melbourne is getting closer and I am desperately hoping everything comes together for it. Having said that, if I go to Melbourne and I don't run a great time at least I will know that (for the first time) I have gone into a marathon totally prepared. I can't ask anything more of myself than that.

NSW Half Marathon Champs at Lake Gillawarna