I just took delivery of a HUGE parcel this morning! The All Blacks and NZRU have very kindly donated a signed, framed All Blacks World Cup jersey to raffle as an extra fundraiser! It looks awesome! Already I have had people offering to 'host' it in their shops and clubs to help sell tickets so I'm confident that it should be a big hit. I dread to think how many tickets my own sons will buy in their desperate attempts to win it. The sooner I get it out of the house, the better!
I can't believe how kind and supportive people are being already. I was really touched on Friday afternoon when a young girl whose face I vaguely knew from Liam's year came up to me after school. She asked shyly if I was who she thought I was and as soon as I replied her face broke into a huge smile and she announced 'I want to run the marathon with you!' I was really impressed at her compassion and strength of character. Having seen her run on school sports days I have no doubt she could do it too! I didn't have the heart to tell her that the full marathon has already sold out and you have to be 18 or over to do it. Still, if there is anyone else out there who would like to take part, there are still spaces in the Quarter Marathon (10km), the 5km walk and Kids Marathon. For more details, go to http://www.aucklandmarathon.co.nz/
Even my kids are getting the running bug! I had to go for TWO runs yesterday, one with them and another, longer one by myself. For the first time in my training so far, I wasn't really 'in the mood' - due largely to the howling gale outside. However, Liam wasn't having a bar of it! He jumped on his bike and chivvied me along all the way there and back, threatening to whack me on the bum with a spatula if I stopped, like the poor bloke in the movie 'Run, Fat Boy, Run!' Still, it did the trick and got me moving and I was really grateful to him in the end.
I have also received my tailored 12 week training programme from Adidas Endurance Coach, Brendan. It officially starts today and I'm really looking forward to it! There's only one foreseeable problem I can see with it - much of my training is supposed to be on the flat. There's no flat areas around for MILES where I live! I'm surrounded by hills as far as the eye can see. As soon as I set foot out of the door I'm running uphill. I envy people who have nice, flat areas to train on. However training exclusively on hills does have its advantages. I found the Taupo Half Iron Man run a doddle because it was so flat! All around me were grown men, throwing up by the side of the road or collapsed under trees and there was me, breezing past them thinking 'what's your problem? This is easy!' Not that I'm thinking for one moment running this marathon is going to be easy - but it certainly can't be any more hilly than what I'm used to!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
More haste, more speed!
Hey, I'm on the front page of the North Waikato News! Shame I'm the most unphotogenic person in the universe but if it helps spread the word I'm happy. The article was excellent and at least my legs don't look fat! It certainly seems to have done the job raising awareness already - when I was out for my run yesterday afternoon everyone who went past beeped and waved madly at me, that doesn't usually happen!
I've only been back running for 10 days and already I can really feel an improvement in my fitness. Yesterday I went to the gym for an hour long circuit training session. Last time I went to one of these it nearly killed me and I was groaning in agony for days afterwards but this time I barely broke a sweat. In fact I had to go for a run later, it didn't feel as though I had done enough! It doesn't take long to get fit once you start putting the work in but I'm really impatient when it comes to improving my time speedwise. I've already knocked four minutes of my 5km time but I want to get it down to my previous best of 24 minutes. I can do it in 26 at the moment, which is still a big improvement from 30 minutes last week!
Last night I had the pleasure of talking to Bryce's dad on the phone for the first time. I was pretty nervous but I needn't have worried, he was a lovely friendly chap. Turns out he's run a few marathons in his time too, in fact his old training ground is just a few minutes from where I live! Small world. He reckons if I can run a half marathon in two hours I should be able to complete a full one in four hours no worries. That's my ultimate goal. My conservative goal is four and a half hours, as managed by Kerre Woodham. If I can do it in that time I'll be happy but every minute under will be a bonus. I'll also be considerably faster than the likes of Al Gore and Katie Holmes!
I've only been back running for 10 days and already I can really feel an improvement in my fitness. Yesterday I went to the gym for an hour long circuit training session. Last time I went to one of these it nearly killed me and I was groaning in agony for days afterwards but this time I barely broke a sweat. In fact I had to go for a run later, it didn't feel as though I had done enough! It doesn't take long to get fit once you start putting the work in but I'm really impatient when it comes to improving my time speedwise. I've already knocked four minutes of my 5km time but I want to get it down to my previous best of 24 minutes. I can do it in 26 at the moment, which is still a big improvement from 30 minutes last week!
Last night I had the pleasure of talking to Bryce's dad on the phone for the first time. I was pretty nervous but I needn't have worried, he was a lovely friendly chap. Turns out he's run a few marathons in his time too, in fact his old training ground is just a few minutes from where I live! Small world. He reckons if I can run a half marathon in two hours I should be able to complete a full one in four hours no worries. That's my ultimate goal. My conservative goal is four and a half hours, as managed by Kerre Woodham. If I can do it in that time I'll be happy but every minute under will be a bonus. I'll also be considerably faster than the likes of Al Gore and Katie Holmes!
Monday, August 3, 2009
It takes all sorts
Eek! Had to stand up in front of 500 pupils at school assembly and talk about running the marathon today. I'm not sure what was more terrifying, getting up on stage and talking to everyone or the fact I had just driven the exact marathon distance home from Hamilton and realised what a horrendously long way 42km actually is to run on foot. Liam still hasn't forgiven me for telling everyone he said his mum was too old and fat to run a marathon, they've given him heaps ever since! The thing is, nobody is too old or too fat to run a marathon. There's a chap who lives in our town called Gilbert Powley. He's 81 years old and has run the Huntly Half Marathon 12 times, not to mention countless other events over the many years he has been competing. When I took part in the 12km Hamilton Round the Bridges run last year the first person I saw was Gilbert. There may be almost 50 years between us but he finished just four minutes behind me!
I soon realised you don't have to be an elite athlete to run a marathon. Obviously it helps but it's not essential. Taking part in the Taupo Half Iron Man last year was a huge eye opener. The night before at the briefing I was terrified. Everyone looked so together, so thin, so fit compared to me. I was convinced I was going to be the last one to stagger over the finish line - but I wasn't! When the next day dawned I was amazed - and delighted - to see men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes setting out on the 21km run. Sure, you got a few know-it-all plonkers clad from head to toe in spandex and breezing along with their noses in the air but most people were just like me. I even ran into my old next door neighbour from 15 years ago on the second lap and we had a good old catch up! For most of us, running a marathon is not about the survival of the fittest; it's more about the challenge - the chance to prove to yourself that you're capable of more than you ever thought possible.
Yesterday was a write-off, I was sick, which was a real pain. I have to admit I almost have a phobia about being ill now. You can't be ill when you're training for a marathon! I'm terrified of getting behind with my training, although this is probably fairly unlikely as I have a tendency to over train for everything. The first time I did a Special K triathlon years ago was with a friend who like me, had never done any serious exercise in her life. Never ones to do things by halves we threw ourselves into our training. We were doing the whole shebang - swimming, biking and running - for three hours a day! Can you imagine how daft we felt when we saw the 'recommended training schedule' just a few days before the event and saw that we were only supposed to train for ONE thing each day, with at least one day off per week?!
Even yesterday I was reading Kerre Woodham's book 'From short fat chick to marathon runner' - it's a brilliant book, funny, motivating and I learned heaps but I had never taken a look at her 12 week training schedule at the back of the book before. I finally did - and it seems already I'm doing wayyy more than I need to at this stage! So I signed up for my own tailored 12 week training plan through the marathon website. It should be here in the next day or two, I can't wait!
Fortunately I was feeling much better today and ran 5km. It was all good - the sun was shining, my headphones worked and I was chuffed to see I had knocked two whole minutes off my previous time! I was also chuffed to hear at school assembly today that Bryce and his wife are the proud new parents of a baby girl, Olivia, born last Thursday. I'm amazed at how much support there is already for my fundraising mission. Fingers crossed it looks as though both the local Lions clubs are getting behind me and... exciting news, That's Life magazine want to run a story in the hope their readers will sponsor me in the marathon! That's Life incidentally has one million readers a week in NZ and Australia, which could be fantastic for my fundraising target! Fingers crossed!
I soon realised you don't have to be an elite athlete to run a marathon. Obviously it helps but it's not essential. Taking part in the Taupo Half Iron Man last year was a huge eye opener. The night before at the briefing I was terrified. Everyone looked so together, so thin, so fit compared to me. I was convinced I was going to be the last one to stagger over the finish line - but I wasn't! When the next day dawned I was amazed - and delighted - to see men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes setting out on the 21km run. Sure, you got a few know-it-all plonkers clad from head to toe in spandex and breezing along with their noses in the air but most people were just like me. I even ran into my old next door neighbour from 15 years ago on the second lap and we had a good old catch up! For most of us, running a marathon is not about the survival of the fittest; it's more about the challenge - the chance to prove to yourself that you're capable of more than you ever thought possible.
Yesterday was a write-off, I was sick, which was a real pain. I have to admit I almost have a phobia about being ill now. You can't be ill when you're training for a marathon! I'm terrified of getting behind with my training, although this is probably fairly unlikely as I have a tendency to over train for everything. The first time I did a Special K triathlon years ago was with a friend who like me, had never done any serious exercise in her life. Never ones to do things by halves we threw ourselves into our training. We were doing the whole shebang - swimming, biking and running - for three hours a day! Can you imagine how daft we felt when we saw the 'recommended training schedule' just a few days before the event and saw that we were only supposed to train for ONE thing each day, with at least one day off per week?!
Even yesterday I was reading Kerre Woodham's book 'From short fat chick to marathon runner' - it's a brilliant book, funny, motivating and I learned heaps but I had never taken a look at her 12 week training schedule at the back of the book before. I finally did - and it seems already I'm doing wayyy more than I need to at this stage! So I signed up for my own tailored 12 week training plan through the marathon website. It should be here in the next day or two, I can't wait!
Fortunately I was feeling much better today and ran 5km. It was all good - the sun was shining, my headphones worked and I was chuffed to see I had knocked two whole minutes off my previous time! I was also chuffed to hear at school assembly today that Bryce and his wife are the proud new parents of a baby girl, Olivia, born last Thursday. I'm amazed at how much support there is already for my fundraising mission. Fingers crossed it looks as though both the local Lions clubs are getting behind me and... exciting news, That's Life magazine want to run a story in the hope their readers will sponsor me in the marathon! That's Life incidentally has one million readers a week in NZ and Australia, which could be fantastic for my fundraising target! Fingers crossed!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Tools of the trade
Ran 10km yesterday! Have now completed a quarter of my marathon. I'm confident I can do this; I've only been back running properly for a week after all. Already I'm noticing the difference, I can fit back into my jeans again and the pouch I wear around my waist for running is much looser. Bonus!
Yesterday was a beautiful day for a run and as I made my way up one of the many hills I thought to myself how much I was enjoying my run and how well it was all going. Then my iPod headphones crapped out. Talk about ruin the moment! It ruined the whole run actually. Not enough to stop me carrying on but it was still a real pain running more than half the distance with intermittent crackling in one ear. When running long distances I like everything to be perfect. By this I don't mean the weather (although obviously it helps if it's not piddling with rain or blowing a howling gale) but other things in general, such as:
The Right Underwear - Hugely important! Bridget Jones had the right idea with her huge undies. The last thing you want is to run any sort of distance with a huge wedgie. I learned a long time ago that Nanna knickers are the way to go. You also don't want to run in a bra where the straps are either too tight, or so loose that you have to keep constantly hitching them up as you're going along.
Music - I can't run without music. Well I can, but I'd really rather not. It's motivating and it has a huge effect on my mood when I'm running. Hence it's essential for me to make sure my iPod is always charged so it doesn't die on me. I also learned yesterday to carry a spare pair of headphones in case they let you down too. Talking of headphones, I have found those silly little ear buds don't stay in your ears when running. The best ones I've come across are the type which hook over your ears. They work well, never fall out and are heaps cheaper than the posh ones too.
Lucky hat - I always have a lucky running hat; one which I keep just for running. The last hat wasn't so lucky because it got chewed it to pieces by our spaniel, but prior to that it served me well. Forced to find a replacement I asked the kids to choose me a new lucky running hat in Rebel Sports. I should have known better - they assured me the one they picked was 'cool' at the time but as soon as I put it on when I got home they fell about laughing and continue to do so every time I go for a run in it. Still, it's my lucky running hat and will see me through this marathon - as long as the dog doesn't find it...
Starburst lollies - I learned this tip from Kerre Woodham! She uses jelly snakes actually but those are pretty hard to come by in Te Kauwhata. However I have found Starburst to be an essential to pack in my pouch when running further than 5km. They are an awesome energy boost when you need it and stop your mouth going dry when you can't have a drink. I use them as rewards when I have to run up a particularly daunting hill. I pop one in my mouth at the bottom of the hill and enjoy the flavour all the way up but I don't let myself chew it until I'm at the top. Works a treat!
At least the only thing which let me down yesterday were the headphones. Another bonus was my hubby meeting me along the road unexpectedly half way through with an ice cold bottle of Powerade. Bliss! You would not BELIEVE how magical that stuff is. Most people just buy it 'cos they think it looks cool and tastes nice but it really does the job when you actually need it. We've been lucky enough to hang out with the ACT Brumbies a couple of times and they always have a constant supply of Powerade and jelly snakes on hand. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!
Yesterday was a beautiful day for a run and as I made my way up one of the many hills I thought to myself how much I was enjoying my run and how well it was all going. Then my iPod headphones crapped out. Talk about ruin the moment! It ruined the whole run actually. Not enough to stop me carrying on but it was still a real pain running more than half the distance with intermittent crackling in one ear. When running long distances I like everything to be perfect. By this I don't mean the weather (although obviously it helps if it's not piddling with rain or blowing a howling gale) but other things in general, such as:
The Right Underwear - Hugely important! Bridget Jones had the right idea with her huge undies. The last thing you want is to run any sort of distance with a huge wedgie. I learned a long time ago that Nanna knickers are the way to go. You also don't want to run in a bra where the straps are either too tight, or so loose that you have to keep constantly hitching them up as you're going along.
Music - I can't run without music. Well I can, but I'd really rather not. It's motivating and it has a huge effect on my mood when I'm running. Hence it's essential for me to make sure my iPod is always charged so it doesn't die on me. I also learned yesterday to carry a spare pair of headphones in case they let you down too. Talking of headphones, I have found those silly little ear buds don't stay in your ears when running. The best ones I've come across are the type which hook over your ears. They work well, never fall out and are heaps cheaper than the posh ones too.
Lucky hat - I always have a lucky running hat; one which I keep just for running. The last hat wasn't so lucky because it got chewed it to pieces by our spaniel, but prior to that it served me well. Forced to find a replacement I asked the kids to choose me a new lucky running hat in Rebel Sports. I should have known better - they assured me the one they picked was 'cool' at the time but as soon as I put it on when I got home they fell about laughing and continue to do so every time I go for a run in it. Still, it's my lucky running hat and will see me through this marathon - as long as the dog doesn't find it...
Starburst lollies - I learned this tip from Kerre Woodham! She uses jelly snakes actually but those are pretty hard to come by in Te Kauwhata. However I have found Starburst to be an essential to pack in my pouch when running further than 5km. They are an awesome energy boost when you need it and stop your mouth going dry when you can't have a drink. I use them as rewards when I have to run up a particularly daunting hill. I pop one in my mouth at the bottom of the hill and enjoy the flavour all the way up but I don't let myself chew it until I'm at the top. Works a treat!
At least the only thing which let me down yesterday were the headphones. Another bonus was my hubby meeting me along the road unexpectedly half way through with an ice cold bottle of Powerade. Bliss! You would not BELIEVE how magical that stuff is. Most people just buy it 'cos they think it looks cool and tastes nice but it really does the job when you actually need it. We've been lucky enough to hang out with the ACT Brumbies a couple of times and they always have a constant supply of Powerade and jelly snakes on hand. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Reasons to be cheerful
Mission accomplished! Today I opened a bank account for my sponsor money and donations to go into. It's called 'THE BRYCE CLAPHAM FAMILY FUND'. You can go into any branch of the National Bank in NZ and make a donation, you don't even need the account number. The wonders of technology! I've never known a bank manager so pleased to see me either! I also had an interview with the North Waikato News, who are going to give my fundraising mission a plug, hooray!
Only had time to run 5km today but at least it was something. I'm noticing the difference already since I started running every day - I could easily have run another 5km if it wasn't getting too dark! However I've noticed a much bigger difference in my motivation now I'm committed to running for someone else as well as me. I have to get out there every day and train, rain, hail or shine - and I want to. No more excuses for this chick, I can't let people down!
Amazingly (for me) I've also decided to give up alcohol while I'm training. I do love my wine I admit - the more the better! However I have made the mistake of running with a hangover twice (you would have thought I would have learned the first time) and I really don't recommend it. Not only that, I once read that drinking one glass of wine is equal to eating one chocolate Tim Tam biscuit. There's no way I would ever sit and scoff half a packet of Tim Tams in one sitting - or dare I say it, even a WHOLE packet - yet I'm happy to pour the equivalent in wine down my gullet! So the wine has been replaced with Appletiser instead. I'm feeling quite saintly I don't mind admitting. Until I remember it's probably going to be quite some time before Bryce gets to enjoy something as simple as a beer. I think Mr Driller the principal is going to visit him in hospital this weekend. I wonder what he's going to think about this crazy woman running a marathon for him? I hope he doesn't mind...
Only had time to run 5km today but at least it was something. I'm noticing the difference already since I started running every day - I could easily have run another 5km if it wasn't getting too dark! However I've noticed a much bigger difference in my motivation now I'm committed to running for someone else as well as me. I have to get out there every day and train, rain, hail or shine - and I want to. No more excuses for this chick, I can't let people down!
Amazingly (for me) I've also decided to give up alcohol while I'm training. I do love my wine I admit - the more the better! However I have made the mistake of running with a hangover twice (you would have thought I would have learned the first time) and I really don't recommend it. Not only that, I once read that drinking one glass of wine is equal to eating one chocolate Tim Tam biscuit. There's no way I would ever sit and scoff half a packet of Tim Tams in one sitting - or dare I say it, even a WHOLE packet - yet I'm happy to pour the equivalent in wine down my gullet! So the wine has been replaced with Appletiser instead. I'm feeling quite saintly I don't mind admitting. Until I remember it's probably going to be quite some time before Bryce gets to enjoy something as simple as a beer. I think Mr Driller the principal is going to visit him in hospital this weekend. I wonder what he's going to think about this crazy woman running a marathon for him? I hope he doesn't mind...
Blogging for Bryce
Well, I've gone and done it - no going back! On November 1st 2009 I will be running 42.2km in the Auckland Marathon to raise money for my son's PE teacher, Bryce Clapham. I haven't actually met Bryce, I've just seen him around the school, usually with a big grin on his face. He probably wouldn't know me if he saw me, but like many I was shocked and saddened to hear that this big, strapping bloke had broken his neck playing a game of rugby a few weeks back. As the mum of two rugby-mad kids I know these things happen. It's the chance you take when you play any sport - but obviously you never think it's going to happen to you. Although I think about it a lot more these days - every time I see my youngest son lying on the field at the bottom of a ruck I hope like hell he gets up. The same week Bryce was injured my eldest son was playing a week long rugby rep tournament. 220 kids playing rugby at the same venue for seven days straight - and no presence of St John's Ambulance or whatever. Ludicrous! On one occasion when a child was injured (with a neck injury) he had to wait 40 minutes for an ambulance. Not good enough.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand! Here's Bryce with everything going for him. A young, popular teacher at Te Kauwhata College, recently made Dean of Year 10 and about to be a father for the first time. Then bang - in an instant his life is changed forever. It's not known at this stage what the future holds for Bryce but his journey is going to be a long, slow one. The students and teachers raised $3000 for him last week by holding a mufti day at school. A fantastic effort which got me thinking maybe I could help too.
I never used to be a sporty type - quite the opposite, I HATED sport! Never had much of a chance to do any sport growing up in England. Then I emigrated to NZ, sporting mad nation. What a shock to the system that was! I hated rugby with a passion until my own kids started playing it. Now I love it, but I never dreamed of doing any physical activity myself. Until I joined the gym one day and started walking on the treadmill. I soon got bored with that - I wanted to go faster! So I started running and discovered to my amazement that I was actually quite good at it. I could run for ages! I got off the treadmill and took to the roads instead. I did my first half marathon at the age of 35 and enjoyed it so much I wanted to do it again!
For me, the Auckland Marathon is one of those 'things I want to do before I turn 40' things. It started off as pure self indulgence - but now it's become much more. I'm not just running it for me, I'm running it for Bryce. I want to raise as much money as I can for him and his young family. As I type, he's stuck in hospital still anxiously awaiting the birth of his baby daughter and hoping his 'good arm' will be strong enough to hold her.
So I've done it now. I went to see the school principal yesterday and told him of my plan. He loved it! We've agreed we're going to try and get as many people to sponsor me in the marathon as we possibly can. Today I'm going to the bank to set up a special account for donations to go into and I've got an interview with the local newspaper. No going back now!
Anyway, back to the topic at hand! Here's Bryce with everything going for him. A young, popular teacher at Te Kauwhata College, recently made Dean of Year 10 and about to be a father for the first time. Then bang - in an instant his life is changed forever. It's not known at this stage what the future holds for Bryce but his journey is going to be a long, slow one. The students and teachers raised $3000 for him last week by holding a mufti day at school. A fantastic effort which got me thinking maybe I could help too.
I never used to be a sporty type - quite the opposite, I HATED sport! Never had much of a chance to do any sport growing up in England. Then I emigrated to NZ, sporting mad nation. What a shock to the system that was! I hated rugby with a passion until my own kids started playing it. Now I love it, but I never dreamed of doing any physical activity myself. Until I joined the gym one day and started walking on the treadmill. I soon got bored with that - I wanted to go faster! So I started running and discovered to my amazement that I was actually quite good at it. I could run for ages! I got off the treadmill and took to the roads instead. I did my first half marathon at the age of 35 and enjoyed it so much I wanted to do it again!
For me, the Auckland Marathon is one of those 'things I want to do before I turn 40' things. It started off as pure self indulgence - but now it's become much more. I'm not just running it for me, I'm running it for Bryce. I want to raise as much money as I can for him and his young family. As I type, he's stuck in hospital still anxiously awaiting the birth of his baby daughter and hoping his 'good arm' will be strong enough to hold her.
So I've done it now. I went to see the school principal yesterday and told him of my plan. He loved it! We've agreed we're going to try and get as many people to sponsor me in the marathon as we possibly can. Today I'm going to the bank to set up a special account for donations to go into and I've got an interview with the local newspaper. No going back now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
