Those that follow my Facebook Page know that my main goal since late October has been to increase my running distance in preparation for the half marathon I am doing on 22 February.
The last few months has literally been about putting one foot in front of the other and increasing my mileage. Surprisingly, overall it has been a relatively smooth journey.. various ups and downs but slowly and surely increasing my distance and pace. Mentally I feel like I am 100% there, I am ready and amped to go. Fitness wise, I also feel like I am there...which is a huge feat. Exercising for just over 2hrs is not that challenging anymore, which is really weird to say but I guess it also does come down to the fact that my pace is more of a relaxed run so the heart is not overly stressed out.
The curve ball that has been thrown my way is that my body can't quite keep up yet. As I've been running more, my legs have been giving me more grief. Turns out I have a few issues with my glutes not firing correctly and this puts stress on other areas of my legs, which in turn causes pain. My running style is also not particularly great, which I put down to me just adapting to any way I could possibly get running when I first started. In hindsight, I wish I had gotten more guidance around running technique and a proper strength training programme before I started this journey. Always the way isn't it!
The good news is that it is fixable, but it will take time, and it definitely won't be fully fixed in 5 weeks for Round the Bays. I can hopefully get a bit of relief before the big day, but I am just going to have to take it as it comes and hope for the best. I am still aiming for 2hrs 15min and provided I rest up properly, I feel like I can still achieve that time!!!
Having had a bit of a think about my life, where I am and where I want to be, I've realised how easy it is to just float around in life with no real purpose. Our lives are just too short, so I want to make the most of every bit of time I have...this is where more goals come in (you guys know I love goals!)
A few weeks ago I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine who is on a similar sort of self development journey as me, and also a little crazy about fitness. We both decided we needed to get onto something bigger and better. Something that's scary, makes you a bit nervous, a real challenge... but also something that is achievable with some hard work, dedication and discipline.
We set ourselves the goal of entering the 1/2 Ironmaori Triathlon in December 2016 - this is a 2km swim, 90km cycle and a 21.1km run. Achievable right, because it's almost two years away, with the plan of some smaller events in the lead up.
Cue hand shake, high fives and excitement...What do you think happens when you have two driven people who love challenges and this idea brews for a few days? Change the goal posts to December 2015. 11 months away!! Possibly a little crazy but I know that it will be a hell of a ride!
Having a friend to train with makes massive goals like this 100x easier though...keeping each other accountable, going through everything together, knowing what the other is experiencing and supporting each other throughout the process. Hopefully we come out as better people on the other side!!
I am currently deciding whether I can bring myself to do the 1/2 distance, or whether to go for the 1/4 distance which is 1km swim, 45km cycle and 10.5km run. I feel like I am going to be persuaded to do the 1/2 though haha.
Either option is a huge goal, which will involve a lot of training (I actually have to get swimming lessons!!!), a lot of commitment, but totally achievable. And how amazing will it be to finish?? I am SO EXCITED!!!
So this year you guys can look forward to a slight change in the direction of my blog!! Obviously I am still "under construction" to the dream version of me, but this will definitely help get me there! It will be another massive learning curve but one that I am really looking forward to :)
Having had a bit of a think about my life, where I am and where I want to be, I've realised how easy it is to just float around in life with no real purpose. Our lives are just too short, so I want to make the most of every bit of time I have...this is where more goals come in (you guys know I love goals!)A few weeks ago I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine who is on a similar sort of self development journey as me, and also a little crazy about fitness. We both decided we needed to get onto something bigger and better. Something that's scary, makes you a bit nervous, a real challenge... but also something that is achievable with some hard work, dedication and discipline.
We set ourselves the goal of entering the 1/2 Ironmaori Triathlon in December 2016 - this is a 2km swim, 90km cycle and a 21.1km run. Achievable right, because it's almost two years away, with the plan of some smaller events in the lead up.
Cue hand shake, high fives and excitement...What do you think happens when you have two driven people who love challenges and this idea brews for a few days? Change the goal posts to December 2015. 11 months away!! Possibly a little crazy but I know that it will be a hell of a ride!
Having a friend to train with makes massive goals like this 100x easier though...keeping each other accountable, going through everything together, knowing what the other is experiencing and supporting each other throughout the process. Hopefully we come out as better people on the other side!!
I am currently deciding whether I can bring myself to do the 1/2 distance, or whether to go for the 1/4 distance which is 1km swim, 45km cycle and 10.5km run. I feel like I am going to be persuaded to do the 1/2 though haha.
Either option is a huge goal, which will involve a lot of training (I actually have to get swimming lessons!!!), a lot of commitment, but totally achievable. And how amazing will it be to finish?? I am SO EXCITED!!!
So this year you guys can look forward to a slight change in the direction of my blog!! Obviously I am still "under construction" to the dream version of me, but this will definitely help get me there! It will be another massive learning curve but one that I am really looking forward to :)
