Running Up Mt Coot-tha

Yes.  Today I ran up a mountain.  True, it's not a huge mountain.  But it's definitely more of an incline than my normal run by the river.

This is something I've been wanting to do for months.  I was all set to do it in the July holidays but other things happened and then I got sick.  On the weekend I was talking with my brother and we decided it had to happen.  Today was the first possible day.  This was also the first time we've run together (it was weird for both of us) and only the 3rd time I've run with someone else.

We set out in the afternoon, just after 4 o'clock.  There were are few "Are we there yet?"s and "Can we stop for ice cream?"s - all jokes, in case you're wondering.  It's about 4km to get to the start of the track (including a short, steep rise; a long, steep rise; and a very long, moderate incline).  The actual mountain bit is about a mile up.  You have to get an ice cream at the top (I think it's the law).  We ran down and took a longer route home (via the bottle shop...).  The whole trip took about 2 1/2 hours - the actual mountain running bit only took 18 minutes up and about 15 minutes (surprisingly) coming down. 

On the way up I did better than I expected.  True, I did some walking - so I have to keep doing this until I can run the whole thing.  I was surprised that I seemed to do better on the steeper bits than the gentle but consistent rises.  When we got to the stairs - well this was when my legs got a bit jelly.  The ice cream was so worth it, although it did make me cool down in a super hurry.  Being at the summit near sunset was rather aesthetically pleasing, to say the least...  And the run down was so fun!

Yes.  I wore my Gold Coast Half Marathon Finisher's shirt.  And, yes, I felt extra smug in that shirt at the summit.

I'm also looking forward to my next flat(ish) run, to see how much easier it is to run after a hill climb.  And right now (after a super recovery meal!) I really need a good stretch.  Although it's hard to tell what's sore from today, and what's still complaining after yesterday's pt session.

In Retrospect - Second Quarter

It's that time of year.  3 months since my last retrospective, so here's how I feel I've changed since then.

Food:  Something you wouldn't know - unless you've been spying on me in a serious way - is that my school lunches have changed.  For quite some time (more than a year, that is), my school lunches were really predictable.  This term, I've started taking non-salads occasionally.  Especially welcome in colder weather to have a hot lunch!  A great food behaviour change has been the introduction of No Cook Weeks.  These are the greatest.  I have fresh organic fruit and veges delivered every fortnight, and the week following will be a Cook Week, the week after a No Cook Week.  I still have quite a stash of frozen meals in the freezer, plus it's holidays right now and I'm cooking quite a lot, so this wonderful destress habit can continue for a while.  Knowing that I don't have to do anything except thaw and heat is such a calming feeling.  Obviously, I love cooking, but I love not needing to cook as well.  An added benefit is I am more likely to cook the fresh produce before it's past its best instead of needing to ditch it.  The other food behaviour change is another not many would have noticed - I no longer buy peanut butter.  I gave it up for Lent, then went a bit crazy with it after Easter.  Peanut butter is no longer my friend.  I had decided I couldn't trust myself with it, when a quote came up on Facebook - if you can't eat it responsibly, don't keep it in your house.  Good advice.

Clothes:  The 'search keywords' that lead people to this blog are usually fairly ordinary (recipes, movies, that sort of thing).  By far the most searched item though is stockings.  This has been a bit of a surprise... and a little unnerving...  Nevertheless, I am far more adventurous with my stockings now, and they definitely initiate comments and conversations.

Organisation:  I have a slightly more organised house.  Not by much, but every little bit helps, right?

Photography:  I'm loving the Daily Photo.  Partly, it's feeling like I have an excuse to take those photos I'd normally walk past because I'm a local.  But I'm also enjoying getting up close and personal with my environment again, and seeing my world through the lens again.  And seeing the colours in the northwest of the state - so different from Brisbane! - made for an even more interesting trip to Mt Isa and Townsville.

Running:  This feels like the big one.  Running is a brain thing for me, and to train for the half marathon involved not just running but brain training as well.  Taking different routes and doing different gym workouts, as well as different running shoes and tweaking little things about my running practice - these all helped the Gold Coast Half Marathon to be a successful and positive experience for me.  Having run many, many kilometres in these shoes now, one big bonus about them is the grip.  To get anywhere, I need to run down a fairly steep hill, which is often (usually) covered in leaves.  When it's been raining, this makes for a slippery descent.  Similarly, the downhill slopes on the bike path can be a bit on the slippery side after (or during) rain.  I can feel these shoes really gripping though, and I no longer worry I'm going to slip.

Coffee and Movies:  Looking at the list of blog posts for the last 3 months, I see a lot of coffee places listed...  Now when I have a catch up with someone, we purposely find somewhere I haven't been before, so it can get to the blog.  I also see on the list many movies I wouldn't normally have watched.  I like that people will ask if I've seen something, then if I haven't they loan it to me.  This is not just broadening my movie experience, but I am flattered that people want to know what I think!

The Term 2 Goals:  Well.  The facial expressions were a bit of a disaster after the first week or so - it was so hard!  I am very pleased to report, though, that I was successful in putting away teaching materials after each day.  I think I can say now that the practice has now become a habit.  Woohoo!

Tuesday's Daily Photo:

Gin cocktails - experimental, of course!  Needs something like lemonade or tonic water.  But, the shelves looked far more interesting through the glass.

The Gold Coast Half-Marathon

...Or, things that make me happy:

#1:  Going Away (if only for a night).  It is especially exciting (or happiness-inducing) when associated with a running event - the general buzz that surrounds these, as well as the mass of like-minded enthusiasts, makes for a great atmosphere.

#2:  Beating the Queue.  Once checking in (to a more-budget-than-expected-hotel, but blessedly close to the race precinct), we had a practice walk to the start line, then went back to the pub - it was on the way home, after all.  We were about 3rd in the queue.  By the time we ordered, the line went out the door and then some.  Dinner in a Gold Coast pub on a Saturday night is a slice of the roil Straya.  The IGA slogan, "the way the locals like it", came to mind, but there were also many runners.  Some had done the 10km on Saturday (some as a warm-up) and others were just there for the half and full marathons.  A large group commandeered several tables next to us and were a stereotypical bunch of runners. 

#3:  Although I was really tired, I couldn't sleep (heart rate was up around the 100 bpm mark) - but having a store of music in my head was really helpful.  Unfortunately, I had a mariachi tune on repeat in there as well, but I tried to drown it out as much as possible with Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead, which is my sleep music.  Even so, I had very little sleep - I was still wide awake after 11, woke several times during the night, and the alarm went at 4:20. 

#4:  Knee Pain Disappearing.  I went running Thursday and Friday, and my left knee developed a weird, new pain, which didn't respond to stretching or rolling-out.  I was resigning myself to a substantial stretch of walking, but by Saturday evening the pain was minimal, and when I woke Sunday morning it was gone. 

Pre-race nerves. 

(Not sure what the weird light is at the bottom corner of these photos, we think it's something to do with the flash...)


#5:  Amenities.  After leaving my bag at the left luggage place (no queue), I then joined the rather lengthy line for the toilets.  I was in this queue for about 40 minutes.  I actually reached a toilet at 5:58am - the race began at 6am.  Yes.  This made me happy.

Bring it ON!

#6:  Watching the sun rise over the water.  How good is that?!  Especially when you're not just in pajamas, hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, slippers on your feet, maybe on a balcony...or still inside because it's still a bit chilly...  But running.  Love it.  And, seeing perfect reflections in the canals, birds waking and having a morning fly - beautiful.

#7:  Preparation.  Little things and big things.  I've changed a few things about my longer running procedure that have made life easier.  I now put pre-emptive Bandaids on each foot at problem spots (I have weird feet).  I prefer to run in a cotton tank.  I carry lip balm for when my lips are dry but I'm not thirsty.  I wear a cap if I'll be running during daylight.  I know how far I can go before I need a drink (about 7.5km is good).  I am immensely glad I did the practice run on Monday.  Any thoughts of that being too soon beforehand, or not a good idea to run the full length at all beforehand, vanished as my brain recognised features.  Although it seemed to go quicker today (well, it actually did), I know that was partly because it was not the first time I was seeing these landmarks.  Not only that, but I knew, quite consciously, that I could run this distance. 

#8:  Shirts.  I was boring, and just wore my newest Lorna Jane.  Shirts I saw that made me smile included: Like A Boss; You Should Quit Now While I'm Ahead; and Crossfit Foxes.  The last was one I kept seeing as we kept overtaking each other. 

#9:  Running.  Well, duh, but this is a big one.  When I first decided to do this, I figured that a time of about 2 hours 10, maybe 15, would be respectable.  But then I realised that I'm not a fast distance runner.  About 6 weeks ago, I stopped trying to be fast, and started trying not to walk.  I feel this has been hugely successful.  Now I only walk if I'm in pain - and today, I was in no pain.  Instead of having a time goal, I really wanted to run the whole way, and walk only for drink stops (so, not stopping movement at all).  I accepted that if my knees were really sore - and, from experience, I knew this would probably happen - that some walking would be involved.  But it was only in the last 3 km that I even noticed my knees, and it was definitely not bad enough for me to need to even think about walking.  And if I did happen to start to think that thought, I'd see someone ahead of me who didn't look as fit as I feel, and I'd keep running.  Having trained on a route with some hills, I am more inclined to go faster up hills - this wasn't so important on the way out, but was really noticeable on the return.  The last bridge (these were responsible for the slight rises in the route) I overtook many others, and was so happy I really lengthened my stride on the way down - which was also a spot chockers with photographers.  I also knew that, by doing a steadier pace throughout, I'd have more left for a stronger finish.  I didn't want to be one of those who starts really strong and cocky and is walking the finish.  Instead, I could feel my pace pick up in the last quarter, and I was really running the last 400m with a big sprint finish.  And even better (yes there's more) - the slowest pace marker was 2 hours 20, and I only saw them right at the very end, crossing the line on her heels.

#10:  Cheering Onlookers.  Being a fairly solitary runner, this surprised me.  But seeing kids in pajamas and dressing gowns, and people holding signs, and people clapping (or using clappers) really made me smile.  And the signs!  U Make it Look Easy; Smiling Makes You Run Faster; and, my favourite (my brother's too), Go Random Stranger, Go!  The crowds were much thicker for the last 2 km, and hearing people cheer on strangers made me quite emotional.  Especially right at the end when it was obvious they were cheering me - it was all I could do to hold back the tears.  Not just the feeling of total strangers cheering me on of course, but knowing that I've run this, further than ever before, when a few months ago 10 km was a long run, and oh hello running high...

#11:  Ministry of Funny Runs (followed by a coast-ful of funny walks).  I have often thought, I hope I don't look that weird when I run.  In fact, one of my excuses for not being a runner (before I stopped caring what other people thought) was that I probably looked silly.  So, someone is probably saying the same thing about me right now, but I saw some interesting running styles.  I don't mind so much when I overtake and that's it.  But when a funny runner is ahead of me the whole time - what's with that?!  The funniest I saw was the slap-footed, elbows out, hands by hips run.  By a guy with serious hair (which always caused 'Give me a head of hair/long, beautiful hair' to start up in my head).  I'm quite thankful for my body shape, with hips over knees so my thighs don't have to skirt around each other.  And afterwards, seeing a whole lot of fit-looking people limping around Southport - even if they weren't wearing a finisher's shirt.  On a more serious note though, watching the marathon runners... whoa.  When they had about 15 to go, most were still going ok, if a little over it, but you could see some doing the knee limp.  When I was waiting by the finish line for my brother to finish, I saw a man do the really serious knee limp - arms flailing and you just felt sick watching.  20m from the end, he collapsed.  The announcer called for sports medicine to the finish line, but 2 other runners helped him up and practically carried him over the line.  Huge cheers and tears from the crowd.

Finisher's Shirt and Medal

#12:  Achievement (even if it's for others).  This was my brother's 2nd marathon, and he wanted to do it in under 4 hours.  So when I hadn't seen him yet at 3 hours 55... and then 3 59, the announcer called out that it was less than a minute before 4 hours, and all these runners ran!  I spotted my brother, cheered him on, and got a bit emotional as I knew he'd made it.  With, I discovered later, 10 seconds to spare.  And that was the gun time so his net time would have been faster. 

#13:  Being Part of Something Big.  There were 10 thousand people doing the half marathon.  And it sounded like it!  There were parts where it was fairly quiet... except for the slapslapslapslap of thousands and thousands of feet hitting the road.  And although it thinned out a little, it took many kilometres for that to happen, and it was still relatively thick the whole way.

#14:  Feeling Sore.  For a good reason.  After the practice run, I had slightly sore knees the next morning (going downstairs only) but was fine by the afternoon.  Today, I have sore knees and hips and calves and ankles and arms.  Chafing was not as bad though, mostly because I didn't carry my phone this time, and the preemptive Bandaids were welcome but not 100% effective.  I'm not bleeding anywhere though and I think with a good stretch over the next day or 2 I'll be back to normal in no time.  Having a little nap this evening I could feel my feet and lower legs twitching and this I found immensely satisfying.

But for next time...  I was inspired by those who were running and raising money.  So, next time will be not only a different location (it's a secret - but I wonder if anyone will guess?) but I'll sign up for everyday hero and make someone else happy, too.

The Practice Run

I've been having weird dreams lately.  I know the upcoming Gold Coast Half Marathon is the flattest course in Australia, but my subconscious is putting in stairs, buildings, wine and cheese tastings, and sand.  I also know that when I run my familiar route my brain is happier (that drinking fountain is just around this corner and along a bit so go for it - that sort of thing).  So I thought it would be a good idea to do a practice run of Sunday's track.  This term being what it was, though, meant that today was the first opportunity.  Viola Man came with me which made it a much more entertaining run than normal.

I have heard that it is not a good idea to do what I did, that it's better to run only about 3/4 of the distance before the event.  But I know my brain, and I know how it interacts with my body, so I have no regrets.  But I would like to hear from others on this matter - do you make sure you can run the distance beforehand?

My subconscious can now relax.  It really is quite a flat route.  21.1 km on this route was less strenuous than 18 km of my normal run.  Knowing that I am a slow runner meant I could run down the other side of the gentle rises, and the last 500 m felt more like running than it does at home.  Getting to the turnaround point was a tiny surprise.  I did have to walk a little on the return (sore knees) but the knees didn't bother me nearly as much as they would have normally.  That has been my biggest concern, as running along the river (including the hills between where I live and the river, and the lovely hill at the end of the Riverside precinct) results in the need to stretch every couple of kilometres once I've covered about 6.5.

The benefit of doing this practice run now is that they were beginning to set up everything for the weekend.  We could see the road closure signs dotted along the way, and there were marquees and barriers going up around the start point.  Which all means I could get this photo:

As you can see, the weather was fairly overcast.  The weather was coolish - so when we weren't running and the wind was blowing, it was a good reason to start moving again!  You might have to peer, but I promise this is the Gold Coast Airport Marathon sign.

We came back to Brisbane for a lunch of Mexican - great post-run food, except I ate about half my bodyweight.  Nevermind.  I also tried a different coconut water - this time it was Cocobella in pineapple flavour.  This was much more drinkable than the other sorts I've tried so far, but I'm not keen on added sugar.  I have something different to try tomorrow - I'm determined to find one that works!  (Still getting the occasional cramp though).

And now, I think, it's bath time.

The Go Between Bridge

And here we have another post on running.  I do love running.

For the last couple of months, my standard run has been to the Go Between bridge - an 8 km return run.  In the last couple of weeks, I've made myself run up the last hill leading to the bridge, which makes the descent feel wonderful.  After the legwork required to get up to the top, stretching out the legs and sprinting down to the bridge is such a wonderful feeling.  I probably have an insane grin on my face at the time.

Even though the Go Between has been up for about 2 years, I've never walked or run across it.  Today was the day.  It only adds about 500m to the length of the run, but I figure now I've done this I can run more along the other side of the river. 

The best bit about tonight was, as soon as I had run up the stairs to the bridge, there was lightning over Mt Coot-tha, and this continued for all the return run.  Now, I was pretty sure my brother had said there was a great water fountain on the other side.  There wasn't - it was just a dribble.  The great water fountain is on this side.

My actual run was not amazing - it felt like hard work, probably from the large number of alcohol units consumed over the last 2 days.  Now I can't wait though to run more around West End and South Bank.

Best Foot Forward

I remember hearing the phrase "put your best foot forward" when I was a child, and asking an older brother, "But which one is my best?"  Apparently, your right foot is your best foot.  At least if you're right-handed.  I don't know if this is because we live in a right-handed world, or if there is in fact some reason for our right foot to be our best foot.  Even though I'm right-handed, I feel left sided for everything else.  Especially in the feet.

For a long time, I have started off on my left foot.  This goes for stairs, kerbs, lunges... (which is fine for even-numbered workouts, not so great for odd numbers!).  Knowing this often looks really weird when you have to take a teensy step not to use the right, I bow to my desire to at least appear normal, and can use either foot.  The right often results in a mental face screw-up, though, but the more I do it the less it bothers me.  I'm still quite conscious of it though. 

Now for the Change bit for today.  Every time I start running, it's starting on the left.  Every time.  For the last few runs, I've been thinking I should try starting on my right foot.  I didn't think this would be so hard, but it is.  I couldn't do this spontaneously.  My brain kept thinking it over, how I would actually manage to get my right foot to be the take-off foot.  I started having flash-backs to age 4 and ballet (note: I didn't continue ballet). 

Tonight, I was having second thoughts about running (it was raining).  But I decided to just do it - I've discovered it's much nicer, in some ways, to run in the rain.  Once I was in my running gear my brain kept on thinking about this right-footed thing.  Not wanting to totally embarrass myself in my street, I had a couple of little practices in the hallway. 

Running is a mental thing for me.  Tonight, it was super-mental.  Every time I was about to run (I have 3 or 4 walking bits), I had to remember how to start on the right foot.  I'm sure I must have had a weird expression every time.  This was not a great run.  I'm not sure if it was actually from the right-footed running, or if I was just a bit tired or hungry or under-hydrated... I will be trying to do this more often, but more so that I know that I can do it.

The Gym

One of the main reasons I wanted to be less predictable this year was because of the gym.  I used to spend a lot of time on the bike. 

My brief exercise history:  In primary school, I was a champion high-jumper.  And because I was tall, I wasn't too bad at the compulsory cross-country races.  Then we moved to Queensland and I was not longer tall, so only school sport lessons happened, mostly, until I was about 20.  I started walking in the mornings, for various reasons; this graduated to running, and I didn't notice any weather until the drought ended.  Then it seemed I couldn't exercise much due to rain.  I'm not a fan of walking or running around the neighbourhood in the rain.  Eventually, a friend gave my name to the gym and I signed up. 

Gym membership came with a special personal trainer deal - as this was my first time in a gym (seriously) I thought this would be wise.  Hello, Trainer Dan.  After the first 3 sessions I decided to keep going - the 'death session', although really hard, got the endorphins running around at a great rate, and I had already noticed a fitter me.  I have a regular-ish time slot which satisfies my need for routine, but I never know what I'll be doing.  So for the first 15 months or so, Monday morning PT session and usually 3 or so gym sessions (bike, sometimes rowing also), plus at least one run in the real world, was my exercise routine. 

About a month ago Trainer Dan asked how long a 5 km run would take me.  On a treadmill.  I'd been on a treadmill only once by choice - a 2 km run that nearly made me throw up.  So I worked up to 5 km, which feels so good.  I normally run 6.5 - 9 km in the real world, but treadmill running is all about the brain for me.  My next run was so good, I decided to incorporate a treadmill run in each week. 

My first 'weekly treadmill run' was last Thursday.  I was about 40m in when Trainer Dan came over to say hello... and to tell me to change things up a bit.  "Uh yeah, I'm on a treadmill..." I replied.  "Hm.  You need to change things up more". More interval training, like 400m runs interspersed with pushups, situps, squats, kettle bell swings, that sort of thing.  So that day I did 3 rounds of 400m runs, 10 situps, 10 pushups, then a 3 km run.  Next day, I was a little later than normal and was tempted to just do a 'zone out' session - after all, I don't always see Trainer Dan that late... but thought I should be disciplined.  5 rounds of 400m runs and 20 squats, then a 2 km run, and very glad I did - in the 2nd round I hear "Heels on the ground Anna" - sprung!

The next real run was not great... my brain kept thinking, this is more than 400m.  However, this morning I had limited time so just did 5 rounds of 400m runs, 10 half pullups, 20 squats.  This evening I went for a long run which felt so good - totally in the zone, and 5 minutes faster than the last time I ran that far (about 8.5/9 km, haven't put it into a reliable map yet).  The downside of doing workouts like this though, is that I wake up and then have to think for about 15 minutes about what I'll do.  My plan now is to write down some workout ideas, then all I have to do is pick one as I get to the gym, instead of having to think it up every time.