My First Half Marathon!

Hey everyone!!!

I DID IT!

On the 7th July 2013 I completed my first half marathon and I am so proud of myself!

I finished in a very slow time of 2 hours 42 minutes, but I don't really care because I think I did really well to even finish it at all! 

I managed to finish after having an injury that put me out of running for more than 2 months just before the event - so I think running a half marathon without having run for 2 months is a big achievement!

Not only this, but the first time I ever decided to "go for a run" was actually less than 6 months ago! My mum pointed out - not many people start off their running journey with a half marathon! So I'm pretty proud of this too!

I think it just proves that you can do anything if you put your mind to it and have a positive attitude, and never let the words "I can't" creep into your head!

I was pretty wrecked after it though haha!

The first 10km were great and I was running faster than I expected!! I actually did 9km in the first hour which is probably the fasted I've ever run for a distance like that ever which was excited for me! At the 10km mark the pain of my ankle started to come back but it was ok and I could push through it as it wasn't nearly as bad as how it used to me. Also, to get me through the half way mark, Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer" started playing for me, so I had a little bit of a laugh while I was running and singing in my head "WOAHHH WE'RE HALF WAY THERE!" hahaha :)

I was going well and up until the 14km mark I thought I would have a chance at finishing sub 2hr 30min but then this awful pain in my hips started to kick in and it was just so bad that it just really really ached when I tried to run, so my last 2 or 3 kilometers were very slow as this pain was just so bad. I managed to sprint down the finish shoot though haha and then I spent the day collapsed in my lovely hotel bed. I was happy to notice that my ankle pain actually got better straight after I ran when it used to remain sore or even get worse throughout the day when I ran on it. But my hips were awful, even when I was lying down. I was walking like a duck for the rest of the day and people kept staring at me hahaha :P

Just wanted to thank everyone who has sent messages of support to me and congratulated me - it means so much to have you behind me! Also the Gold Coast marathon people and the people at the water stands!!! And the people who stand on the sidelines cheering the runners on - they're amazing (especially the lady with the "RUN BITCHES" sign hahaha). It was a great morning and even though I was terrified when my mum dropped me off at the startline (I started crying and didn't want to get out of the car) I proved to myself that I can do anything if I say I can and stay determined and never let negativity into my mind! That feeling when you see the finish line is so amazing, and I encourage everyone to do something like this and get out of their comfort zone because nothing feels greater than achieving something for yourself!!!

Danni
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The Big Day...

Oh shit...

That's basically the only words going through my mind for the last couple of days.

I'm sitting here in my hotel room in the Gold Coast right now - tonight is the final sleep before I wake up at 4am tomorrow to head to my very first half marathon at 5am in the morning...

I'm so nervous I think I might wear myself out from shaking before the race even starts haha! The other day I realised that I developed tendinitis on the 19th April, which happens to be the last time I was actually able to run aside from the 10km test run I did on Tuesday. That's really scary... Yes I have kept up my fitness in other ways, but running a half marathon without running for more than 2 months prior is a scary thought...

There's a good chance I won't make the finish line. My pace has definitely decreased since I haven't been able to run, and paired with being an extremely slow runner naturally, I may not make the 3hr cut off time.

Regardless of whether I do finish or not, I think the important thing is that I'm giving this thing a go and it's something that mot people will never attempt in their lives. 

I've decided to give running a rest after this - I need to let my ankle heal properly, and then hopefully one day I can try give the full marathon a try... but we'll see.

Hopefully I'm still alive tomorrow :P

Will make a post post-race tomorrow and fill you in on all the details!

Thanks to everyone who's been so supportive and wished me luck, you're all amazing and you motivate me to try my hardest everyday!

Danni
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Long Time, No Post!

Hello everyone!

I just remembered that I haven't updated my blog in almost a month! What an outrage!

A lot has happened in that month. Biggest of all - I turned 18! Yay! 

Another thing that's happened is that the Gold Coast half marathon has been very quickly creeping up on me and my tendinitis-ankle... and now there's only 5 DAYS TO GO. WHAT!?

This is extra crazy because I haven't run in about 7 weeks. Yesterday was my first outdoor run in about 8 weeks... So I'm gonna say there's probably a fairly big chance I won't be able to finish.

It's not like I haven't been keeping my fitness up though - I was taking regular spin classes multiple times a week in addition to hitting the gym 5 - 6 days a week. The good thing about spending time in the gym was that I got to really build the strength of my leg muscles which was often my main weakness when running - my muscles would often start to let me down way before my actually cardio fitness levels would, so hopefully that helps me out.

My run yesterday was a little challenging - probably more in my mind than my body. I eased back into running with just a quick 5km yesterday and I'm about to head out today for 10km (hopefully can do that in about an hour). I have a bad habit of stressing out/panicking/doubting myself when big events come up and I did shed a few tears yesterday because I'm not 100% sure I'll cross the finish line, OR that my ankle is going to keep working throughout the whole length of the race. However, my mother reassured me that just entering is an achievement and that the fact that I'll be giving it a go even with an injury that's prohibited training is great. So I will attempt it and whatever happens, happens.

Also I'm sure that the race environment will be far more encouraging than running 5 laps of the promenade at Bondi Beach haha! It's all about the atmosphere I guess :) I was also pretty excited to learn yesterday that the course passes Cav's Steakhouse in the Gold Coast which has fake cows outside which always brighten my day hahaha :) So hopefully the cows will cheer me on a little.

I'm pretty happy to be attempting my first half marathon at 18 years and 2 weeks when most people will go their whole lives without doing one so I just have to stay positive, get rid of the tears, and focus on the next 5 days to make the most out of this event!

Danni
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Shoes!

Feet.

Feet are great. Feet are tiny little things that support our whole body. I think feet often go unappreciated but feet really are fantastic things! So fantastic things need fantastic care, included fantastic shoes.

Most of us have feet, but every bodies feet are different. The way we walk, the way we strike the floor, the way our foot rolls when we run - there are endless variations on how every bodies feet work. This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to make sure you choose the RIGHT shoes for your feet!

Unfortunately, I have developed posterior tibial tendinitis - 9 weeks out of a half marathon. Not good. Basically it's a swelling/inflamation of the tendon that goes from the foot around the inner ankle and up to the calf, quite close to the achilles tendon. As a result, after walking (or running) for an extended amount of time I get a really bad pain in my ankle that stops me from walking any further. So I am now confined to the bike for my cardio exercise for the next 6 weeks. Just hoping that's enough to prepare me for the half marathon July 7. This injury is a result of the WRONG shoes.

Currently, I wear Nike Free 4.0 v2

I was all so keen to jump on the nike free bandwagon, because they look nice and they come in so many different fun colours. But the reality is, appearance is not what you should be basing your choice on.

I'm not at all saying that Nike Frees are bad in general, but they are bad for me. For some people, these would be their shoe, but someone's shoe is not EVERYONE's shoe. If you have Nike Frees and they're working for you then that's great! But unfortunately they've lead to more downsides than benefits in my personal experience.

So now I'm going back to Asics, which is what I always wore up until I got my Nikes. But even though I know Asics makes shoes that are good for my feet, they make A LOT of different shoes, so I'm going to a shoe fitting specialist to find the perfect fit for me. It may take more time, and your options may be limited, but at the end of the day, it's better to be injury-free with not the ideal colour choice than stylish but injured. But that's not too say that the right pair physically won't be the right pair aesthetically! You might just fall in love with the pair that fits right too! At the end of the day, it's wise to go get your fit tested properly by a sports shoe specialist if you want to benefit yourself. Not too mention you'll probably end up saving money even if they pair you buy are a little more expensive - there probably won't be any physio visits, and you won't have to buy a new pair to replace the pair that's damaged you!

So the bottom line is - don't follow the trends, do what's best for YOU!

Danni

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Run, Danni! Run!

Hey guys!

I've just been in a great mood the last 2 days even though I was in a crappy one before that haha!

This post isn't going to be about food at all but my running achievements! Yay!

RunKeeper app rocks

Yesterday I broke my record for distance and ran 11.8km! Such a good feeling to go beyond what you've done before. If you had told me a year ago that I was gonna run 11.8km I would have been like "Mate, I can't even make 11.8m" hahaha so I'm so proud of myself for actually getting out there and pushing myself and achieving these things! 
I think the number one tip I could give for running is find a route that you find really pretty! Nothing is more motivating than your surrounding for me. I run along the beaches, passing Bondi and Tamarama and it's so absolutely gorgeous! I'm so lucky to live where I do! But there are so many beautiful places around the world wherever you live so find a track that makes you feel awesome! Also, make an awesome running playlist on your iPod! Choose fast, upbeat songs to get you pumped! Also make sure to change around the playlist every now and again so you don't start associating those songs with 'running' because then they start to lose their effectiveness. Just choose whatever works for you - I love ABBA, Queen, Guns 'N' Roses, Lady GaGa, even My Chemical Romance, which most people think it's a pretty bizarre mix for a workout but it works for me and makes me happy!

Top: view of Bondi from the South
Bottom: Bondi's neighbour beach Tamarama

On top of this, I have something REALLY exciting - I've entered the Gold Coast Half Marathon in July (21km)! I'm SO excited and it's my first time running any race, let alone a half marathon! I'm so happy and so proud of myself for giving something like this a shot! I'm hoping to do it in 2:15 or less but we'll see - I'll be happy just to do it :) I've also got to get round signing up for the City2Surf in August which is 14km and that'll also be really fun but slightly less challenging haha :) I can't believe how far I've come mentally in the last year. I just have so much more belief in myself which is amazing and such a great feeling. I feel so inspired and motivated right now and I really hope that this is a place that everyone can get to in their lives because it feels fab!

I will make sure to keep updated with how I'm going and stuff :)

Danni

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