Mothers Day Classic

I am getting really excited for the Mother’s Day Classic already. I did fun run last weekend and now realise just how caught up in the crowd and excitement you get. Fun runs certainly seem to act as a great incentive to keep up the training and speed up the pace or increase the distance. And with my mum being a breast cancer survivor and knowing the terrible statistics(1 in 8 Australian women will be diagnosed before the age of 85!) I am especially happy to train with a purpose of supporting breast cancer research.

Last weekend at the fun run, I am sure I ran faster than normal and I was actually able to speak while running which is a new thing for me - generally by at least half way through any normal run I am unable to speak coherantly hence I have never found running to be a very social activity. I always wonder about “running groups” and the like - people would think I was very shy as I generally have to keep all my energy stored for getting myself through the distance and not use it to chat and make friends. But after last weekend I can now see that at some stage in the future I may actually be able to start some social banter while pounding the pavement. And hey, hooray daylight savings is over - it was getting very dark in the mornings which was making it increasingly difficult to get out of bed let alone see where I was going while running.

My big tip for everyone wanting to start running is to get a training partner – you don’t necessarily need to go with them each run but you do need to check in with them to confirm your progress each session. My friend and I made a commitment to each other that we would get fit enough to do the 8km Mother’s Day Classic and set ourselves some goals along the way. With kids, work, kinder and everything else that happens during the week we only get to go running together once or twice a week so on the other days we phone each other with our progress and support each other with our successes or make excuses for each others’ disappointments (eg. “well it was just too hot and at least you are out there having a go!”). I also have a personal trainer called Barney (my Golden Retriever) who runs too fast all the way towards the beach and then on the way home, when he has realized that we aren’t going to the beach, he drags his feet with disappointment and in turn makes my run (mostly uphill on the way home) all the more difficult. Still, Barney is very happy for all the runs and I am sure the vet will be happy to see he has lost a few kilos. The only down side – picking up his pooh and then having to run with it until I find a bin! That at least acts as a short goal for me along the way – “just keep running until you can get rid of this hideous mess”!! (By the way, no dogs allowed at MDC… sorry Barney!)

Until next time, keep running (or get running) and may your dog only pooh right next to a bin.