Hello from the other side...

10 days since I posted my last blog, my baby boy was born.
Next week, on Christmas Day, he will be 4 months old.

Hello from the other side.

So much has happened in the last 4 months to be captured in just the one posting.
From the days of struggling to get out of bed, or to get any form of proper sleep, to putting on my trainers, to running my first 5km, to getting back to the gym.

It isn't easy to just pick up and go anymore. For one, you cannot simply just lock the door and go for a 4 mile loop around the block.

It always has to be a day when hubby is at home, and I have fed and cleaned, feeling less exhausted.
I said, 'this has to be the day', and off I went, donned my larger sports gear I have procured during my pregnancy days.

That was November 1st.

Too scared to have missed the window, I forgot to visit the bathroom before heading out, and had to suffer the slight unfortunate consequences.

Everyone seems to have emphasised the importance of pelvic floor exercises after childbirth, and times like this you understand why.

To understand whether I am doing them properly, I engaged the services of a physiotherapist that specialises in this area. I had to explain to the GP, 'not just any physiotherapist', as I am no stranger to  spending time in these practices.

Thankfully the situation isn't as bad as I initially imagined, but it does take time to build up those muscles again. The first few visits got me keeping a diary of my liquid inputs and outputs, which gave myself and the physiotherapist a good understanding of my capacity.

From then on its the diligence of doing those various types of squeezes, holds and releases several times a day - and then, no running til January. The physio said, you need to have stronger muscles before you can lift those weights (high impact of running on the pelvic floor).

On December 1st, I resumed my membership at the gym - tandemed with baby spending an hour in the creche (which needed to be booked not more than 10 days in advance).

It was surreal being back, to be able to use the rowing machine, the powerplates (which had been a no-no during pregnancy) and the steam room. However, it was very difficult to not look at the treadmill and jump on.

I had to keep my word, to make it work.

My first 2 weeks back have been focused on reactivating my glutes, a lot of cycling, time on the elliptical, and the relevant weight machines.

The one hour usually goes by too quickly, and too long before the next one.

So last friday, I had a longer session with 'hubby creche' in tow - an extended gym and swim.
But it has been too long, my body wasn't used to it and the immune system got attacked....

I have been down with the cold this week. Every cough and sneeze, tests the strength of my exercises.

There's still more to do - but first, I must not veer from the path to recovery.

Then - perhaps, perhaps, I can still do my first race of the year (free entry to Wokingham Half based on last year's volunteering). But I won't be disappointed if I don't make the starting line, or have any expectations of anything but just to get round.

Just with every new experience on motherhood, things happen slowly, but surely.

I hope to update you all soon with more activity. in my own time.

On one of my buggyfit sessions waiting for hubby to finish his run in our local park, back in October

The Journey - (almost) at the Finish line

Is it a half (or a full) marathon? It's very likely to be an ultra....

Unlike most 'races' I have prepared for - 'THE one' in 2015 is one that has an undetermined finish (although at 40 weeks+, I am almost there).

Mantras, Nutrition, Visualisation and warm-up exercises are the norms for a runner training to get the finishing medal.

With this one - the 'medal' will be big and heavy, with long lasting effects!

In this blog, I've very often referred to my 2 regular courses that help me in bigger races ahead:
1. Richmond Parkrun - 5km's on hilly terrain
2. Wokingham Half marathon - first one in the year, rain or shine.

This year, I've been behind the scenes in both - seeing the ones that come in first, a sense of achievement, and those who just get around, grateful to have completed the course.

My 2015 challenge isn't one that will be determined by a Personal Best (yes of course it will be my first), or there will be any prizes for getting there the perfect way.

My Asics GT-2000 (since Autumn 2014) have only gone through a 10k at its max, but with bump in tow - we have been places. Mule trails on the Greek volcanic island of Santorini,

on a yacht in Oslo Harbour, to my first training ground for Paris Marathon (Regent's Park and Primrose Hill)

My load increasing with every step I take, and yet my midwife advises , "you will stop when your body tells you to stop".

so there we go. The only 'race' I signed up this year - the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge on Wednesday 8th July at Battersea Park. 

My 8th entry (out of 9 years in London) - again a very familiar 5.6km course. With the option of running or walking - which suits me perfectly at 34 weeks. I chose "Walk" with a conservative estimated finish time of 70 minutes (probably same as my first ever 9-10k over Sydney Harbour Bridge (main objective was to be on the bridge to take pictures) - so all back to square one, with minimal training, and starting off with my first 'proper' Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand t-shirt (the logo wasn't ready for last year's entries as the merger was still to be finalised).

It's great to report that I had friends along the way. I had an old friend who started with me (who had a 10k race lined up for the coming sunday), which I encouraged for her to take off, as it became increasing hard for me to pick or maintain speed in the first kilometre when the crowd was at their most energetic state. 

As I slowed, I looked around and spotted another familiar face at JPMCC, walking with a backpack! I said hello, and glad to find out that she was also on my journey (2 trimesters behind), so we took the time walking the course.

I remembered the journey over this route in the last 7 years, rain, or shine, the years when I rushed to the start, or when it was very hot, or when it was totally pouring and the course was muddy. We were encouraged by the marshals at an easy pace, took time at the drink stations and enjoyed.

The course became flatter and smoother as we approached the end of 4kms, my legs were warmed up and I had an urge to run. I said goodbye to my mate and thought I would give it a go.

The last 1.7km, which usually involves going around a playing field, almost felt like a 'Forrest Gump' moment when he broke free of his crutches. I'd like to believe, but not quite.

I picked up speed, altering my running stance as I go (as I have been doing in my last attempts in the previous month to take hold of the increasing load). 

I felt the cheering in the background as I passed more 'able' runners who were not dashing for the finishing line.

My breathing felt good, although my right knee was starting to give a little. 

I tried to imagine going for it as I would in my old days (although in previous attempts I would be exhausted at this point), which taking into account how fast I can *actually* go....

I held on....didn't slow down, and reeled in the finish line. 

The text came on my mobile. 00:58.42. Wow...a sub-1! I was proud of myself.

My friend who was with me at the start greeted me at the finish - I was grateful for her hanging around to meet me there!

So - another proud finisher t-shirt to add to my collection, and this one will be going to the bag with me soon as I approach THE big day.

and of course, visualising the memories of the last 1.6km at Battersea Park on that sunny afternoon in July this year.

The Journey 2015 - right from the beginning (Wokingham the 4th time round)

The typical February weekend finds me at Wokingham, for the start of the year's running season, and 2015 is no exception.

Wokingham Half Marathon is a 'fast, flat course' and I have done this in 2011, 2012, 2013... 2014 it was cancelled due to the floods, so our entries were carried over to 2015.

It's a race that 'has become like a Parkrun' due to my familiarity of the course, and having done it in rain and shine (the muddy shoes at the finish). A mantra for the days when I hesitate to go out for a long run - that 'I've completed the 13.1 mile at Wokingham whilst raining throughout, nothing can stop me'.

This year, I have special privileges.

I have a special parking pass, which I placed on the dashboard, and walked around 300 metres to the start, upstairs into the building.

This year, I am a race official - a marshal for the Wokingham Half Marathon.

We worked in pairs, and I teamed up with Mark, a veteran marshal on the course (but not a veteran finisher of the course like myself) - together we gathered the space blankets, the high viz jackets, a set of instructions, as well as my backpack with thermos and a paper bag of official snacks, a director's chair - we boarded the van that would take us to our marshalling point, just off the first mile of the course - a strategic location as we will see the runners start and return.

"So why am I not running today?" he asked.

He would be one of the very first people to be let in on the secret! I was in my first trimester of pregnancy and didn't want to take any risks. Another 'benefit' of being a marshal this year was that you get automatic entry into the 2016 race - which means a deferral without an extra fee. Who knows what next year might lead me, but at least it is in the calendar.

Being a marshal and speaking to Mark made me appreciate the work that's been done behind the scenes. Most of these marshals are sourced from local charities, and these men and women give up their 3 hours on a wintry sunday morning to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Interesting observations that I hope to take into my future training (whenever that might be)...
- The keen runners actually run up to mile 1 as a warm up before the race starts (thats 2 extra miles on top of a 13.1!) (well it's nothing, I still remember passing Liz Yelling doing bonus miles after she's completed and won the Half one year)
- the ones that finish earlier return to mile 12 with a more refreshed look than the later finishers who seem to be walking and looking tired.

It's a local race, and the atmosphere was great. Kiddies supporting their parents, or neighbours pouring out to the streets to cheer everyone on. I had my colleague to cheer on as well - having previously told no one that I'm not doing the race...she was a little surprised when I called her name on the way out at mile 1. Its always good spotting someone you know amongst the runners.

It's so much 'easier' being a runner, to be on the course for a time that you can sustain, and be rewarded with honour afterwards. Ladies with medals returning to their families and the pram with their little one , smiling with pride on finishing in good time - could that be me next year?

This marshalling experience will encourage me to say my Thank You to all those who helped. After 3 hours + standing there, we were picked up by the van (luckily containing no runners) and drove into the finish....following the very last runner of the race, as the clock ticked 3:00:00.

What will this year hold for me in terms of staying active? It was still early days in February, and one needs a crystal ball to be only able to imagine....

The Perfect Pace

It's the start of the second month of 2015, and I have taken on again the role of a volunteer Pacer at Richmond Park on a saturday morning.

(That is to absolutely prevent myself with the excuse of 'oversleeping' - the first time it happened ever last week from making my now sometimes only exercise of the week!)

This time I have been 'promoted' to be able to select from a range of times , sub-40, sub-35, sub-30 and sub-27:30. Glad I wasn't forced to pace at 35, and was almost tempted to do sub 27:30. But logic overruled and I chose what I am most recently comfortable with - sub-30.

Thinking I was unique, I headed to the starting line, only to see another (older) guy with the same bib on, he was chaperoning a boy half his height. 

"We are going to stay close to each other" I said.

"I did 29:50 last week that's why I'm pacing sub-30 today" he replied.

I started next to him, quite close to all of the starters, and as usual, I let every one (even Miss sub-35 pacer!) get their adrenalin out of the way and take my pace slowly up the muddy patch, towards the not-yet-set-up finishing point, and a left down the middle of Richmond Park.

A clear saturday morning, and I am so glad to be out there. No deers that I saw this morning, but quite a few people on tripods. as usual, some prams (with a 2 year old girl with a dummy), the owner with the Jack Russell, and a group of teenagers were amongst us, weaving in and out..

This clearly wasn't a session to target my PB, but I took the relative tranquility and the mindset of maintaining the pace, and not chasing it, as I reflected in the first kilometre of the run, the Runner's World article on pacing your best 5K - which states that to race a good 5km (or 3.1 miles), your first mile has to be 6% faster than your average pace...(so not even pace, and definitely not negative split!)

I could occasionally hear Runkeeper blaring away in the distance, after 1 km, it was saying 5:something per kilometre - my mind said 'you are going too fast' and I slowed....typical before rounding the first corner...and just like my first time as a pacer, someone started talking to me:

Mr Orange Jacket : Are you on target?

Me: Yes ...pretty much

....basically Mr Orange Jacket is a regular 30 minute Parkrunner - he identified Mr Grey-Hair-in white top (aged 70) is his 'peer'...last week (grey hair) beat him (orange) and when usually the overtaking takes place..

I Thanked him for the insight, and Congratulated him for being able to identify friends within the group.

The second and third quarters of the race....I had my sub-30 colleague within 3 footlengths, and kept to that. Enjoyed my workout and the slow climb....the times I have replayed this scene in the last 5kms of a marathon (if I can do it in Richmond Parkrun in 30 mins...I am therefore 30 minutes to home)..never have I been at such peace with my pace - even breathing, not rushing to stop...

As Runkeeper made the 4km announcement...I saw Mr Grey-hair-70-year-old stop. (Oh no! I thought, like Mr Orange said, maybe today isnt his day?) I didn't hesitate to encourage him...."go on, you are almost there!!" It turns out he was just taking a break (by the lake- near the starting point), he picked up speed, and got me to go on....so he was more qualified as a pacer than I am! We both picked up speed...my stopwatch was starting to say 27 minutes something,... I let him go ahead of me, also waved the pram ahead of me (no jogging on the spot for 2 minutes like last time though!), and ran up to the funnel...

I stopped my stopwatch. 29:45

I stopped Runkeeper. 30:00 (spot on!)

My official results from Parkrun 29:59

This is the perfect pace. For the first time ever I have landed a perfect sub-30! I nailed the pace!

Very glad to have also spoken to another lady who was trying to chase me but fell short - after scanning her barcode I passed her 'the tricks of the trade' - what I have written above.

One of the joys of being a pacer is the opportunity to encourage and motivate. I may not be the fastest runner but it absolutely warms my heart to be able to share experiences, and encourage people to do better each week, and that is what Parkrun is all about.

Route today on runkeeper

http://runkeeper.com/user/bontotry/route/3648658

A brief rest now, and for another backstage job on the course tomorrow...

This year I am taking a break from competitive running and working more behind the scenes, in preparation for greater challenges ahead.

Get off that couch!

The first month of 2015 is almost gone - life has been a bit of a whirlwind, with year end closed and a bit of time again to get ready for a year of renewed focus. First of all, to start the year with a spur-of-the-moment entry in my Toastmasters Club Speech Competition, which, despite not having brought home the coveted Cup, have motivated and inspired a few to admire and maybe do the same, and get off the couch! Sharing my written version below with you all, Hope to keep on inspiring as I have done with this blog and my previous running entries.

Happy Start of the 2015 Spring Running Season for those with races in their calendars! :)

Do you think you can run a marathon? 

Do you think you can run from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle, in a couple of hours, and arrive at the finishing line in 1 piece?

I’d never thought I could do that. 

I’ve never got through the Athletics heats at school and was never a sporty person.

I was only forced to take an interest in Marathons when I started going out with a marathon runner, and supporting him is harder than running one yourself. At the Paris Marathon expo, I registered my mobile for alerts, which will send me a text message when he reaches the 20km and 30 km mark. 

Saw him off at the start, got to the 25km mark with lots of time to spare, surveyed where I would stand on the course, and went to the nearest café for a croissant and a coffee. Beep! Came the text, I got my bill, eased into position and snap snap, got 2 nice close up pictures of my runner, then hop onto the metro, for the 31km spot at the Trocadero. 

Having had to change trains twice, the 30km text came just as I was getting out of the station. I had missed him – so had to run to the finish myself.

So the following year, 6 of my friends decided to sign up for Paris –was I going to wait around for all of them to come through the finish? If you can’t beat them, join them…hence my number 1 tip to be able to do a marathon: Just Sign up first!

I had 6 months to prepare. They say, you cannot miss any of your weekly long runs, and build on no more than 10% increase in distance each time, so that you can one day complete the full distance.  Regardless of how much running I did during the week, every Saturday morning I was up for my long run, the pressure was off as I was meant to go really slow….I enjoyed myself, getting to know more and more of the Thames Path as the weeks go on, but one day, I learnt the real reason why I was out there doing all these miles. After going for what must be 3 hours, I flew over a tree trunk and fell on my hands without gloves. The shock totally woke me up!  It really taught me to: Do all your long runs properly, and do not fall asleep!

With less than 4 months to go in the New Year – I came to realize that I have never even done a half marathon– how can you do a full then? Watford was the logical choice, being on the 1^st February and on the Metropolitan line. Unfortunately it was a very cold day, I thought it was best to rug up with a long sleeved running top, a fleece top, AND another jacket. A bandana to cover my nose, and also a beanie – I looked more like a bandit than a runner. Well I was more than equipped for a ‘rewarding course in country lanes with undulating hills’! 

My water bottle fell off the belt, and I was almost trampled at the start. I soldiered on and my felt my vision getting blurry, because it started snowing and little wisps of it was landing on my eyelashes! I almost felt lucky that I have so many layers on, until the second half of the race, I was getting warm and sweaty, and had to choose between stripping everything off and littering the countryside, or carrying them around with me. I kept them on, but ended up getting a headache and had to walk at times. Which taught me another lesson – don’t wear too much for a race, you will definitely get warmer!

The Big Day came in April, I felt more than prepared: 

I have one race under my belt, 

done my longest run in 4 hours! 

I have my gloves,

I got rid of that bandit look and 

know that I cannot fall asleep.

I really enjoyed the run around Paris, it’s good to take in the Bastille, the Eiffel tower and the Trocaedro with my camera and on my two feet. I ran at an easy pace, until the last 5 kilometres, when I had to go slowly through the park. A nun offered me a glass of wine, which I gladly accepted and then spat it out as it was warm! That got me to rush to the finishing line in just over 5 hours and luckily, still in one piece!

My first marathon experience taught me not to do anything you haven’t done before on race day (such as accepting red wine from random nuns that appear in a park!) and remember what you learnt from each training session.

But it’s signing up and getting yourself onto the starting line that makes the difference. You are the winner of your own race if you put are willing to put yourself out there.

So move away from that couch…you too can become a marathon runner this year!

The Bandit Look - Watford Half-Marathon (my first!) 1/2/2009

My first Half-Marathon - Watford 2009
My first Marathon - Paris 2009