Community Forum

WOOHOO! I ran my first official half marathon! 21 whole kilometers, conquered! Now, I won't lie, the road wasn't exactly smooth. The night before the race, I had a late night at work. But hey, gotta power through! Early on Sunday morning, I fueled up with porridge, berries, and peanut butter for breakfast. An oat bar just before the race kept my energy levels steady. Then came the weather...let's just say, summer in New Zealand! It was cold and rainy, like, pouring down rain, at 10 degrees! Thankfully, I had a last-minute genius move - wearing a long-sleeved top. Best. Decision. Ever. 9 o'clock, race time! I started slow and steady, remembering all the "don't start too fast" advice. The first 3 km felt like forever, but after that, I settled into a groove, keeping the smiles and the pace going. The track was a 3-loop adventure around a lake, with a mix of walking paths and roads. By loop three, I wasn't afraid of the muddy puddles anymore - just splashed right through! Hydration and energy were key. I sipped water throughout and used 3 energy gels to keep my engine running. Now, about that knee...it started grumbling around kilometer 9. I could have freaked out, but I decided to ignore it (not recommended!). It went from uncomfortable to painful, but it kept changing, so I just kept moving. Lesson learned: listen to your body, and have a backup plan if things go south. I was prepared to stop if the pain got unbearable, but luckily, it didn't. This experience definitely highlighted the importance of strengthening my knee, something I should have focused on more during training. Biggest takeaways? 1. Be flexible! When life throws curveballs (or rainy storms!), adjust your plan. Whining and quitting are not options! Remember that time my training went off the rails because of my knee? I could have abandoned everything, but instead, I adapted and kept running. 2. Food matters! Planning and timing your meals is crucial, especially for long runs. Fueling well before, during, and after makes all the difference. 3. I'm proud of myself! And I have a solid foundation to build on. Next half marathon? Sub-2 hours, here I come! But in the meantime, I'll focus on shorter runs and building speed. Training for a half marathon takes time, and frankly, I'm feeling the need for a bit more variety. So, what are your goals for 2024?

The half-marathon is getting closer, and even though my training hasn't gone exactly as planned, I'm not giving up. My knee is still a bit of a pain, which means my goal of finishing in under 2 hours has had to change. I'm not gonna lie, I've been feeling a bit bummed out about it this week. It's hard to feel confident when you're not running as much as you wanted to. But I'm not gonna quit! I'm gonna go out there and give it my best shot, no matter what time I finish in. I've got a busy week at work coming up during race week, which makes things a little trickier, but I'm sure I'll be fine. It's all about believing in myself! This is just a quick update to let you all know how I'm doing. I'll be back with more news after the race, hopefully with a big smile on my face and a medal around my neck!

In 2022, I decided to run my first half marathon, a big goal for me as I was also studying to be a personal trainer, being a mom, and working. At first, I thought my regular 5-10km runs would be enough, not realizing how hard the race would be. As the race got closer, I quickly increased my running distance, adding 2km each week. But my body didn't like this, and my knee started to hurt after every 14km run. I was pushing myself too hard and not giving my body enough rest, and I was also doing other kinds of training. At 16km, my knee gave out, swollen and painful. With only four weeks left, I had to drop out of the race, which was very disappointing. Months later, I still had the credit for the race, and this made me want to try again. I learned about the right way to train and made a detailed plan for myself. I started training in September, slowly building up my strength and endurance. Today, with seven weeks left, I feel like I can do what I once thought was impossible. The finish line is in sight, and I no longer doubt myself. "I can do it!" is my motto, and it keeps me going. This half marathon journey is not just about running; it's about bouncing back from setbacks and believing in myself more than ever before. The finish line is waiting for me, and I'm ready to conquer the 21.0975km, proving to myself that I can do amazing things. 14/11/23 Less than four weeks left until my half marathon. A few weeks ago, I had a 16-kilometer run scheduled. I felt so good that I thought I might just extend it to a half marathon. However, I didn't have enough gels with me, and I wasn't quite ready to run that distance. This setback has put me a bit behind in my training. The week after my long run, I took it easy and only went for runs shorter than 8 kilometers. Last week, I had a 14-kilometer run scheduled, but my knee pain came back at about 12 kilometers. I stopped immediately and walked the rest of the way. I went for a 10-kilometer run this morning, and everything seemed okay. I'm still a little worried, so I'm only going to do shorter runs this week. I'm planning to do one last long run next week. What I learned from this experience: • Listen to your body. My body was telling me at about 19 kilometers that it was enough, but I pushed myself too hard. Now I'm hoping that I'll be okay to run my half marathon. I wish me luck!