On Sunday I finished my first ever, road running event. This was my second fitness event – I ran the Mud Run back in winter. So a lifetime total of TWO events! In one year! I actually can’t believe it! The Skechers Women’s 6k was a …
The Skecher’s Women’s 6k is now only 4 days away! I’ve upped my training over the past few weeks with Coach (hubby lol) and I’m feeling pretty good about it – excited even! I rarely get to run such a straight, flat course so I can’t …
I know not everyone has aspirations to be a runner, but I always, always have. I was pretty good at a few sports growing up and fair to middling at the rest. I gave everything a go and joined every sports team there was on offer at school. But I was never a runner. Cross country days hurt me, deep down in my young soul. God I hated them.
So I cannot really explain what happened last December, 2 days before Christmas, when I put on some sneakers and decided to run. It really was as simple as that.
I’ve written about it before (here) so I won’t elaborate too much, but over the past 10 months I’ve increased my distance, improved my pace and settled into running in a way I had never imagined I would. I have gone from struggling to run 1km to where I’m at now, which is comfortably running 5km in under 30 minutes.
I’m proud of that. It’s no Olympic time, but it’s an excellent Melissa time.
So December 2014. No running. 23rd December 2014, I power walked 4km and ran 1km at the end.
This was honestly the hardest kilometre I’ve ever completed in my life. And I barely made it to be honest. I wasn’t prepared for how uncomfortable, wobbly, jiggly and out of breath I would feel. I was self-conscious and full of negative self-talk.
But I was secretly pretty stoked I did it.
I did this walk/run combo 3 0r 4 more times. Then I increased the running distance to 1.5 km and followed the same pattern. Repeating the increased increment 3 or 4 times before adding another half km onto the running distance, always working within the 5km parameter – I think this was a big mental milestone for me!
I took it slowly and after a couple of months, I made it to 5km.
I COULD RUN 5 FREAKING KILOMETRES!!!! Huge milestone for me. To be honest, I haven’t progressed much further distance wise since. I’ve hit 7km a couple of times when I was pushing hard, but I really love the short sharp burst that a good 5km gives me.
But. Next month, on the 15th of November, I’m running the Skechers Women’s 6k in Auckland. My friend Penny from Little Housewife and I had been discussing doing a run or race together and there were heaps of reasons why we decided to choose the Skechers event;
6k is a great distance which suits all levels. Trust me, this is a totally achievable distance for either walkers or runners – and you can do either, it doesn’t matter!So, what do you think? Ready to give it a go with us? Online registrations close 13 November and Penny assures me this is such a fun event – she did it last year!
Plus, Skechers have an amazing prize pack to give away to one lucky reader! Valued at over $250 it includes a pair of Skechers GOwalk 3 shoes, a Skechers Performance towel, sports-bag and drink bottle, a range of Sculpt product and a shaker, and tickets for you and a friend to attend Skechers 6k – the perfect pack to provide you with everything you need to get up and on your feet!
Competition closes 30/10/15 @ 5pm.
The irony of completing this years Tough Gal challenge to close out one of the most difficult weeks I’ve had in recent memory is not lost on me I assure you. The poignancy of it, the lovely group of women I did the event with …
If you follow me on Instagram you may be aware that over the past month I have hit a bit of a wall with my running. Despite a long and distinguished career {I began running way back in December 2014!}, I had never hit the wall …
Since December 23rd 2014, I have run 251 kilometers. This is something I’m pretty proud of, I can also feel every single one of those kilometers concentrated in the arch of my right foot! Ow.
I don’t have plans to give up anytime soon as the changes in my body {NOT on the scale I might add} have been so beneficial that I really hope I can maintain this level of activity throughout the coming winter months. Fingers crossed x
I run quite hard {so it seems to me anyway!}, I sweat a lot and sometimes I feel like puking when I’m done. My favorite running outfit is a pair of seriously amazing compression tights that cost me a whopping $20 from The Warehouse and a meshy sports tank of some description. I’m not running along Ponsonby Rd here. Most days when I run I won’t even pass a single person, ergo, it doesn’t matter what brand of running gear I’m wearing as long as I’m comfortable.
Despite this, I was beyond excited to have received a sizeable gift card recently to spend at Lululemon, the world-wide athletic apparel store with somewhat of a cult following. After picking out his rugby boots for the coming season, Ethan and I headed to Takapuna yesterday to check out the Lululemon phenomena for the first time;
It was truly, a lovely shopping experience. But, I had anticipated leaving with some great running wear. Turns out I just can’t stomach the thought of purchasing luxe $135 tights that will end up stinky and sweaty, doomed to a life of 35 minute runs around our neighborhood, with no-one appreciating their beauty and hefty price tag except me and the inside of the washing machine where they would spend most of their time. Truth: my workout clothes smell bad. I wash them right away but you can never entirely remove that smell of sweat when you’re running 4 times a week. The beautiful clothes at Lululemon were just too pretty {and expensive} to relegate to my workout drawer. I know many ladies around the world regularly get their sweat on in these gorgeous threads, I mean that’s what the brand has built their reputation on, but I just couldn’t shop with that intention. Did I get it wrong?
I ended up choosing some items that I will wear on a daily basis as the weather cools, a jacket, sweatshirt, some leggings that are ‘Mummy’ appropriate {in my opinion!}, the most perfect cap ever – I wear hats all the time, and a sweet purse for every-day use. As for my workout gear, I’ll be sticking with my existing functional compression clothing that doesn’t blow the family’s grocery budget on one outfit!
What do you guys think? Do you spend a lot on premium labels when it comes to workout clothes or are you like me in that you like what looks and feels good regardless of brand?
Ethan said this to me about 4kms into my run yesterday. We preempted a bit of a lazy day for him and insisted he accompany me on his bike. He usually just “gaps it” – his words – completes the distance as quickly as possible …
So, a weird thing happened to me on the 23rd of December 2014. We arrived in Waipu to spend Christmas with Mum and Geoff and those l o n g, straight country roads began doing odd things to my head. And I’m being very serious …