Duck it!

For real! So in all the time that we trained up for the second leg of our marathon program, and ran the 5k, I never wrote one blog? Can that be so? I feel like every time I run I have been writing blogs along the way, but it would appear that my brain sadly is not a Blackberry and telepathy blogging has not come into existence yet, so really non of you have been hearing what has been going on in my little head during this big adventure.

Not necessarily a bad thing, because as some would say, I have been a big whinger throughout most of it. Not the whole of it… No after the 3k run I was full of enthusiasm and all pumped up ready to battle the next 2 to make 5k. However within a week I found that I simply could not do it.

At first I thought I was just having a bad day, but when that day went on for a week I realised something was not right. I kept reaching the first 1.5k and feeling ready to collapse. Determined I would keep going until I felt ready to throw up, then walk it out for a minute or so and then run the rest trying either to let the vomit just do its thing and come out, or hold it in as I tried to focus on the finish line.

More importantly I tried to block out the, “I cannot do this” thought that was going through my head every time I ran. It is funny somehow that the more you try to block it out, the louder it is. I felt like I was a child battling against an older self, cowering in the corner screaming back, “But I want to!!” but the scream was more of a whimper and I just could not stand up to myself.

This is where I thank the lord every day that I have my sister by my side watching my every run and knowing the point to say, “Ok Channah what is going on? Lets fix this already. You are not stretching enough… We are going to add more stretching to our workouts.”

And like the Good which of the North Glinda she waved her magic wand (made me do 15 minutes solid stretching) and suddenly I could run again! Ok I was not going to make such a fool out of myself on the 5k run!!

And if you check out the pictures below you will see we did. Ok so I had to walk part of the way up hill (note to oneself, must learn to run uphill) but I did not care. I was proud of us for doing it! And in any case… there are going to be many more race to come!!

Running to the finish line

All the runners and walkers!!! What stars!

Going for Gold

The heat is on… Friday is race day. Now I know that I had previously said that we were going to ignore the fact that we were no-where-near ready and embark on a kamikaze mission to complete the 10km run, but after much thought and the realisation that there was a 3km run going on at the same time, we decided to lower our expectations and stick to what we could achieve.

So this Friday morning we are running the 3km run in Ra’anana. I still have no idea what time it is at, nor have we signed up for it yet, but we shall be running it even if I have to pull one of my Miss Personality acts, just turning up on the day and winning them over with my smile. The T-shirts have also yet to be made, however today is the day that we are finalizing the front logo. So if you have any more great ideas let me know NOW!

In the meantime we have finished the beginners 2 mile run and we have begun the 5km Training Schedule. It is the shortest program, as there really is little difference between 2 miles and 5km, and they expect that 5km will be the standard run that we do for the future. All this seems perfectly logical and nothing I can really argue with, that is until I get out on the road and then I have my doubts.

As we measured out the run in my car, we soon realised that the extra kilometres to our run were not simply an additional short stretch of road. No, the extra kilometres amounted to, after running the whole way around the park, completing another half of the route. One and a half times around Ra’anana Park is approximately 3 miles (4.8km). Including the walk back to the beginning of the park and the walk from my parents’ house to the park and back again the total distance is 5.2 miles (8.5km).

To be honest, none of the walking distance was in my mind when we began the run. All that was in my mind was getting to the half way point of the bridge which would make the end of the run. And yet by the time we reached the bridge the first time around my legs felt numb, my calves were stiff and my breathing was heavy. Time to push through the pain barrier; block out the voice saying, “How the hell am I going to do a full lap of the park now!” and just chant the words, “I can, I will.” I can, I will… it is also very good for steadying my breathing.

The shocking thing is we did! We even managed to pick up the pace somewhat towards the end (Dalya outdid me by sprinting to her finish… I just about ran). We had decided to time the run, as it was the hardest run we did so far and would ultimately become our standard run, so we wanted to know our time so we can improve on it. Now understanding that this was our first time… 40 minutes. 3 miles (4.8km) in 40 minutes! Now ok I know professionals get through 3 miles in around 15 minutes, but I thought for a first attempt this was a pretty solid time. I remembered my mentor once saying to me that 5k is approximately 30 minutes of running at an average pace. So we are not that far away from the average. Yes I am pretty proud of that right now.

The funny thing that has happened is that I am really looking forward to my runs. I never thought I would reach the point where I enjoyed running, and yet here I am looking forward to my next run and wondering if I can better time. I am no longer nervous about running in public. I am no longer concerned about completing the 3km race. I am more focussed on the next race… the 5km race we will be running at the beginning of next month.

Got Enema?

Time has flown by so quickly and I cannot believe that it is now a month since I last wrote. I am ashamed to say a month… I mean I made a promise that I would do this; do all of it including document the entire process and how can I do that when I am missing out entire months of details? Truth be told, I have lost a little of the momentum and to go out running, immediately come home and write about it is just an addition chore I don’t exactly loath, but would rather avoid most evenings.

It is truly a shame as most of the time while I am running my head is filled with witty anecdotes and musings that I would like to write about the life of a runner, but then I get home worn out, limp into a shower and allow the hot water to steam the thoughts out of my head and I walk zombie like to my bed and collapse.

I would like to emphasise at this point that although I may collapse into bed, it is a satisfied fall. We are now running distances instead of time and although it is hard and I am still plagued with doubt that we can actually do this, after running 2 miles yesterday with a 5 minute break in the middle. I have to say that I certainly have it in me. Whether I can step up to the plate on the day is another matter.

Since I last wrote we have also decided to partake in our first race. A 10k run in Ra’anana on March 14^th, 2008. Now I know that we are no way near ready to run a full 10k, maybe 5k at a stretch, but the idea is that we run as much as we can, walk the rest and ultimately get the ball rolling. I would like to stress to all those out there who are planning on coming to see us, we are not running to prove that we can do it, we know we can’t, we are doing it purely to spread awareness of Colon Cancer… ergo I am hunting for inspiration for CCA (Colon Cancer Awareness) T-shirts. I have seen little out there currently that is suitable, so I figured I would call on our supporters to come up with an appropriate slogan, but other than “Got Enema?” we have got very few suggestions back… I guess people are more sensitive about their bottoms than I thought.

Dad: I don’t want to see anything too rude
ME: So no a*$#hole?
Dad: No
ME: What about “How’s your Anus?”
Dad: No
ME: What about “Got the Runs?”
Dad: Am I expected to wear a T-shirt?
ME: Yes
Dad: No

Please HELP! Post your suggestions below... please!