Monday, January 21, 2013

First Event for 2013


Before Race. Tired and a bit puffy.

Sunday 20thJanuary marked the start of my events for this year. I registered for the WestfieldAlbany Lakes Summer Series for the first time. I was really excited about getting a metal drink bottle for signing up for 3 events!

I actually did with two friends; one that runs half marathons and another that was going to walk with me.

To be honest I had not actually walked since the Sculpt 6k in November which is ridiculously slack as I do know better. However, I did go to the gym a bit over the festive season to do some RPM classes.

The best thing about yesterday is that I walked the 10km in my fastest time (1:47:33) which was actually unbelievable as I was walking very, very slow.

Fiona managed to come in with a time of 1:38 which means she was probably about 1km ahead of me in the end. I lost her around the 4km mark when she sped ahead. The point when it became quite hard for me was at the 6km mark when my feet started to really hurt and I realised that I was developing blisters. Unbelievably, I have not had blisters since I first started my walking journey which would have been well over 12 months ago. I was in lot of pain and I slowed down a bit and I was having a wee rant at myself for 1. Not getting new shoes and 2. Not keeping my walking up through Christmas etc.

The last 2km’s were walked with one of the lovely race marshals who are there for support. She was lovely and really got me to the finish as she told me about living on their family farm in Gisborne and what she wanted to do once she had finished her PT training in Auckland. I just want to say to “Kate, thank you so much for motivating me through the last few kilometres”.

I also had a real fangirl moment when I saw another woman who was wearing a MotivateMe NZshirt. I said to her “OMG I have just ‘liked’ them on Facebook and they are awesome” and she explained that she had just joined as a member and what her goals were. She started with her PT today I think.

Where do I go from here:

  • Get new shoes ASAP
  • Get new socks
  • Start walking at again as the next race is in 3 weeks
  • Become a member of MotivateMe NZ ~ Done
  • Improve my 10km time…even if it is just by 5 minutes

You can see a full list of my 2012 vs. 2013 events here

Also, at the end of the day I hobbled around Wenderholm for a photo walk with blistered feet. Possibly not the best plan, but it was so beautiful at the beach.

8 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I find that my feet really start to hurt around the 5 km mark but after I get through that point I can go on forever (or 1-2 more km, realistically). I have Round the Bays in 4 weeks' time and am aiming for 6.8 km in less than 1 hour. So far, I'm on track. :-)

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  2. Well done - I still think it's really impressive that you went along and finished the event ... many people would make excuses about not having exercised in ages and plain not go! I've just revisited your list of events for 2013 - crazy girl! - we'll be here cheering you from the sidelines!

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    1. Trust me honey...I really wanted to make excuses not to go. Not sure if my list of events for 2013 are ambitious....or silly. You know that I value your support so much. xxx

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  3. Congrats Ness, sounds like a great event. That's so lovely that you had people to chat to and help motivate you towards that finish line.

    Can I recommend Icebreaker socks? As expensive as they are, they really are the best for eliminating blisters/ sore feet. I trained for my half marathon in them and barely had more than a slight blemish. I think if you gave a pair a go, you might never go back ;)

    Looking forward to hearing how your next event goes!

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    1. Thanks Leah. :) Yes, I didn't really want to walk with anyone in the end as I can't walk and breathe and talk. LOL. But it was all good.

      I will look into Icebreaker socks. Honestly, I need to do something as the blisters are the worst I have EVER had :)

      I am going to try and blog after each event this year.

      Hope you're good and that you've gotten over the flu etc. :)

      xxx

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  4. Well done! Go you :)

    For blisters I recommend a product called 'Compeed'. A little expensive but worth every cent for what they do - healing blisters while allowing you to still walk/run around.

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    1. I second compeed - of course, prevention is the way to go, but when you have blisters, compeed works the best I've found!

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    2. ah ha! I actually have Compeed as a client gave us some packets. I have new shoes and new socks so this weekends event should be better re: blisters. :)

      Thanks for the advice...every bit helps!

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