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I can’t believe my RACE is TOMORROW. Waaaaaaa. Feeling semi excited but more nervous, the butterflies in my stomach are going a bit crazy!

The last 2 weeks of my training have been ok. I have cooled down quite significantly with distance as my legs at the end of week 4 were very achey and also it is time to taper down, leading up to race day.

Week 5 [4th-10th May]

I completed 3 runs, 2 yoga classes and many walking trails! I went to Jervis bay for the weekend with 2 girlfriends, and we did some stunning walks along the beaches and in the national park.

My runs

x1 medium: 10km

x2 short: 7km, 8km

Total: 25 km [bang on my aim of 25!]

Running along the beach in Jervis bay:

Week 6 [RACE week]

I completed 2 runs and did yoga 5 days in a row. The yoga classes has been great for my hip joints, I think it has definitely complemented my running and helped with recovery and strength. 

My runs

x2 medium: 10km, 10km [taget was 18km]

My last run before the race:   

 

One thing I have found hard is trying to eat well and fuel in prep for my race. Leading up to a race, many runners talk about carb loading. This is especially important for distances like a marathon, as it fuels your body properly, preventing you from hitting the wall during the race. It isnt about increasing your calories, but to ensure the majority of your calories comes from carbohydrates. This is because, carbs are stored as glyocgen in your muscles and glycogen is the most accessible form of energy. During a race, you burn both fat and glycogen, but fat is less efficient. When you run out of glycogen during a race, you hit “the wall”… this is when your body has to turn to your fat stores, which is a lot slower process. I am not very good at generally eating carbs in my normal diet [I rarely eat pasta or rice]. So ‘carb loading’ for me was a bit like forcing myself to eat lots of pasta! I started yesterday and have felt rather lethargic since. It does tend to lead to muscle stiffness [as your muscles are stocking up with glycogen] and you feel more bloated [due to water retention]. Let just hope all this pasta will give me an extra boost of energy tomorrow!  

My race prep:

  

A few people have asked me what time i hope to get for the half marathon. To be honest I haven’t set myself a target, which might be surprising to some you, as I do really like using my garmin watch for training. So theoterically, I should know my pace and be able to estimate an approx time for the race. However, I decided I didnt want to set the pressure of a time. I entered the race as I enjoy running and thought it would be an amazing opportunity to do my first ever half marathon in Sydney! I have had some people really push me to say some kind of time eg sub 2 hours. This does irritate me a little, it is similar to when medical students ask me what my exam mark or ranking is. I dont like questions like that. I never tell anyone my marks or my ranking because it is personal, and in my opinion, people waste too much time comparing themselves to others. I think this also relates to the running community with race times. 

Anyway I need to go and have my dinner [big bowl of pesto pasta and garlic bread!] and have an early night.

Speak to you after the race! Run run run Caroline!