Canberra Half Marathon 2013 - recap, pictures, blabber.

 Uhh hi. So I haven't posted for like.. half a year. And here I am, crawling back, writing about a race I ran (AKA the most boring topic to anyone but me, most likely) about a month ago, in the most verbose way possible? Yep. Let's just all SHHHH.

Canberra Half Marathon 2013

(part of the Australian Running Festival) 

FIRST UP: this was the best race I've ever run. It was not my fastest. I was not well prepared. There were times when I had to stop and walk. But overall, this was the most fun I've ever had, and I went into it with the best attitude (enjoy myself, support my friends, challenge myself and be proud of whatever I can pull out on the day).

I signed up for this race on a whim, and trained for it in 5 weeks. Background: I used to run a ridonkulous amount, marathons, etc. I then got injured/stress-fractured/totally burnt out (and a bit bored), and had to take a few years almost entirely off. I've only just got back into running semi-regularly (a couple of times a week, maybe), so I knew this would be... interestingly challenging.

My one main training slip up was accidentally running 19kms - my peak distance - one week out from the race (it was supposed to be a 10km run, but I decided to explore a new area and got totally, hopelessly lost. Yep. This is why you should never let me navigate for you. Anywhere). Probably not ideal - I prefer to peak 2-3 weeks out - but it motivated me to spend the week before the race recovering like a CHAMP. I slept, I ate well, I stretched, I foam rolled, I dedicated hoooours to self trigger point massage. Apart from a knee niggle that had me worried for a while, I felt rearing to go for this race.

The day before I spent extra time foam rolling/massaging the HELL outta my legs (hip flexors, quads and bits-where-my-knee-joins-my-calf, which my boyfriend/personal trainer/life coach diagnosed as responsible for the knee woes). I also baked an enormous cake, went out for chilli cheese fries, took a nap, painted my toenails red (to make me go faster), did some shopping, and generally had a pretty cool day.

 

Confession: this is not a food blog. I am not a food photographer. I know this may come as a shock to you, after seeing this appetising masterpiece of a photograph.

 

Dinner consisted of more less-than-stellar food choices, but I simply couldn't bring myself to take this race too seriously (because I was already stressed about my knee, and worried that I was unprepared/not recovered enough). Besides, my half marathon PR happened after a dinner of KFC, cereal, ice cream, and Pringles. This time, I went for a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches, some corn chips, and the aforementioned cake.

I stayed up waaay too late (perfecting my race playlist/perfecting my race outfit. Yeaaah), but still woke up at 5:15am feeling pretty energetic. I loved watching the sunrise from my balcony, and it was preeeetty darn obvious it was going to be perfect running weather: clear, cool, no wind AKA perfect autumn AKA the best season AKA yessssss.

I wish the sun rose at 11am (my preferred wake-up time) so I got to watch it more often.

I had my usual Berocca with beta-alanine and glutamine, and black coffee. Did some foam rolling/dynamic stretches to start getting warmed up. I wasn't very hungry, but had some toast with butter, Vegemite, and a bit of avocado, as well as an apple (this is fast becoming my go-to combo. I can't handle some of the things other people swear by - peanut butter and banana just ruin me).

 

Game-face ON. Killer outfit ON.

My manfriend drove me to the race and we arrived at about 6:45. I met up with some friends who were also running and we pep-talked the shit outta one another. I dumped my stylish outerwear with Angus, and made the last minute call to take my iPod (it's on its deathbed and the battery was almost flat, so knowing I wouldn't get much use out of it, I wasn't sure if it'd just be annoying), which I'm really glad about, and we took our places.

 My playlist was rockin'/ridiculous. It'll be getting a lot of future use, letmetellyou.

I originally planned to latch on to the 3:30 marathon pacer (there weren't any for the half), and hope he could help me get me around a 1:45, which felt slightly challenging for my current fitness level, but still pretty realistic. Unfortunately, I couldn't get through the crowd to him, so ditched that idea and decided to stay with my friends, who were near the 4:00 pacer anyway.. so I just figured "go a bit faster than him". Ha.

 An assortment of my beautiful pre-race facial expressions. Ignore Madam Cranky-Boots to the left. Not everyone can be filled with this much enthusiasm at 6:45am.

The gun went off a little after 7 and I probably went out too fast. I lost my friends after about half a kilometre and tried to focus on getting into a challenging but sustainable pace. I passed the 1km mark at 4:46, and the 2km at 9:48, which was putting me right on track for about a 1:45, as I'd hoped.

The steepest part of the course (not even particularly steep, but a longggg incline, which I hate - give me a short, sharp hill any day) really slowed me down, and I felt how undertrained I am on that kind of terrain. I remember finishing kilometre 6 at 30:01, 7 at 35:03 and 8 at 40:44.

And theeeeeeen I got hungies. And started to fade. I walked through every water station and took in a bit of Gatorade, but was bummed to find that no gels were available until the 15km mark. POOR PREPARATION ON MY PART. Next time, bring some!!

Some blissful downhills let me finish 10kms in about 49 minutes I think, then let myself sloooow right down to a not-much-more-than-walking jog.

 Run for your lives!!!!

For the next few kilometres I managed to find a slower pace that was comfortable(ish) and consistent, and just let myself stick with that, speeding up on any downhills to make up a bit of ground. I still felt super slow and plod-y through most of the middle part of the race, and just focused on enjoying the atmosphere and trying to keep my spirits up. I chatted to the other runners, high-fived some kids, and had a really good time with some AWESOME spectators who were above and beyond supportive/hilarious/generally kickass. I tried to bargain with a guy on a bike to dink me to the finish, but he wasn't interested in my broken sunglasses or chewed on water cup in exchange for a ride ;)

At 15km I finally got the energy gel I was ready to sell my hypothetical firstborn for. I typically hate gels but was mega grateful for this one, even though it made my stomach feel really unsettled for the rest of the race. Like I said, lesson learnt: I should've brought my own fuel so that a) I could've had it earlier into the run, when I first needed it, and b) could've opted for jelly beans/snakes/caramel popcorn/something infinitely more delicious. But it did the job and I started feeling a bit better (other than my sad, sad tummy).

Around this time my iPod's battery finally died, which was a tough point for me. Sometimes, I cannot stand to run with music, but other days I need it to distract/motivate/keep me from gouging my eyeballs out (and the eyeballs of everyone around me), and this was the latter. This part of the course was boring, kinda ugly, and hard (again with the long, slight inclines), and I really wanted to be able to focus on music instead of my sore legs and feet. My breathing was also all over the place, and sometimes music helps me with this (other times, I try to breathe in time to the music a little TOO much... pro-tip: Britney Spears' 'Toxic' does not a happy respiratory system make).

 

Sorry, marathon-photos.com - my photos were not nearly awesome/hilarious enough for me to justify purchasing them this year.

The last 3 kilometres wrecked me. I was beat. My quads were absolutely TRASHED (probably from sprinting down any and all downhills, no matter how slight), my energy was dropping again, and I just wanted to be done. I ran into my friend's dad, who was also doing the half, and tried to stick with him, before dropping back and walking a little more. My brother coincidentally was riding his bike past the course, so a shout out from him was a cool distraction, and got me running again for a little further.

As we got near the turn off to the finish line, I stopped to walk again (trying to rest a tiny bit to be able to sprint to the finish - and hopefully get a killer finish photo ahahha AKA my only real goal for this race). Another lady running actually YELLED at me to keep going because I was so close. I realised she was right and picked up the pace again, gurgling thanks to her (THANK YOU, LADY. I feel really bad for overtaking you at the finish :\).

I sped up in the final 100 metres, and crossed the finish line in 1:54:27. Faaaaar from the PR I secretly wanted (desperately. And slightly obsessively), but I was actually stoked with my time - I felt like I gave this race my all, and could not have possibly gone any harder in my current level of fitness/amount of training. I was, and am, very proud. I really felt like I ran my guts out in this race, and if I hadn't had the stops and walking breaks (which I don't regret at all), I would've hit my goal of 1:45.

I saw Angus just as I crossed the finish line, and was so, so excited by that. I'd never had him there for any of my other races, so it was lovely to be able to have him here for this one (yes, I got a bit teary... crying occurs at least once every time I race, so I'm glad I held it together until the finish this time).

I was the first of my friends back to the start, so I got my medal, some water and fruit, and wandered around the recovery area until my legs started feeling slightly more like they belonged to a human being and not a marionette puppet/Flubber. I was genuinely SO EXCITED to see all my friends finish - I've never really done a race with many people I know before, so it was really lovely to share it with them all and hear their experiences. I could not be more proud of all of us.

This guy absolutely rocked his first half. Beyond stoked for him.
[less proud of myself. I clearly don't know what cups are for, or which way around medals go...]

At home I ate a lot more fruit, drank a buttload of water, stretched and rolled a little. Before going out for lunch, I took off my shoes to go have a shower, and discovered this bad boy...

 

The Holy Grail of blood blisters. Bow before me.

OHHH so that's why my foot was in excruciating pain for most of the run! I get it now! I ran in my new-ish Adidas Boost shoes... which until now had been a super comfortable and blister-free experience, so I don't really think it was the fault of the shoes. It seems more likely that my slightly-rolling-in feet have recently become a lot worse (but only when I run?), so some work is going to need to be done on this.

Overall, I had a great day, and I loved training for an event again - and it just reaffirmed my love for the half marathon distance.

A lil bit about the race:

• The Australian Running Festival is a well-organised, small-ish event, with a few different distance options (5km to full marathon) over the weekend, so it's got preeeetty much everyone covered. 
• The course is pretty scenic - around the Parliamentary Triangle and Lake Burley Griffin, so you see a lot of Canberra's landmarks - and it's at the best time of year for Canberra to show off: autumn here means enormous blue skies, sunshine, and some absolutely bitchin' colourful leaves. 
• My only really gripe is that I wish the course was one, larger, out-and-back course, rather than two (or one-and-a-half) laps. But that's just my preference, and I know a lot of people who prefer this format. 
• I wouldn't call the course 'flat', but it's definitely not hilly: it's undulating, and while the 'hills' are my most hated sort (long and slight - basically false-flats), they're offset with some pretty badass downhill sections that will restore your will to live. 
• I love that this event isn't as massive and claustrophobic as a lot of its big-city counterparts, where the hassle of finding a parking spot/getting public transport at sleep-deprived-o'clock, finding the start-line, and braving the crowds is enough to turn me off altogether. 
• Unfortunately, the smaller size means not so many of the perks of bigger races: fewer pacers, no real 'loot'/goody-bags, not so many aid stations/fuel options, etc... But those are definitely not deal-breakers for me, so I keep coming back every year.

In short: running is awesome, blisters are not, autumn is the best season, dressing like Rainbow Brite will forever be cool, cake is great, official race photos are overpriced, call me if you want an awesome race playlist.

Oh, and let's not forget the importance of cross-training. Thanks to my personal trainer/love of my life for sending me this one, with the subject line "How do I love thee? Let me count the chins."

I am in the market for a new boyfriend/housemate. Any takers?

Eight New Year's resolutions I would like the fashion industry to make for 2013.

1. We no longer like mullet tops. We don't like mullet anything, for that matter! The only kind of mullet we care for is the fish variety.

 

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2. We're done with head-being-weighed-down Sailor Moon-esque hair buns. Do you get that you look stupid, Lauren Conrad? Do you? We've realised we led you astray and want you to expect better of yourself this year. Next time you want a large landmass on your head, we advise you to consider a little-known option sometimes called 'a hat'.

(image source)

3. CIVILIANS: there will be no longer any need for ugly ass hooker shoes! Let the people rejoice! If you are a hooker, disregard this message.

(image source)

4. No ugly pastel shades of lipstick. We don't know what we were thinking, either.

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5. We are done with neon. It is to colour what Tara Reid is to high society. We're sorry.

 

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6. We will stop glorifying and encouraging poorly-executed balayage and just-plain-shithouse dip-dyeing.

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7. Tops/dresses with this frilly piece of crap going on were all just a joke. We knew all along that they would look terrible on everybody on the planet. LOL SOZ. WON'T DO IT AGAIN.

 

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8. We're going to stop printing everything on fabric. Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. This applies 300-fold for stretchy fabric. Never again.

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Great expectations: the rental property edition.

The feedback I expect after a rent inspection:

'Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you for allowing my visit this morning. I don't say this often, but visiting your property was truly a pleasure.

In my line of work, I see many houses every day, but rarely do I come across a true home. The exquisite and uplifting - yet still comforting and warm - atmosphere you have created from meagre beginnings is inspirational. Many times during my visit today, I found myself frozen, staring at the surroundings, mouth agape, unsure of how much time had passed.

Your keen eye for design is evident in even the smallest touches. Your ability to balance contemporary, thought-provoking - and, yes, at times shocking -  elements with a deep respect for the grace of classic interior design is really something.

I also find your profound understanding of the perfection of imperfection admirable and enlightening: a rug slightly askew, a way the sunlight catches a thin layer of dust upon a picture frame. These things matter to every real estate agent. I thank you for sharing them with me.

Finally, I want to touch on the remarkable time and effort you clearly invested in the lead-up to my visit. While your extensive and thorough scrubbing, polishing, vacuuming, and deodorising seems somewhat secondary to your natural aptitude - no, talent - in the medium of 'apartment', I must comment: one would think that anybody can clean and tidy a house, but what you have achieved has changed my feelings about this. I never imagined I would describe someone as a 'visionary' for their use of a mop and oven cleaner, but in your case, Elizabeth, I'll make an exception. Nothing else seems apt.
(on a related note, do you work out? The shine on that bathroom mirror suggested some serious strength and cardiovascular endurance.)

Once more, thank you for providing me with such a memorable experience. To repay you, you will live rent-free for the duration of your tenancy. You will also be paid a modest - though sufficient - allowance, to ensure your career does not interfere with your artistic pursuits. This agent owes it to you. Society owes it to you.

Sincerely and humbly,
XXX'

The feedback I actually receive after a rent inspection:
'Fire alarm needs new batarry [sic]. Thx.' 

25 things I should probably remember for the next 25 years.

Yesterday was my birthday. There was a little teeny gathering that turned into a moderate sized party! There was cake! There were lolly bags! There was music and sangria and food and friends! I'm pretty sure somebody challenged somebody else to a duel! There was a boy whose jeans zippered open on the butt and if anyone had any doubts about his sexuality, they were put to rest right then and there! There was a lot of laughing! And I felt very pleased to know the people I do.

Twenty-five felt like an important birthday to me, for reasons I'm not yet quite sure of. I felt very reflective. Then I felt inebriated. Then I felt sick. And then I felt reflective AGAIN.

So, as many many many people on this internet-box seem to be doing, I wrote down a list of things I feel most proud of learning (present tense. Work in progress) in the last 25 years, partially because I'm a self-indulgent little shit and partially because I don't take anything seriously unless it's written down, and I could probably do with taking my life a little bit more seriously, sometimes.

(also, have some party pictures I stole from people's facebooks.. shhh. ps. if any Canberrans are interested in the lolly buffet, it's courtesy of my beautiful friend Jenny and her business, Lolly Trolley. Go get yo-self one!)

TWENTY-FIVE THINGS. 

(an average pace of one/year)

1. Your mother was right when she would always tell you 'everything feels worse at night'. She wasn't just talking crap to make you go to sleep! It's actually true! So take a deep breath, calm down, drink some hot chocolate - and maybe eat a bowl of ice cream - and go the fuck to sleep. If it still feels sucky in the morning, then we'll deal with it then.

2. Just because you live alone and CAN eat cereal for dinner every night, it doesn't mean you SHOULD. Sometimes it's really nice to cook yourself a fancy, elaborate, time-consuming dinner, and sit down and take your time and enjoy it.
[okay so this is no longer true. I do not live alone anymore, but when you're at the stage in your relationship with your boyfriend where your can happily go 3 months without shaving your legs and are WAY too comfortable crying in front of him, it's unlikely you've changed your cereal-eating ways]

3. Find something that makes you feel classy and stick to it. That might mean 'no sex on the first date' or it might mean 'take yourself out for a nice breakfast after having sex on the first date'. Whatever it is, do it and own it.

4. Exercise your brain and your emotions as much as you exercise your body. Then stretch it thoroughly. And - like your body - give your brain and your emotions recovery days. You'll be a bangin' hot person in no time!

5. You hid behind your humour and your smarts for many, many years. Now, you don't really have much to hide, so treat these things as assets, not armour.

6. Asking for help is important, but don't ask for advice you don't want to hear. You're wasting EVERYYYYYBODY's time, so cut it out. Seek help when you need it, and do it with an open mind and a genuinely willingness to l-i-s-t-e-n.

7. Be honest with people, but draw a line between 'being honest' and 'divulging your entire soul'. It's a good idea to keep a little to yourself. Don't give away anything you wouldn't be happy not getting back. Or seeing spray-painted in a public toilet. Self-censorship is important.

8. Some girls (and grown women) do not want to get along with other girls (or grown women. Or me, whichever of these categories I fall into). This is not your fault. They will say things like "oh girls just don't like me!" and make you out to be the bad guy. This is a trick! Do not fall for it! Do not let other people fall for it!! 99.879% of the time, they do not want to play nice with the other girls.... or with me.

 

9. You are not really a party animal and that's okay. It is completely fine to stay home on a Saturday night and listen to 'Purple Rain' on repeat for four hours. But sometimes it's also important to remind yourself of what the outside world is like - so go out and live it. Worst case scenario: it sucks, and you can go home assured that your one-woman singalongs were the right choice after all.

10. Take other people's book/music/movie recommendations seriously. Yes, yes, you think you know everything, but you WILL be surprised. Even if you hate it, you'll know the inside of that person's brain a little bit more. Indulging somebody you care about is a very important part of relationships.

11. When opportunity knocks, answer the door naked.

12. People show they care in an assortment of not-always-ideal (to you) ways. Sometimes, this lack of playing by the rules is unacceptable and heartbreaking. But sometimes you will feel, deep down, that it's okay regardless. Trust this feeling, even when your friends tell you it's not right that your boyfriend didn't buy you flowers or your parents say your friends should've phoned rather than instant messaged. Trust it, and go with it.

13. Bring a jacket. Goddammit Lizzi, please! Please! Just always bring a jacket. No excuses. It's never a waste!

14. You are not a movie star. Your entire life does not require a soundtrack, assigned number of sex scenes, series of alternative endings, various costuming choices, or a gag reel. Enjoy your lack of grandeur, glamour, and stunt double.

15. You were built for comfort, not speed.

16. The way your dad loves you is completely incomparable to the way anybody else will love you, ever.

17. The things you don't like are just as important as the things you do - don't be ashamed of them. Seafood, gin, bad manners, citrus fruit, duck (but not ducks!), Kimbra, neon colours, wine, tomatoes, beer, Madonna, watching TV, most David Bowie songs, team sports, superfluous hugging/cheek-kissing/physical contact, Deep Purple, nail polish, green tea, calling celebrities by their first names only, sparkling water, other people's pets..... These all seem to be unpopular things to dislike (popular things to like? Popular? Tautology? YEAHHH) in several circles I've been floating around in lately. That's okay - just quietly dislike them anyway. No biggie.

18. Internet stalking people you already dislike will only make it worse. Same goes for internet stalking ex-boyfriend's new girlfriends, or current boyfriend's ex-girlfriends, or the girl who scored the job you wanted, or your high school best friend's new best friend, or your baby cousin's douchebag boyfriend. Just let it be and we'll all get along juuuust fine.

19. There is a happy in-between balanced place between physical self-confidence and physical doom-and-gloom-pit-of-despair. Don't be ashamed of your boobs or your back-fat or the dimply bits on the sides of your thighs or the fact that your head is the size of a medium sized planet or that your cheeks make most squirrels feel inadequate. No need to fuss over this junk. But also don't feel like the only cure for feelings of shame is to get the aforementioned boobs, back-fat, etc. out at every opportunity. You can be quietly, privately content, if not proud. No need to fight fire with fire. Or insecurity with back-fat.

20. Never flirt just to make somebody else (ie. not the person on the receiving end of the flirting) jealous. This is just bad for everybody, including yourself

21. Always strike up a conversation with taxi drivers. They know eeeeeverything. Including the best place for a kebab in a foreign city right through to what you should do with the rest of your life.

22. You really - REALLY - like carbohydrates. Don't fight it.

23. Not everyone wants to be your friend. Not everybody wants to be your friend and this is COMPLETELY OKAY. We don't all always need to hold hands and sing Kumbayah and make the world a better place. It's not a reflection on you. It's not your problem. Don't sweat it.

24. It's easy to feel too cool or mature or 'moved on' for a certain book, blanket, necklace or pile of essays from when you were 15. Don't be so quick to disregard this stuff - don't be a hoarder, but hang on to some of it. You'll regret it - a lot! every day! - if you don't. Memories matter.

25. Never be that person who leaves drops of urine on the toilet seat. A last minute check before leaving the cubicle is never a waste of time.

Let's all say it together kids: never leave drops of urine on the toilet seat. Happy birthday to me. Thank you for being friends with me and my back-fat.

A post so you don't forget I exist.

This post is the blog equivalent of:
"Mum mum mum mum mummmm muuuum mumumumum mum MUM MUM MUM MUMMMM!"
"What?!"
".... nothing."

I have absolutely nothing to say, but I'd like to make a bit of noise so you remember I'm here.

Do you like pictures? I do. I like words, too, but I have a really short attention span so sometimes visual is all I can deal with. HOPE YOU'RE AS DEVELOPMENTALLY CHALLENGED AS ME ....cos pictures is all you're getting, suckerrrrsssss.

I went to Melbourne for a work trip recently. I love Melbourne. I love that even when it's cold and dark and rainy, it's still buzzing with LIFE! And fairy lights. Mostly I just love that there are fairy lights eeeeverywhere. I also love that even when it's cold and dark and rainy, you might wake up to the most glorious sunny day and feel like an absolute player for choosing a hotel right on the water.

BUT work trips are bittersweet and lonely, because there's no one to share the fun with. Which is why I ended up doing things like eating mutliple tubs of Ben & Jerry's all by myself in my hotel room (it's not available where I live AKA hello the greatest tragedy of my life). I also ate a lot of other delicious foods, most of which I didn't photograph cos they were a) ugly and b) in my face before a camera could get anywhere near them. I went to Lord of the Fries 3 times in 4 days. Not because it's THAT spectacular or I'm vegetarian or vegan... just because I feel the need to support anywhere that includes a pun in its name.
ALSO I have a loyalty card that I get stamped at Walker's Doughnuts every time I'm in Melbourne. Which is roughly twice a year. Meaning that in 10 years, I get a free coffee and a doughnut! YES!

Other stuff I did while in Melbourne: saw the bike of my dreams (it delivers bacon and egg rolls! and coffee!); rocked out in the hotel gym to Billy Joel with this fat, old man in a sweatband, who didn't have headphones for his iPhone so just blasted some sick tunes for all the rest of us; got cute photo messages from Boyus McGee (did I tell you we're now living together? we're now living together! it's adorable!); and soooo muchhhhhhhhh and ended up with soooooo manyyyyyy blistersssssssssss (plz excuse my ugly ass feet. callouses are god's way of telling us we're tough and capable human beings); made my nephews pose with happy birthday signs for my dad (which they then tore up...champs); and later took photos of them sleeping (and maybe satanic hand gestures) to display at their 21st birthday parties (fave aunt, right here).

Did you notice my bandass band-aids? They've been getting put to good use around these parts, because I'm a spaz and fall over a lot while running, and because my dad figured 'shark bite' is a way cool explanation than 'heart surgery'.

Speaking of running, I am doing more of it again (okay, not more frequently... only 1-3 times a week, but incorporating some longer 10k+ run). I doubt I'll ever run marathons again but I'd like to do a few more halfs + some 10ks etcccccc. Plus I finally caved and bought new shoes, which are already different colours because I like to splash in mud. Awesooooome. FYI my fave bit of running is lying on the floor afterwards, with the door to my balcony open, and feet outside to keep cool (the day after this GORGEOUS day in the photo, it snowed. Yeah. Wtf Canberra you are a joke).

ALSO it is my birthday on Sunday and I'm having a party for the first time in like.... 14 years. Not kidding. I'm over-the-moon excited and am loving planning the food, drinks, music, CAKEEE, and LOLLY BUFFETTTTTTTT. Writing a monster 7 page shopping list was an awesome way to spend a paid workday! KIDDING! (mostly.. it's really only 5 pages long lolz). I also spent wwwaaaay too much money at The Essential Ingredient (aka my fave place on the planet) buying sprinkles...plus a few birthday presents for myself.

Finally, here is the best picture ever of my cat. It's my phone's wallpaper and I look at it 8347863 times a day. THAT'S MA BOY!! Sittin' on a chair like a PRO!

BYE!