The 99-minute half

I still can't believe it. I finally broke 100 minutes for a half marathon! 

I don't think I've ever been so focused on a goal as much as this one. It took 3-4 months of dedication, running four days a week in the cold, dark and sometimes torrential rain. I put out a pretty hectic goal that I've never achieved before and just hoped I could pull it off. It's a scary thing, putting it all out there for everyone to see. 

Early on, I really struggled to believe that I could run that fast. The last time I got close was seven years earlier, when I was living in London and signed up for a 21km race. I missed out on beating 100 mins by 48 seconds. Not bad for a first attempt. Although, I felt like I had sprinted the entire race - it hurt!

Since May, my long runs sat around 5:30 min/k and I got marginally faster over the weeks. However, the thought of shaving off an entire minute per kilometre seemed like an impossible task. How would I be able to do that for 21km?!

I don't know if it was race day endorphins, adrenaline, the pressure of trying to keep up with Georgie or just being focused on staying ahead of the Striders 100 min pacer. But something magical happened on race day. And it always does. It's a weird feeling that you can't quite describe.

I used to go into races simply hoping for the best and if I reached my goal, it would just be an added bonus. Yesterday was different. I started to believe that if everything went to plan, I would make it. It was the first time I had genuine faith in myself to pull this off. 

Georgie and I got to 11km and I remember looking at my watch, thinking that we were over half way. Wow, it had gone a lot quicker than I had anticipated. At that point, we were averaging 4:35 min/km. OUCH! I was hurting and it was tough to keep up that pace. Thankfully, I saw Tracy and Penny everywhere along the course, taking photos and screaming at me, telling me I looked great (even if I was struggling)! I think I saw them about 5 times - it's always motivating to see people you know cheering for you. They were my saviour.

I was feeling good until we got to 14km when I really started to feel the burn. I was in a deep, dark hole of hurt. 

My breathing was heavy, my hip flexors were starting to tighten up on the hills and I could feel a bad stitch coming on. But instead of focusing on how rubbish I was feeling (in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn't that bad) I just thought to myself, if I can keep Georgie within a couple of metres of me, I'll be ok. Besides, she wasn't about to let me slow down or give up! 

Over the next few kilometres, our pace varied from 4:20 - 4:50 min/k. As we got closer to the 18km mark, I was really starting to slow down and worried the 100 min pacer was going to catch us. This is how I envisaged I would cross the finish line if she did:

But with 2km to go, I looked at Georgie with the biggest smile on my face and told her I couldn't believe it - we were about to do it. All those training runs were about to pay off. I didn't care who was overtaking me - I was just happy that I didn't fall apart! 

At 20km, all I could hear was noise. I saw Dani, Waino and Margie at Circular Quay who were yelling and screaming with excitement! I honestly couldn't stop smiling. 

I looked up at the clock - we finished a minute ahead of schedule. Unthinkable! Goal time: 99:59. Actual time: 98:45. Top 20 finish in my age group and top 80 females overall. Effing stoked! 21km is hard enough but at that pace, I was pushing the whole way. I guess the hard is what makes it so good.



At the end of it all, I learnt a simple yet very valuable lesson: you just have to BELIEVE you can do it. And I mean genuinely believe it. I know that sounds super cheesy but in hindsight, it really worked. I honestly think this was the key for me reaching this goal which, 3 months ago, I thought was way beyond my capabilities.

There were five things that contributed to the success of yesterdays race:

1. Having a running coach. You need someone who is relentless in helping you achieve your goal. I was on a proper running program and commited to the training. No excuses. If you're in Sydney and have some running experience under your belt, I recommend Gary Mullins from runninggroups.com.au or balmoraltriclub.org.au. If you're new to running, get onto Can Too. Such a great cause and the most encouraging training environment to be a part of.

2. Having a solid group of people to run with every week. If they're a bit faster than you, even better. Surround yourself with people who are going to support & encourage you every week. This will do wonders for your confidence. If you manage to find someone to pace you on the day, that's always a bonus. I was VERY lucky.

3. Backing yourself and your training. If you've done the mileage and been committed, just put faith in the program and your ability to follow through, no matter how crazy it may seem at the time.

4. Learn to be comfortable at being uncomfortable. The most far fetched goals require you to hurt. I like to go hard and hold on for as long as I can. Your body will learn to adjust.

5. Keep reminding yourself that you have the ability to do it. Even when it hurts and you want to give up. There's no can't. No chance of failure. Particularly in the race when there are times you want to stop and walk. You need to genuinely believe you can reach that goal and figure out ways to suppress any negative thoughts.

If you were one of the magnificent people who bought a batch of spring rolls, dumplings, Monte Carlos or made something for me to sell, I want to say a huge thank you. You helped me raise over $1000 for Can Too! To those who gave up a Sunday morning sleep-in to come and cheer on the sidelines - you guys rock! To Gary Mullins for his expert advice/coaching over the last few months, the RG crew for keeping me motivated over winter and Georgie Farrar who was the most brilliant pacer all day; I couldn't have done this without you.

Now I can tick the box, officially join the sub-100 club and be happy knowing I never have to do that again! 

So what's next? Another season of Elite Energy sprint distance triathlons with Energylink Coaching and Balmoral Tri Club, under the guidance of World Champion, Owain Matthews. 

But first, to walk down stairs unaided...

Can Too: from zero to hero

I have a confession to make. I wasn't always a runner. In fact, I only started running in my early twenties as a form of stress relief. I was having a quarter-life crisis after dropping out of Uni and started wondering what the hell I was going to do with my life. 

[Me trying to be an adult]

The most running I had ever done was on a netball court in high school. Short bursts of effort across 20 metres of bitumen. Oh, and the occasional party.

[Does running with alcohol count as exercise?]

So if you're new to running, I'm here to tell you that I know how you feel. I've been in your shoes before. I'm not one of those naturally gifted runners you see running like a gazelle in Centennial Park. To give you an idea, the first run I ever did lasted about 6 minutes. It went a little something like this:

[How I thought I looked]

[How I actually looked]

Fast forward to 2016 and this year marks my fourth program coaching for Can Too. This time, I have a group of 18 runners who are doing a relay for the SMH Half Marathon in May. For those of you who don't know what Can Too is, it's a not-for-profit organisation who train people for swimming, running and triathlon events. In exchange for a program and two coached sessions a week, participants fundraise for cancer research with 100% of the money raised going directly to Cure Cancer Australia. One program alone can fund a researcher for 12 months!

I've taught in gyms before. I've trained countless clients one-on-one. But Can Too has by far been the most rewarding experience and I urge anyone who is thinking about running to give it a go. The one thing I love about Can Too is no matter how fit or unfit you feel, it is such a supportive environment to train in. I am always so inspired by the people that join this program, and the group I have at the moment is no different. Everyone has a story, all 18 of them, and they really are the most amazing bunch of people. 

This year, we decided to showcase all of our runners under a segment called Humans of Can Too (based on the very popular Humans of New York). You can read more about their inspiring stories on my Instagram page here (or do an Instagram search for #HumansOfCanToo). We will showcase a couple of people each week until the program finishes in the middle of May.

[Some of our amazing Humans of Can Too, North Pod - SMH relay]

I cannot express how much respect I have for the people who choose to fundraise for this cause. As a coach, there is nothing more humbling than watching people 
fall in love with running. Learning how to run as an adult takes so much courage. For most people, it is completely out of their comfort zone. A bit like me doing Zumba for the first time.

[Me, if I ever did Zumba]

I'll never forget the first week we did our long run. At the end of the 3km, some of them were saying it was the furthest they had ever run without stopping. Quote of the day was from Sophie: "I can't believe I ran 3km and didn't hate it!" 

[YIEW]

Each week, this hardcore group of 18 runners push themselves further and further, and get closer to their goal of completing distances they never thought they could do. These are the people who inspire me to run.

So if you're out running in Sydney on a Saturday morning, and you see someone in a bright orange Can Too shirt, give them some love, or maybe a high five and let them know how amazing they are.

Here's to the Humans of Can Too!

To read more about how you can support this amazing organisation, click here.

For coaching opportunities with Can Too, email info@cantoo.org.au.