If you follow me on instagram or on twitter you know that on Sunday I completed my first "competition" run since being diagnosed.
Colour me totally excited and inspired - despite coming in stone cold last :)
We have a saying in our house that it's all about participation and quite a few months ago when my onc told me that the half marathon in June was out for me I quietly though to myself hmmm - wonder if I could do the 10k instead? He's currently in Germany so what he doesn't know won't hurt him I say.
Four weeks ago I started walking each day - if I did nothing else I fitted my walk in -some days it was only 20 minutes to the shop to get milk and bread and home again. Three weeks ago I started at the local gym. My first walk on the treadmill was for 5 mins at 4.5km/hr and then I fell in a big heap LOL. Two weeks ago I decided it was time to get sorted and make a plan - I love a good plan. So I started the C25K program again - walking at a rate of 5 km/h and running at a rate of 7.5km/h.
Today I completed the second week - and I ran 3 of my intervals (90 secs) at 10km/h and the rest at 9km/hr and my walks were at 6km/hr with a 2% incline.
I'm putting the details here so I can remember how far I have come from not being able to get to the bathroom - and from needing a wheel chair to do the christmas shopping. The end is in sight for sure.
Because I had been regularly walking 5km for the last two weeks (I do the extra after I complete the C25K each time) I thought I'd just check to see when the series started - it was this weekend just gone. I signed up with a day to spare.
Richard had his annual golf day thingy on and I wasn't keen to have the girls sit in the stadium by themselves for an hour - I knew I'd be on the track a while. It was always just going to be me off doing it if I wanted to make it happen.
So I did.
We bundled the girls off to a sleep over at my grandparents the night before- Richard headed off to golf and I headed down to Runaway Bay at 6.30am. It was a rainy weekend and on Saturday I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to compete - I couldn't risk getting hot and cold in the rain and catching a cold with my immune system out of whack. But as luck would have it - the day shined up beautifully for the space of the race.
Ready to go at 6.30am :)- Not so smiley - cute shirt though :)
All signed in with my race pack
I ran the first 750 m and knew that I was spent - if I wanted to finish I was going to have to walk from there on - I had aimed to run the first and last 1 km but it was unrealistic given that I had only been doing 90 sec runs. Already the crowd had thinned out.
I snapped each of the markers as I went by :) - and text Richard at the four km mark to say I was nearly there :)
My first glimpse of the stadium as I came up to the four km mark. Not a soul around and they were gathering the markers up behind me.
By the time I got to the stadium I knew I wanted to run the track - so I did.
I was so happy to finish - I did a dance on the finish line :)
And if you click over to here you can see a photo of me dancing snapped by the official race photographer :) I'm so buying that :) Nice double chin - Far out I love the round steroid face - NOT
### edited to add I've just been chatting with the wonderful Tim from Dreamsport Photography who has kindly sent me the photos :) so I can now share them.
I picked up the girls and we headed out for a celebration breakkie.
My biggest fans :-)
There were nearly 718 participants on the day - I signed up to be a walker - Next one is April the 1st - I'm hoping to finish faster - but it's all about participating :)
