Published 30/05/2014
Julie has signed up to compete in the Gold Coast Marathon again this year. This newsletter I have asked her to share her preparation with us. I am sure you will all join with me to wish Julie all the best for her 42.2 km trek along the beautiful Gold Coast in July.
Barbara
After the marathon last July, I did very little running for 6 months. I felt my body and mind needed the recovery time.
This year’s preparation began in February with 20 weeks before the big day on 6th July 2014. I started by running 5km every second day, building back the muscle memory in my legs. This will been gradually built up over the weeks until I reach my peak training of 2 x one hour runs (approximately 9 to 10 kilometres) and a longer run of 18 to 20 kilometres on Sunday morning per week.
An important part of my training plan is hydration and nutrition. My diet consists of lots of protein, fresh fruit and vegetables and lots of carbs on training days for energy. I eat very little processed foods as they tend to make me feel “sluggish”. I take supplements such as Bio Chromium (to keep blood sugar stable), Q10 (for sustained energy) and of course my good friend Magnesium (for muscle repair). Drinking at least 2 litres of filtered water a day helps keep me hydrated.
My training runs this year have been mostly by myself with my Ipod radio in my ear as I have not been able to motivate myself to get out of bed at 4:30am to join my “running buddies” from last year. A typical 5 km run will start at Mermaid Beach Surf Club and head north to Broadbeach surf club and back. On my longer runs, I have been running up to Main Beach and back which is a 15km round trip. I have mixed up the times of the day, sometimes going at 7am, sometimes at 4pm. This tactic will hopefully help me cope with whatever weather conditions are thrown at me on the actual marathon day.
With less than 6 weeks to go until the Gold Coast Marathon 2014, thoughts of “why am I doing this again” and “can I really go that far” start to fill my head. I know as it gets closer these feelings will subside and be replaced with excitement to be on the start line of my 4th Gold Coast Marathon.
My goal at the moment is to stay well so I can complete the training my legs need to carry me the 42.2 km – I’ll update you on that one in July.
Julie
Image courtesy of www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au