From humble beginnings, the Cadbury Marathon inaugurated back in 1984. Since then, thousands have participated in Tasmania’s largest marathon, some out to break records, with others aiming to accomplish a lifelong goal of completing a marathon.
For me it was the start of a yearlong personal project to run 12 marathons. I don’t think I could have picked a better way to start.
Which is just as well because I was feeling awful in the lead up to this one.
I woke up on Friday morning and my whole body felt like lead and my left foot hurt to walk on. I tried to get myself ready for work, but as I struggled to have a shower I thought better of it and went back to bed. I slept solidly for three hours and thankfully when I woke up I was feeling much better.
My foot was still giving me grief, so I had the physio look at it.
Being a last minute appointment I couldn’t get into my regular physio, but I was just thankful that they could fit me in at all. Yvette greeted me at reception and showed me back to her room. I tried to explain what the problem was, but as the words came out of my mouth I realised that it was probably a mild case of hypochondria, which has a tendency to creep up on me before a race.
I like to think of myself as a very positive person, but for some reason whenever there is a big event in my life I conjure up the worst case scenarios in my head. This leads to anxiety, and probably was the real reason I woke up feeling like crap.
Although Yvette wasn’t my regular she was amazing. After a quick massage I was feeling back to my normal self and it wasn’t so much the massage that did it, but it was what Yvette said, “I get a vibe that you are going to do just great.”
I am a huge believer in personal energy and the vibes you give off to others. It is something that I have tried to increase my knowledge of over the past two years by reading a lot of literature on chakra, souls, meditation, instincts and spirituality.
Something that has sparked my interest from all the reading is how I feel around others, runners in particular. There is something magical about being out running with a pack of runners and I often feel like I absorb their energy. This is perhaps why it has become so addictive to me.
It is particularly interesting in a race. If someone over takes me, it spikes my energy levels and similarly if I pass someone who is struggling I feel a momentary dip in energy.
In this case I try my best to radiate some of my Mojo energy to them with a heartfelt “keep going, you got this.”
As the saying goes you want to surround yourself with positive people and as far as runners go, I really don’t think you could find a more positive vibe. I came across this quote the other day and it articulates it far better than I could.
So Yvette’s words filled me with confidence that I was going to be just fine, after all your vibes can’t lie.
I woke up on Saturday morning filled with excitement, so much excitement that I found myself at the airport 2hrs before I actually needed to be there!
Not to worry because I had a fantastic book to read – Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer. It was a gift that my new found friend, Lisa from parkrun, had given me. She had also very kindly offered me her Suunto GPS watch as my Garmin was playing up.
Lisa ran her first marathon with this watch and I felt very privileged that she wanted me to have it. It also served me very well as it had my pace on it which kept me on track.
Although I like to think it was Lisa’s spirit there running with me that really kept me on pace.
Lisa also sent me the most wonderful quote before the race, I love quotes if you hadn't already picked up on this, from Kathrine Switzer;
I ordered a coffee and sat down to read, and as I did a song came on that sent goose bumps cascading down my skin.
After I had finished dancing in my chair I started to reflect on this song.
It has a nostalgic effect on me as it was one of the cassette tapes my parents owned when I was younger, and therefor forms part of the soundtrack of my childhood.
It transports me to the back of the Nimbus, packed in tight as we head off on a family summer holiday up to Lennox heads.
These are happy days.
Mum and Dad honeymooned in the Lennox Head Beachfront Apartments and it is one of their favourite places, so they continued to take us there for our family holidays. Something that I still find very romantic.
Before now I had never really payed much attention to the words, but I was intrigued to find out just what Paul was singing about.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo sings in Zulu on this track. Their refrain roughly translates to: "It's not usual but in our days we see those things happen. They are women, they can take care of themselves."
I hear you Ladysmith Black Mambazo. This first marathon I am doing on my own. I am pretty independent, so the thought of travelling to Tasmania and running a marathon on my own didn't really phase me. It was only when I woke up from a nap after the marathon and desperately wanted some food, but had none and no energy to go get some that I wished that I hadn't been all Ladysmith Black Mambazo and that I had someone to go get me something to eat.
I looked down at myself and I was sitting in a black t-shirt that I had picked up from Savers for $2, my old Nike tights with holes in them, thanks Matilda, and some old runners.
Well I certainly don’t look rich and the only thing in the soles of these shoes is some stale chewing gum.
This made me think back to a class at university that blew my mind.
As we were all pulling our jaws off the classroom floor we were prompted to check out the ‘How Rich am I’ calculator at www.givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved/how-rich-am-i/ so I did and according to it, I am in the richest 0.4% of the world’s population and my income is 54 times the global average.
Talk about putting things into perspective!
And if I was to donate 10% of my income, I would still be in the richest 0.6% of the world’s population and have more than 48 times the global average income.
This class was the kick up the bum I needed and I made a pledge to be grateful for what I have and to be more giving. I quickly realised that giving to others made me far happier than having more money or possessions ever would.
I arrived in Tasmania and set off to explore. For anyone who has not been, I highly recommend it. It was just beautiful and I will certainly be going back as four days was not nearly enough.
After meandering through the Salamanca Market I settled into my hilltop apartment and ate some of the delicious raspberries I had picked up. In the afternoon I went back into town to pick up my race kit and then headed out to Claremont to drive the course. After I was confident of where I needed to go in the morning, I went and got myself a big bowl of pasta and garlic bread and settled in for the night. I got into bed nice and early but alas, I could not sleep!
I lay awake as the hours ticked by and only ended up getting 4 hours sleep. Not ideal, but I told myself that I just needed to run the marathon and then I could come back and go to sleep.
As I drove to the start one of my favourite songs came on the radio. Shooting Stars by The Bag Raiders. This was all I needed to pump me up. I just knew that I was going to run well, despite my lack of long training runs in the lead up.
And run well I did. I managed to take 7 minutes of my PB of 03:53:16. I partly contribute this to the flat course, but also to my mindset. I think once you have run your first marathon they just get easier because it really is all in the mind. Once you have proven to yourself that you can go the distance, anything is possible.
The Cadbury Marathon left me on a high and I just cant wait to get stuck into the next one and see just how fast this Mojo can go.
I have always said that the feeling you get from completing a marathon is second to none. It is such a sense of achievement and it brings me so much joy and happiness. Commonly referred to as the runners high.
It is hard to explain and do it justice, but if you are a runner you know exactly what I am talking about. And if not I strongly encourage you to get out there and see what all the fuss is about.
I envisaged the runners high to last for a few weeks, but on the return from my trip to Tasmania I was told of the devastating loss of one of my work team mates. Its hard to believe that you can go from feeling such elation to such loss and grief.
This week has been a roller-coaster of emotions and today we gathered to celebrate Jamie and lay his body to rest.
I was not going to write this post tonight, but after the ceremony and learning more about Buddhism, I realised that it was the best thing that I could possibly do to honor Jamie.
The monk who conducted the ceremony explained that Jamie was now on a journey on his own, and that our prayers of positive thought would give him the confidence that he needed to go on the next stage of his journey.
So Jamie, I am sending you all my Mojo vibes and I wish you strength, courage and above all love on your journey. “keep going, you got this.”
Happy running xx
For me it was the start of a yearlong personal project to run 12 marathons. I don’t think I could have picked a better way to start.
Which is just as well because I was feeling awful in the lead up to this one.
I woke up on Friday morning and my whole body felt like lead and my left foot hurt to walk on. I tried to get myself ready for work, but as I struggled to have a shower I thought better of it and went back to bed. I slept solidly for three hours and thankfully when I woke up I was feeling much better.
My foot was still giving me grief, so I had the physio look at it.
Being a last minute appointment I couldn’t get into my regular physio, but I was just thankful that they could fit me in at all. Yvette greeted me at reception and showed me back to her room. I tried to explain what the problem was, but as the words came out of my mouth I realised that it was probably a mild case of hypochondria, which has a tendency to creep up on me before a race.
I like to think of myself as a very positive person, but for some reason whenever there is a big event in my life I conjure up the worst case scenarios in my head. This leads to anxiety, and probably was the real reason I woke up feeling like crap.
Although Yvette wasn’t my regular she was amazing. After a quick massage I was feeling back to my normal self and it wasn’t so much the massage that did it, but it was what Yvette said, “I get a vibe that you are going to do just great.”
I am a huge believer in personal energy and the vibes you give off to others. It is something that I have tried to increase my knowledge of over the past two years by reading a lot of literature on chakra, souls, meditation, instincts and spirituality.
Something that has sparked my interest from all the reading is how I feel around others, runners in particular. There is something magical about being out running with a pack of runners and I often feel like I absorb their energy. This is perhaps why it has become so addictive to me.
It is particularly interesting in a race. If someone over takes me, it spikes my energy levels and similarly if I pass someone who is struggling I feel a momentary dip in energy.
In this case I try my best to radiate some of my Mojo energy to them with a heartfelt “keep going, you got this.”
As the saying goes you want to surround yourself with positive people and as far as runners go, I really don’t think you could find a more positive vibe. I came across this quote the other day and it articulates it far better than I could.
I am a distance runner. I’ve been trained to keep going, even when it’s hard. When it hurts. When it sucks. When I don’t want to. I look past it. Relentless forward progress to the finish. Call it what you want: stubbornness, endurance, determination, guts. Deep down, I don’t know how to give up.
So Yvette’s words filled me with confidence that I was going to be just fine, after all your vibes can’t lie.
I woke up on Saturday morning filled with excitement, so much excitement that I found myself at the airport 2hrs before I actually needed to be there!
Not to worry because I had a fantastic book to read – Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer. It was a gift that my new found friend, Lisa from parkrun, had given me. She had also very kindly offered me her Suunto GPS watch as my Garmin was playing up.
Lisa ran her first marathon with this watch and I felt very privileged that she wanted me to have it. It also served me very well as it had my pace on it which kept me on track.
Although I like to think it was Lisa’s spirit there running with me that really kept me on pace.
Lisa also sent me the most wonderful quote before the race, I love quotes if you hadn't already picked up on this, from Kathrine Switzer;
All you need is the courage to believe in yourself and put one foot in front of the other
I ordered a coffee and sat down to read, and as I did a song came on that sent goose bumps cascading down my skin.
O kodwa you zo-nge li-sa namhlange (A-wa a-wa)
Si-bona kwenze ka kanjani (A-wa a-wa)
Amanto mbazane ayeza
She's a rich girl
She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
After I had finished dancing in my chair I started to reflect on this song.
It has a nostalgic effect on me as it was one of the cassette tapes my parents owned when I was younger, and therefor forms part of the soundtrack of my childhood.
It transports me to the back of the Nimbus, packed in tight as we head off on a family summer holiday up to Lennox heads.
These are happy days.
Mum and Dad honeymooned in the Lennox Head Beachfront Apartments and it is one of their favourite places, so they continued to take us there for our family holidays. Something that I still find very romantic.
Before now I had never really payed much attention to the words, but I was intrigued to find out just what Paul was singing about.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo sings in Zulu on this track. Their refrain roughly translates to: "It's not usual but in our days we see those things happen. They are women, they can take care of themselves."
I hear you Ladysmith Black Mambazo. This first marathon I am doing on my own. I am pretty independent, so the thought of travelling to Tasmania and running a marathon on my own didn't really phase me. It was only when I woke up from a nap after the marathon and desperately wanted some food, but had none and no energy to go get some that I wished that I hadn't been all Ladysmith Black Mambazo and that I had someone to go get me something to eat.
She's a rich girl She don't try to hide it
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes
I looked down at myself and I was sitting in a black t-shirt that I had picked up from Savers for $2, my old Nike tights with holes in them, thanks Matilda, and some old runners.
Well I certainly don’t look rich and the only thing in the soles of these shoes is some stale chewing gum.
This made me think back to a class at university that blew my mind.
The richest 62 people in the world have as much wealth as the poorest half of the global population.
As we were all pulling our jaws off the classroom floor we were prompted to check out the ‘How Rich am I’ calculator at www.givingwhatwecan.org/get-involved/how-rich-am-i/ so I did and according to it, I am in the richest 0.4% of the world’s population and my income is 54 times the global average.
Talk about putting things into perspective!
And if I was to donate 10% of my income, I would still be in the richest 0.6% of the world’s population and have more than 48 times the global average income.
This class was the kick up the bum I needed and I made a pledge to be grateful for what I have and to be more giving. I quickly realised that giving to others made me far happier than having more money or possessions ever would.
I arrived in Tasmania and set off to explore. For anyone who has not been, I highly recommend it. It was just beautiful and I will certainly be going back as four days was not nearly enough.
After meandering through the Salamanca Market I settled into my hilltop apartment and ate some of the delicious raspberries I had picked up. In the afternoon I went back into town to pick up my race kit and then headed out to Claremont to drive the course. After I was confident of where I needed to go in the morning, I went and got myself a big bowl of pasta and garlic bread and settled in for the night. I got into bed nice and early but alas, I could not sleep!
I lay awake as the hours ticked by and only ended up getting 4 hours sleep. Not ideal, but I told myself that I just needed to run the marathon and then I could come back and go to sleep.
As I drove to the start one of my favourite songs came on the radio. Shooting Stars by The Bag Raiders. This was all I needed to pump me up. I just knew that I was going to run well, despite my lack of long training runs in the lead up.
And run well I did. I managed to take 7 minutes of my PB of 03:53:16. I partly contribute this to the flat course, but also to my mindset. I think once you have run your first marathon they just get easier because it really is all in the mind. Once you have proven to yourself that you can go the distance, anything is possible.
I have always said that the feeling you get from completing a marathon is second to none. It is such a sense of achievement and it brings me so much joy and happiness. Commonly referred to as the runners high.
It is hard to explain and do it justice, but if you are a runner you know exactly what I am talking about. And if not I strongly encourage you to get out there and see what all the fuss is about.
I envisaged the runners high to last for a few weeks, but on the return from my trip to Tasmania I was told of the devastating loss of one of my work team mates. Its hard to believe that you can go from feeling such elation to such loss and grief.
This week has been a roller-coaster of emotions and today we gathered to celebrate Jamie and lay his body to rest.
I was not going to write this post tonight, but after the ceremony and learning more about Buddhism, I realised that it was the best thing that I could possibly do to honor Jamie.
The monk who conducted the ceremony explained that Jamie was now on a journey on his own, and that our prayers of positive thought would give him the confidence that he needed to go on the next stage of his journey.
So Jamie, I am sending you all my Mojo vibes and I wish you strength, courage and above all love on your journey. “keep going, you got this.”
In Loving memory of Jamie Le 10/10/1990 - 17/01/2017
Happy running xx
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