My first training walk

Went for my first official race walk training. I still cant believe my coach gave me a 7km walk for my first time out in 2 months. Plus even more earth shattering was that he told me to go at 6min/km pace......THAT was my RACE pace.

So after struggling to get my form correct in the car park while I warmed up waiting on my training partner Pete to arrive, I pondered this pace and started to doubt myself. It was one thing to be running and gain some extra fitness but why was I so breathless after just walking around the car park?????

Pete arrived and away we went. We started out sticking to 6.15 min/km pace to warm up and easy the old body back into it. We headed out along the Atawhai Walkway....its a nice smooth flattish walkway with a couple of road crossings along the way. Once we warmed up Pete stepped up the pace. His normal race pace is 6 min/km so he just settled into that in front of me and I gave chase.

We must have picked up the pace at some stage as we passed through the 5km mark at 30:25sec. At the 6km mark I asked to slow for a moment as I started getting stitch and was feeling that "sick" feeling...so we eased up a little. After a couple of mins I said OK lets go again....and away we went. Both knowing it was only 1 km to go. I always think to myself some thing that my coach told me at this point....."Its only going to hurt for another 6 mins, so go hard"

As we crossed the main road beside the athletic park, (approx 500m to the finish) we had to slow right up due to the uneven foot path and it was dark with only random street lights...making it rather treacherous underfoot. But we carefully picked out way along and then did a quick sprint until we heard my GPS chirp out the 7km mark.

I hit the stop button on my watch and was almost afraid to look......did we make it...did we hit the target time????? my lungs were bursting (so much for my fitness) but my shins felt fine and so did my calf's....YAY....

We did it in 43.09.............I was truly gobsmacked.....I honestly didn't think I could pull that time off for my first walk. Plus if we had not been held up at road crossings and had to slow for the foot path...we know we would have hit 42 mins...just as my coach had requested.

New Walking Program

Today I met with my coach and have been given my new 5 week program. Drills twice a week, 3 road walks each week and two track sessions.

I do my first 7km training walk tomorrow night with 6min/km as my pace guide. I am looking at reducing my times down so for 5km I post a 27min on the track and for the 10km road walk I post a 58 mins. I feel confident that I will hit them bang on..... but must admit to first day training jitters.

To start out at my old race pace is daunting to say the least. But I trust my coach and know he knows best.

I will keep you all up to date on how my training is going.

1st July 2009

This is the date that I can officially stop running all the time and start back on my race walking build up for the World Masters in October. I have just looked up on the World site and see that there are 4 in total in my age group. Now its a race, now I have a goal and incentive to really put 100% to my training and my coach!!

I am so excited to finally get on with it. I have really enjoyed my running ... more mentally than anything. It is nice to know you can make you body move at a time under 60 Min's for 10km. If I can do it running, I can now do it race walking!!!!

I am fitter and lighter on my feet. In fact I think I am in the best shape I have been in my life. Watch out world.......here I come!!!!

Birthday Gifts

June 12th was mine and my husbands birthday. Yes we share a birthday!! being Gemini's they say we spend our lives searching for our other halfs. So I guess you can get much better than that. Except one of us is two years older than the other.

I got so spoilt. I had my wonderfull ring that Shane had brought me in Phuket, I also got an insence burner, a platter and lollie jar from my kids. I got a gift basket full of moisterisers etc from my mother in law and with the gift my mum gave me I brought the following. An egyptian 3D puzzle ball. It is awesome and I am really rapt with it.

Shane got a wood carving I brought him in Phuket, a 40th mug, a warm vest, lunch, a box of chocolates and an ice mug.

Then to top of the weekend we went and run a 8 km Cross Country at Happy Valley as part of the club competition. Nearly broke us both.

I am still on a NO race walk - I am running at present to build on my cardio fittness and also to try and build the other muscles in my legs that were lagging a little. I am loving the jogging/running, there is no pressure and you can push along quite happily. But with only 2 weeks left I best get out there and make the most of it. It will be back to some serious training for the World Masters - there are 4 in my age group so there will be a race. yay

Sportsperson of the Year 2009

Well, its finally Friday night.....The night of the Sportsperson of the Year awards. I have to admit to feeling nervous. Up until now I had not even given thought that I could possibly win this, but with all my Friends showing so much confidence in my achievements that I did sit and think...well maybe I could. I knew I would really like to win it, but I was not really going to say that out loud.

When we arrived, everyone was mingling in the foyer and drinking bubbly...so not to feel out of place...bubbly was drunk!!

Soon after our arrival all the finalists were asked to move into the hall and check where their tables were, then we were taken back stage where we stayed until they announced our names and what categories we were in. I didn't know until that moment that we were all to be awarded with a special plaque for making it as a finalist. So I was really chuffed....but also realised that I had our camera in my handbag and had no way of getting it to Shane.

So we all lined up out the back in our wee groups and got to chat for about half an hour while we waited for it all to start. It was nice to mix with the others and get to meet the other two finalists in the Masters Category. To make my night, I was the last one out of our group. The first two being guys and having a name of Nyle.......the compare called me a HE......until I came on stage and then he did a double take and apologised. The funny thing was that it was Butch Bradly and I worked with him for a year at the Radio station..but in his defense he didn't know me as Nyle back then.

So I made my way to our table and joined Shane. Our meal was lovely and I slowly helped to polish off the last of the red and white wine. When they announced the masters section it was won by the Triathlete who had competed at the worlds. So it was well deserved. The overall Sports Person of the Year...was won by the Mako's player that was named an All Black. So it was well won all round.

We had a fabulous night, the only down fall of it all was that the mixing of some red, white and bubbly brought on my migraine and I have been down for the last 3 days hiding in a dark room unable to train or function.

But I am determined to do well at the World Masters and in all my next events and hope to have another shot at it next year.

Nelson Sportsperson of the Year

About a month ago Athletics Nelson nominated myself and my coach for the Masters section of the Nelson/Tasman Sportsperson of the Year.

Not long after nominations closed my husband and I went over seas for a much needed holiday. We were gone for two weeks and I had no idea of when we would hear about the awards.

I contacted my coach to see if he had heard anything, but he hadnt.

Well today I got a letter in the mail from Sports Tasman to say I have been selected as a finalist in the Masters Catagory. I am thrilled. I truely didnt expect to be selected, it was an honour to have been nominated by the club.

I have not heard from my coach yet, so I am unsure if he has been selected too. But I am fairly confident that he will have been.

Nelson Shoe Clinic Half Marathon 2009

(Photo as in Nelson Mail...Nyle in full flight just at the finish line - pushing hard and watching the clock - setting a new course record of 1:04:43)

Under the advice of my coach, it was decided that I would enter the 10.55km walk (quater marathon). With the damage I had been doing to my legs with the wrong shoes - I had taken a break from race walking to let my legs heal.

I woke up today to race a 3deg frost...brrrr.....and I was very thankfull that I was not doing the half marathon as they had an 8.30am start. We all started at 9.15am and even though it was chilly it was a lot warmer for us. For the first time in ages I woke up with no pain in my calfs and shins and was really feeling great.

With my training partner doing the half, (which she won) I was not sure of the competition I would have today. I new Gillian, Ros and Wendy were all racing the quater but I new Wendy would be my closest and toughest to stay with, in fact I had thought she would bet me as she is one of nelson's fastest walkers-she just hasnt competed since I started.

With a lot of pushing and shoving at the start, from the runners....(I did sneek up to start with the lead runners) I settled into a steady pace. Wendy also had snuck up to the front but on the other side and was ahead of me. I decided that the best move would be to pass her now and try to stay in front. Shane had also entered the quater but was running and he ran past giving me a wave.

With not having done any walking I was not sure of how my pace would be or if I could hold a pace for any length of time. I went through the 3km mark at 17min 30 (my track 3km time..gosh it was a bit quick) the I hit the 5km mark at 29min 15 and I was feeling great. Normally I dont look behind me in a race. I feel it uses too much energy and if you are pushing as hard as you can then it really doesnt matter if someone is coming up on you. Well I broke my own rule and at the 7km mark I looked behind me as I rounded a bend and was shocked to see Wendy only 50mtrs behind me. I checked my pace and thought...I can go faster and so took off. (Wendy jokes that she saw me look and then I was gone....)

I had to put in a finishing time when I entered this race so I guessed 1.04...which really was much faster than I had inteneded to do...but amazingly I did just that. I finished in 1:04:43 so I was really thrilled. Shane finished in 58:50 which is just fantastic. He is doing so well.

We had been at a coaching weekend too were shane and I both passed our C grade Race Walking judging course.

Here am I with my trophy.