Countdown is on! 39 more sleeps until the marathon

As I am raising money for Right to Play, I thought I'd document the last six weeks of training - perhaps my pain will inspire you to donate more ;)

Day 71: Today I was really tired and the workout felt really hard. We ran 5 times around Cedar Hill Golf Course - for those who know it, it is basically uphill with a few downhills the entire time, no flat bits. Plus running on chip trail makes it all that much harder as there is more resistance.

I don't know where all my running partners got their energy from. Every circuit was a struggle. I think my coaches were a little worried about me because they accompanied me up some hills - my face must have looked like thunder. The best part was the shower after! It felt great to wash off the salt, dust and all the disgusting little bugs that stuck to my sweaty body.

Next long run is this Sunday...32km. This is the tough bit because the runs are getting long and my body's really tired from training. And these next couple of weeks are going to be hard - I've just run a 30km last week and I have one or two more 30km+ runs before the race. I don't know how my body will handle running 100km+ in a four week span!!

I train with Peninsula Runners in Victoria, and have been with them since January 2006. They've helped me through a marathon and a couple of halfs so far...and I've gotten personal bests each time. My coaches have been there every Wednesday night as I am struggling at the track or up hills, and every Sunday morning for our long runs. My marathon coaches have been awesome, following us around with their bikes with Gatorade, water, Bodyglide, and encouragement. It takes some of the slower ones (like me) about 3 hours to run 30 km, so they're really patient and dedicated! I train with Peninsula for their support and for all my fellow runners, who have been so supportive...and a good thing they are because my friends and family tend to think I'm nuts ;)