Still no running.....

Am still not running - still have a painful chest and barking cough. The Chinese medicine that I have been given makes me feel dizzy and completely out of it - I've been told it's like being stoned, a first for me! It's a little bit scary when the medicine I was given is actually children's medicine, I hate to think what it does to children! Am hoping to start running again on Monday to try to blow it all out. Fingers crossed. Donate money people!

Raining in Melbourne!

At last, some rain in Melbourne.

At last, the rain has left China and headed down under to Melbourne and the bushfire affected areas! Unfortunately, with the change in weather here, I now have the cold that I thought I'd managed to escape having this winter. Yesterday I thought that I might have been able to outrun the cold, but it just wasn't to be. I managed to struggle up 50 flights of stairs (I did 100 on Wednesday) before giving in to the urge to vomit. Definitely not my finest moment. So, I'm listening to my body and resting up this weekend. I have just returned from a massage and my first ever session of cupping - what a bizarre experience (check out my other blog tomorrow for pictures)! Am hoping that I'll be ready on Monday to go back to the running because my legs are feeling good, and I am really enjoying the running at the moment.

Great Wall, so steep!

The challenges ....

Running in smog like this isn't that inspiring (or healthy!)

I will face a couple of challenges while training for the 21 km run, here they are:

1. Running outside - At the moment, I only run on the treadmill, which doesn't really simulate a run on the Great Wall of China! The smog is so gross and the scenery not that interesting, so running outside always loses out to running inside. However, I do need to start an outside run each week, no matter how detrimental to my health it may be.

2. The boredom - I love running, but because I'm quite competitive, I like to run for shorter distances a little faster or do interval training. So, it was a huge achievement for me to run 10 km on the weekend (in just under an hour) and not get too bored. I will definitely need to start running outside though because it is easy to get addicted to watching TV on the treadmill in the gym - however it's a good motivational tool too because I always watch CCTV5, which is the sports channel, I think the faster the run, the closer I will be to a body like some of the athletes I watch! I have also bought some new 'exercising' music for my ipod as well, which should keep me motivated.

3. A sore body and injuries - a former colleague once told me that my body would start getting injured when I hit 26, and sure enough, that was the first hockey season I ever had soreness and minor injuries. However, I'm lucky here with the availiablity and cheapness of massages in China. I guess I'll just have to take advantage of them more frequently, what a shame!

Ditto, running past scenes like this!

The first steps (pun intended!)

Look how steep it is!

I began my training program last week, thanks to my personal trainer from afar, my brother Tom. So far, I'm really enjoying having a 'real' program written up - I even have a copy on my fridge where I can record my distances, times and heart rate. It is a really great motivational tool because I can see my progress- already, I have improved on my times from last week. Because I have a bit (alright, a huge!) competitive streak, it will keep me motivated to keep improving and running hard even when I don't feel like it.

Satellite picture of the fires.

An advantage of living in an apartment block (the only advantage I think!) is that there are plenty of stairs to train on. The Great Wall half marathon involves 9km on the actual wall, including over 1000 steps. As you can see from the picture, it is pretty damn steep too! So, last week I began with some steps training. I devised a little program for myself involving walking, jogging and sprinting up steps. For my first session, I managed to climb up a total of 70 flights of stairs! Not bad. I had a foot and calf massage following that session, thinking it would ward off any stiffness. I woke up the next morning feeling fine and perhaps a little cocky that I wasn't the slightest bit stiff. It was the following morning that I remembered what DOMS stood for - Delayed Onset of Muscular Soreness. I was so stiff that I couldn't walk up and down stairs without being in a lot of pain. The pain is only just going away now, nearly a week later, just in time for my next steps work out tomorrow!

Why?

The Great Wall Marathon.

'Why would anyone want to run 21 km along the Great Wall?' I hear you ask. Well, there are two reasons for me to even contemplate sending off an application to do the Great Wall half marathon......

1) I'm bored. I am so sick of running on a treadmill and lifting weights just for fitness. I need a challenge and something to aim for.

2) Rather than just run the wall for the sake of it, I thought I would give fundraising a go. I have never done any fundraising myself but am going to give it a go and hopefully make a reasonable contribution to the Red Cross to aid them in their support of those affected by the Victorian bushfires.

Fires in Victoria

The bushfires have affected me greatly, despite the distance between Victoria and China. I have been following the fire developments daily via the Herald Sun and Age websites and through the emails sent from those involved with the Yarra Valley Dressage Club. Many members of the YVDC have been affected by the fires and although I don't know many of them personally, I emphasise with them, being a fellow horse owner.

The Great Wall

I am going to write this blog to track my training progress as I work towards my goal of completing the Great Wall half marathon on 16 May. I would like to encourage everyone to support my goal to complete the half marathon and raise $1000 for the Red Cross to help those affected by the bushfires in Victoria.

Please donate to the Red Cross via my fundraising page on the 'Everyday Hero' website (link below), an organisation that supports individuals and teams to achieve their fundraising goals. I know that many people may have already donated to the Red Cross and that many people are affected by the current economic crisis, but I urge you to dig deep for that little bit more as those involved in the bushfires will need our support for a long time to come. Your support is much appreciated.


http://www.everydayhero.com.au/anna_davidson

http://www.great-wall-marathon.com/