I am in my mid-50s and I’ve never been a runner, but over the last few years I have tried to keep moderately active with walking, cycling and dragon boating.
At the beginning of this year a work colleague suggested we get a team together to walk the City2Surf, so I signed up.
At about the same time I was fortunate enough to start at Fernwood Belconnen through a generous sponsorship for breast cancer survivors. On my first visit to the club Kellie Toohey, the club owner, asked me what my goals were, and I surprised even myself by saying I wanted to run the 14-kilometre distance in the City to Surf.
Kellie didn’t start laughing, instead saying she’d design a training plan for me, and assured me there was plenty of time to work up to it. The goal was to start slowly, with three running sessions a week (with some weight and Body Balance classes well) and build up from there.
I started by alternating between running for one minute and walking for one minute, and over an eight-week period I gradually built this up to running for 20 minutes.
Up until this stage I was still unsure if I’d be able to complete the full City2Surf distance at a run, so I didn’t advertise my goal. But when I hit the five-kilometre running mark at the end of my eight-week plan I started to believe maybe I could go for the full 14 kilometres.
I asked Kellie for my next eight-week running plan, and began to tell friends and colleagues that I was hoping to run the 14 kilometres. I began to get lots of support. I continued with my runs three times a week, building up to running for 50 minutes without a break. I found that running outside, changing my routes, listening to music and an encouraging email from Kellie all motivated me to run. Two weeks before the race I ran 14 kilometres with my daughter and realised that yes, I could run the City2Surf.
The day of the 2013 City2Surf was perfect, and about 75,0000 people ran on the day. The weather was a sunny 22 degrees, the route around the bays and down to Bondi was beautiful and the streets were full of spectators playing music, providing food and hose showers for us all to cool off.
I had a running buddy, and we managed to talk much of the way (which perhaps means we weren’t running hard enough!), distracting from the difficulty of the race.
It was hard going. I had expected “Heartbreak Hill”, which is about six kilometres in, so just put my head down and kept going, but I found the last two or three kilometres were also rolling hills, which I hadn’t expected!
But I made it, running the whole way. The feeling of crossing the finish line is hard to explain, except that it taught me that I’m capable of so much more than I thought I could achieve.
My advice? Have a goal, because you can achieve it. Seek some professional help to develop a running plan (I’d suggest Kellie at Fernwood Belconnen, but I don’t want her to get overworked!), don’t beat yourself up if you miss a couple of sessions, and tell your friends and family. They’ll get behind you and maybe even join you for a run too!
Dragons Abreast
Fernwood Belconnen has been supporting Dragons Abreast, an organisation through which breast cancer survivors participate in dragon boating, in Canberra for 10 years, providing discounted memberships to participants and those going through cancer treatment.
“It’s is a very difficult time, but positive outcomes come from participating in exercise while going through this journey,” says club owner Kellie Toohey. “We encourage our members just to come into the gym, even if they don’t exercise they still get great emotional benefits from attending the club.”
Anne is full of praise for the work the club does with Dragons Abreast members. “The club has been incredibly generous and kind in its support for Dragons Abreast Canberra members.
“We have access to their classes and the gym, and each member has an initial visit with Kellie, who oversees a program and tailors it to each individual’s needs, depending on what stage they’re at in their recovery. Then there’s ongoing monitoring and support by Fernwood staff of each individual’s goals and progress. This has been extremely beneficial to Dragons Abreast members and we feel privileged,” says Anne.
*Fernwood client testimonial was achieved as part of an overall healthy diet and exercise plan. Regular exercise and proper diet are necessary to achieve and maintain weight loss. Consult your healthcare professional before beginning any diet or fitness program.