Is this the ultimate sign of a mid-life crisis?

By JO ABI

A week before I turned 37 I wrote a list of things I wanted to do before I turned 40. Right under a trip to Europe (expensive for a family of five) is ‘Run a marathon’.

So, I’m entering the Mother’s Day Classic. This will be the first time I’ve run longer than from the lounge room to the loo since high school. But I’m ready. I CAN DO IT!

I bought a book all about running marathons. It says interesting things like, “Runners are always injured or recovering from an injury”. It also advises to ‘carb-load’ the night before with a Pasta Party and to carry Jelly Babies with while I run for an energy boost.

Pasta and Jelly Babies? Why haven’t I run a marathon before? I’ve been missing out. This is going to be AMAZING.

“Isn’t it just a Fun Run,” my husband questions gently, watching me tape up my knees and ankles before my first training session.

“It’s 8 k’s”, I state dramatically.

“So less than a half-marathon then,” he says dryly.

(Insert wife-to-husband death look)

When I do something, I don’t do it by half, well, not at first anyway. I throw myself into it, as long as I don’t suffer any sort of injury. I make it my life, except when I’m busy.

For the next few weeks I AM A RUNNER.

The Mother’s Day Classic is an annual event held nationally, and in Sydney you can join the main event at the Domain or even participate at Parramatta Park. It’s all to raise money for breast cancer research and one of my best friend’s mum’s has been fighting breast cancer this year so I’m pretty excited by the idea of getting heaps of sponsors and raising money. I can’t wait until breast cancer and all cancer in general is a thing of the past. I sure hope it happens in my lifetime.

I plan to dress head-to-toe in pink, even my underwear. It’s all for a good cause and did I mention that when I do something, I never do it by halves? Even my shoes are a little bit pink

I have to admit, the colour of my shoes is a happy coincidence. I met up with Tracey at The Athlete’s Foot Castle Hill and she spent 20 minutes with me, measuring my foot (my left is half a size bigger than the right), measuring my stride, comparing the two and figuring out which shoes best support my foot. My feet haven’t been measured properly since mum took me for my last fitting for school shoes, quite a while ago!

After measuring my foot Tracey led me over to the Fitprint machine as size is not the only factor in getting the right fit.  The Fitprint analysis showed that I put more pressure on my right foot than my left and how much pressure I was putting on my heel and my arches.

Tracey selected three pairs of shoes based on her analysis and when she pulled the black and pink Brooks shoes from the box, it was love at first sight. Then, when she put them on my feet, I almost wept. I am now the proud owner of a pair of Brooks Trance runners. Did I mention they are pink and black?

I have never felt more comfortable in my life. Immediately I started thinking of different reasons to wear them. Grocery shopping, playing with the kids, at night just before bed, maybe sleeping in them so I wake up ready to take off.

Make sure you get your foot measured at your local The Athlete’s Foot so you get the right shoe for you. View their running range- now. Just like a good bra fitting for most of us, a proper shoe fitting is probably long overdue. The Athlete’s Foot is also running a Fitting Day event on Thursday 4 April, perfect timing for anyone like me thinking of entering the Mother’s Day Classic. Put it in your diary and make sure you have the right shoes for you.

Now I have my shoes the only thing left is where to carry my Jelly Babies? – obviously crucial to my success. I’m thinking in my hoodie but when I get hot, where? Maybe I can secure a small pack just on top of my knee like some female FBI agents who secure their guns there. My secret weapon. I can already see myself jogging easily past struggling participants, barely breaking a sweat, looking quite pretty with shiny hair and slightly flushed cheeks.

Can you run with sunglasses on?

Sponsor me, here are my details, or better still, sign up for the Mother’s Day Classic, I’ll see you there. I’ll even share my Jelly Babies with you (but only the green and the yellow ones because the orange and red ones are my favourite.

Mother’s Day Classic here I come!

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Have you ever participated in a fun run or marathon?