Kath O'Reilly

I did it! I am a marathoner!

Well – I did it. I ran 42.2kms and I've got my medal to prove it!

I haven't been able to write a wrap up blog about the marathon since the big event because I have been travelling and I needed time for the memories to settle. I was always planning to do so as I wanted to ensure I thank all of the amazing, wonderful people who supported me through messages, sponsorship and just being there for me when I was confused as to why I signed up to do such a crazy thing.

I only arrived back in Sydney last Sunday after an awesome holiday to celebrate the marathon finish with some of my equally awesome runners. The holiday could be titled 'medals on tour' as we whipped them out on all occasions to remind ourselves what we had achieved. As a result our medals have been to Boston, Rhode Island, The Vanderbilt mansion in Newport, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Madison Beach, Yale, Harvard, the Hamptons, Santa Monica, Vegas (baby) and most spectacularly the basin of the Grand Canyon!

I am so proud to say that all 67 Can Too participants in the New York Marathon crossed the finish line – and I am even prouder to tell you that we raised about $210,000 (and counting) for cancer research. That represents more than 2 cancer researchers for a year – an absolutely overwhelming amount of fundraising that everyone who sponsored me is a major part of.

I didn't have the easiest of runs. It was always going to be difficult when we had to get up at about 5am, eat and then gather in the foyer of our hotel for the walk to the New York Public Library, where what seemed like thousands of buses were taking participants to Staten Island. Once in the 'runners village' overlooking our first challenge – the Verrazano Bridge – I had hours to try and sleep and fuel. My starter's gun didn't go off till 11am and as a result I think my body was unsure exactly what was happening.

As we made our way to the start line I had a tap on the shoulder from an Italian women who was in tears and wanted to have here photo taken with me. She told me that she had read the back of my shirt which states that I am running for cancer research and has 'For my Dad' written across it in block letters. She told me that she was a cancer survivor and she was so grateful for people who support cancer research as it is the reason she is alive. I had a huge hug and a cry with her and a burst of adrenalin that all the sacrifices and training that got me to that start line were absolutely worth it because lining up next to me was someone who had been through much more.

The Americans know how to put on an event. A woman sang the Star Spangled Banner and I got goose bumps – then she jumped off the podium to run the race – everyone wanted to be a part of it! As the cannon went off and we started our run the speakers were blaring with 'New York, New York' and the runners were all singing. It is a moment I will never forget and I had tears of anticipation.

The Verrazano Bridge is the biggest hill in the entire race and it was a bit chilly as well. It's a time to settle your nerves and get your pacing right after sitting around for so long. It's also a bit eerie as no supporters are allowed on bridges so you just hear the sound of thousands of feet hitting the pavement. My corral meant I was running on the under carriage of the bridge so I didn't get the thrill of running on top. Silver lining though – it is less steep and luckily the urban legend that the under carriage gets sprinkled with pee as runners on the top level relieve themselves proved to be a myth!

As soon as you get off the bridge and hit Brooklyn (our second of 5 boroughs) you get your first taste of the crowds. Both sides of the road, at least 6 people deep, are cheering you on with shouts of support and homemade signs welcoming you to Brooklyn and telling you that you are awesome. There were bands playing, choirs in full regalia singing on the steps of churches, families set up for a day of cheering and kids everywhere high fiving runners. I felt like a super star and I couldn't get the smile off my face.

I was running with Steph Bolt (no relation!) who has been my inspirational running buddy throughout the entire 5 months of marathon training. Steph lost her husband Chris to cancer about 6 years ago and this was her first marathon as well. Her strength in raising three children after Chris passed away has inspired me to keep going every single week. She is truly a superstar. Two of Steph's teenage children (who were so proud of her they volunteered to do her fundraising) were going to be at the finish line to welcome her in and I know that she was excited to be able to share this with them. Steph made most of her fundraising money when she ran into one of Chris's mates by chance and told him what she was doing and that she was doing it for Chris. That friend forwarded Steph's fundraising page to all of Chris's circle and her money was made. I feel like I know Chris from having Steph talk to me about him on our long runs (we had hours of time to fill!) and I know he would be so proud of what she has achieved.

Once we left Brooklyn and entered our 3rd borough – Queens – I started to feel sick. The confusion my body hinted at before the start kicked in. Not just slightly ill, but stabbing gut pain that left me bent over and contemplating not finishing. Steph – amazing women that she is – would not leave me and I had to draw on all of my strength to keep going. We had 22.2kms to go and I had to dig really deep. The fact I'd already purchased a Tiffany's NY Marathon bracelet was a big part of digging deep. I loved the bracelet and I could hardly wear it if I didn't finish!

I wanted my goose bump moment as we ran into Manhattan for the first time and so I am proud to say that I started running again at the top of the Queensboro Bridge and did not stop till I crossed the finish line. I had by that stage lost all hope of getting my desired time of under 5.5 hours and I had to try hard not to let emotion and disappointment get the better of me. Being stationary in Queens for so long did however mean I could tell my coach I achieved a negative split (faster back half)!

As mentioned – no supporters allowed on the bridges – so it was the sound of feet on pavement and then the growing hum of distant crowds as you get closer to the end of the bridge. You circle off the bridge into 1st Avenue on Manhattan and the roar of the crowd is phenomenal. I felt like a gold medal winner. It was a bucket list moment I will never forget. Then I realised that we were at 59th street and we wouldn't really be turning to head home till 138th street and it was a little bit soul destroying! I relied on the crowd though. By the time I got to 1st Avenue the crowd were a little bit drunk and were offering me pints! I thought seriously about whether I should substitute Gatorade for beer but the risk of then just thinking I'd finished would be too high! I had stopped taking gels after Queens so I was grabbing water and Gatorade at every drinks station (every 5kms). I spent the time trying to convert miles to kilometres, calculating when the sun would go down, trying not to be sick and attempting to be a good companion to Steph!

It was a lovely feeling to get to the Bronx and realise I had reached all 5 boroughs. Then realise I was only at the 20 mile mark (32kms) and I had 6.2 miles to go (about 10kms). I hadn't even passed my longest run ever point which was 36kms. I was actually a great feeling to make that mark – but my body was now in territory I'd never put it in before and to say it was unhappy with me would be an understatement. 1st Avenue had been a slow, slight climb for 7kms and my legs were hurting. My calves, hamstrings and glutes were feeling every single step – the amazing New York crowd was so important at this point as we made our way to Central Park down 5th Avenue.

Entering Central Park was an awesome feeling – the crowds seemed even louder and I could smell the finish line. It was an up and down hilly bit of the race – but I'd experienced the undulating hills of Bronte so I knew I had this! My pace picked up and I started to forget the pain in my stomach and the fact my legs were staging a mutiny. Before the finish line the course takes you out of central park and back in – it felt like 10kms but it was only a few. I was so determined at that stage that I hurt my hand giving the crowd high fives! The finish line came into view and the grand stands next to it were a welcome site. I could feel a lump in my throat for that last 200 meters. I saw the last 5 years of my life pass before my eyes. The chronic depression, the back injury, the wheelchair, back surgery and rehab, Dad's cancer and my Can Too journey. I felt like I was floating and that this was a dream or something I was imagining on a treadmill in the gym – but it was real and it was amazing. I sucked up all of my pain and prepared for my finishing photo (priorities), arms in the air, smile on my face, tears on my cheeks I FINISHED!

A medal was placed around my neck and I've never coveted anything more. Steph and I hugged, posed for photos and then she left for the poncho exit and I walked towards the bag drop area (I needed my glasses!) I was handed a bag of food and then what seemed like a million volunteers directed me to my bag pick up. I got the bag and tried to bend over. That's when the pain of every single one of those 42.2kms hit my legs and they went into a spasm that drew a horror movie scream from my mouth. In true glamourous style my body thought – 'well her mouth is open, may as well vomit now' and I was very grateful not to have a photographer in site as I had a post run spew/scream/muscle cramp moment. I knew that if I didn't find a way through I'd end up in the medical tent and never get back to the hotel so I had to again dig deep and just find a way through – mouth shut, no bending, no sitting…..

I had all of these plans of calling my family and celebrating on the way home – I couldn't even bend to get my phone out of my pocket as I was in agony. I just started walking. I tried to get down the subway stairs – forwards, backwards, sideways – I even contemplated just sliding down on my back – but I couldn't do it. So I just walked (carefully) towards the direction of the hotel. It was dark and cold and I was shivering. I had to mentally psych myself for every single step off the curb – but I made it back to the hotel – all 35 blocks. It was probably a good way of getting blood to my muscles in hindsight, but it was not a conscious decision. The streets were crowded with medal winners and spectators were congratulating me the entire way home. One couple asked me how it was and I managed to whisper 'It was horrible'. It wasn't all horrible though!

When people ask me how long it took me to recover I can confidently tell them it took '4-5 wines'. I got to go to the pub with 67 fellow Can Too finishers and our support crew and tell war stories, hug each other and bask in what we had achieved. I was back in Time Square at 2am showing strangers my medal and telling everyone I was a marathoner! Pretty awesome.

I'm sure you are all sick of my running posts and of my medal photos – but I couldn't have done this without all of the support I received. My work place who understood why I was tired from training and covered my role while I went on extended leave to the US. My family who constantly told me how proud they were and especially Dad who stayed up all night and tracked my race online to make sure I was ok. My friends who were so very generous in their sponsorship that I've raised more than $6,500 for this event alone and over $15,000 since I started running with Can Too in 2014.

To the Can Too community who gave me hope when I thought there was none, who gave me friends when I thought I didn't need them and who made me believe in myself when I couldn't. I am so grateful to my coach – Mike (and all of my half marathon coaches Georgie, Paul, Eoin) who trained me to be a runner and gave me the confidence to call myself one.

I am a marathoner, I am a fundraiser, I feel like I am making a difference in my life and in others' lives and it feels awesome!

NYC Marathon - Worst Parade Ever!

Well peeps - this is it, the day has arrived - and I'm not just talking about using the word 'peeps' for the first time!

20 weeks of training and now I'm 5 days away from running my first (and quite possibly my last) marathon in New York City!!!!!

This has been the hardest thing I've ever done - that's a big call from someone who once ate two family size pizza's in one sitting. I've never trained so hard in my life and I've never felt fitter. Unfortunately neither of those facts are helping me deal with the nerves of my impending 42.2km run.

I've been tapering for a few weeks now - I haven't read the fine print on tapering but I assume that it involves margaritas and prosecco? If it does I've nailed the taper. If it doesn't - let's pretend I never said that.

I leave for New York in 2 days (2 sleeps, 16 work hours, 1 more training run, 2 salt baths - well you get the picture) and I'm in the middle of a packing vortex. I'm so focussed on the marathon that I am ignoring the holiday that I planned for afterwards. Expect to see a lot of pictures of me in active wear in locations that don't require it. I realised last night that every pair of shoes I had out to pack were for running.... This from the girl with 100 pairs of heels (that her podiatrist made her banish till post marathon). I've packed fuel belts, energy gels and pressure point balls. It's a far cry from stilettos and handbags - but I'm assuming that my returning suitcase will look a bit different!

I've trained with the most amazing group of people and I am excited to be able to share this experience with them. An experience I am sure will involve some ugly crying, a fair amount of complaining and hopefully the euphoria of being able to say 'I am a marathoner'. It might not sound that different to 'I am training for a marathon', but to me those statements are worlds apart. Kind of like the difference between people calling you a runner - or the oxygen theifs who dare to refer to me as a jogger. You know who you are.

I've been reading some inspirational stories about people who have run the race previously and it is filling me with excitement, goose bumps and all the emotions. Our Can Too NYC Marathon group have raised more than $200,000 for cancer research. To put that in perspective, in the 12 years since Can Too started no one group has ever come close to raising that amount of money. It represents two 12 month cancer research grants - people who may find a breakthrough, rule out a theory, progress some research, find a new way to detect cancer earlier or develop a treatment that means more time or less invasive therapy. Cancer research is the ONLY way that we are going to have better cancer outcomes and I couldn't be prouder to be a part of a group that has made that just a little bit easier.

I'll be thinking about that when I hit the 36km mark and realise that I've got 6.2kms to go and I feel like I can't do it, or When I get to the top of central park and start thinking 'close enough'!

I've raised an amazing $5,480 so far in this program and I am so grateful for the support and generosity of my friends and family who keep giving to this cause I believe in so strongly.

Finally - if you thought I was annoying before - wait till I get that medal! I apologise in advance. Luckily I won't be back in Australia for 3 weeks so you may avoid the brunt of it - but I'm not making any promises!

Let's do this!

In your face 7 Bridges Walk from 9 years ago - I just finished a 29km run!!!!

Eight or nine years ago I attempted the '7 Bridges Walk' with my friend Kate Potter. I felt like I was pretty fit and that it would be easy (this feeling was most likely driven by Kate who made me feel very sporty - to get her to come with me we not only had to go shopping to buy her some sports shoes - but flat shoes were a new addition to her wardrobe). The event covers 28kms of Sydney and not surpisingly - 7 bridges.

About 3 bridges and 9kms into the event Kate and I got on the courtesy bus and went to an Italian restaurant where we enjoyed a different type of challenge - can we eat 2 desserts after pizza and garlic bread? The answer was a resounding yes and we felt no guilt as we'd accomplished a feat surely on a par with an Olympian.

This memory stands out for me now because last Saturday I RAN 29.5kms!!!! That's right sports fans RAN! I only stopped running at traffic lights (I'm still a rule follower) and I finished with a smile on my face and no thoughts of pizza or chocolate cake (I felt like it later that day - I just had to live a few hours like an athlete and make sure food would stay down!). I am sorry that this is a bragging post as I, like most of you reading this, usually can't stand bragging - but I am so astounded to have managed this massive run- and with a smile at the end - that I don't even care how annoying I am this week!

It's week 13 of my 20 week training program for the NYC Marathon and for the first time I feel like I will actually be able to finish this marathon! I've just finished a build set of runs which saw me complete my longest run E.V.E.R - 3 weeks in a row. 24kms, 27kms and finally 29.5kms!! It didn't look good 3 weeks ago as I had a terrible week leading up to my 24km run. I had a painful chafing incident which gave me an unwanted breast reduction by scraping off a few layers of skin (Kath, tell me more about chafing it sounds so interesting.....). Then following the 24km run I just made it to the bathroom to spew after spending 4kms trying to avoid publically losing my breakfast. NOT FUN. But the last 2 weeks have been much better.

I'm not going to say it was easy - it most definitely wasn't. During the 27km run I spent a good 90 minutes in the middle mentally mapping out if I knew anyone in whatever suburb I was in and if I knew them well enough to ask them to drive me home. The harder the run got the less concerned I was about how well I knew them. There was a moment in Lilyfield where I was close to knocking on the door of a house I think I went to a party in about 10 years ago....

Last Saturday there were so many hills on the route that my coach Mike described poetically as 'undulating', that I am sure I was inventing swear words and chanting to myself 'must kill Mike' like an extra in a zombie movie.

The worst thing about long runs is that they are long....stay with me I am going somewhere with this..... Instead of starting a run at 630am and finishing before most sane people are up and about - I didn't complete my run till almost 11.00am. This meant that I was running along Oxford Street in Paddington during peak brunch period. This is a suburb where dog owners feel like they are committing a social faux pas when their dogs are different breeds and don't have matching collars. At the time I was two and half hours into a run on a surprisingly hot day. I was so sweaty that I could lean over and water plants from the tip of my hat and I had developed a rather attractive salt crust like a salmon about to be baked at a hipster dinner party.

I take solace in this though - I must have felt better than the previous week as seeing anyone I know (even if they could drive me home) felt like the worst thing possible!

This week I am trying to wrap my mind around the phrase 'recovery half marathon' as I prepare for Sunday's Blackmores Half. As I've been doing quite literally the opposite of tapering, I'm not meant to aim for a PB or break any kind of record (apart from completing this race without the need for St Johns Ambulance - something I've never been able to accomplish!). I know I should feel good about the pressure being off and just try enjoy the event. Should... However having spent years of therapy in self reflection I know exactly what will happen; I will try to run a bit faster, realise I am too tired, get disappointed and feel like a failure! Ah what a joy it is to be me!

So here's to the week ahead - and the fact that in 7 weeks and 5 days I will stop talking about marathon training!!! I can't guarantee I won't be an equally irritating person who finds thousands of ways to bring into conversation that I ran a marathon.... so apologies in advance!

If you'd like to sponsor my craziness and help me cure cancer the only way I know how - you can donate here: https://www.cantoo.org.au/fundraisers/KathOReilly

Nine weeks in, 'just' 11 to go till the NYC Marathon!

So I'm nine weeks into my 20 week training program for the NYC Marathon. I fly out of Sydney in 10 weeks and 3 days and in almost exactly 11 weeks I'll be on the start line in Staten Island.....but who's counting right!?

I never thought training for a marathon would be easy. I knew this based on the fact that in NONE of the 7 half marathons I've completed would I have reacted well if someone asked me to turn around and do it again. I would have happily punched them in the face with my limp sweaty arm if truth be known. But I've been following the program this time (or as one of my half marathon friends Olivia explained, I'm treating the program with respect!) and it is changing my perspective.

Before I started running I never would have said 'just' before any distance. When I was training for half marathons the word creeped into use before a 10km run. Two days ago I actually used it to say 'it's just a 14km run' and I wasn't even being ironic! (Please don't hate me!)

This week we had a recovery week - after a build set of long runs where we progressed from 18kms to 20kms and finally to the completion of my longest run ever - 22.5kms. Usually after running a half marathon (21.5kms), I take a week off, hydrate purely with champagne (or in a pinch i use sparkling wine), eat like an unsupervised child at a birthday party and limp around complaining about stairs.... After completing the 22.5kms I spent the rest of that day running errands where I ended up walking about 8 more kms and then got up the next morning to run 7kms and I felt great!

HOWEVER - before you want to punch me in the face with a limp sweaty arm - this last week has been tough. Psychologically I thought that having only a 14km long run ('only' works as well as 'just'!) would mean I'd be complaining it was too easy or something... but coaches apparently know more than me and they warned that there would be times in the program that our bodies are tired. I'm always tired (it's actually now part of my personality), so I didnt really understand what they meant. I now do.... I had concrete legs and a complete lack of motivation to train. This started to worry me because there are 11 more weeks till the race and I need that motivation.

When I'm told to 'listen to my body' I always laugh. If I truly listened to my body I'd be eating cheetos and investing in a mobility scooter. BUT I am listening to my coaches and not over doing the training - especially as I am pretty sure there is a serious problem with my right foot that seems to indicate there is a moon boot in my future (no scans till after the marathon though - I'll hop that bloody thing if I have to).

So now I'm just focussed on the next build period - 3 consecutive weeks of getting my body to run further than it ever has before...24kms, 27kms and then 29kms. If I was a 'glass if half full' kind of girl I'd be telling you that this is 3 weeks of PBs - but I think we've clearly established that my glass is half empty and that I am the silver lining in search of a cloud.

So as I turn myself into the annoying running person that I would have hated 5 years ago - I am realising that finding something hard isn't a reason not to do it. In fact finding it difficult does mean I feel that much more accomplished when I see that I can do it.

I'm also over the moon that I've been able to raise so much money for cancer research while doing this. So far for the NY marathon program I've raised $4,560. That brings my total Can Too fundraising from 5 programs to $13,300! I think I'm more proud of that and I'm so very grateful to everyone who has donated so generously to get me to that point. I'm aiming to get my overall figure to $15,000 by the end of this program - absolutely motivation enough to get up and train!

Thanks to everyone for their support and for not hating me too much when I say things like 'I would have run the City to Surf, but to be honest it just isn't far enough for me' GOD I am annoying!!!