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Gold Coast Airport Marathon 1-2 July 2017

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There is something very special about the Gold Coast Airport Marathon – the time of year (fabulous winter!), the course following the vast beaches, the awesome atmosphere, the support – and not to mention the field of international runners wearing funky dress-ups!

Endurance Programs
Race Distance Training Program Training Starts
Marathon 42.2km 16 weeks 11 March 2017
Half-Marathon 21.1km 12 weeks 08 April 2017
’10km-Self-Love’ Program 10-weeks 29 April 2017
Training

Our programs are built around 3 x weekly coached training sessions focusing on speed, strength and endurance.  We train together as a team, as this offers encouragement, motivation, accountability for showing up and a great sense of camaraderie between fellow running buddies.  Training programs are prepared in periodised blocks and provided via Training Peaks. This allows us to provide individual plans that best suits your needs and goals, as well as giving us the feedback and analysis tools we need. Our aim is to progresses you gradually, so that you train safely and without injury.

NEW! In addition to our marathon and half-marathon programs, we are super-excited about launching our ’10km-Self-Love’ program:

♥ ’10km-Self-Love’ Program
Our 10km ‘Self-Love’ Program is all about fun and participation. It is about nourishing our body, minds and soul – to provide a sense of peace and calm in a busy world.  Our 10-week program includes 3 x weekly coached sessions – run, strength & yoga. We train together as a supportive team, with the goal of having fun while nourishing ourselves. Race weekend will include guided meditation, nourishing yoga practices and of course our 10km ‘fun’ run.  Our program starts on Sat 29 April 2017.
What is included?
  • Periodised training plan based on your race distance
  • 3 x weekly face-to-face coached group session – speed, strength & endurance training (‘10km self-love’ program different)
  • Analysis and feedback on training data
  • Goal setting
  • Mental skills and strategies
  • Race nutrition and recovery
  • Race tactics and guidance
  • Weekend program logistics (full program on Sat 1 & Sun 2 July 2017)
    • Participation in the ‘Self-Love’ Retreat
    • Restorative Yoga
    • Guided Meditation
    • Refreshing Herbal Teas
    • Swim, Sauna & Steam
    • Foot Salt Scrub
    • Relaxation (bring a good book!)
    • Special BEXI ‘Self-Love’ Essential Oil Blend ❤️
  • Motivational support
  • Access to private online forum
  • Membership of a supportive, like-minded community
  • FREE BEXI cotton singlet
What is excluded?
  • Race entry fee
  • Travel, accommodation and meals
  • BEXI technical race singlet
OPTIONAL EXTRA!  Strength-FIT Program
Advance your training with our new weekly Strength-FIT program. Focused 100% on strengthening muscles and joints, our goal is to improve your performance and decrease injury risk. We target flexibility, balance, mobility, core and functional strength. Our 10-week program includes regular biomechanical check-ups to assess your body alignment; range of motion and functional muscle strength.  Highly recommend this program to complement your training. $150 for 10-week program – in conjuction with Race-FIT program (or $200 as standalone program).

 

What is Investment?
Program Investment + Extra Strength-FIT $150
42km Race-FIT $420 (3 x $145 /pm) $570 (4 x $145 p/m)
21km Race-FIT $360 (3 x $125 /pm) $510 (3 x $175 p/m)
10km ‘Self-Love’ Program $450 (3 x $155 /pm) Inclusive

Both our Marathon & Half-Marathon programs will be included in the ‘Self-Love’ Weekend Retreat.

♥ Join us for a weekend of fun & participation in the Gold Coast – register today! 

 

Ready for a Marathon?

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I often get asked “Do you think I can run a marathon?” My answer – “if you can run a half-marathon, you can run a marathon!”  Trust me, this is not a case of me saying…”Rah, rah you can do it if you set your mind to it!” (Which of course is very true.) Marathons are hard! They are humbling. They are physically exhausting. They will break you physically and mentally.

But with the right training and preparation, a marathon is THE most special experience ever. Words cannot express that feeling of crossing the line and achieving something incredibly special. It is something that everyone should experience in their life.

So what does it take to be ready for a marathon? Here are my top-5 tips for considering a marathon:

  • Run consistently for at least a year. Your body is better prepared – it is stronger, more efficient and will be able to adapt to the demands of the sport. On the flipside, if you are starting from a fairly sedentary level, you will be vulnerable to injury that could prevent you from running for months (or years).
  • Commitment. Training for a marathon takes approximately 20 weeks. During which you are running 4-days per week. The days you are not running, you need to focus on strength training.
  • Buy-in from your family. Goes without saying – you will need the support from your family. They will need to be there to cover things for you when you are out training, or let you rest up after a long run. It’s a big ask – but it’s not often you run a marathon.
  • Awareness of the risks. The marathon is a big distance and not to be taken lightly. Injuries are very common. It is important to follow a periodised training program that includes body maintenance (rest days/weeks), strength training and biomechanical check-ups.
  • How bad do you want this? If this is something that you’ve always wanted to do; get excited talking about it; get butterflies in your tummy thinking about it; dream about doing it… then it is definitely a ‘HELL YES’ moment!

You will be a fundamentally changed person. You will discover the marathon is one of the mostlife affirming experiences you’ve ever had.

 

“The marathon was everything I hoped it would be and more! If any of you are thinking about doing a marathon, I would say do it! You will certainly find out what you are made of. The lessons it taught me about determination and perseverance will never be forgotten. If you believe in yourself you can do anything!”

Peita Hillman, New York Marathoner 2016

“What a fabulous run I had yesterday competing in the New York Marathon. I’m so proud to have ticked off one of the world’s major marathons (only 5 left to go). The crowds the entire way were amazing. They really made you feel as though you were a celebrity and their energy was honestly the best! Everyone needs to DO a marathon in their lifetime! Everyone! I finished the race by running past another Aussie in Central Park. I said “C’mon Aussie, we have 2.5kms to go you can’t walk now. Just go left, right, left, right”. We did it! I’m such a proud marathoner! The best bucket list tick ever!”

Sarah Jefferson, New York Marathoner 2016

“Self-belief and hard work got me to the start line. I committed to my tested plan and drew in the energy of the awesome NY crowd.  I was high-5’ing and blowing them kisses. The thrill of the experience is hard to describe as the body and mind were constantly battling each other. Yesterday I ran out of my comfort zone and had the time of my life! I am a marathoner… a very happy one!”

Sue Addison, New York Marathoner 2016 

 

Kelly’s ‘Meaning of Life’ Marathon

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A marathon is HUGE! So when Kelly Therkelsen set her sights on the Melbourne Marathon, she knew she was in for a big journey…

 

I joined Beauty of Exercise back in April 2015 (after seeing them in force at the Sun Run in Feb). The BEXI group had just started training for the Gold Coast Half-Marathon, which I soon committed to. Training for me was up and down – a combination of work pressures, bad eating and illness. My race was disappointing (2:06), but that was enough to spur me on! I knew I had it in me to do better, so I committed to training for a full marathon and decided to make drastic improvements to my self-discipline.

Family and friends rallied around me to support me with the kids, I ditched the processed foods and started making all my own healthy meals (thanks to the help of a thermo!)

Training went well and I followed my training plan religiously. Throughout the 12 week program, I only missed 1 x running session and 1 x strength training session.

The weeks progressed fast and soon it was race day! I woke up just before my alarm at 4.30am, followed my normal breakfast routine and was then picked up by a driver. (I was paranoid about missing the race or turning up stressed.)

The intensity of it all was overwhelming. I had a little moment of being sick and had a little cry. This helped ease the pressure and make me feel much better. By the time I got to the start line I felt unusually relaxed, I just kept telling myself that I just had to run at a 6:00min pace – easy!

At 16km I finally found my groove and noticed the groups had spread out and people started chatting amongst themselves. I was pretty happy. Around 32km I noticed a lot of people slowing down and walking – that made me feel even stronger. I thought maybe the wall had eluded me.

My plan was to pick up the pace at 40km and cruise into the MCG. But the race had other ideas! The last 2km really put me to the test. Every step hurt. I could not wait to finish and just lie down on the ground.

When we rounded into the MCG, I tried to kick in and sprint, but had nothing in the tank! I heard my brother-in-law cheering for me with 100m to go – somehow (not sure how?!), I managed to pick up the pace and sprint to the finish with a pace of 4.07. I crossed the finished line, Inger grabbed me and I held onto her for dear life. I was so happy to see her!

I am really happy with what I achieved on the day. I could not have given any more or done any more preparation for it. I can honestly say that throughout the hardest moments I kept true to my mantra of ‘if you’re not going to die, you have enough to keep running, just keep moving forward’. I gave every ounce of myself to sprint across the finish line. I finished knowing utter and complete physical exhaustion and I loved it!

I am now itching to get back to improve my time. My new life mantra (which I picked up from all my book reading) is: ‘What can I do today to improve on yesterday?’, and to take every opportunity you can to achieve your goals because you never know if you’ll get another.

After speaking to my husband and Debbie about my experience, I have likened this whole process to going through labour and giving birth. I love feeling the extremes in life, it really makes you feel alive. Although it pains me to say this, but I would put my marathon experience on par with the mental stamina you need to get through labour and the pure joy you have when you cross the line. My husband said to me on Monday night when I got home ‘it’s like you have had an awakening and discovered the meaning of life’. I know it sounds cheesy, but in a way I feel like I have.

Click here to read Kelly’s full story of her marathon journey.

Kelly Therkelsen
4.18 Marathoner

Melbourne Marathon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huge congratulations to Kelly on an absolutely awesome marathon. It was close to text book perfect! You’re an inspiration to all of us.

Debbie Solms
Run Coach

The Power of Running Buddies

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The value we place on our running buddies is enormous. From getting us out of bed in the morning, to pushing ourselves harder in training, to encouraging us to go the distance (when we believed we could never get there).  This became all the more evident between two BEXI buddies who trained together for the recent Canberra Marathon.

Steve Crosby shares his gratitude to his run buddy for getting him over the finish line – read his inspirational story:

If you have ever pondered the question, should you run a marathon? I would respond by borrowing the appropriate phrase, “just do it!”.

I had never in my life, ever considered running a marathon. I guess I had subconsciously discounted such a ridiculous concept without ever really considering it. Then one day pondering how I could improve my triathlon running, the answer just appeared. Train for the ultimate goal in endurance running, a marathon.

18 weeks later I was on the start line standing next to my running buddy, Belinda Gremmo, eagerly awaiting the starter’s gun to sound. The actual race is ‘only’ 42.2km. I say only because to make it to that start line I actually ran 587 Km’s. It is in these 587 Km’s that you forge the endurance, fitness, will power, determination and skills to run those last 42.2km.

Running is often considered a solo activity, not so when you run with Beauty of Exercise. The focus encouraged by Debbie Solms is clearly on improving your fitness and running ability in a supportive community and buddy based running environment. In hind sight my running buddy Belinda and I may have unintentionally taken that ethos to the extreme.

During training we are paired with one or several buddies that have a similar pace or fitness level. Then during the weekly runs you gradually get to know those buddies and them you. My experience has been that running with a buddy of similar ability has a wealth of advantages apart from the obvious ones such as good company and fun conversation. Your buddy can motivate and push you to run harder and faster. They can pick you up when you are struggling. They can support you when you are injured. They also make you accountable for turning up to training even when you are tired and it is cold and raining.

Prior to the marathon, Belinda and I had discussed if we would run together and we agreed we would start together and then run our own race as required. As it turned out after 18 weeks and 500 Km’s of running together, our stride, pace and even breathing was almost identical. Comically in the race photos of us, even our waving and smiles to our families were in sync.

The first half of the race flew by with easy conversation and great scenery. At the half way mark we were spurred on by our brightly coloured family singing, cheering, smiling, high fiving and holding motivational signs. What an awesome boost.

Later in the race there were several times when either Belinda or I were struggling with pain or fatigue and our resolve waivered. At those times the true power of a running buddy shone through, we were able to say just the right words of encouragement to get each other back on track.

In the end we crossed the finish line together, raised our arms in victory together and even hilariously stopped our watches together. We had achieved our individual goals together.

I loved every minute of marathon, even when it hurt. And my buddy Belinda is greatly responsible for that. Thanks buddy!

Next time you are running with someone, try to be the best running buddy you can, it may just help you get across the finish line.

Steve Crosby (& Belinda Gremmo)
3:58 Marathoners

Finish Line

Finish Line