Melbourne and Moët – Pauline Lay

A few years ago my husband Mike ran the Gold Coast marathon, I ran the Half. We had bought a bottle of Moët duty free and had it waiting on ice in our hotel ready to pop the cork and celebrate our success after the race. Unfortunately Mike ended up on an intravenous drip after crossing the finish line, he had been sick leading up to the race and had started vomiting at about the 10k mark. I still don’t know how he managed to finish the marathon but he did. Hence the Moët for left for another day! But this started a tradition. The Moët Club was born!

So this time next week I will have drank a few glasses of champagne and will be feeling fabulous!! I hope!! The post race nutrition kind of goes out the door and I will eat what ever I fancy. Hot chips are always good. French fries and Moët are meant to go together!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. I still have to run 42.2 k’s first. I have already started my prep. My hair was cut and coloured last week – not going to Melbourne looking shabby! You may ask what has that got to do with race preparation. Well a lot actually. Whilst at the salon the very first article I read was about Geoffrey Mutai the fastest man to run a marathon. He ran the Boston Marathon in 2 hours 3 minutes. I do a half marathon in that time on a good day! Ok so we may be on different levels but I did get some good tips from him, the most important one was to be brave.

Running is all about being brave. Right from the very first time you put on that sports bra or sign up for your first race you are being brave. Running on the road, instead of hiding inside on the treadmill, going for a run up on Summit Road, trying to swallow energy gels without throwing up all require me to be brave. And guess what, I’m actually doing it! Last week I become a member of a very exclusive club – the Ellesmere Road Runners 100 Club, which means I have run around the streets of Leeston on a Wednesday evening for at least 100 weeks. I am very proud of this, as I never, ever would have thought I would run one kilometre let along join a running club. If you had asked me a few years ago or any of my friends if this would happen we would have laughed in your face. Not Pauline, she wont run, they don’t make sports bras big enough, she has massive feet and an inkling for alcohol!

But like my mate Geoffrey I have been brave without really knowing it

I will be thinking of Geoffrey Mutai when I run on Sunday, I know I won’t be breaking any records but I do hope to make new friends on the course and be grateful that I finish without incident (thanks Imodium my new best friend)!

Thanks Geoffrey for reminding me to be brave, sometimes we need to acknowledge that we are doing better than ok. Although, I am glad you are not part of our Moët Club because by the time I finish my race you will have eaten all the chips and drank all the champagne!!