July 9 | Paul Munnings – Sports Editor, Sunshine Coast Daily

Here's a revelation for those of you who don’t know me all that well. Sports editor of the Sunshine Coast Daily I may be, but fit enough to play many of the sports we write about I am not. Taking a leisurely walk around a golf course or riding around the bike paths of the Coast is easy, but running that distance would be an impossibility – at the moment. I’m guessing that would be the case for many men my age – the mid to late 30s. We’ve played sport as a kid and in early adulthood, but now we spend much more time watching sport live or on television than actually taking part.

The result? An unfit body which weighs too close to 100kg for comfort, or perhaps is even over.

So here’s a challenge, and one which has been thrown at me. Try to run 10km when the Noosa Half-Marathon, 10km and 5km events are staged at Noosa on August 19.

Thanks to the event organisers, USM Events, I’ve been given some help - a personal trainer for the next six weeks to try and get me in shape.
Running 10km, without walking a step, is the goal.

As the old saying goes, if I can do it, there’s no reason why any unfit 30-something can’t as well.

What a challenge like this shows you, and what I hope it shows me, is that it isn’t too late to get fit and the benefits of shedding some kilos will last for much longer than the pain and time it takes to do it.

Until Saturday morning, when the serious training started, I hadn’t run more than kilometre – from what I can remember - since the Year 12 cross-country.

There’s been the odd sprint to get out of the rain, a dash to catch someone I’ve wanted to chat to, but that’s it.

Kate McDonald, one of the personal trainers at the Beach House Health and Fitness Centre at Kawana, has devised a six-week plan to get me, and maybe someone like you, to run 10km.

There’s three sessions to complete this week – the 4km of easy running or walking that took place on Saturday, some running up hill repetitions that will take place on Alex hill tomorrow and then a 4km time trial on Thursday.

If you’re one of those people looking to improve your fitness levels, let me know at paul.munnings@scnews.com.au
and I’ll send you out the rest of the six-week program.

July 30 | Paul Munnings – Sports Editor, Sunshine Coast Daily

One phrase has had to disappear from my vocabulary over the past three weeks.

It will have to stay away for the next few weeks as well and probably shouldn’t even return after that.

The two words are “I can’t”.

Since taking up the challenge to get fit enough to run the 10km event at the Noosa Half-Marathon Festival on August 19, I’ve discovered I can do more than I thought I could.

And if I can do it, after years of sitting in front of a computer at work, lying around watching television at home, playing a bit of golf, and riding my bike now and then, so can most of the Coast’s population.

To fill you in, at age 38 I was getting way too close to hitting the 100kg mark, and my sporting activity, like many men my age, had dropped to almost zero after being a major part of my life as a kid through to my late 20s.

Along came USM Events who set the challenge for myself, Zinc 96 radio presenter Al Doblo and one of the radio station’s listeners to tackle the 10k race on six weeks’ preparation.

Unfortunately for Al, stress fractures have sidelined his progress.

I’ve survived three solid weeks of training, under the guidance of personal trainer Kate McDonald, in the gym, on the road, in the pool and on the bike – although my left knee has given me some painful problems I wasn’t banking on.

Putting the pain of that aside – an injury just makes you more determined to succeed – the pluses from just three weeks of training are immense and the goal of getting to the finish line is still an achievable one.

Parts of my body which were flabby are a little less so.

I have more energy, sleep better at night and have a feeling of general well-being that had been lacking for ages.

After just three weeks, I can run further than I have since high school, can churn out laps in the pool better than at any time in my life and can ride a bike at a solid pace for much longer than before this whole challenge started.

It almost feels like I’m an athlete.

So if you’re reading this thinking “I can’t do that”, think again. Find yourself a personal trainer to help you out – I know a good one – and start now.
It’s not worth putting off any longer.

You can enter the Noosa 5km run/walk, 10km run and half-marathon at www.usmevents.com.au.
All three events are on Sunday, August 19.

July 16 | Paul Munnings – Sports Editor, Sunshine Coast Daily

There's a spot in Mooloolaba with a magnetic attraction for a minority group in the Coast community.

It's not the Loo With A View, nor the Mooloolaba Bowls Club with its cheaper-than-just-about-anywhere-else beer.

It's a round, white construction, with a directional beacon on top, that sits at the end of the rock wall on the western side of the mouth of the Mooloolah River.

I didn't know of this place, and how special it is to those people on the Coast who love to run and walk, until this week.

But if you sit there and watch the rock wall for an hour, especially in the early mornings and late afternoons, you'll see person after person touch, pat or linger around this pole as if it has some sort of special, mystical qualities.

For runners and walkers who travel along the ocean's edge between Maroochydore and Mooloolaba, the rock wall at the river mouth is like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Reach it and you have succeeded, or you are halfway to succeeding.

I touched it for the first time on Thursday morning, after 4km of jogging (and walking), as part of the 10km running challenge that I wrote about last week, and I know what a sense of accomplishment reaching the spot can bring.

This time last week, I hadn't run in the outdoors since Year 12 cross-country 20 years ago, although the treadmill was becoming like a second home since joining a gym a month ago. But a treadmill really is only limited preparation for hitting the pavement, grass or uneven ground that outdoor running throws at you.

Week one of my challenge to get fit enough, and my body in good enough shape, to run 10km has shown me that fact, among many other things.

If you're one of those people aiming for the Noosa 5km, 10km or Half-Marathon on August 19 - and judging by the response to last week's column, there are plenty of you out there - you probably already knew that, but for running rookies like me there is much to learn. You can have an adventure without having to leave the Coast.

Some tips for the other newcomers out there, from experience gained over the past seven days, include making sure you are wearing the right shoes for your running training, and the race itself, not just any old pair of sports shoes or trusted old favourites. You can tell the difference in just a few steps and they're worth the extra cash.

And don't try to do it all on your own, or without someone with running experience helping you along.

Luckily, I have a personal trainer, Kate, for company and her words of wisdom, and training program, have already proven to be highly valuable.

It's always more interesting to have someone to chat to as you jog along anyway.

The final advice for this week is to remember that getting your mind right can be just as important as working on your body.

It's always easier to give up than push on.

But pushing on, through the pain and self-doubt, and getting to the end of that rock wall brings much more satisfaction.

Entries for the Noosa Half-Marathon, 10km run and 5km run/walk can be lodged at www.usmevents.com.au.
If you have any stories about your preparation for Noosa, or events you have been in, let me know at paul.munnings@scnews.com.au.