Oonagh and the Sunshine Coast Marathon

To endure 42.2 km, on a flat warm Queensland course was the goal.  Executing effective training when you do Fly In/Fly Out work 2 weeks on/off, working 13 days in a row was not going to be easy.  Neither was training from the small remote island of Nauru, 50km south of the equator.  So I requested the help of Ray Boardman.

Ray designed a programme around me working hardest when I was home and maintaining my endurance whilst away.  Nauru is a flat island with heat averaging around 30 degrees.  Wild dogs are everywhere so the available running routes are minimal.   But to help me through I had set a secondary goal… to raise money for a sick little baby Poppy Harrison and to measure my progress with a Half Marathon on the Gold Coast in July.  This helped me stay on track during the most challenging times.  When you do something for someone else, the fear of failing them becomes bigger than the originating goal.  It definitely was not without its challenges.  This is my normal routine when in Nauru, where fitting in sleep and training become my main two priorities over the last 4 months.

Dayshift
0400 – Get up
0440 – Bus to breakfast (25min)
0530 – Bus to work
0600 – 1800 Work 12 hr shift
1815 – Run home through 1km goat  track
1930 – Cool down, shower, eat, relax
2100 – Sleep

Nightshift
1430 – Get Up – conduct training
1530 – Cool down, Shower
1630 – Bus to Dinner
1730 – Bus to work
1800 – 0600  Work 12 hr shift
0615 – Bus to accommodation (30min)
0700 – Shower, eat
0730 – Sleep

Regardless of our circumstances, location, or resources, any goal can be achieved if your REASON WHY is clear.  For it is not the achievement of the goal that makes it worthwhile; it is the journey and the person that you become along the way that is the biggest achievement of all.

– Oonagh Taru

If like Oonagh you have got a big goal you need assistance to complete, apply to join Team Qwik Kiwi.

Click here for more information: https://www.coachray.nz/get-coached-coach-ray/coaching

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