Well, I survived my second 5km marathon race, but the stress levels were definitely up.

In this race, there were 800 people running, all setting off at once. Talk about feeling claustrophobic on the start line! My sighted guide and I only got a clear path after about 2kms, so it was pretty frustrating. The overall difficulty with these sorts of races or fun runs, as they’re called, is that the organisers can’t close the roads, so we have to run on narrow paths, do lots of twists and turns, cross railway tracks etc. I think we got to run on one straight stretch of road for about half a km, then got shunted onto a narrow path lined with poles. It was hard enough for someone who could see to navigate that course, let alone someone like me without sight. I had someone out front warning me of speed humps and changes in the terrain, as well as my guide. I think I tripped over two speed humps, and walloped one witches hat.

Now what I’ve learned from this is that I have a major fear factor to overcome. Running blind is much harder than I thought. And it’s not surprising, considering the unexpected changes in terrain, and the risk of falling down kerbs and tripping over things. But the good news is that I did a faster time, despite the number of times we had to slow down. So I guess I’m getting fitter.

My coach tells me the next race has to be longer. NO idea how I’ll run something longer than 5kms, but oh well, it’s all fun.

As a writer, I not only read books for enjoyment and to get ideas, but also to study the author’s writing techniques. But something extra for me is that I like to see how many books have characters with disabilities in them, where the disability isn’t emphasised. And boy, have I found that book.

Elaine Forrestal is a well-known children’s author. I picked up one of her books the other day - ‘Someone Like Me’. I loved her style and got immersed in the story told from the point of view of Tas, or Thomas, a boy about ten years old. Throughout the book, there were hints that Tas was different, but I couldn’t pick it. Forrestal revealed what this difference was in the last line. Tas was blind.

I had to re-read the book, then, to find out why I hadn’t picked it, and to see if I could fault her in any way - ie where she might have shown Tas as being able to see. Remember, it was written from his point of view, so he couldn’t describe scenes or people. Well, she didn’t slip up at all. In fact, the book lacked visual descriptions and the story didn’t suffer one bit.

This has taught me an invaluable lesson. It is possible to tell a story without referring to what is seen. Our other senses can fill in the gaps. In my young adult novel, I’ve got a blind character, and we get her point of view in certain scenes. Before I read this book, I thought I’d have to limit her point of view scenes, because how could she possibly give the reader a view of what was happening around her. It was Elaine Forrestal who reminded me that blind people can see. This is what I do all the time. Why did I need reminding? Well, I don’t need any further evidence. Thanks Elaine and Tas.

Can’t believe I haven’t blogged this!
I entered a short story writing competition for children a couple of months ago, and my story has been selected with nine others to be published in a book. Ginninderra Press puts out a book each year with a theme for kids aged 9 - 12 years. This year, the theem was “secrets”. I sent off my story, thinking that nothing would come of it as I don’t see myself as a short story writer, and after all, this was my first attempt. But I was so excited when I got the news. It will be fantastic to see my story in a book. There is going to be an overall winner announced next month, but just getting into the book is enough for me.

So I’m entering other competitions. The best thing is that I’m kicking out that little voice inside which has always said, “you can’t come up with ideas”. Not true! And how good does that feel!

Still waiting to hear about my junior fiction manuscript sent out to two major publishers now. But it’s early days. My young adult novel is ready to write now–the plot is finished.

Well, I did it! I survived my first 5 km marathon race. And boy, was it a hard course to run on, for a blind person anyway. I’d thought it was going to be an easy out-and -back course, but it wasn’t. The path twisted and turned, with lots of sharp right hand turns that challenged me. There was even a kerb we had to step down, which meant slowing right down so I didn’t twist an ankle. I know I lost time on the kerb and the sharp turns, as it is impossible to judge a turn when you can’t see, so the best thing is to slow down. I also lost time on the start, as we let the others get away a bit.

The whole experience was great for me. I learned how to race with others around me, how to pace myself, and how much it hurts! I got a bit stressed–which I need to work on–and lost my head a bit at the end. By that, I mean my mental toughness went out the window. I was feeling sick by the end and instead of being able to push through it, I focused on it, let it dominate.

But now I have a benchmark for other races. My time was 27 minutes and 40 seconds.

Out training today, I started concentrating on another aspect of running that I need to master–breathing. My coach, Shirl, gave me some useful hints about controlling my breathing, which in turn controlled my head! It was amazing. She pushed me hard and I really enjoyed it. I realise how important running outside as opposed to running on the treadmill is. For the three weeks before the marathon, I didn’t have an opportunity to run outside, and this showed. For one thing, my stride was too short, and for another, it is much harder to run outside.

So the next 5 km race is on September 24. I can’t wait!