I knew I had
taken my foot off the accelerator recently and since my illness I have not got
back into the swing of things properly, since the dizziness disappeared I have
smashed my 1st 10km event followed by my 1st 12km event
but there has been zero consistency with my training. What once was firmly
ingrained into my daily routine is now nowhere to be seen, so last night when
hubby started a conversation with……you know I love you….I knew I was in trouble.
I immediately knew the conversation to follow was going to be geared towards my
relaxed nutrition and training of late but the words that my husband said to me
that are still ringing in my ears were ‘it’s like you have given up’ this was
followed with words of encouragement of him not wanting to see me throw all my
hard work away and going back to living a sedentary life, stuffing my face with
crap food, 23kg heavier & miserable. What he wanted me to understand was
that he saw how happy I was when training & eating well and how he did not
want me to throw all of that away just because life was hectic. I admitted that
I had decided it was just all too hard this month and I was just going to pick
it all back up in the new year. My hours at work are all over the place at the
moment while we get through a phase of short staff and excess guests, new staff
are starting and coincidentally a fully trained new staff will be on board, up
and running in time for me to get back into routine in the new year. The thing
is, I have a problem letting go of
control and I just want to be able to do it all – work full time, pick my girls
up from daycare and get them home, fed, bathed & put them to bed, organize dinner
for hubby and I, while all at the same time trying to fit in an exercise
routine, being able to do the latter meant I would have to ask for help, hubby
would need to take over little girl duties and I feel like I am lacking as a
mother & being selfish taking time for myself while he is home fighting to
get 2 little people to eat their dinner and wash their hair
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Excuses, procrastination & being able to ask for help
Sunday, 17 November 2013
I CAN Run Geelong
Well the
big day came, and now it’s gone and I think I can officially remove the L
plates from my running singlet. 12km Run Geelong, done and dusted!
For those that don't know, last year I was
signed up for the 6km run and at 23kg heavier than I am now, with no training,
no fitness and not a very good attitude I ran maybe 500 metres of the
course, walking and whinging through the rest of it. When I decided to change
my life - right around the time that failed run occurred, I vowed that this
year I would run all 12km.
My day
started with preparation the night before, laying out all of my running gear
and writing my reason for running on my bib after much deliberation and asking
opinions from my girlfriends I finally decided on the following:
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| My pre race preparation |
Early to
bed, set the alarm which promptly went off at 6.30am to the sound of P!NK
blaring out: You gotta get up and try and try and try. I have my alarm set to
the local radio station so this was not pre planned, just the universe helping
to tell me what I needed to do today. Got myself ready, had some breakfast and
my friend Ebony arrived to drive me into town. We had a quick wander around the
start/finishing area grabbing our last few sips of water, placed ourselves at
the back of the pack in preparation for a slow and steady run and before we
knew it, we were off!
I lost Ebony within the first 100metres but that was to
be expected, I already knew her pace was about 1min per km quicker than mine.
At about the 2km mark I found a friend, a girl I didn’t know ended up falling
into step with me and we ran pretty much the entire course together. I had
plenty of moments where I struggled a little but had to keep telling myself
positive thoughts, the following saying stuck with me and got me through a few
kms
About half
way through we tackled our big climb for the day, the Moorabool st hill,
pleased to say I managed to run all the way up it and even past a few people
struggling with as I went. We ran past the organizers support crew at the 9km
mark and that gave me an extra spring in my step and I feel my best km was
9-10km, I felt strong and my splits show that I ran it 30sec faster than my
average. Through the botanical gardens at the 10-11km I did end up
walk/run/walk/run to tackle some of those hills but still probably only walked
about 200metres in total. I took off on my new friend through my 9km leg but
she soon found me and by the last km, we ran to the finish together separating
only when her final burst of energy saw her sprint off to the finish line while
I happily plodded towards my end goal. The best scenery of the day was on
approach to the finishing line where hubby and my little girls were patiently
waiting for me to come through the home stretch. They cheered me on and I finally
crossed the finish line with an official finishing time of 1:32:01. I had said
before I set out it would be amazing if I could get it done in 90mins but I really
didn’t think I would manage it and to come so close makes me so incredibly
happy.
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| Hello Family |
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| Almost to finish line |
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| The results acording to map my run |
At the finish line there is heaps to see and do but we went straight to
the massage tent then found a quiet spot of grass to stretch out our tired
legs. Mother Nature had really turned the weather on for us and I could’ve sat on
that grass all day soaking up the sunshine. Instead we headed home for a shower
then picked up one of my best friends and then off to Queenscliff for a
celebratory lunch followed by a yuumy ice cream sat by the water.
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| Post run ice cream |
6 months ago the Holy Grail was to nail this
12km run, I think I can safely say I have now done it. I am a little bit stiff
and sore today but it’s nothing a bit more stretching and a day of rest won’t
fix. Next step? Study the 12WBT program and get training to see if I can tackle
the next Holy Grail: the half marathon!
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Finale - the aftermath
OK so a
long time between posts again and a lot has happened……where to start????
10km run?
Done! Woke up on the day like it was my first day at school, I was so nervous,
silly really as all I was doing was going for a run but I guess the fear of the
unknown kicked in. After only managing to run 4.2km in the lead up to the event
after being out of training for 5 weeks with my illness and a previous PB of
7.2km I was really worried I would not be able to make the distance. We arrived
to the start line to meet up with my running buddy, Greg, in the freezing cold
windy weather, then down came the rain, great conditions for my first run. The
rain cleared in time for us to set off and before I knew it we were off and
running. We set off slow and steady, I was not there to win any speed records I
just wanted to finish & if possible, finish without stopping or walking.
The course was 2x 5km laps around Serendip Sanctuary, the crazy young, fit
people came past us for their second lap at the 4km mark. I did not let them
bother me I just kept telling myself that I was not in a race I was just there
to prove to myself that I could do this! One foot in front of the other, just
keep going. Greg was up for a chat like we were in a café catching up for
coffee, it was great to keep my mind off what I was doing, I just kept plodding
along while listening to him talk, giving one syllable answers when needed.
Come the 8km mark & having smashed my PB I told him it was time to stop
talking so I could concentrate on getting y body to finish what I started. I
battled a couple of stitches through the run, I just kept breathing, focused on
my breathing and battled through them. After coming around the last corner, on
the straight to the finishing line the best sight in the world was waiting for
me, my hubby and our 2 little girls. I held out my hand to them and my babies
ran with me over the finishing line! I was stoked! I did it! 10km, nonstop. My finishing
time was 01:18:23. I had previously tried to work out my pace and was aiming
for 01:15 so to come in only 3mins over my goal I was really happy.
Big shout
out to all my supporters, Kate Beck for sending me a novel to read through with
tips on overcoming my doubts, you were in my head through a lot of the run and
your support means the world, to Greg
for giving me no end of tips in the lead up and for being there on the day to
run with me and encourage me to finish & for listening to my barrage of
questions and doubts & for being like a big brother and not being afraid to
give me a kick up the ass when I needed it, to my baby girls for coming to support
mummy, for running over the finish line with me and helping me with my
stretches afterwards and finally to Ben, my amazing husband who has never let
me doubt myself, always there with positive words and support and for keeping
the girls occupied for the hour or so I was running so they could cheer me over
the finish line, for holding the fort at home so I could go out and train, for
listening to hours of my rambling about how I made an extra few metres today
and for allowing me to put myself first in my mission to get fit and healthy,
could not do this without you babe xx
Next? 12km
Run Geelong this weekend, same doubts are creeping in but I am just telling
myself that I have done the 10 so I CAN do the 12. This time I have to go it
alone as Greg is off to ride 200km in one weekend through Auckland in a mission
to raise funds for cancer research .
 |
| Coming to the finish |
 |
| Check out my learners plate |
Since my
last post I have also had an awesome weekend in Sydney celebrating the end of
12WBT round 3 for 2013. Although I didn’t participate this round I had a great
group of friends that were all going to Sydney from all over Australia so of
course I couldn’t miss it. Again that amazing husband of mine stayed home to
look after the girls and hold the fort at home so I could go out to play. I
flew in on Thursday morning and met up with the amazing Jules, our Sydney
local, Megan played chauffeur and dropped us off to wander around the shops for
a bit, next stop back to the airport to pick up Perth local Heather then off we
went to check into our hotel. I left the girls and went to have dinner with my
dad who lives in Sydney and in the meantime Queenslander Sarah flew in. Friday
saw the arrival of another Queenslander, Wendy, Canberra girl Jess & the
lovely Paula fromWagga Wagga. 8 girls from all over the country, how could I miss
that?? For those of you that know Greg Friday turned into his day of pain, we took
him off to the waxers to have his leg hair ripped out thanks to a fundraising
challenge, downside? He didn’t flinch :( Plenty of food and drinking ensued on Friday
and then crashed into bed. Saturday morning the girls were all participating in
the 12WBT group workout. Greg and I had committed to going for a run instead,
can you say struggle???? Note to self, do not drink & run – we made it to
3km before we had to stop and go on a hunt for coffee. Then off to watch the
workout. Wandered around the shops with the girls after a quick shower and
before we knew it, it was time to get ourselves to hair and makeup and head off
to the party. We had an awesome night, catching up with fellow 12WBTers that we
only ever see at these events, meeting people in the flesh who we had only ever
met in the virtual world & also catching up with each other who we only see
maybe once a year. It’s a shame that there will be no more finale parties but I’m
sure we will find or own way to celebrate the end of future rounds.
Round 4! I
decided over the Sydney weekend that I would join round 4, just had to decide
which program, it was always going to be one of the running programs given my
new hobby, but which one? Greg had asked me previously to run the Geelong half
marathon with him, that sounded like the scariest proposition in the world 6
months ago but believe it or not I have signed up for the half marathon program
and plan on registering for the Geelong event which will be held in April. I haven’t
yet had a good chance to look at the program but once Run Geelong is over I will
get stuck in. So there you have it, my last few weeks in a nutshell. I will try
to do a better job of keeping the blog updated, but I cannot make any promises
:) Until next time, have fun x
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| Heather, Sarah, Me, Megan |
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| Cass |
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| All frocked up |
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| My first pair of shorts |
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| Mid run coffee |
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Good friends – Glad I’ve got em
OK – well it’s
been a while between posts and that’s because I haven’t really had much to say.
The anti vertigo medication really messed with my head and made me feel worse
so after a few days I took myself off it, I have been having regular osteo sessions
and have been a good girl and laying off the exercise and I’m now at a point
where my lightheadedness is gone and I’m allowed back out in the big wide world
of exercise.
So a month off
training and a week away from my 10km fun run does not give me much time to get
myself ready. Wednesday morning I headed out on my first run since my illness, I
was aiming for 4km but made it only 3 before I needed to walk, I was really disappointed
as I have never had to walk before while out on a run, decided that the next
run I would tackle in the afternoon sunshine as I wondered if the cold air of
5.30 in the morning hindered my efforts. So last night after work I headed off
to the river aiming for 5km, this time I made it to 4.3km before I needed to
walk. I have started letting the doubt sneak in, a month ago I was positive I was
going to kill this 10km, now with my disappointment of my last 2 runs I think I
am not going to make it. Thankfully I have 2 men backing me all the way, my
husband keeps me positive, keeps telling me I HAVE got it in me and I CAN do it
and to keep myself positive, god I love that man, he has put up with so much
from me with all this shit going on the last month but he still has my back and
is still encouraging me every step of the way, he unfortunately can no longer
run with me due to knee problems & that is where my other encouragement
comes from, Greg, I met Greg through one of my very good friends, he is her
husband, Julie is responsible for getting me involved in 12WBT and I thank her
every day for showing me the way to changing my life for the better, although
Greg has spent the last 3 weekends cycling 200kms in rides to conquer cancer
and he hasn’t run for a long time due to focusing on his riding, he has agreed
to step in and run the 10km with me. Every time I have doubted myself he has
been there with encouragement for me and even though I have warned him how
super slow I go he will be there with me every step of the way to push me
along. I also have a group of wonderful women in my life that are teaching me
to not be so hard on myself (you know who you are). I am very lucky to have
such wonderful people in my life. I WILL get to the end of the 10km on Sunday, I
may have to walk a portion of it and it has taken me a really long time to
accept that even if I don’t run the entire 10km nonstop, it is OK. I will just
go out there and do the best that I can do!
| A few words to remember |
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Doctors Orders
OK so I have
been told I have to lay off the exercise, if I am to do anything, all I’m
allowed is a short walk…..how is that going to get me ready for my 10km run,
closely followed by the 12km run??? But doctor (well Osteopath) orders it, so
if I want to get better then I must obey. My lightheadedness is still with me,
as are my occasional dizzy moments. I am constantly in conversation and lose
track of what I was saying, I feel like a right idiot at times, plus I am
constantly exhausted.
My
appointment with the Osteo went really well last week and I really feel that it
did something to help, I have a follow up next week and I need to continue on
my medication until then so I just have everything crossed that things will
start to improve soon. The sun has started shining more frequently and I just
want to pull on my runners and head out for a run along the river.
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| My new form of exercise |
I gave
myself the day off yesterday, planned on hanging out on the couch just trying
to have some recovery time but a call from daycare put a stop to that rather
quickly and instead I spent 2 hours treating my daughter’s hair for head lice,
stripping beds, getting loads of washing done, cleaning kitchen and cooking
dinner. I did get some quality couch time in the evening once the girls had
gone to bed so tonight I’ll tackle Washing Mountain and get some folding done
while I sit and watch TV
So feeling
very useless at the moment, longing to get out and move and hoping that
whatever it is going on in my head right now will F off really soon
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Missing Exercise
I can’t
believe how different I am to the girl I was 1 year ago. Please excuse me if
this post does not make sense. I have been suffering from constant
lightheadedness for the past week and a half and it means I can’t concentrate
well. It is because of this that it has also been 9 days since I last
exercised! I am really struggling with this, I see someone out running and I get
jealous! Exercise or running to me a year ago were dirty words now I am absolutely
craving exercise and it is killing me that I can’t go out and join in. I saw a
doctor on Wednesday who couldn’t find anything physically wrong with me, I had blood
taken and I get the results from the blood tests this afternoon, I am really
hoping they can shed some light on what is going on so I can get it fixed and
get on with it. The 10km and 12km events I have coming up are not going to run
themselves, I need to get out there and keep training for them.
 |
| I wish - come on head, get better |
If the
blood tests don’t show anything I might go and see an Osteo and get them to
check my body is all how it should be, maybe my mixing up of the training
schedule last week has caused some sort of shift within me that my head is just
not happy with? If anyone has any other ideas or has had similar issues with
lightheadedness feel free to share, I just want to feel normal again. In the meantime I’ll try not to undo all my
good work, I have been letting a few extra treats sneak in but so far the
scales are stable. I have a dress on the way, my hotel & flights booked
& today my ticket is being purchased for 12WBT finale party, just
need to stay in control so the dress still fits me in a few weeks time. Fingers
crossed for some answers this afternoon so I can get back out and pound that pavement, at the same time I know I must be patient and wait for my head to sort itself
out, pushing myself with exercise may cause more damage, anyone that knows me
knows that patience is not a key strength for me, this is going to be tough
 |
| I must be patient and wait for answers |
Sunday, 22 September 2013
Must be prepared
I am so annoyed
– I just wrote a nice big post and somehow deleted it…OK I will start again
Today is
day one of the new plan, I thought I was so organized last night, went to bed
feeling very proud of myself. Got up when my alarm went off, snuck out of my
room so as not to disturb sleeping hubby to get into my gym gear which I had
laid out last night in the lounge ready to throw on and walk out the door.
Mornings are cold though, where’s my jumper? In my room, sneak back in to
quickly & quietly grab my jumper but dog decides to follow me in, has a big
shake once in our room, FFS, if hubby was still asleep, he won’t be anymore!
Sneak back out of room quietly closing door behind me and kick dog outside.
Head to kitchen put on my HRM which I left out on the bench, HRM won’t work
without the watch part though, where is that? On the bench in the bloody
ensuite, so back to the bedroom I go, as soon as I sneak in hubby makes it
clear that he is not impressed, whoops! Grab all parts of HRM and finally make
it out the door.
Get to gym
& the gym is very very busy and I wonder who are all these people out
exercising at stupid’o’clock. All the cardio machines are being used and I start
having a little freak out as to what I am going to do for my warm up if all the
machines are being used? I have never ever seen all the cardio machines in use
at my gym. I go and put my headphones on and get ready to go and thankfully a treadmill
becomes available right as I’m ready to get going. So I get stuck in and my few
weeks off has really done some damage, I am really not feeling it this morning
but I power on. I don’t get everything done in my program and I have realized now
if I want to get through a full session I am going to have to get up at 5.30am!
Yuck! To top off my crappy workout my HRM decides to stop working 7 minutes in,
so tonight it is getting put through the washing machine, transmitter batteries
are getting changed and I have everything crossed that tomorrow it decides it
is ready to play. I also forgot my gloves so my hands are bloody sore now from
the weights.
Tonight I have
decided to join a work colleague at water aerobics, my wonderful hubby has
agreed to hold the fort with the little ones so I can get out and do double
exercise sessions today. I am sure we will be the youngest ones there and I’m
not sure it will be a big calorie burner but it should be a bit of fun while
still being active. Who knows I might even decide I love it and want to do it
more often? I could slip in a few laps of the pool in if I decide to make it a
regular occurrence.
So what have I learnt today? Triple check you’re prepared and ready! Tomorrow I will be setting the alarm for 5.30am. My jumper, gloves and all HRM requirements will be waiting in the lounge room with my runners and gym clothes. Ok day 2, look out, I’m coming!
The new plan
Well again it has been a while. I have not been on here recently as I haven't had anything positive to say. I really haven't been on the ball with my eating or my exercise. But I am out if my funk, I have got work sorted and life is looking good.
The last few weeks we have had to spend a small fortune getting the car back up and running. But we got that sorted. I was sick and tired of the hours I was working but then I was offered a promotion so I negotiated better hours so now that is sorted too. I always struggle on the weeks when hubby is in the road, he just spent a week away and now he is home so now that he is back it is time for my new routine to begin. I haven't let myself down completely though, my weight has been fairly stable, fluctuating by a maximum of 1.5kg and in the limited exercise I have been doing, I have got my running distance up to 7.2km. Just 5km more and I've nailed the 12km I need for run Geelong in November.
Here's the plan:
Food: I have sat down tonight and planned the weeks meals, I will shop on my way home from work tomorrow and will start tracking everything again on MFP. Breakfast and lunch I have no problem keeping on track with but I must take lots if healthy snacks to work to stop me eating whatever is lying around the office (hello lollies and chocolate) and ensure I am not snacking after dinner - after dinner snacking is my biggest downfall.
Exercise: tomorrow I will be up Early and out the door by 6am. Mon/tues/thurs & fri I will be up early to hit the gym or go for a run. Wed nights I will go to a boxing circuit at my gym for an hour. Weekends will be my time to chill with my family.
These are the ramblings of a very tired mummy so excuse how disjointed this post is. I just felt i needed to get my new plan out there. Feel free to check in and make sure I'm staying on track. Jules you have permission to kick my ass if you don't see me on MFP :)
Friday, 30 August 2013
Kicking Goals
Where does the time go? Another 10 days between posts!!!
Running is going well, I have built up from 4km to 6km in the last 10 days so
next week will be out chasing 7km. With 10 weeks to go until the big 12km I am
very happy with my progress and certain I will have my distance up to 12 by the
time the big day rolls around. In light of my new goals I thought it best that I
go and get fitted properly for a new pair of runners. There is an amazing shop
in Geelong, the running company, so I headed off there to be put on one of
their treadmills and filmed while running so they could see how my feet and
ankles behaved to determine what sort of shoe I needed. Turns out that I have
ankles that don’t behave – they roll inwards when my foot lands meaning I need
shoes with a truckload of support in them, after trying on 10-15 pairs of shoes
– each pair has to be tested back on the treadmill and the footage reviewed to
see if my ankles are behaving I am now the proud owner of a shiny new pair of brooks
runners, which I am told will be perfect for the amount of km’s I will be
clocking up and will be fine to wear should I choose to join Greg in the
madness of a 21.1km run in April.
 |
| My new best friend |
On the work front, I have been offered a promotion,
thankfully no one at work knows about my blog as I have been sworn to secrecy
until next week, but I have been promoted to hotel operations manager. This
means a nice pay rise but also I have been able to negotiate much better hours
for myself to ensure I get to spend more time with my family & I can stop
stressing out about job applications – YAY
My car unfortunately needs a new motor, so that’s not good news;
thankfully we have been able to borrow my grandparent’s second car for as long
as we need it. Trust us to have a car with a notoriously hard to find motor in
it. The mechanic is hoping he will have one for us next week but it also means
the car will have been away from home for about a month by the time we get it
back, decided I LOVE my car, can’t wait til it comes home
Off to a Trivia night tonight organised by some good friends
of mine, their lives and the lives of many I know have been affected by cancer,
they are participating in a number of rides in order to raise money for cancer
research and tonight we are raising funds for the Melbourne Ride to Conquer
Cancer – if anyone can help the cause please follow this link to donate funds
to help them raise enough money to participate in the rest of the rides around
the country . Julies Ride or Gregs Rides
Until next time, have a great week all x
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