I'm Back!!!

Long time no blog, it’s the same old story, I’ve been battling, and still am battling to get my head in the right mind frame and get myself back on track properly.

A friend of mine posted this picture on her blog a few days ago and it really resonated with me. I thought it would be a good exercise to break it down and being as I am not doing this round of 12WBT use this as my commitment statement.

Thanks for the inspiration Carol

I WILL BEAT HER – I will overcome this slump, get back on track and get my jeans to fit properly again 

 

I WILL TRAIN HARDER – I will stop making excuses about how cold, wet and dark it is, I will get up at 5.15am to get into the gym to train before work then on the weekends I will make the time to go for a run

I WILL EAT CLEANER – I will resume my weekly menu planning, shop accordingly and track through MFP

I KNOW HER WEAKNESS – I give in to cravings, I hate mornings, I am a procrastinator, I make excuses, I feel guilty for taking time for myself while my husband and children are at home

I KNOW HER STRENGTHS – I am stubborn (some say this is a weakness, but once I make my mind up I have conviction in my decisions), when I am in the right mind frame my willpower is strong and I train hard

  

I’VE LOST TO HER BEFORE – I was overweight, almost weighed in at 100kg (I was 0.5kg off), I wore a size 18 pants, I never exercised (exercise was a dirty word)

BUT NOT THIS TIME - I wear a size 12 pants and if that changes it is only because I am dropping to size 10, I have completed a half marathon, I enter fun runs, I love hearing my little girls talking about exercise 

SHE IS GOING DOWN – I will not go back to a miserable size 18, I will continue to set a healthy lifestyle example to my little girls

I HAVE THE ADVANTAGE BECAUSE I KNOW HER WELL – I recognise when I am slipping, I am getting better at communicating with my husband at the times I am struggling, I have an amazing support network of some very close girlfriends who I can call on when I am struggling

SHE IS THE OLD ME - the OLD me, never to return!

Another well timed post from another of my friends was this

It is so true and a timely reminder those early, cold mornings are not easy, but the feeling I get after a good workout first thing in the morning it totally worth it

In other news, my new job is going really well, my new boss treats me like a human, I get kicked out if I haven’t taken my lunch break in time, I can leave early if I need to, yesterday I had a headache and got sent home….A headache!!!! The lack of stress, the positive environment and the appreciation of a job well done totally outweighs the extra 10-15 min commute and pay cut, it is so nice to wake up in the morning and not dread going to work.

I completed 17km rail run, I completed a bloody 21.1km half marathon!!!! So even though I am in a slump right now (clawing my way out, I’m nearly back) I am still kicking goals. I have even been to the gym to see my trainer and have new programs organised, he has written me a new nutritional guideline and worked out my ideal calorie intake based on my BMR. The wheels are in motion, I have the support, I have the tools, the light is getting very bright at the end of the tunnel, and all that’s left is to follow through with my new commitment, get my runners out ready and set the dreaded alarm. 

Freezing cold before the half

Tired, but happy that we all got through it

My babies running in a 4yo race

My cheer squad after rail run, totally excited they have race numbers like mummy

I got this!

It’s been a while between posts but like they say, ‘if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all’. The past 6 weeks or so have been a real rollercoaster for me, I’ll try to quickly summarise:

• Excited about new running coach and my increasing strength
• Worried about what seemed to be a relapse in depression, not eating properly, not training properly, miserable all the time, tired all the time
• Off to Dr, not depression, prescribed a week off work (stress leave) and asked if I can quit my job. No I can’t, I have a mortgage to pay. Can you reduce your hours? No!
• After my week off I am asked ‘how will you cope’? Answer: I am just going to change my attitude, get into positive thinking, make the best of it while I’m there and put it out to the universe that I am now truly ready to move on and believe that if I can keep a positive outlook then good things will come
• Applied for a job that I didn’t think I would get. It’s at a real estate agents as a portfolio manager for holiday accommodation
• Nailed the job interview process!!!
• Resigned from a job that is making me miserable
• Getting ready for my first run of the year, 10km River Run, my running buddy pulled out due to injury, quick panic, OMG, can I do this by myself?
• Put on my big girl knickers, went out to my run and smashed it! Took 8 minutes off my previous 10km time

What’s next? I am working out my notice, it is certainly making the clock tick slowly but there is light at the end of the tunnel, I am looking forward to my new position and the new challenges that will come along with it. Next month I am signed up for 17km Great Rail Run so I need to keep up with my training, increase my distance and get km’s into my legs, I am also coming to realise that if I have to have walk breaks it’s OK, I haven’t failed, it’s taking time but it is slowly sinking in, if I have to walk/run then I walk/run but I will complete 17km next month

Also I have put my scales away, I am not signed up for this round of 12WBT but I have a few close girlfriends that are, when they do their weekly weigh in, I am coming up with a non scale victory rather than looking at my weight loss for the week. I want to focus on how I’m feeling rather then what I weigh, I know that if I am going too far off the rails with food and fitness then I will feel it in my clothes and know I need to rein it back in, all of my bigger clothes have been send off to the salvos so no excuses and definitely no buying clothes in a bigger size!

Until next time......I got this :) 

My big 10km achievement

Off to the Races

Well with 21.1km to train for I have employed the services of a running coach. Byron is one of the trainers who works at my gym, he has numerous half marathons up his sleeve and a couple of full marathons and OMG he knows his stuff. I met with him on Tuesday where he put me through my paces, introduced me to plyometrics and watched me go through the exercises to assess which muscles were weaker than others and needed work. So with many box jumps, squats and lunges under my belt I left my session feeling truly excited about my upcoming training. I will be meeting Byron again next week and he will have a shiny new program ready for me mapping out what I will need to do every week between now and the big Half, in that training program he will also incorporate the other events I am signed up for in the lead up to the half and is going to have some nutritional advice for me too. He made me feel so at ease, I was worried that my lack of exercise over the xmas period and while I was sick last year had undone a lot of my previous work but Byron was happy with where my fitness was at and had no doubts that I would be ready in time to smash out the 21.1km, he is confident he will not only have me going further but he will also have me going faster by switching on muscles that are currently not being used.

My legs were feeling great yesterday morning, I was expecting to hobble out of bed like a grandma but I felt great, however as the day wore on I got stiffer and stiffer. I went out for my prescribed run yesterday afternoon after work and what was supposed to be a nice long slow run turned into me having trouble slowing to my usual pace, I was already running quicker than I normally would, however at the 2km mark my stiff legs just didn’t want to cooperate so I stopped for a stretch and headed back the way I came. I got no relief though so another 0.5km down the track I slowed to a walk and ended up walking the 1.5km back to my car, I did go at quite a swift pace and then had another good stretch when I got back to the car. I guess these new muscles of mine are going to take a few weeks to get used to working but I am sure I’ll be back to 10km in no time, I am still sore today but my instructions for today are to just go out for a walk, I am sure that I can manage that and it will help loosen me up a little 

What else have I discovered this week? I need to suck it up and go and buy some shorts, running in leggings with the sun shining is just not nice, I am getting so hot and bothered and very uncomfortable, I am going to have to put my wobbly leg issues aside and go and get me into some running short to make things a bit more comfortable, whose bloody idea was it to train for a half marathon in summer anyway???? Lucky it’s been mild, I would have died in the usual mid 30-40 degree heat.

Until next time, happy training 

This makes me think of someone in particular.......know who you are???? :)