It's been a busy week. I started beginner's bootcamp on Monday with TB. We're going twice a week, at 5pm Mondays and Thursdays. Monday's session was the fitness assessment. I really needed to go to the toilet before the beep test, but it was on the far side of the War Memorial and I knew I wouldn't be back in time. I made it to level 3-6, which wasn't too bad considering the state of my bladder. Mind you, when Brad asked me what level I got to I practically threw up, so maybe I was trying harder than I thought. I headed off to the public toilets while TB continued with the beep test. He was the last to finish (it is a beginner's bootcamp) so he decided to stop when he got to level 6-0 rather than keep everyone else waiting. He used to run a lot when he was younger so running is just something he does. He really doesn't get the whole 'run for fun' idea though.
By the time I got back (it was a long way and uphill .. ok, it was about 800 m away and I got to run downhill all the way back) they had done the agility test and were on to the abdominal strength tests. After doing pushups (20 on toes, 18 on knees) and situps (20) I did the agility test. It was a little slower (23.3) than in the past. My theory is that I was being more careful because it was dark. TB did the fastest time (18.5), which he was pretty chuffed about.
We finished off with the plank. I did a really good time on this one, mainly because my backside was well in the air. I didn't realise at first, but I was soon aware of it once I passed the 90 second mark. I was going to try and lower my butt however my abs started to tremble so I figured I'd stay where I was. For some reason nobody chipped me on my fantastic bridge position. I realised they weren't going to and bailed out at 3:15. At least it will give me a hard target to aim at for the next fitness test. At the moment I'm doing two sets of 1 minute with a minute's rest easily with Krissi, and I managed two sets of 1:30 the other day with her. You never know, I might make it to 2 minutes with proper form next time.
On Tuesday I had PT with Julia. It was a good workout, as ever, but I find I'm much preferring the one hour sessions now. I might have to organise for the remainder of my Fernwood PT sessions to go for the hour.
On Wednesday I had a rest day. It was an eye opener for me. I'm back to wearing my pedometer because of the walking challenge that I'm doing. It hadn't occurred to me how little I was walking nowadays. In fact, I've been assuming that I've kept up at least half the amount of incidental exercise I was doing when I was living in Braddon. I knew that I wasn't getting the same amount of exercise walking to the bus, but I underestimated the effect that was having on the number of steps I was walking. No wonder my weight is staying constant even though I'm doing lots of exercise. Anyway, no more complete rest days for me while I'm doing the challenge! At the very least I'll be out for a lunchtime walk.
Thursday was meant to be bootcamp but Brad had to move it to Friday. TB and I went for an evening walk. I am really enjoying those walks. As well as the obvious health benefit we get to talk to each other without the distractions of television, housework and phone calls.
On Friday I cycled to Krissi's for PT. There had been fog all week, which kept me from cycling to work, but it was a lovely morning on Friday. I have been joking with TB and with the guys at work that I can benchpress 30 kg (twice) and I managed it four times without assistance on the first set. I was telling Krissi about the joke, the 'benchpress 30 kg' said in a menacing tone, and then the 'twice' said even more menacingly, so she challenged me to get to five on the second set. Well, I got to seven. I was stoked. My sets are getting longer too. I got to 11 the first set and 10 the second set. I love seeing the improvement.
We had work drinks on Friday afternoon, conveniently at Olim's Hotel, which is just past the War Memorial. I parked my bike in the beer garden, had a drink (soda water) with the team, then met TB on his way to bootcamp. We congregated near an outdoor Airforce memorial then proceeded to do a boxing session. There were still sightseers going past. In my mind I was imagining them being impressed that we were out exercising on a Friday afternoon in such a wonderful location, but they were probably glad it was us and not them.
TB and I rode home after bootcamp. I figured out that I'd managed to do 3 hrs and 20 mins exercise for the day. I was a little sore on Saturday morning and completely did not want to go to hockey. TB guilted me into going by reminding me that there were only 12 people on the list, so I walked across to the hockey centre. It's about 1 km from my place to the grass fields, so it was a good warm up. I played left half, which is not my usual position. Now that there's no offside rule you really have to keep an eye on your winger. I did a fair bit of running, which I was pleased about. I played ok too. My skills are so rusty and I don't train, so ok is about as good as it gets.
By the time I got home I was stiff and sore. I was all set to have a bath and then settle in for the night but TB talked me into going for a walk to the supermarket with him. My Garmin got completely confused in the two supermarkets we visited, which makes for an entertaining map. It claimed 7.2 km for the trip but my step count was about 8000, which means it was closer to 4.5 km than 7. My bath felt soooo good.
This morning we've been for another walk. I think TB is getting into this walking challenge more than I am! Still, it will be good for both of us. We have another walk planned for this evening, if he's able to get me away from the heater and the tv. I have Season 3 of Dr Who to watch, so it could be a battle.
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cycling. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 June 2008
Saturday, 24 May 2008
I bought a new bike!
I bought myself a bike here in Melbourne today. I had to order it in, so I couldn't take it to my brother-in-law's today, but it will be here next time in Melbourne. Pat is a darling, and he's going to pick it up for me, along with all the paraphenalia. Amazingly, the bike + stuff cost $15 less than the same model a couple of years ago. How cool is that?
I'm going to have to commit to riding it lots while I'm here. It's a bit of an expensive sometimes toy otherwise. Oh, and I was so good about not buying every accessory in sight. I figured I should work out which bike I liked best for the Great Victorian Bike Ride before I go buying more stuff.
Rang TB, who is in Canberra, who said "you'll never guess what I'm doing". It took me a while - he went for a walk. I am such a good influence!
Which reminds me of something I'm really proud of. Two years ago I got a group of seven people together to walk in the GCC. Last year, the company I worked for had a handful of teams entered. I don't work there any more, but I had a quick look to see if they had entered this year. There are 36 company teams entered. How fabulous is that? Ironically, the first year the team was made up of contractors. Last year they subsidised the original team, even though we were contractors. This year they decided contractors weren't welcome. What a shame. Still, there are 36 x 7 = 252 people walking in the challenge who weren't doing it two years ago.
I'm going to have to commit to riding it lots while I'm here. It's a bit of an expensive sometimes toy otherwise. Oh, and I was so good about not buying every accessory in sight. I figured I should work out which bike I liked best for the Great Victorian Bike Ride before I go buying more stuff.
Rang TB, who is in Canberra, who said "you'll never guess what I'm doing". It took me a while - he went for a walk. I am such a good influence!
Which reminds me of something I'm really proud of. Two years ago I got a group of seven people together to walk in the GCC. Last year, the company I worked for had a handful of teams entered. I don't work there any more, but I had a quick look to see if they had entered this year. There are 36 company teams entered. How fabulous is that? Ironically, the first year the team was made up of contractors. Last year they subsidised the original team, even though we were contractors. This year they decided contractors weren't welcome. What a shame. Still, there are 36 x 7 = 252 people walking in the challenge who weren't doing it two years ago.
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Cycling and PT
This week I managed to ride to work three times. It's 10 km each way, so it's great exercise. I've been working at motivating myself to start cycling before the weather gets too cold. I figure that if I can get into the habit now, it will be easier to tough it out through winter. That's the plan at least.
On Wednesday and Thursday I left home about 7:30 am. Well, I started to leave home at 7:30. For some reason it takes me a while to actually get out the door and started. There's the Garmin to organise, the panniers to put on the bike, the various essential accessories, etc etc. The ride is taking me about 40 minutes at the moment.
The first five km is along the bike path, which is lovely and flat and safe. There are other people out and about, walking their dogs or cycling to work. There's even the occasional runner. The path follows the old creek bed, now a storm water drain, so there are long sweeping curves which are fun to ride.
The next km is across town. Now Civic is not exactly metropolitan Melbourne, so that's not as daunting as it sounds. On Wednesday I was brave and headed along the bike lane on Barry Drive. I was quite proud of myself for a few moments then the bike lane ran out, my lane was closed to traffic, I was intimidated by the traffic and ended up on the footpath (temporarily closed to pedestrians but I was desperate). It's just as well that I don't ride a mountain bike as my bike would have hung its head in shame when I dismounted to walk it across a gutter.
The last few km are pretty much uphill most of the way. I rode along a few streets and then was up on the footpath along the road to the War Memorial. I decided the footpath was a much safer option the other day when I was watching a cyclist from a taxi. There's not much room along that road at all. Oh, in the ACT cyclists are allowed on the footpath.
The really really big hill (I could put a few more reallys in there for emphasis - just imagine my arms as wide apart as they can go - it's big) starts just after the War Memorial. It's definitely a granny gear hill. The feeling of achievement once you get to the top is amazing. There's a second little hill to climb after that, but it's a doddle once you've done the first. Then there's this amazing coast down to the turn off to work. It's great fun, particularly as you know you have completely earned it.
Locking the bike up and taking the bits and pieces off it is getting to be a regular routine. Mind you, I did all that on Thursday and then forgot to actually lock the bike up. I didn't realise until I was getting changed to go home. You can imagine how I felt until I got down to the bike rack and saw my trusty bicycle still there.
On Wednesday afternoon I discovered an unpleasant side of commuting the extra distance to work. Yes, my cycle gear was kind of .. well .. yuck! I left the bag open on Thursday and aired out my top layer and on Friday, as I did an hour of PT on the way to work, I brought a change of clothes for the trip home.
Commuting every day has another logistical problem to overcome - clean cycle gear. It's getting so cold in the mornings now that long leggings are the way to go. I have the great knicks that I bought for the Yass ride, which I wore on Wednesday. On Thursday I resorted to a pair of long leggings over cycle shorts, but I was in trouble on Friday. I called in at the LBS on Thursday evening and bought myself a pair of leg warmers. On my way out I remembered that my neck had been quite cold in the morning, so I ended up buying a tube scarf thing that can be worn several different ways, including pulled up over my nose on freezing mornings. I tested it out on Friday and it was great. So were the leggings. In fact, the coldest part of me ended up being my butt. I think I'll have to work it so that I wear the really great cycle knicks on Fridays, as I leave an hour earlier to get to my PT session.
The ride home starts off with a logistical problem - how to get safely across the road when everyone is tearing off home. There's a road down to a large roundabout on a major road. There's a bike lane on the major road, so technically once you're around the roundabout you're ok. Alternatively, you can cross the road and travel on the footpath on the other side of the road. Crossing the road is the problem. I've tried crossing at a few different places. There was so much homeward bound traffic on Wednesday that I ended up getting off my bike and walking across the road. On Thursday I got into the right lane at the roundabout and then managed to cross the street to the footpath as there wasn't much traffic. On Friday I went around the large roundabout (yes, I am getting brave). I was doing really well, although one driver entering the roundabout from the other side waited until I was almost past him and going into the bike lane when he decided to turn left as though I wasn't there. I had to hit the brakes to avoid him. It seems right of way may be a myth when you're a cyclist.
On the way home I've found that it's easiest to cross a number of roads at the lights. All I have to do now is work out a safe route between the lights. Crossing Civic in the evenings is harder than in the mornings. Again, it's roundabouts that cause the problem. I've always laughed at how badly Canberra drivers manage roundabouts, but I'm finding myself less and less amused these days. Once I'm on the bike path though it's a fabulous ride home.
I've got guests arriving for dinner shortly, so I'll blog about my PT sessions another time.
On Wednesday and Thursday I left home about 7:30 am. Well, I started to leave home at 7:30. For some reason it takes me a while to actually get out the door and started. There's the Garmin to organise, the panniers to put on the bike, the various essential accessories, etc etc. The ride is taking me about 40 minutes at the moment.
The first five km is along the bike path, which is lovely and flat and safe. There are other people out and about, walking their dogs or cycling to work. There's even the occasional runner. The path follows the old creek bed, now a storm water drain, so there are long sweeping curves which are fun to ride.
The next km is across town. Now Civic is not exactly metropolitan Melbourne, so that's not as daunting as it sounds. On Wednesday I was brave and headed along the bike lane on Barry Drive. I was quite proud of myself for a few moments then the bike lane ran out, my lane was closed to traffic, I was intimidated by the traffic and ended up on the footpath (temporarily closed to pedestrians but I was desperate). It's just as well that I don't ride a mountain bike as my bike would have hung its head in shame when I dismounted to walk it across a gutter.
The last few km are pretty much uphill most of the way. I rode along a few streets and then was up on the footpath along the road to the War Memorial. I decided the footpath was a much safer option the other day when I was watching a cyclist from a taxi. There's not much room along that road at all. Oh, in the ACT cyclists are allowed on the footpath.
The really really big hill (I could put a few more reallys in there for emphasis - just imagine my arms as wide apart as they can go - it's big) starts just after the War Memorial. It's definitely a granny gear hill. The feeling of achievement once you get to the top is amazing. There's a second little hill to climb after that, but it's a doddle once you've done the first. Then there's this amazing coast down to the turn off to work. It's great fun, particularly as you know you have completely earned it.
Locking the bike up and taking the bits and pieces off it is getting to be a regular routine. Mind you, I did all that on Thursday and then forgot to actually lock the bike up. I didn't realise until I was getting changed to go home. You can imagine how I felt until I got down to the bike rack and saw my trusty bicycle still there.
On Wednesday afternoon I discovered an unpleasant side of commuting the extra distance to work. Yes, my cycle gear was kind of .. well .. yuck! I left the bag open on Thursday and aired out my top layer and on Friday, as I did an hour of PT on the way to work, I brought a change of clothes for the trip home.
Commuting every day has another logistical problem to overcome - clean cycle gear. It's getting so cold in the mornings now that long leggings are the way to go. I have the great knicks that I bought for the Yass ride, which I wore on Wednesday. On Thursday I resorted to a pair of long leggings over cycle shorts, but I was in trouble on Friday. I called in at the LBS on Thursday evening and bought myself a pair of leg warmers. On my way out I remembered that my neck had been quite cold in the morning, so I ended up buying a tube scarf thing that can be worn several different ways, including pulled up over my nose on freezing mornings. I tested it out on Friday and it was great. So were the leggings. In fact, the coldest part of me ended up being my butt. I think I'll have to work it so that I wear the really great cycle knicks on Fridays, as I leave an hour earlier to get to my PT session.
The ride home starts off with a logistical problem - how to get safely across the road when everyone is tearing off home. There's a road down to a large roundabout on a major road. There's a bike lane on the major road, so technically once you're around the roundabout you're ok. Alternatively, you can cross the road and travel on the footpath on the other side of the road. Crossing the road is the problem. I've tried crossing at a few different places. There was so much homeward bound traffic on Wednesday that I ended up getting off my bike and walking across the road. On Thursday I got into the right lane at the roundabout and then managed to cross the street to the footpath as there wasn't much traffic. On Friday I went around the large roundabout (yes, I am getting brave). I was doing really well, although one driver entering the roundabout from the other side waited until I was almost past him and going into the bike lane when he decided to turn left as though I wasn't there. I had to hit the brakes to avoid him. It seems right of way may be a myth when you're a cyclist.
On the way home I've found that it's easiest to cross a number of roads at the lights. All I have to do now is work out a safe route between the lights. Crossing Civic in the evenings is harder than in the mornings. Again, it's roundabouts that cause the problem. I've always laughed at how badly Canberra drivers manage roundabouts, but I'm finding myself less and less amused these days. Once I'm on the bike path though it's a fabulous ride home.
I've got guests arriving for dinner shortly, so I'll blog about my PT sessions another time.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Cycle course graduation - 130 km road trip
I did it! I rode from Canberra to Yass and back again on the weekend. Not only that, I wasn't nearly as tired and sore as I expected to be. I didn't have to walk up any hills. I didn't get any punctures. I didn't fall off the bike. Nobody ran me over. It was a roaring success.
The New Horizons course for women that I've been doing has been wonderful. I feel so much more confident on the bike. Because of that I'm riding more often and I'm enjoying myself while I'm out there. There was even a moment when I thought about trying the cleats again. (Note to self: Relax Kathy. Breathe. Breathe again. It was only a moment.)
When we started the course and I heard that the last ride was a weekend trip to Yass I was sure that there was no way that I could do it. However, if there's one thing I've learned during this fitness journey of mine it's that I can do a lot more than I think I can. Mind you, this weekend I surprised myself by being able to do even more than I expected.
The weekend started on Tuesday night, at the info session. I arrived late, doing my usual mad dash from the gym. Over the nine weeks of the course I've managed to get faster on my bike, so I didn't miss much. Once I settled in and caught up with the program, I realised that I'd pretty much forgotten to think about the logistics of the weekend. I'd signed up for the Yass ride, saying that I was happy to share but I hadn't thought about what that meant - a night in a room with people I didn't know. I discovered that many of the women had booked themselves hotel rooms, but I decided to stick with the cabin option. After all, I was already so far out of my comfort zone that a night spent with strangers didn't seem like an insurmountable challenge.
After saying that I was going to be in a cabin I realised that it meant I'd have to bring my own bed linen and towel. I really had to struggle with my customary laziness - spending money on a hotel room would save me the trouble but it would also mean wimping out on the cabin sharing arrangement. The deciding factor was realising that I could put a bag in one of the support vehicles. I had thought we'd be carrying all our stuff ourselves, but I realised that the organisers, quite rightly, realised that some of us weren't up to that level of effort. A major advantage of taking a bag was that I could fit in an extra warm jacket! I really feel the cold so that was a major incentive for me.
The next thing that caused me concern was discovering that the Yass Soldiers Club, where we were having dinner, had a 'no athletic clothes' rule. Now, nearly all my casual clothes are gym clothes, the only jeans that fit me are in Melbourne, and I didn't feel like having to iron my trousers at the other end. I was saved by sudden inspiration, and tossed a dress and sandals in my bag. Needless to say, I was the only person who wore a dress. Not only that, but I discovered that I could have worn a polo shirt and runners (aren't they athletic?) without being tossed out of the club.
Fortunately, the Tuesday session included a reminder about nutrition and hydration. Yes, I was able to plan snacks - dark chocolate (no justification for that one but I like it), some protein bars, sultanas, bananas and jellybeans. I also took three bottles of water with me, which I was extremely glad about on the Sunday. It also meant that I had a lovely smoked salmon pasta for dinner on Friday night. Thank you to TNB who read the information sheet more closely than I did and paid attention to the "before you ride" suggestions.
I had planned to ride to the meeting place, out at the George Harcourt Inn, but after looking at my bike map I realised that maybe I was being a little ambitious. Fortunately TNB offered to drive me out there. Of course, we didn't rehearse the whole 'take the bike apart and get it into the car' activity, but we only broke my rear light holder so it wasn't too catastrophic. Oh, and we managed to discover why the brake light in the rear window wasn't working after one of my pedals caught on the wiring.
It was terrific to drive up to the inn and see so many people with their bikes. It was like going on a school excursion, only better. We even had to line up for the obligatory photos. I'm looking forward to getting the cd with all the photos from the various rides. There were 20 women from the course doing the ride, along with the helpers and various partners and family members. I didn't actually count them, but I think we had at least 40 cyclists. We split into two groups, with 10 women in each group. The plan was for us to ride in single file, to stop to regroup at various times, to meet up with the other group for lunch in Murrumbatemen and afternoon tea just outside Yass, and arrive in Yass by 4 pm.
We eventually headed off - 9 km down the Barton Highway and then turned off onto a back road. I'd list the route here, but it's really only interesting to people who know the area. Suffice it to say that I had no idea how close some of the places I'd been in the past were to Canberra. (If I can ride there, they are close!) I found myself thinking things like "Hey, I could ride to Hall Markets next time they are on" and "a bike tour of the wineries would be fun". I wonder if I'd get done for cycling under the influence. I'm also working out who I can talk into doing these things with me. I'm sure there'll be someone.
Riding on the highway was much safer than I'd expected it to be but riding on the back roads was much more fun. Not having to be so alert about staying to the left meant that it was possible to look around and enjoy the views. We went through some lovely countryside. I have a new appreciation for why people live out that way and drive into Canberra for work each day. I wouldn't do it myself, but I can see why they make that choice.
As for the ride, I settled myself into the middle of my group. Even though I wasn't talking to the man in front of me while we were riding, I grew quite attached to him. I'd fall behind going downhill (still some work to do on being afraid of going too fast) and then catch him up again on an uphill. He was riding with his wife, so we were really going at her pace. I gradually got more confident going down the hills and realised that it's quite fun to ride fast when you don't think you're going to come crashing down into a heap at the bottom of the hill.
We'd been warned about a rickety bridge during the info session. You should have seen this bridge in my imagination. Think Indiana Jones and swinging suspension bridges with huge gaps between wooden boards and a deep chasm beneath and you'll be somewhere close. Maybe I exaggerate slightly, but I certainly had it up there with bridges I'd be scared to walk across. When we finally got to the bridge it was about 3 metres long and wasn't at all difficult to ride across. Well, not compared to what I'd been anticipating.
There were roadworks as well. Not a problem, you'd think, on a Saturday in the country, however the water truck had just watered the road. Yes, we were splattered with mud. I never actually checked my knicks to see if I got the dreaded road stripe because I was wearing them back again the next day and I didn't want to feel obliged to wash them.
Oh, this is a too much information section for the guys - so skip ahead a paragraph or two. The guys are gone? Good. On the Tuesday night we debated the "do you take two pairs of knicks or not" question. I'd never realised until I did the triathlon training that you were supposed to wear your knicks without underwear. Once I got over the ewww factor and tried it, I realised that it's a lot more comfy that way. We were advised that we could manage with one pair of knicks, particularly if we took the sanitary pad option. I tried that and I'm not going to bother again. I got away without chafing because I also tried the nappy rash cream option but I reckon two pairs is the way to go in future.
Guys, this part of the knicks discussion is safe. The best advice I got about this trip was from Krissi. She suggested that I go out and buy myself a really good pair of knicks. Apparently, with the chamois, you really do get what you pay for. I didn't get myself organised on the knicks front until Friday evening. I'm glad of that, as I froze my poor legs on Friday morning, riding to my PT session in 3/4 knicks when the temperature was 0 degrees. I walked into the local bike shop (LBS) and told the young guy who served me that I wanted long knicks. Amusingly, he was embarrassed to be helping me with knicks. Not that long ago I would have been embarrassed asking for them, but I've hardened up. Fortunately they only had two styles, one with a decent chamois, so my decision was made for me. Poor LBS guy was a little confused when I didn't bother to try them on. I had heard that when you have a choice of chamois that you really should try the knicks on as you may be better suited by one brand than another, however that's not relevant when you have left your purchase to the last minute. I paid $140 for the knicks, which is nearly three times the cost of my other knicks, and I was completely glad I spent the money on them.
I got to see leg and arm warmers in operation on the trip. I didn't try these myself as I wasn't convinced that the leg warmers would stay up for me. Now that I've seen how easy they are to put on and take off I'm going to give them a go over winter. They'll be really useful when I ride to PT or to boot camp, as I'll already be in my running gear and I won't have to take my shoes off when it's freezing out there. Oh, unless I go the cleats option. (Breathe Kathy!)
Another thing I learned on the course (this is obvious but sometimes it takes me a while to catch on) is that it's ok to stop every now and then and take a layer off. I've had this whole "get on the bike and get to where you're going without stopping" attitude. This touring approach is a lot more relaxed.
Back to the trip. We arrived at Murrumbateman two hours after we set off, which was earlier than expected, and stopped for a break at the recreation grounds. I didn't realise it was our lunch break until I'd eaten (inhaled really) my morning snacks, by which time I was at the back of the queue at the local shop. On the basis that it would be a while until we had afternoon tea I wandered over to the service station and bought myself a powerade and a bag of s&v chips. I rationalised the treat on the grounds that I'd already burned over 1000 calories but I regretted it later. It was a real effort to start riding again after the break, and my body was telling me that it didn't appreciate being loaded up with fat just before I asked it to work hard again.
We rode through Murrumbatemen, which didn't take long, and then we were on some back roads. Eventually we hit a long section of gravel road, complete with corrugations. That was exhausting. I was riding along thinking "I've had enough. I want to go home now." If I could have magicked myself home by wrinkling my nose like Samantha I would have. When we finally stopped I discovered we'd travelled 46 km, which is further than I'd ever ridden before. I know some people were talking me during the break but I was answering them on autopilot, telling them I was fine when really I wasn't. I'm not 100% sure of the sequence of events, but I remember telling myself as I went up a hill "Guts and determination, Kathy, that's what you need, guts and determination". It was like I had Krissi on my shoulder encouraging me to get there. The ride helpers were encouraging. They were riding up and down the line, chatting to us as we went along, making sure we were okay. All of a sudden I was fine. I was riding along, looking around, enjoying the view, enjoying the ride and really glad that I was there. I don't know what made the difference - Krissi says that maybe some food I'd eaten finally kicked in. Whatever it was, I'm glad it happened.
We rode up quite a few hills during this stage of the ride. I was coping with them really well and passed a few people, but they kept going past me again on the downhill. Not that I minded as the downhills were the best part of the ride. At one stage we were on top of a ridge with a great view on one side and a hazy view on the other due to some burning off. I'd love to go back there on a clear day.
We arrived at Cooma Cottages for afternoon tea. There was a bridal party there, and for some strange reason, they didn't seem to want a whole lot of brightly hued cyclists in their wedding photos. The organisers had arranged for our group to arrive, and we were served pikelets and fruit along with coffee, tea and lots of water. The cottage owners had gone to a lot of trouble to look after us. The pikelets were delicious and the fruit and water were much appreciated.
From the cottages to Yass was 5 km along a busy road. We headed off after a decent rest and arrived at our accommodation at about 3 pm, an hour ahead of schedule. The cabin was really clean, with a double bed and bunks. I organised us into the beds. Valetta is tall and it didn't look to me as though she'd be comfortable with a bunk bed, so I put Karen in the top bunk on the basis she was the youngest, and took the bottom bunk for myself. It worked out really well for us all. There was room for all our bikes inside, which meant that we didn't have to find something to lock them up to or worry about them when we were out to dinner.
The three of us enjoyed chatting for a while, then wandered off to the supermarket, which was across town. We bought some healthy food for lunch the next day, which I thought might be a good choice compared to the s&v chips. The walk stretched our legs and we all felt better for it.
The ride organisers had booked us in for a lasagne dinner at the Yass Soldiers Club. It was delicious and the room was abuzz with the happy sound of achievement. There was a blue light disco on next door, but I think we were well able to talk over the music. After dinner my group headed home for an early night. I'd skipped drinking any alcohol, on the grounds that I figured the ride would be hard enough with sore muscles the next day. I don't know if it mattered, but it was one less thing for me to worry about.
I wore my skins to bed. I've never done that before. I'm sure they helped because I was a lot less sore in the morning than I expected to be. I slept quite well, considering, and was awake bright and early the next morning. Thank goodness for daylight saving, as we got an extra hour in bed. I think we all needed it.
The ride organisers who stayed at the caravan park cooked breakfast - pancakes, eggs and bacon. It was much appreciated the next morning as it was one less thing for us to concern ourselves with. The plan had been for us to make our own way back to Cooma Cottages and assemble there, but many of the group wanted to assemble at the caravan park. I went with the flow and joined the larger group. One of the helpers was offering to check tyres. I overcame my reluctance to put him out, and asked him to do mine. The tyre pressure was down a bit so I was glad I asked him. I'm sure he was regretting his offer by the time the tenth person got their tyres checked but he was unfailingly kind. The helpers did a great job over the weekend and over the course. I've decided that I'd like to do the trip as a helper next year as a thank you. I think I'll volunteer to help for the whole course.
On the way out of town there was a monster hill. Because we were riding in single file it seemed harder, as one of the people in front of me was really struggling. I didn't feel that it would be kind to go past her, so I dropped a gear and stayed behind. Eventually she got off her bike and walked, so it was ok to pass her then. Quite a few people walked up that hill so I was really pleased to find that I was able to ride the whole thing.
There was a bit of a water crisis. People didn't like the taste of the Yass water. I thought it was ok luckily. Di, the main organiser and driver of the sag wagon (no idea why it's called sag - something for me to investigate later), went and bought some water at the supermarket so the crisis was averted. I figured I'd drink the Yass water before refilling, which was probably a good idea as the decent water ran out at Murrambateman, which apparently also has awful tasting water. It was interesting to watch how people behaved about the water. With limited supplies clearly evident at Murrumbateman, some people brought up multiple bottles to fill. Yes, it was all about them. Fortunately I was able to manage with the water I'd brought with me and a top up of one bottle earlier in the day from Di.
On the Sunday we went back a hillier route. According to my Garmin it was about 70m more elevation. I really came into my own on Sunday. I mentioned earlier that I'd managed to achieve even more than I expected. Well, on Saturday I realised that I was a lot stronger physically than many of the women in my group. On Sunday it became even clearer. I was powering up hills that other people were walking. I was enjoying the ride when other people were struggling. I became more confident going down hill and people stopped passing me.
The day before, whenever we had a break, the helpers were offering lollies. I hadn't bothered to take any as I wasn't hungry. On Sunday I got smarter and made sure I ate something at every break, even if it was just a handful of sultanas. It really helped. I also rode closer to the front of the group, as I realised that I'd get a longer break every time the group reformed if I was near the front. The extra rest made a big difference. By the time my group got to Murrumbateman, three hours after we started, I ended up leading us into town. Our ride leader got off her bike to encourage people along the last part of the ride and told me to go on ahead. I was thrilled to be the first person back in my group. The other group had arrived before us and I was actually applauded as I rode into town. It was the best feeling. My own personal Tour De France leader's moment!
The rest of the ride was simply fun. My backside was a little sore at times, but that was just a matter of settling into the seat comfortably and stretching. At various times on both days my hands and feet had pins and needles. I learned to shake my hands out while I was riding. As an indication of how much more confident I was by the end of the ride, I was able to do that when we were on the corrugated sections of the road and when I was riding up or down hill. I also learned to stamp my feet a few times on the breaks to get the feeling back, and I did a few stretches on the bike to get the feeling back in my toes.
We rode along the highway towards the George Harcourt Inn. Our ride leader was going to take us through Gold Creek Village as there's a bit of a hill on the way into the Inn, but one of the helpers convinced her that we'd have more fun if we got to ride the whole way down the big hill we'd had to start on the previous day. I think he was right. It was a great feeling, and we'd earned it!
It was fantastic to get back. The group were planning to head to the inn for a few beers, but all I wanted to do was get home and have a nice relaxing bath. TNB picked me up. It was such a relief to see him arrive.
I'm sure I nearly fell asleep in the bath. I had to travel to Melbourne for work that evening and I was sure I was going to sleep on the plane, but I managed to stay awake. I slept in my skins again, and went for a walk along the Yarra the next morning. I felt fine. I was delighted that I recovered so well from the ride and I was bubbling with the excitement of having achieved it.
I'm inspired to do more touring cycling. It's so much fun!
The New Horizons course for women that I've been doing has been wonderful. I feel so much more confident on the bike. Because of that I'm riding more often and I'm enjoying myself while I'm out there. There was even a moment when I thought about trying the cleats again. (Note to self: Relax Kathy. Breathe. Breathe again. It was only a moment.)
When we started the course and I heard that the last ride was a weekend trip to Yass I was sure that there was no way that I could do it. However, if there's one thing I've learned during this fitness journey of mine it's that I can do a lot more than I think I can. Mind you, this weekend I surprised myself by being able to do even more than I expected.
The weekend started on Tuesday night, at the info session. I arrived late, doing my usual mad dash from the gym. Over the nine weeks of the course I've managed to get faster on my bike, so I didn't miss much. Once I settled in and caught up with the program, I realised that I'd pretty much forgotten to think about the logistics of the weekend. I'd signed up for the Yass ride, saying that I was happy to share but I hadn't thought about what that meant - a night in a room with people I didn't know. I discovered that many of the women had booked themselves hotel rooms, but I decided to stick with the cabin option. After all, I was already so far out of my comfort zone that a night spent with strangers didn't seem like an insurmountable challenge.
After saying that I was going to be in a cabin I realised that it meant I'd have to bring my own bed linen and towel. I really had to struggle with my customary laziness - spending money on a hotel room would save me the trouble but it would also mean wimping out on the cabin sharing arrangement. The deciding factor was realising that I could put a bag in one of the support vehicles. I had thought we'd be carrying all our stuff ourselves, but I realised that the organisers, quite rightly, realised that some of us weren't up to that level of effort. A major advantage of taking a bag was that I could fit in an extra warm jacket! I really feel the cold so that was a major incentive for me.
The next thing that caused me concern was discovering that the Yass Soldiers Club, where we were having dinner, had a 'no athletic clothes' rule. Now, nearly all my casual clothes are gym clothes, the only jeans that fit me are in Melbourne, and I didn't feel like having to iron my trousers at the other end. I was saved by sudden inspiration, and tossed a dress and sandals in my bag. Needless to say, I was the only person who wore a dress. Not only that, but I discovered that I could have worn a polo shirt and runners (aren't they athletic?) without being tossed out of the club.
Fortunately, the Tuesday session included a reminder about nutrition and hydration. Yes, I was able to plan snacks - dark chocolate (no justification for that one but I like it), some protein bars, sultanas, bananas and jellybeans. I also took three bottles of water with me, which I was extremely glad about on the Sunday. It also meant that I had a lovely smoked salmon pasta for dinner on Friday night. Thank you to TNB who read the information sheet more closely than I did and paid attention to the "before you ride" suggestions.
I had planned to ride to the meeting place, out at the George Harcourt Inn, but after looking at my bike map I realised that maybe I was being a little ambitious. Fortunately TNB offered to drive me out there. Of course, we didn't rehearse the whole 'take the bike apart and get it into the car' activity, but we only broke my rear light holder so it wasn't too catastrophic. Oh, and we managed to discover why the brake light in the rear window wasn't working after one of my pedals caught on the wiring.
It was terrific to drive up to the inn and see so many people with their bikes. It was like going on a school excursion, only better. We even had to line up for the obligatory photos. I'm looking forward to getting the cd with all the photos from the various rides. There were 20 women from the course doing the ride, along with the helpers and various partners and family members. I didn't actually count them, but I think we had at least 40 cyclists. We split into two groups, with 10 women in each group. The plan was for us to ride in single file, to stop to regroup at various times, to meet up with the other group for lunch in Murrumbatemen and afternoon tea just outside Yass, and arrive in Yass by 4 pm.
We eventually headed off - 9 km down the Barton Highway and then turned off onto a back road. I'd list the route here, but it's really only interesting to people who know the area. Suffice it to say that I had no idea how close some of the places I'd been in the past were to Canberra. (If I can ride there, they are close!) I found myself thinking things like "Hey, I could ride to Hall Markets next time they are on" and "a bike tour of the wineries would be fun". I wonder if I'd get done for cycling under the influence. I'm also working out who I can talk into doing these things with me. I'm sure there'll be someone.
Riding on the highway was much safer than I'd expected it to be but riding on the back roads was much more fun. Not having to be so alert about staying to the left meant that it was possible to look around and enjoy the views. We went through some lovely countryside. I have a new appreciation for why people live out that way and drive into Canberra for work each day. I wouldn't do it myself, but I can see why they make that choice.
As for the ride, I settled myself into the middle of my group. Even though I wasn't talking to the man in front of me while we were riding, I grew quite attached to him. I'd fall behind going downhill (still some work to do on being afraid of going too fast) and then catch him up again on an uphill. He was riding with his wife, so we were really going at her pace. I gradually got more confident going down the hills and realised that it's quite fun to ride fast when you don't think you're going to come crashing down into a heap at the bottom of the hill.
We'd been warned about a rickety bridge during the info session. You should have seen this bridge in my imagination. Think Indiana Jones and swinging suspension bridges with huge gaps between wooden boards and a deep chasm beneath and you'll be somewhere close. Maybe I exaggerate slightly, but I certainly had it up there with bridges I'd be scared to walk across. When we finally got to the bridge it was about 3 metres long and wasn't at all difficult to ride across. Well, not compared to what I'd been anticipating.
There were roadworks as well. Not a problem, you'd think, on a Saturday in the country, however the water truck had just watered the road. Yes, we were splattered with mud. I never actually checked my knicks to see if I got the dreaded road stripe because I was wearing them back again the next day and I didn't want to feel obliged to wash them.
Oh, this is a too much information section for the guys - so skip ahead a paragraph or two. The guys are gone? Good. On the Tuesday night we debated the "do you take two pairs of knicks or not" question. I'd never realised until I did the triathlon training that you were supposed to wear your knicks without underwear. Once I got over the ewww factor and tried it, I realised that it's a lot more comfy that way. We were advised that we could manage with one pair of knicks, particularly if we took the sanitary pad option. I tried that and I'm not going to bother again. I got away without chafing because I also tried the nappy rash cream option but I reckon two pairs is the way to go in future.
Guys, this part of the knicks discussion is safe. The best advice I got about this trip was from Krissi. She suggested that I go out and buy myself a really good pair of knicks. Apparently, with the chamois, you really do get what you pay for. I didn't get myself organised on the knicks front until Friday evening. I'm glad of that, as I froze my poor legs on Friday morning, riding to my PT session in 3/4 knicks when the temperature was 0 degrees. I walked into the local bike shop (LBS) and told the young guy who served me that I wanted long knicks. Amusingly, he was embarrassed to be helping me with knicks. Not that long ago I would have been embarrassed asking for them, but I've hardened up. Fortunately they only had two styles, one with a decent chamois, so my decision was made for me. Poor LBS guy was a little confused when I didn't bother to try them on. I had heard that when you have a choice of chamois that you really should try the knicks on as you may be better suited by one brand than another, however that's not relevant when you have left your purchase to the last minute. I paid $140 for the knicks, which is nearly three times the cost of my other knicks, and I was completely glad I spent the money on them.
I got to see leg and arm warmers in operation on the trip. I didn't try these myself as I wasn't convinced that the leg warmers would stay up for me. Now that I've seen how easy they are to put on and take off I'm going to give them a go over winter. They'll be really useful when I ride to PT or to boot camp, as I'll already be in my running gear and I won't have to take my shoes off when it's freezing out there. Oh, unless I go the cleats option. (Breathe Kathy!)
Another thing I learned on the course (this is obvious but sometimes it takes me a while to catch on) is that it's ok to stop every now and then and take a layer off. I've had this whole "get on the bike and get to where you're going without stopping" attitude. This touring approach is a lot more relaxed.
Back to the trip. We arrived at Murrumbateman two hours after we set off, which was earlier than expected, and stopped for a break at the recreation grounds. I didn't realise it was our lunch break until I'd eaten (inhaled really) my morning snacks, by which time I was at the back of the queue at the local shop. On the basis that it would be a while until we had afternoon tea I wandered over to the service station and bought myself a powerade and a bag of s&v chips. I rationalised the treat on the grounds that I'd already burned over 1000 calories but I regretted it later. It was a real effort to start riding again after the break, and my body was telling me that it didn't appreciate being loaded up with fat just before I asked it to work hard again.
We rode through Murrumbatemen, which didn't take long, and then we were on some back roads. Eventually we hit a long section of gravel road, complete with corrugations. That was exhausting. I was riding along thinking "I've had enough. I want to go home now." If I could have magicked myself home by wrinkling my nose like Samantha I would have. When we finally stopped I discovered we'd travelled 46 km, which is further than I'd ever ridden before. I know some people were talking me during the break but I was answering them on autopilot, telling them I was fine when really I wasn't. I'm not 100% sure of the sequence of events, but I remember telling myself as I went up a hill "Guts and determination, Kathy, that's what you need, guts and determination". It was like I had Krissi on my shoulder encouraging me to get there. The ride helpers were encouraging. They were riding up and down the line, chatting to us as we went along, making sure we were okay. All of a sudden I was fine. I was riding along, looking around, enjoying the view, enjoying the ride and really glad that I was there. I don't know what made the difference - Krissi says that maybe some food I'd eaten finally kicked in. Whatever it was, I'm glad it happened.
We rode up quite a few hills during this stage of the ride. I was coping with them really well and passed a few people, but they kept going past me again on the downhill. Not that I minded as the downhills were the best part of the ride. At one stage we were on top of a ridge with a great view on one side and a hazy view on the other due to some burning off. I'd love to go back there on a clear day.
We arrived at Cooma Cottages for afternoon tea. There was a bridal party there, and for some strange reason, they didn't seem to want a whole lot of brightly hued cyclists in their wedding photos. The organisers had arranged for our group to arrive, and we were served pikelets and fruit along with coffee, tea and lots of water. The cottage owners had gone to a lot of trouble to look after us. The pikelets were delicious and the fruit and water were much appreciated.
From the cottages to Yass was 5 km along a busy road. We headed off after a decent rest and arrived at our accommodation at about 3 pm, an hour ahead of schedule. The cabin was really clean, with a double bed and bunks. I organised us into the beds. Valetta is tall and it didn't look to me as though she'd be comfortable with a bunk bed, so I put Karen in the top bunk on the basis she was the youngest, and took the bottom bunk for myself. It worked out really well for us all. There was room for all our bikes inside, which meant that we didn't have to find something to lock them up to or worry about them when we were out to dinner.
The three of us enjoyed chatting for a while, then wandered off to the supermarket, which was across town. We bought some healthy food for lunch the next day, which I thought might be a good choice compared to the s&v chips. The walk stretched our legs and we all felt better for it.
The ride organisers had booked us in for a lasagne dinner at the Yass Soldiers Club. It was delicious and the room was abuzz with the happy sound of achievement. There was a blue light disco on next door, but I think we were well able to talk over the music. After dinner my group headed home for an early night. I'd skipped drinking any alcohol, on the grounds that I figured the ride would be hard enough with sore muscles the next day. I don't know if it mattered, but it was one less thing for me to worry about.
I wore my skins to bed. I've never done that before. I'm sure they helped because I was a lot less sore in the morning than I expected to be. I slept quite well, considering, and was awake bright and early the next morning. Thank goodness for daylight saving, as we got an extra hour in bed. I think we all needed it.
The ride organisers who stayed at the caravan park cooked breakfast - pancakes, eggs and bacon. It was much appreciated the next morning as it was one less thing for us to concern ourselves with. The plan had been for us to make our own way back to Cooma Cottages and assemble there, but many of the group wanted to assemble at the caravan park. I went with the flow and joined the larger group. One of the helpers was offering to check tyres. I overcame my reluctance to put him out, and asked him to do mine. The tyre pressure was down a bit so I was glad I asked him. I'm sure he was regretting his offer by the time the tenth person got their tyres checked but he was unfailingly kind. The helpers did a great job over the weekend and over the course. I've decided that I'd like to do the trip as a helper next year as a thank you. I think I'll volunteer to help for the whole course.
On the way out of town there was a monster hill. Because we were riding in single file it seemed harder, as one of the people in front of me was really struggling. I didn't feel that it would be kind to go past her, so I dropped a gear and stayed behind. Eventually she got off her bike and walked, so it was ok to pass her then. Quite a few people walked up that hill so I was really pleased to find that I was able to ride the whole thing.
There was a bit of a water crisis. People didn't like the taste of the Yass water. I thought it was ok luckily. Di, the main organiser and driver of the sag wagon (no idea why it's called sag - something for me to investigate later), went and bought some water at the supermarket so the crisis was averted. I figured I'd drink the Yass water before refilling, which was probably a good idea as the decent water ran out at Murrambateman, which apparently also has awful tasting water. It was interesting to watch how people behaved about the water. With limited supplies clearly evident at Murrumbateman, some people brought up multiple bottles to fill. Yes, it was all about them. Fortunately I was able to manage with the water I'd brought with me and a top up of one bottle earlier in the day from Di.
On the Sunday we went back a hillier route. According to my Garmin it was about 70m more elevation. I really came into my own on Sunday. I mentioned earlier that I'd managed to achieve even more than I expected. Well, on Saturday I realised that I was a lot stronger physically than many of the women in my group. On Sunday it became even clearer. I was powering up hills that other people were walking. I was enjoying the ride when other people were struggling. I became more confident going down hill and people stopped passing me.
The day before, whenever we had a break, the helpers were offering lollies. I hadn't bothered to take any as I wasn't hungry. On Sunday I got smarter and made sure I ate something at every break, even if it was just a handful of sultanas. It really helped. I also rode closer to the front of the group, as I realised that I'd get a longer break every time the group reformed if I was near the front. The extra rest made a big difference. By the time my group got to Murrumbateman, three hours after we started, I ended up leading us into town. Our ride leader got off her bike to encourage people along the last part of the ride and told me to go on ahead. I was thrilled to be the first person back in my group. The other group had arrived before us and I was actually applauded as I rode into town. It was the best feeling. My own personal Tour De France leader's moment!
The rest of the ride was simply fun. My backside was a little sore at times, but that was just a matter of settling into the seat comfortably and stretching. At various times on both days my hands and feet had pins and needles. I learned to shake my hands out while I was riding. As an indication of how much more confident I was by the end of the ride, I was able to do that when we were on the corrugated sections of the road and when I was riding up or down hill. I also learned to stamp my feet a few times on the breaks to get the feeling back, and I did a few stretches on the bike to get the feeling back in my toes.
We rode along the highway towards the George Harcourt Inn. Our ride leader was going to take us through Gold Creek Village as there's a bit of a hill on the way into the Inn, but one of the helpers convinced her that we'd have more fun if we got to ride the whole way down the big hill we'd had to start on the previous day. I think he was right. It was a great feeling, and we'd earned it!
It was fantastic to get back. The group were planning to head to the inn for a few beers, but all I wanted to do was get home and have a nice relaxing bath. TNB picked me up. It was such a relief to see him arrive.
I'm sure I nearly fell asleep in the bath. I had to travel to Melbourne for work that evening and I was sure I was going to sleep on the plane, but I managed to stay awake. I slept in my skins again, and went for a walk along the Yarra the next morning. I felt fine. I was delighted that I recovered so well from the ride and I was bubbling with the excitement of having achieved it.
I'm inspired to do more touring cycling. It's so much fun!
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Another long bike ride - and puncture stories
I'm posting about last week's exercise backwards so please bear with me .. with luck you'll get a few posts tonight. One of the advantages of the cricket .. which I'm not watching.
On Saturday morning I went on a long bike ride with the Pedal Power group. The New Horizons course took us along, so that we'd know about this regular Saturday morning ride. I got there early (it wasn't where I thought it was going to be, which meant I didn't have to ride as far to get there) and had a chat with a few of the women before we started. I like that part, as I'm making new friends.
There ended up being about 55 people on the ride, 35 of us, about a dozen people who'd come along to help us, and some usual Saturday cyclists. The ride leader told us where she was taking us, which was around the lake clockwise, which would take us to our morning tea venue at Yarralumla Gallery. We'd collected money and booked ahead as hordes of riders descending on them without warning would be enough to send most baristas crazy.
It was an interesting experience. We didn't ride as fast as I expected, which is probably a good thing. I think that we were probably going at about 12 km/h for the first part and then 14 km/h for the second part. We were out there for about 2:15 hours, not counting morning tea. We were on the bike path almost the whole way and we rode in single file. When we came to hills or to something a little challenging like gravel, we pulled up, got given some advice, and then proceeded on our way.
I practised my gear changing, didn't run into anyone, made it up the big hills, didn't crash when the woman overtaking me up a steep hill fell off her bike and the one in front of me was unable to handle the hill and stopped at the same time. Instead I went around on the left and kept going, hoping that the helpers who were nearby would pick up the pieces. I felt a bit mean doing that, but I figured that it was probably better for me to stay out of the way than it was for me to add to the potential pileup.
We ended up covering a little over 30 km and I had a 2 km ride there and back, so it was a big day for me. I enjoyed myself and I'll do it again, but my backside is definitely voting for a gel seat cover! Someone said our ride to Yass in six weeks will be twice as long plus 10 km, so my seat bones need some padding under them.
Puncture update:
It took me a few days to fix the puncture in my front tyre. I meant to do it Wednesday night, but it was really late by the time I got to TNB's place (TNB = the new boyfriend, also known as the main reason I've been extra busy lately) so I skipped it. I arrived at TNB's place after squash on Thursday night, planning to fix the puncture before dinner.
He was really good and didn't give into the temptation of fixing it for me, but he did have the bike upside down ready for me. That really threw me at first, as we'd learned how to do them with the bike upright. I worked out how to disengage the brake upside down, popped the wheel out, took the tyre and tube off, found a hole and was about to patch it, when TNB put the tube in the sink. Yes, there were three holes. You may be very sure that I carefully examined the tyre for more thorns once I realised that there were several holes in my tube. I patched all three, put the bike back together and felt the back tyre, just to be sure of my good work on Tuesday. It was much softer than I would have expected. I realised that I probably hadn't found all the holes in that one the other night. Sigh.
Off came the back wheel. This is the hard one where your hands get dirty. TNB had dinner ready, but he patiently waited while I tried to find the new puncture. I wasn't having much luck so he encouraged me to put a lot more air in the tyre. It looked so odd, but we found the second puncture, and reopened the first one. I fixed these too. We ended up eating dinner about two hours after I arrived! Still, my tyres stayed up overnight and I was able to ride home in the cold for my PT session the following morning. I was wondering about the wisdom of fixing the tyre in time for a chilly Friday morning, but I really wanted my bike in one piece for my Saturday morning ride.
Pump stuff:
Sara, I love my pump. It's a Bontrager Turbo Charger, and has FIT on the foot piece. It's blue and silver, and the handle is curved slightly. The guy in the local bike shop told me it was specifically designed for women and I have to say it's easier to use than the ones they had at the bike course, which had straight handles. I think the curved handle makes allowances for my tummy. :-)
Andrew, yes it is one of those up and down pumps. I fell in love with those the first time I saw them. I actually brought it over to TNB's to fix the punctures, which I was very glad I'd done when I realised I had two tyres to pump up.
TNB stuff:
It's taken me a while to mention TNB on my blog. I've started doing regular cycling commutes and running commutes from his place to mine, so there'll be the occasional mention from time to time. Fortuitously, he lives 5 km from me along the bikepath, which is a really handy distance.
On Saturday morning I went on a long bike ride with the Pedal Power group. The New Horizons course took us along, so that we'd know about this regular Saturday morning ride. I got there early (it wasn't where I thought it was going to be, which meant I didn't have to ride as far to get there) and had a chat with a few of the women before we started. I like that part, as I'm making new friends.
There ended up being about 55 people on the ride, 35 of us, about a dozen people who'd come along to help us, and some usual Saturday cyclists. The ride leader told us where she was taking us, which was around the lake clockwise, which would take us to our morning tea venue at Yarralumla Gallery. We'd collected money and booked ahead as hordes of riders descending on them without warning would be enough to send most baristas crazy.
It was an interesting experience. We didn't ride as fast as I expected, which is probably a good thing. I think that we were probably going at about 12 km/h for the first part and then 14 km/h for the second part. We were out there for about 2:15 hours, not counting morning tea. We were on the bike path almost the whole way and we rode in single file. When we came to hills or to something a little challenging like gravel, we pulled up, got given some advice, and then proceeded on our way.
I practised my gear changing, didn't run into anyone, made it up the big hills, didn't crash when the woman overtaking me up a steep hill fell off her bike and the one in front of me was unable to handle the hill and stopped at the same time. Instead I went around on the left and kept going, hoping that the helpers who were nearby would pick up the pieces. I felt a bit mean doing that, but I figured that it was probably better for me to stay out of the way than it was for me to add to the potential pileup.
We ended up covering a little over 30 km and I had a 2 km ride there and back, so it was a big day for me. I enjoyed myself and I'll do it again, but my backside is definitely voting for a gel seat cover! Someone said our ride to Yass in six weeks will be twice as long plus 10 km, so my seat bones need some padding under them.
Puncture update:
It took me a few days to fix the puncture in my front tyre. I meant to do it Wednesday night, but it was really late by the time I got to TNB's place (TNB = the new boyfriend, also known as the main reason I've been extra busy lately) so I skipped it. I arrived at TNB's place after squash on Thursday night, planning to fix the puncture before dinner.
He was really good and didn't give into the temptation of fixing it for me, but he did have the bike upside down ready for me. That really threw me at first, as we'd learned how to do them with the bike upright. I worked out how to disengage the brake upside down, popped the wheel out, took the tyre and tube off, found a hole and was about to patch it, when TNB put the tube in the sink. Yes, there were three holes. You may be very sure that I carefully examined the tyre for more thorns once I realised that there were several holes in my tube. I patched all three, put the bike back together and felt the back tyre, just to be sure of my good work on Tuesday. It was much softer than I would have expected. I realised that I probably hadn't found all the holes in that one the other night. Sigh.
Off came the back wheel. This is the hard one where your hands get dirty. TNB had dinner ready, but he patiently waited while I tried to find the new puncture. I wasn't having much luck so he encouraged me to put a lot more air in the tyre. It looked so odd, but we found the second puncture, and reopened the first one. I fixed these too. We ended up eating dinner about two hours after I arrived! Still, my tyres stayed up overnight and I was able to ride home in the cold for my PT session the following morning. I was wondering about the wisdom of fixing the tyre in time for a chilly Friday morning, but I really wanted my bike in one piece for my Saturday morning ride.
Pump stuff:
Sara, I love my pump. It's a Bontrager Turbo Charger, and has FIT on the foot piece. It's blue and silver, and the handle is curved slightly. The guy in the local bike shop told me it was specifically designed for women and I have to say it's easier to use than the ones they had at the bike course, which had straight handles. I think the curved handle makes allowances for my tummy. :-)
Andrew, yes it is one of those up and down pumps. I fell in love with those the first time I saw them. I actually brought it over to TNB's to fix the punctures, which I was very glad I'd done when I realised I had two tyres to pump up.
TNB stuff:
It's taken me a while to mention TNB on my blog. I've started doing regular cycling commutes and running commutes from his place to mine, so there'll be the occasional mention from time to time. Fortuitously, he lives 5 km from me along the bikepath, which is a really handy distance.
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Still more cycling
I've just arrived home from a bike skills session. It started at 8:30 and went until around 11. With riding there and home again I've been out on the bike for a little over three and a half hours. We covered about 13 km all up on the cycling course, and I travelled another 18 km to get there and home again, so I've ridden more this morning than I would normally ride in a couple of weeks. Needless to say, I'm feeling it!
We met up in a car park and worked on basic skills for the first part of the session, like stopping, gears and riding with one hand off the bike. We then went for a short ride to a public toilet - I guess showing us the public toilets is a pretty handy part of the course. This was followed by morning tea and then we ventured out onto the road. We were in the parliamentary triangle, which is fairly quiet on weekends. We rode "around the block" for a while, turning left each time. When we're on the road we're in single file - none of this bunch stuff for us yet. It's hard enough trying to stay close to the bike in front without having to worry about riding beside someone.
We finally did a right hand turn. There was absolutely no traffic which helped. We then did a different block with a bit of a hill, to see how the gears would help, then we rode up a "big" hill to Parliament House. I was expecting to struggle up the hill but it wasn't all that big. It was long but nothing like the ones I ride up when I do manage to ride to work. We then rode around Parliament House then headed back to the car park. A few stretches, a chat about next week's ride (around the lake and involving scones!) and then I headed home to my place. I was riding on familiar turf but I could see a definite improvement in my confidence. That's what I'm after from the course so I'm pretty pleased with how it's going.
As for the weekly exercise update - I've ridden my bike a couple of times since Tuesday, went to the group PT session for the WOW program on Wednesday, visited the gym and played squash with Murali on Thursday, and had PT with Krissi, did a gym session and went to a balance class on Friday. I really should try to make the effort to go to the gym now, but I am going to skip it today. The bike riding feels like enough.
The group PT session was not at all fun, yet it was a great workout calorie-wise. I was feeling cranky at the beginning, and when we got to the outdoor venue I realised we were going to do lots of stairs. I should have spoken up about my knee but I didn't want to be the "difficult one" in the group, so I kept quiet and did the stairs. And did the stairs. And did the stairs.
There were three flights of stairs, a total or 37 steps all up. We ran up them and walked down them four times as a warm up. Then we went up two and back down, up four and back down, etc doing 10 pushups each time after we did four steps. That's a hell of a lot of pushups. I did the first four sets on my toes, then dropped to my knees to find that the concrete had a crushed, pebbled surface. I managed a few sets before giving up and moving to wall pushups. I was even more cranky by then. I decided to suck it up and kept on going. I even did the final set of pushups on my toes, but they were pretty much baby pushups. It was 170 pushups all up.
After that we moved over to the fountain to do step ups. I did speak up about my knee then, and found a place on the fountain to do small step ups. Back up the stairs to do our abs work, which involved crunches and the plank and then we headed back to the gym. I've been feeling the effects ever since. I have such sore calves. Fortunately my knee wasn't too bad after all those stairs. I could feel a twinge on the Thursday but it wasn't bad enough to stop me playing squash.
On Thursday morning I concentrated on upper body but I also did the hip abductor (3 sets of 12 reps x 2 at 30 kg) as I figured the stairs didn't really test those muscles. I could be wrong of course. For my back I did the seated row - 3 sets of 12 reps at 23 kg, and the bent over row - 3 sets of 12 reps at 15 kg. I then did the chest press using 9 kg. I managed to get out 1 sets of 12 reps but I only got to 8 on the second set. Room for improvement. I then did a shoulder press - 2 sets of 12 reps at 4 kg and a triceps exercise that I don't know the name of - 2 sets of 12 reps with 5 kg.
Murali beat me in 3 on Thursday at squash. That's a first and he was delighted. I won the next two at least.
PT with Krissi was great. After the obligatory ten minute warm up on the bike and stretching we did boxing. It's such fun. Two minutes on, two minutes off - crosses, hooks, uppercuts, and then a couple of combos. We finished off the session with some leg work, lunges and hamstring curls. In the evening I did some more arm work and then did a balance class with Marjorie. All in all, it's been a pretty good week of exercise.
We met up in a car park and worked on basic skills for the first part of the session, like stopping, gears and riding with one hand off the bike. We then went for a short ride to a public toilet - I guess showing us the public toilets is a pretty handy part of the course. This was followed by morning tea and then we ventured out onto the road. We were in the parliamentary triangle, which is fairly quiet on weekends. We rode "around the block" for a while, turning left each time. When we're on the road we're in single file - none of this bunch stuff for us yet. It's hard enough trying to stay close to the bike in front without having to worry about riding beside someone.
We finally did a right hand turn. There was absolutely no traffic which helped. We then did a different block with a bit of a hill, to see how the gears would help, then we rode up a "big" hill to Parliament House. I was expecting to struggle up the hill but it wasn't all that big. It was long but nothing like the ones I ride up when I do manage to ride to work. We then rode around Parliament House then headed back to the car park. A few stretches, a chat about next week's ride (around the lake and involving scones!) and then I headed home to my place. I was riding on familiar turf but I could see a definite improvement in my confidence. That's what I'm after from the course so I'm pretty pleased with how it's going.
As for the weekly exercise update - I've ridden my bike a couple of times since Tuesday, went to the group PT session for the WOW program on Wednesday, visited the gym and played squash with Murali on Thursday, and had PT with Krissi, did a gym session and went to a balance class on Friday. I really should try to make the effort to go to the gym now, but I am going to skip it today. The bike riding feels like enough.
The group PT session was not at all fun, yet it was a great workout calorie-wise. I was feeling cranky at the beginning, and when we got to the outdoor venue I realised we were going to do lots of stairs. I should have spoken up about my knee but I didn't want to be the "difficult one" in the group, so I kept quiet and did the stairs. And did the stairs. And did the stairs.
There were three flights of stairs, a total or 37 steps all up. We ran up them and walked down them four times as a warm up. Then we went up two and back down, up four and back down, etc doing 10 pushups each time after we did four steps. That's a hell of a lot of pushups. I did the first four sets on my toes, then dropped to my knees to find that the concrete had a crushed, pebbled surface. I managed a few sets before giving up and moving to wall pushups. I was even more cranky by then. I decided to suck it up and kept on going. I even did the final set of pushups on my toes, but they were pretty much baby pushups. It was 170 pushups all up.
After that we moved over to the fountain to do step ups. I did speak up about my knee then, and found a place on the fountain to do small step ups. Back up the stairs to do our abs work, which involved crunches and the plank and then we headed back to the gym. I've been feeling the effects ever since. I have such sore calves. Fortunately my knee wasn't too bad after all those stairs. I could feel a twinge on the Thursday but it wasn't bad enough to stop me playing squash.
On Thursday morning I concentrated on upper body but I also did the hip abductor (3 sets of 12 reps x 2 at 30 kg) as I figured the stairs didn't really test those muscles. I could be wrong of course. For my back I did the seated row - 3 sets of 12 reps at 23 kg, and the bent over row - 3 sets of 12 reps at 15 kg. I then did the chest press using 9 kg. I managed to get out 1 sets of 12 reps but I only got to 8 on the second set. Room for improvement. I then did a shoulder press - 2 sets of 12 reps at 4 kg and a triceps exercise that I don't know the name of - 2 sets of 12 reps with 5 kg.
Murali beat me in 3 on Thursday at squash. That's a first and he was delighted. I won the next two at least.
PT with Krissi was great. After the obligatory ten minute warm up on the bike and stretching we did boxing. It's such fun. Two minutes on, two minutes off - crosses, hooks, uppercuts, and then a couple of combos. We finished off the session with some leg work, lunges and hamstring curls. In the evening I did some more arm work and then did a balance class with Marjorie. All in all, it's been a pretty good week of exercise.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
Cycling commute
I finally did it! I rode to work this morning.
When I woke up this morning I was debating whether or not I should have a rest day or go to the gym. As I was lying there I realised that I had plenty of time to ride to work. I've been wanting to do that for ages. Today was the day.
I got myself sorted. I knew I had clothes at work, but I felt like wearing my new black skirt. Fortunately it doesn't need ironing so I was able to toss it in my backpack.
I've had some advice recently that I should raise my bike seat. I had it lower than the recommended height because I wasn't flexible enough to get my leg over the seat. Now I am, but I'd forgotten to raise it. Of course, having thought of it, I had to do it right then and there. I packed the Allen keys in case I had it too high. I had hardly gone any distance when I realised I'd somehow managed to lower it. After fixing that I was off again. It felt about the same as when I'd started, so the whole exercise had been a waste of time.
I was riding past a primary school, realising that the street was pretty much uphill all the way. I hadn't noticed the incline running, but it was really noticeable on the bike. When I'd first run that way I'd been quite annoyed at myself for not being able to get past the school without stopping for a walking break. If I'd known then that I was running uphill I might have been less disappointed in myself.
Similarly, there was a steady incline up to the War Memorial. I think I hadn't really thought of that section of the run as going uphill because I was so conscious of the much bigger hills ahead.
The straight route is roughly 5 km, but I had to detour around a large hill when the bike path disappeared. I'm not confident enough to ride in the bike lane on a busy road. The detour took me past a magpie defending its nest, so I was swooped a number of times. It was quite disconcerting to feel the magpie banging into my helmet. I was glad when I was far enough away for the brave bird to decide I was no longer a threat.
I wasn't quite sure where I was at one stage, as the running route I'd taken went cross country to stay near the main road. Being Canberra, all the streets I took seemed to curve in exactly the opposite direction to where I wanted to go. I ended up back at the main road eventually, having chugged my way up and down several more hills. I was really working hard. I had to walk a couple of hills because I was so worn out.
When I did finally come out of the maze of streets I discovered I was much closer to my destination than I'd expected. I was also on a lovely long downhill slope. I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the ride.
I then came to the section that had put me off riding to work earlier. I had to ride about 600 m on the road. All the traffic on that road is heading to my workplace so it was all going the same way as me. Fortunately, I feel much safer on the bike now so it wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be.
It took me 35 minutes to ride to work, which is about how long it takes me to run to work. I thought that was really amusing, as I'm not a particularly speedy runner. I am sure I'll get that time down once I've worked out a more direct route. On the up side, I wasn't as tired, it was easy to carry my stuff, and I'd burned 440 calories, which I was going to repeat on the way home as well.
I was delighted that I had my pass and didn't have to hang around in my cycling gear in the foyer. It's a shame, but I can see myself losing all fashion sense as I get more into cycling. I wonder if my Style Consultant will help me choose my summer cycling gear.
There are two flights of stairs on the way up to my floor. Whenever I run I make the effort to run up them, so I did that today too. When I got to my desk I was puffing and panting, which had the rest of my team amused.
After work I changed back into my cycling gear and headed home, after raising the bike seat. At least this time, I seemed to get it higher than it had been. I'm not sure if I got it right, but at least I was able to manage the increase in height. I felt safe on the 600 m stretch down to the corner, but I wasn't sure about the busy roundabout at the end, so I crossed over the road before I got there. I'll work it out eventually. From there I tried an alternate route, which worked out really well, although I think the hills might be tougher on the way to work. I'll have to test it out tomorrow. I nearly got myself skittled by a taxi while I was investigating one option, but that option didn't work so I won't be putting myself in that position again.
On the way home I called in at the bike shop to find out what panniers would cost me. I also checked out the price of cleats and bike shoes and I booked my bike in for maintenance next week. I can see that I'm going to have to buy some summer bike gear as well, as I was quite warm in my yellow jacket.
Stopping at the bike shop had me running late for trivia. I texted the team to tell them I was on my way, dashed through the shower, changed yet again (thinking of Sara's six changes the day before) and then raced off to trivia. We had a great night but the other teams in the competition are way too clever.
Normally Wednesday is a slack day for me, but adding the cycling commute has turned it into a good exercise day.
When I woke up this morning I was debating whether or not I should have a rest day or go to the gym. As I was lying there I realised that I had plenty of time to ride to work. I've been wanting to do that for ages. Today was the day.
I got myself sorted. I knew I had clothes at work, but I felt like wearing my new black skirt. Fortunately it doesn't need ironing so I was able to toss it in my backpack.
I've had some advice recently that I should raise my bike seat. I had it lower than the recommended height because I wasn't flexible enough to get my leg over the seat. Now I am, but I'd forgotten to raise it. Of course, having thought of it, I had to do it right then and there. I packed the Allen keys in case I had it too high. I had hardly gone any distance when I realised I'd somehow managed to lower it. After fixing that I was off again. It felt about the same as when I'd started, so the whole exercise had been a waste of time.
I was riding past a primary school, realising that the street was pretty much uphill all the way. I hadn't noticed the incline running, but it was really noticeable on the bike. When I'd first run that way I'd been quite annoyed at myself for not being able to get past the school without stopping for a walking break. If I'd known then that I was running uphill I might have been less disappointed in myself.
Similarly, there was a steady incline up to the War Memorial. I think I hadn't really thought of that section of the run as going uphill because I was so conscious of the much bigger hills ahead.
The straight route is roughly 5 km, but I had to detour around a large hill when the bike path disappeared. I'm not confident enough to ride in the bike lane on a busy road. The detour took me past a magpie defending its nest, so I was swooped a number of times. It was quite disconcerting to feel the magpie banging into my helmet. I was glad when I was far enough away for the brave bird to decide I was no longer a threat.
I wasn't quite sure where I was at one stage, as the running route I'd taken went cross country to stay near the main road. Being Canberra, all the streets I took seemed to curve in exactly the opposite direction to where I wanted to go. I ended up back at the main road eventually, having chugged my way up and down several more hills. I was really working hard. I had to walk a couple of hills because I was so worn out.
When I did finally come out of the maze of streets I discovered I was much closer to my destination than I'd expected. I was also on a lovely long downhill slope. I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the ride.
I then came to the section that had put me off riding to work earlier. I had to ride about 600 m on the road. All the traffic on that road is heading to my workplace so it was all going the same way as me. Fortunately, I feel much safer on the bike now so it wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be.
It took me 35 minutes to ride to work, which is about how long it takes me to run to work. I thought that was really amusing, as I'm not a particularly speedy runner. I am sure I'll get that time down once I've worked out a more direct route. On the up side, I wasn't as tired, it was easy to carry my stuff, and I'd burned 440 calories, which I was going to repeat on the way home as well.
I was delighted that I had my pass and didn't have to hang around in my cycling gear in the foyer. It's a shame, but I can see myself losing all fashion sense as I get more into cycling. I wonder if my Style Consultant will help me choose my summer cycling gear.
There are two flights of stairs on the way up to my floor. Whenever I run I make the effort to run up them, so I did that today too. When I got to my desk I was puffing and panting, which had the rest of my team amused.
After work I changed back into my cycling gear and headed home, after raising the bike seat. At least this time, I seemed to get it higher than it had been. I'm not sure if I got it right, but at least I was able to manage the increase in height. I felt safe on the 600 m stretch down to the corner, but I wasn't sure about the busy roundabout at the end, so I crossed over the road before I got there. I'll work it out eventually. From there I tried an alternate route, which worked out really well, although I think the hills might be tougher on the way to work. I'll have to test it out tomorrow. I nearly got myself skittled by a taxi while I was investigating one option, but that option didn't work so I won't be putting myself in that position again.
On the way home I called in at the bike shop to find out what panniers would cost me. I also checked out the price of cleats and bike shoes and I booked my bike in for maintenance next week. I can see that I'm going to have to buy some summer bike gear as well, as I was quite warm in my yellow jacket.
Stopping at the bike shop had me running late for trivia. I texted the team to tell them I was on my way, dashed through the shower, changed yet again (thinking of Sara's six changes the day before) and then raced off to trivia. We had a great night but the other teams in the competition are way too clever.
Normally Wednesday is a slack day for me, but adding the cycling commute has turned it into a good exercise day.
Monday, 8 October 2007
No need for Garmin envy
Would you believe it? I've managed to lose the wrist piece for my brand new Garmin.
How does that happen, I hear you ask. Well, it's a long story and hopefully it will have a happy ending.
I decided to run to Dragon Boating today. I figured it was about 4.5 km from my place, and I had an early finish from work this afternoon, so I had the time. It was a chance to try out my running skirt and my running backpack and to play with my new Garmin. I was also keen to see if I could run two days in a row. I don't think I've done that before.
As it was 4:00 pm rather than 6:30 am, the temperature was a lot higher than I usually run in. I figured I'd need water so I went looking for my fuel belt. Clearly, it is in a safe place as I wasn't able to find it. I tossed a couple of the water bottles in my backpack. When I went to use them about half way through the run, I discovered they were frozen! It seems I have them too close to the freezer.
Before I get into the run itself, here's a quick update on the skirt and backpack. The running skirt felt a bit odd. I liked running in it, however I'm glad I tested it out before using it at SiS as I think I would have had a chafing problem. I'll have to wear running shorts underneath it as the inbuilt shorts aren't quite long enough for comfort. The backpack also took a bit of getting used to, but it was much better than running with a normal backpack. Once I get the straps sorted, I'm sure it will be fine. My keys didn't jangle, I had room for some warm clothes and my water, and my phone was handily located within reach. I think it's going to be a real winner for running to work.
Once I got myself organised I headed off towards the yacht club. It took ages for my Garmin to locate the satellites. I walked down to the bike path and eventually started running as I was tired of waiting. I think I'd covered about half a km before the satellites kicked in. I walked most of that though, checking my wrist every few houses, before running out of patience.
My pace was all over the place. I can see that having the Garmin is going to help me be a lot more consistent. I managed to run most of the way, stopping for lights and to drink my water. After a couple of kms I could feel that my left knee was tired but it didn't hurt so I kept running. I've put a lot of work into that knee to make it strong and I love that it's all paid off. After Friday's lunges and the jogalong, to have it feeling tired today rather than hurting is pretty fantastic.
I was tempted to stop as soon as I reached the grounds of the yacht club, but I decided to run all the way to the yacht club building. I surged towards the end, just to see if I could. Our dragon boat team is wearing pink. Well, I was bright pink. Thank goodness I looked at the readout before I lost my Garmin. I made it to the yacht club in 30:40. The distance was 4.02 km. It was a little slower than I'd hoped, as I was aiming for 7 min/km but on reflection I probably lost the 2:40 at the various traffic lights around town. I felt really proud of myself for running instead of catching the bus or riding my bike.
I took my Garmin wristpiece off and put it in my backpack so that it wouldn't get wet when we were dragon boating. The dragon boating was heaps of fun again. We were practising racing today. We even have a race plan. To get the boat moving, we do a "monster stroke" followed by four really big strokes. We then do 20 strokes fast, at a rate of about 80 per minute. We follow this with 25 strokes at a slightly slower pace (about 60 per min) and then 10 fast strokes to finish. Yes, the race is going to be about 60 strokes long. We'll cover 190 metres, which is apparently quite a short race. Our coach had been going to get us to do the 25 strokes more slowly, but he realised from watching us practise that we have the cardio fitness to go faster. It was good to hear him say that as I'd been thinking we could probably go faster. Well, I knew that I could, and I figured that if I could the others would be able to.
I managed to get soaked tonight. One time I paddled a bucket of water right into my lap. It was a warm evening, but it didn't feel that warm when I was wet. We did get to see a lovely sunset over the mountains from the middle of the lake, which is certainly something new for me. Canberra is a beautiful place.
The big news for the dragon boat racing is the "pink theme" and the "party food". We're all raring to go. We got the "hydrate well" speech from the coach, which may have put a little burst in our pink bubbles. We'll have to save them until after the finals. We're determined to make the finals. Hey, and if we don't, we get to have the bubbles earlier so it's all good.
I got a ride home from the dragon boating with one of the gym staff. On the way from picking up my backpack from Jess's car, I started to get my jacket out, which is when the infamous Garmin wrist piece misplacing incident may have taken place. I did have to pick up some stuff from the floor well of the car when I was getting out, so I'm hoping hard that the wrist piece is still on the floor of the car. I left a phone message at the gym, but I haven't heard whether or not it was in the car.
I was feeling a bit frantic about the wrist piece being in the car park, and was wondering who I could call to take me back to the Yacht club when I remembered my trusty bicycle. I quickly changed from my wet running gear into bike gear, pumped up my tyres and headed off in the dark towards the Yacht club. I'm so glad I know the path, as it wasn't at all well lit in some places. I searched the car park, but wasn't able to find my wrist piece. I also called into the club to ask if it had been found. I will have to phone them tomorrow as I didn't have a lot of confidence in the person to whom I reported my loss. On the bright side, at least the wrist piece wasn't shattered on the ground.
So, if the wrist piece has been handed in at the Yacht Club, or is in the floor well of the car, I am in luck. If it hasn't, thank goodness I bought it on e-Bay as I'll have to replace it. On my ride back from the Yacht Club I reminded myself that at least it was something I could afford to lose. I was thinking that I was having a JoJo moment though.
As for my day's exercise, I was pretty pleased with myself. I walked 20 mins to and from a work course today, then ran 4 km, did dragon boat training for however long it was, then rode my bike 9 km in the dark. Ok, on the downside I managed to lose my Garmin, but there's hope that it will be recovered.
Pool running in the morning, yoga tomorrow night. Keep your fingers crossed for me that my Garmin will turn up.
How does that happen, I hear you ask. Well, it's a long story and hopefully it will have a happy ending.
I decided to run to Dragon Boating today. I figured it was about 4.5 km from my place, and I had an early finish from work this afternoon, so I had the time. It was a chance to try out my running skirt and my running backpack and to play with my new Garmin. I was also keen to see if I could run two days in a row. I don't think I've done that before.
As it was 4:00 pm rather than 6:30 am, the temperature was a lot higher than I usually run in. I figured I'd need water so I went looking for my fuel belt. Clearly, it is in a safe place as I wasn't able to find it. I tossed a couple of the water bottles in my backpack. When I went to use them about half way through the run, I discovered they were frozen! It seems I have them too close to the freezer.
Before I get into the run itself, here's a quick update on the skirt and backpack. The running skirt felt a bit odd. I liked running in it, however I'm glad I tested it out before using it at SiS as I think I would have had a chafing problem. I'll have to wear running shorts underneath it as the inbuilt shorts aren't quite long enough for comfort. The backpack also took a bit of getting used to, but it was much better than running with a normal backpack. Once I get the straps sorted, I'm sure it will be fine. My keys didn't jangle, I had room for some warm clothes and my water, and my phone was handily located within reach. I think it's going to be a real winner for running to work.
Once I got myself organised I headed off towards the yacht club. It took ages for my Garmin to locate the satellites. I walked down to the bike path and eventually started running as I was tired of waiting. I think I'd covered about half a km before the satellites kicked in. I walked most of that though, checking my wrist every few houses, before running out of patience.
My pace was all over the place. I can see that having the Garmin is going to help me be a lot more consistent. I managed to run most of the way, stopping for lights and to drink my water. After a couple of kms I could feel that my left knee was tired but it didn't hurt so I kept running. I've put a lot of work into that knee to make it strong and I love that it's all paid off. After Friday's lunges and the jogalong, to have it feeling tired today rather than hurting is pretty fantastic.
I was tempted to stop as soon as I reached the grounds of the yacht club, but I decided to run all the way to the yacht club building. I surged towards the end, just to see if I could. Our dragon boat team is wearing pink. Well, I was bright pink. Thank goodness I looked at the readout before I lost my Garmin. I made it to the yacht club in 30:40. The distance was 4.02 km. It was a little slower than I'd hoped, as I was aiming for 7 min/km but on reflection I probably lost the 2:40 at the various traffic lights around town. I felt really proud of myself for running instead of catching the bus or riding my bike.
I took my Garmin wristpiece off and put it in my backpack so that it wouldn't get wet when we were dragon boating. The dragon boating was heaps of fun again. We were practising racing today. We even have a race plan. To get the boat moving, we do a "monster stroke" followed by four really big strokes. We then do 20 strokes fast, at a rate of about 80 per minute. We follow this with 25 strokes at a slightly slower pace (about 60 per min) and then 10 fast strokes to finish. Yes, the race is going to be about 60 strokes long. We'll cover 190 metres, which is apparently quite a short race. Our coach had been going to get us to do the 25 strokes more slowly, but he realised from watching us practise that we have the cardio fitness to go faster. It was good to hear him say that as I'd been thinking we could probably go faster. Well, I knew that I could, and I figured that if I could the others would be able to.
I managed to get soaked tonight. One time I paddled a bucket of water right into my lap. It was a warm evening, but it didn't feel that warm when I was wet. We did get to see a lovely sunset over the mountains from the middle of the lake, which is certainly something new for me. Canberra is a beautiful place.
The big news for the dragon boat racing is the "pink theme" and the "party food". We're all raring to go. We got the "hydrate well" speech from the coach, which may have put a little burst in our pink bubbles. We'll have to save them until after the finals. We're determined to make the finals. Hey, and if we don't, we get to have the bubbles earlier so it's all good.
I got a ride home from the dragon boating with one of the gym staff. On the way from picking up my backpack from Jess's car, I started to get my jacket out, which is when the infamous Garmin wrist piece misplacing incident may have taken place. I did have to pick up some stuff from the floor well of the car when I was getting out, so I'm hoping hard that the wrist piece is still on the floor of the car. I left a phone message at the gym, but I haven't heard whether or not it was in the car.
I was feeling a bit frantic about the wrist piece being in the car park, and was wondering who I could call to take me back to the Yacht club when I remembered my trusty bicycle. I quickly changed from my wet running gear into bike gear, pumped up my tyres and headed off in the dark towards the Yacht club. I'm so glad I know the path, as it wasn't at all well lit in some places. I searched the car park, but wasn't able to find my wrist piece. I also called into the club to ask if it had been found. I will have to phone them tomorrow as I didn't have a lot of confidence in the person to whom I reported my loss. On the bright side, at least the wrist piece wasn't shattered on the ground.
So, if the wrist piece has been handed in at the Yacht Club, or is in the floor well of the car, I am in luck. If it hasn't, thank goodness I bought it on e-Bay as I'll have to replace it. On my ride back from the Yacht Club I reminded myself that at least it was something I could afford to lose. I was thinking that I was having a JoJo moment though.
As for my day's exercise, I was pretty pleased with myself. I walked 20 mins to and from a work course today, then ran 4 km, did dragon boat training for however long it was, then rode my bike 9 km in the dark. Ok, on the downside I managed to lose my Garmin, but there's hope that it will be recovered.
Pool running in the morning, yoga tomorrow night. Keep your fingers crossed for me that my Garmin will turn up.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Bike ride, Group Fitness, Style Consultation and Body Attack
This morning I headed out to the Outdoor Group Fitness session on my bike. I was looking forward to the ride, hoping to see the swans again, and generally at peace with the world. Then I got outside. It was raining. Lightly, but definitely raining. I seriously considered turning around and calling someone for a ride but I talked myself into riding in the rain as it wasn't too heavy.
It seemed like a sensible idea for all of five minutes. I cruised along, feeling proud of myself for not letting the elements defeat me, until I realised the rain was getting heavier. And heavier. Now, it's an outdoor fitness challenge I'm doing, so the course isn't cancelled for inclement weather. I realised I'd better keep on going and hope that the rain didn't get any worse. Eventually, I was riding along thinking, "I'll get there so Krissi knows I was going to come, and then I'll ride home again straight away. I can't do this. I can't exercise when I'm all wet." I was nearly at the park when the rain stopped. Thank goodness!
We did boxercise this morning. It's one of my favourites. We started out with a warm up that involved jogging and punching. It was fun once I got into it. We kept changing what we were doing. For example, we'd go clockwise in a circle, punching forwards or sideways or up in the air, then we'd change direction, then we'd touch the ground with our left hand, and so on. We then played a numbers game which was amusing. When a number was called out we had to clump into groups that size. If you didn't get into a group you ended up doing pushups. I managed to get in a group each time, which was good except I missed out on doing the pushups. It's weird how the pushups seemed like winning in reverse.
The boxercise session was the usual punching and then doing some other exercise. We did pushups with jabs, squats with hooks, lunges with uppercuts, and short sprints with combos. Then we played ambush, which is also fun. One person is punching and the others in the group tap them on the shoulder from behind, run away, then turn around and put their hands in position for a particular type of punch. It's quite amusing, especially when someone my height is trying to indicate high punches for someone much taller.
It started raining during the session, but fortunately it stopped before I had to ride home. On the way I kept my eye out for the swan family I saw on Tuesday. They were out and about, and the five cygnets were still fluffy balls of grey. It was terrific to see them again.
I had the morning off work today for the shopping expedition part of the Style Consultation. It was so much fun. My credit card is now a little melted, but it wasn't as expensive a trip as I'd expected. SC and I shopped solidly for three hours. We worked from a list SC prepared when she went through my wardrobe. We started off in a lingerie shop, where I was introduced to a contraption that gives me a much firmer waist. I also bought a pretty bra - nothing like the Enell but probably an engineering wonder all the same. We then headed off looking for some clothes, which was fun. I bought a few different outfits, in some great colours. I also ended up with two pairs of shoes, a pair of jeans, some costume jewellery and makeup. Now all I have to do is manage to put all this together with some semblance of style.
Oh, we managed to buy everything on the list, except for a pair of trousers and a casual jacket. We substituted a couple of skirts for the trousers and we decided to give the jacket a miss for now. I'm really looking forward to wearing my new clothes and mixing and matching them with my existing wardrobe.
This evening I headed off to Body Attack. The instructor for tonight's class is terrific and it's always good fun. I was feeling tired but I decided to give it a go anyway. I'm glad that I did, because I managed to get through it, even though I found it a little hard. I figure that by the end of the GOFC I'll be fit enough to handle the two sessions on the one day without feeling exhausted.
After class I decided to tell the instructor how much I enjoyed her classes. I'm sorry I didn't do it before today as she was so pleased. At least I did it today.
As for tomorrow, I have personal training in the morning with Krissi, and Body Balance in the evening. On Saturday some of the girls are going for a run. I might join them. I haven't managed to get out for a run this week. It's still been a great exercise week, and there's been a little running in the GOFC, so I'm not fretting about it.
It seemed like a sensible idea for all of five minutes. I cruised along, feeling proud of myself for not letting the elements defeat me, until I realised the rain was getting heavier. And heavier. Now, it's an outdoor fitness challenge I'm doing, so the course isn't cancelled for inclement weather. I realised I'd better keep on going and hope that the rain didn't get any worse. Eventually, I was riding along thinking, "I'll get there so Krissi knows I was going to come, and then I'll ride home again straight away. I can't do this. I can't exercise when I'm all wet." I was nearly at the park when the rain stopped. Thank goodness!
We did boxercise this morning. It's one of my favourites. We started out with a warm up that involved jogging and punching. It was fun once I got into it. We kept changing what we were doing. For example, we'd go clockwise in a circle, punching forwards or sideways or up in the air, then we'd change direction, then we'd touch the ground with our left hand, and so on. We then played a numbers game which was amusing. When a number was called out we had to clump into groups that size. If you didn't get into a group you ended up doing pushups. I managed to get in a group each time, which was good except I missed out on doing the pushups. It's weird how the pushups seemed like winning in reverse.
The boxercise session was the usual punching and then doing some other exercise. We did pushups with jabs, squats with hooks, lunges with uppercuts, and short sprints with combos. Then we played ambush, which is also fun. One person is punching and the others in the group tap them on the shoulder from behind, run away, then turn around and put their hands in position for a particular type of punch. It's quite amusing, especially when someone my height is trying to indicate high punches for someone much taller.
It started raining during the session, but fortunately it stopped before I had to ride home. On the way I kept my eye out for the swan family I saw on Tuesday. They were out and about, and the five cygnets were still fluffy balls of grey. It was terrific to see them again.
I had the morning off work today for the shopping expedition part of the Style Consultation. It was so much fun. My credit card is now a little melted, but it wasn't as expensive a trip as I'd expected. SC and I shopped solidly for three hours. We worked from a list SC prepared when she went through my wardrobe. We started off in a lingerie shop, where I was introduced to a contraption that gives me a much firmer waist. I also bought a pretty bra - nothing like the Enell but probably an engineering wonder all the same. We then headed off looking for some clothes, which was fun. I bought a few different outfits, in some great colours. I also ended up with two pairs of shoes, a pair of jeans, some costume jewellery and makeup. Now all I have to do is manage to put all this together with some semblance of style.
Oh, we managed to buy everything on the list, except for a pair of trousers and a casual jacket. We substituted a couple of skirts for the trousers and we decided to give the jacket a miss for now. I'm really looking forward to wearing my new clothes and mixing and matching them with my existing wardrobe.
This evening I headed off to Body Attack. The instructor for tonight's class is terrific and it's always good fun. I was feeling tired but I decided to give it a go anyway. I'm glad that I did, because I managed to get through it, even though I found it a little hard. I figure that by the end of the GOFC I'll be fit enough to handle the two sessions on the one day without feeling exhausted.
After class I decided to tell the instructor how much I enjoyed her classes. I'm sorry I didn't do it before today as she was so pleased. At least I did it today.
As for tomorrow, I have personal training in the morning with Krissi, and Body Balance in the evening. On Saturday some of the girls are going for a run. I might join them. I haven't managed to get out for a run this week. It's still been a great exercise week, and there's been a little running in the GOFC, so I'm not fretting about it.
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
Fitness test and Yoga
At this morning's Group Outdoor Fitness Challenge we started off with a fitness test. It consisted of a beep test, an agility test, pushups in a minute and a 1 km time trial.
I got to level 3-3 in the beep test. Back in May I started at 3-2 and finished at 4-1. It will be interesting to see if I make a similar improvement this time. We didn't do a warm up run first. The beep test has its own built in warm up, but I think I might have needed a longer one. I was quite sore when we started today, from Body Attack last night. I've made a mental note - don't overdo it before the fitness test on the last day!
For the agility test I managed 21.9 seconds. Last time I did it in 23.4, so that's a definite improvement over the past few months. I was really pleased about that. I did fewer pushups than last time but they are much better quality now. I managed 22 in the minute.
The time trial was interesting. I missed the one at the end of the running course. I'd decided for that one that I didn't care about the time. I just wanted to run for the whole kilometre. I was the first runner, and the others followed in 30 second intervals.
I took off a little too fast I think. After about three minutes I had to stop to throw up. I'm not sure how much time I lost - maybe 15 seconds. I got myself running again, but at a much slower pace. I was struggling, but I decided I was going to run the rest of the way.
When I was within sight of the end Krissi was encouraging me to run faster, but I didn't have it in me. There were two runners right behind me, but I managed to get across the line first. I immediately threw up again, which was a little embarrassing. It felt so good when I stopped. ;-)
Anyway, I ran the kilometer in 5:55. I did it in 5:48 during the running course. I think if I hadn't thrown up on the way I would have done better than that. I just have to figure out how to pace myself better. What I am pleased about is that I ran the whole distance. I had to take two walking breaks during the first time trial back in early June.
This evening I headed off to Yoga. As ever, I enjoyed it. We started off on the floor, with a lovely relaxing meditation. I was encased in a blue ball of light that gradually turned to white light. I kept thinking about work stuff and kept having to clear my mind again. It's quite a challenge to stop thinking.
I keep feeling as though I'm improving and then doing something that just goes to show how far I still have to go just to manage the beginners' poses. We did something called the rabbit, which had me falling over onto my forehead. Fortunately, not very far but I felt like such a klutz. I'm in awe of the more advanced moves.
There was a hilarious section where Michelle just sat up and watched us for the second rep. We were lying on the floor with our hands stretched out and palm to palm, and our feet also stretched. We were supposed to roll ourselves completely over and back by using our abs. It sounds a lot easier than it is. It was fun trying though.
I'm going to keep going to this class though as I feel great after I'm finished - really relaxed and mellow. My flexibility is improving too.
Enell bra update
My goodness it's a strange looking contraption. I don't know what I'd expected. I'd seen photos of the bra on a model but it looks a lot different in real life. I wore it this morning to the GOFC. After I tried it on, I did a little jogging on the spot and thought, "Hmmm, this isn't going to work. I'm glad I only bought one." I figured I must have ordered the wrong size, as so many people swear by the bra.
The leaflet that came with the bra suggested that I should build up to using it, so I figured the GOFC would be a gentle introduction - not full on running, but a bit of effort. I meant to pay close attention to how it felt whenever we were running, but I completely forgot. In fact, I didn't even notice, which I think has to be a good sign.
When I got home, I was delighted to see that I didn't have the usual red marks from tight straps. Without having done a proper run, I am pretty sure that this bra is a winner.
Edit
I forgot to mention my bike ride this morning. I rode to and from the GOFC. It's getting light so much earlier. I made it up all the hills, and I rode down the scary hill as well. Even better than that, on the way home I saw a pair of black swans with their grey fluffy cygnets. They were right beside the bike path so I got an excellent view. I was wishing I had my camera with me.
I got to level 3-3 in the beep test. Back in May I started at 3-2 and finished at 4-1. It will be interesting to see if I make a similar improvement this time. We didn't do a warm up run first. The beep test has its own built in warm up, but I think I might have needed a longer one. I was quite sore when we started today, from Body Attack last night. I've made a mental note - don't overdo it before the fitness test on the last day!
For the agility test I managed 21.9 seconds. Last time I did it in 23.4, so that's a definite improvement over the past few months. I was really pleased about that. I did fewer pushups than last time but they are much better quality now. I managed 22 in the minute.
The time trial was interesting. I missed the one at the end of the running course. I'd decided for that one that I didn't care about the time. I just wanted to run for the whole kilometre. I was the first runner, and the others followed in 30 second intervals.
I took off a little too fast I think. After about three minutes I had to stop to throw up. I'm not sure how much time I lost - maybe 15 seconds. I got myself running again, but at a much slower pace. I was struggling, but I decided I was going to run the rest of the way.
When I was within sight of the end Krissi was encouraging me to run faster, but I didn't have it in me. There were two runners right behind me, but I managed to get across the line first. I immediately threw up again, which was a little embarrassing. It felt so good when I stopped. ;-)
Anyway, I ran the kilometer in 5:55. I did it in 5:48 during the running course. I think if I hadn't thrown up on the way I would have done better than that. I just have to figure out how to pace myself better. What I am pleased about is that I ran the whole distance. I had to take two walking breaks during the first time trial back in early June.
This evening I headed off to Yoga. As ever, I enjoyed it. We started off on the floor, with a lovely relaxing meditation. I was encased in a blue ball of light that gradually turned to white light. I kept thinking about work stuff and kept having to clear my mind again. It's quite a challenge to stop thinking.
I keep feeling as though I'm improving and then doing something that just goes to show how far I still have to go just to manage the beginners' poses. We did something called the rabbit, which had me falling over onto my forehead. Fortunately, not very far but I felt like such a klutz. I'm in awe of the more advanced moves.
There was a hilarious section where Michelle just sat up and watched us for the second rep. We were lying on the floor with our hands stretched out and palm to palm, and our feet also stretched. We were supposed to roll ourselves completely over and back by using our abs. It sounds a lot easier than it is. It was fun trying though.
I'm going to keep going to this class though as I feel great after I'm finished - really relaxed and mellow. My flexibility is improving too.
Enell bra update
My goodness it's a strange looking contraption. I don't know what I'd expected. I'd seen photos of the bra on a model but it looks a lot different in real life. I wore it this morning to the GOFC. After I tried it on, I did a little jogging on the spot and thought, "Hmmm, this isn't going to work. I'm glad I only bought one." I figured I must have ordered the wrong size, as so many people swear by the bra.
The leaflet that came with the bra suggested that I should build up to using it, so I figured the GOFC would be a gentle introduction - not full on running, but a bit of effort. I meant to pay close attention to how it felt whenever we were running, but I completely forgot. In fact, I didn't even notice, which I think has to be a good sign.
When I got home, I was delighted to see that I didn't have the usual red marks from tight straps. Without having done a proper run, I am pretty sure that this bra is a winner.
Edit
I forgot to mention my bike ride this morning. I rode to and from the GOFC. It's getting light so much earlier. I made it up all the hills, and I rode down the scary hill as well. Even better than that, on the way home I saw a pair of black swans with their grey fluffy cygnets. They were right beside the bike path so I got an excellent view. I was wishing I had my camera with me.
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Cycling, running and yoga
Today was a great exercise day. I cycled out to the running course this morning, and went to yoga this evening. I also did really well with my eating, which is always easier on days where you burn a lot of calories.
I was so determined to get to running this morning that I had trouble sleeping. I woke up several times during the night. It was a relief when the alarm finally went off. One of the things that bothered me last week was getting changed out of my cycle gear, so I decided to pass on wearing bike pants. Instead I wore my Skins and some running pants. It had the advantage of giving me two bottom layers when I was running. The forecast min was -2, it was -3 when I left home, and the min temp for the day was -5, which would have occurred while I was out running. Brrrr!
I read some "winter gear" advice somewhere last week, which basically suggested two top layers for 5 degrees, so I added an extra one to run in, then wore a jacket and a bike jacket over the top of all that for my ride. I was busy telling myself that I'd survived the -3 degree morning during the Group Outdoor Fitness Challenge so I'd be fine, but I just read back and discovered that it had only reached 0. Not only that, I got a lift last time! This time I was on the bike, which adds a wind chill factor. As anyone who rides, the wind blows straight into your face. I was also wishing I'd worn my running gloves under my bike gloves as my hands were cold. Fortunately, I was warm everywhere else, and my backside survived not wearing proper cycling knicks.
My cycling has improved as I got to Lennox Gardens earlier than I'd expected. Fortunately for me, Lola was also early, and kindly offered me a seat in her car while we waited. That was a huge bonus.
When Brad arrived with Krissi, I had a moment's "oh no, what will I do?" as I'd been relying on Krissi being there. I quickly remembered that Brad and Krissi had both been terrific with me, so I decided that I'd be fine. Sure enough, when we split up into groups for the fartlek, Brad straight away partnered up with me, which was really reassuring. Another girl, Samantha, was with us. Krissi had told me that there was a beginner in the group, so I figured she was the one.
We headed off for a warm up run, and I found myself running along easily instead of puffing and panting as I'd expected. The warm up is always done at a slow pace, but I was extra comfortable during it. I've been noticing that I keep up with the group much better now, and I find it a great way to get started. Brad explained how the fartlek would work, which had me anxious again for a little while. I'd thought that it went fast, slow, fast, slow, but I discovered that it could go fast, faster, faster. Mind you, as a group we were taking turns suggesting a point to run to and a pace to go at, and Brad made sure Samantha and I realised that it was ok to choose a slower pace. Like most people, I have this idea that I have three paces - walk, run slowly and try to run fast (also known as almost dying). With the fartlek we were choosing 50%, 60% etc so I figure I have a whole range of paces now. They all feel different too. I'd had the misconception that it wouldn't matter what the percentage was, I'd be running at one of my three paces.
When we got to the turnaround time, Brad sent us back and ran on to collect the other groups. On the way back, Samantha said to me "you're a machine, you never stop" which, little did she know it, was great for my self-confidence. I'd felt like I was running well, but it was really nice to have someone else say so. Isn't it amazing how often you end up hearing what you really needed to hear? Another good thing was that the other groups didn't pass us on the way back. All up we ran for about 35 minutes. I think we probably covered around 4 - 4.5 km.
To give you an idea of how cold it was, when I got back to my bike it was covered in frost! I rubbed the frost off with my gloves, but I definitely had a cold backside for a few minutes. A woman from another running group who was getting into her car told me she was really impressed that I was out on my bike in this weather, which was another confidence building remark.
It was so good to get under a hot shower when I arrived home!
This evening I headed off to the gym in the rain. I was walking along, rugged up again, thinking that exercising in Canberra requires a certain amount of perseverance in winter. Mind you, once I was in the gym it was lovely and warm.
Yoga was really enjoyable. I am definitely getting more flexible, but there's still so much room for improvement. We did lots of balancing today. Michelle mentioned Dru Yoga, so I imagine that's the flavour of yoga we were doing. I enjoyed it as ever, but I do find myself thinking of Celeste during the classes. I'm getting better at the Downward Dog, but some of the transitions to other poses are a real challenge.
We learned something amusing tonight. We were doing a stretch when you sit with the soles of your feet together and lower your knees. If you say yes, you can lower your knees further. Try it. It works.
Oh, one more confidence building thing happened. One of the other members came up to talk to me at the gym today. When she did her first RPM class a little over 12 months ago she was brand new and didn't bring any water, so I shared my water with her. For that reason, she noticed me around the place. She was doing Yoga today and we were waiting for the previous class to finish, so she took the opportunity to tell me that she'd noticed how good I was looking and how much I'd changed since she first met me. It was a great reminder that I've come a long way over the past 12 months. I'm glad she took the time to speak to me.
Another great day foodwise. Things are turning around. :-)
I was so determined to get to running this morning that I had trouble sleeping. I woke up several times during the night. It was a relief when the alarm finally went off. One of the things that bothered me last week was getting changed out of my cycle gear, so I decided to pass on wearing bike pants. Instead I wore my Skins and some running pants. It had the advantage of giving me two bottom layers when I was running. The forecast min was -2, it was -3 when I left home, and the min temp for the day was -5, which would have occurred while I was out running. Brrrr!
I read some "winter gear" advice somewhere last week, which basically suggested two top layers for 5 degrees, so I added an extra one to run in, then wore a jacket and a bike jacket over the top of all that for my ride. I was busy telling myself that I'd survived the -3 degree morning during the Group Outdoor Fitness Challenge so I'd be fine, but I just read back and discovered that it had only reached 0. Not only that, I got a lift last time! This time I was on the bike, which adds a wind chill factor. As anyone who rides, the wind blows straight into your face. I was also wishing I'd worn my running gloves under my bike gloves as my hands were cold. Fortunately, I was warm everywhere else, and my backside survived not wearing proper cycling knicks.
My cycling has improved as I got to Lennox Gardens earlier than I'd expected. Fortunately for me, Lola was also early, and kindly offered me a seat in her car while we waited. That was a huge bonus.
When Brad arrived with Krissi, I had a moment's "oh no, what will I do?" as I'd been relying on Krissi being there. I quickly remembered that Brad and Krissi had both been terrific with me, so I decided that I'd be fine. Sure enough, when we split up into groups for the fartlek, Brad straight away partnered up with me, which was really reassuring. Another girl, Samantha, was with us. Krissi had told me that there was a beginner in the group, so I figured she was the one.
We headed off for a warm up run, and I found myself running along easily instead of puffing and panting as I'd expected. The warm up is always done at a slow pace, but I was extra comfortable during it. I've been noticing that I keep up with the group much better now, and I find it a great way to get started. Brad explained how the fartlek would work, which had me anxious again for a little while. I'd thought that it went fast, slow, fast, slow, but I discovered that it could go fast, faster, faster. Mind you, as a group we were taking turns suggesting a point to run to and a pace to go at, and Brad made sure Samantha and I realised that it was ok to choose a slower pace. Like most people, I have this idea that I have three paces - walk, run slowly and try to run fast (also known as almost dying). With the fartlek we were choosing 50%, 60% etc so I figure I have a whole range of paces now. They all feel different too. I'd had the misconception that it wouldn't matter what the percentage was, I'd be running at one of my three paces.
When we got to the turnaround time, Brad sent us back and ran on to collect the other groups. On the way back, Samantha said to me "you're a machine, you never stop" which, little did she know it, was great for my self-confidence. I'd felt like I was running well, but it was really nice to have someone else say so. Isn't it amazing how often you end up hearing what you really needed to hear? Another good thing was that the other groups didn't pass us on the way back. All up we ran for about 35 minutes. I think we probably covered around 4 - 4.5 km.
To give you an idea of how cold it was, when I got back to my bike it was covered in frost! I rubbed the frost off with my gloves, but I definitely had a cold backside for a few minutes. A woman from another running group who was getting into her car told me she was really impressed that I was out on my bike in this weather, which was another confidence building remark.
It was so good to get under a hot shower when I arrived home!
This evening I headed off to the gym in the rain. I was walking along, rugged up again, thinking that exercising in Canberra requires a certain amount of perseverance in winter. Mind you, once I was in the gym it was lovely and warm.
Yoga was really enjoyable. I am definitely getting more flexible, but there's still so much room for improvement. We did lots of balancing today. Michelle mentioned Dru Yoga, so I imagine that's the flavour of yoga we were doing. I enjoyed it as ever, but I do find myself thinking of Celeste during the classes. I'm getting better at the Downward Dog, but some of the transitions to other poses are a real challenge.
We learned something amusing tonight. We were doing a stretch when you sit with the soles of your feet together and lower your knees. If you say yes, you can lower your knees further. Try it. It works.
Oh, one more confidence building thing happened. One of the other members came up to talk to me at the gym today. When she did her first RPM class a little over 12 months ago she was brand new and didn't bring any water, so I shared my water with her. For that reason, she noticed me around the place. She was doing Yoga today and we were waiting for the previous class to finish, so she took the opportunity to tell me that she'd noticed how good I was looking and how much I'd changed since she first met me. It was a great reminder that I've come a long way over the past 12 months. I'm glad she took the time to speak to me.
Another great day foodwise. Things are turning around. :-)
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Cycling and walking
Today I met up with Leonie for a bike ride. We headed off in the general direction of my work - I've been thinking about riding to work if I can manage the hills. I'm glad I asked Leonie to come along with me as she knew the general area, and saved me a lot of time. We took the back streets across, as the main road is quite busy during the week. The roads twist and turn as they gain elevation, so we ended up asking a local resident which way to go. They recommended the main road. *chuckle*
We headed back over to the main road and crossed to the other side. Canberra has bushland all over the place, and this side of the road is a mixture of suburbia, national park and rural property. We tried a few different options. I mentioned the other day that the 'rural road' part of the trip was a bit of a worry, with a couple of white posts down. Well, we found a way across the bushland, a formed dirt road that will be lovely for walking or running and means that I'm nowhere near all the traffic that's hurriedly rushing to or escaping from work. Not so good for riding in rainy weather though and I still have to get across to it.
We tried turning left instead of right when leaving work, thinking we'd find a flatter route that would take us down to Lake Burley Griffin. I was a bit nervous as we were riding on the main road, but it was fun too, coasting down a long gentle slope. I was tentatively enjoying the ride when I suddenly realised that if I took this option it would be a long hill going up. It was an adventure as we were riding on the road for quite a while. Thank goodness we were only contending with Sunday traffic.
We finally got onto the bike path that skirts the lake and headed back towards town. It was really windy by the lake, so we were glad we hadn't been planning to ride around it today. A brief stop off for a coffee at the mobile coffee kiosk and then we headed home. All up, I was out for almost two hours.
The ride towards the lake was fun in a white-knuckled sort of way, but it's not really an option for going to work. The main road is an option, but it's got an enormous hill and requires riding on the road in some sections. A combination of the main road, walking paths, and heading across country looks like being possible, although I think I'll be walking / running this option rather than riding my bike. I think I'm safer on my feet than I am on the bike at the moment.
Later in the day I met up with Alex and we headed off to walk up Black Mountain. We walked across to the Botanic Gardens from my place. That took us 25 minutes. We then headed across the gardens to the walking path up to the Telstra Tower. Unfortunately, we got geographically confused by construction work, and didn't make it to the tower path. It was my fault. We came to a choice of paths, and I chose the one that went uphill, on the grounds that we were going up and we didn't want to lose any elevation. Apparently it was the wrong choice. Instead, we ended up back at the gardens cafe, where we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea that more than compensated for the calories we'd burned off on our way up hill.
We eventually headed home, travelling much more slowly on the return journey than we had when we set out. Alex was really feeling her calves and my legs were reminding me that they had more than done their duty today. Even though we missed the mountain we added 14000 steps each to our team total for the walking challenge so we weren't too disappointed. We're going to see if we can get there another day, but we'll drive over to the Botanic Gardens instead of walking across next time.
We headed back over to the main road and crossed to the other side. Canberra has bushland all over the place, and this side of the road is a mixture of suburbia, national park and rural property. We tried a few different options. I mentioned the other day that the 'rural road' part of the trip was a bit of a worry, with a couple of white posts down. Well, we found a way across the bushland, a formed dirt road that will be lovely for walking or running and means that I'm nowhere near all the traffic that's hurriedly rushing to or escaping from work. Not so good for riding in rainy weather though and I still have to get across to it.
We tried turning left instead of right when leaving work, thinking we'd find a flatter route that would take us down to Lake Burley Griffin. I was a bit nervous as we were riding on the main road, but it was fun too, coasting down a long gentle slope. I was tentatively enjoying the ride when I suddenly realised that if I took this option it would be a long hill going up. It was an adventure as we were riding on the road for quite a while. Thank goodness we were only contending with Sunday traffic.
We finally got onto the bike path that skirts the lake and headed back towards town. It was really windy by the lake, so we were glad we hadn't been planning to ride around it today. A brief stop off for a coffee at the mobile coffee kiosk and then we headed home. All up, I was out for almost two hours.
The ride towards the lake was fun in a white-knuckled sort of way, but it's not really an option for going to work. The main road is an option, but it's got an enormous hill and requires riding on the road in some sections. A combination of the main road, walking paths, and heading across country looks like being possible, although I think I'll be walking / running this option rather than riding my bike. I think I'm safer on my feet than I am on the bike at the moment.
Later in the day I met up with Alex and we headed off to walk up Black Mountain. We walked across to the Botanic Gardens from my place. That took us 25 minutes. We then headed across the gardens to the walking path up to the Telstra Tower. Unfortunately, we got geographically confused by construction work, and didn't make it to the tower path. It was my fault. We came to a choice of paths, and I chose the one that went uphill, on the grounds that we were going up and we didn't want to lose any elevation. Apparently it was the wrong choice. Instead, we ended up back at the gardens cafe, where we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea that more than compensated for the calories we'd burned off on our way up hill.
We eventually headed home, travelling much more slowly on the return journey than we had when we set out. Alex was really feeling her calves and my legs were reminding me that they had more than done their duty today. Even though we missed the mountain we added 14000 steps each to our team total for the walking challenge so we weren't too disappointed. We're going to see if we can get there another day, but we'll drive over to the Botanic Gardens instead of walking across next time.
Monday, 11 June 2007
Wetlands cycle
This morning I met Leonie for a bike ride over to the wetlands. I got there a little early, as I hadn't been to our meeting place before, so I rode over to Commonwealth Park and cruised around for 10 minutes before heading back to meet her. As I was cruising it started to rain lightly, but fortunately, it stopped soon after we headed off.
Now, I'm a beginning cyclist. Leonie thinks she is too, but she's way ahead of me. I was pleased about that, as it helped me to move up a level. We were cycling much faster than I normally do, and I got some advice about the gears too. By the end of the ride I was actually standing up on the bike as I went up hills.
The path we took was the Mother's Day Classic course, so it had the advantage of being familiar. When we got to the turnaround point we ventured along a little further into the wetlands. My legs were tired, but I didn't want to get that far and not actually go in. We went into a couple of hides and had a look at the birds. It was different riding on the dirt paths. When we came to the end of the made path, I would probably have kept going, but Leonie mentioned prickles and flat tyres. That was enough to convince me that paths were best.
We had a cup of coffee beside the lake, and then headed home. All up, I was out and about for almost two hours. My backside is complaining about the unaccustomed effort, but I felt it was well worth it. We're going to ride around the lake in a couple of weeks. That will be further than I ever ventured before.
I think I travelled about 20 km today. I have given up on the bike computer that I was bought. I can't find an O Ring thin enough for it, and I tried tying it on but it didn't seem to work when I'd done that. I figure I'll go and buy myself a new one!
One of the things I enjoyed about today was that "Wheee!" feeling you get when you're going down a hill quickly. It's like being a kid again, isn't it?
I'm going to have to go out for a walk this afternoon. Bike riding doesn't do much for my step count. I think they give us about 250 steps per km. Tomorrow I have the running course. We're doing interval training, which ought to involve plenty of steps.
Now, I'm a beginning cyclist. Leonie thinks she is too, but she's way ahead of me. I was pleased about that, as it helped me to move up a level. We were cycling much faster than I normally do, and I got some advice about the gears too. By the end of the ride I was actually standing up on the bike as I went up hills.
The path we took was the Mother's Day Classic course, so it had the advantage of being familiar. When we got to the turnaround point we ventured along a little further into the wetlands. My legs were tired, but I didn't want to get that far and not actually go in. We went into a couple of hides and had a look at the birds. It was different riding on the dirt paths. When we came to the end of the made path, I would probably have kept going, but Leonie mentioned prickles and flat tyres. That was enough to convince me that paths were best.
We had a cup of coffee beside the lake, and then headed home. All up, I was out and about for almost two hours. My backside is complaining about the unaccustomed effort, but I felt it was well worth it. We're going to ride around the lake in a couple of weeks. That will be further than I ever ventured before.
I think I travelled about 20 km today. I have given up on the bike computer that I was bought. I can't find an O Ring thin enough for it, and I tried tying it on but it didn't seem to work when I'd done that. I figure I'll go and buy myself a new one!
One of the things I enjoyed about today was that "Wheee!" feeling you get when you're going down a hill quickly. It's like being a kid again, isn't it?
I'm going to have to go out for a walk this afternoon. Bike riding doesn't do much for my step count. I think they give us about 250 steps per km. Tomorrow I have the running course. We're doing interval training, which ought to involve plenty of steps.
Saturday, 12 May 2007
Another bike ride
I headed off on my bike at 6:15 am this morning to find the Mother's Day Classic assembly point. I had a vague idea of its location, and thought I'd better find out how long it would take me to ride there.
I dressed up in my new bike gear. I wasn't sure how warm I'd be in the jacket, so I took my ecofleece jacket with me just in case. I bought the new jacket for the wind and it's also going to be useful when it rains. That's if I happen to be crazy enough to be out on my bike when it's raining. Well, I made it two blocks before stopping to put on my ecofleece. After about half an hour I was really warm, but I didn't take any layers off. When I got home, the new jacket was damp on the inside, and there was a layer of moisture on the outside of my ecofleece. I guess I should have de-layered.
I navigated my way across town. I rode on the road some of the way. I'm not sure I should be doing that as yet. I don't think I'm safe, ie, I don't think I look around me properly. Fortunately, there weren't many people out and about that early in the morning.
Once I was safely on the bicycle path I felt a lot more relaxed. I travelled to where I thought the MDC was starting, and discovered something that looked possible. When I headed home again and re-examined the course map, I realised I had been in the right place.
By the time I'd investigated and remembered to look at my watch, I'd been out for 28 minutes, so I should be fine if I allow half an hour to get to the venue and park my bike. I checked out options for bike parking. There didn't seem to be much and then I realised that I could secure my bike to a tree. I was busy looking for a bike rack!
I rode back along the lake, enjoying the trip. The day had well and truly dawned by this stage. There were people out rowing on the lake, along with runners, walkers and other cyclists. I managed to spook any number of birds. The scenery was lovely. I think I'll have to go riding at that time of the morning for fun once the challenge is over.
I noticed that I was doing a lot more 'riding' today. I seem to spend much of my time coasting along rather than pedalling, which isn't the best way to burn calories. Today, at least I felt like I was putting in a real effort.
One amusing thing happened. While I was breathing my glasses were fogging up. I tried breathing out through my nose, and the effect was reduced, but I couldn't keep that up for very long. I think I'll have to ask around to see how other people cope with that, as I can see it being a major problem as it gets colder.
I arrived home after 53 minutes, feeling very happy with myself. My backside was a little sore, and I was too hot, but I figure I'll get the details sorted eventually.
As for the rest of the day, I did some incidental exercise, moving stuff around the place. It was good to see how easily I did it. All that gym work is definitely paying off.
Tomorrow I have the Mother's Day Classic, followed by a trip to Qld. I'm going to be away for a week, and I'm not planning to take my laptop with me, so I won't be blogging. Well, unless I think about the job applications I should be writing and my sensible side gets the better of me.
If you don't hear from me, I'm sitting on the beach, having a lovely time. If you do hear from me, I'll tell you all about the beach. :-)
I dressed up in my new bike gear. I wasn't sure how warm I'd be in the jacket, so I took my ecofleece jacket with me just in case. I bought the new jacket for the wind and it's also going to be useful when it rains. That's if I happen to be crazy enough to be out on my bike when it's raining. Well, I made it two blocks before stopping to put on my ecofleece. After about half an hour I was really warm, but I didn't take any layers off. When I got home, the new jacket was damp on the inside, and there was a layer of moisture on the outside of my ecofleece. I guess I should have de-layered.
I navigated my way across town. I rode on the road some of the way. I'm not sure I should be doing that as yet. I don't think I'm safe, ie, I don't think I look around me properly. Fortunately, there weren't many people out and about that early in the morning.
Once I was safely on the bicycle path I felt a lot more relaxed. I travelled to where I thought the MDC was starting, and discovered something that looked possible. When I headed home again and re-examined the course map, I realised I had been in the right place.
By the time I'd investigated and remembered to look at my watch, I'd been out for 28 minutes, so I should be fine if I allow half an hour to get to the venue and park my bike. I checked out options for bike parking. There didn't seem to be much and then I realised that I could secure my bike to a tree. I was busy looking for a bike rack!
I rode back along the lake, enjoying the trip. The day had well and truly dawned by this stage. There were people out rowing on the lake, along with runners, walkers and other cyclists. I managed to spook any number of birds. The scenery was lovely. I think I'll have to go riding at that time of the morning for fun once the challenge is over.
I noticed that I was doing a lot more 'riding' today. I seem to spend much of my time coasting along rather than pedalling, which isn't the best way to burn calories. Today, at least I felt like I was putting in a real effort.
One amusing thing happened. While I was breathing my glasses were fogging up. I tried breathing out through my nose, and the effect was reduced, but I couldn't keep that up for very long. I think I'll have to ask around to see how other people cope with that, as I can see it being a major problem as it gets colder.
I arrived home after 53 minutes, feeling very happy with myself. My backside was a little sore, and I was too hot, but I figure I'll get the details sorted eventually.
As for the rest of the day, I did some incidental exercise, moving stuff around the place. It was good to see how easily I did it. All that gym work is definitely paying off.
Tomorrow I have the Mother's Day Classic, followed by a trip to Qld. I'm going to be away for a week, and I'm not planning to take my laptop with me, so I won't be blogging. Well, unless I think about the job applications I should be writing and my sensible side gets the better of me.
If you don't hear from me, I'm sitting on the beach, having a lovely time. If you do hear from me, I'll tell you all about the beach. :-)
Monday, 7 May 2007
Bike ride accomplished
I did it. I got on my bike this morning and rode down to Lennox Gardens, where tomorrow's group fitness challenge is happening. It took me 25 minutes to find my way there. I've forgotten how to use the gears, and I have to work on my stopping technique, but at least I know I can get there in less than half an hour.
It ended up being an ok workout. I am pretty sure that most of the calories I burned were due to fear rather than effort, but I'll take them however they come.
This evening I did the planned weight session and followed it up with a walk on the treadmill. I had been going to do pump, but I decided discretion was the better part of valour. I've no idea what to expect from the outdoor group fitness challenge tomorrow morning so I thought I'd better leave a few muscles in working order tonight.
I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. My eating is back under control, and I think I've learned some good lessons from the weekend. I even talked about it with some of my friends, something I never did in the past. Normally when people start giving me advice (everyone has food management advice - we're all such experts!) I just tune it out, but I did some listening today. I didn't hear anything that I hadn't heard before, but I also didn't hear the negative track that normally plays in my mind when people start telling me how to lose weight. That's got to be a step forward.
Onwards and upwards .. provided that I don't fall off the damn bike.
Oh, the average cost per ride for my bicycle fell $30 this morning! That's got to be a good thing.
It ended up being an ok workout. I am pretty sure that most of the calories I burned were due to fear rather than effort, but I'll take them however they come.
This evening I did the planned weight session and followed it up with a walk on the treadmill. I had been going to do pump, but I decided discretion was the better part of valour. I've no idea what to expect from the outdoor group fitness challenge tomorrow morning so I thought I'd better leave a few muscles in working order tonight.
I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. My eating is back under control, and I think I've learned some good lessons from the weekend. I even talked about it with some of my friends, something I never did in the past. Normally when people start giving me advice (everyone has food management advice - we're all such experts!) I just tune it out, but I did some listening today. I didn't hear anything that I hadn't heard before, but I also didn't hear the negative track that normally plays in my mind when people start telling me how to lose weight. That's got to be a step forward.
Onwards and upwards .. provided that I don't fall off the damn bike.
Oh, the average cost per ride for my bicycle fell $30 this morning! That's got to be a good thing.
Saturday, 21 April 2007
Flat tyre
Well, the loungeroom art made it out of the lounge room today, but I didn't get far because I had a flat tyre. I tried pumping it up with the cute pump I bought with the bike but it didn't seem to get me anywhere. I ended up buying an old fashioned bike pump and I've got the tyre pumped up properly now. I hope it stays up overnight as I want to try the trip out tomorrow.
I made it to Step class. There are usually a lot of people in Step, but there were only three of us today, which was great, as it meant I could have the front row. If I'm doing something new I like to stand where I can see what's going on. I know most people go and hide in a back corner, but I just don't see the sense of that.
One thing that surprised me was that the instructor wasn't trim, taut and terrific. She was an ordinary sized woman, complete with belly on display. The Body Jam instructor was chubby too. What's happened to the world? I thought instructors were supposed to look perfect! Not a hair out of place after a strenuous class, not an ounce of fat, no sweat, perfectly coordinated gym clothes. And what's with the belly showing? I thought it was only supposed to be on display if there were clearly defined muscles involved.
Sigh, I'm clearly still a victim of my generation - we were the ones who did the Jane Fonda workout in our loungerooms and covered ourselves up in oversized t-shirts in public. (Ok, I admit it. I wore legwarmers.) I just didn't expect the instructor to be so normal.
Step has changed a lot since I last did it, way back when. It seemed a lot easier this time. I don't know how much of that is the format and how much is due to my increased fitness. I had a few coordination problems and nearly fell off the step a few times, but I really enjoyed myself. I'll definitely go to this class again. There's a class I can get to on Friday mornings as well as the one on Saturday.
I walked on the treadmill to pick up the points for another workout, and then wandered off home for a rest before my aborted bike ride. I then went window shopping and ended up at work to do some testing for a server relocation.
This time last year, my typical Saturday in Canberra would have involved hardly any activity. I'd have spent the day watching DVD's or playing computer games. My typical step count for a weekend day was a shameful two to three thousand. Today it's up over 16000, and I'm not even doing the walking challenge yet. During the challenge last year I averaged 21000+ steps a day over a period of five months, but it took a lot of work to get there and my weekends really dragged me down at the start. This year, I have a really good fitness base going in. On top of that, I'm now a runner, so I will get my steps faster than I did last year. I think it's realistic for me to aim at an average of 25k steps a day. I managed to do that for the last 25 days of last year's challenge, so I know it's achievable.
My team is back in this year's challenge, with a slightly different lineup. We did amazingly well last year, finishing just outside the top 20. There were approx 2000 teams entered last year, so we were very pleased with our result. Our three manic walkers (ok, I'm one of them) are all back and we'd like to finish top 20 this year. We know what we have to do this time. We've managed to inspire a few more teams from our company to enter, and my brother, his wife and my brother-in-law have all signed up on a friend of mine's team. Having people I know involved makes it more interesting.
I provided data for the independent medical study last year. They found the average female participant lost 6 kg and the average male lost 5 kg on the challenge. I lost a lot more than that, but then I was actively working to lose weight as well as walk. It will be interesting to see how I go this year. Of course, there's not as much weight to lose, but I want to achieve my goal weight before Christmas. I should be able to do that with an average loss of 0.5 kg a week. I'm well on track at the moment.
I keep getting comments that reading about all the exercise I'm doing is exhausting people. I find that quite amusing, as I'm hearing it from people who are all out there exercising strenuously themselves. I find you all inspirational and draw great strength from knowing you're out there. Thank you.
For your information, I'm not exhausted. I feel fitter and stronger than ever and I'm enjoying myself immensely. I will admit to being really tired after running 10 km, but I think that was to be expected. :-)
I made it to Step class. There are usually a lot of people in Step, but there were only three of us today, which was great, as it meant I could have the front row. If I'm doing something new I like to stand where I can see what's going on. I know most people go and hide in a back corner, but I just don't see the sense of that.
One thing that surprised me was that the instructor wasn't trim, taut and terrific. She was an ordinary sized woman, complete with belly on display. The Body Jam instructor was chubby too. What's happened to the world? I thought instructors were supposed to look perfect! Not a hair out of place after a strenuous class, not an ounce of fat, no sweat, perfectly coordinated gym clothes. And what's with the belly showing? I thought it was only supposed to be on display if there were clearly defined muscles involved.
Sigh, I'm clearly still a victim of my generation - we were the ones who did the Jane Fonda workout in our loungerooms and covered ourselves up in oversized t-shirts in public. (Ok, I admit it. I wore legwarmers.) I just didn't expect the instructor to be so normal.
Step has changed a lot since I last did it, way back when. It seemed a lot easier this time. I don't know how much of that is the format and how much is due to my increased fitness. I had a few coordination problems and nearly fell off the step a few times, but I really enjoyed myself. I'll definitely go to this class again. There's a class I can get to on Friday mornings as well as the one on Saturday.
I walked on the treadmill to pick up the points for another workout, and then wandered off home for a rest before my aborted bike ride. I then went window shopping and ended up at work to do some testing for a server relocation.
This time last year, my typical Saturday in Canberra would have involved hardly any activity. I'd have spent the day watching DVD's or playing computer games. My typical step count for a weekend day was a shameful two to three thousand. Today it's up over 16000, and I'm not even doing the walking challenge yet. During the challenge last year I averaged 21000+ steps a day over a period of five months, but it took a lot of work to get there and my weekends really dragged me down at the start. This year, I have a really good fitness base going in. On top of that, I'm now a runner, so I will get my steps faster than I did last year. I think it's realistic for me to aim at an average of 25k steps a day. I managed to do that for the last 25 days of last year's challenge, so I know it's achievable.
My team is back in this year's challenge, with a slightly different lineup. We did amazingly well last year, finishing just outside the top 20. There were approx 2000 teams entered last year, so we were very pleased with our result. Our three manic walkers (ok, I'm one of them) are all back and we'd like to finish top 20 this year. We know what we have to do this time. We've managed to inspire a few more teams from our company to enter, and my brother, his wife and my brother-in-law have all signed up on a friend of mine's team. Having people I know involved makes it more interesting.
I provided data for the independent medical study last year. They found the average female participant lost 6 kg and the average male lost 5 kg on the challenge. I lost a lot more than that, but then I was actively working to lose weight as well as walk. It will be interesting to see how I go this year. Of course, there's not as much weight to lose, but I want to achieve my goal weight before Christmas. I should be able to do that with an average loss of 0.5 kg a week. I'm well on track at the moment.
I keep getting comments that reading about all the exercise I'm doing is exhausting people. I find that quite amusing, as I'm hearing it from people who are all out there exercising strenuously themselves. I find you all inspirational and draw great strength from knowing you're out there. Thank you.
For your information, I'm not exhausted. I feel fitter and stronger than ever and I'm enjoying myself immensely. I will admit to being really tired after running 10 km, but I think that was to be expected. :-)
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