I forgot to wear my HRM for squash today and it was the first time in weeks that I've actually worked up a sweat. Isn't it always the way?
Murali and I played our usual five game match, and the last game was a breathtaking decider. I guess I'm having to work harder because Murali is getting much fitter. I used to be able to rely on him running out of energy in the fifth game but now I'm having to work hard the whole way through. It was great fun.
Other than that, I did a fair bit of walking today. The walking challenge is in full swing and we've been asked for a team name and a team quote. One of the guys has come up with Flying Turtles. I think it's amusing so I'm voting for it. I hit the net and found a few good quotes for a walking challenge where we are counting our steps.
There was the obvious one by Lao-Tzu: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I also found a Winston Churchill quotation that I thought was appropriate: "Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."
My team is currently in 114th place of 3357 teams. That's much higher than we were last year, so we're off to a better start. There are seven members on the team, four men and three women. You're only allowed two athletes. They define an athlete loosely as someone who competes in triathlons or half/full marathons. We have one athlete. While he doesn't race, he runs those kinds of distances on a regular basis. Unfortunately, he's injured at the moment with a torn calf muscle. Fortunately, we also have two crazy women, of whom I'm one. When I say crazy, Alex and I did a lot of walking last year. We've both started strongly this year as we know what we need to do this time.
To give you an idea of the number of steps involved in this, my team has an average step count of 11.5k steps/day at the moment, compared to an overall average of 7k steps/day. The leaders have gone out hard and have an average of nearly 26k steps/day. I'm currently sitting on 16.1k steps/day (10.3 km).
Over the term of the challenge, people's activity increases significantly. Last year, the overall average was 9.5k steps/day. This was despite the fact that a number of teams stop entering their steps part way through the challenge. My team ended up in 23rd place with an average of 18.3k steps/day. My overall average last year was 21.1k steps/day. I managed to walk 25k steps/day for the last 25 days of the challenge, which was a real effort. It takes hours!
I didn't put my GCC goal in writing the other day. My soft target is to do better than last year, and my hard target is to get my overall average up to 25k by the end of the challenge. I haven't gotten obsessive compulsive about it yet. Going on last year's effort, I'm sure it will happen soon. *blush*
This challenge got me fit enough to start running, so I'm really glad I had a go at it. I think it also saved me from a lot of the beginning runner injury problems I've heard about, as I was walking the equivalent of 16 km/day by the end of the challenge. By the end of October I had legs of steel!
You get your step count up much faster running than walking, so I'm relying on the challenge giving me added incentive to get out there and run over winter. I'm sure it will help on those cold Canberra mornings.
Speaking of cold mornings, it's going to be -3 degrees Celsius overnight, so I have begged a lift to the outdoor fitness challenge tomorrow morning. I decided that there wasn't a lot of value in turning up as a popsicle. I'll be rugging up. I wonder how many layers I can wear and still run. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
Oh, and I put my electric blanket on the bed tonight.
Showing posts with label squash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label squash. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
Intervals and Squash
Yesterday morning it was back to the Group Outdoor Fitness Challenge. I rugged up for the bike ride across to Lennox Gardens. It was pitch black outside, and the ground was wet. I was sure I was insane, particularly when it started to rain. Fortunately, it only threatened to rain, so I didn't scuttle back to my warm apartment.
It was still dark when I got to the lake. Normally it's starting to get light by then, but the cloud cover was ominous. It threatened to rain again. I had visions of arriving at the park dripping wet and totally miserable. I missed one of my turnoffs in the dark, walked up every hill, and braked too hard at the top of the path down from the bridge so I ended up walking down. Despite this, I managed to get there.
On arrival I discovered we were concentrating on running. We were doing sprints and intervals. Now, I'm one of those people who doesn't have a sprint in them, so I was immediately regretting that I didn't turn around and go home at the first sight of rain. I suffered through the first ten minutes, and then, to my amazement, I started to enjoy the challenge.
We basically ran round and round a 200m track for most of the session. We did it in groups, where one person was running as hard as they could until they caught the other person, who was walking. The walker started running, the runner started walking, and so on. We did the session in pairs, then in threes, and then in fours. The idea was that we'd have to run a shorter distance each time to catch the walker in front of us, and so we could try harder for the shorter distance. I really got into it, once I got past the initial apprehension.
Of course I had to ride home. My legs were so tired! I measured the bike ride on Google Earth the other day, and it's 3.9 km each way. It felt much further on the way home yesterday. I really knew I'd worked hard. In the afternoon I kept it simple and went for a 45 min walk.
Today I played squash. It was another closely fought match with Murali. We're on the same team in the Global Corporate Challenge, which starts tomorrow. We were laughing about our step count today. When we started playing squash we used to get a lot more steps per game but we're both playing so much better now that we take fewer steps. We'll be fighting each other to collect the ball between points.
The GCC starts tomorrow. I'm keen to do well. I've been struggling with my eating over the past few weeks, and I'm hoping that getting back into a serious challenge will help me to refocus on my overall goal. My GCC goal sounds absurd, even to me, so I'm going to keep it to myself for a while. I should have an idea as to whether or not it's achievable after a couple of weeks.
I haven't really planned my exercise for the next few days. Tomorrow is taking care of itself. I've got the group outdoor fitness challenge in the morning and I'm participating in a fun run. It's 7.3 km, which should add a few steps to my daily total. Other than that, I don't have anything specific in mind.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I want to do a weights session, as I haven't done one since I went on holiday. I'd also like to get my steps up, so I guess I'll be doing some walking. I have to get myself to Kingston for lunch on Friday, so I might walk instead of catching the bus. It's a lovely walk along the lake for much of the way.
On Saturday I'd like to go for a bike ride. I've got to get these gears worked out, and I have to develop the confidence to stand up on the bike so that I can go up hills more easily. Hopefully I'll manage it without falling off.
It was still dark when I got to the lake. Normally it's starting to get light by then, but the cloud cover was ominous. It threatened to rain again. I had visions of arriving at the park dripping wet and totally miserable. I missed one of my turnoffs in the dark, walked up every hill, and braked too hard at the top of the path down from the bridge so I ended up walking down. Despite this, I managed to get there.
On arrival I discovered we were concentrating on running. We were doing sprints and intervals. Now, I'm one of those people who doesn't have a sprint in them, so I was immediately regretting that I didn't turn around and go home at the first sight of rain. I suffered through the first ten minutes, and then, to my amazement, I started to enjoy the challenge.
We basically ran round and round a 200m track for most of the session. We did it in groups, where one person was running as hard as they could until they caught the other person, who was walking. The walker started running, the runner started walking, and so on. We did the session in pairs, then in threes, and then in fours. The idea was that we'd have to run a shorter distance each time to catch the walker in front of us, and so we could try harder for the shorter distance. I really got into it, once I got past the initial apprehension.
Of course I had to ride home. My legs were so tired! I measured the bike ride on Google Earth the other day, and it's 3.9 km each way. It felt much further on the way home yesterday. I really knew I'd worked hard. In the afternoon I kept it simple and went for a 45 min walk.
Today I played squash. It was another closely fought match with Murali. We're on the same team in the Global Corporate Challenge, which starts tomorrow. We were laughing about our step count today. When we started playing squash we used to get a lot more steps per game but we're both playing so much better now that we take fewer steps. We'll be fighting each other to collect the ball between points.
The GCC starts tomorrow. I'm keen to do well. I've been struggling with my eating over the past few weeks, and I'm hoping that getting back into a serious challenge will help me to refocus on my overall goal. My GCC goal sounds absurd, even to me, so I'm going to keep it to myself for a while. I should have an idea as to whether or not it's achievable after a couple of weeks.
I haven't really planned my exercise for the next few days. Tomorrow is taking care of itself. I've got the group outdoor fitness challenge in the morning and I'm participating in a fun run. It's 7.3 km, which should add a few steps to my daily total. Other than that, I don't have anything specific in mind.
Now that I'm thinking about it, I want to do a weights session, as I haven't done one since I went on holiday. I'd also like to get my steps up, so I guess I'll be doing some walking. I have to get myself to Kingston for lunch on Friday, so I might walk instead of catching the bus. It's a lovely walk along the lake for much of the way.
On Saturday I'd like to go for a bike ride. I've got to get these gears worked out, and I have to develop the confidence to stand up on the bike so that I can go up hills more easily. Hopefully I'll manage it without falling off.
Wednesday, 9 May 2007
Run and Squash
This morning I went for my planned run. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but I didn't find it at all hard to get up. It must have become a habit! At last! It's so much easier to get out of bed when you're not having the "will I, won't I?" discussion with yourself.
I decided to run down to the lake through town instead of along the bike path, as there is much better lighting. I made myself warm up this morning, as I figure I'd better get into that habit now that it's getting cold. I find it hard to take the time to warm up slowly.
I wore my brand new fuel belt for the first time today. I didn't like it at all for the first few minutes and then I more or less forgot it was there, except for when I had a drink. It was really comfortable, although I'm not sure if it will chafe or not over longer distances. I wore it over my jacket today, so there was extra padding between me and it. I did notice it around my waist a little after about half an hour, but then I was distracted by my foot. My new shoes have a little more arch support than I'm used to, and I was very aware of my right foot after I'd run for half an hour. Sure enough, I have the start of a blister up near the ball of my foot.
I'm not all that sure what to do about it. I saw on the ausrun forum that popping it was a good idea, but I'm a total wimp when it comes to pain, even little pain. I have an 8 km run on Sunday though, so I'm going to have to do something. It's a small blister. I'll hope that it disappears overnight!
I ended up running for about 40 minutes, before cooling down and then stretching. I was already later than I'd planned to be, so I went to the complex gym instead of going into my apartment and stretched for 10 minutes. I knew that I'd skip the stretching or do a half-hearted job if I went straight home.
Because I was late, I ended up cabbing it to work. I had to wait ages for a cab because parliament is sitting. I'm going to have to take the sitting dates into consideration when I'm planning my exercise schedule! Mind you, I finish at work on Friday, so I'll have plenty of time for running over the next few weeks. At least until I find myself a job.
I was rung up about a possible job yesterday (I'm an IT contractor and find work through recruitment agents) and I was all excited about the location. It's the other side of the lake from where I live, so I could ride to work, and then go for a run around the lake at lunchtime. I ended up laughing at myself, as neither of those two considerations would have rated a thought in the job hunting process in the past. I'm definitely a changed woman.
Murali and I played squash this afternoon. As ever, we were evenly matched. It was great fun, but my legs were really tired. I guess I've been working them fairly hard this week.
I decided to run down to the lake through town instead of along the bike path, as there is much better lighting. I made myself warm up this morning, as I figure I'd better get into that habit now that it's getting cold. I find it hard to take the time to warm up slowly.
I wore my brand new fuel belt for the first time today. I didn't like it at all for the first few minutes and then I more or less forgot it was there, except for when I had a drink. It was really comfortable, although I'm not sure if it will chafe or not over longer distances. I wore it over my jacket today, so there was extra padding between me and it. I did notice it around my waist a little after about half an hour, but then I was distracted by my foot. My new shoes have a little more arch support than I'm used to, and I was very aware of my right foot after I'd run for half an hour. Sure enough, I have the start of a blister up near the ball of my foot.
I'm not all that sure what to do about it. I saw on the ausrun forum that popping it was a good idea, but I'm a total wimp when it comes to pain, even little pain. I have an 8 km run on Sunday though, so I'm going to have to do something. It's a small blister. I'll hope that it disappears overnight!
I ended up running for about 40 minutes, before cooling down and then stretching. I was already later than I'd planned to be, so I went to the complex gym instead of going into my apartment and stretched for 10 minutes. I knew that I'd skip the stretching or do a half-hearted job if I went straight home.
Because I was late, I ended up cabbing it to work. I had to wait ages for a cab because parliament is sitting. I'm going to have to take the sitting dates into consideration when I'm planning my exercise schedule! Mind you, I finish at work on Friday, so I'll have plenty of time for running over the next few weeks. At least until I find myself a job.
I was rung up about a possible job yesterday (I'm an IT contractor and find work through recruitment agents) and I was all excited about the location. It's the other side of the lake from where I live, so I could ride to work, and then go for a run around the lake at lunchtime. I ended up laughing at myself, as neither of those two considerations would have rated a thought in the job hunting process in the past. I'm definitely a changed woman.
Murali and I played squash this afternoon. As ever, we were evenly matched. It was great fun, but my legs were really tired. I guess I've been working them fairly hard this week.
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Fell off the wagon - hard
I was watching a West Wing DVD today, and Leo, explaining why his alcoholism was a daily battle, said, "I don't want one drink. I want ten drinks!" Well, that about sums up my relationship with food this weekend.
The way I was eating over the weekend, you'd never know that I'd managed to lose 43 kg over the last two and half years or that I'd developed healthy eating habits. I was a mess. I wasn't hungry. I wasn't upset. I just wanted to eat.
Lately, when this has happened, I've fallen off the wagon for a few hours, but managed to get straight back on. Not this time. I feel like I've been on the equivalent of a bender. After a disastrous Friday night, followed by an out of control Saturday, I ended up making a conscious decision today that I was going to just go with the juggernaut. I ate so much!
Anyway, now that it's over I've decided that I won't make food diary entries for Saturday or Sunday. I'll use tomorrow, when I'm safely in my work routine, to get back on the wagon.
It's hard to explain why times like this occur. I just really really wanted to eat homemade nachos on Friday. The problem was that my off switch was broken and I finished off all the ingredients instead of having the single serve that I'd planned.
I don't really know why I'm bothering to blog all of this. It's not like anything anybody else says is going to make me feel any better, so I have turned comments off for this post. I guess part of me hopes that writing it down will make it easier to deal with next time. I'm sure there are plenty of you who have great advice. Normally I'd really appreciate it, but not this time.
I've been thinking back over the weekend, trying to think "what could I have done to stop this" and the answer is really "not have nachos". Part of the problem is that you can't buy just enough ingredients for a taste of nachos. The problem for me is really the cheese. In general, I have a cheese ban at my house. I used to buy cheese slices, on the basis that they were a measured portion. That worked for ages, but then I found myself eating whatever was left of the packet whenever I fell off the wagon. I think nachos are an excuse for me to eat cheese.
I started Saturday well, but I fell off the wagon when I ate a savoury shape biscuit. I thought I could keep it at a handful but the packet was there. I ate the lot. I have a real "must keep eating until the packet is empty" mentality. I think it stems back to my childhood in a large family where a packet of biscuits was a rare thing. If you didn't have a second one when it was offered you could be sure that it wouldn't be there later. I ought to be over it by now, but I'm not. Usually I manage to handle it, but I didn't do too well this time.
On Sunday, I just didn't have an off switch. I was continuing on from Friday and Saturday. I guess by Sunday it had become emotional eating, because I was so disappointed with myself on Friday and then again on Saturday.
I've been trying to pick the trigger and I think I know what it was. It will sound silly, because it was really a positive thing that started the whole crash. I'm leaving my job at the end of the week, and I wanted a copy of a security photo that was taken of me in January 2005. It's only my face, but I don't have photos from that time in my life.
The guy who sent me the photo printed an A4 size copy of it for me, and the difference in me is so dramatic. I was really proud that I'd come so far, but I was also ashamed of myself for letting myself get to be so overweight. My friend brought the printout out to the social club bbq and so I found myself put on the spot, having to show it to people straight away, which I hadn't expected. I pretended to be okay with the whole "old me / new me" but I wasn't. I continued showing the photo to people during the day. I guess I worked hard to suppress the "shame" but my subconscious certainly wasn't fooled. The cracks showed on Friday night when I bought enough nacho ingredients to sink a battleship.
On the exercise front, I went for a run on Saturday. Not the long run I'd planned, but it was a lovely day and I was running outside, which is something I'm growing to like more and more. Today I just went for a walk. I was feeling too miserable to get off my backside and do anything more active. I knew it would make me feel better but I think I was wallowing in my misery today.
Well, I've had my "junk food blowout" and I've wallowed in it long enough. I'll make sure I think of my motto lots over the next few days: "I am a fit and active person, who makes healthy lifestyle choices."
Exercise plans for the week to come:
Monday - bike ride in morning, weights session in evening
Tuesday - outdoor group fitness session in morning
Wednesday - run in morning, squash in evening
Thursday - outdoor group fitness session in morning, weights session in evening
Friday - run in morning, celebrate last day at work
Saturday - rest day
Sunday - Mothers Day classic run, fly to Queensland on holiday on afternoon
The way I was eating over the weekend, you'd never know that I'd managed to lose 43 kg over the last two and half years or that I'd developed healthy eating habits. I was a mess. I wasn't hungry. I wasn't upset. I just wanted to eat.
Lately, when this has happened, I've fallen off the wagon for a few hours, but managed to get straight back on. Not this time. I feel like I've been on the equivalent of a bender. After a disastrous Friday night, followed by an out of control Saturday, I ended up making a conscious decision today that I was going to just go with the juggernaut. I ate so much!
Anyway, now that it's over I've decided that I won't make food diary entries for Saturday or Sunday. I'll use tomorrow, when I'm safely in my work routine, to get back on the wagon.
It's hard to explain why times like this occur. I just really really wanted to eat homemade nachos on Friday. The problem was that my off switch was broken and I finished off all the ingredients instead of having the single serve that I'd planned.
I don't really know why I'm bothering to blog all of this. It's not like anything anybody else says is going to make me feel any better, so I have turned comments off for this post. I guess part of me hopes that writing it down will make it easier to deal with next time. I'm sure there are plenty of you who have great advice. Normally I'd really appreciate it, but not this time.
I've been thinking back over the weekend, trying to think "what could I have done to stop this" and the answer is really "not have nachos". Part of the problem is that you can't buy just enough ingredients for a taste of nachos. The problem for me is really the cheese. In general, I have a cheese ban at my house. I used to buy cheese slices, on the basis that they were a measured portion. That worked for ages, but then I found myself eating whatever was left of the packet whenever I fell off the wagon. I think nachos are an excuse for me to eat cheese.
I started Saturday well, but I fell off the wagon when I ate a savoury shape biscuit. I thought I could keep it at a handful but the packet was there. I ate the lot. I have a real "must keep eating until the packet is empty" mentality. I think it stems back to my childhood in a large family where a packet of biscuits was a rare thing. If you didn't have a second one when it was offered you could be sure that it wouldn't be there later. I ought to be over it by now, but I'm not. Usually I manage to handle it, but I didn't do too well this time.
On Sunday, I just didn't have an off switch. I was continuing on from Friday and Saturday. I guess by Sunday it had become emotional eating, because I was so disappointed with myself on Friday and then again on Saturday.
I've been trying to pick the trigger and I think I know what it was. It will sound silly, because it was really a positive thing that started the whole crash. I'm leaving my job at the end of the week, and I wanted a copy of a security photo that was taken of me in January 2005. It's only my face, but I don't have photos from that time in my life.
The guy who sent me the photo printed an A4 size copy of it for me, and the difference in me is so dramatic. I was really proud that I'd come so far, but I was also ashamed of myself for letting myself get to be so overweight. My friend brought the printout out to the social club bbq and so I found myself put on the spot, having to show it to people straight away, which I hadn't expected. I pretended to be okay with the whole "old me / new me" but I wasn't. I continued showing the photo to people during the day. I guess I worked hard to suppress the "shame" but my subconscious certainly wasn't fooled. The cracks showed on Friday night when I bought enough nacho ingredients to sink a battleship.
On the exercise front, I went for a run on Saturday. Not the long run I'd planned, but it was a lovely day and I was running outside, which is something I'm growing to like more and more. Today I just went for a walk. I was feeling too miserable to get off my backside and do anything more active. I knew it would make me feel better but I think I was wallowing in my misery today.
Well, I've had my "junk food blowout" and I've wallowed in it long enough. I'll make sure I think of my motto lots over the next few days: "I am a fit and active person, who makes healthy lifestyle choices."
Exercise plans for the week to come:
Monday - bike ride in morning, weights session in evening
Tuesday - outdoor group fitness session in morning
Wednesday - run in morning, squash in evening
Thursday - outdoor group fitness session in morning, weights session in evening
Friday - run in morning, celebrate last day at work
Saturday - rest day
Sunday - Mothers Day classic run, fly to Queensland on holiday on afternoon
Thursday, 3 May 2007
The results of the challenge are in!
Tonight I had my final weigh in and measure for the Fernwood Biggest Loser Challenge. In 12 weeks I managed to lose 7.7 kg and 38 cm. Woohoo! I am really thrilled. I am more pleased about being able to run for 10 km, but losing weight and size is great too.
I have to be careful now that I don't let all my hard work go to waste. Fortunately, I've signed up for a Group Outdoor Fitness Challenge (not quite a boot camp), starting next week, and the Global Corporate Challenge (walking) starts in late May. They should keep me focussed.
I have been careful to give myself a rest week this week. I'm still planning what I'm going to do though. Mind you, my planned exercise hasn't been going to plan. Both my squash partners piked yesterday - one with a sick child and one with a sore calf. Both good reasons, so I bravely hid my disappointment (they'll laugh when they read that), cheerfully headed off to the gym and enthusiastically did my weights program.
Oops. I just did a rerun of last night at the gym in my head. I think I enthusiastically chatted to various people in the gym. In between conversations I managed to lift a few weights. I've worked out which exercise is making my knee hurt. It's the chicken! Thank goodness for that. I'll have a word with my p/t and hopefully there will be a lot less squawking going on.
This evening, I squeezed in a 10 minute run before the weigh in and then headed off to Hip Hop, the replacement class for Body Jam. Well, the Hip Hop class was terrible. The instructor can obviously dance, but was terrible at instructing. I ended up walking out during the warm up. I was bored by the moves. The instructor was showing us the steps but not saying anything, which meant that we were missing the first of a set of four reps. Basically, by the time you knew that you had got it, you were missing the next step.
I suddenly had some time on my hands, so I headed back to the treadmill and ran for another 30 mins before cooling down. I averaged about 8 km/hr across the whole time and covered 5.3 km.
I then went for a walk around the supermarket before heading home to work on my resume. Mind you, I've managed to avoid working on that successfully for the last two hours. I think it's becoming a weekend task.
I am hoping to drag myself out of bed and get to the gym by 6:15 am tomorrow as there's a step class. I quite enjoy step, so there's a chance I'll make it there.
I have to be careful now that I don't let all my hard work go to waste. Fortunately, I've signed up for a Group Outdoor Fitness Challenge (not quite a boot camp), starting next week, and the Global Corporate Challenge (walking) starts in late May. They should keep me focussed.
I have been careful to give myself a rest week this week. I'm still planning what I'm going to do though. Mind you, my planned exercise hasn't been going to plan. Both my squash partners piked yesterday - one with a sick child and one with a sore calf. Both good reasons, so I bravely hid my disappointment (they'll laugh when they read that), cheerfully headed off to the gym and enthusiastically did my weights program.
Oops. I just did a rerun of last night at the gym in my head. I think I enthusiastically chatted to various people in the gym. In between conversations I managed to lift a few weights. I've worked out which exercise is making my knee hurt. It's the chicken! Thank goodness for that. I'll have a word with my p/t and hopefully there will be a lot less squawking going on.
This evening, I squeezed in a 10 minute run before the weigh in and then headed off to Hip Hop, the replacement class for Body Jam. Well, the Hip Hop class was terrible. The instructor can obviously dance, but was terrible at instructing. I ended up walking out during the warm up. I was bored by the moves. The instructor was showing us the steps but not saying anything, which meant that we were missing the first of a set of four reps. Basically, by the time you knew that you had got it, you were missing the next step.
I suddenly had some time on my hands, so I headed back to the treadmill and ran for another 30 mins before cooling down. I averaged about 8 km/hr across the whole time and covered 5.3 km.
I then went for a walk around the supermarket before heading home to work on my resume. Mind you, I've managed to avoid working on that successfully for the last two hours. I think it's becoming a weekend task.
I am hoping to drag myself out of bed and get to the gym by 6:15 am tomorrow as there's a step class. I quite enjoy step, so there's a chance I'll make it there.
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
Missed my plane
This is a first for me, and one I would have preferred to still have ahead of me. I mixed up the time for my flight. I knew what time I was meant to be arriving in Canberra. I just didn't know when I was leaving!
Now, if you knew me well, you'd know that I like to arrive out at the airport an hour before the flight. I get laughed at all the time over that. I've been trying to relax a little about getting there early. Today I was ready in plenty of time. My "you're flying" alarm went off, and I turned it off without reading the detail, thinking "why do I still set this?" I got the "why don't you check in now" email from Virgin Blue and decided that I'd be at the airport with plenty of time to check in. I was ready early and wandered around the house, trying to "relaaaax".
When I got to the airport and tried to check in .. well, I felt like such a dill. It cost me $50 and the next flight wasn't for ages. Janet kindly turned around and came back for me so that I didn't have to sit at the airport for hours. The family are delighted to be teasing her .. "When your father takes Kathy to the airport, HE doesn't bring her back home" etc.
As for exercise, that didn't go to plan either. I was too lazy to get out of bed this morning. I was reading blogs between airport trips, and thought to myself - all these people have managed to get out for a holiday run. Well, unpacking my running gear seemed like too much of a stretch, but I was inspired to go for a walk around the creek. It was a lovely day and I'm glad I made the effort. The rescheduled plane trip meant that I didn't make it to squash.
I'll be glad to get back to my routine tomorrow.
By the way, thanks for all the positive comments on yesterday's blog. They are much appreciated.
Now, if you knew me well, you'd know that I like to arrive out at the airport an hour before the flight. I get laughed at all the time over that. I've been trying to relax a little about getting there early. Today I was ready in plenty of time. My "you're flying" alarm went off, and I turned it off without reading the detail, thinking "why do I still set this?" I got the "why don't you check in now" email from Virgin Blue and decided that I'd be at the airport with plenty of time to check in. I was ready early and wandered around the house, trying to "relaaaax".
When I got to the airport and tried to check in .. well, I felt like such a dill. It cost me $50 and the next flight wasn't for ages. Janet kindly turned around and came back for me so that I didn't have to sit at the airport for hours. The family are delighted to be teasing her .. "When your father takes Kathy to the airport, HE doesn't bring her back home" etc.
As for exercise, that didn't go to plan either. I was too lazy to get out of bed this morning. I was reading blogs between airport trips, and thought to myself - all these people have managed to get out for a holiday run. Well, unpacking my running gear seemed like too much of a stretch, but I was inspired to go for a walk around the creek. It was a lovely day and I'm glad I made the effort. The rescheduled plane trip meant that I didn't make it to squash.
I'll be glad to get back to my routine tomorrow.
By the way, thanks for all the positive comments on yesterday's blog. They are much appreciated.
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
Relaxing day
I love not working when everyone else is working. This mini-break was a great idea. I'm glad Janet's performance was on so close to Anzac Day.
Before I forget, Janet was brilliant. Not that I'm biassed of course. She sang "Mack the Knife", "Habanera", "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", a Dusty Springfield medley and "Miss Otis Regrets". Her patter was entertaining and I was enthralled the whole time she was on stage at Chapel Off Chapel. The other two performers were also terrific.
This morning I went for a walk around the creek. It was a lovely morning and I quite enjoyed my relaxing exercise session. It didn't work off the doughnuts though. I'm planning to run again tomorrow and I'll be playing squash in the evening. Back to the gym on Thursday, so I'd better do a weights session then. On Saturday it sounds like the runners from Team Black are planning an ambitious long run. I think 16 km is too far for me, but I'll certainly go along with them for part of it. I can always walk the rest and there's some sort of plan to park cars along the route. I guess I'll discover the details over the next few days.
During this visit to Melbourne I saw quite a few people who hadn't seen me for a while. It was great to see how happy they all were to see me looking so fit and well. I certainly surprised people when I told them I'd become a runner.
I also had a funny experience in a clothes shop. I bought an outfit to wear last night. I'd done my usual sketchy job of packing and would have been showing up in jeans at Janet's performance if I hadn't found anything. I spotted a skirt I really liked in a shop over at Werribee Plaza. Unfortunately, they didn't have my size, so I decided to try on the smaller size to see how much it missed by. I also took a skirt with an elasticized waist to try, as I knew that would fit me, even if it wasn't exactly what I wanted.
Anyway, to my pleasure, the skirt fit me. When I was looking at it in the long mirror outside the change rooms I mentioned to the saleswoman that it was the first time I'd fit into a size 14 skirt in years. She then said to me, "Our skirts are cut very generously." Talk about deflating!!! Fortunately, I was in the mood to be amused rather than offended. I ended up buying the skirt, a jacket, a shirt and some matching beads. The outfit looked fantastic.
Before I forget, Janet was brilliant. Not that I'm biassed of course. She sang "Mack the Knife", "Habanera", "I Think It's Going to Rain Today", a Dusty Springfield medley and "Miss Otis Regrets". Her patter was entertaining and I was enthralled the whole time she was on stage at Chapel Off Chapel. The other two performers were also terrific.
This morning I went for a walk around the creek. It was a lovely morning and I quite enjoyed my relaxing exercise session. It didn't work off the doughnuts though. I'm planning to run again tomorrow and I'll be playing squash in the evening. Back to the gym on Thursday, so I'd better do a weights session then. On Saturday it sounds like the runners from Team Black are planning an ambitious long run. I think 16 km is too far for me, but I'll certainly go along with them for part of it. I can always walk the rest and there's some sort of plan to park cars along the route. I guess I'll discover the details over the next few days.
During this visit to Melbourne I saw quite a few people who hadn't seen me for a while. It was great to see how happy they all were to see me looking so fit and well. I certainly surprised people when I told them I'd become a runner.
I also had a funny experience in a clothes shop. I bought an outfit to wear last night. I'd done my usual sketchy job of packing and would have been showing up in jeans at Janet's performance if I hadn't found anything. I spotted a skirt I really liked in a shop over at Werribee Plaza. Unfortunately, they didn't have my size, so I decided to try on the smaller size to see how much it missed by. I also took a skirt with an elasticized waist to try, as I knew that would fit me, even if it wasn't exactly what I wanted.
Anyway, to my pleasure, the skirt fit me. When I was looking at it in the long mirror outside the change rooms I mentioned to the saleswoman that it was the first time I'd fit into a size 14 skirt in years. She then said to me, "Our skirts are cut very generously." Talk about deflating!!! Fortunately, I was in the mood to be amused rather than offended. I ended up buying the skirt, a jacket, a shirt and some matching beads. The outfit looked fantastic.
Friday, 20 April 2007
Thank God It's Friday
I'm not usually a "Thank God It's Friday" person, but I've been looking forward to this weekend. I am having a couple of days off work next week and it will feel like a mini holiday. One of my sisters is singing in a cabaret showcase on Monday night, and I'm heading down to Melbourne on Sunday so that I can see her perform. I'm flying back on Anzac Day. The way this has worked out, it's like having my weekend to kick back and relax (in a "go to the gym and be active" kind of way) and then having a mini-break in Melbourne.
This morning I did the interval run that I didn't do yesterday - 15 mins at 6/10.6 km/h, followed by 5 mins at 9 km/h and then a cool down and stretching. I was tempted to keep running because I was feeling really strong and well within my comfort zone and the 3km mark was really close, but I had to catch my bus. I didn't want to leave out the stretching. One of these days I'm going to get to the gym with plenty of time to spare!
I felt really good about the run this morning. I hadn't been sure that my knees would be up for it - Body Jam is a little hard on them, as is squash, but I felt fine when I was walking to the gym. Because I caught the bus, I also got the extra 15 mins of walking that I do on the trip. You have to love that incidental exercise.
This evening I ran through my weights session again. It's already getting easier. I am constantly amazed by how quickly the body can adapt to new things. A week ago I couldn't manage some of these exercises. Even my modified chicken routine is getting easier. There's certainly no squawking now.
Sarah, triceps pushups are done with a different arm position. You keep your hands close to your body and your elbows in close to your sides. It feels really weird at first, and I only do baby ones at present.
I signed up for the Mother's Day Classic 8 km run today, and I ordered a t-shirt. Pink is one of my colours, so I can see myself wearing this at the gym for a while. I am looking forward to the run. I was looking at the course today, and I think I might go and run it some time over the next few weeks, just to see what it's like. That will be a novel experience, knowing where I'm going. At least any hills won't be a surprise.
Over the weekend I've promised myself that I'll ride my bike down to the park where the Group Fitness Challenge is going to be held. I'm not all that keen on riding, so it will be a mini challenge for me. The encouraging comments I've been getting from the cycling fiends out there have really helped. Thanks to all you crazy bike riders.
I'm can't see myself becoming a cycling field though. I nearly booked into RPM today, but I got over the impulse by remembering that I don't like it. I've only been taking that class because I've been encouraged to do it by Leanne and by Krissi. I'm pleased that I gave it a go - it was great for my cardio fitness and it was a serious challenge for me - but I'm over it now. Instead, I'm going to see if I can get myself to the gym for the Step class. I used to love Step years ago and I figure if I'm going to the gym on the weekend I may as well do something I enjoy.
I'm doing some forward planning for my exercise over the next few days. On Saturday, I'm going to do Step and go for a bike ride. I'll do a treadmill session here on Sunday before flying home. Running around the creek is a nice easy option for Melbourne, but it doesn't get me any points in the Biggest Loser Challenge. I'll get myself to the gym in Yarraville, and do weights on Monday and a treadmill run on Tuesday. I might be able to pick up a class for extra points if my timing is good, but I'm not going to stress about it. I'll run around the creek on Wednesday morning, as I don't think the gym will be open in the morning on Anzac Day. I fly back at lunchtime so I'm playing squash with Murali in the evening as usual.
I'll have to be careful with my packing. Lately I've been so focussed on making sure I have running gear with me that I forget to pack ordinary clothes. While I'm in Melbourne, I intend to catch up with a few people who haven't seen me recently. I get a real kick out of the double take that people do. :-)
This morning I did the interval run that I didn't do yesterday - 15 mins at 6/10.6 km/h, followed by 5 mins at 9 km/h and then a cool down and stretching. I was tempted to keep running because I was feeling really strong and well within my comfort zone and the 3km mark was really close, but I had to catch my bus. I didn't want to leave out the stretching. One of these days I'm going to get to the gym with plenty of time to spare!
I felt really good about the run this morning. I hadn't been sure that my knees would be up for it - Body Jam is a little hard on them, as is squash, but I felt fine when I was walking to the gym. Because I caught the bus, I also got the extra 15 mins of walking that I do on the trip. You have to love that incidental exercise.
This evening I ran through my weights session again. It's already getting easier. I am constantly amazed by how quickly the body can adapt to new things. A week ago I couldn't manage some of these exercises. Even my modified chicken routine is getting easier. There's certainly no squawking now.
Sarah, triceps pushups are done with a different arm position. You keep your hands close to your body and your elbows in close to your sides. It feels really weird at first, and I only do baby ones at present.
I signed up for the Mother's Day Classic 8 km run today, and I ordered a t-shirt. Pink is one of my colours, so I can see myself wearing this at the gym for a while. I am looking forward to the run. I was looking at the course today, and I think I might go and run it some time over the next few weeks, just to see what it's like. That will be a novel experience, knowing where I'm going. At least any hills won't be a surprise.
Over the weekend I've promised myself that I'll ride my bike down to the park where the Group Fitness Challenge is going to be held. I'm not all that keen on riding, so it will be a mini challenge for me. The encouraging comments I've been getting from the cycling fiends out there have really helped. Thanks to all you crazy bike riders.
I'm can't see myself becoming a cycling field though. I nearly booked into RPM today, but I got over the impulse by remembering that I don't like it. I've only been taking that class because I've been encouraged to do it by Leanne and by Krissi. I'm pleased that I gave it a go - it was great for my cardio fitness and it was a serious challenge for me - but I'm over it now. Instead, I'm going to see if I can get myself to the gym for the Step class. I used to love Step years ago and I figure if I'm going to the gym on the weekend I may as well do something I enjoy.
I'm doing some forward planning for my exercise over the next few days. On Saturday, I'm going to do Step and go for a bike ride. I'll do a treadmill session here on Sunday before flying home. Running around the creek is a nice easy option for Melbourne, but it doesn't get me any points in the Biggest Loser Challenge. I'll get myself to the gym in Yarraville, and do weights on Monday and a treadmill run on Tuesday. I might be able to pick up a class for extra points if my timing is good, but I'm not going to stress about it. I'll run around the creek on Wednesday morning, as I don't think the gym will be open in the morning on Anzac Day. I fly back at lunchtime so I'm playing squash with Murali in the evening as usual.
I'll have to be careful with my packing. Lately I've been so focussed on making sure I have running gear with me that I forget to pack ordinary clothes. While I'm in Melbourne, I intend to catch up with a few people who haven't seen me recently. I get a real kick out of the double take that people do. :-)
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Squash and weights today
I've really developed a routine for Wednesdays. I split my weights session, doing half this morning and half this evening. I was feeling really pumped up today, as though I had muscles like Popeye. It always amuses me to think that I'm walking around with muscles on my muscles.
The calorie burn from weights is so low that I had to remind myself of all the benefits of having stronger muscles. Fortunately I knew that I would get some good cardio exercise by playing squash later in the day.
I managed the one-legged fitball squats although it took some concentrating to get myself through the two sets. It ended up being 40 squats on each leg, which is a lot of squats. I tend to favour my left knee, so I wasn't going as low on that leg, but I will get there eventually. Leanne tells me that this particular exercise will be good for my knee and for my running.
The triceps pushups were a joke. I was hoping nobody was looking at me. My tummy gets in the way and my elbows are all over the place. Still, I didn't think I could do ordinary pushups and they are looking respectable now, apart from the tummy problem. Luckily, that's a diminishing problem.
The single dumbbell chest press was hard work, but I managed to get through both sets for the first time. The seated row was good. I should be able to put the weight up soon. I find if I close my eyes I'm able to concentrate on using my back instead of my arms.
The chicken exercise didn't look so bad today. Mind you, I was doing the broken down version of it. I tried the leg movement without weights after I was finished. It definitely needs work. I got through the reverse crunches and the side planks and I was done. Now, all I have to do is repeat that a few times a week for the next eight weeks and I'll get a new program. *chuckle*
Squash, as ever, was fun. Chris was too sick to play so Murali and I got the whole hour. I love being on the court for the whole hour. Mind you, I can't seem to get my heart rate monitor to work while I'm on the court. Some people may say it's because I'm heartless but I think that maybe I'm near the end of the transmitter's battery life. Yes, I've been on the website to look it up. This might be my excuse to upgrade. *smile* Hmm, I quite like the sound of Andrew's HRM. I'm not sure that I can justify the expenditure. Maybe I'll make it a reward!
I looked up my official time for the run on Saturday - 1:09:28. I guess that's my PB for the 10 km. My official time for the 5k run a couple of weeks earlier was 33:40 so I now have two PB's to keep track of. Mind you, I think they are wrong with the 5 km one, as I remember it as 34:40. Oh well, I'm not complaining about it being recorded a minute faster.
I'm nearly at the stage of owning two pairs of running shoes at the one time, which I once would have thought fairly extreme. I'm going to wait until next week though, when the runners in Team Black are going on an educational excursion to the Runner's Shop. Krissi has organised some advice for us, partly because it's going to be really cold in Canberra soon (people have been asking for advice on what to wear) and partly because some of us need new shoes. I think it's a great idea. As the Runner's Shop offers discounts to members of the ACT Cross Country Club I'll make sure I bring my shiny new membership card with me. Oh, and my trusty credit card.
The calorie burn from weights is so low that I had to remind myself of all the benefits of having stronger muscles. Fortunately I knew that I would get some good cardio exercise by playing squash later in the day.
I managed the one-legged fitball squats although it took some concentrating to get myself through the two sets. It ended up being 40 squats on each leg, which is a lot of squats. I tend to favour my left knee, so I wasn't going as low on that leg, but I will get there eventually. Leanne tells me that this particular exercise will be good for my knee and for my running.
The triceps pushups were a joke. I was hoping nobody was looking at me. My tummy gets in the way and my elbows are all over the place. Still, I didn't think I could do ordinary pushups and they are looking respectable now, apart from the tummy problem. Luckily, that's a diminishing problem.
The single dumbbell chest press was hard work, but I managed to get through both sets for the first time. The seated row was good. I should be able to put the weight up soon. I find if I close my eyes I'm able to concentrate on using my back instead of my arms.
The chicken exercise didn't look so bad today. Mind you, I was doing the broken down version of it. I tried the leg movement without weights after I was finished. It definitely needs work. I got through the reverse crunches and the side planks and I was done. Now, all I have to do is repeat that a few times a week for the next eight weeks and I'll get a new program. *chuckle*
Squash, as ever, was fun. Chris was too sick to play so Murali and I got the whole hour. I love being on the court for the whole hour. Mind you, I can't seem to get my heart rate monitor to work while I'm on the court. Some people may say it's because I'm heartless but I think that maybe I'm near the end of the transmitter's battery life. Yes, I've been on the website to look it up. This might be my excuse to upgrade. *smile* Hmm, I quite like the sound of Andrew's HRM. I'm not sure that I can justify the expenditure. Maybe I'll make it a reward!
I looked up my official time for the run on Saturday - 1:09:28. I guess that's my PB for the 10 km. My official time for the 5k run a couple of weeks earlier was 33:40 so I now have two PB's to keep track of. Mind you, I think they are wrong with the 5 km one, as I remember it as 34:40. Oh well, I'm not complaining about it being recorded a minute faster.
I'm nearly at the stage of owning two pairs of running shoes at the one time, which I once would have thought fairly extreme. I'm going to wait until next week though, when the runners in Team Black are going on an educational excursion to the Runner's Shop. Krissi has organised some advice for us, partly because it's going to be really cold in Canberra soon (people have been asking for advice on what to wear) and partly because some of us need new shoes. I think it's a great idea. As the Runner's Shop offers discounts to members of the ACT Cross Country Club I'll make sure I bring my shiny new membership card with me. Oh, and my trusty credit card.
Monday, 16 April 2007
It's a conspiracy
Last week a fuse blew when I was on the treadmill. This week, the fire alarm went off just as I arrived for my personal training session. If I was paranoid I'd be thinking that someone or something was out to stop me from getting my exercise done.
After milling around outside the gym, catching up with various team black members and having a good old gossip, we were allowed back in. I had a great time telling Leanne all about my run. In fact, I had a great time telling lots of people about my run today.
We finished off my weights program. We added on triceps pushups (I have enough trouble doing ordinary pushups), reverse crunches and side planks. We cycled back through the program and I managed to survive the one-legged squats. Fortunately, we ran out of time before the chicken exercise.
After p/t I did pump. I realised a couple of weeks ago that I needed to increase the weights, so I did it today. I think it was a much better workout, but I'm feeling a little sore now. I have a feeling I'm going to be sorry about this tomorrow.
This morning's session was a gentle walk. It was more about getting out of bed and to the gym than it was about exercising, and I managed to get myself there. All I have to do now is repeat that each morning this week.
Tomorrow I plan to do some cardio work. On Wednesday, I'll work my way through my weights program and play squash. On Thursday, I should be able to manage an interval run along with the last Body Jam class. That's about as far forward as I want to plan right now, although I do know that I have to get my backside on my bike before the outdoor fitness challenge. I think I'll plan to do that on the weekend.
After milling around outside the gym, catching up with various team black members and having a good old gossip, we were allowed back in. I had a great time telling Leanne all about my run. In fact, I had a great time telling lots of people about my run today.
We finished off my weights program. We added on triceps pushups (I have enough trouble doing ordinary pushups), reverse crunches and side planks. We cycled back through the program and I managed to survive the one-legged squats. Fortunately, we ran out of time before the chicken exercise.
After p/t I did pump. I realised a couple of weeks ago that I needed to increase the weights, so I did it today. I think it was a much better workout, but I'm feeling a little sore now. I have a feeling I'm going to be sorry about this tomorrow.
This morning's session was a gentle walk. It was more about getting out of bed and to the gym than it was about exercising, and I managed to get myself there. All I have to do now is repeat that each morning this week.
Tomorrow I plan to do some cardio work. On Wednesday, I'll work my way through my weights program and play squash. On Thursday, I should be able to manage an interval run along with the last Body Jam class. That's about as far forward as I want to plan right now, although I do know that I have to get my backside on my bike before the outdoor fitness challenge. I think I'll plan to do that on the weekend.
Sunday, 15 April 2007
I did it - 10k run
Yesterday I ran the Asics Canberra Marathon Eve 10 km run. I was really pleased that I managed to make it the whole way around. I ran for 30 mins without stopping, then ran 3 mins and walked 1 min for most of the rest of the way up until the last km, which I managed to run.
I was nervous beforehand. I didn't know if I could make it, and I wasn't sure if I should be running the 5 km event instead of the 10 km event. I kept telling myself that the 10 km was a real challenge, that I could do it, that I'd be disappointed if I downgraded, and that it didn't matter how long it took me to go around as long as I gave it a go.
One of my sisters, Trish, made the trip up from Melbourne this weekend, and she came along to support me. I dragged her along to the venue an hour early, to make sure that I had time to put in my late entry, and to settle down. The 5 km event started just as we arrived, and we watched the runners come past the grandstand. From that stage on, Trish was hooked. She'd been going to watch the start, and then leave and come back. Once she realised that she'd see us all run past a few times, she was determined to stay and cheer.
I managed to meet up with the girls from Fernwood. I hadn't organised to meet them, but I was pretty sure that I'd catch up with them. Sally, Lola, Nicole and Candy were all running, as was our team leader, Krissi. It was great to have fellow team members there. Kellie from Team Black ran the 5 km, as did another friend of mine, Ingrid.
Before the run started, I decided that I'd love to get around in 1 hour 20 mins, and I'd be happy with 1 hour 30 mins. I was worried that I'd struggle to last for 5 kms, and had a secret fear that I'd end up being a "did not finish" statistic. I went to the back of the pack when the run started, so that I wouldn't be tempted to run too fast at the beginning. A friend of mine who's a serious runner warned me that because there was a 5 km and a 10 km run, there wouldn't be too many weak runners in the 10 km event, so I was pretty sure I wouldn't be tripping over a whole lot of walkers by starting near the back. It worked out pretty much the way he said. I only felt the need to get around one couple who were running together, and they went past me about 40 mins later, so I probably could have stayed behind them.
The course consisted of a 1 km loop approx, followed by three loops of 3 km. I thought we were doing two 5 km loops, so when I heard we had to go around a third time I had this panicked reaction of "I can't do that" until I thought it through, looked at the time and the distance marker, and realised that I was running well to plan.
I made it to 5 km in 33:30, which was a little over a minute faster than my previous 5 km. I was really pleased with that. I struggled a little during the next few kms but I managed to stick to the 3 min / 1 min plan. It was also interesting to see the fast runners going by. I was lapped quite a few times. It was a little disconcerting to see how close some of the runners came to me when they went past. I was worried that I'd cause an accident. I eventually figured that it was like driving. They'd only overtake if they thought they had room, and if they got it wrong it would be their fault not mine. Once I'd thought that through I was able to relax.
When I went past the finish line the third time (end of 2nd lap) I was behind a guy who was walking. He overtook me coming up to the line. It was hilarious to think that he could walk faster than I could run. I ended up following him for about half the last lap until he powered away from me. He did run a little when he made his break, so I didn't feel so bad about that.
The marshalls around the course were really encouraging. Towards the end, one of them said to me "Just enjoy yourself". I answered cheerfully, "I am." And I was. The third lap was just fun. I knew I didn't have to do it again, and I just concentrated on enjoying my achievement.
I hadn't expected the crowd to be so supportive either, particularly on the third lap. Many people called out to me, telling me that I was doing great, or to keep it up as there wasn't far to go now. I saw Ingrid cheering me on a few times, and Trish was near the finish line, supporting me enthusiastically. It was great to have all that encouragement.
There were a couple of people I was behind for most of the way, a man in a Brumbies shirt and a woman just ahead of him. I finally passed the guy at the 8 km mark. I expected him to pass me again when I dropped to walking but I think he'd had enough by then. I caught up with the woman at the 9 km mark. She was starting to look like she'd had enough. I realised I could pass her and beat her home, but for me it wasn't about being there before other people. Instead, I decided to encourage her. I ran beside her when I reached her and told her how great we were doing. I said, "We are warrior women. We can run 10 km. Most of the women I know can't do that." It sounds corny now, but it seemed to help her, and we ran the rest of the way together. I was going to drop back to a walk after another few mins, but she told me "You're stronger than me, you can run the rest of the way" so I did. It was a great help to have her encourage me in return.
We chatted and I discovered that Christina had come down from Sydney for the race. It certainly helped, having someone to run with at the end. It took my mind off the effort I was making and it was great to share the final part of the journey with another runner.
When we got to the last bit, I was going to run over to the side and avoid the finishers' lane as I had done the previous three times and then I realised that I was a finisher. It was a great feeling. We could see that we were going to get across before 1 hour and 10 mins, so there was no need for a rushed finish. Instead, I enjoyed the run past the crowd. Trish was cheering madly, as she had every time I ran past.
Christina and I ran over the line together in 1:09:xx. I was so thrilled to make it that I forgot to check the time. Trish was cheering so hard, she isn't sure if it was 11 or 14 seconds. I guess we'll find out when the results are published.
We made our way down the finishers' lane and then we were done. I was so looking forward to having something to drink and to catching up with the other Fernwood girls to see how they were feeling. It was great to hear how they'd done, and we were all on a high after achieving our goal. Trish enjoyed seeing the run, and it was was a huge boost to have her there.
I was really pleased with the run, but I was also delighted with how I pulled up after it. I wasn't exhausted and I was moving really well. I felt as though I could have run further, which is a good way to finish. Today, I'm a little tired, but I'm not in any pain. I'm also amazed that I managed to get around in 70 minutes. I hadn't expected to do that well.
This morning I played tennis with a friend of mine, Nok. We had arranged to play on Saturday months ago, but she kindly changed our game to today when she heard about my run. I'm a squash player, so tennis is a real challenge. I skied a few balls and struggled with serving, but I finally got the hang of it and we played a very one-sided game. I told our cheer squad, Trish and Alex, that Nok was winning by a small margin, which caused them great hilarity. I'm not really sure why. I had a great time and I'll definitely play again, although I can't see myself ever making the switch from squash.
Other than that, I haven't done much exercise. I'll be back at the gym collecting points tomorrow. I've got my personal training tomorrow, so I'll get to finish off my weights program. If I'm up to it, I'll do the pump class as well.
Oh, and I'll definitely be participating in more fun runs. I feel great!
I was nervous beforehand. I didn't know if I could make it, and I wasn't sure if I should be running the 5 km event instead of the 10 km event. I kept telling myself that the 10 km was a real challenge, that I could do it, that I'd be disappointed if I downgraded, and that it didn't matter how long it took me to go around as long as I gave it a go.
One of my sisters, Trish, made the trip up from Melbourne this weekend, and she came along to support me. I dragged her along to the venue an hour early, to make sure that I had time to put in my late entry, and to settle down. The 5 km event started just as we arrived, and we watched the runners come past the grandstand. From that stage on, Trish was hooked. She'd been going to watch the start, and then leave and come back. Once she realised that she'd see us all run past a few times, she was determined to stay and cheer.
I managed to meet up with the girls from Fernwood. I hadn't organised to meet them, but I was pretty sure that I'd catch up with them. Sally, Lola, Nicole and Candy were all running, as was our team leader, Krissi. It was great to have fellow team members there. Kellie from Team Black ran the 5 km, as did another friend of mine, Ingrid.
Before the run started, I decided that I'd love to get around in 1 hour 20 mins, and I'd be happy with 1 hour 30 mins. I was worried that I'd struggle to last for 5 kms, and had a secret fear that I'd end up being a "did not finish" statistic. I went to the back of the pack when the run started, so that I wouldn't be tempted to run too fast at the beginning. A friend of mine who's a serious runner warned me that because there was a 5 km and a 10 km run, there wouldn't be too many weak runners in the 10 km event, so I was pretty sure I wouldn't be tripping over a whole lot of walkers by starting near the back. It worked out pretty much the way he said. I only felt the need to get around one couple who were running together, and they went past me about 40 mins later, so I probably could have stayed behind them.
The course consisted of a 1 km loop approx, followed by three loops of 3 km. I thought we were doing two 5 km loops, so when I heard we had to go around a third time I had this panicked reaction of "I can't do that" until I thought it through, looked at the time and the distance marker, and realised that I was running well to plan.
I made it to 5 km in 33:30, which was a little over a minute faster than my previous 5 km. I was really pleased with that. I struggled a little during the next few kms but I managed to stick to the 3 min / 1 min plan. It was also interesting to see the fast runners going by. I was lapped quite a few times. It was a little disconcerting to see how close some of the runners came to me when they went past. I was worried that I'd cause an accident. I eventually figured that it was like driving. They'd only overtake if they thought they had room, and if they got it wrong it would be their fault not mine. Once I'd thought that through I was able to relax.
When I went past the finish line the third time (end of 2nd lap) I was behind a guy who was walking. He overtook me coming up to the line. It was hilarious to think that he could walk faster than I could run. I ended up following him for about half the last lap until he powered away from me. He did run a little when he made his break, so I didn't feel so bad about that.
The marshalls around the course were really encouraging. Towards the end, one of them said to me "Just enjoy yourself". I answered cheerfully, "I am." And I was. The third lap was just fun. I knew I didn't have to do it again, and I just concentrated on enjoying my achievement.
I hadn't expected the crowd to be so supportive either, particularly on the third lap. Many people called out to me, telling me that I was doing great, or to keep it up as there wasn't far to go now. I saw Ingrid cheering me on a few times, and Trish was near the finish line, supporting me enthusiastically. It was great to have all that encouragement.
There were a couple of people I was behind for most of the way, a man in a Brumbies shirt and a woman just ahead of him. I finally passed the guy at the 8 km mark. I expected him to pass me again when I dropped to walking but I think he'd had enough by then. I caught up with the woman at the 9 km mark. She was starting to look like she'd had enough. I realised I could pass her and beat her home, but for me it wasn't about being there before other people. Instead, I decided to encourage her. I ran beside her when I reached her and told her how great we were doing. I said, "We are warrior women. We can run 10 km. Most of the women I know can't do that." It sounds corny now, but it seemed to help her, and we ran the rest of the way together. I was going to drop back to a walk after another few mins, but she told me "You're stronger than me, you can run the rest of the way" so I did. It was a great help to have her encourage me in return.
We chatted and I discovered that Christina had come down from Sydney for the race. It certainly helped, having someone to run with at the end. It took my mind off the effort I was making and it was great to share the final part of the journey with another runner.
When we got to the last bit, I was going to run over to the side and avoid the finishers' lane as I had done the previous three times and then I realised that I was a finisher. It was a great feeling. We could see that we were going to get across before 1 hour and 10 mins, so there was no need for a rushed finish. Instead, I enjoyed the run past the crowd. Trish was cheering madly, as she had every time I ran past.
Christina and I ran over the line together in 1:09:xx. I was so thrilled to make it that I forgot to check the time. Trish was cheering so hard, she isn't sure if it was 11 or 14 seconds. I guess we'll find out when the results are published.
We made our way down the finishers' lane and then we were done. I was so looking forward to having something to drink and to catching up with the other Fernwood girls to see how they were feeling. It was great to hear how they'd done, and we were all on a high after achieving our goal. Trish enjoyed seeing the run, and it was was a huge boost to have her there.
I was really pleased with the run, but I was also delighted with how I pulled up after it. I wasn't exhausted and I was moving really well. I felt as though I could have run further, which is a good way to finish. Today, I'm a little tired, but I'm not in any pain. I'm also amazed that I managed to get around in 70 minutes. I hadn't expected to do that well.
This morning I played tennis with a friend of mine, Nok. We had arranged to play on Saturday months ago, but she kindly changed our game to today when she heard about my run. I'm a squash player, so tennis is a real challenge. I skied a few balls and struggled with serving, but I finally got the hang of it and we played a very one-sided game. I told our cheer squad, Trish and Alex, that Nok was winning by a small margin, which caused them great hilarity. I'm not really sure why. I had a great time and I'll definitely play again, although I can't see myself ever making the switch from squash.
Other than that, I haven't done much exercise. I'll be back at the gym collecting points tomorrow. I've got my personal training tomorrow, so I'll get to finish off my weights program. If I'm up to it, I'll do the pump class as well.
Oh, and I'll definitely be participating in more fun runs. I feel great!
Thursday, 12 April 2007
New weights program
Tonight at the gym I was given a new weights program. It's fun to get a new program, but it's a little daunting too. Leanne always manages to push me past where I think I can go. Because the session is only half an hour, it takes two weeks to go through the new program. I like that we take our time over it, as I am one of those people who needs to understand what I'm trying to achieve. Leanne is good at explaining what's happening and why I need to be doing stuff, without getting all technical on me.
We sorted out four of my six exercises - one legged squats, single dumbbell presses, seated row and a hilarious shoulder exercise that I've dubbed the "chicken". The chicken involves stepping up onto a bench and raising one knee while lifting weights out from your side. I was doing it so badly that I resembled a chicken trying and failing to fly. Because I was off balance the weights were going all over the place and my arms were flapping and I was squawking. It was hilarious. Anyway, we've modified the exercise so that I can build up to being able to achieve it. I'm stepping up onto the bench, skipping the knee bit, and lifting the weights once I have my balance. Not quite a chicken dance, but I'll be working on it.
The dumbbell presses are going to hurt tomorrow. My poor old left arm gave up the ghost on the 11th rep. It's been a long time since I did the seated row and my technique is really sloppy, so I'm going to have to build back up to doing that one properly. The one legged squats are just mean, but I can see that they'll be really good for me.
We didn't get to my arms and abs exercises. Leanne is going to put some thought into them, which has me worried. I've made huge progress with my abs exercises over the past six weeks, which means a serious upgrade in level of difficulty is probably in order. Still, I'm there through choice so I can't really complain about Leanne making sure that I stay on track. If I didn't have a personal trainer I know I wouldn't work as hard as I have been.
It was the second last Body Jam session today as well. I really like this class and I'm sorry that the gym has cancelled it, but there were only three of us there tonight. Apparently people don't like Body Jam because of the coordination required. Anyway, I'm glad I've had a go at it and I'll certainly do the class again if it becomes available in the future.
This morning I was walking on the treadmill when the gym blew a fuse. I came to a sudden halt. It was a surprise, but I didn't fall off the treadmill. It was good to know that I can keep my balance as falling off the treadmill is one of those insidious fears that crops up every once in a while. To give you an idea of how much I worry about this, it took me a good year and a half of walking on the treadmill to let go of the handle. I'm much more confident now, thank goodness.
I had to laugh at myself. It didn't occur to me to go and do any other sort of cardio for the remainder of my time. I just went off and started stretching. Mind you, I spent a lot of time on the stretches, so it was probably a good decision.
I didn't write up my blog yesterday, partly because I was really tired when I got around to it, and partly because my exercise effort didn't seem all that interesting. I split my weights session as planned, and I increased most of the weights. I know that exercising the same muscle group twice within 24 hours isn't recommended, but I'm sure I'll survive one double up session, and I was keen to have a new program.
Squash was fun, as ever. Murali and I are really evenly matched, which makes winning a challenge. Chris managed to leave his racquet and his shoes in Melbourne, so he was a spectator for a change. One of Murali's neighbours came along, and had his first hit at squash. He was a natural. I hope he comes along again. I love starting people off on their squash addiction.
Because of my run on Saturday afternoon, I'm going to take it easy at the gym on Friday and Saturday morning. I'll just collect my points by walking on the treadmill. I'm looking forward to the challenge of the 10k run and I don't want to give myself any excuse for cutting back to the 5k run.
Team Black (my Fernwood team) have been sent details of another fun run a couple of weeks after the Mother's Day Classic. Having been a non-runner, I had no idea that there were so many events on. It looks like I'll have no trouble finding fun runs .. the trouble is going to be choosing which ones to do.
We sorted out four of my six exercises - one legged squats, single dumbbell presses, seated row and a hilarious shoulder exercise that I've dubbed the "chicken". The chicken involves stepping up onto a bench and raising one knee while lifting weights out from your side. I was doing it so badly that I resembled a chicken trying and failing to fly. Because I was off balance the weights were going all over the place and my arms were flapping and I was squawking. It was hilarious. Anyway, we've modified the exercise so that I can build up to being able to achieve it. I'm stepping up onto the bench, skipping the knee bit, and lifting the weights once I have my balance. Not quite a chicken dance, but I'll be working on it.
The dumbbell presses are going to hurt tomorrow. My poor old left arm gave up the ghost on the 11th rep. It's been a long time since I did the seated row and my technique is really sloppy, so I'm going to have to build back up to doing that one properly. The one legged squats are just mean, but I can see that they'll be really good for me.
We didn't get to my arms and abs exercises. Leanne is going to put some thought into them, which has me worried. I've made huge progress with my abs exercises over the past six weeks, which means a serious upgrade in level of difficulty is probably in order. Still, I'm there through choice so I can't really complain about Leanne making sure that I stay on track. If I didn't have a personal trainer I know I wouldn't work as hard as I have been.
It was the second last Body Jam session today as well. I really like this class and I'm sorry that the gym has cancelled it, but there were only three of us there tonight. Apparently people don't like Body Jam because of the coordination required. Anyway, I'm glad I've had a go at it and I'll certainly do the class again if it becomes available in the future.
This morning I was walking on the treadmill when the gym blew a fuse. I came to a sudden halt. It was a surprise, but I didn't fall off the treadmill. It was good to know that I can keep my balance as falling off the treadmill is one of those insidious fears that crops up every once in a while. To give you an idea of how much I worry about this, it took me a good year and a half of walking on the treadmill to let go of the handle. I'm much more confident now, thank goodness.
I had to laugh at myself. It didn't occur to me to go and do any other sort of cardio for the remainder of my time. I just went off and started stretching. Mind you, I spent a lot of time on the stretches, so it was probably a good decision.
I didn't write up my blog yesterday, partly because I was really tired when I got around to it, and partly because my exercise effort didn't seem all that interesting. I split my weights session as planned, and I increased most of the weights. I know that exercising the same muscle group twice within 24 hours isn't recommended, but I'm sure I'll survive one double up session, and I was keen to have a new program.
Squash was fun, as ever. Murali and I are really evenly matched, which makes winning a challenge. Chris managed to leave his racquet and his shoes in Melbourne, so he was a spectator for a change. One of Murali's neighbours came along, and had his first hit at squash. He was a natural. I hope he comes along again. I love starting people off on their squash addiction.
Because of my run on Saturday afternoon, I'm going to take it easy at the gym on Friday and Saturday morning. I'll just collect my points by walking on the treadmill. I'm looking forward to the challenge of the 10k run and I don't want to give myself any excuse for cutting back to the 5k run.
Team Black (my Fernwood team) have been sent details of another fun run a couple of weeks after the Mother's Day Classic. Having been a non-runner, I had no idea that there were so many events on. It looks like I'll have no trouble finding fun runs .. the trouble is going to be choosing which ones to do.
Monday, 9 April 2007
Catching up with friends
Today I caught up with some friends over at Williamstown. It was a fabulous day, with sunny blue skies. When I saw how lovely the day was this morning I thought that a walk would be much more fun than the gym, as well as being a good recovery after yesterday's run. Fortunately for me, Erika is always happy to go for a walk, so we arrived in Williamstown early and went for a walk along the waterfront.
We met Peter and Judy at the restaurant, Pelican's Landing. It was my choice, as I've been there a few times and have never been disappointed with the food or the service. The restaurant lived up to expectations and the company was excellent. It was lovely to catch up with all three of my friends.
I have a whole new attitude to selecting my meal from the menu nowadays. Once upon a time I would have seen a restaurant meal as an excuse for not sticking to my eating plan. Now, I read the menu carefully and work out whether or not the meal is likely to be a good food choice. Sometimes I'm caught out by an unexpected dressing or by a different cooking method, but I pretty much am on top of it now. Today I chose a seafood pilaf. It was delicious as well as being nutritious.
It's quite amusing. I thought that eating out would be more difficult when I was eating well but it's actually become easier. When there are too many options I find it hard to make a decision. Now I can rule out a lot of menu items before I start, such as pizza (I save this for special treats or really high exercise days). I've also become braver when ordering and I'll ask for something to be left off my plate, such as the chips. Today I stretched my boundaries a little by ordering a meal that involved having to manage the shells.
Oh, another thing happened that I thought was amusing. I was told I looked great. Instead of laughing it off I said "Yes". That's a massive change. I've learned to accept compliments and I've realised that I do deserve them.
It was fun telling Peter and Judy that I've become a runner. They were really surprised. I think I would definitely be on most people's "least likely to" lists for such an active form of exercise.
I'm heading back to Canberra in the morning. I'm going to struggle to get to the gym tomorrow unless I go to trivia late, as I have to pick up some clothes which I left in to be altered before the store closes at 6 pm. I guess I'll work out how motivated I'm feeling sometime during the day.
I've squash on Wednesday, personal training and body jam on Thursday, and I'm doing the 10k fun run on Saturday afternoon. I have to organise myself to do my weights training, and I want to get a 5k run in during the week. One of my sisters is planning to visit on the weekend, so I have to take that into consideration too. This forward planning is not as easy as it sounds! Still, it's fun.
Oh, I've decided that I'll run the Mother's Day Classic in Canberra and then fly up to Queensland for a week's holiday with my parents. I had been thinking of running it in Brisbane, but the logistics were sounding a little difficult. I'm looking forward to the holiday. Sun, sand, warm weather .. it sounds terrific.
We met Peter and Judy at the restaurant, Pelican's Landing. It was my choice, as I've been there a few times and have never been disappointed with the food or the service. The restaurant lived up to expectations and the company was excellent. It was lovely to catch up with all three of my friends.
I have a whole new attitude to selecting my meal from the menu nowadays. Once upon a time I would have seen a restaurant meal as an excuse for not sticking to my eating plan. Now, I read the menu carefully and work out whether or not the meal is likely to be a good food choice. Sometimes I'm caught out by an unexpected dressing or by a different cooking method, but I pretty much am on top of it now. Today I chose a seafood pilaf. It was delicious as well as being nutritious.
It's quite amusing. I thought that eating out would be more difficult when I was eating well but it's actually become easier. When there are too many options I find it hard to make a decision. Now I can rule out a lot of menu items before I start, such as pizza (I save this for special treats or really high exercise days). I've also become braver when ordering and I'll ask for something to be left off my plate, such as the chips. Today I stretched my boundaries a little by ordering a meal that involved having to manage the shells.
Oh, another thing happened that I thought was amusing. I was told I looked great. Instead of laughing it off I said "Yes". That's a massive change. I've learned to accept compliments and I've realised that I do deserve them.
It was fun telling Peter and Judy that I've become a runner. They were really surprised. I think I would definitely be on most people's "least likely to" lists for such an active form of exercise.
I'm heading back to Canberra in the morning. I'm going to struggle to get to the gym tomorrow unless I go to trivia late, as I have to pick up some clothes which I left in to be altered before the store closes at 6 pm. I guess I'll work out how motivated I'm feeling sometime during the day.
I've squash on Wednesday, personal training and body jam on Thursday, and I'm doing the 10k fun run on Saturday afternoon. I have to organise myself to do my weights training, and I want to get a 5k run in during the week. One of my sisters is planning to visit on the weekend, so I have to take that into consideration too. This forward planning is not as easy as it sounds! Still, it's fun.
Oh, I've decided that I'll run the Mother's Day Classic in Canberra and then fly up to Queensland for a week's holiday with my parents. I had been thinking of running it in Brisbane, but the logistics were sounding a little difficult. I'm looking forward to the holiday. Sun, sand, warm weather .. it sounds terrific.
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Squash today
Squash is my favourite sport. One of the best things about getting fit and healthy is being able to play squash again. This afternoon, Chris wasn't able to make it, so Murali and I headed off for an hour on the court. We had a really even match and we both felt great afterwards.
Funnily enough, I found myself thinking about some of the Chi Running principles that I've been reading about. For a while now, I've really been concentrating on holding my stomach in when I play squash (Must be Leanne's voice in my head - "lock on those abs"). I've noticed that I hit my serves much harder when I do that. Anyway, I was thinking about the cotton and steel analogy and when I concentrated on that idea I actually played much better. I'll have to learn how to keep focussed at squash as well as when I'm running.
I split my weights session today as planned. I don't know if it's a good idea at all, but it means that I do the exercises properly instead of rushing them or leaving some of them out.
Tomorrow I'm heading home to Melbourne for Easter. I'll do some cardio work at the gym in the morning, probably interval running as that's my favourite. I guess I'll have to miss the evening session. On Friday, as the gym will be closed, I'm going to run around the creek again. I don't know whether I'll run once or twice around. I'm just going to run for fun and see how I feel. On Saturday, I'm taking my nephew for a run on the Tan. I've never run there before, so that will be exciting. I'll make sure I get a weights session in over the weekend too. I've been a little light on with my weights lately.
I'm still feeling really happy because of the running I did on the weekend. I guess this is an extended runner's high. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Funnily enough, I found myself thinking about some of the Chi Running principles that I've been reading about. For a while now, I've really been concentrating on holding my stomach in when I play squash (Must be Leanne's voice in my head - "lock on those abs"). I've noticed that I hit my serves much harder when I do that. Anyway, I was thinking about the cotton and steel analogy and when I concentrated on that idea I actually played much better. I'll have to learn how to keep focussed at squash as well as when I'm running.
I split my weights session today as planned. I don't know if it's a good idea at all, but it means that I do the exercises properly instead of rushing them or leaving some of them out.
Tomorrow I'm heading home to Melbourne for Easter. I'll do some cardio work at the gym in the morning, probably interval running as that's my favourite. I guess I'll have to miss the evening session. On Friday, as the gym will be closed, I'm going to run around the creek again. I don't know whether I'll run once or twice around. I'm just going to run for fun and see how I feel. On Saturday, I'm taking my nephew for a run on the Tan. I've never run there before, so that will be exciting. I'll make sure I get a weights session in over the weekend too. I've been a little light on with my weights lately.
I'm still feeling really happy because of the running I did on the weekend. I guess this is an extended runner's high. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
Nice easy day today
I cruised on down to the gym today, and walked on the treadmill for half an hour at 6 km/h. I'd thought about doing some running on the way down to the gym, but my legs felt heavy. It's handy having that 10 minute walk as a warm up - it gives me a good idea of how I'm feeling before I actually arrive at the gym. It also wakes me up, as there are people blowing rubbish off the paths with leaf blowers. They are a double edged sword. I love the clean pavements, but hate the horrendous noise.
I got myself to work nice and early, to find I'd somehow lost my pedometer. This is the best pedometer I've ever had and I seem to be determined to lose it at the moment. Last time I lost it, it turned up a couple of days later. I'd dropped it when running for the bus at work, and some kind soul handed it in to the security guard. This time, I left it behind after my shower at the gym. To my relief, it was waiting safely for me when I arrived there this evening.
What's so good about this pedometer? For a start, it just counts steps. There's less to go wrong. It's really sturdy. I've worn it for months, dropped it countless times, and it's still going strong. It's slim and light and it stays attached to my clothes reasonably well, although as I change shape it is sometimes challenged by my new curves. I got it as part of my entry pack for the Global Corporate Challenge last year. I'm looking forward to getting this year's pedometer to see if it's any better.
This evening at the gym I was going to do interval running, but my pants fell down twice. Rather than scare all the ladies at the gym, I decided to save my running for a different pair of pants. I'm going to have to mark these pants somehow so that I know not to run in them. Apart from their pesky habit of falling down when I'm running, they are really comfy, so they'll be fine for weights. I have two pairs that are meant to be exactly the same size, and one pair is fine.
Tomorrow I have squash, which should be a lot of fun. I think I'll do the split weights session again across my two gym visits, as I haven't done my program since last Wednesday. At least that way, I'll fit it in. With Easter this weekend, the gym I'll be going to in Melbourne will be operating reduced hours. Still, their hours are better than the gym here in Canberra, so I'm actually better off.
Many of the people who leave comments mention the amount of exercise that I'm doing. It's really not that much - it just sounds like a lot because I talk a lot! I do about half an hour in the morning, and anything from twenty minutes to an hour and a half in the evenings. It really depends on the amount of time I have available. I make sure I have "recovery" days as well as hard workout days, because I don't want an injury to get in the way of my journey to becoming a fitter and healthier person.
I had an overwhelming urge to leave a comment on deege's blog today. I wrote it at lunchtime today and posted it from my workplace, which is really unusual for me, but it bothered me that she was disappointed in her efforts in R4K, particularly as I was so impressed by what she had achieved. Celeste has been saying much the same thing about feeling frustrated by other people walking faster than she runs.
Anyway, it's really got me thinking about my own running goals. I had started to think about them because of the Chi Running book I've been reading, but deege and Celeste have helped me to realise that it's important for me to actually set them. I have a tendency to cruise along, which means it takes me ages to do what some people seem to do in no time. For example, it's taken me over two and a half years to lose 40 kg. Expect to see some documented goals soon. I should really put a date on that promise, but this structured goal setting is new territory for me.
Oh, and Sara, thanks for the support regarding the demoralising weight counselling I received yesterday. I didn't mention the other thing the counsellor thoughtfully said to me, but it's been irritating me all day, so here it is. She asked me if I wore makeup. She then leaned forward and said, oh so kindly, "you'd be really pretty if you wore some makeup". Can you believe it? Of course you can. I had to explain that I wasn't interested in makeup and I turned down her offer to give me a list of products a number of times. I almost felt like promising to wear lipstick, just to get out of the conversation. Fortunately, I didn't completely crumble.
I got myself to work nice and early, to find I'd somehow lost my pedometer. This is the best pedometer I've ever had and I seem to be determined to lose it at the moment. Last time I lost it, it turned up a couple of days later. I'd dropped it when running for the bus at work, and some kind soul handed it in to the security guard. This time, I left it behind after my shower at the gym. To my relief, it was waiting safely for me when I arrived there this evening.
What's so good about this pedometer? For a start, it just counts steps. There's less to go wrong. It's really sturdy. I've worn it for months, dropped it countless times, and it's still going strong. It's slim and light and it stays attached to my clothes reasonably well, although as I change shape it is sometimes challenged by my new curves. I got it as part of my entry pack for the Global Corporate Challenge last year. I'm looking forward to getting this year's pedometer to see if it's any better.
This evening at the gym I was going to do interval running, but my pants fell down twice. Rather than scare all the ladies at the gym, I decided to save my running for a different pair of pants. I'm going to have to mark these pants somehow so that I know not to run in them. Apart from their pesky habit of falling down when I'm running, they are really comfy, so they'll be fine for weights. I have two pairs that are meant to be exactly the same size, and one pair is fine.
Tomorrow I have squash, which should be a lot of fun. I think I'll do the split weights session again across my two gym visits, as I haven't done my program since last Wednesday. At least that way, I'll fit it in. With Easter this weekend, the gym I'll be going to in Melbourne will be operating reduced hours. Still, their hours are better than the gym here in Canberra, so I'm actually better off.
Many of the people who leave comments mention the amount of exercise that I'm doing. It's really not that much - it just sounds like a lot because I talk a lot! I do about half an hour in the morning, and anything from twenty minutes to an hour and a half in the evenings. It really depends on the amount of time I have available. I make sure I have "recovery" days as well as hard workout days, because I don't want an injury to get in the way of my journey to becoming a fitter and healthier person.
I had an overwhelming urge to leave a comment on deege's blog today. I wrote it at lunchtime today and posted it from my workplace, which is really unusual for me, but it bothered me that she was disappointed in her efforts in R4K, particularly as I was so impressed by what she had achieved. Celeste has been saying much the same thing about feeling frustrated by other people walking faster than she runs.
Anyway, it's really got me thinking about my own running goals. I had started to think about them because of the Chi Running book I've been reading, but deege and Celeste have helped me to realise that it's important for me to actually set them. I have a tendency to cruise along, which means it takes me ages to do what some people seem to do in no time. For example, it's taken me over two and a half years to lose 40 kg. Expect to see some documented goals soon. I should really put a date on that promise, but this structured goal setting is new territory for me.
Oh, and Sara, thanks for the support regarding the demoralising weight counselling I received yesterday. I didn't mention the other thing the counsellor thoughtfully said to me, but it's been irritating me all day, so here it is. She asked me if I wore makeup. She then leaned forward and said, oh so kindly, "you'd be really pretty if you wore some makeup". Can you believe it? Of course you can. I had to explain that I wasn't interested in makeup and I turned down her offer to give me a list of products a number of times. I almost felt like promising to wear lipstick, just to get out of the conversation. Fortunately, I didn't completely crumble.
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Tired legs
I've covered a lot of distance today. I blame the girls at work, who are enthusiastically running a "Biggest Winner" competition. They have all sorts of health challenges that you can meet to gain points - eat 10 pieces of fruit in a week, walk 10000 steps a day, etc. They are also organising fun activities. Today, we were put into teams and encouraged to walk around the building twice. There's a 1.4 km walking track around my workplace, which is in the middle of a paddock.
Now, even I can do the maths - 1.4 km x 2 = 2.8 km, which isn't a lot of distance. It is, however, 2.8 km on top of the distance I already planned to cover. I did an interval run this morning, and repeated it this evening. That was another 6.3 km all up. My pedometer is reading almost 28000 steps! No wonder my legs are tired.
I really enjoyed both interval runs. I find I run much better in the morning than in the evening though. The run itself involved 15 mins of intervals of 6 / 9.5 km/h, followed by 5 mins at 9 km/h and 5 mins at 6 km/h before a short cool down and stretching. I then did Body Jam, which I love. Unfortunately the class is going to be cancelled in a few weeks.
I didn't realise I hadn't blogged last night, because I was busy reading other people's blogs. I managed to get through my overdue weights session on Wednesday by splitting it in half. I couldn't see any other way to manage it this week, so I did the first part in the morning and finished it off in the evening. Because of that, I spent a little bit of extra time on my abs exercises. Leanne told me how to make one of the exercises harder .. and it was a lot harder! I also managed two sets of 10 reps on the rolldowns. That's the first time I've managed to persevere through the two sets.
Squash was a lot of fun. I played four games and managed to win two of them. The court seemed really small last night. I don't know if it's because I'm finding it so easy to get around it or because I feel bigger because I have more muscle. I'm definitely not bigger. I've lost a little more weight and my clothes are continuing to feel looser.
I'm having the strangest experience at the moment. When I catch sight of myself in the mirror, I feel like I'm looking at a stranger. At first I thought it was my new hairstyle, but it's not all that different. I finally realised that it's my neckline. I think my neck is thinner. It's quite disconcerting to be having trouble recognising myself.
I got my team t-shirt for the Relay for Life today. It's much better than last year's, thank goodness. It's also two sizes smaller and it's loose on me. **huge grin**
I'm really looking forward to all the running I'm doing on the weekend. I've been working hard to be fit enough to manage to run one of my legs of the Relay for Life. I've grown in confidence lately so, not only do I expect to run both legs, I also think I'll be able to run on Sunday as well. I originally planned to walk because I didn't think I was fit enough to run two days in a row, but I've realised that I'm much fitter than I give myself credit for.
I had great fun chatting with people at the gym tonight. To think I used to go and hardly speak to anyone. It's a much friendlier place than it used to be. I hope this spirit of camaraderie continues after the fitness challenge is over.
Oh, I forgot to mention how my team did in the 'walk around the building' at work. I wasn't that keen on participating, because I always get a lot of exercise on Thursdays. I had this plan to walk with whoever was the slowest member of our team and have a nice relaxing time. The first part of the plan was a success - I was with the slowest member of the team. The relaxing part didn't come to fruition. My team members lead the way around the building, so there was I, keeping up with them. I wish I had longer legs! Still, it was fun and we managed to win the challenge comfortably.
Now, even I can do the maths - 1.4 km x 2 = 2.8 km, which isn't a lot of distance. It is, however, 2.8 km on top of the distance I already planned to cover. I did an interval run this morning, and repeated it this evening. That was another 6.3 km all up. My pedometer is reading almost 28000 steps! No wonder my legs are tired.
I really enjoyed both interval runs. I find I run much better in the morning than in the evening though. The run itself involved 15 mins of intervals of 6 / 9.5 km/h, followed by 5 mins at 9 km/h and 5 mins at 6 km/h before a short cool down and stretching. I then did Body Jam, which I love. Unfortunately the class is going to be cancelled in a few weeks.
I didn't realise I hadn't blogged last night, because I was busy reading other people's blogs. I managed to get through my overdue weights session on Wednesday by splitting it in half. I couldn't see any other way to manage it this week, so I did the first part in the morning and finished it off in the evening. Because of that, I spent a little bit of extra time on my abs exercises. Leanne told me how to make one of the exercises harder .. and it was a lot harder! I also managed two sets of 10 reps on the rolldowns. That's the first time I've managed to persevere through the two sets.
Squash was a lot of fun. I played four games and managed to win two of them. The court seemed really small last night. I don't know if it's because I'm finding it so easy to get around it or because I feel bigger because I have more muscle. I'm definitely not bigger. I've lost a little more weight and my clothes are continuing to feel looser.
I'm having the strangest experience at the moment. When I catch sight of myself in the mirror, I feel like I'm looking at a stranger. At first I thought it was my new hairstyle, but it's not all that different. I finally realised that it's my neckline. I think my neck is thinner. It's quite disconcerting to be having trouble recognising myself.
I got my team t-shirt for the Relay for Life today. It's much better than last year's, thank goodness. It's also two sizes smaller and it's loose on me. **huge grin**
I'm really looking forward to all the running I'm doing on the weekend. I've been working hard to be fit enough to manage to run one of my legs of the Relay for Life. I've grown in confidence lately so, not only do I expect to run both legs, I also think I'll be able to run on Sunday as well. I originally planned to walk because I didn't think I was fit enough to run two days in a row, but I've realised that I'm much fitter than I give myself credit for.
I had great fun chatting with people at the gym tonight. To think I used to go and hardly speak to anyone. It's a much friendlier place than it used to be. I hope this spirit of camaraderie continues after the fitness challenge is over.
Oh, I forgot to mention how my team did in the 'walk around the building' at work. I wasn't that keen on participating, because I always get a lot of exercise on Thursdays. I had this plan to walk with whoever was the slowest member of our team and have a nice relaxing time. The first part of the plan was a success - I was with the slowest member of the team. The relaxing part didn't come to fruition. My team members lead the way around the building, so there was I, keeping up with them. I wish I had longer legs! Still, it was fun and we managed to win the challenge comfortably.
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Another good run
I went running with Leanne this morning - we covered 4.2 km in half an hour, which I was really pleased with. I'm hoping to run two sessions of 10 laps in half an hour on Saturday at the Relay for Life, and if I can run like I did this morning I'll be fine.
I enjoyed the run. It makes quite a difference running with someone else. The chatting is fun and the company is encouraging. I'm hoping that the group who are running together in the Biggest Loser challenge will keep going once the challenge is over, even if it's only on an informal basis.
I didn't get to the gym this evening. Something more important came up after work. I'll have to make up the points later in the week. I managed to make up Sunday's points on Monday. I did a pump class as well as my usual workout.
I was careful not to overdo it on Monday, so I stuck to my old favourite - the treadmill. In the morning, I did the "Fat Burner" session. After discovering that I was severely underestimating the level I should be doing on the bike I cranked the level on this up to 8. I did 20 mins at 6 km/hr and then finished off with 10 mins of walking at 6 km/hr. My legs felt good after Sunday's run.
In the evening, I did the "Aerobic Training" session for 20 mins at 6 km/hr for 20 mins and then walked for another 20 mins, before going to Pump. The lunges in the Pump session were a killer, although I managed to do them all.
I'm overdue on my weights session, so that's on the cards for tomorrow. I've also got squash, which is my favourite. Something to look forward to.
I enjoyed the run. It makes quite a difference running with someone else. The chatting is fun and the company is encouraging. I'm hoping that the group who are running together in the Biggest Loser challenge will keep going once the challenge is over, even if it's only on an informal basis.
I didn't get to the gym this evening. Something more important came up after work. I'll have to make up the points later in the week. I managed to make up Sunday's points on Monday. I did a pump class as well as my usual workout.
I was careful not to overdo it on Monday, so I stuck to my old favourite - the treadmill. In the morning, I did the "Fat Burner" session. After discovering that I was severely underestimating the level I should be doing on the bike I cranked the level on this up to 8. I did 20 mins at 6 km/hr and then finished off with 10 mins of walking at 6 km/hr. My legs felt good after Sunday's run.
In the evening, I did the "Aerobic Training" session for 20 mins at 6 km/hr for 20 mins and then walked for another 20 mins, before going to Pump. The lunges in the Pump session were a killer, although I managed to do them all.
I'm overdue on my weights session, so that's on the cards for tomorrow. I've also got squash, which is my favourite. Something to look forward to.
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Being careful
I've got a sore ankle. I don't know how or when I hurt it, but it was sore last night when I was running. I tried denial .. if I ignore it, it won't be sore .. but that didn't work, so I'm being careful with it. At least, that's the plan. I'm really aware that one thing that would definitely derail my progress is to get injured, so I'm pretty cautious when something hurts.
This morning I did my weights session as planned. I made sure my form was good, especially on the leg exercises, and I didn't feel my ankle at all. It was a good session. I managed the two sets of chinups more easily today. I'm starting to think I should work on the next weight increase now. The pec fly is also easier. I'm reluctant to increase that one, as I had so much trouble with it at first. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and do it.
My abs are much stronger, which I think is due to the running. I'm going to have to talk to Leanne, my trainer, about how to make one of my exercises harder. I increased the reps, which helped for a while, but it's getting easy again. There was a time when I never let on when things were easy. I thought the trainer would work it out for themselves and didn't realise it was something I should be doing. I also never changed anything on my own. I've become a lot more confident.
This evening, I played squash, but I basically loafed. I wasn't really confident that I wouldn't make my ankle worse, so I didn't run. I was hitting the ball badly - you forget how much good footwork matters until you don't place your feet properly. To be perfectly frank, it wasn't much of a workout. One of the guys wasn't well and stopped playing, and the other one, when I finally admitted that I was worried about my ankle, kindly told me I was an idiot and that I should quit too. He said it more diplomatically than that. It sounded more like "you'll be upset if you're not able to go to the gym". He also convinced me to ice it after I finished exercising, which I've done tonight.
I dropped in at the gym on the way home, to collect my 25 points. I walked on the treadmill for half an hour at 5.6 km/h. It was a nice easy workout. I concentrated on keeping good form, which meant that my ankle didn't complain at all. I also checked where I was on the leaderboard for the fitness challenge. I'm safely in the top 5, which is where I wanted to be.
I received a lovely compliment from one of the girls behind the desk. She's one of my favourite people at the gym. I was asking her how all her various jobs were going and, out of the blue, she mentioned how much she liked the way I was approaching the fitness challenge. She thought I was working hard and that my positive attitude was a pleasure to see. She then told me that she enjoyed seeing me at the gym because I had such a positive presence around the place, even when I didn't stop and chat. I thought that was a great compliment. I thanked her for being so kind, and bubbled my way out of the gym.
I had to go to the supermarket after the gym, because it's my turn to bring morning tea to work tomorrow. I don't eat any of the morning tea, but I make sure I have a healthy snack while everyone else is having something to eat. They are all used to me at work, so they don't try and talk me into eating anything.
Tomorrow morning, I'm planning to do a light cardio session, to give my ankle a bit longer to realise that it's really not hurt, and in the evening I have personal training and a Hip Hop / Funk class. Apparently that's what they are replacing Body Jam with. I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be hilarious, me doing Hip Hop.
This morning I did my weights session as planned. I made sure my form was good, especially on the leg exercises, and I didn't feel my ankle at all. It was a good session. I managed the two sets of chinups more easily today. I'm starting to think I should work on the next weight increase now. The pec fly is also easier. I'm reluctant to increase that one, as I had so much trouble with it at first. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and do it.
My abs are much stronger, which I think is due to the running. I'm going to have to talk to Leanne, my trainer, about how to make one of my exercises harder. I increased the reps, which helped for a while, but it's getting easy again. There was a time when I never let on when things were easy. I thought the trainer would work it out for themselves and didn't realise it was something I should be doing. I also never changed anything on my own. I've become a lot more confident.
This evening, I played squash, but I basically loafed. I wasn't really confident that I wouldn't make my ankle worse, so I didn't run. I was hitting the ball badly - you forget how much good footwork matters until you don't place your feet properly. To be perfectly frank, it wasn't much of a workout. One of the guys wasn't well and stopped playing, and the other one, when I finally admitted that I was worried about my ankle, kindly told me I was an idiot and that I should quit too. He said it more diplomatically than that. It sounded more like "you'll be upset if you're not able to go to the gym". He also convinced me to ice it after I finished exercising, which I've done tonight.
I dropped in at the gym on the way home, to collect my 25 points. I walked on the treadmill for half an hour at 5.6 km/h. It was a nice easy workout. I concentrated on keeping good form, which meant that my ankle didn't complain at all. I also checked where I was on the leaderboard for the fitness challenge. I'm safely in the top 5, which is where I wanted to be.
I received a lovely compliment from one of the girls behind the desk. She's one of my favourite people at the gym. I was asking her how all her various jobs were going and, out of the blue, she mentioned how much she liked the way I was approaching the fitness challenge. She thought I was working hard and that my positive attitude was a pleasure to see. She then told me that she enjoyed seeing me at the gym because I had such a positive presence around the place, even when I didn't stop and chat. I thought that was a great compliment. I thanked her for being so kind, and bubbled my way out of the gym.
I had to go to the supermarket after the gym, because it's my turn to bring morning tea to work tomorrow. I don't eat any of the morning tea, but I make sure I have a healthy snack while everyone else is having something to eat. They are all used to me at work, so they don't try and talk me into eating anything.
Tomorrow morning, I'm planning to do a light cardio session, to give my ankle a bit longer to realise that it's really not hurt, and in the evening I have personal training and a Hip Hop / Funk class. Apparently that's what they are replacing Body Jam with. I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be hilarious, me doing Hip Hop.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
Back into my routine
The long weekend is over and it's situation normal again. Amazingly, I found myself missing the gym last night. I didn't get a sudden surge of energy and run off to do some exercise - but I did find myself at a bit of a loose end in the evening. Maybe I'm developing a habit that will outlast the fitness challenge!
This morning I was up bright and early and was at the gym 5 mins after the door opened. There were all these women there before me .. and it seemed really busy today. I think it might have been because I was there before the morning class started for a change. I don't usually see all those women arrive at the gym.
I did half an hour on the treadmill this morning, 20 mins of Fat Burner at 6 km/h, level 6 and then 10 mins of just walking at 6 km/h. I made sure I did my stretches. That's one of the benefits of getting to the gym early, plenty of time to stretch.
This evening I did an interval run - 6 / 10.6 km/hr for 15 mins, followed by 5 mins at 6, then stretching. Had to cut it short, as had to get to trivia. Our trivia team managed to come 2nd tonight, which was pretty good.
Tomorrow, I'm planning to do a weights session if I get to the gym early enough. If I'm late, I'll do some cardio. After work I'm playing squash, and I'll finish off at the gym with some gentle treadmill walking. I'm usually pretty tired after squash. It's that competitive nature of mine, and I have some ground to make up after last week.
On Thursday, I have my p/t - moved from Monday, and I'll be doing Body Pump as well. The Body Jam instructor will be away and they have real trouble trying to find a replacement. I quite like Pump, so I don't mind as much as if they were replacing it with Attack.
I'll be in Melbourne this weekend, so I'm missing out on RPM. I'll have to find out which morning they do a studio cycle class and get myself to that. I quite like the RPM now that I've got my breathing sorted.
It's great to be back into a routine.
This morning I was up bright and early and was at the gym 5 mins after the door opened. There were all these women there before me .. and it seemed really busy today. I think it might have been because I was there before the morning class started for a change. I don't usually see all those women arrive at the gym.
I did half an hour on the treadmill this morning, 20 mins of Fat Burner at 6 km/h, level 6 and then 10 mins of just walking at 6 km/h. I made sure I did my stretches. That's one of the benefits of getting to the gym early, plenty of time to stretch.
This evening I did an interval run - 6 / 10.6 km/hr for 15 mins, followed by 5 mins at 6, then stretching. Had to cut it short, as had to get to trivia. Our trivia team managed to come 2nd tonight, which was pretty good.
Tomorrow, I'm planning to do a weights session if I get to the gym early enough. If I'm late, I'll do some cardio. After work I'm playing squash, and I'll finish off at the gym with some gentle treadmill walking. I'm usually pretty tired after squash. It's that competitive nature of mine, and I have some ground to make up after last week.
On Thursday, I have my p/t - moved from Monday, and I'll be doing Body Pump as well. The Body Jam instructor will be away and they have real trouble trying to find a replacement. I quite like Pump, so I don't mind as much as if they were replacing it with Attack.
I'll be in Melbourne this weekend, so I'm missing out on RPM. I'll have to find out which morning they do a studio cycle class and get myself to that. I quite like the RPM now that I've got my breathing sorted.
It's great to be back into a routine.
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
Bit sore today
I obviously used my arms more than I realised at rock climbing. I have aches in places I didn't realise I had muscles. It must have been the amazingly tight grip I had on the handholds. A couple of times I may have panicked and attempted to pull myself into a safer position. Before my arms started hurting, I remembered those occasions as taking a controlled secure grip with careful consideration. Now the pain is helping me to "recollect" more accurately.
This morning I dialled up a 15 minute session on the crosstrainer. I don't use it much, and 15 minutes sounded like a lot. I found it really boring. I don't find running boring at all, but the cross trainer is not exactly exciting. Maybe having to move my arms and my legs at the same time makes it too hard for me to think while I'm on the machine. Anyway, I stuck it out to the 15 minute mark and then the machine suggested a 5 minute cool down. I decided to stay for the 5 mins. Because I was going more slowly I enjoyed it more.
I then decided to finish off with 10 mins on the bike but I just couldn't get comfortable, so I swapped back to my old favourite, the treadmill.
After work, I played squash with two of my workmates. I'm regretting the sledging, as I didn't play all that well. My serving was ordinary and I just didn't seem to get running. I discovered my shoes were loose. I bought them nearly a year ago, and my feet are a lot narrower now. Of course, it didn't occur to me to tighten the laces until after I finished playing. I've been finding that a lot of my shoes are getting too big. This losing weight is great but it sure is expensive. Still, I get to go shopping a lot.
I headed to the gym to collect my 25 points. I did a "Fat Burner" session on the treadmill. My heart rate stayed right up there, probably because we'd been playing squash, so I got a good calorie burn for the session.
I've done just over 18000 steps for the day. I thought about heading to the supermarket before going home to get the count over 20000, but I piked out. I think I'll be in bed early tonight. I've worn myself out!
Andrew, I'm exercising for about half an hour in the morning, and from half an hour to two hours in the evening, depending on how much time I have. I also get about 40 minutes of walking in each day travelling to and from work, and doing the shopping is worth another half an hour of walking at least.
This morning I dialled up a 15 minute session on the crosstrainer. I don't use it much, and 15 minutes sounded like a lot. I found it really boring. I don't find running boring at all, but the cross trainer is not exactly exciting. Maybe having to move my arms and my legs at the same time makes it too hard for me to think while I'm on the machine. Anyway, I stuck it out to the 15 minute mark and then the machine suggested a 5 minute cool down. I decided to stay for the 5 mins. Because I was going more slowly I enjoyed it more.
I then decided to finish off with 10 mins on the bike but I just couldn't get comfortable, so I swapped back to my old favourite, the treadmill.
After work, I played squash with two of my workmates. I'm regretting the sledging, as I didn't play all that well. My serving was ordinary and I just didn't seem to get running. I discovered my shoes were loose. I bought them nearly a year ago, and my feet are a lot narrower now. Of course, it didn't occur to me to tighten the laces until after I finished playing. I've been finding that a lot of my shoes are getting too big. This losing weight is great but it sure is expensive. Still, I get to go shopping a lot.
I headed to the gym to collect my 25 points. I did a "Fat Burner" session on the treadmill. My heart rate stayed right up there, probably because we'd been playing squash, so I got a good calorie burn for the session.
I've done just over 18000 steps for the day. I thought about heading to the supermarket before going home to get the count over 20000, but I piked out. I think I'll be in bed early tonight. I've worn myself out!
Andrew, I'm exercising for about half an hour in the morning, and from half an hour to two hours in the evening, depending on how much time I have. I also get about 40 minutes of walking in each day travelling to and from work, and doing the shopping is worth another half an hour of walking at least.
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