Spring into Shape

This morning I did the 8 km Spring into Shape run in Melbourne. The weather was a bit ordinary when we were leaving home, so I dashed back for a cap. I don't mind running in the rain but running in rain-speckled glasses is not fun. We were running a bit late, so my dad dropped me at the venue and went off to park the car. I collected my number, dropped my windcheater off at the clothing tent and headed off to the start.

It was a great start. The walkers were nearly all behind me, which was amazing. It didn't seem at all difficult to thread my way through the few people who were starting more slowly than me. Fortunately it didn't rain, but it was really windy. I have been suffering from hayfever ever since the run and my face is windburnt.

My goal was to finish in around 56 minutes and I ended up running 56:45. I'd hoped to be on the other side of the 56 but I wasn't too disappointed. I ran the first km in 6:20, slowed down to 6:45 for the second, and was then back to my usual run/walk pattern. I didn't remember to enjoy myself until I'd run a little more than 3 km. When I realised, I told myself to have some fun and I could feel the tension disappear from my shoulders.

On the way around I seemed to be running with a few of the same people. I wasn't the only run/walker so there was a lot of catching up with the same person and then seeing them cruise past again. I saw one lady in cool purple tights a number of times and there was another in a pink top who I found quite inspiring as she seemed to run the whole way. She was always ahead of me but she gave me an idea of how I was doing.

I didn't see anyone I recognised, but I discovered I finished about 1:30 behind Kathryn. From her race report it sounds as though she was well ahead of me on the first lap, so I don't think she was one of the people I kept seeing on the way around.

I collected my t-shirt. Luckily I had an even number. The shirts only went up to size 14 but I took that size instead of opting for a men's shirt. It is a bit snug but I'm hoping to be fitting into it properly in a few months.

Dad enjoyed watching the runners as they finished. He collected me at the end and we walked back to the great car park he'd found on Flinders Street. On the way, I realised that I hadn't stretched, so he patiently waited while I went through my usual stretching routine. I had that lovely feeling that you get when you've been running and it pretty much lasted all day.

Speaking of fitting into the shirt, I weighed myself in Melbourne and I've put on more weight. I wasn't expecting that, as my jeans have started to get loose again and a few people have commented that I look as though I'm losing weight. Clearly I'm "toning" at the moment. I'm pleased that all my exercise is having positive benefits but I'm going to have to get back on the wagon as far as my eating is going.

Mind you, I didn't make any effort to be good yesterday as it was my family birthday barbecue. Everyone was there to celebrate with me, including my cousin Laura who is visiting from Ireland. I received severallovely cards that my niece and nephews made and there was a definite theme going on. They hoped I would get lots of pressies. I love how quantity matters to children. In fact, I often buy them gifts with lots of pieces as I know how they adore having several presents.

As for my gifts, there was definitely an exercise theme happening there, as I was given a Rebel Sport voucher and a Yoga set - blocks, straps, mat, dvd, etc. Another theme was iTunes - I got speakers for my iPod and an iTunes gift card. Mum has clearly noticed that I'm enjoying cooking at the moment as my parents gave me a Kenwood package with hand held mixer and a thing that chops and dices. This will be fun! I didn't manage to bring all the booty home with me, so I will have to invite someone to drive up to Canberra to visit me.

Next time I'm in Melbourne I'm going to take the two Andrews for a run around Albert Park Lake. That will be fun.

Rest day today

I was keen to run again today, and had made arrangements with my PT to run with the girls, but my back was way too sore last night for me to risk it. I woke up feeling better than I had the evening before but it was still tender.

I had to think it through really carefully, as I was so tempted to run. I realised that I wanted to do the Spring Into Shape series, and that if I ended up in more pain today that there was no way I'd be running on Sunday. At least this way I have given my sore muscles a chance to heal.

As for what's wrong - I have no idea. It feels like the top part of my butt is sore, so it's kind of lower back. My abs are also a bit sore, but that might just be from compensating for the way I've been sitting. I'm aching a bit now but it's nowhere near as bad as it was last night.

I guess if it doesn't get better over the next few days I'll have to go and see someone about it. Grrr. I am so rarely sick or injured that I make a very poor patient.

Anyway, I've decided that if I'm not up to running on Sunday I'll walk it!

Tagged

Three posts in one day - that has to be a record. Thanks Celeste for tagging me.

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was living in Darwin. I moved up there to be with my boyfriend at the time. The relationship didn't last but I loved Darwin.
2. What were you doing one year ago?
I was living in Canberra, working in a different job (still IT), and just starting to venture outside to run. Running for 10 minutes was a major effort.
3. What are 5 snacks you enjoy?
Nachos - rare indulgence
Salt and Vinegar chips - also a rare indulgence
Tzatziki Dip and crackers - my substitute for the above
Sultanas - I buy the small boxes as I don't know when to stop
Yoghurt - I try not to eat cheese so this delicious snack is how I get my dairy
4. What are 5 songs that you know the lyrics to?
Patricia the Stripper - Chris DeBurgh (it's a popular party place at our house - especially as my youngest sister's name is Patricia)
Pony - Kasey Chambers
Take that Look off your face - Andrew Lloyd Weber
Tell me on Sunday - Andrew Lloyd Weber
Greensleeves - traditional
5. 5 Things you would do if you were a millionaire?
Share my money with my family
Travel to major sporting events around the world
Live in Broome for a year
Save some money for a rainy day
Establish a charitable trust
6. 5 bad habits
Emotional eating
Not opening my mail
Spending the day watching DVD's, reading and eating too much
Staying up late on the net
Washing coloureds and whites together (my new Enell bra is now pink!)
7. 5 things you like to do
Spend time with my family
Read
Blog
Go to the gym
Play trivia
8. 5 favourite toys?
My computer
My iPod
My heart rate monitor
My new camera
My mobile phone
9. 5 things you would never wear?
Anything that shows my bare tummy - let's not go there
Stockings - only under sufferance
Really high heels - I like my feet
A choker - my neck is too short
Bikini briefs - too uncomfortable for words
10. 5 things you hate to do
Housework
Open my mail
Triceps dips
Wait for people
Miss my bus

I'm going to copy Andrew and not tag anyone. If you'd like to do this, please feel free to give it a go.

Photo - Run to the G 2007

I thought I'd better post a photo just in case I do manage to catch up with any of you at Spring Into Shape on Sunday. This is how I'll probably look - as though it's a huge effort.

GOFC - Interval Training

Today at the GOFC we had interval training. I've really grown to like this particular activity. I guess it's partly because I know I'll definitely get a walking break and partly because I can see that it's improving my running heaps.

Today seemed a bit easier than past sessions. I'm not sure if it was because Brad was kinder to us or if it was because I know what to expect. The main thing I struggled with today was running fast. By the end of the session I was starting to surge, but I didn't do too well with the "add 5%" warmup.

Because I've already done a bit of running this week, I just knew we were going to be running again today. I was a little worried about it yesterday, because I was so sore during the day, but I woke up feeling fine. I'd had this whole strategy prepared, where I'd ride to GOFC, hear we were running, explain to Krissi I was too sore, and then ride home. When I got there today I was feeling good so fortunately I didn't need to explain that I was a slacker.

By the way, thanks for the encouragement JoJo. I know I'm not really a slacker because I'm winning those mental battles more than I'm losing them, but I realise how easy it would be to let go of all the progress I've made so far. I got a bit of a kick up the pants over winter this year, when my eating went crazy, and I'm not quite back on track yet. Much better, but not quite there.

My lower back has been sore today. I'm wondering if it's a bit more than the yoga and running. I think it might also be related to my cycle as I seemed to have some ovulation pain today as well. If that's the case, I should recover pretty fast. :-)

I dressed up a bit today, wearing clothes and shoes I bought with the Style Consultant. I didn't get the makeup happening, but I did get a few compliments at work today. I'm really enjoying the benefits of having the consultation. It's going to take a while for me to develop 'style' but I was wearing a top the other day that had been hanging in my wardrobe because I was too self-conscious to wear it even though I loved it.

All SC did to get me to wear it was (a) encourage me to buy a waist shaping piece of underwear (it's a clingy top and shows all my lumps and bumps) and (b) encourage me to buy some beads to break up the expanse of my chest. I felt great at work when I was wearing it and I got a compliment from the boss. SC didn't like my jeans so I bought a different style, wore them on the weekend and felt terrific in them. I was willing to give it a go. Once the jeans had been taken up to the right length I could see how the style complimented my shape.

Mind you, today I was wearing pointy court shoes with skinny heels. I was able to wear them all day, but I'm not all that convinced that they are for me. I'll probably keep them at work and put them on when I want to impress someone. They look really cool but I will look for some more comfortable court shoes - maybe from HomyPed. I value my feet!

I'm looking forward to the run on Sunday. I'll keep an eye out for the various people running in the 4 km race. I'm doing the 8 km race. No idea of my race number as yet, but it will take me around 56 mins to finish. If I can get around any faster than that, I will, but I'll be happy with 7 min/km. I'll post my number after I get to Melbourne, as I'm sure it will be at home waiting for me.

Tomorrow for PT I'm heading out for another run with the girls. Krissi is coming along half an hour earlier so we can all run. I'm a little worried about overdoing it, but I figure I'll rest on Saturday and I'll have an easier week next week as well. I skipped Body Attack tonight because of tomorrow's run. I think Body Balance tomorrow night should be ok. The stretching will definitely help.

Morning Run

This morning I went running with four of the running group. I usually run on my own, so it was a pleasant change to run with other people. We met up at the gym and then headed off to run around the middle basin of the lake.

Floriade is about to start, so parts of the park were blocked off. I don't know which way the girls would have run, but Floriade meant that we followed the path that I used to run with Leanne. It was a little over a year ago that I started running outside. Today's run was a good measure of how much I've improved over the past twelve months. Back then I know I struggled to get as far as the Commonwealth Avenue bridge. Today I was feeling really comfortable as I ran across it.

Physically the run was fine but I had a huge mental battle going on today. There were so many times that I wanted to stop running. I'm glad that I was with the others, as I'm sure I wouldn't have managed to run as much as I did without them. I did eventually drop back to a walk when we were heading over towards the Kings Avenue bridge. One of the girls checked to see if I was okay. I waved her on but I think she slowed the others down and that they waited for me to catch up, without looking like they were waiting. I thought it was kind of them not to make a fuss.

I got myself back running fairly quickly. I think I walked for less than a minute all up. I was determined to run across to the far side of the bridge. In my head I was stopping when I got to the other side, but when I got there I managed to keep on going. The pace picked up as we were running downhill but one of the other girls slowed the group down again when she realised I was struggling. It wouldn't have occurred to me to ask them to slow down, but I'll know it's an option another time.

We ran back to town via the underpass and Constitution Avenue instead of running back around Floriade. I was quite relieved when we came to a set of traffic lights at a busy intersection and had to stop. It gave me a chance to have a mini-break. From there I thought about going straight home instead of running back to the gym, but I realised I'd probably end up walking if I headed off on my own. Instead I stayed with the group, knowing that I'd try harder with them than I would on my own.

The route we travelled from the gym was somewhere between 6.5 and 7 km. I've mapped the course from my apartment and it's about 8 km. I was glad we were doing that type of distance as I've only been running for about half an hour at a time lately. Today was the longest run I've done in months.

I didn't think much about it this morning, but I was really sore and stiff today. I finally put two and two together and realised that I'd run on two consecutive days. That's a first for me. I guess I didn't really think of yesterday's running at GOFC as 'real' running. Still, it helps me reach my goal of running three times in a week, so I'm happy.

I'm not sure how much of today's stiffness is Yoga and how much is running. It took a real effort of will to take the stairs at work today instead of wimping out and using the lifts. I was climbing those stairs like a woman twice my age.

I have the GOFC tomorrow morning, so I'm going to head to bed earlier than usual tonight. I feel like I need my sleep.

Fitness Challenge and Yoga

This morning was the Group Outdoor Fitness Challenge. I jumped on my bike and headed off to Lennox Gardens. I'm enjoying riding my bike more and more. I think it's partly due to the weather - it's not freezing cold or dark when I leave home any more - and it's partly the fact that I'm managing the bike better now. My balance has improved, I can change gears and I can handle the hills I encounter. I feel much safer. I can look over my shoulder without falling off the bike. I'm even game to let go of the handle bars and indicate when I'm going to turn right.

An added bonus is Spring. There was blossom all over the place today. The swan family were out and about. The cygnets are looking more and more swanlike, even though they are still fluffy grey balls.

Krissi had told us that today would be a lot of fun and she was right. We were split into teams of three and we had a race. After our warm up we had to run as a team around the park with a key. As I was the slowest runner, that meant that my team were running at my pace. I felt a bit anxious about that but Nicole and Nathan were cool with it. The other teams also had slow runners in them and, to my surprise, we arrived at our destination first. We had to unlock an innertube from a fence. Each of us had to keep a hand on it as we headed back to the starting point.

We were ahead when we took off with the innertube but we ignored the "you can go cross country on the way back" part of the instructions and ended up in second place. When we got back we were given a question and we headed off to the Japanese Garden to find the answer. We had to roll the tube along part of the way, run off and find the answer, pick up the tube on the way back and roll it back to the start, where we were given another question. A different person had to roll it each time. It was easier for Nic and I to roll the innertube as neither of us is tall.

There were three questions all together. We trailed the first team all the way through this section, but something seemed to go wrong for them and they headed back to the Japanese Garden while we were given a new challenge. We had to get the innertube around a course without touching it with our hands. Nathan worked out how to do this. Nic and I stood the tube up with our feet and he stuck his head through. We then jogged around the course and ended up winning the race. There were prizes for everyone, but we got to pick first. I scored a PowerBar out of it, which was pretty cool.

We got one of the answers wrong and had to do 10 pushups. I did the "look at my elbow" thing and my pushups were definitely better. We could have had the answer right, but I chose not to argue the point. Once upon a time I would have had to be right however I don't bother so much now over trivial things. I guess that it's either a sign of maturity, ie being able to choose not to sweat the small stuff, or a sign of old age, ie not having the energy to insist that we reconsider our answer. I didn't mind doing the pushups anyway.

It's amazing how much fun this type of event is. We did a lot of running, but we were distracted by the questions and by trying to keep the innertube rolling so it didn't seem like we were working hard. It was good doing it with team mates too. I like being put with different people as it gives you an opportunity to develop a real appreciation of them. Most of the people doing the challenge are Black Team Women so an added benefit is that we get to know the other participants.

The TBW runners are doing the Canberra Times 10 km Fun Run on Sunday. I'm running the 8 km Spring into Shape instead. I had to choose between the series and the fun run. I could have skipped the 1st run in the series, but this weekend is closest to my birthday and I wanted to be in Melbourne to celebrate with the family. Birthdays are a major event in my family. During the year I try to get home for most of the celebrations.

This evening I headed off to Yoga. We did a modified Power Yoga. In other words it was easier than Power Yoga. There were a lot of downward dogs, which was great for my hamstrings and calves. It's a fabulous way to stretch. We got an explanation of the position today from the instructor and I realised I've been letting my shoulders be too close to my ears. Now that I know, I can do something about it. I still struggled with getting out of the position, but it felt easier today - that advice I got from the Body Balance instructor definitely made a difference.

I know Yoga is exercise, but it feels like a holiday. I guess it's because I can catch my breath!

I've got an opportunity to go running with some of the TBW. They are running earlier than usual, which suits me, so I think I'd better get myself down there. I was planning to run and it's fun to run with other people. The main issue is that I'm struggling with having warm clothes to run in. Nothing fits! I left my only other warm top in Melbourne and I'm missing it. Oh, the trials of losing weight! Aren't they great? :-)