I caved !!

Okay the skinny jean debate is back on.   When I told my friends that I was not going down the path of the skinny jean, it was met with howls of protests that I just hadn't found the right colour.

I'm still going to say pork sausage legs will still look like pork sausage legs regardless of what colour skin the sausage has.  Just saying.

However today I tried a pair of deep grape coloured ones on and caved.

I am now the owner of a pair of skinny jeans.  Size 14.  Are you freaking kidding me?  When did THAT happen???   A year ago I was nudging size 20 and here I am in size 14 skinny jeans.  Blows my mind.

So if you happen to see me on the streets of Melbourne this coming finale weekend, rocking my grape coloured skinny jeans, walking down the footpath beside you.  Do stop and say hi  :-)

I'm so looking forward to the Melbourne finale weekend, only a couple of days away.  We have a large Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt crew contingent coming across for the weekend.  It is going to be such good fun.    Not only that, but we are going to look sooooo hot!  Cause we have a new crew outfit.

I'm not even going to hint about our new work out shirts, nope, not a hint, can't be spoiling the surprise now can I????  I wonder why I'm typing in this colour, hmmmmmm??????

Let's just say, you're not going to lose us in a crowd.

I'm a bootleg girl in a skinny jean world

I am going to preface this post, blaming my friends Kylie and Cheng and probably I'll throw Polly in there too, just for good measure.

We have been talking in recent times about ... THE SKINNY JEAN.

Go on have a go I hear them say, yes I got a pair, I got two, you have to try them, they're all the rage.

So try them I did yesterday.  I thought if this whole coloured skinny jean rage is just a passing fad I'll just get some el cheapos from Target.  So I grabbed a couple and headed for the change room.

I swear I nearly knocked myself out.  I had one leg in and trying to get the other leg in, I was hopping about in the change room making all sorts of grunting sounds, heavens forbid, and lost my footing.  Thank God I didn't bang into the door and end up in the corridor with the jeans around my ankles.  Instead I nearly cracked my head on the other wall of the change room.  I can't imagine the poor lady in charge of the change rooms wondering what the hell was going on in my little cubicle.

So Kylie and Cheng and Polly, end result ... I fitted into the size 14 skinny jeans, they were even perhaps bordering on a bit loose around my tummy, but OH FOR FLIP'S SAKE my legs looked like badly made pork sausages in them.  Probably doesn't help that I'm not the tallest person in the world, but they are not very forgiving and you do see every lump and bump!  Not for me.

I've come to realise I'm a boot leg girl in a skinny jean world.

Now *THIS* is enough to make you want to exercise...

Yesterday I travelled to Ararat to see a couple of familiar faces, and meet up with some of our Warrni crew who were also up for a bit of action.   And in my head there was an imaginary conversation going on too...

Okay so a little bit of literary license taken there, but oh me oh my Commando Steve did have us swooning, I'll grant you that.   And when I captured this smile woah!, actually he was about to break out into a laugh and I snapped at the right time, but I like to think our eyes met across a crowd and this was the result.  We'll go with it, shall we?

We were fortunate to see some filming for the next season of The Biggest Loser, not to mention possibly being filmed ourselves (think as in an "extra" capacity).  Can't really say any more than that.  Our one second of fame will probably not make the cut, but it was all a bit of fun and a chance to catch up with some of our crew again in the very cold conditions early in the morning!

I did it again! It wasn't a fluke!!

Saturday morning, my favourite time of the week.  It never used to be. Friday nights were my favourite time of the week, the whole weekend in front of me, can veg out on the couch, take it easy.  Not any more, it's Saturday morning.  Get up, get out, and breathe in that fabulous morning air.

Hubby rolls over in bed and groggily asks how far I think I might run this morning.  I didn't want to say it out loud.  I just said "oh well, wherever my legs take me".

But secretly I wanted to run 10km again.  Just so I could solidify in my head that last week's efforts were not a fluke.

The morning was beautiful, crisp, but fantastic, I ran on the sunny side of the street, naughty I know, I'm meant to be running against traffic ... err ... very few footpaths in our town, so you run on the road.  But the sun was delicious this morning and I kept my ears out for any cars.

I was feeling fantastic, I could hear runkeeper in the pocket at the back of my running shirt counting down the 5 mins, 10 mins, 15 mins, and also counting down the 1km, 2km, 3km, and on it went.  I was actually running less than 7 minute kilometres.  I didn't set out to go that fast, but I could hear it telling me crazy stats like 6 min 55 sec kilometres and the like.  Wow.  

I was on the home stretch, oh about half a kilometre from home and my smile was so big, I knew I was going to make the 10, the last stat I heard was 9.5km.  I reached around as I was running to unzip my back pocket and get the phone out to check how close I was and I hit something and the whole run disappeared.  I had accidentally cancelled it.

WAAAAAAAHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Insert  [[ #$(*)($@)#%&@#&)#*E)#*)*#)*W#$()#(* ]] here.

Actually insert a lot of that there.  

End result, I retracked on runkeeper on the computer and I did approx 10.1 kilometres, I don't have the end time but perhaps about 1 hour 14 or so.  I felt freaking fantastic anyway.

It was a terrific morning.  Up on the outskirts of town I said "good morning" to the cows who stopped chewing just to stare at me as I ran past, I yelled out "hey" to some scaredy sheep that scattered, I nearly got taken by a low flying duck when I frightened it as it scampered as I ran around the lake.  It was a great morning to be alive.   And I know now it wasn't a fluke.  Yay me.

Funny little story to tell.  I've gone red, nahhh not just in my face, but my last haircut, I've had a red colour put through my hair and loved it so much that yesterday arvo I told her to go redder!  WOAH!  Where did that sense of bravado come from???  Funny what losing weight will do to a girl. 

So because I already had colour in my hair, I wasn't really due for another cut and colour just yet, but it's the only chance I have before finale to get one, she said she'd do the permanent in my roots and a semi-permanent on my ends so that my ends didn't get too dark.  Yeah whatever, she's the expert, I was only half taking it in.  She warned me the first wash don't be alarmed I may see some of the red rinse out.  

So on my run, I was getting sweatier and sweatier, my head usually sweats up a storm anyway and the back of my hair gets quite wet during a long run.  

OH NO!   Err yes!  

I reached up to my neck as I was on the home stretch and looked at my hand, there was some red dye going down the back of my neck.  True.  Hubby saw me when I got home ... "CAROL, YOUR HAIR IS LEAKING!!!!"   Quite funny really, can't imagine what people must have been thinking if they saw the back of my neck.  I had run so hard my head was bleeding!!!

EXCEPT THE DAY AFTER YOU GET YOUR HAIR DYED !!

How quickly your mood can change

For sure.  I swear my mood can change on the spin of a 10 cent piece.  I had planned to go to the gym after work, but well work kinda got in the way, and all of a sudden it was an hour past my finishing time, and a looming 45 minute drive ahead of me to get home.

Do I?  Don't I?  Oh it's so easy on nights like this, particularly with day light saving over, to say hang it, I'll just head home.

But I didn't.

I got into my work out gear, and on my way out the office saw one of my friends here at work who is also currently doing 12wbt and we laughed about how easy it was to just go home, but I'll thank myself afterwards and no matter how tired I was right at that moment I would feel sensational by the time I got home.

And I'm so glad I did zig when I so wanted to zag tonight.

Now I just tend to go to the gym and do my own thing, follow (somewhat) Michelle's exercises, but just keep active.  One of the trainers however spotted me tonight when my plans went awry and the two rowing machines were taken just when I had planned to row after my run.  So I aimlessly did some weights, and stretches, and he came over to me.  I'm going to call him big tall tattoo guy (BTTG for short).

He said he'd noticed I didn't have a plan and wondered if I wanted to go through a plan with him.  Hell yeah.  I've never bothered before, not for want of not wanting to, but the trainers always look so busy (yeah yeah, I know I could have booked in a time).

So the most beneficial part of all this is that BTTG actually asked me what I want out of my workouts?  And what was really important to me?  So I told him about my weight loss and 12wbt and from that has brought about a feeling that I really want and need to run.  Great he said, he could definitely help me with leg strength.

What else he asked?

This is where I thought, okay, if I'm going to trust the BTTG with working out a plan for me, I need to really talk about what has been bothering me.

I mean to say he's not a mind reader right?  I could have just whispered "I want to work on my under arms" but no, I decided to show him my tuck shop lady arms, the bat wings flapping in the breeze.  I looked at him hopefully, "there's nothing you can do about this right?"

Wrong.  He said he could definitely work on my triceps.   Triceps I asked?  These are what Mike calls my "underceps".   He liked that term.  I think he's going to use it.  So if you hear it used at gyms round the nation, you heard it here first right?

So I now have a plan.  He even had me doing fast 30 second sprints on the elliptical (evil) machine that I avoid like the plague.  I think by this stage I was trying to impress BTTG and I nearly hit myself in the head in a moment of forgetfulness when I overbalanced and the handlebar thingy nearly clonked me.

I think I'm going to sign up for some sessions with BTTG.  I've never had sessions with a personal trainer before, and maybe I'm at the stage that I do need to be pushed.  I've really slowed down in this round, and my last lot of measurements at week 8 were EXACTLY the same as week 4.  Not even a tweek smaller.

So a hugely positive night tonight.  And all because I decided to exercise.  Go figure.

I did it ... I freaking well did it !!!

I had an RDO today and my plans were to try the 10.  I worked out a plan on Thursday night, mapped out a route that would equate to 10k and see how I went.  I set off just after 8am and felt good.  I could hear my runkeeper marking the time, I have it set to tell me at each 5 minute interval and when each km hits.  I'm a bit needy that way!!  :-)

I remember thinking when I heard 4.something that I was half way to my previous PB.  Then when it hit 5k I thought wow, I've just got to double what I just did and I'm there.

When it went past 8.3k I was on a high, I knew anything from here on in I was in unchartered territory.  Then homeward bound I knew I was getting close and when it hit that magical 10 kilometre mark you couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

As I got home I looked up the driveway and I could see Mike there and he looked up at me and I couldn't help it, arms up in the air I ran down the driveway yelling "I did 10, I did 10" I can't imagine what the neighbours were thinking.

I am so freaking proud of myself right now.  And it's all because of a very encouraging friend in the Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt group who challenged me to try for a 10 k run by finale of this round.  And of course egged all the other girls on too.

Here it is folks.  My map was so big on runkeeper I had to stick 2 together (hence the wobbly bits on the sides).   One might say I ran all over town today.

I've mentioned them a few times in my posts, but I truly love the Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt crew.  They are the most encouraging and dynamic group of women and truth be known once I went past 8km I kept thinking, I can't wait to tell the girls. 

Imagine my surprise this afternoon, mind you after my CWA meeting (where I was feeling like some of the older ladies by that stage!!  Oh my aching legs!) I hooked onto our facebook group and saw Kellie, who started all this try for 10 nonsense  :-) had started a post, and by heck she had remembered everything about me over the past year.  

• The fact I was wearing my socks on the wrong feet when I got fitted for running shoes.
• That my favourite dress boutique is closing down.
• The not so secret notion that I love Chobani yoghurt.
• That we are getting special Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt shirts made.
• The day I ran up the mount and encountered the bull.
• That I had gone to Emazon and was pretty impressed at that visit.
• And my courageous effort to run up Mt. Elephant in the Derrinallum fun run.

I'm sure Kellie won't mind me sharing this, it was so flipping funny I let out a huge unlady like snort when I was laughing so much when I read it later in the afternoon.  

" In BREAKING NEWS … there is a massive buzz around Warrnambool and Surrounds today. Everywhere I went I heard snippets of conversations, 10 kms one said, Carol is unstoppable another said, we knew she could do it a neighbour was heard to say. 

It started when I stopped into The Athletes Foot and the staff there were too busy to serve me as they were excitedly chatting about something, the handsome Manager came rushing over to me saying “Have you heard about Carol Gilmour … she ran 10 kms non stop! Tell her to come in and I will fit her in the best running shoes I have. You know, I sold Carol her first pair of running shoes, she sure has come a long way from the lady who wore her socks on the wrong foot.”

Next stop was Jaz Boutique who were so excited about Carol they wanted me to tell her that they want to dress her for the Melbourne 12wbt Finale. They have the perfect dress for her and believe that with her endorsement they will be able to remain open and not have to shut down.

I had to check on our crews 12wbt tops and the lovely lady at Joroni had an interesting proposition for me … with the recent amazing achievement by Carol they want to sponsor the entire crew’s tops and hoodies. All we have to do is add the slogan ‘Carol is awesome’’ to the back of our tops.

To top all this off when I went into Safeway the entire staff were wearing tops with the image of Carol running up a hill in Mortlake (yes the one where she is being chased by a bull). The Manager of the store announced over the loud speaker that in honour of Carol’s 10 kms everyone in the store would be receiving a month’s supply of Chobani yoghurt.

Some of you may have noticed on the Market to Mount website that the committee are super excited also (news travels fast) and want Carol to be the guest runner at next year’s Market to Mount, a world renowned run up Mt Elephant. Even more impressive is the comment on Emazon’s site saying Brace yourself Carol for what is to come, I knew you would tap into a force that you always knew you had’’. Emazon is posting Carole a SYG signature Bracelet for her efforts.

Personally, I am so proud of Carol that I had a few happy tears in my eyes when I read her post. You are an amazing woman Carol! "

Love our Warni girls, the comments that followed Kellie's hysterical (but very unfactual) post there were so heartwarming and encouraging, I've felt very special today.  And totally love 12wbt.  I hope this doesn't sound melodramatic, but thank you Michelle Bridges for changing my life.

The timeline banner from my facebook  :-)

Grand plans!

Mike has taken an interest in my running.  Not that he wants to run himself, no way.  But he's loving seeing me strive and achieve and push myself.  So the other night he made up a run for me for the weekend.

Hang on, backtrack a bit...

The girls from our fabulous Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt crew are playing fitness tag at the moment.  Something we "borrowed" from the VicTeam group, who "borrowed" it from the Ballarat group I believe.  So the aim is to tag someone, they go out and do something awesome, and come back and report about it and then tag someone else.  The things that the girls are achieving have been phenomenal.

So in my tag I ran my longest non-stop distance, oh that was a little bit ago, it was 4.something kilometres.  I was so proud of myself.   Since then I've gradually achieved longer and longer non-stop runs as I've been reporting here.

So one day I log into our private group and see flip, there's been 29 posts, wow the girls have been active during the day.  Until I see the discussion they're posting on.  One bright spark (yes you Kellie!!) started a post:

Who thinks Carol should run 10 kms before the Finale?  Comment 'yes' below if you think she can do it!

Oh Good Lord, how does one respond to that?  Pressure is on.  Of course everyone chimed in that I should do it, some thought it was in the bag, there was crazy talk of it leading to a half marathon, and me caving in and telling everyone I would give it a red hot go.

WTF???  10 FREAKING KILOMETRES, NON-STOP.  I'm just not ready for that.

Then one of the girls, Kate, reasoned that I've already run 8.3 km non-stop.  There's only another 1.7 km to go and I know I can run 1.7 km.  Gaaaah!  I hate it when people make sense.

So forward this week to Mike.  He's been plotting and scheming different routes around town that I could run that would equate to 10 km or thereabouts.  So he planned one for me for today.  It would take me from my place north out of town.  So far north that I'd be running with only farm houses and cows and sheep for company.   I'd hit the base of the Mount (the mount is an old volcano Mt. Shadwell that our town is built just south of).  Mike assured me there were only three small rises that I'd have to scale in this run, and then back onto Ararat Road heading back into town, a few loop de loops and home.   It was (on paper) a good run.

So I set off this morning.  It was perfect weather.  The sun was just lovely and warming, not hot.  There was a slight headwind, but only slight.  Perfect conditions.

Funny how cows just stop and stare as you run on by, so I had a fair bit of audience as I got up as far as Cairnlea Lane which was as north as I'd be running, turned east and then saw the first (insert delirious laughter here) rise.  Whew!  Okay so head down, body forward, I ran and well I'd like to say powered up the rise, but it was a struggle but I made it at a slow run.  Got over the other side only to see a bigger one.  This wasn't a flipping "rise" it was a full on hill.

By this stage I was calling Mike for everything under the sun.  I swear even a cow blushed when it heard my language, and I usually can't talk when I run, but I sure let invisible Mike beside me have it with both barrels in the heat of the moment.

Had a bit of a recovery coming down off the first rise and gave it a red hot go getting up the second, but it broke me.  I was about 3km into the run at this stage and my legs gave out and I had to walk up it.  Headed into a run down the other side only to see an even bigger one up ahead.  Had to walk that one too.  I was so disappointed in myself at that stage.

I was starting off on the run again and then a darn yappy sausage dog came running out of a house and started barking and nipping at my heels.  Amazing how that will send a person, with jelly legs, into an Olympic sprint!!  Then the mind games kicked in.  All I could think about was sausages, mmmmmmm, sausages in bread and tomato sauce.  Stupid sausage dog giving me a visual like that.

I can report from that stage I did run all the way back home, minus the added loop de loops, and ended up with a 7.1 km morning.

I still have about 3 and a bit weeks left in the challenge to run a 10'er before finale.  I wonder if I'll make it.

I cracked the 8 !!!

I did it, I am over the moon.  This morning I headed out and 1 hour 12 seconds later I arrived back home having run 8.32 kilometres.  NON-STOP !!!  Okay so I'm not setting any land speed records for sure.  But that's okay, I'm building up my endurance.

Having entered the 8km run in the upcoming Mothers Day Classic, and never having run 8km in my life, I just wanted to see if I had it in me, so these past runs to date have been climbing but never quite reached the 8.  But today it did.  I am over the moon!

I ran the perimeter of town again, and then on the way back zig zagged to make up the rest of the distance.  Let's face it, our little town isn't that big.  We may need to move to a bigger town!! ha.

So I think my goal now is to concentrate on getting better times over the 8km, get this Mothers Day Classic run, and then start building the distance again.  Hopefully I'm on the right track there, I'm just making this up as I go.

A couple of things I noticed today though:

• Mike was heading bush today and as I was running down Ararat Road, he passed me heading out of town.  As the car passed I could see the look of pride on his face as I just held my hand up and kept running, it's a pretty good feeling.

• The amount of people that almost expect you to talk to them as you are running, can't they see I'm on the clock and trying to set a PB!!   Oh, I guess they can't.  :-)  So I just put up a hand in acknowledgement and keep on running.  No time to stop for chatter.

• The shower I had when I got home was probably up there in the top 10 showers in my life, bliss!

• I was ravenous when I then had breakfast, but I kept it in check with my muesli and toast.  Probably should have only had the muesli, but I needed the toast too, I'm listening to my body a bit better now.  

• And lastly, nothing beats having sore feet and slipping into hand knitted pure woollen socks.  It's like giving my feet a comforting hug  (people who know me, know I love to knit socks!!)

This beautiful pair were knitted for me by my good friend Tanya, 

which makes them even more special.

Have a great week everyone.  We have guests coming for dinner tomorrow night and I am going to make a great stir fry with lots of vegetables and flavour.  And a Mish approved dessert, I know not what yet.  Better sort that out tonight.