Fun run tomorrow night

Well not tomorrow NIGHT exactly, but certainly early evening.  6.45pm to be precise.  It's the only fun run I've done that's not early morning and it's a different feeling, the weight of the day on you.  And don't you just love it, it's a 5.92 kilometre fun run!!!  Why don't they just start it 80 metres back up the road and make it a 6K!  Crazy.

But it's a locally run event, it's running from one town to the next, Noorat to Terang.  And it's a clear passage, walkers are on the walking path, runners down the road with the traffic stopped.  No pushers in the way!

I remember last year I was in the Veterans category.  What was the deal with that, a freaking Veteran!  Wheel chair waiting at the end for me please. ha.

I love this pic that Mike took last year at the start of the race.   I like supporting locally run events, it's a good feeling event, lots of camaraderie.  Hmmm except when you get to Terang people are usually sitting out on their naturestrips if it's a nice night and they will give you a hosing if you give them the thumbs up for it.

43 minutes and 07 seconds last year.

I have a PB from that race to beat!

Long weekend run with a sore butt !!

So the weekend has rocked around again and I had to do a 12km run.  It was weighing heavily on my mind.

Friday evening I don't mind telling you I was sitting here at the computer finishing a deadline of a project I had, and I didn't notice the time getting away from me.  I went to stand up and I swear I had to uncrink myself.  I was in agony.  It may have been a coincidence that I had been at the computer a couple of hours without moving, or it may have been a by-product of my running, who knows.  All I know that all weekend if I go from sitting to standing I am taking an age to straighten up and walk properly.  Once I'm up and around walking no problems, it's just my usual aches and pains.  Are we ever not hurting???

So Saturday morning the alarm went off, I groaned and stayed in bed.  A long time as it happens.  Mike got up and told me to just sleep as he knew how sore I was the night before.

This morning the alarm went off and I went to get up but once again going from sitting (or lying as the case was) to standing was painful.  So I ditched the weekend run again.

During the morning I was doing things around the house, moving with no problems because once I'm moving I'm okay and I remembered something a running friend mentioned on our running facebook site, that the pain of not doing the run would have been worse than the pain of the run itself, or words to that effect.

So at just after 11.30 this morning I got myself ready to go out.  I knew it would end up being a walk/run/walk/run and I was fine with that.  I just needed to get the kms in my legs.  And I thought that it would be too easy to call the run short if I just did my running loops around the streets in town, so I decided I would just run straight out of town 6km and then turn and run all the way back in.  Shades of Forrest Gump there huh?

I did however tell Mike to keep his mobile phone handy in case I broke down along the way.

The map here is crazy, you can see I left the township of Mortlake and just kept running, even past the salt flats.  I actually wasn't sure where 6km was going to take me and I was praying as I ran that Runkeeper would hurry up and tell me it had arrived!  Only a few trucks passed me which meant I had to get way over in the verge so I didn't get knocked off my feet with the back draft as they drove past.  And the odd car that went past made sure they gave me a wide berth as I got off the road for them also, running against the traffic.

It was hot out there, and well when you think about it, I was running in the heat of the day, doh!  I was just so glad to be moving and pain free.   What's a run without a selfie though!  You can see the road stretched out behind me, this was as I was making my way back into town.

A view across part of the salt flats over to Mount Shadwell, heck I was a long way from town!

And as part of the Licorice & Olives Race series we were to take a photo during our run, well I had a few to pick from didn't I?  But this is the one I chose.  The sky was such a beautiful colour, honestly if you could bottle it, you'd make a fortune.

Another view of the long long road in front of me.  Run Carol Run !!  ;-)

And I've often driven past the old Butter Factory at the edge of town, but never stopped to take a photo as it is on a sweeping bend.  It's a ramshackle old building falling down with cacti in the front which just look so out of place.  So I had to stop and take a pic.

And yes, this week is the February race for the Licorice & Olives race series 5km.  So I used the first 5km of my run this afternoon, paused Runkeeper to take the screen print, and then continued on my way.  I'm not fussed that the time is slow, being that it was part of the bigger picture.   I don't know why it was saying I was doing a 6 min km, cause I wasn't going that fast! ha.

Some post run stretches and then it was nap central in this house.  I ended up having a delicious hour long nap on the bed, Mike fell asleep on the couch in his usual possie, and Lucky loves to get wedged between him and the arm of the couch, he hangs with his head over the side (can we say blood rush!) and pops his paw up on Mike's leg.  Funny boy.

So hope your weekend was great and let's have a great week.  Friday night is the Noorat to Terang fun run, so I'm looking forward to that one.  

Struggle town

I don't mind telling you I'm visiting Struggle Town at the moment.  I started the round on a positive note and already the complacency has set in.  Not about the exercise though, and not about the running, it seems to be mostly about the eating.

Oh I'm very good in public, good portion sizes, good healthy eating, refusing sweets and biscuits is easy.

But in private ...... oh that's another story!

The secret eating in the car has crept back in, popping into the supermarket on the way home from work on the guise of getting something we need, yoghurt, bread, tea bags or whatever, and popping a chocolate bar or the like in with the shopping to munch on my drive home (a 40 min drive means I can well and truly finish whatever and hide the evidence).

Has it come to this?  Who do I think I'm fooling?

Not only that but from my best ever weigh in of 30 kg loss completely, 6 kg has crept back on.  That's 6 extra kg to lug around the streets when I'm running.  6 extra kg to add pressure to my knees on each pace I take.  6 extra kg tightening my work clothes.

It has to stop.
I need to string more than one day together.

So I have the rest of the round, not to mention the half marathon looming at the end of it, to get myself under control and hit my goal.  So taking the lead from the fabulous Kate of Coco Butter fame, I'm calling this OPERATION 70's. 

I am aiming to get to 79.9kg by the end of this round and know I will be in the best shape I've ever been in.  I have currently crept back up to 88kg and it scares the bejingos out of me that I'm slowly gaining my weight back.  There, I've said it out loud.  Is it possible to claw my way back down?  I hope so.  No, I know so!

OPERATION 70'S HAS BEGUN...

And I need to include here my reasons why I *NEED* to do this, so I can read back on them when times get tough.

Because I'm going to become a grandmother in June:
I remember my two grandparents.  Well my paternal nanna died when I was young so I remember her mainly from photographs, rather than a physical sense.  She was a large imposing woman and all the photos I have of me with her she looks awkward and not at all comfortable with me, like for instance this one:

I don't want that for my grandchild.  I want to be the fun nanna, the one that runs around and plays with him.  I want to be the active one, that he wants to come stay with because there's always fun activities that nanna and grumpy will join in with.  And for that I need to lose the rest of this weight and be as healthy and as active as I can be to stay young.   There's a little one on the way and this is so important to me.

Because I'm going to be 50 in September:
I'm not fazed about turning 50, that doesn't worry me.  But what does concern me is that when I turned 30 I was as thin as I have ever been, and so for the last almost 20 years I feel like I have wasted facets of my life.  Until I found 12wbt.  Until I really found my life again.  And my voice.  It's important to me and to Mike as well, that we get as healthy as we can be as we get older, and that means both of us dropping the rest of the weight we want to drop.

Because I love to run:
To run with weight on just adds stress and pressure to the joints and the muscles and it's just a plain hard slog.  Who knew that at age 48 I would discover a love of running.  The only thing I regret is that I didn't work this out years ago.  But I love the feeling of freedom, the sense of achievement.  And to make things easier on my joints and muscles and recovery, I need to be lighter and springier, and that means lose the bloody weight!  Why can't I get that in my head.  It needs to sink in.

Because I DESERVE IT:
I deserve to feel wonderful and sexy and confident.  I deserve to wear nice clothes and receive compliments.  I deserve to be the best that I can possibly be.  And what better reason to do this once and for all.

There are four really good reasons why I need to get this weight off, so now I have put this down and it's out there sent to the universe, I will read it whenever I need to until it becomes second nature.

Operation 70's has begun in earnest.

Long Sunday morning run

So it looks as if I just can't get my Saturdays into gear, and my long Saturday morning run happened on a Sunday again.  All good.    I was to do 11 km this morning and I believe Runkeeper had a hiccup and skipped a kilometre somewhere along the way, either that or I really was in la la land as I was running and missed hearing a km clock over.  So I did an extra km just in case, so I knew I had the 11km expected run covered.

Actually it may have been because of all the jigging around I did in the public loos when I needed a pitstop trying to get sweaty leggings down and up my legs, that sent Runkeeper into a tailspin. ha!

So there you have it, I painted the town red (so to speak) !!

When I ran through the park and around the lake there was a spot that caught my eye so I flipped my phone out of my Spibelt and snapped this pic, it looked pretty.  It doesn't usually look this pretty, just sayin' !!

And then leaving the park I ran through the Apex Rose Garden and spotted this rose that looked like it had little diamonds on it with the dew drops, it was sparkling, so snapped that also as ran past.  I've worked out that it's the little things on a run that gives the greatest pleasure.

But boy I was tired this arvo, I ended up having a nap and actually crawled into bed, my old peg legs were a bit achy and I wanted to lay with them out flat, and promptly fell asleep.  Probably won't sleep tonight.  Actually I'll be hitting the hay not long after I hit publish here.

Have a great week.

You spin me right round baby round round

So last night our Warrnie 12wbt crew had a night out at a local gym.  A couple of times now we've hired one of the trainers and one of the rooms and the trainer has put together a session just for us of our choosing, bearing in mind we have super fit girls, 12wbt beginners, and ladies who haven't tried the said exercises.  You may remember our Body Balance class (yes yes, and I made up my own moves, I was quite partial to the "I am a little tea pot move" !!  ;-)

So fitness guru Renee was roped in again and we had her take us in a Spin class.  Now I must warn you, I (and some of the other ladies) have never done Spin in our lives.  I took one look at the seat of the bike and mumbled "it doesn't look very comfortable" !!  Then when I sat on it I was sure I had the wrong sized seat as my bottom kind of spilled over the side, ha!  Renee told me that was perfect and I wouldn't be sitting down much anyway.

She wasn't kidding.

It was hard work!  I knew I was really gunning it when I felt the sweat roll down from my forehead and drip off the end of my nose!  It was tough.  And even when you think no one will know, I'll just slacken the tension off again, then all of a sudden she gets you to stand up on the bike and ride, and that's when you need the tension, so the un-co me is trying to stand, pedal, tighten the tension, and not fall off all at once.

It was fun though, lots of fun, and a huge work out.  And just quietly Cadel Evans has nothing to fear, I won't be taking up bike riding any time soon.  Actually I was cursing driving into work this morning and wishing I drove an automatic, as every time I put the clutch in I felt a certain bone in my botty that was quite sore!!  The legs on the other hand were good, does that mean my legs are getting stronger?

I liked doing the Spin class, I liked it probably more so because I looooooove working out with these girls, they are all so motivational and have become good good friends.  That's one of the best by-products of 12wbt for me.  And we all feed off each other, just when you feel so darn tired you can't do another thing you take a look across at Kellie, or Fran, or Anna, or any one of them and you just go that little bit harder.  It's kinda catching.

Here's our group at the end of the session, a bit of a dodgy iPhone pic, minus Leah who was off to the right.

Ahh there's Leah there on the right, marathon girl pedalling away.  Action shot, I quickly took a pic.

Eh, and what's a shot without the crazy eyed selfie lady getting in on the act!!  That was my bike down there in front of Erin in the green, so I was trying to get us all in the shot, and just ended up looking like a nutter instead! ha.

Mind you I had run and finished my 12 minute time trial about half an hour before this class.  Yep, last night I was delirious on exercise!   

Food however not so good, I gained 100 grams at Wednesday weigh in.  I know that it is merely a piddle, but I am snacking a little too much, I think all my running has made me quite hungry and I come home looking for a good breakfast or dinner and end up eating a little too much.  I'll get this sussed out, I'm sure.   This whole 1500 cal plan on the running plan has screwed with my thinking, as I was so set on the 1200 cal / 300 cal meals.  I'll get it sorted.

Day off tomorrow, there will be morning run planned, yay!

Monday Hill Intervals

Woah, I did it hard this afternoon, I was a puddle by the end, but I did it.  Monday Hill Intervals.  Looks like Mr. Squiggle has taken to my Runkeeper map in a tanty, doesn't it, ha!

Here I am at the end, you can see the hill that bootlegs around behind me.  Flushed, exhausted, but elated that I did it.  I know when I did the 10km program, the round before last, it was these drills that made me so much stronger in the legs, and which made the Dunkeld 10km race one of the best I'd ever done.  So I'm keeping that in mind, knowing this is putting me in good stead for the half marathon.  

Hey, and this is the cool new running top that I bought from Skirts Sports.   One might say a bit snazzy huh?

On the husband front, Mike has hit a little snag in the road literally with his running.  After going out successfully with the new Mizunos the first time and announcing them the best thing since sliced bread, he has been plagued by sore ankles.   He limped home yesterday afternoon after attempting the big block, poor thing.

Not to be outdone, he decided about 20 mins later to go out again and try running differently to see if that helped.  Smaller steps, landing differently on his feet.   I waited on the front porch again for him to do the block and again he limped home.

I delved into Michelle's videos to the one about lacing runners and we've laced his runners a bit differently, and so glutton for punishment he did the block again, coming down the straight he overtook a lady with a pram (got to love those small fist pump moments) and announced much better.  But as the evening went on his left knee this time got progressively worse.  He's limping round like an old man today.

I'm trying hard to not sound like I know everything, because I don't so I'm trying to take a back seat and only give him some suggestions as to what has worked for me, stressing that it has taken me a long time to get to the point I've gotten to.  But he's frustrated.  Mind you he doesn't warm up or cool down which isn't helping (I've suggested he start at least with a walk, but eh, walking's for sissies, grrrr the macho man), he knows he's landing hard on his feet, the bitumen here is not the greatest to run on (and I've suggested he go to the oval and run on the grass to see if that will help).  So I'm trying to stay quiet, but it's really hard.  I need to find another running man in town that can mentor or guide him, because you know the drill, if someone else says it, it must be true.

Okay that's it, hope your Monday was a good one and the hills treated you kindly.

Long Saturday morning run ... on a Sunday

Okay so I'm not a morning person as such.  Oh I have no problems getting up early for work, but I wake up slow.  I'm a potterer.  My alarm is usually for 6am on a week day and I don't leave for work until 7.45.  But I potter.  I like having a leisurely breakfast.  I like taking my time to really wake up.  So that means I don't work out early.

I know I know, it's all about getting the monkey off your back, and I see the benefits in that.

But I tend to work out or run after work.  Which can lead to the "can't be bothereds" -- or the inclement weather -- or the working back -- or the having things on after work etc etc.

However I know I need to pull my finger out with this half marathon program, and already ditching the Saturday morning run yesterday I needed to get up and out the door early.  And I did.  And what do you know it, what a prize I was congratulated with ...

So people, this is what your Sunday morning looked like if you were still asleep in bed.  GLORIOUS!

I managed 10.6 kilometres this morning, but needed to do a cheeky little walk every 2km because of the humidity.  Heck, we're down south, it's not meant to be this hot!  And I was already out before the sun was up.

One thing that did bother me this morning was the flies.  OMG, they were so bad.  So I figure if i did 10.6k, those flies that were following me the whole way, doing circles around me, must clearly have done 20k !!  I forgot the one product this morning that I swear by.  I'll let you into a little secret.

Nature's Botanical.

Is it a secret or does everyone already know about it?  Haven't seen it on the shelves by chance?  Perhaps checking the wrong shelves.   Errrr, you get it from the vets or your local equine store, Horseland or similar.  Yes it's an animal product, but I swear by it.  It's not an unpleasant smell, a little essential oil kind of like, Rosemary and Cedarwood.  A little dab here and there and a few dabs on your face and the flies will not bother you.  It's a large promise, but works for me.  Except this morning.  Because I forgot!  Grrrrrr.

The other thing I swear by and I have spoken about it here many times is Body Glide.  My ever increasing blisters last year were crippling me and the lovely Di McG sent me some.  Life Saver!   I'm still yet to find the perfect pair of socks but until then my Under Armour ones I get from Anaconda.  I'm sure you can get them elsewhere, but that's where I've seen these particular ones I wear so keep getting them from there.  I'm open to any other suggestion of socks, but at the moment they are my "go to" pair.

And while we're at it, has anyone invented the perfect knickers for running?  That don't ride up, or give you a wedgie, or roll down.  I'm not a hipster type girl, I need them higher up, but not full brief, hope that makes sense.  Open to all suggestions there too.  Until then I've been wearing some ordinary brand that I got by chance from Myer, Ambra, but still not perfect.

Oh and I've just bought a new running top from Sports Skirts.  Here it is HERE.  I got the black and white swirly pattern one and it sits sooooo nice!  A little lower at the back and it covers the bra straps which I like.  I must admit I didn't read the description correctly where it said to go down a usual size because of the fitting, and got my normal size in sports tops.  It's a little big around the arms, but it does fit nicely everywhere else, skims the body, not tight.  It will be fine for this year, and when I'm ready I'll get a smaller size.  Hopefully by then they'll have the tartan in that style.  How cool it would be for my Mike and my Scottish in-laws, if I were to wear a tartan running top in races, they'd certainly see me coming!

Okay there's my widom and whinges for the day.  Hope you are having a great Sunday and roll on Week 2 of the Half Marathon program.

By the way ... as part of the group "I want to Run or Walk 1000 kilometres in 12 months" (and in my case it's running) I have now run a total of 94 kilometres for the year.  Go me!  Already ahead of the game from last year's efforts.

Wednesday Weigh In

Well first weigh in of the round and I lost .9 kg.  That's the most I've lost in a week in a long time.  The buzz in the Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt crew is so infectious, we've got a lot of new members with this round and lots of the old faces have come back to do a refresher round and it's like catching up with old friends online.  Love it.

Mr. G has gone nuts!  He has started lengthening out his run/walk/run block and is now doing 2km.  He has also bought himself some proper runners, some fantastic Mizuno Wave Ultima 4 runners.  He did a little freak out when we went into Athletes Foot and saw the runners on the wall, every colour of the rainbow, Mr. Conservative that he is.  These are a very subdued shade of white/blue.  And he's already feeling the difference.  No pain in the shins or ankles.

The salesman teaching us a great new way to lace, I think he called it a lock lace. Very comfortable.  Yell out if you want to see closer, you probably already know about this trick, I'm probably the only one who didn't know about it.

And these were the pair that won for the day and are his new best friends!!

So yesterday whilst he went for a run here at home, I however added to the decline in the sand at Warrnambool beach yesterday.  It was soooo windy after work, the sand had blown over the path in sections and it stung.  Already a rebel I did my Monday training run and drills on Tuesday.  I had also left my sunglasses in the car and so I didn't have protection for my eyes, but I needed to get my training in, so I perservered through half closed eyes.  I'd pass a runner going the other way and we'd just raise our eyebrows at each other and think "nutter"!!  The sand was flying everywhere and stinging my legs.  Well when I got back to the car and took one look in the mirror, oh my!  My hot and sweaty face was covered in sticky sand.  Talk about a loofah getting it all off with my towel in the car!

Last week I got Mike to take the dreaded undies shot ready for the round and as I downloaded from my camera to the computer I looked in the file where I had my past photos and found this that I had put together last year.  The change in faces over the time.  Thank God for 12wbt, is all I can say.

Click on it for a larger version.

I will update with a current photo at the end of the round.  Perhaps a finish line half marathon photo!!!

The best run of my life

It may have only been 1.2km but it was probably the BEST 1.2km in my life.  It was the first time I have ever run with Mike.  He has just started running over the last week, he has plotted out a track which is the big block of 1.2km and has been doing a run/walk/run around it each day.  He's been off the smokes now for 6 months and ready to start moving.

So last night he says he was going to go out once the temp got a bit cooler and I looked at him with puppy dog eyes and asked if he minded I came too.

Oh my!  It was soooooo fun running with him.  When he walked I just did a slow jog but didn't stop, and bringing it home I urged him to run right down the street to the front gate without stopping.  Yay, he only had two catch his breathe walks in the whole run.  So proud of him.  To be honest I think I fell a little bit more in love with him than I already am :-)

Here we are before, looking fresh...

Here we are after, Mike had had it!  Poor guy he was knackered!!

Here he is one moment after the 'after' photo!!  tee hee

This is the start.  He says I have inspired him with the fitness I gave gained.  He has never run as a sport before this past week and think he's a little bit impressed with me.  Now he knows when I come home after a 10km run exactly what effort goes into that.

I'm so freaking excited, he's looking at doing the local Noorat to Terang fun run with me at the end of the month.

So tomorrow the February round of 12wbt commences.  Sooooo excited.  After taking a round off, I'm back and doing the half marathon program.  I just worked out where the 12 week end falls and wouldn't you know I believe it is when the Geelong Half Marathon is.  What a perfect end to the round having this as the 12 week major milestone.

Good luck everyone doing this round of 12WBT.