Sunday turned into Fogday

I decided not to do my usual run on Saturday.  I was really tired so thought I'd be kind to myself and just wake up when my body wanted to wake up.  It was sensational.  

I should have though, run that is.  Because this morning it was soooo foggy and utterly icy out there.  But out I went, I had to seeings I hadn't run yesterday, and it brought tears to my eyes.  There were a few ladies in front of the church and they said good morning as I ran by, eyes streaming with tears.  I think they wanted to bundle me up and take me into the church to see what was wrong with me!  

But it was all good.  I ended up doing 10.5km which I was really happy about.  Funny how it seemed to take forever and it was a pipe dream to even think I could get to 10km and now I can do it just like that.  Well ... it's not JUST like that, there's a fair bit of huffing and puffing going into it.  But I'm doing it and it's wonderful.

OMG, someone call the police, the Mount has been stolen!!! ha.  You wouldn't believe, but there's a big green luscious Mount looking over through that paddock.  It was shrouded in the fog.  

There was a fair bit of visualisation going on in my run this morning.  Mainly to take my mind off my right thigh which has been paining me.  I was running out of town and through the Avenue of Honour under the big cypress trees and there were crows sitting in the trees and sqwarking like you wouldn't believe.  I was imagining that they were cheering me giving me a standing ovation as I ran past.  

Thank you thank you crows, yes I am doing well aren't I?  ;-)

And then when I hit that laneway on the outskirts of town I was ready for the sausage dog and I gathered my reserves to speed up past that house, and the darn little thing wasn't there.  I sped up anyway, I'm sure I impressed the cows.

I really need to think about some music on my runs I think.  I did try it once but I kept trying to run in time to the music, rather than in time to what I wanted to run at, and I fumbled my way through the run.  That was the first and last time.  Any suggestions for me?  

Oh and a big high five moment for me this afternoon.  I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for one of the gentlemen who live across the road, he's been feeling poorly so I thought a batch of cookies might help.  Now the recipe of this said batch of cookies only uses half a tin of condensed milk.  I flexed that willpower muscle good and proper and washed the rest of the tin of condensed milk down the sink.  Go me!  

Now, I better plate these cookies and get them across the road and out of this house quick smart!  

Beware, this post may scare children and old people !!

Lucky you aren't either a child or an old person.  You aren't are you?   Don't scroll to the bottom just yet  ;-)

HA!  CAUGHT YOU.

You did scroll didn't you?  Couldn't help yourself !!!

I'll back track for a teeny bit.   Fabulous lass Emily from energyandEmily blog fame had a fabulous idea called the Pen Pal project.  I can't wait to see what I get, who doesn't love getting something from the postie that isn't a bill huh?  So anyway when my mystery gifter contacted me for my address details she asked innocently if I did instagram.  Nope, I think I tried it about a year ago from my iPad but gave up.  I mean, how different is it from facebook right?

Wrong!

After that innocent comment I worked out what my log in details, and armed with my new iPhone which is only about 3 weeks old, I have been snapping everything in sight! I've become a maniac.  It's the scrapbooker in me, I'll use that as my excuse.  

I also like to share parts of my run - what I see.  For some reason I find that extremely interesting seeing what people see on their runs.  It's fun to imagine we're all out there pounding the pavement, the roadsides, the grass, whatever, all in different parts of the country, all seeing a different norm.

So anyway yesterday and today after work, I decided to go for a run round the foreshore.  It's been sensational evenings and I don't know how my mind has been working.  I loved running round the foreshore in the summer before heading home from work, but for some reason I figured that the end of Day Light Saving meant the end of my foreshore running.  So I've been finishing work, driving home, then running in the dark around my little town.

Doh!  Don't ask me where my head has been.  Why not do my favourite run THEN go home!

So last night and tonight I started it again.  What a perfect way to end the week in Warrnambool.  So over the last two nights I've snapped a couple of pics of my run so you can see what a sensational view I get.  Which of course got loaded up into Instagram ... see where I was heading on my roundabout way.

Just got out of my car and doing a few stretches looking out along the breakwater.

Finishing the run yesterday, seeing the clouds roll in with the twilight.

And then tonight, I finished running from the breakwater to the surf club and back along Pertobe Road, then decided to run up the pier and back.  It was such a beautiful early evening.

The clouds had started turning pink, it was really pretty.

So I snapped this from midway along the pier.

So really a PERFECT two nights running.

I finished up tonight really appreciating where I work so I get to see views like this
before heading inland home to my little town.  

What on earth could be wrong with the world on a night like tonight.

My run was good.

I felt great.

I was wearing my favourite hot pink running jacket.

I had done my stretches at the end of the pier.

I was ready to head home.

I got in the car and saw this in the mirror.

OH MY GIDDY AUNT !!! (to borrow a phrase from my mum)

Where did that bird's nest come from ???????

We really have to laugh at ourselves don't we?

It's all part of the cup's half full mentality.

Hope I gave the fishermen on the pier a laugh tonight.

Crazy woman with the red bird's nest hair huffing and puffing past them!

Balance ... what's that?

Ha!  I went to a Body Balance class last night and realised that I have no balance at all, but it was loads of fun and such a lovely way, particularly the relaxation part at the end, to finish the work week on.

A wonderful instructor from a local gym offered to take a private Body Balance class for our Warrnambool & Surrounds 12wbt crew and we had 12 of our ladies there for the session.   I did a bit of google detective work before I went and saw that it's a cross between Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates.  Ha!  We'll have this one in the bag.  Not so!  It's way more strenuous than I thought and I could see the benefits straight away.

I'm still having a bit of pain in my right thigh, so some of the moves I dumbed down a bit.  And then I found myself making up some of my own moves which I named "I am a Little Teapot" and "Walk Like an Egyptian"!!!  They definitely were not on the instructor's repertoire, but she is free to use them in upcoming classes should she wish!!  ;-)

A group photo and there's me down the front in the hot pink jacket with my "Walk Like an Egyptian" pose !!  What can I say?  All good fun.  I know I drove home in a very happy state anyway.  Great way to finish my Friday.

Sooooooo ... what else is news I hear you ask?  You did ask didn't you?

Ran my longest distance EVER this morning.  11.8 kilometres.  Took me exactly 1 hour 30 mins so I'm not setting the world on fire, but I'm being consistent.  Non-stop.  Plodding along.  And I know the speed and the time will improve in time.  I am so freaking proud of myself and it was  great morning for it.  I do so love my hot pink jacket, it is a perfect jacket to run in, it has a pocket up on the shoulder to pop my phone in and I don't get overhot in it.  And it has the big Adidas stripes on the torso which are reflective.  Just perfect.

Just look at this crazy map, I ran a big figure 8, north to the farmland beyond the town, then south to the farmland there.  Interesting to see my pace, the blue bit down the bottom, it remained fairly static throughout the run.  Must work on some variations there, instead of just doing the plod.

Now these old bones are resting and there may be some knitting in my future in front of the fire.  Bliss.

There may have been a mild panic in my town last night

I did my usual evening run last night, got home from work near on dusk, threw on my gear, did a quick stretch and then I was out with my torch.  I only really need the torch about half way through my run, just a small run of about 4km, but enough for it to be quite dark by the time I get home.

Thought I'd go one block further out before heading home, I don't usually run down that street, it's only one over from the main road that I usually take.  I was homeward bound and then I heard the snarl and barking of a dog over yonder.

Okay, I can turn up this street, I was almost at the corner, the dog was waaaaay over there in the dark.  I couldn't see it but I could surely hear it, and the barking was getting louder.   It had decided to run about three house lengths over to me rounding the corner to catch me.

Now it was probably a friendly dog, although I maintain the bark sounded like Cujo.  This was not a sausage dog this time that I could outrun those little stumpy legs.  This was a very fast paced Border Collie.  It rounded me a few times as I kept running, every time it went behind me I almost braced myself for a bite in my calf.  I think it nipped at the back of my heel of my runners at one stage, either that or I near on tripped myself up.  Surely it couldn't have mistaken me for a hot pink sheep it needed to keep in check.

It didn't let up so then I started yelling at it.

"GET AWAY FROM ME !!!!!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE !!!!!"

"DON'T TOUCH ME !!!!!!"

and associated screams.

It backed off and I kept running home, run directly to home, do not pass go, do not collect $200, just get to my street and get inside my front gate.

I could only imagine that the police would have been scouring our town last night for a potential murder victim if the neighbours had reported the blood curdling screams they heard coming from the darkened street.  I can imagine the front page headlines of our weekly town newspaper now.

"SEARCH CALLED OFF, MISSING VICTIM, NO CLUES"

So may your runs be safe runs, and good night.

What a beautiful morning to run!

I was up and out of bed early this morning, aiming to wear my new running jacket.  And let me tell you, it was needed because it was C-C-C-COLD!!

I love reading people's blogs and hear about their runs, but what the sights are on a usual run for one person are sooooo far removed from another.  So I thought it would be fun to share some pics from my morning's run.  Yay for my new phone, it was easy to slow down and snap and keep on running.

The sun had only just come up and as I headed out of town there was mist hanging over the paddocks.  I remember saying to someone once how sorry I felt for the cows when it was cold, and I promptly got told ... "hey, you do realise they wear leather jackets!!"  hmmm.

As I turned a corner up one of the lanes the sun cast a beautiful glow through the trees.  The morning was still.  There was no wind.  It was perfect running weather.  One of those days you almost do a little squeal because everything was coming together beautifully - breathing, pace, conditions.  Actually, there may have been just a teeny tiny squeal, I'm sure the cows won't tell.

The road heading back into town, which soon turns into grass, to which was wet, to which my runners, my socks and my feet turned into icy cold wet blocks.  Ick.  But still no blisters.  I swear I'm going to bathe in Body Glide.  Bless Di McG for sending me this!

Holy cow I'm long tall and thin, if only in my shadow!  :-)   

So there you have it, my perfect morning run, and a few of the sights I see regularly when I run about town here.  7.4 km this morning.  I got home, quick shower, breakfast and then I was off into Warrnambool to see some of our 12wbt girls in the half marathon Koroit to Warrnambool run.   I was thrilled to cheer them on and take photos for them.  And I was in awe at the ultra-marathon runners who ran from Port Fairy to Warrnambool and then 8km around Warrnambool before finishing.  Wow.  Thank goodness it was perfect conditions for them all and not the rain we had during the week.

So my whole mindset has completely turned around, I'm gung ho and ready to smash another week.  Hope yours is a great one.

Shopping is so much more fun when things fit !!

Oh for sure.  Strange title for the blog post, but O-M-G I had so much fun today.  I went down to Geelong to hit the sales, picked up my mum down there, and had a ball.

I tried on clothes like it was going out of style.  Clothes that were not my usual style (hmm, if I even have a style), or my usual colour, or in my price range, or out of my price range.  Didn't worry me.  Funny how attitudes change.

A year ago I would feel hopeful that there was something ... anything ... on the rack that would fit.  And of course I would look straight to the back of the rack praying that there'd be a size 18-20.  Always visiting the big girls section, and hoping there'd be some type of blousy top or something that would button across my huge waist.

But today I went for broke.  This really has been the first completely planned clothes buying session I've had in the year.  I've been very fortunate that I have beautiful friends that have given me "in between" clothes, and I've bought some el-cheapo things to tide me over.  But today I had armfuls of clothes to try on and surprised myself in some instances when even the 14 was too big.  That nearly sent me into a tail spin then and there.

I COULD PICK AND CHOOSE TILL MY HEART'S CONTENT.

It was a completely LIBERATING feeling.

Also my eating today was pretty darn good.  We visited the court house cafe and I had a tandoori chicken salad, which was absolutely delicious.  No idea how many calories, but I enjoyed every morsel.  By the way, that chicken isn't crumbed, that's the tandoori paste on it.  Note mum's pastie and wedges over the other side of the table, she didn't finish her wedges ... and I wasn't even tempted to nick one.   :-)

On my list of things to find was a long sleeved zip up running top.  My other long sleeved one I bought recently wasn't a zippered one.  I wanted one that I could wear with a tank under it and if needed I could unzip and tie around my waist.   Yay Rebel Sports had a sale.  Woah!  The top I got here wasn't THAT hurt-your-eyes-when-you-look-at-it-pink.  It is bright I'll grant you, but not as bright as the photograph here.  It's got a pocket up near the shoulder with a little outlet for headphones.  Totally cute.   

Next into Myer ~~swoon~~ you know I didn't know how much I'd miss Myer until I lived 2 hours away from my nearest one.   Had to try on the Brad Pitt advertised Chanel "man cologne", so that I could have Brad with me for the rest of the day :-)  Mmmmmmm smelt divine.

Then armed with lots of clothes I hit the change rooms.  Imagine my surprise and delight when I fitted into this top, marked ... wait for it ... PETITE!!!!  I haven't got a petite bone in my body.  But APPARENTLY Myer thinks I have, because it fit me!!

Spent a couple of Westfield gift vouchers at the Lorna Jane store for some racer back running bras.  What can I say, they are my favourites along with my Berlei Electrify ones.

My totally most impressive bargain was when I was looking for some leggings in Big W, just some of the One Active brand would do, I have three pair at size 16 and they are falling down as I run, probably not the best thing to occur in this little country town.  But I spy a rack with the Mish tops on them, marked down from $25 to ... wait for it ... are you ready ... $7 !!!!  So I grabbed this one.  White is a bit unforgiving, and I'm not a person who likes a shelf bra, but what the heck, it was SEVEN DOLLARS !! (yes, I think I yelled and did a little whoop in the middle of Big W at that moment too).

All this shopping made us thirsty so mum suggested a sit down in a cafe for a cuppa.  Sounded like a good idea, my bags were getting heavy!  Skinny latte please.

What's that in the background ... oh mum, the biggest vanilla slice I've ever seen.  Oh dear.  I didn't even ask for a sample.  Such restraint.

Wanting to still treat myself, I scanned the array of cakes and settled on a Florentine cookie.  Hmmm no idea of the calorie count, and I will stand to be corrected, but I think it would have been okay as my afternoon snack with my latte, seeings I hadn't had a snack in the morning.  Hopefully.  It was delicious anyway.  

Gosh it looks ginormous there, it wasn't that huge, I promise.

One funny moment of the day, I was in Jacqui E and trying on a pair of red (OMG RED!!!) kind of trouser/jean things.  And the size 14 was too big around the waist (but still with the sausage legs, Greg, I'm afraid).  Ever the helpful saleslady who didn't have a smaller size in them looked around the store and came in with another pair of trousers that she thought I might like to try.  They were the brightest, hottest, pink that you've ever seen.  I mean to say, I'm almost 50 years old, I'm not sure I could carry off pink trousers.  They fit, but although I'm up for new experiences, errr thanks but no thanks.  I don't think my town here is ready for me in hot pink trousers.  ha!

And finally my favourite purchase of the day, this darling top.  Something that looked horrendous on the hanger, a kind of cowl neckline, and lots of ruching down the sides, so it kind of hung on the hanger really whacko, but the colour dragged me in so I had to try it.  And I loved it so much.  I think this is going to become my newest favouritist top in my closet.

All in all a fantastic day.  Talk about emotions this week, from the depths of despair, well maybe not THAT far down, but a bit in the sads, to the fun of today.  My purse certainly had a workout and came back much thinner, but what fun!

And I'll finish this post on a funny photo, I was up early to get ready for my long drive and had let the cat out while I was getting her breakfast ready.  When I went back out to call her to come in, this is what greeted me in the hydrangea garden out our back door.  Crazy girl.  She likes to perch on Buddha's head.

Excuse the funky colours in the photographs. I have a new phone and still trying to work the camera out.  

So there you are Miss Emily, lots of photos of the shopping trip.  Major good fun.

What a difference a couple of days makes

I had mentioned the other day that Miss Kellie from our Warrnie group issued us a challenge last Monday.  We had to own up to the food item or habit formed or whatever it was that was holding us back from success, share that vice, resist it and then report back at the end of the week.

So the habit I reported on was the snacking after dinner, which had become a complete habit over the past few weeks ... or dare I even say months ... when I completely didn't need it.

Talk about a turn around in attitude.  It's like I'm back to day one on 12wbt again, I'm pumped.  Amazing that when you string a couple of really successful days together, it's like success breeds success.  Since Monday I have not eaten a thing after dinner.  I have had my one hot water coffee that I have said I would have.  But not a morsel of food has passed these lips.  I feel like Rocky Balboa at the moment, pumping my fists in the air.  I actually feel quite strong and in control ... at this very moment in time.  But like anything, I know that can turn on the spin of a ten cent piece.  But while the momentum is going, I'm going with it.

Oh and I would like to say thank you for the comments of support in the last couple of days, it meant a lot.  I am usually such a cup's half full kind of girl, can't keep me down, but it threw me for a loop it did.  So I appreciate the time you spent to boost me up again.

I have the day off tomorrow and I am heading to Geelong to hit the sales baby!  Really looking forward to doing a decent clothes shop for once, and then I will ditch the saggy baggy that my 'in between' clothes have started to become.

I do find it hard though, I get so emotionally attached to clothes, I find it hard to cull.  But I need to be ruthless.  The only dress I should be emotionally attached to is my wedding dress right?

So roll on the sales.

And I must report that I might be just a little bit back in love with Runkeeper.  I now have a shiny new iPhone (now that's a love affair in itself), and the run I did the other day with Runkeeper, well the GPS found me straight away and I hadn't even left the house yet.  So maybe all my angst with the program in recent times was more to do with a dying phone than the actual program.

I still want a Garmin, but I'm not as much in a hurry for one now.  That can wait till my birthday (hint hint Mike).  ;-)