A great day for running

What a day!  Can you just see by this pic why I looooooove doing my runs after work, along the beautiful Warrnambool foreshore, before I head inland to my very dry dusty little town.  There is NO comparison!  There's a fantastic two way path running from the pier around the coastline past the surf club to Granny's Grave.   People are really courteous.  There are bikes and skateboards and roller skates and runners and walkers and people with prams, and surfers heading down to the shore, and water fountains at some of the vantage point.  The council certainly have looked after the people here.

The sea is there, it smells fresh and beautiful.  But today yes there were flies.  Oh God!  I snarfed one I swear it hit the back of my throat as it flew straight in my mouth, and all I could think of was I hope it hadn't just been in a rubbish bin, ewwwww!

This is the face of happy!  Bird's nest and all !!

I had gotten myself into a little pickle recently, the lass who lives up the road is starting at TAFE and I kind of got rail roaded (because of my inability to say no) in driving her in and out each day to school, my 50km drive to work.  My drive is my quiet time, I can listen to music, listen to my podcasts, plan my day.  And then I thought of my afternoons after work, my runs! my gym!  This picture below is what wipes away any frustrations I've had during the day, I go home HAPPY.

I had mentioned to the mother that I was very ad hoc with my times going home of an evening, some days it was 4.30, some days it was 6pm, depending on if I ran or met friends after work for an activity.  She said "no matter, I'll get her to wait in the library for you".  Aarrrgghh!!!  

I stewed on it all night, and the next day I mustered up my new found courage and spoke to the mother, told her that I had been looking at my schedule and that I could certainly help and take her daughter in with me of a morning (the perils of living in a little country town is that there is NO - or very limited - public transport), but she would have to arrange someone else to get her home of an evening.  I didn't want her daughter to be hanging around waiting for me, and I didn't want to feel rushed in my evening activities as at times it was very ad hoc.  And you know what?  The sky didn't fall in!  The mother thanked me for being able to meet her half way and she would work something else in getting her daughter home of an evening. 

Now... onto to the Running Man!  After last night's efforts he floored me again and I was sitting in the lounge room just chilling and out he comes ready to hit the road again.  And I just know you wouldn't believe it if you didn't see it - shirt tucked in, belt on his canvas shorts!!!  He actually put his woollen beanie on until I swiped it off his head.  Hamming it up for the camera here!!

But true to his word, he really did go running, off he goes up the street, and it wasn't under the cover of darkness tonight.  He did a kilometre again, came home and complained this time about his ankles and shins, yes yes, he is visiting Athletes Foot with me on Monday, but ever so proud his Runkeeper has clocked another kilometre.  And I can't wait another minute for my Ozsale package to arrive for him, I need to get him some running shorts, stat!   I wonder if Nike would be interested in sponsoring him??? (out of pity??)

I am so freaking proud of my running man!!!!

He did it !! He really really did it !!

I am so freaking proud of my husband right now.  Mike is not active, not by a long shot.   He has a rather sedentary job, his own business working with power tools, sure he is on his feet most of the day, but he's not really moving any great distances.  More often than not you will find him like this ...

or like this ...

or even this ...

But since giving up smoking six months ago he is starting to feel so good, he hasn't had to use his asthma puffer doo-dad for ages (yes yes, I know, he would smoke then puff on the asthma doo-dad, not good).  So he's feeling really good and dare I say even a little bit quietly, I might have even inspired him.  

So when Aldi had a sale recently of running gear, he got me to get him some running clothes.  They had sold out of the shorts but I got a nice sweat wicking t-shirt, plus I've ordered another shirt and shorts on Ozsale (yes, me and my online shopping) just waiting for them to arrive.  Now... being the Scot that he is, he just wanted to buy some runners from Rivers.  Urrrgh.  I warned him that they would hurt, he'd get shin splints, he'd hate it, but he just wanted to see if he would like it.

So tonight, he went out and did his first 1km run EVER, well let's not say ever, let's say his first 1km of a dedicated exercise movement since he was a little boy.  One freaking kilometre, run/walk/run, I couldn't be more proud.  Oh and he now has signed up to Runkeeper so he even tracked himself, did it in 9 mins 51 seconds and I cheered him home.  Mind you he did it in the ever growing darkness so he could do it by stealth and no one could see him.  But ha!  His ankles hurt ... love it when I can get the last word in about the runners he bought.  So looks like a visit to the nearest Athletes Foot is in our future.  

Go Mike!  You totally rock.  

I'm thinking that someone might be going to bed with satisfaction tonight, knowing he has taken a great first step (well second if you count the stopping smoking thing) on the way to good health and a longer life.

Virtual Fun Run for January

So the January run for the Licorice & Olives series of 5km Virtual fun runs has commenced and we have a week to run our 5km and log our time by showing a screen print of our GPS system or a photo of a Garmin watch display or however a person is clocking their runs.  I've decided that I'll use this route for the whole years series so I can really see how I'm tracking.  Having said that it was already quite warm by 7.30, I should have gotten out there earlier.  

So January's time = 38:11.

Not only that but I love that Runkeeper keep you informed.  I'm part of the 1000km walk/run Facebook group.  And already for 2014 I've run 66.6 km.  Saw the 666 come up, ha!  And then I get an email to let me know this is the most I've run in a month since I started with the 1000km group.  Thanks Runkeeper.

And after having a round off, when I went overseas, I have now signed back up for the half marathon program.  Thank you Mish, lovely to be back.

I have two funerals to go to this week, so it's going to be a difficult week to get through.  I hope there are smiles in your part of the world.  Cheerio.

Answering and comment on a few past comments

Sounds like a mail show from some of the podcasts I listen to, ha!  But often people don't have an email attached to their comments so I can't reply, and blogger doesn't let me see the email of who comments, or at least if it does I have no idea how to, so thought I'd answer and chat about a few comments here in this post.


Matilda:  "Have you got a foam roller?  If not totally invest in one. Also you'll need to start considering fuel for your long runs. I suggest heading over to runnerskitchen.com.au (i think au), and see Tara, her Amazeballs are jut that, ah-mazing!"

• Yes I have a foam roller = best . thing . ever.  Although I have been known to call it names.  Mike gave me one for Christmas, I don't know how I coped without it.  All the trouble I went through with my ITB last year I should have got one sooner.  At the moment with my longer runs (over an hour) I've been having these jelly beans I got from the US.  I had to buy a box of 24 in my order I had delivered to my last stop in the States, so I still have a number of packets.  Not sure if it is mind over matter but I feel like I get a second wind when I pop a few at about 50 - 60 mins in.  Thanks for the tip of the Runners Kitchen, I'll check it out.

Sheridan:  "I'm all set to get my butt into gear and lose some weight again (after putting it on again) so were in it together again (although I have to admit I'm going it alone without registering with 12wbt this round. 
And how totally awesome is the Penang chicken?? I think I'll make that again this week too. I also love the beef stroganoff!" 

• Sheridan!  Where have you been girl.  Good to see you pop up again.  We shall keep each other on the straight and narrow.  And yes the Penang Chicken is terrific, although in the early days I made it all the time and got sick of it.  So revisiting it again after months was a real treat.  Another fave I have is the Sweet & Sour Pork.  It's so yum.

Matilda:  "...Have you got a running plan in place for your half?"

• Plan is that I'm re-signing to the next round of 12wbt, which will hopefully be my last round.  After having this round off, although my running is going great guns, my food still isn't.  Still work to be done on my brain I think  :-)   So I'll do the half marathon program.

Annie:  "... It was so hot up here the other day that I did my walk in my family room. It was 8 steps from one end to the other and I kept at it until I'd done 10,000 steps. I was a little bit dizzy at the end..."

• Annie you are GORGEOUS!  I can only imagine just how dizzy you got, not to mention the track you've probably left in the carpet, I tried to calculate how many ups and downs of the family room that would be but then *I* got dizzy!!  :-)

Janie:  "Hey Carol, you totally rock dude! Love your work and your persistence. xx

• Janie!   Thanks mate.  It's been too long, we need to do lunch!!

Sarah:  What half marathon are you doing? When is it?

• The Geelong Half and according to my ticker I have 95 days to go!  27 April to be exact. (gulp!!)

Ingi:  Go Carol! I love that I come back here, after what - months? And you are still hard at work, slogging it out with a 10km and a half marathon in your sights! I need to come visit more frequently - great motivation!

• Ingi mate, I have missed you.  We need to motivate each other.  This can be our year, okay??

And I think that just about finishes me off for tonight.  A workmate and I are taking on a killer hill after work tomorrow, I shall be back with probably more tales of woe! ha.  Until then.

Time to look around when you're out and about exercising, breathe in the fresh air, listen to the birds, see the beautiful blue sky up above and revel in the fact we're out there in it, moving, and yes, enjoying the ride.

Ow ow ouch!

Im laying here in bed blogging on my phone, legs out straight because they hurt.  Ow.  I decided to do my long Saturday morning run tonight after work being that I did a pitiful effort on Saturday and being that the weather is far more agreeable.

So I left Warrnambool and drove 45 km to Terang and parked the car and did a combo run/walk to Noorat and back.  Then got in my car and drove 20 km home.  Talk about a roundabout way of getting home!

So Terang to Noorat and back totals 12km.  Exactly.  I did a lap of the car park back in Terang to make sure!  I also snarfed about 50 flies on my journey too!

My hair scared old people and small children!!

Not to mention the cows who ran away frightened ... or I like to think I may have inspired them and they've taken up the sport of running too!

Naaah! I think my hair and my crazy waving arms swatting at flies terrified them. Ha.

So tired and elated tonight and just a wee bit achey.  And now off to dreamland.  G'night!

Thankfully cooler!

Saturday morning I went out running and did a test run for the Licorice and Olives 5km Virtual Race Series.  I was planning a much longer run, and had planned to pause my Runkeeper at the 5km mark to take a screen print of the time and then resume it.  But I only managed another half a kilometre, I was spent.  I was thinking it was the toll after the past week of the heat and not sleeping, then thought better of it.  I was so relieved when I logged onto a local running group site I am part of and found other local ladies were feeling the same effects and struggled running on Saturday too.  Yay, it wasn't just in my head.

We're down to double figures until the half marathon, 98 days to go, so I have to get the kilometres on the board.  I'm a long way off a 21.1 kilometre run, with my longest non-stop run only reaching 13.2 kilometres.  98 more days to train!

I need to get back to completely clean eating and last night had planned to make a 12wbt favourite that we haven't had for a long long time, Penang Chicken.  I had chopped everything ready to throw together, and alas, went to the fridge to get the red curry paste, and what was left in the jar was as hard as brick bats!  Hmmm, after 6pm, the supermarket was closed.  So it was pop the chopped veg and meat in containers in the fridge and it was off to the pub for us for dinner last night!

So will be an easy peasey dinner tonight, just throw everything together, and yes, I have a new jar of red curry paste!!

This is one of my most favourite Michelle Bridges quotes, I scrapbooked it digitally and I had it printed onto a block through Snapfish and it sits up on my kitchen window sill.

I had made this photo block when Emily from Energy & Emily blog had organised a 12wbt gift exchange, and I liked it so much that I got another one printed off on a block for myself.   I need to take more heed of it!!  As my resolve has somewhat slipped of late.

And while I'm coming clean ... is this a Sunday for confessions or what?  I don't believe I've mentioned on this blog, as the book was released whilst I was overseas, but my story is in the latest Michelle Bridges book "Get Real".   They had asked back at the end of the Melbourne finale round for members to submit their stories and they'd consider for an upcoming book.  I threw my story together and submitted the required two photographs and didn't think any more of it.  Months later I got a package in the mail and it was an advanced copy of the book.  O-M-G I was in it.  

And I learnt right from that moment that I should stop taking instructions so literally.  When they had asked for two photographs to be sent in, one being a "before" shot, I thought they meant the 12wbt "before" shot that we uploaded when we started the program.  So imagine my surprise when I opened the book and I saw the majority of clothed before shots of other people, and there I was standing in all my underwear glory on my page!!!  

Cringe cringe cringe !!!

I remember the exact moment that Mike took my before shot when I started.  I was standing there in the lounge room in my undies and Mike was fussing with the camera.  I wanted him to just take the photograph and be done with it.  Oh no, the lighting wasn't right, the angle wasn't right, the focus wasn't right, then he said to be ... "look sad for the camera will you".  That was it.  OH MY FUCKING GOD I WAS SAD, I WAS THE SADDEST I COULD BE IN MY LIFE ... "TAKE THE FUCKING PHOTO" I yelled through my tears.  Even now I'm tearing up remembering that moment.  I never want to be that sad and sorry girl ever again.

So being in the book was a real wake up call for me and with my resolve having slowly slipped over the last few months I know I need to get it back big time.  I need to walk the talk now.  So if you have the book, check out page 72 and 73 if you like.  That's me!  Don't say I didn't warn you about the undies!

Hot !!

Holy cow Victoria is copping it at the moment.  The heat has been unbearable.  And I am sooooo not an early early morning person during the week.  It is enough for me to get ready to go to work, let alone getting up early early and running.  During the week I usually run after work but there's been no chance of that this week.  It's been like an oven.  Consistently.  Anywhere between 40 and 44 C.   For my American friends that is anywhere between 104 and 111 F.

So I've taken to the gym so I can at least get some running in on the treadmill, under the fan.

It's funny how things change.  In the early days I loved the treadmill.  It was a much easier way for me to run, rhythmically, constantly, at the same pace, at the same level.  I liked it.  But once I discovered the great outdoors, the different feelings under my feet, the undulating ground, the smells in the air, the birds chirping, the bees humming ... okay so I'm getting carried away there a bit ... but once I discovered the great outdoors there was no turning back.  Yes yes, treadmills have their place in my life in inclement weather (be it cold and raining or oven like atmospheres) but boy I struggled to keep myself entertained yesterday.  Even my music didn't cut it.  I still managed 4km, then decided to do weights instead.

I took a sneaky pic for my instagram feed.  Felt so self-conscious taking a pic in the gym, so being that everyone was on the back row of treadies, I pretended I was fussing with my music and snapped it! ha. 

So sparing a thought for my friends north of me.  Matilda I hope you're faring okay up there.

I'll do another session in the gym after work tomorrow, as the forecast is 44 or so.  Urrgh.  Then hopefully the temp abates a bit for the weekend.  Cross fingers.

Stay cool runners, lots of water!