Motoring Along

Weight: 57.7 kgs
Waist: 72 cm

I know what you're thinking - she hasn't blogged for a while - must have fallen off the wagon....
Wrong - things have been going fine - I've just been so busy working and DOING the exercise that I haven't had time to write about it.

As you can see from my weight - it is still dropping, and so are my waist measurements, which I am really pleased about. I am back in a healthy weight range for my height (yes I'm very short) - and pretty much at the lowest weight I have been at in 20yrs. This was my initial goal weight back in 2005 and I achieved it Christmas 2006. It remained fleetingly and then I slowly returned to the low 60's where I have basically been ever since. The really exciting thing is that I have been weight training for approx 2 yrs now, and whilst I am at the same weight as I was 18 months ago - my waist is 6 cms smaller! I good sign of how I have changed shape. I have new track pants on today (black shiny, no stretch fabric) and they are a little too loose in the waist and a fraction tight over my right thigh - just how they should be if I've been doing everything right! (well symmetry of the thighs would be better)

Weight loss challenge
The weight loss challenge has finished - and I lost 6.5 kgs over the 12 weeks. Its not a rapid loss but exactly what I think it should have been - anything more than 500gms/week suggests I would be losing muscle as well as fat - and I certainly don't want that. The team lost about 45 kgs overall, and we came second in the competition. I really did want the first prize of a trip to Queensland, but oh well, I guess 6 months free membership to the gym will have to do. As you know the challenge wasn't really about me losing weight - but encouraging my workmates to do so, and two of them are so close to goal weight now that its not worth worrying about the remaining few kilos. One of the interesting things is that they are both around the same height (6'1") and whilst about 8 kgs apart in weight - both look as skinny as the other. Interesting.

Running
Running is going well, I am basically running three sessions a week, a normal/tempo run on Tuesdays, speed intervals on Thursdays, and a long run on Sundays. I have found my running legs again and running reasonably well. The speed sessions are a killer - I am sore and exhausted afterwards but always have two running free days afterwards before I tackle the long run. The speed sessions also seem to be working - the speed is getting easier and I am finding that I keep finding new "all time fastest" speeds. At the moment I am running a 400m lap (on the tready of course) the first quarter at 11 kms/hr, the next 1/2 at 11.5 and the last quarter at 12 kms/hr. Its all reasonably manageable until I hit 12, and this is quite an effort. Times this by 20 laps (1/2 laps of walking in between) and I can barely walk afterwards! Anyway - on a 10 sec speed interval with cardio coach the other day - I found I can sprint at 14kms - so I'm suitably encouraged.

Other Exercise
Don't be fooled into thinking I'm only running 3 days/week. I am continuing my other interests with 2 combat classes and 3 weight training sessions - giving me a total of 8 workouts/week. By the way - has anyone tried the new release of combat? There is a track in there to a Rogue Traders song (split room power track) that I've found really challenging with high knee running and jumping lunges. In fact its the first track in ages to really push me - all the others I have to add extras (jumps etc) to keep my heart rate up - but this one really pushes me. Of course I make sure I'm jumping through all the punches so I don't take it easy but....