Can you read this?

Yep - you read it correctly - I came runner up at the Half Marathon that I WALKED. And those little numbers above are my time - 3hrs and 6 mins - not so damn bad if I say so myself. I averaged 7 kms/hr for 3 hours. I had no idea I was capable of this - being a little shorty (152cm/5ft zilch). I've walked this fast before but only for very short periods of time - I never thought I could sustain it for so long. Think of it this way. Ok - I know us runners have a tendency to scoff at walking - but think of it this way - 7kms/hr is my absolute sprint pace for walking and I kept it up the whole time - no reduced pace for an endurance event for me! And boy do I feel it.

Interestingly I had a go at training last night, and whilst walking was painful - running wasn't - they both use different muscles I guess. So I enjoyed a lovely HIIT workout with cardio coach - using running sprints for high intensity, and then followed this up with an upper body weights session. - So I managed to keep on training despite the severe DOMS.

On another note, a fellow blogger recently posted about external motivation. I've been reflecting on what a difference this has made to me. With the recent signing up to a team weight loss challenge - this has had a big impact. I've always done my weight loss on my own, and been accountable only to me. Now I have weekly weigh ins, which is quite publicly accountable, AND I have a team who are relying on me to lose weight each week. This has made a huge difference, as every time I consider eating something I shouldn't - I get worried about letting the team down. The night before my first weigh in, I got an sms from another team member saying he had lost 5.5kgs! Holy Sh**t (and yes my team mates are all 6 ft males). This pushed me out the door for another evening cardio session, in a last bid to hold up my end of the bargain. My loss for the week was 1.9kgs - but remember that this is not all real as I promoted some water retention prior to the first weigh in - and this has inflated (excuse the pun) my result! Anyway - I'm really hoping this will help me to relose the last few kilos back to a weight that I'm really comfortable with and will help me to run faster etc.

Time will tell of course. Week 2 weigh in coming up......

I know I said I like variety but...

I know I said I like variety but... last nights resistance session practically required a librarians degree. I had to look up about every second exercise I was scheduled to do - there were so many new ones! And how many versions of the plank/pushup can one come up with?
Have a look for yourself at what I did last night:

Circuit One
Body Ball Push Ups - 10
Pushups - to muscle failure
Cable Leg extensions 10 on each leg
Step Plyos - 1 minute

Circuit Two
Dumbell Press on Body Ball - 10 on each arm
Half Crow Push Ups - 5 on each leg
Harpies - 20 reps
Jump Squats - 10
Warrior Pose with Tricep Press - 30 secs on each leg

Circuit Three
Tricep Dips - to muscle failure
Hanging Abs = 15
Static Lunges with Lateral Shoulder Raise - 10 on each leg
Side Step Plyos - 1 minute

Circuit Four
Pike Push Ups - 10 reps
Squat and Military Shoulder Press - 10
Dropsies - 16
Jump rope for 1 min

Circuit Five
Bench Dips with feet on Body Ball - 20
Bicycle crunches - 30
Plank Twists - 20 on each side
Boat Pose - for 30 secs.

So in this routine I did push ups, body ball push ups, pike push ups, half crow push ups and plank twists. In previous workouts I've also done side planks, side planks with leg raises, reverse planks, jump planks etc. They just keep coming!

Whilst I'm enjoying this circuit routine, it doesn't have the same feeling as doing mulitple sets on the same muscle group to failure. The cardio aspect is much higher, and whilst I can see, say in the chest area - I really did do a number of sets, just in different exercises, I'm not sure whether it has the same effect. I guess time will tell. And its only a 30 day program - its always good to challenge your body to new things.

On the nutritional side - I had a cheat day yesterday. Can you have a cheat day if it wasn't planned and you don't really have any in your programme? Well, that's what I'm calling it anyway. The family were all over for Easter Sunday, and I spent the day cooking - chocolate brownies, almond and pear pie, and a big roast pork with vegies. There was crackling and I ate some and I'm not going to feel guilty about it. Whilst I turn up my nose at heaps of high fat things, I really do love crackling for some bizarre reason. So I had some. And some of the brownies, and 2 hot cross buns (counted that as lunch). We had a fairly active morning though - as I did the usual easter egg hunt around the house, and then sent them on a GPS chocolate hunt around the neighbourhood. Borrowed some bikes so we could all bike around to find everything, and this was a lot of fun. A bit of frolicking in the pool in the arvo, and then my weights session in the evening. So I'm not going to let one day get me down. Back to it today!

I love variety!

I really do love variety in my training. I know I probably don't need to do as much cardio as I do for weight loss/muscle building, but I love to be fit. And I love to be fit to give me the ability to do whatever I want.
To be able to go hiking and see a hill and say - heck - lets run it.
To be able to hop of the bike and go for broke and cycle for as long as I want
To be able to take on any challenge that i want - knowing I have a reasonable chance of success.

This week I've had some nice variety. I work trip to Adelaide meant that I was able to do a 6km run around the lake at West Lakes, followed by a lovely spa in the hotel (had the whole complex to myself -wish I'd had more time to do a workout there as well)
Friday I hopped on the bike and rode around the town scouting locations for a high tech GPS Easter Egg hunt.
Saturday I got up early and headed off for a 14km walk as my last prep for WALKING a half marathon next weekend.
Planning on swimming this arvo
And during the week I've also been doing Jillian Michael's weights/plyometrics workout. This started out as being quite challenging but I've noticed lately that I've been finding it a bit easier. Either the first couple of days were designed to be killer workouts to put you off, or I've adapted to them (or worst case scenario - I'm no longer doing them properly)
Anyway - its a circuit workout which I'm finding doesn't seem to challenge the muscles as much as straight sets with the same muscle group - but its good to push your body through change. At the end of each circuit (there are five in each workout) there is a cardio element. More often than not, this says - 60secs run at incline of 12 at 9km/hr. Now I've been thinking that an incline of 12 must be a typo - or maybe in USA they have different measurements of incline - because on my treadmill this is as high as it goes. So to be honest, I've only been doing an incline of 6. But on Thursday I decided to give it a go. And it certainly is possible. The first 30 secs were fine, but by the last 15secs it was a major push. I really was gasping - to the point when you feel the oxygen burn in the throat afterwards -you know the feeling? I've realised that whilst I get my heart rate up in interval training - I don't push it this hard. This was really pushing me to a new level - and I'm sure this will really help to challenge my fitness. Yeah!

Anyway - as I keep trying all sorts of new and wonderful exercises, I thought I might post some every now and then.
So here's my exercise for the day. I've noticed that this one seems to work a different aspect of my abs and back to other exercises and I can see an improvement in my form every time I do it.

Pike crunches:
From a kneeling position, place your abdomen on a body ball and roll the body along the ball until your nkles rest on the top of the ball. Your shoulders should be aligned directly over your hands. Contracting your abdominal muscles, exhale and pull the ball forward using yoru legs. As your glutes rise, keep your upper body stable so that your shoulders stay aligned with your hands. In the finished position, your toes should be resting on the. Return to the starting position. Repeat.

The Perfect Physique

I've found the perfect physique! Introducing Beth Horn. She has the physique that I want. Not everyone wants the same body shape, nor can achieve the same body shape - as it is partly determined by genetics. But this is what I want. Not too skinny, strong, sculpted and lean. And I think it matches my "inbuilt" shape. My legs will never be stick thin, aka "straight up and down" because they are not built that way. They are shapely and defined - well from mid thigh down anyway! Above that, they may be packed full of muscle but they are wrapped in a thick layer of fat. When I wear shorts - I usually say "here come the thunder thighs"! But I have the same quads bulge above the knee, and if you look on the photo below, I have the same hamstring definition at the back of the thigh. I think my legs will always be solid, but if I can get them looking like Beth's, I will be ecstatic. Whilst my tummy is nowhere near flat like hers, do you notice that it isn't a tiny waist? Mine will never be either, my shape is more straight up and down, than a naturally tiny waist. But I also have the broader shoulders like she does - they just need more work!

So this is what I am aiming for - I consider this perfection!

The exercises she does are very similar to the Jillian Michaels one's - lots of plyometrics - so I'll keep going with this!

Oh - and eventually - I want to be able to eat like her. Read this:

Mmm - might not be legible. Anyway what she says is that off-season she eats very clean during the week, and then Friday and Saturday nights has whatever she wants, with dessert on one of these nights, and pancakes for breakfast Sunday morning. I really want to be able to live like that. I'm more than happy to be strict with my eating during the week - I find that quite easy - but I also want to be able to relax and enjoy some normal meals and indulgences on a regular basis. So if she can manage it - it must be possible. I just have to build all that muscle!

Getting to know your body

Well, I did something earlier this week that could be considered either foolish or wise.

On Monday I started a 3 month weight loss challenge through the gym, with a group of friends through work. I thought that having to be weighed weekly by someone else, and working as a part of the team that it would keep me more accountable, and I wouldn't want to be letting the team down.

I have been doing Jillian Michaels "Making the Cut" program (well, mainly the exercise, don't really like her foods but have followed the principles and just used clean eating). Anyway - one of the things that she makes a point about, which I haven't really paid too much attention to in the past is salt.

Apparently sodium slows your metabolism and excess sodium is deposited just below your skin where it attracts water. And when the water is retained in your cells it impedes the fat burning process and slows your metabolism again. She later talks about water retention, saying that there are three factors influencing this - water consumption, sodium intake and carbohydrate consumption. Even if you are slightly dehydrated, your body holds on to its water supplies, causing the scales to inch upwards. And that sodium holds 50 times its weight in water. The perspective she provides is that if you ate ate a pickle one day, the next day you could be holding another pound of water weight (american examples I know). She recommends on her 30 day program to try and keep sodium to about 1000 mg/day. ( I think the normal guidelines are 2000mg).

So I've been watching this through calorie king every day. And I've never been one to add salt to anything, but I've discovered some new traps. AND I've seen what a higher salt day does to my weight the next day. I've noticed previously that if I eat a food like pizza (this is the family Sunday night treat dinner), I immediately gain weight, no matter how calorie controlled I am about it. So its been good to learn about.

But here's the dicey thing I did.
Before the first weigh in for the weight challenge - I decided to put my theories to the test and water load.
That weekend I ate pizza, potato chips (I said I'd been bad that week) and chinese food. And I intentionally gave myself the ok to do so - with the aim of upping my weight on the Monday, and then reducing my salt intake and increasing my water intake to produce a more dramatic weight loss. I did this partly because I'm never going to lose big numbers on this challenge - I don't really have enough to lose, and secondly to see how strong the theory is with my body. Crazy - maybe. Risky - sure

And here are the results.

I hadn't weighed myself for a few days prior - but I thought when I stood on the scales on Monday - I had possibly gained 1.5 - 2kgs.
Two days later, my weight had dropped by 1.3kgs. Four days later (this morning), down by 2.2kgs. I have continued to eat clean this week and aimed for restricted calories for weight loss, so this will contribute to my weight loss anyway, but 1.3 kgs loss in two days? This is good proof of the vastness of the impact of water retention. And with regards to the 2 kg gain I experienced? If 7000 calories =1 kg, there is NO WAY POSSIBLE that I ate 14,000 calories in excess of what I needed to gain 2kgs in a few days. I don't think that even if I set my mind to it that I could eat that many calories.

So the moral of the story is - when the scales give you unexpected results, that are way off what they should be, think sodium and water retention, they have a big impact. And personally, I think my body is particularly susceptible and will be watching my sodium/fluid intake so much more closely in future.

A week off

Well, since the triathlon I seem to have been having a wee week off nutritionally. Just when I thought all thoughts of "bad" foods had disappeared, and was strongly in the clean eating mode - wham - something happened and I've been enjoying all my favourite forbiddens!



Of course on Monday, I start a 3 month "biggest loser" type challenge through the gym -so I think part of me is saying, relax, eat now, and then back into it on Monday. And I've actually convinced myself that eating lots of really salty foods this weekend (like Chinese on Friday night, and pizza tonight) will help me in a water loading sense to give me a falsely high weight when I weigh in on Monday (Maybe not so false I'm thinking)



I had done well the week before with Jillian Michaels program, and lost 1.4 kgs, but I shudder to think what the scales would say now! But I will start again tomorrow, and this challenge will keep me honest, as I am a member of a 4 person team - all of whom want to win - so I will have to work very hard to keep up with the weight loss of 3 x 6ft males who have a bit more to lose than I do!



Despite the races on Sunday - I have still managed a reasonable week of exercise, although it ended up having to be light due to an excessive gym session on Tuesday. Monday I spent the day at an adventure park, not real exercise, more like active recovery after my two races - which seemed appropriate. Lots of water slides, paddle boats, running throught the maze, mini golf and archery! Tuesday was a new release session at the gym for the Les Mills classes. These days they do supersessions - so at 5.30 I headed off to the class, without giving it much thought. Although I wasn't sore from the triathlon - I was feeling slightly fatigued. (And it is still 40 degrees here, every day. I think we are up to about 15 days straight). The super session turned out to be 4 tracks of Pump, 4 from Attack, 4 from Combat and then 4 from Balance. I haven't done Pump in about 12 months - and the squat track was a killer (I also haven't been doing squats with weights at home). By the time we got to Attack, my legs were shaking with fatigue. Managed to get through it ok, but the next day DOMS set in. By Wednesday night - I could hardly move if it required quads activity. Nevertheless - I know the best thing for stiffness is active recovery - so I went for a quick walk Wednesday morning, and TRIED to run Wednesday evening at the gym. I was called away unexpectedly after about a 15min warmup and 10 mins run, but couldn't convince myself to go back afterwards and finish up. I was just in too much pain. Thursday morning I had to head to Adelaide, but I got up extra early and walked for an hour. Friday - I had to be in Port Augusta (100 kms in the opposite direction from my home base), but due to the need to car pool with my boss - i had 2 hours to spare - so once again walked off the soreness.



Saturday I felt back to normal, and had a long walk/run scheduled - 18kms in preparation for the half marathon at the end of March. I think my weight loss team are all going to walk it, so this means I really should walk it with them. Thinking about walking 21kms (rather than walk/running it) made me realise that this would be a very long session - much longer than when you run - could be something like 3.5 hours. And I'm not used to such long sessions - even if they are just walking. And don't forget I'm going to be walking with 6 ft long legged males - it wont be a slow pace for me! So I decided that I really should walk all of the 18kms as training, and to build up some strength endurance. So i did. Forecast again for 40 degs, I set off at 7.30am and the first half was quite comfortable. It then started to heat up and I really felt it. I had sweat pouring down my face and I swear my HR wouldnt have been above 50%! The whole walk took me 3.15 and I can't believe how much it took out of me! I collapsed into the recliner when I got home, and poured liquids down my throat for about the next 1 hr. Eventually I managed to return to the land of the living and headed off to do the food shopping.



Back to cardiocoach this morning for a HIIT workout - gotta love that - although the heat does take it out of you. (Oh and I went for a little bit of lap swimming later on)



On my walk with plenty of time to think, I have set myself a few lofty running goals. Last year I ran the City to Bay at a pace of 6.00 (10km/hr), this year, if I give myself plenty of time to train for it, I would like to see if its possible for me to run it at a pace of 5.5 (10.9 km/hr). This might not sound like a big increase if you are not into running, but believe me, increasing your speed by 1 km/hr over a 12 km/hr race is a big jump. So it may not even be possible. But I've looked at the training schedule and speed work I would need to do for this and think I will give it a go. I've I can't manage the speed work outs I will know early on that I need to lower my goals, and that will be ok. But it has also encouraged me to lose some more weight. I read in one of the triathlon books that "losing 2kgs" can translate into a 30 sec improvement in time in the race, and there is no doubt that if I lost 10kgs to put my in the middle of my healthy weight range, this would definitely help. So the weight loss challenge over the next three months could be very instrumental in achieving this goal.



You may have noticed no weight training being mentioned here.... I've been slack. Back to it this week to build all that muscle I need! I'm going to use the next 3 months as base training (fat loss, muscle gain, base running) before starting a formal training programe in June/July for the September race.



Last but not least - A Clean Eating Mag has been published by Tosca Reno's hubby - I just need to convince my hubby to let me subscribe!

The results are in...

The results of my race have just been posted, and I placed 5th in my age category - I'm pretty happy with that!
Ok, I have to admit there were only 11 people in my age category, but still that places me in the first half, AND, given that I didn't try that hard on the run - I might aim for a place in the next season!

I am a Triathlete!

Well, it might have only been the short course, but I have now completed my first triathlon - Yeahhhhh!

Distance - 160m swim, 8 km cycle, 1.5 km run

Time - unofficial - about 40 mins

Placing - no idea - need to wait for the results (well I guess I can say I didn't win!)

Satisfaction - v. happy - its exactly the time I planned for, and all went (mostly) according to plan.

Here's the low down on the event for those who are interested.

Prep phase

We arrived the day before (it was held at Victor Harbour - seaside location about 4.0 hr drive from our place) and drove around the cycle course and run course. All looked good, no real hills to worry about. Then to the beach to have a look and try out the water. I knew then that I wouldn't like the swim, as the water was incredibly salty - and I hate beach swimming for this reason. What it did tell me was though how much my nose runs after swimming in salt water, so I decided to make sure I had tissues waiting in the transition area, and would definitely need a drink to get rid of the salty taste. We registered and then went back to the caravan park for a clean eating meal of spaghetti and meatballs from Tosca Reno's cookbook that I had prepared that morning. (more to save money than to eat well!).

Given that I'm not all that confident on the bike, and I've really only ridden it about 5 or 6 times since we bought it at the end of January, I decided to go for a quick ride to check out some tight turns and reassure myself that I can do them! You have to remember that 12 months ago I couldn't even ride our mountain bikes, fear of falling off prevented me from giving this a go. Any way - when I hopped on I was reassured that I felt quite comfortable on the bike and could indeed navigate the tight turns. I know this sounds odd for someone about to do a triathlon - but the reality is that the rides I have done leading up to it have been quite straightforward. I've found that I'm quite strong and manage long distances quite easily, but having never ridden a bike with gears before, and having never ridden a road bike before, the technical aspects are a little daunting, and I lack confidence more than actual ability. Kind of a mind over matter thing.

Anyway - the good news was that I felt fine about the bike ride, but the bad news was that I discovered I had a very sore right quad - I hadn't realised it was still sore from weight training on Thursday night. I guess my two day taper wasn't really sufficient! Never mind - I did a full set of stretches and went to bed, trying for an early night. Unfortunately the nerves got the better of me and I had difficulty falling asleep, and then when I did, had trouble sleeping as I was cold - despite the fact that we are in the middle of a heat wave! Victor is known for being much cooler, and we hadn't put a blanket on the bed thinking we wouldnt need it, but we were wrong.

Up at 6.30 and after getting ready, walked the bikes down to the race area to rack the bikes and set up for transition. Race briefing at 8.00 and everything sounded as I had expected. Was a little confused about where to run into and out of the transition area, but knew from other running races that we would be well directed.

The Swim

This leg was probably the least enjoyable and surprisingly the easiest.

It was a very nerve wracking start to the race, with wave starts, and waiting for your start to be called. The 30 secs before when you are knee deep into the water and told you are in the "starters hands" especially so. All the thoughts then of "why am I doing this" cross your mind.

The gun went off and I jumped in the water, along with about 40 other people. This is where the chaos started. I swam about 4 stroke of freestyle and promptly gave up on it. We were packed in like sardines with no room to move. I couldn't afford to have my head in the water as I couldn't see where to place my hands/feet/other body parts to have any hope of moving! I tried to swim freestyle with my head out of the water like most around me seemed to be doing -and was rewarded with heaps of extra water to drink. I got to the first bouy and decided this was ridiculous. I was going nowhere fast and decided to try another tack. I positioned myself on the inside of the pack and flipped onto my side, facing away from everyone, and started side stroke. This worked. Suddenly I had a clear view, unobstructed from splashing water, and I was able to do full powerful strokes, and did indeed power ahead. My sidestroke was much faster than all the pseudo freestyle around me. I also discovered that every type of stroke was being done, including someone doing backstroke in front of me! Nevertheless, things were much better now, and I powered on and around the second buoy and headed for home. When I got closer to shore I changed to breast stroke so that I had a full view of the beach and would know when to stand up and start running.

All in all, Im glad that at some point in my training I decided to give up on trying to achieve perfect freestyle for the full distance, and instead practiced a variety of strokes and relied on the fact that I would make the distance one way or another. There was no opportunity to use the slow, carefully controlled rhythmical freestyle that I had practiced. I guess the short distance and the generally lower level of skills in the competitors meant that the pack never really thinned out, like it did when I watched the Olympic distance event. I reached the shore easily, with no thoughts of "will I make the distance" which I had been worried about - in fact I probably could have swam further.

T1 - First transition

This year (I watched the event last year) due to building works in the area, they had to move the transition area further away from the swim. This meant a run up the beach, up a step, along a cobble stone path, and then along the road for about 100m before turning in to the transition area. Then you run down the full lenght of the bike racks, turn around and come back up your lane to your bike. I felt good coming out of the water, some people were walking, some slow jogging, but I put a little bit of fire into the legs and overtook a few on the way. I'd never run in (wet) bare feet before, but it was fine, but when I got to my bike my feet were covered in mud. Dried them off with a towel, and slipped my sandshoes on minus the socks (apparently this is the norm in tri's). Race bib on with the waist belt, sunglasses and then helmet, and then lifted the bike off the rack. I was glad we had bought road bikes, as if we had been racing with mountain bikes which are much heavier, I think this would have been difficult. And remembered to press the right buttons on the garmin to try and time my transitions and legs. (They don't time your splits in the short course). Then a quick run with the bike to the start line.

The Cycle

Mounted my bike just past the start line as had been suggested to avoid conjestion and headed off. I felt good and the 8kms passed by in no time. Only one person overtook me and I was overtaking people on a regular basis. My general fitness really helps on the bike. I have good strong quads that power me along quite easily. One of the funniest things was though that about 2/3rds of the way through the race, heading up a slight incline I decided that my legs were tiring, and perhaps I would drop the gear down. Clicked the lever a few times but nothing happened. "What - I'm in the easiest gear already?" and then realised that I was probably in the hardest gear and I was usually the wrong gear change lever. Do you think I could remember where the other one was????? I told you I'm not very confident with the technical aspects of the bike!!! I couldn't work it out - my hand instinctly kept reaching for the brake - but no - this the brake - not the gear lever! Eventually it dawned on my that I was right, but to change down gears you flick the brake handle to the left, rather than pulling it in, and proceeded to do so. Of course I had done this many times before but it was just a race day mind blank! What it also told me is that I had ridden most of the race in the hardest gear without noticing it. Not really smart I guess, but fast.

Total time was between 18 - 20 mins (my garmin and the software are telling me different things) but overall I averaged about 25 kms/hr, which I'm really happy with.

T2 – Second Transition

Headed into the transition area and it was a little heavy going as I had to push the bike through some sand/dirt, but all went ok. Managed to lift my bike up onto the rack, and the requirements here were pretty brief, just drop of the bike and helmet and head off again. I took the time to take a few swigs of the drink as my mouth was still uncomfortably salty, and also to unstrap the garmin from the bike handle bars. Was willing to sacrifice time here so that I have records to analyse later! Strapped the garmin to my wrist as I ran to the start line.

The Run

Well, despite the run supposedly being my strong suit – this was undoubtedly the hardest. The burn in the legs wasn’t too bad, as I had followed some advice and stood up and stretched my legs in the last 200 metres of the bike leg, and it really seemed to help. But my legs were really, really tired. I let myself walk a couple of times (lots of people were doing this), mainly because I had decided at the outset that I wanted to just enjoy my first triathlon and not set too higher goals, my times were spot on according to my plans, and saw no need to kill myself over it. I know, I know - how could I need to walk during a 1.5 km run? But the reality is that the effect of the bike and the swim beforehand is cumulative, and from bike to run is quite a unique challenge in itself. Sprinted to the finish line, and was pretty happy overall.

Reflections

· Its really hard to know how to pace yourself in an event like this. Because the demands of each leg are all so different, its hard to tell how much to “save up”. In retrospect, maybe I cycled too fast, and should have left more for the run, but as I said earlier, the cycle felt easy. I guess the only way to pace your self is through experience in races such as this. As a result of this – I need to do far more brick workouts – moving from cycling to running to understand the way my body responds to this.

· I will keep working on my freestyle, but will make sure that I do lots of other strokes as well, particularly whilst I stay doing short courses, as freestyle is just not necessary/useful. But if I keep up the practice, I should be prepared for when I want to move up to the sprint distance.

· Its quite a technical race – lots to remember to do, and lots of rules. Like don’t take your bike off the rack unless your helmet is on/ don’t draft behind another bike/if you are within 6 metres of another bike you must overtake within 15 secs/remember the order of everything you need to take off/put on etc. But well worthwhile doing a “practice one” to help you consolidate all of this. Now that I have sense of knowing what I am doing, next season I can train far more specifically with time goals etc.

· I had no stiffness/soreness the next day – which says that I really could have pushed myself harder in the race (oh and did I mention I also ran the 5 km fun run 3 hrs later?). But I’m ok with this, because I had decided that I didn’t want to push myself – just soak it all up, enjoy and learn. Next time though…

· And lastly, the hair. This is for you Katiep. I found the perfect hairdo – see photo below. Pigtail braids! Haven’t worn them since high school but they were soooo good. They survived a latex swimming cap being ripped off, replaced with a helmet, then this coming off, followed by a run. And then the 5 km run at midday in 40 deg. heat, running through lots of water, and still in good enough condition to go to the pub for dinner. Now that’s some hairstyle – would thoroughly recommend it!

Obsessed with losing weight?

I wasn't going to post until tomorrow after weigh in, but something happened today that I need your thoughts on.

I was out at lunch with a couple of colleagues who are good friends. One has lost about 30 kgs over a short period of time on the Cohens diet and is at goal weight, and the other is male and has lost about 15 kgs, but has managed this by just eating a little healthier and walking to work (men!).
We ordered salads at Cafe Primo as we usually do, and there was a free garlic bread that came with it, and as one of them ordered for me, I didn't get a chance to say no. I ignored it when it arrived, and after a while they asked if I was going to eat it. I replied no - I had started the Jillian Michaels 30 day program - and no cheat meals for me. One of them looked at me and then asked - "do you think there will be some point in your life when you will return to normal relaxed eating - after all - how long have you being doing this stuff for now?" I replied about how I hoped that one day I would, but at the moment every time I relax my eating I gain weight - and I probably need to change my fat/muscle ratio to help with this, but I know that they both think I am obsessed with losing weight. I then went on to say that it wasn't really about losing weight - but that I want to be fit and healthy, and my friend nodded in agreement and the conversation went on to other things. But I know what they were thinking, and it makes me feel a bit freakish. I thought some more about it and I realise that I didnt really say what it is really about for me.

The reality is , I plan to always eat healthily, like an athlete.
I want to put good food in my body, with just the occasional treat. So no, there probably wont be a time when I stop being fussy and particular.

I want an athletes body.
I want an athletes ability.
I want to continually challenge my body and achieve new things.
I want to compete in events and have a body that allows me to do this, both in ability and shape and form.

This means fuelling it with clean healthy food. Yes, at the moment I have gained a few kilos, and I want to get back to where I was at goal, but that is just a temporary objective - I have long term goals that will always see me saying no to some foods and alcohol. Am I wrong to want this? Am I obsessed?

What's been going on in my life????

Well, its been a couple of months since a decent post - I guess I should fill people in.

I haven't fallen off the wagon or anything - just always seem to be too busy reading everyone else's blogs to have time to write in mine. Everyone else is much more interesting! The problem with not blogging very often is that when you do - there is so much to say that there is never enough time to write it all! I've had to write this over several days.

Well, I relaxed my eating over the holidays and gained a few kilos, despite maintaining a reasonable level of exercise. So now that I'm back at work, I'm back to relosing these, plus a few more.

I've set myself a few competing goals, which currently have me so sore I can barely walk!

Saturday, I walk/ran 16kms of hills. I've scheduled in one long walk/run each weekend until the end of March as I would like to compete in a local half marathon. I've been concentrating so much lately on HIIT workouts that I haven't done any distance running - so running the whole thing is out of the question. But I could certainly walk it, and run some. So I need to get some "distance" into my legs, so one long one for me each weekend.

Saturday evening I started the first of Jillian Michaels "Making the Cut" weight training sessions - which are fairly intensive circuits FILLED with plyometrics (jumping lunges/squats etc with weights). I've decided to trial her 30 day program to lose the holiday weight, and regain some muscle (haven't done any weights since December) . So March is the month, and I am following her diet/exercise program to the letter. (Well - close enough - don't like some of her recipes so am exchanging some of them for Tosca Reno's from her Clean Eating Cookbook)

Oh and between the 16kms and the weights that day- there was no rest for me - I spent the intervening hours preparing for my 12 yo daughters birthday party, and supervising/cleaning up after her 7 friends who spent the night.

Sunday morning I woke feeling rather tired and sorry for myself, but its the triathlon next weekend, and whilst I would have preferred a rest day (I think I was on 8 days stright) , I knew I needed to try out my gear in the pool before the big day. I have had great dramas over what to wear for this - I'm NOT riding a bike/running in my bathers, so I have finally bought some 2xu tri nix - which are basically like padded bike shorts which are designed to be swam in. This means they don't absorb too much water so that you don't feel like you are running with a nappy between your legs. Any way - I have the tri- nix, and bought a tri top from the 3 Sports store in Sydney when I visited there last week. So time to try swimming in these shorts, top and my sports bra.

Rode my bike to my friend's pool, jumped in and swam about 250 metres. The short course triathlon is very short - it only requires a 160 m swim - but for a hopeless swimmer like me, this is a lot. I have basically given up on the idea of being able to swim it all freestyle - the breathing is just too exhausting. So I will start with freestyle, then switch to breaststroke/sidestroke/whatever to get me to the end. I was just about to leave when I heard a "swoosh" come up the drive. It was hubby on his bike - he had decided that perhaps he needed to do one last swim too. So I waited for him to swim his laps (it only takes about 5 mins!) so we could ride home together - but at the driveway he turned in the other direction. Turns out he thought he'd ride a few kms out to the highway before heading home. Mmmmm - guess I'd better too - even though my legs were barely functional from yesterday. So headed off behind him and we rode a quick 4kms and then back home. As we got closer to home I thought - heck I've done the swim, done the ride - might as well finish it off with a run. So dropped off the bike and headed out for a quick short run. So for my "rest" day - I ended up doing a "mini" version of the "mini" triathlon for next Sunday. Limped back inside afterwards. Clothes were fine for all three sports, although I will have to apply antichafe stuff on the arms - a little bit of rubbing against a wet top!

Oh and did I tell you that after talking my Hb into us buying two of them (one for him, one for me) he's told me I'm not allowed to spend anything else on health and fitness for the rest of the year! (Man, that's one superchallenge!)

But remembering this is Day 2 of the Jillian Michaels challenge - I still had to do another intensive weight circuit that night - can't throw in the towel at day 2! So by Monday morning moving around was rather difficult. Decided that I will give the morning HIITT workouts a miss this week as somehow I have to keep up the JM stuff, do some minor triathlon training, and fit in a taper before the event. And, because of the need to rest for a good 3 days prior, it means I had to reshuffle the rest days on Jillian's workouts. Monday was meant to be a rest, but I moved all the workouts forward, so that I could legitimately have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. That translates into "ouch for now, worth it later!"

It has taken me so long to write this post, that its now Thursday. I might leave it here and pick up again after my weigh in on Saturday. The scales are looking quite good - and I can fill you in on the results for week 1, and the JM nutrition program and how its affecting me. Then after that, it will be time to let you know how my first tri went!

Finally!

Finally I am able to post again.

You remember my previous post about email problems - well the problems expanded. I've since worked out that someone hijacked my Ebay account to try and fraudulently sell a PS3. Ebay were on to them (don't ask me how) cancelled the sale and suspended my account. This "hijacking" affected my email password, and then my access to blogger and anything that was linked to my email address as log - in. They changed my password as well as the email address that a reset would be sent to. I have spent ages trying to convince Live Windows, Google and Ebay that I am who I say I am, so that everything could be re-instated. This has meant that I haven't been able to access my blog - or comment on anyone elses. And I haven't been able to read private blogs - so Donna - I have missed my "fix" of you. This has driven me crazy!
Well I'm back - and I'll blog soon about my triathlon training - but I need to do the housework first!
Cheers

Email problems

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm having problems with my email. Last night it decided it didn't know me anymore and I have been unable to log in. Waiting for the cyberspace people to hopefully fix it.

In the meantime we're off on our annual pilgrimage to West Beach, Adelaide for some sand and surf. I will have internet access (the caravan park has wireless coverage), but have to buy access by the hour, so I will have to careful with how much sandless surfing I do!

A sense of calm

Over Christmas and New Year, I really pigged out. I ate badly. I ate everything I felt like, chips, chocolate, icecreams, whatever. And I guess I gained weight. I don't actually know because I didn't weigh myself, but the clothes felt a little tighter. But when the silly season was over and I went back to work ( I only really had the public holidays off, but it all felt like holiday), I surprised myself with how I just automatically slipped back into the routine of clean eating, and preparing my foods in advance.
We ate takeaway Thursday night, and last night (celebration of starting real holidays) and it didnt faze me. I didn't overeat, and I didn't worry about eating it. Because I knew that I'd eaten really well all week, and it shouldn't matter. Because I'm not trying to lose weight. Because I just want to be fit and healthy. Because I'm not the same person I was two years ago. I feel a sense of peace/calm about my eating. I think being healthy is now just a part of my normal makeup. My quirky eating habits (according to my work colleagues) are not because I'm dieting, they're just because I'm me.
This morning, day 1 of holidays, I allowed myself to "sleep in" until 6.30am, then cycled to the pool, swam my laps, and went for a leisurely 17 km bike ride. Came back hungry, went food shopping, filled my trolley with healthy stuff, and came back for a nutritious breakfast. None of which I did because I had to. All of which I did because I want to.

What keeps you going?

I've had a couple of thoughts recently around this theme today.

The first one was when I saw someone at work who lost weight when I did (the first time in about 2002 - I lost 17 kgs and regained about 5 before losing the rest in 2006) but has regained it all. There are a few people around who are in this boat - have lost weight and regained most of it, if not more. I have now basically managed to keep my weight off for 12 months, and I wondered "why the difference". And thoughts are this. One thing that I did differently from others is the development of a passionate exercise regime. Some people walked, but not much else. And as I have struggled to maintain my weight all year, the one thing that helps me stay on track, is the way I feel after exercise. It makes you feel fit and healthy, and want to be fit and healthy, and reinvigorates your desire to eat well. I've found lately that this is one of the real benefits of morning exercise. If I exercise first thing, I am far more likely to have a healthy "clean" breakfast and prepare similar foods for the day, than if I don't. I guess I'm saying I think being in the habit of exercising keeps your mind focussed on being healthy as important. And I wonder if this is what has kept me persistently challenging my eating habits, rather than letting them slide.....

Secondly, I thought I would share the constant battles that are fought in my head in the mornings about getting up to exercise. This morning went like this:
Head: Alarms gone off - time to get up
Body: I am way too tired
Head: But that's why we went to bed early last night - so that we've had plenty of sleep
Body: But I'm still so tired, I've been doing all this new cycling and swimming every morning, and I need my rest
Head: But you've been doing it for a reason haven't you
Body: How about I just get up for the loo and then just hop back into bed for a few more minutes - maybe that will be enough
Head: Ok
Body: Back in bed - It wouldnt be unreasonable to skip the swimming today - after all, its a lot of effort to learn a new sport, and we've done it three days in a row - we need to be sensible about rest for the body
Head: Ok - but .....then all day we're going to be regretting that we haven't followed through with the plan and given the swimming training the best chance of success
Body: B** H*** - damn you for being right.
And up we get.

It took me 10 minutes to convince myself to get out of bed, and I reckon this happens most days (different excuses). But the final decisive straw is usually the same - think how good you'll feel afterwards, and how bad you'll feel if you haven't. (And sometimes - particularly with running - I tell myself "you don't have to run or work hard, just get out there "- and I know once I'm there I'll work hard - I'm just tricking the body)

So if anyone thinks that people who exercise regularly, and love it, like me, find it easy to make it happen - think again. We all go through these regular battles, but have to come up with good "lines" to beat the inner demons of laziness!

PS - day 4 of swimming - despite not wanting to be there - saw more small improvements - managed to have negligible rests between every second lap - basically letting myself rest for as long as I like after every two laps, as long as I turn straight around after the first and keep going.

Well, I've swam three days in a row now (6 am morning swims - Yuk - even with a heated pool I'm still cold!)

But I'm pleased to say that today I noticed some improvement. I wasn't quite so out of breath at the end of each lap and felt with some that I could have swam further if I didn't run out of pool (LOL) and some I managed to turn around and swim again with only a few seconds break.

I've been concentrated on breathing technique and rotation, and I've also been thinking that I'm not sure that I need to stop because I"m short of breath, as much as the fact that I take in water sometimes when I breathe - and this makes life difficult. From what I've read - it would seem that this is because I'm lifting my head (and hence sinking) rather than rotating my whole body, so I'm focusing on this. As well as trying to relax when I swim and not panic about the breathing! I think this is working.

Today I rode 8 kms after the swim, as this is the triathlon (short course) length. It was fine, but I took it easy as I'm feeling a little tired from my new sports. No need to push myself at this stage, just focus on covering the distances on a regular basis. I also have to focus on developing some confidence and balance on the bike so I can turn my head and reach my drink bottle (which I don't have yet, but may need if I do the tri). So I've been practicing some of the really mundane things like riding one handed, and mounting by swinging my leg over the back of the bike, in readiness for learning one of those running mounts!

The first day I swam, I cycled to and from the pool, and then did my 45 HITT session on the elliptical. But even with leaving at 6 am in the morning, there isn't enough time to fit this all in before work, not to mention the 15 mins of yoga stretches I have to do at the end for my hamstrings. So I have decided I might do my HITT cardio in the evenings, and alternate with my weight training. The only problem with this will be when its really hot....

I've also been looking around at bikes, trying to work out what I will need for the tri, but I really have no idea. Its obviously much better to buy your equipment once you are experienced in the sport, which I am not. For example, when I bought my first treadmill, I had no idea that I would quickly outgrow the 10 km/hr max speed, and that electronic incline would be really important to me. Hence 9 months later I was buying a new one..... So if anyone has any tips on what to look for - eg what's really essential - what people have been told is essential but you've never used, what's nice to have - I would appreciate any tips. I also want to buy a tri suit (there is no way I am running in my bathers!)- but I can't find any online - and there aren't any available up here - if anyone knows good online or other retail stores in Adelaide - happy to hear about it.

Cheers for now - I have a HIIT session to do and sleep to have before my next swimming session!

Mini Brick!

Today - I did a mini brick!

The thoughts of a triathlon have been creeping back into my mind - how does one control their thoughts and stop ones such as this?

Now don't forget that I don't cycle or swim - so that you can see how ridiculous this is.

Anyway - last night I decided to go for a ride as it was a little cooler. Hubby came too, and we only rode a few kms - saw that some friends were home, and dropped in. But the key thing here, was that it was easy peasy. I regained some confidence and even practiced riding one handed (last ride was 12 months ago - terrifying in the traffic, and before that - about 20 yrs!). The friends have a lap pool, and reiterated the offer for me to swim in it any time......

Got to thinking about the Asics Triathlon coming up in March. Looked it up on the internet - and the short course is only 160m swim/8km bike ride/1.5 km run. To me, these distances seem all out of kilter. What's with a 1.5 km run - hardly seems worth putting the sandshoes on, and even for a non-cyclist like me, 8km seems an easy bike ride, BUT - 160 m swim -isn't that a marathon!!!!! LOL.

Anyway - I've got about 8 weeks until its on. So I decided that each morning I will cycle to the friends house, swim 10 laps (180m), cycle home, and do my normal cardio workout - which at the moment is on the elliptical because of my hamstring problems.

AND I DID

Ok - to be honest here - I swam 10 laps, but I can barely manage one, which is 18m, and I had to stop and rest/recover for about a minute in between each one. But it all comes down to the breathing - I'm sure I have the fitness and muscle endurance to do it - I just have to nail the technique. And good form comes with persistant practice. I have a good book on drills to improve technique - and I incorporated these into the first three laps, and I'm going to just keep persevering and see if I can nail it. Oh and I think I will increase the length of the ride so that it is 4kms each way - ie 8kms in total. This way I am easily covering all of the distances for the tri each morning - although split up. I'll decide in Feb if I think the tri is achievable.

Now all that's left in the planning is to find a great tri suit and a new bike.... Why is it that shopping is always on my mind!

CUT

This is my goal for 2008. Not a resolution, just a one word goal:

******C U T ******

It really sums it all up for me, and I'm going to just keep this word in the forefront of my mind


By cut, I mean that by the end of 2008, I wish to have transformed my appearance to looking very ripped or cut. I am reasonably happy with the muscle definition in my upper body/chest/lower legs/back, so the focus will be on the abs and thighs.

I've been having a good look at my current shape and can actually see that my thighs are already quite muscly, there is just another layer of fat covering them. In fact, if I place a finger on the back of my thigh, I can "pull up" the fatty layer towards my butt, and reveal a very nicely toned hamstring area.

I know my abs are quite tight, from two years of regular workouts, but I have a lot of excess skin here (mainly skin here I think as the skin fold measurements are quite small) which covers the muscles.


So the plan is this:


1. Drop my body fat by another 5% bringing it to 12%. I don't think I want to go any lower than this, from what I've read it wouldn't be healthy. But I plan on spending the first 6 months prioritising my training around dropping fat through cardio, whilst maintaining muscle bulk through weight training. This means I wont use protein supplements to reduce the extra calories, but will still focus on a relatively high protein diet.



2. The second 6 months (or when I've achieved my desired body fat level) will be a swing towards cardio for fitness and fat maintenance, and a ramping up of the muscle building to target specific areas.



3. I have an appointment with the plastic surgeon for Feb 19, and I hope to book in surgery as soon as I can for a tummy tuck. I have accepted that I cannot improve my stomach any further without surgery. So "cut" has a second and more secret meeting for me - as I'm not sharing my plans with anyone other than my hb and children, and blogger world. My wider family have already expressed that they would not agree with this decision (and plastic surgery in general), so I have decided I just wont tell them. This is one thing that is made a bit easier living some distance from them!



So these are my plans. I have bought a couple of new books to help me with my weight training, since I do it all on my own at home.


Training @ home, by David and Melinda Obern

This has good photos of exercises including form issues to watch for, exercises for advanced lifters, and sample 12 week programs/program cards. I'm not going to use their programs, as I am finding everywhere that I look that I usually do more than what is put into programs already - and I'm not planning on going backwards! (Im mainly referring to the cardio component, as I am very strict on ensuring my rest between weight training sessions)



Muscle Mechanics by Everett Aaberg

Whilst my health training has made me very familiar with muscle mechanics, this book has a great variety of advanced exercises, with photo overlays showing the exact muscles that are being worked. As I plan on my training being far more targetted this year, I'm really looking forward to using this.


Sculpting Her Body Perfect

Of course I am still using my favorite . This book contains everything you need to develop your own program, and I'm thrilled to realise that now starting in my 3rd year of weight training, I am ready to progress to the third/most advanced stage.



Lastly - I had to pick up something at Harvey Norman the other day in exchange for something I returned and I picked up this:



Now you, like everyone else, are probably saying - why on earth would you buy an egg cooker. Well, for all my clean eating friends, I think this is going to be fantastic. With egg white being one of the purist and leanest forms of protein, I have been struggling with finding the time to hard boil the eggs - because you need to be around, watching for the pot to boil, watching the time to make sure they are hard boiled, taking them out when they are done to cool, making sure they don't crack etc. This boils up to 7 at time - no fuss - just a buzz when they are ready. And then.... you can poach and do omelettes in the little dishes - egg white omelettes made in a flash, with no watching, no frypans to wash Yum!

Sigh - I am such a gadget queen!

I love running, I love it not...

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with running. Ever since the half marathon I have really enjoyed NOT running regularly. I am obviously not one of these people who are addicted to running - I'm more addicted to exercise in general - I love the pumped feeling of pushing yourself to the limits, but I love variety. I still enjoy running but I enjoy not having it as my sole focus.

Lately I have been doing all the cardiocoach tracks in the mornings - mainly on the elliptical because it doesn't stress my hamstrings at all, and they seem to be perpetually injured (from running!). I've really enjoyed it, but have to be careful not to do too much as it really is a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout, and if I do it in the mornings, and then do Combat/Attack in the evenings, that's really two HIIT workouts a day - and its too much for the body to cope with day in/day out. Anyway - its been great, I've really enjoyed it all, and I've had no hamstring pain.

So Monday/Tuesday I was down in Adelaide and staying with my parents. I was unable to exercise Monday due to an early bus ride, and evening commitments - so I knew I needed to do something Tuesday. With no vehicle for transport, I thought a run would be in order. So I decided to stick with the cardio coach program and use it on an outdoor run.

I think my hamstrings became sore overnight in anticipation of the work (they have been fine for weeks, but felt sore when I got up - go figure!). Nevertheless I headed off - walking for the first 10 mins, and then did slow jogs for the interval work up a really steep hill. It hurt a bit, but it was OK. I've kind of decided to just ignore my hamstrings - I'm just so fed up with them not healing. Any, the cardio coach programs seem to be graduated in length and in intensity - and just my luck, the one I was up to was #5 out of 7. The wonderful Sean O'Malley told me that it was 60 min session with a series of short sprints. Ah well- why not. I could do at least one couldn't I. So I went for it. And it felt fantastic. In fact I ended up doing 6 x 1 minute sprints, with 30 secs rest, and then 6 x 30 sec sprints with 90 secs in between. Apparently in the first set of sprints I was meant to keep my HR below 85% and not hit the anaerobic state - ooops - kinda ran them all at 90% - 95%! I loved the feeling and got lots of strange looks as I practically bowled people over on the footpaths as a ran like a madwoman - or at least someone who was being chased by the boogie man!

But it all came at a price. I could feel the pain in the hamstrings, but I ignored it- I was having too good a time! Eventually when the pain became very sharp - I had to stop and skip the last two sprints. And of course today - I am in agony- not just the pain in the hamstrings, but every other muscle in my thighs is stiff and aches - because I really kicked butt! (Did I mention on one of the sprints I hit 15km/hr!!!!)

So it was an elated feeling, followed by frustration. I guess I really am going to have to see someone about this injury - (but as a health professional I hate to admit that I can't solve my own problems!) Whilst I don't want to have to run all the time just to keep fit (that seems like a chore) - I do love the feeling of really "going for it" every now and then. Once a week would be fine with me - but I can't keep putting myself through this injury. I would really like to be able to push myself to my limits without being limited by pain.

Maybe after Christmas when I have a bit more money....

By the way - only 6 more sleeps! I'm so excited - I have really spoilt the kids and I can't wait to see their faces!

One more "by the way". The reason I was in Adelaide was for my graduation ceremony - I have finally graduated with a Masters in Primary Health Care.

Day 14 report

Well, I'm not perfect.

And I didn't achieve perfection.

But I didn't do too badly.

I have been doing a lot of heavy cardio (up to 2 hrs a day - 1 hr in the morning, one hr in the evening) and its been quite exhausting. So much so that I had to have a rest day on Thursday or I wouldn't have been able to move- every muscle in my body ached.

I've been doing Cardiocoach in the mornings, and have now done all 7 of tracks, and have even done Cardio Pump this afternoon. I've been alternating doing it on my new elliptical/cross trainer (Chrissie present) and the treadmill. Good thing too as when I run I like to "let it rip" which it does, and there goes my hamstring again. But it doesn't hurt at all on the elliptical, but I have to work harder (ramp up the resistance) to get my heart rate up as it is low impact. On one hand I hope I don't get too much fitter or I will run out of resistance settings!

Food wise - I've been pretty good - not perfect, but within my calorie allowance except for my cheat meal - which I really enjoyed

I've done no weights this week - except for pump just now - too exhausted.

Results wise - not much change on the measurements except I have dropped 1 cm around the waist - bringing me back down to 80cm. Yay, because 80 cm is the limit for a healthy weight/low risk category.

Body fat wise - my skin calipers measured me up a bit to 18% body fat??? Not sure what this means - daily variation/variation in the way I measure it/or even does it suggest that cardio is good for dropping weight but I am losing muscle mass - can I lose 1% in a week? Who knows, more time will tell, although I will try and put some weights back in this week as my body adjusts to the extra cardio (plus I had two days in Adelaide for work which made it hard)

Finally - if my 17 y.o. daughter is ever home long enough for me to see her - I might get her to take some photos of me showing the muscle definition - its hard to do this yourself - and she loves taking photos.

Bye for now

PS - to all of those who welcome me back after long gaps between posts - I should tell you that I haven't been anywhere - I read all of your posts just about daily - but run out of time to comment or post myself! Your lives are much more interesting!!!

Day 21 (yes I'm counting backwards)

Achievement - 100%
Exercise - 911 cals - 42 mins Cardio Coach on the X trainer in the am, 60 mins Combat - pm

Food
M1 - Protein shake
M2 - Saladas and vegemite
M3 - Tuna salad
M4 - Yoghurt (with protein powder), apple
M5 - Protein shake (no time to eat real food)
Cals - 1390

Water - 2 litres

Net Cals for the day - 479
.

Day 21 of "Perfection" (am also calling this 21 days of perfection)
1 down - 20 to go