So, Thursday morning, Trish and were going to run 9km. We would leave her house at 6:45 am, and with any luck be done in under an hour, giving me 45 minutes to get organised for work.
This was our first run together, and I didn't know how we would go, so I spent some time mapping out a course that had an escape point at 6km, 8km and a full 9km run, that way we could get back sooner if something went wrong, or if we were behind pace, or just too sore. I set out my running clothes on the foot of the bed so I wouldn't have to rummage around. I had water and a little breakfast bar for an energy boost organised. And since I was really excited, I kept waking up hoping I didn't miss my alarm.
Up I was at 6am. Dressed, hydrated, food in... wandering around the house waiting till a reasonable time to get in the car to get to her house... and finally it's time! Off I go!
I park in front of her house. No movement. I've forgotten my phone... pooh. So much for organised. Guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way.
I knocked on the door.
Nothing.
Hmm... little dog... make the dog bark... "Hello little doggie." Yapping dog...
No movement about the house.
Sit in the car for a few minutes. Surely she'll have heard that and is just running a minute behind.
...
Knock more firmly on the door this time.
Nada.
Back to car... and ever so tentatively, honk the horn.
*toot*
(SHAME)
Nothing!? Is she here? Maybe she went to the rec centre? Did we have a miscommunication?
I drive back home, text her. No reply.
By this time I can only squeeze in a 5km run, which did me just fine! 9km might have been a stretch anyway! :)
I got home and there were two texts and a missed call from her. She didn't hear her alarm and slept right through! hehe
Poor girl felt so bad she bought me a large chai latte! Now that's a nice treat!
We'll try again on the weekend for a long run, and this time we'll set it for a reasonable hour. 8am Sunday I think :)
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Who are you anyway?
I don't know if anyone but Dana is reading this, and not that it matters, but if you are reading and are interested, here's a bit about me.
I am Canadian by birth, and am living in Australia. I've been here 6 years now. In fact I had an anniversary of arrival earlier this month. Passed by without even noticing. I'm not good with dates! :)
I am a 36 year old female who got started in fitness late in life. I've been athletic much of my life, with swimming and horses and whatever else struck my fancy at the time (you name it, I've probably tried it), but have never been so very dedicated as I am now. But I still struggle, which might be why I feel like I can really help people... because I know it's hard and I think people see me as a real person experiencing their growing pains, and not as a freak of nature for whom it all comes naturally. Then again, I could be wrong! :)
I am a Cert III qualified Fitness Instructor, with Gym Trainer and Aqua Instructor specialisations, as well as having Children's Trainer and Exercise Nutrition certificates. I teach Les Mills Body Balance (Body Flow in North America) and am also Thump Boxing Level 2 certified. I'm sure there's more...
I got qualified just over two years ago, and have loved loved loved teaching classes, and watching people transform their bodies! I love it when a plan comes together!
And in October of 2006 I did the horse ride in the Blackwood Marathon Relay race with my family. And I was hooked and that's what got us here.
At the very least, I am fit and healthy and strong, and still striving forward!
I am Canadian by birth, and am living in Australia. I've been here 6 years now. In fact I had an anniversary of arrival earlier this month. Passed by without even noticing. I'm not good with dates! :)
I am a 36 year old female who got started in fitness late in life. I've been athletic much of my life, with swimming and horses and whatever else struck my fancy at the time (you name it, I've probably tried it), but have never been so very dedicated as I am now. But I still struggle, which might be why I feel like I can really help people... because I know it's hard and I think people see me as a real person experiencing their growing pains, and not as a freak of nature for whom it all comes naturally. Then again, I could be wrong! :)
I am a Cert III qualified Fitness Instructor, with Gym Trainer and Aqua Instructor specialisations, as well as having Children's Trainer and Exercise Nutrition certificates. I teach Les Mills Body Balance (Body Flow in North America) and am also Thump Boxing Level 2 certified. I'm sure there's more...
I got qualified just over two years ago, and have loved loved loved teaching classes, and watching people transform their bodies! I love it when a plan comes together!
And in October of 2006 I did the horse ride in the Blackwood Marathon Relay race with my family. And I was hooked and that's what got us here.
Now, it's well and truly past 2008, but what makes me happy is that I didn't just chuck the idea aside and say "well, that's been and gone." I kept at it, even though things happened. Horses happened. Injury and travel happened. Laziness happened. But here I am... and I think it might just happen!
The Goal:To complete a Blackwood Marathon Relay Iron Woman race in October 2008.
At the very least, I am fit and healthy and strong, and still striving forward!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Keeping Track
Obviously, keeping track of your progress is good for knowing if you're being successful, if you're getting anywhere.
Today I ran 9km for the first time and it felt GREAT!! And according to my plan I am going to run 9km again on Thursday, and hit 10 on Sunday next week! So I wanted to be able to compare this run to the next run, so I added an extra worksheet to my Training Log.
I love Excel (or actually, Open Office Calc, but that's neither here nor there), and so I have several worksheets that help me train and track my progress. Now, I admit I did not program these initially, someone else did the hard work to get them started, but they help me immensely, and I have customised them to suit me where needed.
First I have a chart that calculates my running program based upon a percentage of the total cumulative distance I want to run in a week, with no more than a 10% increase in distance in a week, so I don't have to do any math or thinking.
I also have a Triathlon Training Log chart that keeps track of my swim, bike, run distances on a daily and weekly basis that displays each onto a line graph to show how far I am going. It's pretty nice to see the line sticking up really really high! Sad to see the swim ones though, they stick up like little goosebumps on the bottom of the chart, where the cycling is up often near the 80km mark each week.
It also has a heart rate tracking section, but I don't have a heart rate monitor at this point, but could be very interesting when I do start checking that. It also has a "reward" column where I track how many sessions I have done and pay myself $1 per session. The cumulative total is great! I'm ready to spend some of my hard work! This is one of my additions.
I have now added a chart that tracks each running effort at different distances, 1 to 20km with efforts 1 though 10 for each distance, and finally an average time for each distance run. What is excellent about this is that I can see if I am at least working at a 6 minute kilometer pace or better, by looking at it, and it also converts my pace to km/hour. Thank goodness I only had to go through the process of figuring out the maths for that conversion once! Now the computer will do it for me! :)
Most of the time I am running OVER 10km per hour, which is pretty good! I am aiming for 12km per hour for my race pace over 12km and I have 187 days of training to get there.
Now, just keep running!
Oh, if you're intersted in these spreadsheets, let me know and I can email you a copy.
Cheers!
Today I ran 9km for the first time and it felt GREAT!! And according to my plan I am going to run 9km again on Thursday, and hit 10 on Sunday next week! So I wanted to be able to compare this run to the next run, so I added an extra worksheet to my Training Log.
I love Excel (or actually, Open Office Calc, but that's neither here nor there), and so I have several worksheets that help me train and track my progress. Now, I admit I did not program these initially, someone else did the hard work to get them started, but they help me immensely, and I have customised them to suit me where needed.
First I have a chart that calculates my running program based upon a percentage of the total cumulative distance I want to run in a week, with no more than a 10% increase in distance in a week, so I don't have to do any math or thinking.
I also have a Triathlon Training Log chart that keeps track of my swim, bike, run distances on a daily and weekly basis that displays each onto a line graph to show how far I am going. It's pretty nice to see the line sticking up really really high! Sad to see the swim ones though, they stick up like little goosebumps on the bottom of the chart, where the cycling is up often near the 80km mark each week.
It also has a heart rate tracking section, but I don't have a heart rate monitor at this point, but could be very interesting when I do start checking that. It also has a "reward" column where I track how many sessions I have done and pay myself $1 per session. The cumulative total is great! I'm ready to spend some of my hard work! This is one of my additions.
I have now added a chart that tracks each running effort at different distances, 1 to 20km with efforts 1 though 10 for each distance, and finally an average time for each distance run. What is excellent about this is that I can see if I am at least working at a 6 minute kilometer pace or better, by looking at it, and it also converts my pace to km/hour. Thank goodness I only had to go through the process of figuring out the maths for that conversion once! Now the computer will do it for me! :)
Most of the time I am running OVER 10km per hour, which is pretty good! I am aiming for 12km per hour for my race pace over 12km and I have 187 days of training to get there.
Now, just keep running!
Oh, if you're intersted in these spreadsheets, let me know and I can email you a copy.
Cheers!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Blackwood Marathon
Thought I would just post the link to the Blackwood Marathon's home page. There's great photos and event information. Even pictures of the course, so you know what to expect!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Planned versus Actual
Just thought I would take a few minutes to compare how my actual training compares to my plan. Could be an interesting experiment. Here are the last two weeks:
-- Mon 12th: planned: Bike 20km, teach Balance.
Actual: did both!
-- Tue 13th: planned: Run 4km.
Actual: Ride 36km. That's alright, I guess. I think the ride was harder, and I was doing it with friends, which is more fun.
-- Wed 14th: planned: Run 6km, Bike 20, teach Balance.
Actual: Ran 6km, Rode Horse, taught Balance. Did the horse ride as I had done the bike ride the day before.
-- Thu 15th: planned: Run 7km, Bike 20-40km.
Actual: Rode Horse, went to Attack. Hmm... these statistics are a little disappointing, didn't get close to bike or run.
-- Fri 16th: rest day - had no problem sticking to that plan! :)
-- Sat 17th: planned: Run 4, Bike 40-60.
Actual: NOTHING! What?! Oh that was that day. I did not have a good day that Saturday.
-- Sun 18th: planned: Run 8km, Bike 20km, Ride Horse.
Actual: Bike 20, Run 4 (my legs were sore!), and Rode Horse! Good day!
-- Mon 19th: planned: weights, Run 4km, teach Balance.
Actual: Run 4km, taught Balance.
-- Tue 20th: nothing planned, as it was the first day of Healthy Bodies, a seminar on Wellness I am running and I wanted to be well prepared, spent the day in my head.
-- Wed 21st: planned: Bike 20km, Run 8km, teach Balance.
Actual: Bike 16km, Run 5km, taught Balance
-- Thu 22nd: planned: Run 4km, teach Balance, ride horse, Attack.
Actual: taught Balance, Attack.
-- Fri 23rd: planned: Run 4km, Bike 20km, practice Balance.
Actual: run 3.5-4km. Oh bad, didn't do any of the other things.
Coming up:
-- Saturday: planned: Ride horse at Kojonup riding club all day. Did not happen. Still planning on going for a ride today, just not there.
-- Sunday: Run 9km, Bike 20km
-- Monday: Weights, Run 4km, practice Balance. I know I won't get to weights session, gym is closed, Jen has broken arm and I have strained left delt. Remove from plan to improve statistics.
So looking back, my planned vs actual is quite divergent! Let's see:
And some of those are for work and I have to do them! And when I look at the fact that I'm not always doing what I planned (like going for a horse ride instead of a bike ride) I wonder if I am organising myself appropriately.
My general plan is as follows:
-- Mondays: WORK NIGHT SHIFT, so before work: do weights and short run, balance that night at work. (As mentioned earlier, not doing weights due to injury and training partner's injury. Will get back into that.)
-- Tuesdays: WORK FULL DAY SPLIT SHIFTS - so row between splits (Aside: The girls go to Running Fit at 6:15am... should I drag myself there?) (Second Aside: I also teach circuit that morning and I can probably participate more than I do, especially once all my ladies are familiar with the exercises.)
-- Wednesdays: WORK NIGHT SHIFT, so before work: short hill cycle (Helen & Sue ride Police Pools (PP = 20km) at 6:30am, but it's damn cold and dark, and I haven't joined them yet. My plan is to do Katanning-Kojonup Road (KKR) or Fairfield for the hills), long run (but if I do a hill ride, my legs are pretty buggered...), balance that night at work.
-- Thursdays: WORK DAY SHIFT, so after work: short run, arena horse ride. Teach Balance at work for next few weeks until Kirsty is back. Been having trouble with wanting to do anything after work. End up having a cuppa at T&Es (aunt and uncles) and suddenly it's too late to exercise, run, ride etc! Funny that!
-- Friday: WORK DAY SHIFT - short cycle (planned PP, but maybe swap Wed/Fri rides and go hills on Fridays?), practice balance (for the stretching/flexibility). Similar problem here with the cuppa. Will have to head straight to workout and visit AFTER exercise is completed.
-- Saturday: WORK OCCASIONAL DAY SHIFT, hopefully not too many. But if I do, these are long hard days and I will forego the long run and short fast horse ride I have planned.
-- Sunday: long cycle (the cycling group does PP, I want to do Woody and back), long slow horse ride, practice balance if I feel I need it.
I have 16 planned sessions, a few of which are optional (2 balance sessions in particular), and I have not included Attack on Thursday nights, which I love to do, but don't know when else to fit in horse ride... Shuffle shuffle the deck..
Man, this is getting to be a long and drawn out post! But insightful for me at least! Time to reorganise my schedule to fit those things in I am not getting done.
How do you fit it all in??
-- Mon 12th: planned: Bike 20km, teach Balance.
Actual: did both!
-- Tue 13th: planned: Run 4km.
Actual: Ride 36km. That's alright, I guess. I think the ride was harder, and I was doing it with friends, which is more fun.
-- Wed 14th: planned: Run 6km, Bike 20, teach Balance.
Actual: Ran 6km, Rode Horse, taught Balance. Did the horse ride as I had done the bike ride the day before.
-- Thu 15th: planned: Run 7km, Bike 20-40km.
Actual: Rode Horse, went to Attack. Hmm... these statistics are a little disappointing, didn't get close to bike or run.
-- Fri 16th: rest day - had no problem sticking to that plan! :)
-- Sat 17th: planned: Run 4, Bike 40-60.
Actual: NOTHING! What?! Oh that was that day. I did not have a good day that Saturday.
-- Sun 18th: planned: Run 8km, Bike 20km, Ride Horse.
Actual: Bike 20, Run 4 (my legs were sore!), and Rode Horse! Good day!
-- Mon 19th: planned: weights, Run 4km, teach Balance.
Actual: Run 4km, taught Balance.
-- Tue 20th: nothing planned, as it was the first day of Healthy Bodies, a seminar on Wellness I am running and I wanted to be well prepared, spent the day in my head.
-- Wed 21st: planned: Bike 20km, Run 8km, teach Balance.
Actual: Bike 16km, Run 5km, taught Balance
-- Thu 22nd: planned: Run 4km, teach Balance, ride horse, Attack.
Actual: taught Balance, Attack.
-- Fri 23rd: planned: Run 4km, Bike 20km, practice Balance.
Actual: run 3.5-4km. Oh bad, didn't do any of the other things.
Coming up:
-- Saturday: planned: Ride horse at Kojonup riding club all day. Did not happen. Still planning on going for a ride today, just not there.
-- Sunday: Run 9km, Bike 20km
-- Monday: Weights, Run 4km, practice Balance. I know I won't get to weights session, gym is closed, Jen has broken arm and I have strained left delt. Remove from plan to improve statistics.
So looking back, my planned vs actual is quite divergent! Let's see:
Number of sessions planned vs actual:
26 planned, 19 completed!!
That's only 52.7%!!
And some of those are for work and I have to do them! And when I look at the fact that I'm not always doing what I planned (like going for a horse ride instead of a bike ride) I wonder if I am organising myself appropriately.
My general plan is as follows:
-- Mondays: WORK NIGHT SHIFT, so before work: do weights and short run, balance that night at work. (As mentioned earlier, not doing weights due to injury and training partner's injury. Will get back into that.)
-- Tuesdays: WORK FULL DAY SPLIT SHIFTS - so row between splits (Aside: The girls go to Running Fit at 6:15am... should I drag myself there?) (Second Aside: I also teach circuit that morning and I can probably participate more than I do, especially once all my ladies are familiar with the exercises.)
-- Wednesdays: WORK NIGHT SHIFT, so before work: short hill cycle (Helen & Sue ride Police Pools (PP = 20km) at 6:30am, but it's damn cold and dark, and I haven't joined them yet. My plan is to do Katanning-Kojonup Road (KKR) or Fairfield for the hills), long run (but if I do a hill ride, my legs are pretty buggered...), balance that night at work.
-- Thursdays: WORK DAY SHIFT, so after work: short run, arena horse ride. Teach Balance at work for next few weeks until Kirsty is back. Been having trouble with wanting to do anything after work. End up having a cuppa at T&Es (aunt and uncles) and suddenly it's too late to exercise, run, ride etc! Funny that!
-- Friday: WORK DAY SHIFT - short cycle (planned PP, but maybe swap Wed/Fri rides and go hills on Fridays?), practice balance (for the stretching/flexibility). Similar problem here with the cuppa. Will have to head straight to workout and visit AFTER exercise is completed.
-- Saturday: WORK OCCASIONAL DAY SHIFT, hopefully not too many. But if I do, these are long hard days and I will forego the long run and short fast horse ride I have planned.
-- Sunday: long cycle (the cycling group does PP, I want to do Woody and back), long slow horse ride, practice balance if I feel I need it.
I have 16 planned sessions, a few of which are optional (2 balance sessions in particular), and I have not included Attack on Thursday nights, which I love to do, but don't know when else to fit in horse ride... Shuffle shuffle the deck..
Man, this is getting to be a long and drawn out post! But insightful for me at least! Time to reorganise my schedule to fit those things in I am not getting done.
How do you fit it all in??
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sleeping In
Well, the alarm went off like it was supposed to, and I even woke up and thought about getting up and going for that ride at 6:20am with Helen and Sue. But then I thought "it's too dark and I don't have a light" and the next thing I know it's an hour and a half later and damn, no ride, and running short of time.
So I did go for a ride in the end, and because I was pressed for time, I decided to go out Katanning-Kojonup Road (it's a nice ride with some good hills) and I would ride for time, about 20-30 minutes out, depending on how I was feeling, and scoot back in so I could get to my appointment on time. Turns out I could have gone a little longer, could have done the whole 20km because the trip back in was so much better. I swear there was twice as many downhills on the way back, and there was a tail wind ... love a tail wind!
But I went only 16.14km. Did I sell myself short? Was I satisfied with that?
Well, I was satisfied with the fact that I went out, and didn't just toss the ride in the bin since it was my own darn fault I was behind schedule. I'm satisfied that I did a challenging ride and didn't woos out on an easy ride. I know my legs worked hard today! But I think I did cop out a little. I think I did allow myself to not have to do one more hill, and turned around a few minutes too soon.
But now I have to get running to an appointment, and then find time to squeeze in an 8km run before work. Don't know how I am going to do that, but I'll figure out a way!
So I did go for a ride in the end, and because I was pressed for time, I decided to go out Katanning-Kojonup Road (it's a nice ride with some good hills) and I would ride for time, about 20-30 minutes out, depending on how I was feeling, and scoot back in so I could get to my appointment on time. Turns out I could have gone a little longer, could have done the whole 20km because the trip back in was so much better. I swear there was twice as many downhills on the way back, and there was a tail wind ... love a tail wind!
But I went only 16.14km. Did I sell myself short? Was I satisfied with that?
Well, I was satisfied with the fact that I went out, and didn't just toss the ride in the bin since it was my own darn fault I was behind schedule. I'm satisfied that I did a challenging ride and didn't woos out on an easy ride. I know my legs worked hard today! But I think I did cop out a little. I think I did allow myself to not have to do one more hill, and turned around a few minutes too soon.
But now I have to get running to an appointment, and then find time to squeeze in an 8km run before work. Don't know how I am going to do that, but I'll figure out a way!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Inertia
Some days I can barely get going.
Take yesterday, for example. I got up about 2 hours later than planned, and did almost nothing on my list. In fact, I filled my day with other less critical tasks to take away enough time to do the things on my list. Things like ride my horse, go for a run, go for a bike ride. Important things.
And when I sat down and did nothing, I felt terrible and depressed and then had a harder time getting going. I felt heavy and dumb and useless. I very breifly considered giving up on the whole Blackwood Marathon... "whose stupid idea was this anyway?"
But then this morning, I was up when I planned, rode my bike like I planned, dealt with my horse's sore leg like I planned.
An object in motion tends to stay in motion and an object at rest likes to stay at rest. Yesterday I was a resting object, and couldn't find the rocket launcher to get my butt going. Yet today, I was up-an-attem! What was the difference?
I think the big one was that this morning I was meeting people. At a certain time. And they were waiting for me. And how much of a tard would I look if I didn't show up? And then I was moving, my endorphins were charging and my day was looking a lot brighter than if I had just laid in bed and thought about what I should have done instead of what I just accomplished, and anticipating the "what's next?"
I think I really enjoy exercise for the social aspect of it. I prefer to workout at the gym with Jen, she's fun to work out with, and she challenges me, and I push her. And since she's hurt her arm, I haven't done a single bit of weight training, and I can feel that I've completely neglected my upper body!
I like to cycle with Helen and Amanda, even though I feel bad that I'm not as fast as them and I slow them down. But that makes me try harder, and that makes me a better cyclist!
I like to go for rides with Lauren, she always has something to say and a challenge in mind that I probably wouldn't consider doing myself. I don't get bored on a ride with Lauren!
I run on my own, and I think if I had a running partner I'd probably do it more often (I usually do only 2 out of 5 planned runs a week!), and that makes me think that I should just call up Trish. She finds running on the treadmill boring, and so do I!
Rowing I can do on my own with music because it's short and I'm usually doing it because there's nothing good on tv anyway and it kills the boredom. But if I was out on the water, I'd prefer to do it with someone. Then I could go out for a nice long paddle and not feel lonely or worried or ... I don't know, at least I'd have someone to share the experience with.
And whenever I do Balance I am doing it with the mirror and my imaginary class of participants, and we are all brilliant, and I never make a mistake! :)
So I think people are key to my success. For those moments when I don't think I can, I think that's when I need to phone a friend!
How do you get up and going?
Take yesterday, for example. I got up about 2 hours later than planned, and did almost nothing on my list. In fact, I filled my day with other less critical tasks to take away enough time to do the things on my list. Things like ride my horse, go for a run, go for a bike ride. Important things.
And when I sat down and did nothing, I felt terrible and depressed and then had a harder time getting going. I felt heavy and dumb and useless. I very breifly considered giving up on the whole Blackwood Marathon... "whose stupid idea was this anyway?"
But then this morning, I was up when I planned, rode my bike like I planned, dealt with my horse's sore leg like I planned.
An object in motion tends to stay in motion and an object at rest likes to stay at rest. Yesterday I was a resting object, and couldn't find the rocket launcher to get my butt going. Yet today, I was up-an-attem! What was the difference?
I think the big one was that this morning I was meeting people. At a certain time. And they were waiting for me. And how much of a tard would I look if I didn't show up? And then I was moving, my endorphins were charging and my day was looking a lot brighter than if I had just laid in bed and thought about what I should have done instead of what I just accomplished, and anticipating the "what's next?"
I think I really enjoy exercise for the social aspect of it. I prefer to workout at the gym with Jen, she's fun to work out with, and she challenges me, and I push her. And since she's hurt her arm, I haven't done a single bit of weight training, and I can feel that I've completely neglected my upper body!
I like to cycle with Helen and Amanda, even though I feel bad that I'm not as fast as them and I slow them down. But that makes me try harder, and that makes me a better cyclist!
I like to go for rides with Lauren, she always has something to say and a challenge in mind that I probably wouldn't consider doing myself. I don't get bored on a ride with Lauren!
I run on my own, and I think if I had a running partner I'd probably do it more often (I usually do only 2 out of 5 planned runs a week!), and that makes me think that I should just call up Trish. She finds running on the treadmill boring, and so do I!
Rowing I can do on my own with music because it's short and I'm usually doing it because there's nothing good on tv anyway and it kills the boredom. But if I was out on the water, I'd prefer to do it with someone. Then I could go out for a nice long paddle and not feel lonely or worried or ... I don't know, at least I'd have someone to share the experience with.
And whenever I do Balance I am doing it with the mirror and my imaginary class of participants, and we are all brilliant, and I never make a mistake! :)
So I think people are key to my success. For those moments when I don't think I can, I think that's when I need to phone a friend!
How do you get up and going?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Questions
What if you make a mistake in your blog and then want to fix it? Like, how come I can't go in and edit my 'big fat hair goal' and change it to 'big fat hairy goal' like it's supposed to say?
I freak out when I am reading and stumble on errors like that, so hate to inflict it on other people... and yet my typing skills sometimes make mistakes happen. So how do I edit my own bloody blog?
Oh wait, I also hate it when people don't read the instructions ... so maybe clicking on "edit posts" which is blue and underlined might help ...
Crawling over to box in the corner... pulling down the flaps to hide.
Hey Dana, I love that you have a blog and that you're a fitness freak too! :)
I freak out when I am reading and stumble on errors like that, so hate to inflict it on other people... and yet my typing skills sometimes make mistakes happen. So how do I edit my own bloody blog?
Oh wait, I also hate it when people don't read the instructions ... so maybe clicking on "edit posts" which is blue and underlined might help ...
Crawling over to box in the corner... pulling down the flaps to hide.
Hey Dana, I love that you have a blog and that you're a fitness freak too! :)
TGIF
Friday is a rest day. I like rest days. And to make the day better, I got off work around 3pm again, so again with the daylight! And I went for coffee with a friend, a sure fire indication I don't get out enough when I can't recall the last time I went for coffee with a friend...
After coffee I fed and rugged the boys, and then came in and played on the computer and found this great new blog (well, new to me, she's been at it for some time!) http://bootsandsaddles4mel.blogspot.com/
Now there's an inspiration, she works 50+ hours a week and still rides two horses and runs! So, hey, I can definitely do this thing, I only work about 40 hours a week. I just need to apply a little time management skills and commitment.
And I like her idea of going for a run with the horse in hand. Then the horses gets some exercise and so do you. I'm a little unsure about running down the highway with him, but there's plenty of gravel roads and quiet back roads around... oh, now I'm going to hop on my bike and calculate some distances! That's my cycle for tomorrow planned!
Plan for tomorrow: run easy 4km, bike 20-40km, ride horse approximately 1 hour at walk and trot. And get groceries and new windscreen wiper blades!
After coffee I fed and rugged the boys, and then came in and played on the computer and found this great new blog (well, new to me, she's been at it for some time!) http://bootsandsaddles4mel.blogspot.com/
Now there's an inspiration, she works 50+ hours a week and still rides two horses and runs! So, hey, I can definitely do this thing, I only work about 40 hours a week. I just need to apply a little time management skills and commitment.
And I like her idea of going for a run with the horse in hand. Then the horses gets some exercise and so do you. I'm a little unsure about running down the highway with him, but there's plenty of gravel roads and quiet back roads around... oh, now I'm going to hop on my bike and calculate some distances! That's my cycle for tomorrow planned!
Plan for tomorrow: run easy 4km, bike 20-40km, ride horse approximately 1 hour at walk and trot. And get groceries and new windscreen wiper blades!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Early Thursday
What a shock, to be done work at 3:30 in the afternoon! I barely knew what to do with myself! It wasn't even close to getting dark.
I rode TK, and it was a great ride. 10 minutes of warm up, stretching and a ride out, alone and with the saddle on, and he didn't show any complaint! Even with Nero bellowing his disgust, TK was eventually very forward and had a good strong trot. It was great!
Then I decided to forego the 7km run and went to Body Attack instead. It was so challenging, but other than straining my right leg doing 'skaters', which I later worked out, I did pretty good. Quite a bit different to just plodding along. :) I think the change was good, and got me to thinking of doing some running drills to improve my stride and speed!
Oh, and I changed my mind for my reward, it's going to be a massage! Boy oh boy do I ever need a massage!
I rode TK, and it was a great ride. 10 minutes of warm up, stretching and a ride out, alone and with the saddle on, and he didn't show any complaint! Even with Nero bellowing his disgust, TK was eventually very forward and had a good strong trot. It was great!
Then I decided to forego the 7km run and went to Body Attack instead. It was so challenging, but other than straining my right leg doing 'skaters', which I later worked out, I did pretty good. Quite a bit different to just plodding along. :) I think the change was good, and got me to thinking of doing some running drills to improve my stride and speed!
Oh, and I changed my mind for my reward, it's going to be a massage! Boy oh boy do I ever need a massage!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Rewarding Yourself
I know I am "overblogging" - four posts in one day is a bit silly, and I promise the novelty will wear off and I'll hardly write a thing :)
But in the meantime, I wanted to share a motivation thing I have started using. Reward is a really important part of meeting your goals. And I really like "things" ... you know, gadgets that record things, play things, exercise DVDs, horsey stuff I don't really need, bike toys and nice workout clothes (check out gaiam.com.au for organic cotton yoga wear... very nice), and I decided that rather than just spending money all willey nilley (since we don't really have all that much to throw around), I would earn it.
Yup, I'm paying myself to exercise. $1 per session! Doesn't sound like much, but I'm earning about $9 a week already. Not long before I have $29.95 saved up and get a great new yoga dance fusion workout video!
Nothing feels as good as earning it!
How do you reward yourself?
But in the meantime, I wanted to share a motivation thing I have started using. Reward is a really important part of meeting your goals. And I really like "things" ... you know, gadgets that record things, play things, exercise DVDs, horsey stuff I don't really need, bike toys and nice workout clothes (check out gaiam.com.au for organic cotton yoga wear... very nice), and I decided that rather than just spending money all willey nilley (since we don't really have all that much to throw around), I would earn it.
Yup, I'm paying myself to exercise. $1 per session! Doesn't sound like much, but I'm earning about $9 a week already. Not long before I have $29.95 saved up and get a great new yoga dance fusion workout video!
Nothing feels as good as earning it!
How do you reward yourself?
Bareback Ride
Rode TK for 30 minutes bareback. It wasn't our best effort. We just rode in the paddock, and Nero was there, so TK was all distracted and obstinant, though we still had *my* ride and not *his* ride, which would have been no ride at all or a big hoon with Nero, and I would have likely been knocked off in some trees along the way :).
TK was also was showing those same signs of back soreness, tossing head, swinging it back at my legs, as he shows when under saddle. Maybe it's just frustration and annoyance with being ridden? Perhaps he'll do better on his own, and away from Nero. Sometimes that's made him stressed and other times he's seemed more focused, but I'm thinking alone is the better option anyway, as he'll need to be able to do that on endurance rides and at events.
I am going to be signing up to a riding club that focuses on green horses, and I'm hoping I'll learn alot from them. With any luck those lessons will give *me* more focus! I'm more of a saddle on, out in the bush kinda girl, but TK still needs all sorts of basics installed. He's a good boy, and will do really well, I just don't want to muck him up!
TK was also was showing those same signs of back soreness, tossing head, swinging it back at my legs, as he shows when under saddle. Maybe it's just frustration and annoyance with being ridden? Perhaps he'll do better on his own, and away from Nero. Sometimes that's made him stressed and other times he's seemed more focused, but I'm thinking alone is the better option anyway, as he'll need to be able to do that on endurance rides and at events.
I am going to be signing up to a riding club that focuses on green horses, and I'm hoping I'll learn alot from them. With any luck those lessons will give *me* more focus! I'm more of a saddle on, out in the bush kinda girl, but TK still needs all sorts of basics installed. He's a good boy, and will do really well, I just don't want to muck him up!
6km run
6km run down Kojonup Road to Fairfield in 34m50s, which is better than I planned! I was aiming for 36 minutes! Cool! I was really grateful for the wind, despite how strong it was. I was sweating like a pig. I had a really good stretch when I got back, I can feel things going a little wrong in my legs. I am getting a tightness around the top of my right thigh, and I feel I might be at risk for shin splints :( That would really put me behind, considering how long it has taken me just to start running these distances! My knees have been holding up pretty well, and I find I don't have any knee pain as long as I keep the strength up - if I take a week off running, it's like starting from scratch as far as my knees are concerned, and I'm back to running 1km. No injuries or layoffs allowed!
Making it to the Blackwood Marathon
I decided to write a blog to save those around me from what might be a bit of tedium. Who wants to hear me go on and on about exercise all the time?
Well, maybe some people do...
So, please forgive the indulgence. I am wrapped up in my own thoughts right now, even though I should be doing a million other things - feeding horses, going for a run, riding my horse ... I am mulling things over, and want to lay it out rather than toss it around.
I have a big fat hairy goal:
I want to do the Blackwood IronWoman In October 2010.
This means:
- running 12km
- canoeing 8.5km
- swimming 1km
- riding horse 16km
- cycling 22km
Ideally, to know I can complete each leg and have a little left in the tank for the next leg, I need to be able to perfom double the distance at my race pace. So I will have to train pretty hard over the next few months.
But there are some hurdles to overcome:
- I am running 8km pretty comfortably, and building up distance, though I'd like to improve my speed, but 24km means running to Woodanilling! This is a little daunting, but I have a plan and if I stick to it, I can do this.
- I have no idea when I'll be able to do the canoeing/paddling thing, but I have been using the rowing machine, which is at least a start, but I don't even have a kayak or paddles, let alone water here in Katanning... that's a bit of a stumbling block!
- The pool is closed all winter, and only opens just before the event. When am I going to train to swim 2km in open water through the winter?
- I have a sore horse, and need a better fitting saddle, which will mean selling at least two of my saddles in hopes of getting enough to pay for one that does fit, plus regular chiro, massage and stretching for the horse. We will be able to overcome all these hurdles, they only cost money, and that just means making sacrifices elsewhere.
- Cycling 44km is just a ride to Woody and back, and I can do that, though not at my goal race pace. But all I really have to do is just keep riding. The problem is that winter is setting in, and I don't have lights, gloves, long riding trousers or jacket to make that happen just yet. The plan is to find some time to go to Bunbury and use my voucher to buy the things I need so I can ride in the winter. The real question is: will I want to ride in the dark, wind, and rain?
I think the biggest question for me though is really "How do I stay motivated to train for so many events through the winter?"
Although there's always 24 hours in a day, through winter the vast majority of them are dark hours, and cold and wet hours to boot! I also work full-time, often have odd shifts, and need to maintain some level of energy for work. And I need to eat properly, clean my house, and do those million other little trivial things that are requirements for life ... on a budget, because all this will take money as well as time. Just travelling to get to a place to train to swim, paddle, pay for riding lessons, saddle, chiro, running shoes... it does add up!
And time management... I'm looking at training for 5 disciplines, all that need - at the barest minimum - three sessions a week for optimal training: two short and one long session each week.
That's 15 sessions each week, most of which will have to be over two hours long by the time I get into what I'll call "full training".
So how do I do it?
Near as I can figure I will need to train about three hours each day, especially as I get nearer to August and am working at those double-distances. I think I will need two rest days. And I can draw up a plan for it, but just how to do it!? What on earth am I thinking?
Why do I want to be an Iron Woman anyway?
Because it is an amazing challenge and I woudl feel invincible! Because the idea of completing such a greuling race, of being one of the few who does the whole thing, makes me feel really excited and almost 'jittery' inside. Because I want to be able to say "I can" and because I think I am running out of time - 36 isn't old, but I feel like 40 will be too late. I don't want to just be average, I want to be incredible! And I think if I set the bar for extreme, and get great results, I'll be more satisfied than if I set an average goal and get mediocre results.
So, here's hoping I can push myself out of bed in the cold dark mornings and do what I have to do. Here's hoping I can hold onto the desire through the winter and find reasons to keep trying, pushing, striving!
Here's hoping I find my way to the finish line!
Well, maybe some people do...
So, please forgive the indulgence. I am wrapped up in my own thoughts right now, even though I should be doing a million other things - feeding horses, going for a run, riding my horse ... I am mulling things over, and want to lay it out rather than toss it around.
I have a big fat hairy goal:
I want to do the Blackwood IronWoman In October 2010.
This means:
- running 12km
- canoeing 8.5km
- swimming 1km
- riding horse 16km
- cycling 22km
Ideally, to know I can complete each leg and have a little left in the tank for the next leg, I need to be able to perfom double the distance at my race pace. So I will have to train pretty hard over the next few months.
But there are some hurdles to overcome:
- I am running 8km pretty comfortably, and building up distance, though I'd like to improve my speed, but 24km means running to Woodanilling! This is a little daunting, but I have a plan and if I stick to it, I can do this.
- I have no idea when I'll be able to do the canoeing/paddling thing, but I have been using the rowing machine, which is at least a start, but I don't even have a kayak or paddles, let alone water here in Katanning... that's a bit of a stumbling block!
- The pool is closed all winter, and only opens just before the event. When am I going to train to swim 2km in open water through the winter?
- I have a sore horse, and need a better fitting saddle, which will mean selling at least two of my saddles in hopes of getting enough to pay for one that does fit, plus regular chiro, massage and stretching for the horse. We will be able to overcome all these hurdles, they only cost money, and that just means making sacrifices elsewhere.
- Cycling 44km is just a ride to Woody and back, and I can do that, though not at my goal race pace. But all I really have to do is just keep riding. The problem is that winter is setting in, and I don't have lights, gloves, long riding trousers or jacket to make that happen just yet. The plan is to find some time to go to Bunbury and use my voucher to buy the things I need so I can ride in the winter. The real question is: will I want to ride in the dark, wind, and rain?
I think the biggest question for me though is really "How do I stay motivated to train for so many events through the winter?"
Although there's always 24 hours in a day, through winter the vast majority of them are dark hours, and cold and wet hours to boot! I also work full-time, often have odd shifts, and need to maintain some level of energy for work. And I need to eat properly, clean my house, and do those million other little trivial things that are requirements for life ... on a budget, because all this will take money as well as time. Just travelling to get to a place to train to swim, paddle, pay for riding lessons, saddle, chiro, running shoes... it does add up!
And time management... I'm looking at training for 5 disciplines, all that need - at the barest minimum - three sessions a week for optimal training: two short and one long session each week.
That's 15 sessions each week, most of which will have to be over two hours long by the time I get into what I'll call "full training".
So how do I do it?
Near as I can figure I will need to train about three hours each day, especially as I get nearer to August and am working at those double-distances. I think I will need two rest days. And I can draw up a plan for it, but just how to do it!? What on earth am I thinking?
Why do I want to be an Iron Woman anyway?
Because it is an amazing challenge and I woudl feel invincible! Because the idea of completing such a greuling race, of being one of the few who does the whole thing, makes me feel really excited and almost 'jittery' inside. Because I want to be able to say "I can" and because I think I am running out of time - 36 isn't old, but I feel like 40 will be too late. I don't want to just be average, I want to be incredible! And I think if I set the bar for extreme, and get great results, I'll be more satisfied than if I set an average goal and get mediocre results.
So, here's hoping I can push myself out of bed in the cold dark mornings and do what I have to do. Here's hoping I can hold onto the desire through the winter and find reasons to keep trying, pushing, striving!
Here's hoping I find my way to the finish line!
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