If I Had To Do It Again...

And I would... in a heart beat! But I promised Mat I wouldn't. It's his year!

But if I had to, here's some things I would change:

1. Equipment training. Get the equipment you are going to use on the day and practice in it. Change it if it isn't going to work and feel perfectly comfortable for the event!
2. Location training. Go to those hills and ride them, run them, cycle them. Paddle more, portage more.
3. Build in more recovery and cross training in training cycle. A macro-cycle of one week long slow distance, one week of speed and interval training, one week of maintenance and cross training, repeat cycle and then one week off, so you get a rest week every 6 weeks (adjusted depending on competition schedules). Actually, just thinking maybe that should be flipped around, with cross-training, then speed, then distance, so you rest after a distance week... only one way to find out which will be best! :)
4. Block training. Nail your transitions. Run then kayak. Swim then run then ride. Ride then cycle. Seems obvious, but practice with the gear you are going to use and get your transitions down to a fine art. Know where everything is, what order it needs to come out of the box. Stack it just so. Use it in that order. Be able to do it yourself, just in case you have to!
5. Nutrition. I was pretty happy with my nutrition planning. I had enough to eat and drink and never felt completely depleted. I was struggling a bit due to not being able to eat while on the horse, but I did drink and I wasn't completely destroyed. Practice with the food you use. Find what works for you and be consistent with it. Know that you don't have to use gels or gus or special drinks, that real food works fine too.
6. Preparation. I did good with this (except for missing my crop top, I had everything I needed when I needed it). Unless you have done it a few times and know exactly what you want and need and have packing down to a fine art, take the two days before. Plan everything, write a list, organise and recheck. Cook lots of food! Put everything in boxes for each transition and label the boxes. Let everyone who needs to handle the boxes know what's in them and what you need them to do with the boxes.
7. Recovery. Once again, I think I did well with this. Plan lots of food, plenty of time for sleep and rest, and massage and stretching. I probably didn't need to take two days for recovery, but am grateful for the second day, none-the-less, as it means cleaning up after the event is possible, and more naps and eating is possible, and there won't be any struggling through work.
8. Helpers. It takes an ARMY to support an Iron Person. There were 200ish teams, not quite 1000 competitors, and approximately 2000 support crew! That's a lot of people to help out! You need a team manager, you need to review the what's and where's, and the team members who are helping you need to know your expectations at each changeover, for example, "Meet with with a bottle of water, then I need the towel to dry off, then if you can put sunscreen on my back and shoulders while I change my shoes, I'll be ready to go." Clear expectations means that when you're adrenaline rushed you won't be puffing out instructions that might sound more like barking out orders. Also, trust that they have your back. Just do your thing and know that they are doing everything that needs to get done to make sure you can focus on your race. Trust! :)
9. Also, take good care of  your helpers! Organise food and drinks for them. They need to be strong and healthy to support you. Make sure they have chairs to sit on and hats and sunscreen and jackets too. Maybe some money for ice cream, if they are so lucky to be near an ice cream van. Yum!

Some discipline specific changes I would make are:

Run:

I was pretty happy with my running. But in training I did start to get bored with the long slow distances, and was struggling to get my distance over 12km. So the changes I would make are:

1. Use recovery macro-cycle: build long slow distances; build up speed in 5 and 10k runs with sprints and intervals; do hill climbs, stair runs, plyometrics, lunges, and other running drills to improve form, and keep it interesting.
2. Add off-road running.
3. Practice downhill running.
4. Make sure you are doing it in good shoes.
5. Stretch and do yoga to keep the muscles limber. I would love to have done about double the amount of yoga I did! It is good for a runner to be flexible!

Kayak:
Obviously, this easy point to make here is to actually practice in the equipment you are going to use!

1. Get good equipment. Try lots of things out, find something you like well before the event, and then practice in it lots. Even if you can't afford a flash kayak, get something you can afford (or borrow something you will be able to use regularly) and get on the water!
2. When you can't get on the water, do paddle at home in your living room. It really does help. Use a much heavier paddle than you will use on the day.
3. Go to the Blackwood River and train on it.
4. Practice getting in and out of the kayak quickly.
5. Practice carrying and dragging your kayak.
6. Cross train with lots of push ups, rows, tricep work (I have strong triceps and they were on fire after the paddle!). Chin ups and other lat work would also be a huge benefit. Wrist and forearm strengthening exercises will be of great benefit too.
7. Do pilates for core strength. Your back and core need to be in tip-top shape for maximum stroke effect. Get your obliques strong!
8. If your kayak has a rudder, pull up the rudder and practice paddling and controlling your craft without the rudder. You hear about this every year: rudder lost, kayaker can't control boat, barely or doesn't finish race.
9. Check your equipment before the race and have a back up plan! :)

Swim:
Fitness and some swimming ability alone will get you through the swim. But, there's always ways to improve!

1. In the case of the Blackwood River, don't wear brown-tinted goggles, as I did. It matches the water colour. And then you really can't see! Clear goggles are the way to go.
2. A wet suit adds buoyancy and warmth, but is not critical to the success of the swim, unless it's a really cold day.
3. Train in open water if possible, if for no other reason but to experience the distance for yourself before the race.
4. Train to swim about 2km in a pool, because without the rests and without pushing off at the end of each lap, you end up experiencing a much more challenging swim, even if you're going faster, because there is absolutely NO PAUSE button.
5. Practice running after your swim. Since you need to get up that bank, and you need to THINK after the swim, you need to develop your stamia beyond the 1km.

Horse:
Some of the things I mention here might be fairly specific to TK, but generally this is a harder and faster ride that is busier and has more people running out of control than is probably ideal. So you need trust and control with your horse.

1. Secure a strapper early. Lock them in. Work with them. Thank them profusely!
2. Expose the horse to lots of different environments. Go to endurance rides, social rides, ride in new places. Go to pony club, take him/her to different events. Let strangers handle your horse, take them to busy places, and away from them.
3. Work on control and TRUST. By trust I mean get the horse to trust that the rider does know what's best and will not steer you wrong, and get the rider to trust that the horse will listen, watch its own feet, and tell you when something is wrong. Do 'spooking' exercises, do group work, do alone work, get a good trainer you can relate to and work with your horse so that you know that when it comes to the day, he's not just fit, but will ride the ride you ask.
4. Build athletic and gymnastic ability as well as just stamina. Use the recovery macros-cycle mentioned earlier. Do long slow distances. Do some speed and heart rate training. Do lots of dressage style work, focusing on flexibility, strength. Do some jumping and in-hand work.
5. If possible, get a heart rate monitor for your horse so you actually know how hard he's working.
6. Always always always follow your cool down routine. Just starting the routine will teach the horse that the end is here and that he can rest and he'll be more likely to cool to requirements quickly. Practice this routine with your strapper.
7. Practice good equine management. Get the teeth done, worm, drench, and feed your horse appropriately. Get feet done regularly and make sure that you really trust your farrier, and that he understands the demands you are placing on your horse.
8. Separate your horse from a group, pull him up and make him do something different than his friends. Teach your horse that you are the herd, and he doesn't need the other horses. And, if you're lucky, you'll also teach him that he doesn't need to be first!
9. Practice riding in whatever you are going to be wearing out of the swim. Get it wet and ride in it. I got terrible saddle sores from my bike shorts under my pants. Wet rubber leg bands rubbing through onto the fender of the saddle made a BIG ouchie. I rode in my bike shorts in training, but not in them wet. What a difference!
10. Make sure your horse loads easily and that anyone can get him on a float. Practice loading with your strapper.

Bike:
I did alright in the bike, but there's heaps of room for improvement.

1. Get a decent bike with good gearing. I saw a few people doing this on mountain bikes, and they were working hard. Yes, they passed me, but that's not the point! :) Or is it? They had good gearing and knew their bikes. I also saw young Ryan on a very old bike that he wasn't very familiar with and didn't have good gearing and he struggled. He could have done the bike ride way faster if he had a better bike to practice on before the race.
2. Go to Bridgetown and ride those hills. Over and over again. In fact, ride it in reverse, too. I think it'd be even harder that way.
3. Use the recovery macro-cycle for training. Get some distance rides in, some hills, do some time trials, and a little weight training to develop leg strength.

So, now, in theory, you should be able to go out and do the Blackwood Marathon! Maybe see you there next year! :)

The day before

What a great day!

I woke up at 4:30am, and stayed in bed thinking and daydreaming until about 5:30am when I felt ready to get moving on some of the jobs I had to do today.

I made a list, I checked it twice... oh dear, I started singing a Christmas Carol! :)

And I turned my house a little upside down!



Gear Boxes

I have organised all my equipment for each transition. Food and drinks that don't need to be refigerated are in there. Changes of clothes and shoes, towels, face cloths, sun screen, gloves and helmets.

I marked my helmet with 418 in nice yellow electricians tape.  And did the same to the kayak.



I swear, it suddenly looks faster! :)

 
I also filled up 8 buckets of water for the horse. That's 160 litres. We hopefully won't need all 160, but I want to be sure we have enough. Steve & Jan are completely on rain water, and any way I can save them water the better. It has been a VERY dry year.

And kept baking and cooking and filling up my fridge.
It's just a little fridge, but wow, how am I supposed to fit all that into an Eskie? There is food on top of the fridge, on the freezer beside it, and in the oven on the other side! Sheesh!



Oh my goodness! That's stuffed!

 In the meantime, Mat went to pick up hay and do a few jobs to get the ute and float ready for travel. I made TKs feeds for the weekend, and then found time to do a load of laundry, wash the dishes and the floors and make a loaf of bread! I also packed all the weekend's food into the eskies. Yes, I did manage to make it fit. I suppose I wasn't taking everything in the fridge with us!

With that done, I took a few of the more perishable food items to T&Es for safe keeping in their fridge and dropped the dog off for babysitting over the weekend.

When I got back, Mat was home with the hay load.

All this, and so far only 11:30am, so we shouldn't be away too long after 12 afterall! Maybe a nap before we go!

I am feeling really good about this! Being organised takes so much of the sting out of the nerves. Now it's really only down to the physical act.

Time to test my limits!

Here I am at Thursday...

Thursday evening. Ready for bed. Quick post only.

I shopped, baked and cooked all day. And I have filled my little fridge to overflowing. Should be nearly enough food for us for the weekend. A little more to organise, but some can't be done too early, or the food will be soggy and yucky.

Picked up the kayak.

Em and her boyfriend came by to learn about taking care of the cat and horse that will be left behind for the weekend.

T&E came over for dinner and I think everyone is feeling pretty good about Saturday.

Still need to pack my transition crates with all the gear I need at each change over, and I have to put the horse's stuff together, which won't take too long. Last thing to do will be to pack the eskies and take some food to T&Es to put in their caravan fridge. I hope to be ready to go by 12 noon tomorrow, though Mat doesn't expect to be ready that soon. That's alright, I think I will remain most calm if I am ready when Mat is, and not have to run around finishing stuff up when he says he's ready to leave.

I set a target finish time for Saturday: I am aiming to be complete by 4:30pm. They end road closures at 5:00pm, so I assume they generally expect everyone to be in by 5ish, but it doesn't seem like there's any cut off time.

I won't have internet access until we get back Sunday night, but rest assured there will be an immediate update on my successes and failures of the weekend as soon as I have unloaded the ute, and possibly after a nap. :)

See you in three days!! :)

And in other news...

After work on Tuesday, I took my aunt and uncle through TKs dressing, undressing and cooling procedures. They'll be fine. He'll be fine. He's not a complicated horse, and he's not a real fighter. As long as they stay calm with him, he'll stay calm too.

I have invited T&E over for dinner on Thursday night to go through details of who will be doing what and where and when so that everyone (especially me) can feel secure in knowing what's happening on the big day. Knowing that the logistics are sorted will be a big relief.

I have secured the use of a leisure kayak, and can pick it up any time.

Now I am just waiting on my delivery of my hydration belt and bike box. I hope they come soon! This is a bit frustrating! I was expecting them last week.

I called Alison last night. What a cool lady! She's doing the full Blackwood for her 50th birthday. She figured if she waited any longer she'll be too old! She has done the swim leg many times in the past, and has done the horse leg on a few occasions, and she lives right at the start of the nasty bike ride. Perfect training grounds. Right on the doorstep of everything!

She did the run in 1 hour 20 minutes, and she did the bike ride this weekend in 52 minutes on a borrowed bike she's only ridden the once. (Though she has been training on a mountain bike, so switching to a racer should make it super-easy by comparison.) She is doing her horse ride on a 22 year old horse (which isn't ancient, but certainly not a youngster) but he's well trained and seasoned. She is expecting to do the run, kayak and swim in about the same time as me.

She will have 60 people at her house over the weekend. All competitors and their friends and families. She said it started with just a few people, and has snowballed into this major event, not just for town, but for her household as well! And she invited me over Friday night to visit and meet a few people.

What a busy, cool, neat lady! A real inspiration! And I laughed and said that I was really happy that I'll have some company out there at the tail end of the event, but said that since I'm quite a few years younger than her, I might have to try to beat her by at least one second! She laughed and said that would be fine as long as we both finish! In fact, I don't know that I will beat her. She does have a local advantage that will make her training far more effective than mine.

It's Wednesday morning and I was originally going to do a swim, bike, run, but I think I should take TK out for a ride first. He hasn't had much work this last fortnight. Of course, neither have I! I better get at it then!

Three days, and I'm DEFINITELY counting now!

Only one week to go

Today's milestone, 7 days, that's just one week, to go, was barely noticed.

I was up at 5am, ready for work and at the Centre before 6am to open for the Show. Although it wasn't super busy in the morning, it was steady and work kept me occupied and I felt really on-task all morning.

Had a short break at 11:30am where 6 of us acted as participants in a mini-Pump class. We just did four tracks: warm up, backs butts and hamstrings, lunges and shoulders. We do it on the main stadium floor, the centre stage at the Show as a promo to get more people to come to classes. I hope it does talk a few people into joining us!

The lunge track was SO hard, especially after last night's practice. I had to cheat on the last few bottom halves! Ouchies, they sure work. Sadly, I am always working, and not able to participate in Pump, and I am not much of one to voluntarily do lunges, so I may never improve in my ability to perform that exercise with any amount of strength!

The last track, shoulders, had me so worried! I used little weights, and it was alright in training last night, but would it be too much for me two days in a row?

NO! :)

My shoulder felt really good! I was even able to do a few slightly wider than usual pushups!! I did come back to a tricep push up at the very end of the track, but probably did about 4 or 5 wide grips before I could feel the shoulder complain! So that shoulder is REALLY getting stronger! It's healing and I am sure it won't be too much longer before I can do a full push up and a side plank again! YAY!

The bad thing about the Show, as with all fairs, festivals and fetes, is the FOOD. There is nothing but food... and I ate way too much! I had several hot chips (just picking them out of the baine marie), a Quiche Lorraine, a Chili Sausage Roll, and a Sweet Chili Chicken Strip. And all this after such a healthy breakfast - a nice two egg omelete with raw spinach in a wrap. I think I ate about three days worth of calories in one morning shift! On the way home I ate an apple. In my mind, that apple was cutting through the grease of all that Show food. :)

On a break now, and packing for our trip to Bunbury, and organising the animals food for the next two days. Really looking forward to paddling and seeing my cousins! We are leaving straight after the Attack demo this afternoon at the Show. Hopefully those 20 minutes of bouncing around will burn off a bit of the morning's over-consumption! Just water for me this afternoon!

So, I better get at it! Attack gear, kayaking gear, running gear, pyjamas, 'real people clothes', and horse feeds.

See you on Monday!

Tuesday - 12th October - 18 days to go

Not done the day yet, but probably not doing a whole lot more with my day.

I was meant to bike ride after work today, but will go with Helen at 6am tomorrow instead. I am tired and I am tapering, afterall. I need to focus on feeling 'fresh' for these next two weeks.

I look at that 13km run on Monday as my last big run. Yes, I do have a 10km run coming up, but will be sticking to 5s and 7s for maintenance over the next two weeks. I know I have the run in me, and have been thinking of training for a half-marathon! So there I go, looking out for a new big crazy goal again! But I am enjoying running so much. I think because I had to work so much harder at this than anything else. I fought with my body, coaxed it, and eventually we came to this agreement. And I feel so very proud that I can run now! It has taken so long. Mostly I am proud that I stuck it out and I got here! Wow!

I am also feeling really confident with my swimming, considering that I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to do it at all a few weeks ago. As I suspected when working out my plan, I felt that I would be fit enough to handle the swim, and would just need to do a few sessions to ensure I had the breathing right. Freestyle would have been far more challenging, and I probably wouldn't have knocked off 1200m in my second swim, but freestyle's never been my forte anyway! :) At any rate, I am glad I was able to predict and interpret my body's reaction to the work! YAY!

Will try to keep TK intersted and happy going out these next few weeks, but as with me, all we can hope for now is maintenance, there really isn't any room for improvement left. Hopefully I can squeeze in a few more social rides with people from town to keep TK more enthused about riding out. He was so happy to see another horse when we finally met up with Mel on Chloe. We went from a snails pace to a big trot, with his expression saying "Oh thank goodness I'm not alone out here!!" Both horses were stoked to have another horse out there, though interestingly enough, neither seems to have any affinity for the other. TK can easily walk away from Chloe, but is much harder to separate from Sparky or Dee, for example. I also find he doesn't feed off her energy levels. Dee was calm and relaxed and that translated to a calm TK, but Chloe was virtually asleep on our ride, and TK was silly half the way. Interesting, eh?

One thing I do want to work on with TK in the long term is balancing his training output with his event output. And the other thing I want to work on is my confidence in my ability to ride him when his energy is high. I want him to go faster, but for us both to feel relaxed and in control. Most often when he's finally going at a speed that is where I want him to be, he feels frantic or overexcited, and he's working his mouth and neck in that weird racehorse way. He's still in my control, but he's just hovering there at the very edge of it, and it's an uneasy place for me. I either have to grasp that feeling with both hands and just go with it, or I am going to have to figure out how to keep him further from the edge.

I am steeling myself for the fact that we are probably going to have a hell of a start at Blackwood, but know that he'll run it out, calm down and we'll finish fine. The hill's'll knock some sense into him anyway! He was sure feeling them after the Manji ride, but handled them alright.

Bad news, though. Strapper number two is also unavaialable for the Blackwood weekend. And in fact, it's looking very much like Mat and I and T&E are going to be the main attendees. I hate to put any pressure on T&E, especially with T's back so crook, but they want to help, so I am going to accept it! I am just hoping to have a strapper that is a bit (dare I say it?) younger. T&E are in their 70s, and though they can accomplish some amazing things, I would hate to be the person that had a crazy horse wrench an arm or a heavy saddle do a back.

I hope to get out and paddle on Saturday afternoon. I work Saturday morning till 1, and I have my pool lifeguard requalification all day Sunday. The following weekend is the show and the fun run. Then the Blackwood. If I can't go tomorrow morning (and I haven't got a kayak yet, though I have been told to just call to say when I am coming to pick it up) then Saturday afternoon will be my last opportunity.

And then there is the cycle. Why couldn't the horse ride have been last? Seriously! Anyway, I will just keep going, just keep spinning (like Dory from Finding Nemo) and I will make it in the end.

Check out my last two posts which are links to the Map My Run maps for the courses. The distances aren't a perfect match, but the 'Climbs' speaks volumes. Time to move to somewhere with HILLS, TREES, and WATER!

Sunday - 10th October - 20 days to go

What weird weather.

Yesterday was SO hot and dry and windy, and it seemed that there was no chance of rain at all. It felt like summer was on us, and that was it, it was going to stay hot! But sometime late in the night (or early in the morning) it did rain, and it did a pretty good job of it.

When I got out to the horses at about 7am, it was clearing and warm and seemed like it was going to be a nice day. I cleaned the troughs and made some breakfast and by the time I headed out to get the horse ready for our ride with Mel just after 8am I thought that it might be wise to bring a jacket on this ride!

I ended up starting with the jacket, and then took it off and wore it around my waist for awhile, but it wasn't that far into the ride that the wind picked up again. It was a very cold wind, and black clouds came rolling in with it. We didn't get wet, but we got spat on. Everyone made it home dry for lunch, but it was not to last. The whole afternoon has been windy and raining and black! The winds have been just as strong as yesterday - today throwing rain sideways across the windows, yesterday it was just sand and dust blowing around. What a contrast!

But anyway, TK and I went over 17km. Mel and Chloe went about 24km! We were a little quicker than we usually are on a training ride, even though we walked most of it. TK was very forward, walking with a nice stretched out relaxed stride, but he did have a few silly moments. He tends to get wound up in the wind, and today was no exception. He was doing his silly face-pulling thing at a trot, but was really mellow at a walk. Just need to translate that relaxed manner into his trot now!

When I got home from my horse ride, Mat was baking bread (yum!) and I was trying to calculate the distance we travelled today, thus the discovery of mapmyrun.com! What fun! There's also a MapMy Walk, Ride, Tri, Fitness, and a few others I think. They all require separate registrations, which is weird, since they all look the same.

My afternoon trip to Lake Dumbleyung to kayak was cancelled, the weather is just too wild for a first time on the water! Will try Wednesday morning, or this weekend, on whichever day I am not working. I also didn't cycle. There's usually a 4pm social ride down Police Pools on a Sunday, but I didn't get any "where are you?" messages so I imagine I'm not the only one who said 'no thank you' to a very wet and windy ride!

Tomorrows plan is the big hill run, followed by a swim, then ... well I haven't decided what my third sport will be. I need to make some alterations to my plans due to not kayaking or cycling today. I did have horse ride on my Monday plan, but since I rode today, and didn't bike due to the weather, I probably should cycle tomorrow after my swim. I think that's a really good idea!

RUN, SWIM, CYCLE! That's a fun morning! Let's hope there's no rain to squash my plans.... or better yet, let's hope that if there is rain, that I don't allow it to be an excuse to squash my plans! :)

Friday - 8th October - 22 days to go

So far the day has been uneventful. I worked a short day shift, went and did some shopping, and am now home making up some meals and organising for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a 25km endurance ride in Boddington. This will mean another 4am start for me, and a 5am departure to get there for the debrief and to saddle up for the ride. Expecting to take 2.5 hours for the ride.

Mat's a bit over driving me all over the country-side for events. Luckily, this is the last 'away' event until the Blackwood. I think we'll be taking a few months off travel after this is all over! I am also feeling weary and looking forward to staying at home and gardening and pottering around the house.

But, as Kenny Rogers said, "There'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done!"

Sunday - October 3rd - 27 days to go

Slept well, got up and headed out for a run at 7am. Funny thing though, in my rush to get out the door I forgot to eat breakfast! I was aiming at 14-15km, but decided that 8 was far enough on an empty stomach! Did it in 48:11, which was, interestingly enough, the exact same time as my last 8k attempt. I wasn't terribly impressed with myself for only getting 8km.

I decided I needed to run again, and did the same 8km loop and this time did it in 47:54 but I had to seriously push those last few metres to get under the 48 minute mark. I was fairly puffed for a few minutes after that sprinting effort. I am, if nothing else, very consistent in my speed, regardless of the conditions.

Both runs were very different. The 7am run was cool and misty, there was a fog and only about 100 metres visibility, and it was still and quiet - until I woke up every dog in the neighbourhood and probably also pissed off every single person in the neighbourhood! I got swooped by a lot of magpies busy defending their babies. Luckily, so far, I haven't been hit by a magpie, but it's not unheard of, so it's a bit intimidating when they swoop down at your head and you can feel the breeze from their wings! Mostly it was quiet and other than feeling stomach cramps at about 33 minutes in, I mostly felt just a little heavy/sluggish. That's fairly typical of how I feel when I exercise first thing in the morning.

The second run was at 2pm. It was hot (20+) and clear and windy. The wind was awesome because it cooled me and left me feeling really refreshed. I love the feeling of running in and out of the sun and shade along the road, I love the contrast. I also felt like the run took less time, partly, I think, because I had just been there and knew where I was going, whereas this morning I was making it up as I went, and wasn't sure how I was going to fare due to the grumbling tummy! Also, the magpies weren't swooping. I guess more of them were eating, because I saw a lot more on the ground.

I spoke to Graeme and will swim at 9:30 tomorrow. I am going to need a wetsuit apparently, as the water isn't as warm as hoped - trouble with the electrics in the new heating system! Pooh!

Had a big day of cleaning, organising, rearranging the house. It sounds kind of lame, but I really needed to get rid of some of the clutter in the house to make me feel like I was more in control of my life and home. I have not paid attention to more than the bare minimum of cleaning requirements for much of this year and it was starting to weigh on me. Terrible timing, but I think that if there's anything I can do to feel more calm, I should do it right now.

T&E came over for afternoon tea and dinner. I missed my bike ride (oops) and ate cheesecake instead. Oh yum! I do so love cheesecake! We discussed some of the planning for the Blackwood, looked over some of the regulations, and T&E offered to bring their caravan to the site for changes of clothes and showers. Not sure if I'll need that much comfort. If I laid down on a real bed half-way through the competition, I might not get back up!!

Well, it's 8:30pm and I'm feeling ready for bed, so I'm off!

Have a marvellous day!

Going Away

Hi! I just wanted to let you know that I am not dead. But my computer is complaining most of the time, so it has been hard to get anything posted up here.

I have a couple of blogs in draft form that may never see the light of day, but have been editing when time allows, and when the computer says it's okay to use Blogger today. Dumb computer!

I'm also organising myself to head to Manjimup for a three day horse back ride, so this is taking some time. It's very rough accommodation, so I have to have everything. Three days of food for horse and rider and all other contingencies planned for.

Will post again on Tuesday when I get back and let you know how the weekend went.

In the meantime, if you're in WA, have a great long weekend! :)

Of Best Laid Plans

So, we had a plan. A good plan! It even got better and better as the week progressed!

Plan A: On Sunday, borrow Carl's double kayak, drive 2 hours to Jay's Bridge, paddle up and down the Blackwood River for awhile. Picnic, and drive home.

It eventually morphed into Plan B: leaving directly after work on Saturday and driving 3 hours to Bunbury and visiting my cousin overnight and borrowing his two kayaks and paddling up and down the Collie River for awhile on Sunday. Returning home either Sunday night or early Monday morning.

But Saturday night, when I got back from work, I was done! Wrecked! Exhausted! But I can sleep in the car (I always do), but unfortunately, Mat was also feeling rather destroyed. So, we decided to sleep on it, and get up and head to Bunbury Sunday morning. However, through the night we had very high winds and very heavy rains. And they carried on through the morning. We could wait and see if the weather would fine up and then revert to Plan A again, if we could still borrow Carl's kayak. But it just didn't seem worthwhile driving all the way to Bunbury with this weather all across the south-west.

But then Mat got a call from the guy in Perth who has a welder for sale that Mat's interested in, and the guy is available after 11am today and so there goes the ute (truck) and Mat for the whole day.

Things definitely change!

So Plan C (or D, or E??) is to paddle in the lounge room, practice Balance routine, do laundry, make a lasagne, and relax a little! Relaxing is going to be high on the list! It's been an interesting week... more about that later.

My Big Plan

So, this morning I am going to try to do all 5 legs in sequence.

The basic plan is to do approx 30 minutes of each leg, with a short break, about 15-30 minutes, between the paddle and the swim.

Here's the basic plan:
- Run 5km loop
- Paddle in my lounge room for 30 minutes
- break 15-30 minutes to eat and drink a little, and change into bike shorts, saddle TK??
- Row on rowing machine to represent the swim *
- Put on track pants and riding boots for transition
- Ride TK around the track a few times, try to get a canter (or even a gallop??) out of him to get the heart rate up
- Strip off track pants and boots, put on running shoes
- Hop on bike and ride up highway 15 minutes and then back

* considerations:
Technically speaking, I should row and then hop directly onto a saddled horse and take off. Problem being that I am not entirely comfortable with the idea of saddling and bridling my horse and then coming inside to row, leaving him unattended for 15-30 minutes. Although he will most likely be perfectly fine, I'd hate for that to NOT be true.

Option: drag the rower out to the back door and watch him as I row.... that could work.

Also, I'll be hopping off him, stripping him down and not doing a proper cool-down with him, as I really want to see how this transition between horse and bike feels. TK will be fine without the proper cool-down, but it would be much better if I had a helper.

I better go set everything up. This will take a little bit of organising!

Let you know how it goes!

Prepping for the Weekend

Well, quickly before I go on about getting ready for the ride, I want to take a short moment to brag about my Thursday.

Thursday:
Thursday morning I taught Balance, which I put a bit of extra effort into, and then after work I ran on the treadmill for 80 minutes! I travelled for 12km including warmup, and then cooled down for about 5 minutes, which I didn't count in my distances or time, then had a quick bite to eat and a fruit juice to revive myself, threw a Berocca tablet into my water bottle and went to Body Attack!

Now, it wasn't a pretty Attack. No impressive high knees or butt kicks, but I did do the high options throughout, and although I felt like it might a few times, it didn't kill me! YAY! The very hardest thing last night was the ab track. My abs were trashed and this is the only track where I really had to back off. I simply didn't have enough control to do the "full" exercise properly. Low options abounded here! However, I made it through 140 minutes of near continuous exercise last night!

I actually recon that's going to be close to how I'll feel going from the run to the paddle, and that's a bit of a wake up call too! So much more work to do to keep the body going, especially if I want to be remotely competitive!

Did I mention that I'm competitive?

I got home and ate and showered and was in bed by 8:30pm. And then I slept through a bike ride with Helen this morning. I was meant to get up at 6, but didn't see light of day until very near to 7. I really needed the recovery time, and am feeling pretty alright today! I need to do a big bike ride on Sunday. I have tenative plans to ride with Kirsty, but will go even if she can't. Was hoping to do 80km this week, but looks like only 50ish for me this week.

Friday:
If I get everything listed below here done and feel up to it, I will paddle for up to 60 minutes tonight, but am not expecting to get to that, as I have plenty to do! I need to pack for the horse, pack for the humans and prepare our food.

Prepare the horse:

• saddle, bridle, blanket, saddle pad, halter, lead rope
• hoof pick, stethoscope, brushes, thermometer
• feeds (3 - one for the morning, and one for afterwards, and one for Nero), and feed bucket
• water and water bucket
• electric fence unit, electric tape roll, star pickets, post driver, insulators
• trim TKs front hoof which has a funny crack that needs attention
• TKs papers

Prepare for the humans:

• helmet, jodphurs, a few different shirt and jacket options depending on weather conditions
• chairs for the sitting around bits
• food and water
• money for entry, insurance, and hay or other eventualities if required

For meals I plan to prepare:

• Breakfast: boiled egg and boston baked beans wrap
• Snack: on the go fruit crumble and sustagen drink
• Lunch: Tuna and spinach wraps
• Snack: museli bars and fruit and/or polenta veggie muffins if I manage to make them

Because it's only 20km and therefore only about 2 hours ride, I won't worry about bringing a water bottle or hydration pack with me on the ride. However, I did have a water bottle holder for my saddle once upon a time, and they are very handy to have, and I want another one! Don't know how I lost the first one anyway. I'd like a carrier that spans the front of the saddle, and on one side has a water bottle holder with a bit of insulation to keep the water from boiling, and the other side to be just a velcro pocket for slipping in a few jelly beans or something similar, and space for a camera! I haven't seen one like this yet. I wonder if I can get one custom made? That'd be kinda cool!

We need to be at the ride at the latest 7:30am to vet in. It's going to be a near 2 hour drive, so we need to leave at 5:30am. That means I'll probably need to be up at 4:45am so I can feed the horses, feed ourselves, load TK, and get off in good time. It will be dark when we load, but should have light by just after 6am.

So I better get started!!
Wish us luck! I am hoping for a great day!

My Brain is Mush

I woke up early this morning, stressing about work, and since I couldn't sleep and couldn't think about anything else, I went in early and got lots done. Glad I went in early, because people started showing up about an hour early! ACK! Luckily we were almost ready for them.

The day was busy, and everything went really well. There were 42 teams, lots and lots of people, and food food food! Oh my goodness, if I never see another hot chip again.... *sigh*

Anyway, days like this are tough. There's so much to do the whole day, and you just don't take care of yourself, there simply isn't time to do more that grab a bite of something, serve someone, put another bite in, run and fix something... I don't even plan on bringing anything in to work on a day like this. It's just pointless. I didn't drink enough water at all, and I ate a spinach and ricotta roll (which was shoved in my pocket and eaten in mouthfulls between this's and thats's) and stole a few chips (french fries) when I had the chance. I snatched a few lollies from time to time, and afterwards we enjoyed an afternoon tea with the organisers, and I had a few delightful sandwiches and these adorable super-mini chocolate muffins. YUM!

And then, due to the fact that there was so much cleaning to do, so much money to organise, and a sick staff member, Kirsty and I worked at least an extra hour after it was all said and done so the place would be sort of ready for rollerblading.

And then, when I stopped, I just went plop! Oh my! Suddenly I feel awful! My neck aches, my feet ache, and my tummy is overfull of nothing good. I have eaten so many kj/cal today with so little nutrition, that I feel I should eat in order to put something of worth into me, but at the same time feel that I shouldn't eat, because I've eaten about a weeks worth of sugar and saturated fat and definitely am not hungry.

Am going to relax for awhile, and then try to row or paddle or just a little something at a low intensity to work the kinks out, maybe do a few Balance tracks to ease everything back into place. Yes, that Balance idea sounds like the best plan of the lot!

Due to sick staff member, I will be going to work tomorrow, from 7:30am to 1:00pm. I will take TK for a ride after work, and then the farrier is coming. A run after the farrier will be great if the weather is nice.

Sunday is a social bike ride with all the Katanning riders with their new jumpers. We all have new Katanning Kruisers cycling shirts and we are going to be getting our photo in the paper. A long paddle is also on the cards for Sunday, and I think I should ride TK again, as we only have two more weeks to prepare for the endurance ride. I'm thinking of just doing conditioning laps around the track. 1 lap walk, 1 trot, 1 walk, 1 canter, repeat. If we need to do 20 km and the track is 1.8km long, that's ... (oh damn, math) ... 11ish laps. Probably should do 12. Boring, but I'll bet we'll get more out of it than our little forays down the rail line? I'll call it a conditioning ride, and the rail rides a training ride. :)

I love semantics.

Hope you out there have a marvellous weekend!

Tracking Training Efforts (link added)

So, I have tried a million-and-one ways to track my training efforts, and this one seems to work best for me.

If you're interested, please see my Training Log here!  Here I record the distances in each discipline, plus 'extras' like Balance or Circuit, when I feel I got enough of a workout in, and the total number of sessions I have done each week and cumulative totals.  Occasionally I add notes or comments, and upcoming events are highlighted.

It's always sad to see those days with big blank stares and no numbers in them, but mostly I am pleased with myself!

In 10 weeks, I have done:

Bike: 397km
Run: 116km
Horse: 51km (many of these just got marked with '1' to represent a session or an hour, as it was arena time or unknown distance...)
Paddled: 20km

All in 88 sessions.

I find the Time Records for my runs are very enlightening, and help me see how I am doing.

I have also created my own personal diary/daytimer. The generic one I had wasn't working for me, so I created one, which I simply photocopied, folded in half and bundled up enough pages to get me through one month. Having a month at hand is great, and having all the stuff I need to know at a glance is great for me! It includes 30 minute appointment schedule from 6am to 10pm, priority tasks, expenses, nutrition tracking, D-Day counter, discipline plan, a 'remember' section for birthdays, etc, and notes.

I also add my "thought words" to the top of each page. Each day has a different word, for example, today is "guide" and I like to try to ponder these words and see if I might find inspiration or support or insight through thinking on these words. Sounds weird, probably?

I'm pretty pleased with it, because it is so specific to my needs.

I suppose I won't need anything quite like these tools when I am done with the Blackwood. I plan to be training quite differently starting in November, focusing on two things:

1. Being a great horse rider
2. Being a great fitness instructor and personal trainer

It's nice to have a focus for after all this, because I had been feeling ambivalent about what would come next.  Where do you go after accomplishing something so big?  And now I know, so I have something to look forward to after the big climax!

How good was this week?

I had a great week!

I did everything (yes everything) I said I was going to do, and have really found my new priorities to be really working for me.

This Saturday and Sunday will be the first two days that I will not be able to accomplish everything (yes, truly, everything!) I set out to, because I have to work today and tomorrow.  People are falling down sick all over the place and we have some massive events this month. Also, my bike is in Albany getting serviced, so I can't even spin today.  These are all great reasons for having a break!

So today will be a rest day, and tomorrow will be a compressed workout following work (I should be done by 12... 1 at the latest), and then back on track with my workouts on Monday. And since I have the whole day off Monday except to teach my class, I can make up for my missed workouts. And get some more gardening done too, I hope!

I will also make bread today.  Mmmm... Loving fresh home made bread!

I am so happy to be eating well, feeling energised, and working through everything on my list. Even the dishes are getting done!

Plus, Dana sent me a link for an idea called "mobilisations" to see if it will help with my tight glutes and hamstrings, and I tried a few different things at work today during a few lulls. And I feel GREAT! The simple point that resonated with me is that purposeful repeated movement that feels good will help stretch, heal, and relieve! And it does! So no more just whining, doing a small stretch, and then carrying on with sore muscles. It can be worked out gently and progressively!

Thanks so much Dana! Great link!

Thursday's Run

Couldn't sleep last night - or early this morning, I suppose - and so I got up at 6am and, after blogging, I paddled for 20 minutes.

Then I did all those morning things one must do to get to work.

I taught Balance at work, which was lovely, and after work I went for a 12km run.

Once again, I tried to talk myself out of it, but couldn't, so off I went! :) I'm going to have to get over that habit, since it only seems to result in wasting time!

I walked much of the first two kilometres, because I was just so tight, and was really worried about my ability to finish. And yet, in I came, in two minutes less than the last 12km run I did (which was when?  AGES ago), and in the end, with less trouble, pain, and tightness. I came in like Hop-Along Cassidy last time due to serious knee pain. No knee pain here today! Woohoo!

In fact, although I didn't go to Attack afterwards, I think if I had prepared better food and recovery drinks following the run, I would have actually been able to do Attack. Not well or anything! But still, I think I could have done it!  As it was I devoured a chocolate bar when I got in because I was just so aching for sugar!  It had been a few hours since I had last eaten, so I think the delay was the culprit.

My hamstrings and glutes are really tight - and that's not in the bragging way (ooh, look at her tight butt) :P - they are really short and sore!  And a few more stretches and a nice warm bed will do the trick I am sure!

One thing I think I have learned is that I need a much longer warm up for my runs, and will start experimenting with different warm up routines, because as I am going out now, the first two kilometres are really painful, and then I loosen up and get moving well ... and I really don't want to spend that long aching on each run!

Any suggestions for good warm up routines to get the glutes and hamstrings loosened up?

Tomorrow we are having dinner at T&Es and at some point I am going to do a long paddle.  I will just see how long the body allows me to go for! Should be fun!!  I sure hope there's something good on TV!

Setting new priorities

Honestly, having only one computer in the house makes it very hard to update regularly!

In short, I have had a great three days, sticking to my schedule, and really working well!

I feel this latest success has a lot to do with three things:

1. Re-prioritising my training objectives
2. Great weather
3. The deadline looming!!

I set my training objectives with a priority list, and then scheduled my time to accommodate my top three disciplines.  So, my new training priorities look like this:

1. Horse - min 4 sessions per week - he is an athlete and needs to be trained like one, I can't just hope for the best!
2. Run - min 3 sessions per week - running a minimum of three times per week is the only way to maintain my knee strength, and every time I let this slip, I regret it.  Also, I haven't done my race distance in nearly two months! Need to be doing my race distance consistently!
3. Cycle - min 3 sessions per week - This will be my weakest link and needs to be strong.  I will have to do 20km of hills in varying terrain after having done a previous 4ish hours of exercise!  This cannot be overlooked.
4. Paddling - can be done at night, in the dark, in between things, it can get squeezed in anywhere and I will only need 2 or 3 sessions a week. Since I can't do more water training, I will accept that I am not going to be likely to kick any butt in this leg. 
5. Rowing - I will use the rowing machine as a tool to work on swimming fitness until I have a pool, so will just work on one session a week.

Attack and other 'cross training' stuff I have dropped to the very bottom of the list.  I will miss those in favour of Blackwood disciplines.  As fun as they are, I need to focus on the bottom line.

Based on the list above, I reorganised my training schedule.  The main thing I did was make sure my horse riding is done FIRST in the day, for two reasons:

1. I can take as much time as I need to do what I have to do with the horse, and am not time-poor in my sessions. I can do a shorter/faster run or cycle following my ride, but I just hate feeling rushed with my horse!
2. and so that I have plenty of muscle strength and control - I'm not just going to sit like a lump on my horse. I want to have the fine motor control to be able to work and push him in his training.  Granted that I will have to ride him in the fourth leg, so may need to change this later, but my priorities will be reviewed at the end of the month, and any changes required made then

Running and Cycling both got scheduled with a recovery session, a race pace/distance session (hills), and a long haul.

I have one night of rowing, and two nights of paddling, a short and a long session.

Thus far, I have stuck to plan!! :)  It really is working!

Must get organised for work, hope I can get online tonight and update you with a training update!

Gearing Up!

So, after my little freak out, I sorted out my brain (more or less... probably less... ;)) and did some exercise anyway!

I started by paddling for 18 minutes.  That was the equivalent of about 1.5km. What I find interesting about this is that my whole body vibrates as I paddle.  I sit my bottom on a low stool and prop my heels up on a low chair or open drawer, so I am in the approximate body position, but elevated enough I won't bang the paddle on the floor. In the paddling position, with my knees slightly bent, heels on the same level as my butt, sitting very tall, I can feel my thighs, abs and back vibrate as they stabilise against the swinging of the paddle.  It doesn't feel like that when I put my feet down, and I don't recall ever feeling this way when I paddle in a kayak or surf ski, so I am guessing it's just because I am unsupported from hips to heels.  It doesn't feel bad, just kinda weird.

After my paddle I was feeling a lot better about everything, so I went for a run. I was scheduled to do 6km, but as I have a 10km race on Sunday, I thought I should probably aim for 10, but only got through to 7, then my knee said "nope".  But on the up-side, it was a personal best 7km run!  A good three minutes faster than my last 7km!  So will have another run on Friday, hopefully 8+ and then on Saturday, a brisk 5km, so that I am ready to go through the 10km on Sunday.

Following my run, I came in and did an hour of spinning.  Damn the good music I had going, because I was spinning like a maniac, and the last four minutes were absolute killer!  I got off and was shaking so bad I could barely keep my balance to stretch out!  And there it was, two hours of exercise pumped out after I chucked a sad and thought "I just can't!"

Well, yes, I can!!

So, anyway, I have been thinking (you have a lot of time to think when you spin, run, anything for long periods of time) about my gear situation.  So here's what I think I'll need to organise and prepare to do the day right, and maybe a few questions along the way:

Run: 
The event starts with a run.
Considering the condition of my shoes, I am going to need a new pair of shoes, and probably sooner rather than later!  My big toe is starting to poke out of the top of the left one!
As for clothing options, I'm not too worried about what I wear when I run, I have plenty of comfy workout clothes that I run in and will have something to suit most weather conditions.  However, I have been playing with the idea of getting a tri-suit or long skins bottoms to wear for the whole day.  If I have a base layer of long skivvies and a tri-top (just a crop exercise top suitable for swimming) then I can wear that all day and will only have to add a few items, like a longer sleeved shirt against sun, or wind or so on... then again, that's 8 hours in the same clothes and sweating like a pig for at least 5 and a half of them!  Piew!

Canoe:
The run leads directly to the river and you have to go down this steep and slippery bank to get into the water.  There is one obligatory portage, and more if it's a dry year (and so far it's been a dryer than usual winter in this catchment area) so there is the potential for more carry points.
So I need two things: a kayak or equivalent that is light enough for me to carry, or rugged enough for me to drag without getting damaged. I also definitely want shoes on for this leg, because you have no idea what's in the water. So my debate is whether I should take the time to change out of my runners and into some water shoes (I have a pair, but they are so worn from Aqua classes that I'll need a new pair), or if I just save the transition time and hop right in in my runners.
Downfall of the runners is that they will be wet and soggy by the end.  But if it's a hot day there will be time to dry them at the lunch break.
I will also want a small ration pack and an electrolyte drink on the kayak, and I will take a short break to refuel.

Lunch Break:
The lunch break will be 30-60 minutes, depending on how slow I am... chances are good it'll be 30 minutes, as there is a mass start 30 minutes after the last iron person finishes the canoe.  That'll likely be me :)
I will need to take this time to eat something really recharging.  Rice and veggies, which is something I can exercise on, and will be very nourishing, will probably be on the menu. I'll need to consider this carefully because I'll need to eat well, but not feel too gross to get in and swim a very hard 1km open water swim!
I will also need to find the toilets, because this will be my last chance until the end of the race, and that's probably 2-1/2 to 3 hours away.

Swim:
So, if I'm in a tri-suit or skins I can just swim as I am.  Though the water could be cold, and a wetsuit, even a shorty could be very handy to just keep the core temp in check.  Goggles will be critical, and a swim cap would probably be good too.  I do have a shorty and the goggles and cap already.  The swim ends with a run up a muddy slippery bank, done barefoot, and then you sit for the transition to the horse leg.

Horse:
If I'm in long tights the whole time, I won't have to try to dry off enough to pull on long pants for the ride, as I have seen some iron people do. I'd just have to dry my feet, put on socks and shoes, and I'm thinking I could go back to my runners if I get enduro cages on my stirrups.  Then pull on the bib, put on the helmet and mount up. I have a synthetic saddle, so my wet seat won't be an issue.  I'd like to have more food and water available on the saddle, and will need saddle bags that suit, so these will be a priority to purchase and test in the next little while. I'd like to also have a small first aid kit on hand, and a hoof pick, just in case something unexpected comes up.
This leg will be my best opportunity to be sure I have legs left for the bike ride.
Most importantly, though, with the horse leg, is my strapper.  I need one, possibly two people, that can tend to TK when I am doing all the other legs, who can saddle him, feed him, prep him, cool him, pulse him down, and tend to his needs while I am not around. Mat is an obvious choice, as he knows TK and the familiar will help with his pulsing down and vetting through cleanly. My cousin, Nell, has also offered to help with this, which is great, because then they can trade off and the horse gets constant attention. We will need to bring lots of water, sponges, feed, cooling blankets, a stethoscope, and possibly ice bags for the legs (though I don't anticipate riding him that hard).  The strapper will also be responsible for moving the horse float from one location to the other, and then taking TK back to his paddock to rest once through the vetting stage, so they'll have to be able to load him as well.

Bike:
I, on the other hand, will simply run across the horsey finish line, hand my boy over and hop onto a bike, and won't know if we vetted through until I cross the finish line in an hour and a bit's time!
For the bike leg, if I am already wearing my runners, I will be able to just change helmets and hop onto the bike and go for it.  I don't use toe clips, I use half-clips (like a cage), so I won't need to change shoes again.
My bike is well and truly due for a complete service, but once that's done I should be ready to rock and roll.
More water on the bike, and probably an electrolyte drink and a carbo shot would be good to have on the racks.  I need to reinstall my drink holder, and want to install a second one too.

Finishing:
I will really really want a toilet, and to sit down.
I think I will want hugs from everyone who is willing to hug a sweaty Iron Woman!!
I will have to remind myself to stretch or I will seize up!
Then I will want food. I'm thinking burger with the works, or similar.
SHOWER!
Then I think there will be some definite sleep required! :)

I plan to book a massage for Monday late morning, and would like to take Monday off work.  I think I'll also schedule a follow-up massage on the Wednesday.

I will probably be hurting for awhile, and will need lots of refuelling to keep myself sane and healthy!

And there it is, the start of the formulation of a plan! :)

And a bit of shopping to do...

But for now, off to Body Attack! Not going to miss it this week! :)

Fabulous Friday

Fridays are always fabulous, assuming you don't have to work on Saturday, and I don't!  I love Friday!!

Today I did a good workout in Circuit, which is great cross training for all my other sports.  Two minutes on a cardio machine, 2 x 1 minute weight exercises, repeat, repeat, repeat!  I got a good workout in, but it wasn't one of those "I feel great!!" workouts.  It was more of a "Thank goodness, I really needed to do this today" kind of workout.  Everything felt heavy and hard and difficult.  And I think that had a lot to do with my diet.

Yesterday was Canada Day, and I ate Nanaimo Bar and lots of other little treats.  And I had a very naughty toasty for breakfast.  I haven't had enough vegetables - in fact, I don't think I've had a single serve of vegetables all day today, and probably had no more than 2 serves on any day over the last week.  I've had too many cups of tea, with a teaspoon of sugar each, and have been drinking it instead of water because I'm always so cold. I tried to eat a banana, but it was grossly under-ripe and I couldn't finish it, so I haven't had fruit for two days, and haven't been eating my two fruit consistently for weeks now!  I haven't had any good light dairy, except a splash of milk in a cup of tea, for a week.  I haven't eaten meat, red or otherwise, for over a week, maybe two (I honestly can't recall the last time I ate meat), and it's been at least a week as well since I had fish.  I have eaten several convenience meals.  I'm pretty sure there's nothing good to be had in anything that can be microwaved in under 2 minutes (never mind the fact that I have looked at the nutrition label of a Spinach and Ricotta Roll and the healthiest thing about them is the name!)  And oh so many other 'failings' too numerous to mention!

In other words, I have failed to fuel my body correctly.

And I am paying for it.  I'm tired. I'm sluggish.  My efforts are noticeably slower, lighter, less effective.  My energy is down and that kills my motivation.  I lack focus. I almost feel depressed!

And I wonder how I slipped off the good nutrition wagon!?

And I wonder how I am going to avoid falling off like this again.

Back on the wagon now, starting with a nice hearty stew and a side of wholegrain crackers, light philly cheese and chunky salsa on top for my evening meal.  I need to ensure I'm fuelled up and paying attention to what I eat.  I am considering keeping a food diary to see if that will raise awareness for me. I kind of object to this at a deep down level, because I find it odd to have to think about food so much, but I think it will be an enlightening exercise for me. Unfortunately, although I enjoy good food, my eating habit is to fill the hole rather than fuel the machine.

If I am hungry I will eat whatever is nearby, and sometimes that hunger is crazy voracious and insatiable!  I must eat NOW!  But, if I'm not hungry, I'm just not thinking about food, so I don't plan ahead and I forget to bring a good lunch, or enough snacks.  So although I've bought all the right stuff and have it at home, it doesn't make it to work with me.  And there aren't a lot of healthy treats available at our canteen.

Whenever I fall off the food wagon I go back to doing a meal plan and follow recipes and do really good. And then I get complacent, I get careless, then start to feel blah and wonder what's going on.  Time to beat that cycle.

My nutritional goals:
- 2 fruit daily
- 5 serves veg daily
- 1 serve fish weekly
- 1 serve other meat weekly
- other non-animal proteins daily (mostly through beans... I love beans!)
- 3 serves of dairy daily (can also count as my protein source for the day)
- no more than 2 cups of tea daily (not including tisanes and herbals (decaffeinated & unsweetened) which I will use as an alternative warm beverage)
- only one processed/pre-packaged "treat" per week (chocolate, pie, whatever)

I also think that I need to do an affirmation every day:

The better I eat, the better I feel.

Simple, but true! And as I've been learning more about positive thinking, I feel this might help me too.

So, I will start each day with that affirmation, and keep a food diary with planned and actual columns, as well as check boxes for each time I eat my fruit, vegetables, or dairy.

Fingers crossed!