Tim Tam Explosions and Other Great Ideas

Body Attack was cancelled tonight, and instead of doing a workout, or going for a run, I went to T&Es and had tea and Tim Tams. I only had one Tim Tam, which shows major restraint on my part, because I ADORE Tim Tam Explosions!

For the uninitiated, a Tim Tam Explosion (or also called a Tim Tam Slam) is where you nibble off alternate corners of your Tim Tam, set one nibbled corner into your cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or Milo, and then SUCK as if through a straw from the alternate corner of the biscuit. What you get is the chocolate (and in today's case, chewy caramel) melting and exploding into your mouth! Then you have a warm slightly soggy Tim Tam to finish off, generally in a single mouthful, or you'd just make a terrible mess of yourself. Here's a wickipedia link to the process. Wickipedia knows everything!

If you haven't tried this, you MUST. I do believe Tim Tams are avaialble now in Canada, and last I heard, they were known as Arnott's Originals.

Anyway, I came home and while waiting for dinner to cook - just basic fish rice and veggies - I was surfing along and saw this post from Men's Health: "World's Most Efficient Workout." And didn't think a whole lot about it at first... but then the fact that I have started to read  Body by Science (which means I have scanned the book and looked a the pictures) and the fact that I am looking for a new training regime, put the idea in my head that I should try these workouts and review them!

So I am putting a little plan in place, and if I get my proverbial together over the weekend and get my Aqua Intense choreography figured out I will start off doing a weigh-in and measure on Monday morning and start the World's Most Efficient Workout! What fun!

If, in the meantime, you see any workouts you'd like reviewed, send them to me! Not sure what to expect or how it'll go, but it'll be a fun experiment!

The Results - In Short

I did it!! I completed the Blackwood Marathon Relay!

I AM AN IRON WOMAN!!

Here is how I did, in brief (don't know how this will come through formatting-wise):
Leg               Planned     Actual       Difference
Run              01:20:00    01:05:44   00:14:16
Changeover  00:10:00
Kayak          01:30:00    01:48:14   -00:08:14
Swim            00:20:00   00:18:20    00:01:40
Changeover  00:10:00
Horse           01:30:00   00:49:14    00:50:46
Changeover  00:10:00
Bike             01:30:00   00:58:01    00:41:59
Total            06:40:00   04:59:33    01:40:27

The changeover is included in the following leg time, so I have calculated it into the difference.

- It was one of my best runs ever! Loved it!
- I was much slower on the kayak than I planned, but still made it to lunch by 12.
- Swim was hard but quick.
- Horse ride was hell! TK was insane! But he was fast and he finished strong. We did vet out, but we was down to requirements prior to going into the vet checkpoint. But with the chute squeezing him in with a bunch of other horses, and lining up with vets four abreast, he just though there was another race about to start and got fired up again.
- Bike leg was tough, I had to get off and walk first two hills, but I did way better than I anticipated I could ever do!

See Iron Woman results here, and overall results here.

Full story to come!

Lucky Number 418

My name is now officially on the list. Right at the bottom. Pretty much where it'll be on the results page! hehe

So, my arms, legs, kayak, helmet and horse will all be marked with the number 418 for the Blackwood Marathon.

Trying to see if there's any significance to the number 418, so I did a search of the number and didn't come up with much of anything, so went browsing a Chinese Meaning of Numbers page on an astrology site.

According to this page, since 418 is an even number, it's a Yin symbol. Yin symblos represent: Dark, Matter, Earth, Female, Passive, Tiger, Down, North, Water, Winter, Shade, Receptive, Valleys, Moon, Cold, Death.

Not so happy about that last one! Sheesh!

• The number four seems to be about Earth and feelings of security.
• The number one is about initiation, beginning and conception. Also, 'One has a thrusting energy that surges forth new growth and potential.' Cool!
• The number eight is supernatural, it would seem. 'To the Chinese mind, number eight has that "anything is possible" feel to it.'

Well, it's not much to go on, but it seems my number might be working in my favour! Well, except maybe that death bit!

Normally, my favourite number is 25, of course, because it's my birthdate, but I think I'll run with 418 for awhile! :)

What's your lucky number?

Wednesday - 13th October - 17 days to go

Nothing much to report. Went for bike ride with Helen, Carl and Graeme this morning at 6. Just a quick zip down Police Pools and I was really pleased with the ride. I was working at about 27kph. Now, there aren't any hills and there wasn't any wind so the conditions probably couldn't have been any better, but it was still a great ride! Fastest for the year!

Bought a few things. A visor to keep the sun out of my eyes, gloves to paddle in, and they will be great for cycling, too. I also ordered a bike box, for some food on the last leg of the journey and a water bottle holder to wear when I run and ride.

Taught Balance tonight. It was nice.

Have been on the Endurance Riding Forum to ask some advice about TK and getting him in tip top shape. Got some great advice! If you're interested in the discussion, click here! Looks like I have a lot more work to do! Will reply tomorrow. It's 9:30pm and it's time for bed.

Kackin' My Dacks

The cycle is a killer. Like a big scary death killer.  It's over two-thirds climb!

But don't take my word for it, check out this map!

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/detail/24192810/

There is a 4km long category 5 climb. I have my work cut out for me, to say the very least. And I think it's going to be even harder than I imagined, and trust me, I had no illusions about this event to start with!

If I complete this Marathon, I will really have accomplished something spectacular!

Comparing Running Routes and Elevations

Been playing around with Map My Run again...

Here is the Blackwood Marathon run. Click on the 'Climbs' tab (I do hope it's accessible to everyone) to see the elevation changes! WOW!

Thankfully, it would seem that the Trimmer Road run I do (or have done... twice) is a fair training place for this run.

However, the Blackwood run has TWO category 5 climbs. Near as I can tell, that's pretty frickin' bad! Okay, it's not too bad, 5 is the "least bad" of hill climbs in their system, but the Trimmer Hills don't even have enough elevation changes to constitue any analysis by their system!

Oh shit! I sure do wish I had done Trimmer Hills a few more times!

On to the analysis of the cycle! Be afraid, be VERY afraid!

Let me know if the runs aren't viewable and what, if any, error messages you get - I'm still new at this! :)

Map My Run

Why didn't I learn about this sooner?!

I just entered the ride that Mel and I went on today. This is awesome!

Check out our ride here (I put it under 'hike' since they don't have a horse ride option).

Guess what I am going to spend the next few hours doing!? :) hehehe

Ride Stretch Ride Run Climb

I must learn to write catchier titles...

Feeling rather chatty today, so this is long and rambling. Sorry! :)

Anyway, just because I'm tried and worried doesn't mean I've stopped working out. The intensity has gone back down, but I'll build it back up as I start to feel better.

Monday was the Body Balance launch, full version of release 50, and this has taken much of my attention over the last few days. This release, though, has been surprisingly easy to learn, and really is put together well. I am quite enjoying it!

Kirsty was on stage with me for the launch, thank goodness, because I had no idea about hips, twists and forward folds. Really need to work hard on getting those ones nailed ... and I only have Wednesday morning left to fit in the training. Actually, hips and twists won't be too hard, but forward folds does something funky to my hips and I must be doing something wrong, because Balance has never hurt before! Ouch! So that one is proving to be more of a challenge.

We had 10 beautiful and brilliant people to the Balance class, and it was a riot! We had so much fun, and really taught a great class! And I got nearly three workouts in, because I practised Monday morning, then Monday afternoon with Kirsty and then we did the class that evening. Awesome day!

I do like co-teaching, it's fun to bounce of people and get the class involved, and to have someone showing the extra options when you really want the back row to see it and see it and DO IT! I do worry about some of my back row people who try too hard to work the high options. I also have those in class who will mimic me so precisely that hand signals get mirrored back to me, so you can imagine that when I change between a high and low option, so do they. So what option should they really be working at?! Anyway, I digress...

I also rode my horse Monday morning. It was a short, slow, quiet walk. Just a reminder to him that sometimes when we go out, we're not in a rush. We took almost an hour to do about 3 or 4 kilometres. It was nice. The weather was great, it's so spring now! Loving the change!

Just a little thing I was noticing about TK: he's like one of those kids that always has a bandaid on something. He constantly has nicks, cuts, scrapes, bruises... he's currently got a grass seed or splinter in his lip and ratty looking hooves, a good chunk of skin missing from a hip (courtesy of his mate Nero) and a new cut on his coronary band (that's where the hair of the leg meets the top of the hoof). None of these things are serious at this point, but I just had to shake my head at him today thinking "You are going to be a very high maintenance animal, aren't you?" I'll need to wrap him in cotton wool to protect him from himself! :)

Only had two people to gym circuit this Tuesday morning, so didn't get any workout in there. Did some more office type stuff instead.

After work today I went for a bike ride. I did my standard hills, 22ish kilometres, and was curious about my average out and back. So on the way out I did the distance in 31:30 and an average of 22.6, and then came back in 30:29 with the same average! Very interesting, because there is significantly more uphill climb on the way back. In those 7km before the highway, I have only three short downhills, and was working at a low average... around 16-18 with the many long slow climbs. But then the last few k's down the highway are ripper. It's mainly downhill back into town and I was working at about 30+ so was able to make it up. On the way out, I am running a more consistent 20ish speed, and never max'd out over 38, but was able to get up to 50 on the way back. I guess this proves that it all comes out in the wash: that's just how fast I am!

So, I have been browsing a few sites and came across a few interesting posts. This one from ACE Fitness looks like so much fun and I'm trying to figure out if there are any buildings in Katanning with stairs I could run. Most buildings are single storey, and if they have stairs, it's just a few up to the front door. I think the Town Hall is the only building I can think of that has a full second storey that I might be able to get access to, but it's only open for special events, so I don't know if they'd be too pleased with me wanting to go in a do a stair run. But if you have stairs, check out this awesome workout!

When did I become a person who would think that stair running is fun? :) hahaha

Well, I'll head off and make a little egg noodle and beef mix up something or other with the leftovers in my fridge for dinner.

Hope you've had a great start to your week!

Riding Lesson on Friday

In light of our runaway at the endurance ride, and after struggling with keeping him under control during my mini-marathon, I had a riding lesson on Friday to focus on installing brakes on TK.

It was a great lesson. Chris is a great instructor who really helps me understand what I am meant to be feeling. So rather than saying "move your right hand like this" she will ask "are you feeling the weight of an apple in your hand?" or "does it feel like he is lifting you up?" and so on.

Our lesson really got me focused on my body position when I am asking for a slow down or stop. I have plenty of long-standing bad habits and have had plenty of advice to help me out, and have survived this long. But I knew I wasn't doing things right, or I would have felt safer and more in control on our last few rides.

TK isn't just slow at the walk and trot when we're training, he's also slow to respond to gait changes, so it takes several strides to increase pace and decrease pace. This is probably not the fault of the horse, but of the rider (me), who has always had light and easy horses up to this point, so I ride rather carelessly. I haven't ever needed to think about my body position because I was always 'good enough' and had a natural seat - but good enough isn't really cutting it here. I need to feel much safer and in control to confidently get through the Blackwood.

I really felt my body awareness improve and really started to feel TK respond to the body before responding to the reins by the end of just one hour! The best thing that Chris did was take hold of the reins to imitate having the horse pull on me (as when TK did the runaway) and by being in the right body position, this pull actually drops the rider (me!!) deeper into the seat and makes me more stable! So even if we're running away, I won't be bouncing around in the saddle feeling as if I might pop off and hit the ground at any moment.

Talk about a light bulb moment!

It was great! When I struggled a little with a few stops - it can take me quite a few tries to integrate fine motor control movements - Chris did the reins thing again, and with just pressing my knees down and back, squeezing my inner thighs, initiating a pelvic tilt and bracing through my core, I actually pulled her forward, without even adding any extra pull through my arms! Awesome!

I do find it hard to get all the pieces of finesse riding figured out in a short time. Because there are so many little thing happening at once, and you're thinking of what the horse is doing, what you're doing with everything from how your head is settled on your neck, down to what your pinkie finger is doing, it can be a real challenge to get all the pieces to come together.

By the end of the lesson I had a horse that was attentive to me, and not to the kid hooning in the her car, or to the guy exercising his horse on the track, or the kids and dogs running around either. Instead, TK was going nicely on the bit most of the time, was responding to requests to increase and decrease the pace of his trot through changes in my body position and stopping in under two strides. And often (if I had my reins even) he was stopping square, which impressed the pants off Chris!

As it turns out, TK can be very light and sensitive once I have his full attention. This comes through when I am focused and attentive to what I am doing and asking of him. The more thoughtful I was of what I was doing, the more clear my messages were to him. As a result, he was really able to respond appropriately and I was so very impressed with him! It seems so logical and 'duh obvious' but there you go! The lesson here is for me to be attentive and focused as I ride.

Now, this bracing thing might not be the exact answer we're looking for in a runaway situation. However, if he's responsive enough to my body, he may (no, he WILL) start responding to my body position before my hands and therefore will not have the hands to brace against. But we did discuss other strategies for dealing with him going back to racehorse mode. These include bracing the body as described above and either pulsing the reins so he has nothing to hold against, or bracing one rein and drawing him into a circle with the other if possible, or weaving him so he can't hold his stride, and, if necessary, riding the gallop out.

I have a big three day ride coming up in Manjimup in two weeks time. There will be 50 horses, and lots going on. It's paid for, I'm going. There will be lots of people on their pleasure horses who may not appreciate a freaking out ex-racehorse, so I hope to get two more lessons in with Chris before the ride to really have this control and focus honed in both of us.

I am hoping to use TK as an 'all-rounder' after the Blackwood. So rather than having just one job, I want to be able to just give anything a go! A little dressage, jumping, reining, cutting, trail rides, and drill team. So I also hope to become a better rider. I think I might invest in this book/DVD on Pilates for the Dressage Rider, especially if it is going to help with muscle awareness and control. I feel like a pretty body-aware person, but I think every little bit can help!

Reasons To Run

A long time ago I had a post about reasons to run, or cycle, or anything for that matter, but here's a great little article from Women's Health Magazine about why to run. Although it covers more of the physical reasons than the 'feel good' reasons, I still think it's a good little article.

In short:

Reasons To Run
1. It's So Easy
2. Yet So Hard
3. Your Knees Will Thank You (yes, they do!!)
4. You'll Stress Less
5. It Can Prevent Disease
6. You'll Probably Live Longer

Trying to Decide...

I'm considering my gear for the event again. And I am debating a full length compression tight or a 3/4 length triathlon pant. Unfortunately, it's proving hard to find 3/4 tri pants (with minimal chamois lining, they all seem to have full cycling padding), and I might have to go with an above the knee cut.

The big pro of the full length tight is that I can wear them for all events, including the horse ride. The negative is that it has no padding, so not so crash hot for the cycle. I can cycle without the padding, but would definitely prefer not to.

The big pro of the tri pant is that it has the padding, though just the barest minimum (or the swim and run would be quite uncomfortable). The con is that I'll have to put on a pair of pants as I come out of the water and head to the horse. And we all know how hard it is to put anything on when you're wet.

Mat has suggested that changing gives rest time, and I argue that I'll already be slow enough!

If only I could find full length triathlon tights! That'd be perfect! But since that seems completely out of the question, what would you choose? I'm taking votes :)

Worried About Strangles

Strangles is a contagious disease that affects horses. It's really unpleasant. A quick glance at a few photos here and I am sure it won't take much imagination to see what an uncomfortable and horrible disease it is! It can result in death, though treatment is usually effective, but it's not something you'd want any animal to have to go through.

So, when I heard that there had been a few cases in WA recently, I thought I had better look into this. I am about to take TK out into a social environment and this increases his risk of getting the disease. However, it would seem that the original reports have been greatly exaggerated, as detailed in this article by the ABC (a far more reliable source of information. You can trust the ABC, like you can trust CBC or PBS).

I contacted the local vet and the WA Endurance Riders Association and no rides are cancelled and there are no bio-hazard policies in place. If you want to get your horse vaccinated, that's a great idea, and always better to be safe than sorry. But basically the WAERA are asking people to use common sense and not bring a sick horse to a ride.

Great advice!

So, I probably will organise to have TK and Nero vaccinated, but am not going to freak out about it. It will cost me $75 per horse, and I still haven't made much of a dent in the existing vet bill, so might wait until I have a little more available cash, and not make that debt to them any bigger than it already is.

Further to the topic of horses, I have contacted and left a message for the Registrar of Racehorses to find out how to transfer ownership of TK to me. Right now, according to his RISA records, he has 5 owners! Presumably he was purchased as a 'pooled investment' and failed miserably. I have his Thoroughbred Identification Card, but no transfer papers. It's really neat to look at these records: TK's real name is Party Flight, and he's trialled (run a race) twice and came in last in each race. Then his record ends. In other words, TK is SLOW! hehehe I guess I'm not the only one who complained about this problem of his!

Also, had the farrier out here this weekend to do the boys' feet and had a little chat. TK's got some funny movement in his hind legs, he really rolls on the outside of each hoof and twists his hind legs at a walk. The farrier is sure he'll be fine and sound for pleasure, but won't pull up sound in endurance. Basically, his unusual action in the hind leg will either cause him pain over the long haul and therefore he won't come through sound, or just the odd action will cause the vets to pull him when he does his trot out. Since I am going to an endurance ride in 12 days time, and only doing the social ride, it will be a good opportunity to discuss this potential problem with the enduro vet.

I'm not phased if he doesn't turn out to be an endurance horse. I'm mostly after a pleasure horse and all-rounder, but of course, one that will also be able to complete the Blackwood Marathon this year!

So, I guess the information I've gathered today answers a few of my worries, but I still have a few more things to work through to ensure he'll be - and stay - healthy and strong.

P.S. Sorry I went a little crazy with the links today! I guess that's what happens when you get off work early but are trapped in the house due to the rain. It's meant to be my hills day, but that certainly wasn't on the cards in this weather! Don't you just love spring? One minute it's the sunniest nicest day you can imagine, the next you're soaked to the bone!

Attack, Runs, TV, and Rain

Wow! The rain... let me tell you! The rain has not let up for 18 hours! It just keeps coming down and down and down! It is so wet out there! An outside run was out of the question today. And I decided I would rather not plod on the treadmill for 12km. It just seemed too boring.

But an hour of Attack! That seemed like fun! And it'd still be awesome for my fitness. It's so much more fun to have a bunch of sweaty people bouncing around and a cheery instructor shouting encouragement. That keeps me going!

So I came home from work and made chocolate chip cookies!

Then I knew there was no way I was missing Attack! I am sure there's twice the calories in cookie dough... and I ate about 6 cookies worth! Ugh! What a mistake! hahaha  I love the taste so much, and yet I know it's going to make me feel ill. Weird how we do these things to ourselves!

Anyway, show up for Attack, and it was just the instructors at first - Kirsty (Attack instructor), Amanda (Pump) and myself (Balance). Then Kez (PT) showed, that's another instructor, and finally Robyn, an actual participant/fitness enthusiast! That makes a whole 4 participants. Not enough for a class. Pooh. Where are all the participants? Probably stuck in the mud out there somewhere!

So after some deliberation, we decided to go for a play in the gym. I set about my run, and did 6km in 41 minutes flat, including warm up. So nowhere near my intended 12km, and much slower than my usual average (but I took a nice long warm up), but still a workout, and it was fun, because we all just had a nice chat while working out. We tried working out a few ideas to increase the numbers to Attack, including moving the time and the room so it's less intimidating to people.

It's really unfortunate that people are scared of Attack, at least that's what we are guessing is keeping them away. People have heard that it's hard. And then they just don't come and don't just try. We just aren't sure how to make the class seem more accessible to people. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to hear about it! :)

So, looks like I'll be well rested for work on Friday, and will be doing a spin and paddle Friday after work if I'm not too mentally fried. Maybe I can paddle while Better Homes and Gardens is on. I really like that show! It's one of the few I watch regularly, and even know that it's on Friday nights. All the other shows are like a lottery or surprise to me. "Oh really, is that on tonight?" I never know! I think that's kind of a good thing. TV isn't all that important and there's not that much I can't miss!

Disappointed and Confused

My wonderful sub-60 10km finish did not get recorded that way!

What happened?

My results show me at 63:33!?

I could have been closer to 18th position if the time were 57:50. With 63 minutes I'm down in the bottom half.

That's a big discrepancy.  Mat and I were both standing there looking at the clock, and I was timing on my watch as well!

I am a little sad. Where was the finish line then?  When did they stop the clock?  That's a good 5 minutes difference!

Weird!  Now I want to take back the good things I said about them :P

I'm terribly fickle aren't I?  And maybe a little too proud!

There is so much good in the world!

Just a short note, a link and a few unfinished thoughts...

http://operationbeautiful.com/

Operation Beautiful.  What a good idea!  There's been a lot of discussion on negative self-talk in many of the blogs I follow.  It's a killer of self-esteem, power and the ability to succeed.

The general message: misery loves company, and misery gets stronger if left to roll along unchecked!

We are all bombarded by enough negativity, and most of it comes from within us!  We do this to ourselves!

Operation Beautiful, and many other great sites talk about the power of positive self-talk, about being your own champion, and singing your own praises!

It's time to talk to yourself they way you'd talk to your best friend, with praise and love and excitement and encouragment.

Body Clock - Another Neat Link

I don't know if you can download the show from the website, but this was a really interesting program about your body clock, and generally about the 24 hour cycle of body rhythms.  When we're best at things, and worst at things.

http://www.sbs.com.au/documentary/program/secretlifeofyourbodyclock/about/synopsis

Interestingly enough, one of the points made was about how important light is in encouraging us to be 'morning people' or 'night owls' and that wearing sunglasses in the morning can start to adjust your clock to a later time (if you happen to get out of bed way too early) and that wearing sunglasses in the afternoon can encourage you to go to bed earlier, and therefore rise earlier.

I was wondering then, what happens when your glasses are auto-tinting and always tint whenever exposed to sunlight, as mine do? Are my glasses in fact encouraging my body clock to always be on the lookout for a nap?  Have my morning wakeup problems actually be exacerbated by the fact that I spent a ridiculous amount of money on a pair of glasses that are meant to protect my eyes from harmful UV rays?

An interesting conundrum, yes?

Thoughts?

Interesting Site

I haven't had a chance to completely peruse this site yet, but it looks very interesting.

It's Michael Pollan's site, the guy who wrote In Defence of Food and seems to be full of great resources.

I think I'll be browsing here quite a lot, and can't wait to read his book!

I'm a Magpie

I like toys and gadgets and nice things. I regularly deny myself these things, but it's fun to think about them, and maybe even save up and get one of them one day.  Here's a few items that I have on my wish list. Some of them in reach and others not so much!  Some of these might end up being reward items...

Bike:
Wind Trainer - so I don't have to ride outside
Lights  - so I can in safety
Also need a few spare parts, new pedals and some winter woolies, good gloves and a better helmet.

Horse:
Endurance Saddles - another custom made product that would be marvellous, but the $$ !!
Exercise Quarter Sheet - too keep the rain and the cold off us both in the winter!
Polar Equestrian Heart Rate Monitor System - just plain cool!
Saddle Rack - (I have four saddles and they all sit on the backs of chairs in the spare room... not a single proper place to hang one of them!)
Safety Reflective Riding Gear - just common sense really
Saddle Packs - there are a million styles, just a matter of testing and trying different ones to suit saddle and needs.
Saddle Pads - a semi-local lady who custom makes saddle pads.  I want the Endurance one near the bottom. Pricey though...

Running:
Treadmill - I'm not entirely fussed on the machine or brand, but do want one with a hill program.
Garmin GPS Training Watch - These are just the bomb. They tell you all sorts of stuff, from bicycle cadence, mapping your runs, and managing your workouts on multiple exercises (running, cycling, horse riding, kayaking, etc). Just the ultimate training toy, really!

Rogaining:
Hiking Boots - we have got to stop doing these events in our running shoes! They just don't cut the mustard! Both Mat and I need hiking boots. After that we can get a few other items.  We need a second camelback/daypack and maybe a waist pack for shorter events. A better compass for Mat, and/or a very nice luminescent night compass.  There are lots of great outdoor clothing items that are fast trying and tear resistant which would also be nice.

Paddling:
Kayak - it will be very hard to do this leg without a kayak.... this has to be a priority purchase. Saving saving saving!

Other gadgets:
Muve by Gruve - What a cool little gizmo!  Is there nothing that can't be computerised these days?
Kindle - I like books!  So I say that's my excuse for wanting this new and cool toy!

Anyway, feast your eyes on a bit of retail eye-candy!

What's on your wish list?

Searching the Web for Good Advice!

Been browsing the web, and one great link leads to another and so on, and you come across some super duper information!

Oh my! I got lots of great running ideas from this post from Men's Health Magazine!

I think I'm going to try the ladder on my next run! And I love the easy-hard principle. I think active recovery and interval training are awesome!

And I also like the Plan A and Plan B thing. I find myself doing that sometimes anyway: plan to go out for a short run, feel great, so stay out longer. I always tell my clients to listen to their bodies. Your body will tell you when it wants more, or when it's time to rest.

I've really started to love running, so I'm looking forward to doing it better and faster!

I wonder why men's fitness magazines seem to have better information than women's? Men's Health Magazine has a whole section on Triathlon! I can't find anything like this on Oxygen or Women's Health Magazine, or even on one of my favourites, Girl Get Strong. I suppose that the majority of female exercises are exercising for health and weight loss, not performance or competition, but I wonder if they are missing out on a target market here? These ones are sometimes a little too fluffy.

I think the only magazine that stands out against this trend is UltraFit Magazine. I love this magazine! Their web page is pretty lacking, but I can assure you the magazine is JAM PACKED with uber-fit ideas! Stuff well beyond me, but hey, they're not fluffy!

Anyway, those are some of the sites I've been busy looking at. Maybe you'll enjoy some of them too?

What are your favourites?