Fitness Friday (one day late)

This is a rainbow that I saw on my way to work during the week.  I have been seeing the most amazing rainbows lately but haven't always been able to take a photo of them which is rather sad.

Anyway, linking in with bbeingcool for Fitness Friday (albeit a day late !!!) - this is what I have managed to accomplish this week with regard to my exercising :

Friday - 4.12km run (26:28)
Sunday - 10.05km run (1:08:11)
Monday - 5.97km run (33.57)
Tuesday - matrix 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 push ups, sit ups, squats, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 push ups, sit ups, squats
Wednesday - 5.14km run (35:19)

Some runs were better than others.  I was really pleased with my 10km run on Sunday - need to try to up this to 16-18kms so that I know I can finish the 10km run on 30 June (figure if I can manage 16-18km run, a 10km run will feel so much easier on the day) - I may be wrong on this but I can only try.

On Saturday I bought a couple of long sleeve tops to run in - saw some at Lululemon for $89 but couldn't justify spending that amount of money on a shirt to run in.  Went to KMart - they didn't have any.  Went to Target and got one there for $17.  Then Mountain Detail had another one for $24.  My run on Sunday was in the top from Target and it worked so well I went and bought another one - they have really made a difference to how much warmer I am when I run now !!

While we were at Helensvale, Al made me try on some new jeans saying that the ones I was wearing were too big for me - I bought two pairs of size 10 jeans - I reckon their sizing is wrong because there is no way that I am a size 10 - but it was a nice feeling when I did they up and they fitted !!!

Of late my eating has not been good - nor has my drinking - unless Pepsi Max and Amarula count as good drinking - well they do in one sense but not from a health point of view !!!  Fruit and veg have been non-existent and junk food has crept into my eating plan which is a little sad given how well I was eating up until a few weeks ago. I really need to get more organised and plan my meals better than I have been.  I will try to do that this week.

Yesterday there was a multiple car accident on the motorway home so, as I only had 1/4 tank of petrol, I thought I had better fill up as I was going to take the back roads to get home from where I was working at Inala.  When I went to pay for the petrol, I also bought a packed of Pods, just in case I got stranded somewhere !!!!  Yeah right !!!!  About 15 mins later, the pods had all been eaten scoffed down and the evidence hidden in my bag !!!  I only had a couple of hot chips for dinner but I did manage to make headway with a bottle of Amarula.  The drive over Mt Tamborine in the rain and mist on narrow winding roads with a drop down the mountain on one side of me was enough to send me to the bottle !!!!  (I must add that I did do a 5km run before I hit the bottle !!)

Today has been a rather relaxing day - washing done, catch up with a friend, watching some movies (Dolphin Tale and Red Dog) and catching up on recorded TV shows.  K is baby sitting and A is stuck out at Warwick - hopefully it will be raining tomorrow and they will come home early as the work they have to do is all outside and they won't be able to do any of it !!!!

On that note, I am going to watch Iron Lady.  Have a great Sunday everyone and take care !

TFTD : Improvisation is the first step to improvement.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am linking up (albeit late in the day and nearly Friday) with Kate from katesaysstuff for Thankful Thursday.

I was thinking about this post when I was driving down from Inala back to the office today and I had a whole heap of things in my head but after the evening that I have had, I have had to change the original post about what I am thankful for - not because I am not thankful for the other stuff from earlier today, but because I am more thankful for my wonderful daughter.

I had asked her this morning if she wanted to go late night shopping tonight and she said yes even though she doesn't have any money to spend.  Winter means fewer shifts for her as a life guard at Wet n Wild so her $300 this fortnight doesn't go very far when she has to pay $110 board / phone / Suns membership / computer every week - leaving her $80 for the fortnight to put petrol in her car and not much else !!

Anyway, we went down to Robina as I wanted to go to the Lululemon shop - I was given a pair of socks on the weekend and used them during the week - they were lovely !  I wanted to look at a long sleeve top to run in as the evenings are getting a little chilly to run in a racer back top.  I found a lovely l/s top but at $89 wasn't sure that I could justify the cost.  (No doubt if A was with me we would have bought it !!!) 

After that we went and had some dinner and I said to K that I wanted to maybe look at some dresses with tights and ballet flats.  She was so excited at the prospect of me buying some new clothes that weren't jeans / T-shirts / jumpers !!!  So off we went.  She picked out all sorts of items for me - some looked really good - some looked awful (or maybe they didn't look awful, I just felt they did).  I am not sure who had more fun - her or me !  Occasionally I would say something or pick something out to try on and she would just roll her eyes and laugh and I would put it back.

I tried on a dress at Forever New in a size 16 - too big.  She brought me a size 10 - I asked her if she was off her head - no ways was I fitting into that - she gave it to me and said try it on - it fitted !! I couldn't believe my eyes.  I asked her if there was a size 12 as I just felt that even though it fitted me I would have had to stand in it all day as I didn't think I would be able to sit down without showing my knickers to all and sundry !!!  They didn't have a size 12 but their store at Pacific Fair had a few size 12s !!!  We had looked at some ballet flats which were comfy but I wasn't about to buy shoes without having something to wear them with !!!

She is wearing these leggings and in I can't remember how many stores we went into, the assistants commented on them and how awesome they were and asked where she had got them from (Black Milk in case you are wondering !!).  We were walking back to the car when this guy came out from nowhere and said "I'm not crazy - I work for Michael Hill Jewellers (and showed her this pamphlet for their sale).  I just LOVE those leggings where did you get them from" - poor bugger she looked like a deer caught in the headlights she got such a fright.  Anyway she told him and while they were talking another lady from MHJ came up and asked her about them.  Certainly - they have given us a lot of enjoyment tonight !!!

Anyway, we got to Pacific Fair and I tried on the dress in a size 12 - it really did look lovely - think I need to seriously consider buying it !!!  From there we went to Runaway Bay as I had to check on something at LeGassick and we went to a store SES and I did land up getting this cutest little red and black dress and then we stopped in at Coles and I got some black tights.  K was all excited (probably more so than me) saying "So, you going to wear it to work tomorrow" and I just looked at her and smiled - said "No, I can't because I don't have any shoes PLUS there is only me and the MD in tomorrow - so not worth while wearing anything other than my jeans" - "Yeah, you're probably right."

I am thankful for my 20yo daughter who still enjoys going shopping with her Mom.

I am thankful that she feels that she can offer me fashion advice.

I am thankful that I can still tell her that while it may be fashionable, there are some items which just don't suit me or are not suitable for a 46yo Mom to be wearing !!!

I an thankful that I get to spend this time with her because I know that it won't be like this forever - at some point it will stop. (Mind you, A is the shop-a-holic in our family and he often says "Let's go shopping" when I would really prefer to stay at home and relax !!!).

I am thankful that we can share these times together - laugh together - have fun together - and, in general, just have a great time hanging out together.

I am thankful that one of the most precious gifts that I have, continues to provide me with hours of enjoyment ! 

Thank you K - you have grown into an amazing young lady - I am proud to have you as my daughter.

TFTD : Why struggle to convince someone of something they're not ready to hear ?

Getting Back Into My Groove

Well that title may be a little pre-emptive but no point in not being positive about how I am going !

I think that because A is still not home I am keen to get out the house and do something.  When he left two weeks ago, the plan was that they would be home yesterday.  No such luck - they are HOPING to be home by Friday !!!!!  Jeez, as much as I enjoy spending time with K and doing things with her, I miss him so much and can't wait for him to get home again. 

I have really enjoyed the runs that I have had since Sunday.  I still need to work on my breathing because I am nowhere near as good at that as I was before my knee injury.  I can feel when my breathing is going well how much better I run so I am making that a priority when I run - concentrate on my breathing and let my legs take care of themselves !

I have recently bought a couple more pairs of pants, a couple more sports bras, another (really good bargain) running top and think that the only thing that I may need to look at getting are some socks - I can't make up my mind if my socks feel comfortable or not.  I have a couple of pairs that I use - sometimes the thinner socks work but sometimes my feet feel like they could do with just a little more cushioning - maybe it has to do with the distance that I am running.  I don't know but I am going to start making a note of how my feet feel in the socks I am wearing and the distance that I am running and take it from there.

Tomorrow I plan to run to my folks who live (I think) about 5km away from us - not sure exactly but am guessing that is about how far it is.  When I get there, hopefully they will be there, because I am going to see if they will drop me back at home as I won't be able to run home again after that (not yet anyway - give me a couple more weeks months and I am sure I will be able to run there - see them and run home again - just not yet !!!).

When I get home I am going to get these bloody tax returns finished.  I started them on Easter Friday but was missing stuff and so just gave up.  Now that I have managed to locate everything I need, I just have to bloody well do them.  The incentive for me is that I have said I can read for the rest of the day - ONCE THEY ARE DONE !!!!  And, my book is getting really interesting so a good incentive I hope.

My trainer was really good tonight - worked me quite hard - especially picked on my form which is always good because otherwise sometimes I think I just slack off a little.  He commented on how much smaller I looked which was nice because I didn't think that I was any smaller than the last time I saw him over 10 days ago.

To those people who read this in Australia or New Zealand, I hope you have a wonderful Anzac Day tomorrow - I won't be going to any services but I will give thanks for the wonderful people in the armed forces who protect this fantastic country that I live in.

TFTD : Stop trying to fit in when you were born to stand out.

Finally - A Run



(This is not me - just in case you were wondering !!!)

Well today I finally managed to get out there and do some running - YAY !!!!  It has been 6 days since I last ran and it has been too long BUT I know that I did the right thing for my body - it needed to heal and it needed the rest and I am so glad that I listened to it (maybe I am learning something in my old age !!!)

I didn't run this morning because I had a really unsettled night with my stomach last night but after watching some baseball (bugger Yankees beat Red Sox in a game that they should never have lost !!) and doing some shopping, I got home and went and did some interval training - and it was great !  I know I did the right thing with resting last week because of how good I felt today.  I could have run further but didn't want to over-do it seeing as I hadn't exercised for a while.  So I landed up doing 3.46km in 23mins 57 secs with average of 6 min 55 secs per km - definitely a time I am happy with.

Now to make sure I stay as healthy as I can for the next couple of weeks so that I can train to the best of my ability for the MDC on 13th May.  I don't want to have any excuses for a bad run - I want it to be the best that I can produce on the day.

Today I went to Harbourtown and found a top for $5.  K had previously bought it for me for $15 marked down from $25 so a great bargain - gotta love bargains like that !!  I also bought a couple more pairs of running pants - knee length - it is too hard trying to make sure that I wash at least every second day so that I have clothes to exercise in - a few more pairs of pants will help with that.

Have the best week you possibly can !  For those in Australia and New Zealand, it is only a four day week with a holiday on Wednesday - and maybe the chance for me to have a longer run ?????

TFTD : A slight shift in perspective yields radically different results.

The Right Stuff

A has always been of the opinion that if you are going to do something, you should have the right tools to do it.  Me - not so much.  I am a make do kind of girl. 

When we first moved to Australia, and we were renting, we used to spend a lot of weekends hiking through the local national parks / forests.  We loved it.  And we were kitted out for it - we had decent hiking shoes, clothes that breathed and wicked sweat (even though I had no idea what that meant when we bought those shirts !!), we had camel packs in back packs, we had light weight rain jackets - just in case we got caught in a shower.  We packed lunches and ate them by the sides of rivers and waterfalls.

When we started cycling we used to cycle without knicks.  We realised very quickly that, while we may not really want to wear them, they truly are crucial for cycling.  So we bought them.  Then we bought gloves because they really help your hands.  We got water bottles and speedo thingies that tell us how far and how fast we are going.  We bought lumious jackets so that when we cycled early morning or at night, we were more visible to motorists.

So, as you can see, A makes sure that we have the right equipment to do whatever we are doing.

I have always walked - not always regularly - but we have walked - lots - especially after we got the dogs.  A has a dodgy knee from when he broke his leg two weeks before we got married and so is not able to run anymore.  While he was working away from home towards the end of last year, while I was walking one night I thought "I wonder if I can run half of this block ?" - and that was how my running started.  I have always worn a sports bra when exercising - mainly because my boobs have travelled south a lot quicker than I would have liked and nothing (short of surgery) is going to have them heading north again - and I CANNOT stand them bouncing at all - EVER ! 

WhenA and I were up the north side of Brisbane one day and we stopped off at a shop called Harris & Scarfe (I think that's the name) and while we were looking around there, I came across a Berlei sports bra that had been marked down from $80 to $49.  It was really comfortable and so I bought two - a grey/pink one and a red one.  And I LOVE them. And the best part is that they do their job so well I don't even know they are there !!!

Last week after I had bought my new shoes (which are just amazing I have to add - again !!) we were walking and I decided to run half a block - just to see how my knee would hold out.  My knee was fine but I was wearing one of my old sports bras - man, that was a mistake !!!!  I didn't say anything to A but a few roads later he asked me if I was going to run again - told him I couldn't because I hurt too much after the last little run !

Now that I am exercising 6 days a week, I have decided that I need a few more of those bras - so have just been online and bought myself another two - for $49.90 each. 

This is the dark mocha one I have just bought

I used to run in T-shirts.  They got heavy and cold and were horrible to run in.  But I didn't realise how horrible they were until one day I saw some active type tops at KMart for $10 and we bought a couple to see how they went.  After running in one the next day, I will NEVER run in a T-shirt (or similar) again.  What a difference they make to my comfort during exercising.

The long and the short of this post is that if you want to exercise - it really DOES make a difference if you have the right gear !!

Have the best weekend ever.  I know that I am going to - on Saturday morning I get to get up at 5am so I can go to the airport to collect my folks - I am so happy.  They have been on holiday for 5 weeks and I have missed them heaps.   Then K and I get to share the day together because the baby sitting she was supposed to be doing has been cancelled.  Sunday I am off to meet the lovely Julie and her daughter, and then off to meet a girlfriend and her two children.  Enjoy yours !

Linking in with katesaysstuff for Fitness Friday blog hop - so hop over and check out other bloggers who are doing the fitness thing if you like.

I am also trying to link up with Fitness Friday at [Fitness, Health and Happiness] (but as I have no idea about how to get the little linky things into my blog, I am going to have to ask you to click on the links to get to their blogs !!!  Thanks)

TFTD : Be yourself.  Everybody else is already taken - Oscar Wilde

A Great Evening !

I got home from work and A wasn't home yet but that was OK - unpacked the latest L&E delivery and the dog food that had finally arrived (long story about Rosie and her operation - AWL recommended she have this special food - $153/12kgs - better bloody be worth it !!)  Anyway, A got home and got the bikes out and off we went.  You know how sometimes within about 5 mins you just know it is going to be hard doing ANY exercise - well I was like that on the bike - I really struggled the first 1-2kms - into a dreadful head wind (again !!!) and battling to stay at 17-18kph.  Anyway, kept at it and then got my second wind - plus I was trying the breathing that the osteo recommended - instead of in for two steps / pedals and out for two steps / pedals - to go 3 and 2 so that I am using alternate feet with my breathing.  I tried this when I was running and felt so unco and bloody awkward that I went back to the 2/2 that I was comfortable with.  Spoke to the trainer about it last night and he said to keep at it and it will feel right eventually.  So I did that with my cycling today and it was definitely easier than with the running - hopefully it will become a habit that will fit with my running as well.  Had a good cycle - 14.3km at 20.6kph - slower than the ride on Saturday morning - maybe a harder head wind (wish I could measure it somehow) and maybe my legs are a little fatigued after training last night.  Last Thursday H (trainer) really worked my arms - so much so that on Friday and more so on Saturday I battled to do my bra up and lift my arms much at all.  Last night he worked our legs - and I felt that today at work up and down the stairs - man I love that I can feel DOMS and know that I have had a good workout.

We got home after cycling and chatted for a while then A suggested taking the dogs for a walk so we got them and off we went - 5,5km later we were home and my legs could REALLY feel it.  Luckily A had a techie who had gone up to Toowoomba to the horse feed store there and bought me 2 x 5kg bags of Epsom salts - I ran out ages ago and won't pay $7/500g from the supermarket - so I was really glad to get the 10kgs for $40 !!!  Man, I loved my soak in the bath with a whole bunch of Epsom salts in it - and my legs loved it even more - they feel so much better now.  (If I cycled and then walked does that count as 2 execise sessions in the week ????)

K is out baby sitting and I am off to have an early night.  I still can't believe how I have got out of the habit of going to work from 8-12pm and only getting to sleep close to 1am most nights - it is SOOOOO good !!!

Pulled out some dresses tonight to see just how many cms I still need to lose before I can fit into them for A's Christmas party - if I can lose another 5-6kgs before 10 Dec it would be great but I don't think that will happen so will have to see what sort of corrective underwear I can find to hold all the wobbly bits in.  Any suggestions ????

Have a fantastic evening !

Love, hugs and positive energy.

My Attempt Not to Have a Midnight Snack

OK, technically it isn't midnight yet but it is close enough.  I went to bed angry with K for not doing the chores I asked her to do today and putting up with some cheek that a 19 yo daughter can come up with and now I can't sleep - because I am fuming - and what I really want to do is stuff my face with the junk food that A and K appear to have purchased recently - peanut M&M's, mini Oreo's, black pepper and lime chips, ched biscuits and cheese - all the really good things to eat, especially at close to midnight - when nobody is around to see how much I can stuff in my face.  Instead I am going to sit here and waffle give a recount of my day to keep me away from the food !

This is what my face might have looked like had I not blogged now !

Tonight I went to training (we missed training on Tuesday night because of the KoL concert - well worth missing training for I have to say !!!!) and instead of walking the block before going to train, I decided to run it.  Luckily it is only a 1.15km block because I am not sure I could have run for much longer and then still trained for 30-40 mins after that.  I was really pleased with running 6'12"/km although it is obviously a lot shorter than my other runs - oh how I wish I could run a 5km route at that pace !!!!!  One day !  K piked on me so I went by myself - man do I notice it when K isn't there and the trainer can concentrate on just me !!!!!  But it was good although my arms and legs did feel a little weak the rest of the night.

My arms felt like the arm on the left looks !

That makes it 4/4 and I am hoping to finish work at about 3pm tomorrow so that I can come home and have a run before A and I are off to the Gold Class Lounge at Harbourtown to see Moneyball (I think that is the name of the movie) - it is the movie about the Oakland Athletics baseball side (many years ago).  I have heard that it is a great movie (even if you aren't a baseball fan - but we are HUGE baseball fans) so looking forward to that.



Up until recently I have never really been an exercise person - I would often do it because I knew that it was good for me but I never enjoyed it.  Now I am finding that I am really enjoying it and have to make sure that I give myself a rest day on the weekend so as not to over do it.  I think that is so cool - I am exercising because I enjoy the feeling that I get from doing it not because I feel like I have to.

After training tonight, I came home and ate and showered and then we went to Australia Fair as I had recently bought a light little jacket to wear over sleeveless tops because I feel that I am at the age where I would prefer to cover up my arms rather than not.  It is so comfy and so light and I got a $10 discount voucher from Katie's so thought I would go and see what other colours they have (I have a black one - of course !!!) - anyway, the Katie's at AF didn't have any so think I will try the one at Robina tomorrow to see if they have any. After that we went to KMart to get A a luminous long sleeve shirt for work as his work ones are so hot.  We got him one of these the other day and he said that it was much cooler, so for $9 we bought him another one.  While we were there we saw some sleeveless running tops for me for $10 and he found me a pair of running 3/4 pants for $15.  I wasn't going to try them on (I absolutely loathe clothes shopping and having to try clothes on) but eventually I did and we landed up buying them.  I used to run in some pants that I bought from Target and they were good (at least that is what I thought) until we went on a Nike shopping expedition a few weeks/months - can't remember when - ago, and I bought a pair of their 3/4 running pants - $40 marked down from $50 as we got discount for buying 3 pairs of running shoes and a whole heap of clothes between us.  Man, they are so comfortable, I land up washing nearly every night just so that they can get washed and be dry, ready for me to use the next night !!!!!!  So will try the new pants and tops out tomorrow night unless A finishes work early too in which case we will probably go for a cycle and I won't get to try them out until next week ! (Tried to find some pics on the KMart website but they don't have any pics of women's clothing !!!)

This is the top that I want to buy another one of from Katies

On that note I am off to bed (again) - hopefully I will get to sleep this time.  Thank you for making it possible for me NOT to eat anything !

Have a fantastic Friday !

Love, hugs and positive energy.