Week Two Round One 12wbt 2013

Photographic proof.  Carefully checked photographic proof.  The last thing you want is a reflection of you nakie on the internet.  Unless of course you are trying to sell a kettle (beware you may need to wash your eyes out if you click this link)

I celebrated hitting my goal by buying a snazzy pair of boots which have yet to arrive.  I am in no hurry to get them as it has been far too hot to wear much at all.

Exercising when it's hot is something of a challenge.  Luckily I have torn my calf muscle.  I say luckily because I am restricted to running on the flat.  I am also not allowed to run faster than 8 kms an hour.  So I have been doing most of my runs on my treadmill under the air con with a fan to keep me nice and cool.  I also have to ice my muscle after every exercise session.  Icing and cold showers are much easier to bear if its 30 degrees Celcius outside.

On the two occasions I have had to run outdoors - I am prepping for a 5 km middle of the day race, I have ended up feeling a little like this very hot guy.

I take my hat off to people who have to train in heat all the time.

Week One Round One 12wbt 2013

And we are off and running in this round and what an amazing couple of weeks it has been.  

I came in under 37 minutes in my Australia Day Fun Run.

I did my 1km time trial in 6:05 seconds.  My first 1km time trial in June last year was 9:55 and I felt like throwing up at the end.

I was selected as Fit n' Kicking's Fitness Star of the month.  Fit n' Kicking is where I go and do boot camp.  Don't let being the slowest and weakest stop you trying and a supportive trainer is worth their weight in gold.

I was asked to do a testimonial for Active Launceston.  I started doing a walk run program with them last June in the same week I started my first round of 12wbt.  When they asked I thought it would be something like this but apparently it's going to be a TV ad.  I have to turn up in gym gear and say a line in front of a green screen.  I am getting my hair done and wondering if shape wear is appropriate under gym gear.

Oh and I hit goal weight.

Yes... I hit goal weight!!!

That's 27 kilos (60 pounds) gone for good... well except for those cupcakes I had on the weekend on my daughter's 16th birthday party which bumped me up momentarily.

So finally after more than 20 years I am a healthy weight- a perfect size 12 (size 8 US).  I don't look like a bikini model but I feel amazingly well and fit and I know I can get fitter still.

The most amazing thing is that this round of 12wbt will see me -  
training for training's sake!
Two days in I have done a running class, a 5 km walk and a strength and stretch class, and today I did a Les Mills GRIT session.  This afternoon I head off to see the physio again about my niggling shin splint.

Training without the usual goal of weight loss or body shaping.  In 50 years that has never happened.  I really am thinking like a warrior, training like an athlete.  A smaller bum and tighter belly would be icing on the cake though. Calorie free icing of course.

Task 4

Task 4 of this round of Mish Bridges 12wbt preseason is to 


Say It Out Loud 

..so here goes! 

I am going to be at my goal of 65 kilos 
(top of my healthy BMI range for the first time in over 20 years! Thanks Mish!!) 
at the start of the round.

I have committed myself to the Train for a 10km Fun Run Program.

In order to do that I am going to follow Mish's program. 
I have also signed to do a 5 week running technique workshop culminating in a 5 km fun run on March 3. 
I am also joining a gym for the duration of this round so I can do some leg strengthening exercises.

This Saturday I am doing the 5km Aus Day fun run.
In March I am doing the Women's 5k with the intention of running the entire 5kms (I can only run 2km non stop right now).
In June I am going to do the Launceston 10. 
In August I will do the City to Surf 14km in Sydney.
September Ross half marathon (round after this will be train for a half marathon)
November I am going to do an 8km Raw Challenge 
and December the Santa Run in Las Vegas.

 I will add in any other little races that come up and I can do.

I will also do parkrun on long weekends and school holidays.

The next three months I am going to 

think like a warrior, 

train like an athlete 

and try not to let my inner geriatric panic too much lol.

Exercise and Inspiration

This time last year my exercise routine consisted of a 20 minute walk on my treadmill 2-3 times a week.  I would strain to fit that in.  One hour out of an entire week.

How times have changed!  This week my exercise routine goes like this:

Thursday - Bootcamp in morning - 7km shuffle walk pm
Friday - 5km walk with friends
Saturday 5 km fun run probably with and extra kilometre at the start and finish to warm up and cool down.
Sunday pm Running Technique Class
Monday Tempo run for 30 minutes Strength and Stretch at lunch time
Tuesday Rest Day... Perhaps a play on Wii Fit and a walk.
Wednesday Run with a friend and 30 minute sprint running alone
Thursday Bootcamp in morning then Yoga in evening.
Friday One hour run/walk.
Saturday Bootcamp and then a hike.

Plus I am doing a daily tricep push up challenge (I can do 10 now on my toes) and daily situps.

The scary thing about this list is that my 12wbt Round starts in the second week of February so my running will increase and I will be joining a gym to throw in some weight training as well.

Well that is not really the scary thing.

The scary thing is that after a minor panic about how exhausted it's going to make me, how much pain I will suffer and how on earth will I fit it all in, I looked to my inspirations (my sister who trains daily on top of working 12 hour days in a high pressure job, Lydia Hantke (Australian Biggest Loser Contestant),  Sailor Vee and Mish Bridges) and knew they would say "Suck It UP and JFDI!)

"Have you lost weight?"

Weigh in day on the 12wbt program is Wednesday.  Today is Thursday and as yesterday was a little bit disappointing with only a loss of 100gms I did a SWI (sneaky weigh in).   The reading was 66 kilos exactly.  Bringing my total loss to 57 pounds and putting me only 2.2 pounds off goal weight.

As you can imagine losing so much weight has made me look a little bit different.  In fact people who have not seen me for a while do one of three things.

The first is the vague smile and hello.  They know they should know me but don't quite know where from.  I have had a few apologies from people who worked it out later.

The second is the amazed gushing, "OMG you look so good.  You've lost so much weight! You must feel so much better!"  I can only make of this how bad I looked before.

The third is the quiet hello then the confused look and then the,

"Have you lost weight?" 

This last one is the most disconcerting.  I see the pursed lips and the wrinkled brow and I know when I reply in the affirmative that the next question is,

"How?"   

My answer is always "Well I lost 10 kilos on my own and then  another 16 doing Michelle Bridges Program."

I am a bit of a walking advertisement.

Then the clanger...

"Is it easy?" 

I could say that it's easier than feeling breathless and ill all the time, being borderline diabetic, depressed and worried about heart disease.  I could say that it's easier than trying to tie my shoelaces used to be or finding clothes that made me look half decent.  But I don't.

I say,

"It's hard.  But it's so worth it."

Because it is.

Back on Track

Here's to a new year and getting my mojo back.  I weighed in this morning at 66.5 kilos or (146.3 pounds) which is the least I have weighed since starting this life change.  

I signed up to do a third round of  Mish Bridges 12 week body transformation and because I am so close to my goal weight I am opting to do the "Train to run 10 Km" program.  To start this program I need to be able to run 2 km or 20 minutes non stop.  I have managed that on around two occasions.  I am trying to run at least 3 times a week to get better at it.  I keep telling myself that I can do it.  Two years ago I could hardly walk 100 metres.  Seven months ago I could front brace for all of 10 seconds and I could not do a sit up. By doing a little bit over and over I have improved.

One of the runs I do is Park Run.  This is a 5km run that is held weekly at sites all around the world.  It's not a race against anyone but yourself.  I can recommend it for anyone who is wanting to get out and move.  There is no pressure and everyone taking part is in a good mood. 

Sometimes they take photos of participants.  A picture is worth a thousand words. 

I love the thought of running.  I love how I feel when I finish running.  I love planning to go for a run. As for the actually running - I don't love it so much.  

Another Type of Loss

October 2012 was hard.  A lot of stuff happened culminating in my father passing away from prostate cancer.

I was so lucky that my sister was able to spend time with him before he passed, and then with me, afterwards.  I am lucky that I got to spend over a year helping to care for my father and he basically got to see the change in me step by step.

I know it made him smile when I complained about trying to run and he would tell me to keep doing it because it was good for me.

I know he was really proud of me and my siblings, his grand kids and how we are living our lives.

I now know that if I am feeling really sad or stressed that going for a walk or a run is a better fix than stuffing my face.

In a while when we are ready, we are going spread his ashes at a place called Duck Reach.  We lived there for a while when I was really young and he loved the water and the bush there.  He would also get a kick out of knowing that to go visit "him" we have to walk up and down over 100 really steep steps.  RIP Papa.