Day 1

Day 1- Training done 1/12 hrs Sunday morning in extreme heat. I trained by myself as all the others were doing sprint stuff. I did 8 x 200 rather slowly between 48 & 55 seconds and joined the group for a 400 sprint jog train which really finished me off. Did some discus which was Ok and Jav which was disgusting. Don't know whether it was the heat or just me. But at least I got through it.
I haven't taken any supplements for the past 2 days and maybe that is why I'm feeling so lethargic today.
Off to visit some family in Brisbane this arvo which will mean a few drinks. I don't drink too often, and I enjoy a drink but just hate the effect it has on my body the next day. No one is twisting my arm so I know what the answer to that one is!

My first goal is to lose the 4 extra ks of fat I have found and get back to 60Kg. There is no way I can perform the way I want on the track carrying that much extra twice around.

Snap out of this

Over 2 months since my last post. I know I have been in some kind of limbo lately but that is ridiculous. Time to snap out of this. If you don't make the best of what you have now you can end up just wishing things were different and basically wasting precious time and getting nowhere. What's brought this on? A reality check I guess. Despite still being optimistic I just seem to be going round in circles and not achieving anything (or so I think). Well a diffrent approach can't hurt and nothing to lose.

I am surrounded by so many good people who are able to help that I just need to take their lead and run with it. I have been running up front by myself for far too long and I am totally over it. I am going to sit back listen & follow for a while and when the time is right I will be out in front again.

First step is to get my body back to fit & healthy again. No use tackling other issues if I don't feel good about myself. I am not waiting until after Christmas, right now is the time to start.

Team 4 x 800

This photo is of Petrina on the left Karen ,middle and myself after our 4 x 800m relay earlier this year. We were in the younger age group 30 - 39 due to Petrina being younger than us. You can bring the oldies (me) down to run but can't come up which makes sense.

Still on track

So far this week everything on track.
Morning cardio - run 30 mins - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. Rested Wednesday as was feeling a slight niggle in the calf and did not want to aggravate it again. It was fine this morning after my run.
Food has been probably about 80% on track so am OK with that.

I have taken on some extra 'paying' work. I guess spending 3 hours a night x 3times a week doing physical work is helping burn the extra calories. Beats sitting in front of the computer all day if nothing else. Got to look on the bright side! No use complaining, I figure that if this is what I have to do to get by then so be it.

Have also linked up with another amazing woman who also has so much energy and motivation to succeed in her businesss. I just love spending time with her as we always seem to bounce ideas off each other and nothing is impossible. You really do need that contact with other like minded people.

training done

Actually trained on the track today. Managed 2 decent 400's without any further injuries so was happy with that. Still haven't decided which way to go with my training.
My calf injury is good but still have the hammies and also something is not right with my right arm. Thats next on the agenda.
Step 1 is to get my eating back on track so I can at least feel right.
Step 2 is to take it slowly.
I will compete in the Pan Pacs but not going to stress out too much as i know I am a long way from being fit as I would like it.

I will try for more cardio as only managed one proper run last week.
So for next week it is in no particular order:
Cardio - at least 5 days
Stretching every day
Food right choices every day.

Lets just see how this goes.

Planning

I must learn to put my plans on paper. I have so many ideas going on at the moment nothing is happening. Well not really nothing, but I really have to have some more order in my life.

Everything is moving along on the business side of things. Although it is still slow I am finally beginning to see some good possibilities for the future. I have decided to take on a second job to create a bit of cashflow. Its just one of the things i have to do if I am to realise my goals.

I have eased of on training over the last few weeks due to injuries. But I am managing to work a little around them but not anywhere near where I would have liked to be. Have also easily managed to increase the kilos much to my disgust. Although my weight is 63.5kg I know I have increased the fat % by heaps.
I have entered the PAn Pac games which is 6 weeks away so that gives me a short term goal to smarten up. I had a bit of a run out on my injuries today and came through OK so happy with that. Wasn't so estatic about the lack of cardio fitness that has dropped off since I have not been running. hopefully I will regain that sooner rather than later.
There is a stoem brewing at the moment so time to leave the computer.

just do it

It has been 3 months since my last update and I don't know where the time has gone.

I do know that it is definitely time to start updating and that is my next project. I am away for 4 days from tomorrow- up to sunny Townsville- and when I return it will be time for a new look for my blog.
That is my plan and a first step towards some changes in my life. It is not all bad at the moment but it is not all good either and I just know it should be better.

Till next week

Shopping

It has been a pretty uneventful week. I have had some sought of cold fluey thing since Monday and am just starting to feel well again today. I trained on Monday morning when I wasn't feeling too bad but I really struggled and haven't done anything since- except work of course.
I will go to training in the morning and just take it a bit easy I think. (Have to try out my new shoes & skins)
Just came home from shopping at Rebel as it was 25% off everything. Finally
bought a pair of skins and also picked up a pair of running spikes that were reduced from $99 to $30. So for the pants & shoes it only cost me $90. Mind you I could have spent heaps more on things that I really need but they will have to wait until next time.

Finally back on track with my diet although the fact that I haven't been that hungry because of the flu may have had something to do with it. Whatever, all that matters is that I have been eating well.
Better get back to work now.

Next goal

Wow I can't believe it is over a month since I have been on here. I am enjoying today with no pressures to be somewhere or do anything

I have actually been consumed with work and I am just going through the motions with everything else.

I finished off a fantastic season with athletics in Sydney at the end of March. I won the discus & shot but my best result was 2nd in the penthalon. I have now decided to compete again this year at the Oceanias in Townsville last week of July. I will be concentrating on penthalon so I am back in full training. I am doing track training 3 times a week and still have to fit the other event training around that.

I really have to start eating properly again. It just has such an impact on my performance. Its been really funny I just seem to be floundering around lately with food. Basically I seem to have lost interest in eating good. I know it is just a phase but I want to kick start out of it now!

I know what needs to be done so guess I should just get on and do it.

Some photos from Sydney

Shot medal presentation after my unexpected win

Some of my QLD team. Jenny, Jean, me, Karen, Petrina

Final week

I really don't know where the last 2 weeks have gone. I just feel not quite on top of everything at the moment, and I don't particularly like that feeling. With 1 week to go to nationals I should be a hell of a lot more confident but I can't seem to get out of 1st gear.

Last weekend was State titles - I couldn't compete on Saturday as I had my nieces wedding on. That was on in NSW and due to the long drive & daylight savings ended up being an extremely tiring day.But anyway on Sunday I won both events, shot & discus. The funny thing is I never train for shot yet I keep throwing PBs. My pet event is discus and this is the one that I am struggling with at the moment. It is really causing me grief. I have no trouble making the distance at training but I think I just keep talking myself out of it when it comes to the comp. I am not going to do any further discus training this week and see if that helps.

I am still training consistently with my running and have been doing a bit of extra sprint work. Will only do 1 more session on Tuesday with a bit of long jump and that will be it.
I won't even discuss my diet over the last 2 weeks or lack of it. I know this is obviously part of my problem as I have upped the training and am just not eating properly.
After next week I am going to have a bit of a rest. I just feel so tired after some sessions now.
I am happy with the level I'm at now and feel that I need to continue to maintain, but at the same time I also need to cut back on the number of training days.

We are driving to Sydney and head off about 2am on Thursday morning so it is not too late when we get there. I have 2 events on Friday, 2 Saturday rest day on Sunday and the Penthalon on Monday. That should finish early afternoon and we will head back home as soon as we have finished. That is my Easter weekend taken care of!!

championship day

I have just had a fantastic day. It was the Gold Coast masters athletics championships day. Have been at the track since 8 this morning and got home about 3pm. I am not sure why but because I love competing I entered 7 events. I ran 60m, 200m & 400m, long jump, javelin, discus & shot.
I was more than happy with all results with PBs in the 400, longjump & shot. I don't train specifically for these events so will put it down to the weight training that I have been doing. I am just feeling so much stronger.

I will be a bit scared to hop on the scales tomorrow as I had a 'bad food day' yesterday and as usual on competition days it is always pretty full on food wise. (lots of snakes) Never mind its Monday tomorrow and its back to normal.

I just feel so drained of energy now. A shower has helped but I don't think I will be long out of bed tonight.

Australian record

Fantastic weekend with competition in Brisbane yesterday. It was sooo hot but still managed to achieve some good results. Did the State weight penthalon. Discus, shot, javelin, hammer & heavy weight. I don't usually do hammer & weight as I don't particularly like them but needed the competition for my other events. I ended up winning with Pbs in the Jav & shot & a decent throw in the discus. After competing in the 5 events I also ran the 200. I was a little disappointed with my time as struggled a bit over the last 50 metres. That was all I was going in and found a spot in the shade to watch the rest of the competition.

My friend Karen was to run in a 4 x 800m relay and they were going for the Australian record for the 40 - 45 age group. One of the runners pulled out and they were left without a team and extremely disappointed. Anyway to cut a long story short I said I would run to make up the team which now consisted of a 39 yr old, 2 at 44 years of age and myself at 50. As we had one younger we had the run in the 35 - 39 age group.
We ran and I still can't believe this but broke the Australian record in the 35 -39 age group. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. That will be the only Australian record I will ever have against my name but hey we did it without even thinking about it.! That just topped off an awesome day and totally motivated me to continue training for that 800.

All on track

Just a quick update all on track with training/eating. Have run every morning this week and will go down to the track tomorrow morning for some intervals. Think I will do 200's.

The challenge has been put out to me to compete in the INBA Qld NAtural Physique Titles in Brisbane on the 4 Oct this year. I haven't quite made up my mind yet. My athletics season finishes in 4 weeks so that would give me 6 months from then. That is something I will decide on over the next few weeks. I love the idea of having a goal to work towards but I also know how hard everyone works to get up on that stage.

Renewed energy

Feeling better than I expected today after the quick but long drive to Sydney. I really can't take those long drives anymore. Just the one more to do at Easter when I head back to Sydney for the Australian Masters.

Trained this morning and pulled up OK. Ran 60, 100, 600 and did shot & javelin. I actually surprised myself and did well at everything so that gave me a bit of a boost.

I intend to bump up my training from now on in. I don't believe I have been actually pushing myself with my running so will see if that makes a difference.

So for the next 5 weeks it is all good as far as my food and training go.

Trip to Sydney

Driving to Sydney tomorrow for a funeral on Friday. Our very good friends mother passed away unexpectantly. Our friends had just flown overseas for a holiday so it was a bit of a shock.

Back in focus with my training and eating. I have even organised to take food for the trip instead of the usual fast food on the highway. Will be back on Saturday.

Now I must go and organise my packing as we are leaving very early.

Calm

Still feeling flat but there is a slight flicker at the end of the tunnel.I have decided I am not into empire building and just want to continue on doing the best that I can and still produce the results I want & the lifestyle that I want. Life is too short for continual confrontation.

Made myself get out and train this morning. At least that is one thing that will not let me down. I always feel better after training. Just did about 45 min running.
Looking forward to PT session this arvo which always pushes me to exaustion.

More decisions

I can't believe how life can change so much in such a short time.. I thought I had everything figured out but thats me being naive, I guess, & thinking people will change because they have said they would and I didn't factor in the actions of other people. I start to wonder if I will ever learn. Maybe I won't but I am totally over people who cannot see past 'whats in it for me' and 'after all I have done'.
This is all to do with my work situation. I still haven't figured out which direction I am going to take. I have let this once again affect everything and I am feeling not the best at the moment. I haven't trained since last Tuesday and my food has been crap.
I will figure this all out and maybe I have to choose my work partners more carefully. I will not stoop to their level so maybe the best thing to do is to go on by myself. Anyway that is what my thoughts are totally consumed by at the moment.

Raining again

Trained Sunday morning in the pouring rain. We were supposed to be having an interclub comp but was called off. Only a few of us diehards turned up. Ended up having a fairly good running session. I actually like running in the rain. Two of us were doing some slowish laps and we lost track of how many we had done (too much talking) and ended up doing about 10. I would never have done that many on my own so pretty pleased with that.

The photo is of me (right side) and 2 of my running pals Petrina & Karen.

Working week

This week has been mostly consumed by work. Not complaining though.

Trained every morning this week except for this morning. I wanted to do some discus this afternoon which I did. I spend about an hour throwing down at the local High school as they have a discus ring and I don't have to worry about anyone else. I have been just going out for 30 -45 min in the morning mostly running with a bit of sprint & jumps training thown in.
We are having some sprint comp just between our group in the morning so will be interested to see how that goes.

I thought I would take my measurements again as I haven't done them since end Sept when I finished the 12 week challenge. I was quite surprised that all were just about the same. My weight also only fluctuates around 2kgs over my end weight so all good there. Just got to keep working at maintaining.

State Penthalon

Extremely happy with my penthalon and the Gold Medal. I now hold the record for our club but it is the State record that is now my challenge. I have 4 more years in this age group to try and break it. I only PB'd in one event which surprisingly was the 200m and that was with no start training at all. I have not done any block training since doing my back in and now just do a standing start. I will post pictures soon.
My next major comp is the Qld Championships 8 March in Brisbane and then the Nationals in Sydney 21-24 March. That is the end of the athletics season. There is however the Oceania Championships in Townsville in July but I haven't decided if I will do that one yet. Oh almost forgot about the Pan Pacs in November. At least they are on the Gold Coast and at my home track so not too much of a problem and I always look at them as a bit of fun.
So this year is pretty much full on.

I was sooo tired when I got home yesterday. With the trip to Brisbane, and competing in the heat, it just really drains me of all energy. I was in bed by 7.30 last night. I trained today but just a few of 250 run throughs and then I did throwing. I was home by 10am but felt totally exausted again. Had a nap which helped.
It was a "wet weekend" here. Not rain wise, but they lifted the water restrictions for the weekend so gave my extremely dirty car a good wash.
That was my weekend and still have another free day tomorrow which I am looking forward to.

Long weekend coming up- quick update

Looking forward to the long weekend after having a very good week all round. Trained well all week and just had today off as I am competing tomorrow. I also had a massage yesterday, the first in well over a year. It definitely helped loosen things up and felt good afterwards, but there was also a slightly different feeling in some areas of my legs which I think may have occured due to the pressure and manipulation of my spine which affects the nerves. I am no doctor but I just know something is not 100% with all that.

I am home alone for a week as Rick & Corrin have gone to Merimbula to visit his mother. So it is just Toby & me.

Got all my food and drink organised for tomorrow. I was awake at 4am this morning so will be having an early night tonight.

I made it - the 800 that is!

So glad I chose to run the 800 today. At 3.29 it is not a fast time but I made it and that was all I was worried about. As usual I always hold back in the first lap because I worry that I may not finish the 2nd. Just got to get my head around it that I can do it. Anyway that is the first one for the season so its a good starting point. The pentathlon is on next Saturday so I have no choice I have to run it again. Actually looking forward to it. I was happy with 4 out of my 5 events today. I am just having so much trouble with my Jav at the moment. I think I really have to have a few training sessions otherwise I'm never going to know what my problem is.

It was actually raining at the start of comp today (nothing new ) so didn't even think about sun screen. The rain eased and it turned really steamy. I ended up quite burnt which is not too pleasant at the moment. Even though it is only a half day event I always come home exhausted, which I did today, so will train tomorrow morning but just a light session. May just concentrate more on my throws tomorrow.

I am definitely going to continue with my outdoor running. Last week I did Mon, Tues, Wed & Friday, with Thursday off. Towards the end of the week it is usually a bit of a struggle but I was glad I mad the effort to go again on Friday.

Refocused

I know it is only Tuesday but so far this week training and food have been spot on. I have decided to increase the amount of outdoor running to see if that improves my track times. Monday morning I jogged the beach on the hard sand- 30 minutes. PT session in the afternoon. This morning, 15 min warmup on treadmill incline, 30 min jog around streets. This afternoon another 30 min outdoor jog with a few small hills. I am feeling really good but I'm not going to push my luck to far and go overboard as I am competing this weekend. They limit you to 5 events so I have to choose either the 800 or the 200. I know I can run an OK 200 but it is the 800 that is the unknown quantity at this stage so I think I should go with that. Will wait and see how I feel on the day.

Work has also been busy with 2 new referrals yesterday and hopefully another in the pipeline.
Even went shopping at officeworks today (always a highlight!) for supplies to try and get my office a bit more organised. I want to get started on that now and then I am having an early night for a bit of light reading(magazine)

Getting better

Can't believe it is still raining and the forcast is not looking good for next week. My plans for many beach walks this week have not eventuated as it just doesn't seem the same when the sun isn't shining. Quite often I go to bed planning to go to the beach for a run the next morning but usually end up on the treadmill. Have been good (almost) with my food for this week but the weekends are always a bit of a letdown.
I have come to the conclusion that my body functions better without having too many rest days. I will have the odd day now when I don't do any training but to keep the flexibility in my legs, particularly my hammies, I really have to keep moving.

Corrin has been offered a place at Griffith Uni to do primary teaching so we are happy about that. Its the only thing she wanted to do (but I'm sure her big sister had some influence over her decision also being a teacher) Its a 4 year course and she wants to start this year.

Had a good week workwise. I am a mortgage broker and I really love what I do however dealing with the lenders can be extremely frustrating. I guess what it boils down to is that most of the process is out of my control and to make things happen for my customers you have to keep chasing. I can fully understand why customers have so many complaints. I sometimes can't get a right answer and I'm in the industry!! One thing I have learnt is patience.

I have just finished reading a book (2nd time) called A Pocketful of Gold by Kristabel Mary. I have heard Kristabel speak and she is an inspiration.It is her life story and how she dealt with ovarian cancer after being told she had no hope to live bar a miracle. It really makes you think about the power of the mind and what can be achieved when you actually believe that it will be.
She has definitely a few lessons to be learned from the power of helping others.

Have a great weekend.

Almost through the 2nd week for 2008 and I have finally got a chance to catch up. I was supposed to be competing tonight (athletics) but I was the one who dipped out on the car, so here I am sitting at the computer. Not to worry gives me 5 minutes to myself for a change and I was feeling really tired this afternoon. I'll just jump on the treadmill shortly and that always makes me feel better..strange!!

I am really glad to be over Christmas/New Year and all the trimmings that go with it. I was away for a week and didn't actually do any training at all and not to mention the food/drink bit. After arriving back from Sydney Friday night- after a bit of drama with the flight and a diversion to Brisbane because of the weather- I trained on Sunday morning and just felt so lethargic. Thankfully I had someone to train with or I'm sure I would have pulled out of the session. I got through it but it was soo hard. At least it gave me a wake up call that unless I get myself into gear I am not going to do too well at the end of March.

My next comp is Jan 19, so will test out my 800m at that one. I really need to get to that 3 minute mark or I am not going to be competitive. Thats my goal for the 800 this year.

Work has been busy. After the few problems at the end of last year I am still feeling good about where I am heading. I have decided to stay in my current situation, not ideal, but I feel that I can make it work. Having been trying to please too many people last year I now know that I wasted my energy which could have and should have been directed into my own business. Can't believe it is almost 12 months since I left a paying job, but even though it has been a struggle I do not regret my decision and will not give up on my dream.

I think I had better think about that run on the treadmill now or it is not going to happen!