Feel the rain on your skin...

"No one else can do it for you

Only you can let it in"

6am: Alarm ringing because this morning because I had to be at work at 9am. Got up, weighed myself - lost 500g, bringing me to 74.3kg (163.8 lbs). Considering I haven't stuck to things 100%, I'm reasonably happy to see the numbers still trending downward - that's what we want to see. Would I have liked to see 69.0kg staring back at me? You betcha, but I'm realistic too.

While I was all naked-like and everyone was still asleep, I took my Week 4 Mini-Milestone measurements to see how I was progressing. Then I got dressed in my running gear, all set to blitz the 1km time trial.

Except it was raining. What the? It wasn't raining when I woke up! So I did the other bits of my fitness test and stared out the window some more. Checked Facebook (as you do). Checked 12WBT forums etc. Looked out the window some more. Was it lighter? Just a drizzle now? 

7am: Thought to myself "bugger it" and got the iPhone Runkeeper app ready and went out the door anyway. 'Twas just a light drizzle by then, but I felt really hardcore, waving to the old lady who was out for her walk in the rain too. Two old hardcore ladies - where were the youngsters? The first song up on my fully-randomised-shuffle was "Unwritten" - and yes, I could really feel the rain on my skin!

I did a 5 minute warm-up walk to the oval, 10 minute "jog" (more like a "wog" - I find running on grass hard work) and then was fully psyched for my 1km time trial. I really wanted to break into the 6:00min/km pace (I did 7:13 at the start of 12WBT). My app told me I was doing an average pace of 6:34min/km about halfway through. Pretty chuffed. Pretty puffed. So as Salt'n'Pepa encouraged me to "Push It" I really pressed on and kept the pace up. 

8am: Home again. I checked the pace for my 1km on the app - 7:07min/km. I cried. I am pre-menstrual, so don't think too much of it.

I really thought I'd nailed under 7!!! But I have gotten faster, so I guess that's one thing. I'm ignoring all those people who run 5:03min/km....it's not that I actually hate them, it's just that I prefer to think they don't exist and that my running actually looks like sprinting.

But I also improved on everything else, except for those crappy sit-ups who I also hate:

8:30am: Most of my work clothes were in the ironing basket. Did I dare try on those Size 12 pants that did not do up a few months ago (which also made me cry - I'm just a sooky-la-la)? Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, so I wiggled them up my sweaty legs and attempted to do them up. They fit! Let's 'push it' and see if the Colorado medium top fits as well - yes! Well, I would still like the belly to be smaller, but I've made progress! Shower time and then work:

I'm pushing it! And writing my own story...

"Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten"

Playin' to Win!

"If you want me, come and get me, you won't have a chance if you don't move now, I'm not waiting any longer, You know that I'm playing to win this time"


Ahh, it's been another wet week. The rain has been ceaseless. I should have got on the exercise bike (now relegated to shed) or even got down to the gym to the dreadmill. But I didn't.

I've been super-tired this week. Which comes first - being tired and therefore not getting up to run, or not running and therefore lacking energy??



Motivation is a funny thing! We haven't had winter, but we've had rain.

So anyway - I got back out there yesterday - only a week between workouts! At this rate it'll take a bit longer to finish Ease into 5K!!! If it stays reasonably dry this week, I should finish this week!

Mmm...snipping tool not working....so I ran Week 7 Day 3 - 5 min walk, 27 minutes running, 5 min walk. Total distance 4.42km, run pace 8.01min/km.  I'm happy with that! Felt pretty good too after a week of not running - legs felt good!

I foam rolled and stretched afterward - I've been a bit slack in that regard. And then spent the day mowing lawns, vacuuming, painting - all the fun stuff! I reckon I must have burned about a billion calories! Let's see that translates on Wednesday LOL.

"When you make your move, I won't hesitate, If you take too long, It could be too late, This time I'm playing to win"

The 1984 Little River Band version....

...or the updated 2011 John Farnham version

Viva la Vida!

"It was the wicked and wild wind, blew down the doors to let me in, shattered windows and the sounds of drums, people couldn't believe what I'd become."

I thought the title of this post was going to have to be "Slacker", because it has not stopped raining since Tuesday and I've used this as an excuse not to go out. Hence, no running, no playlist, no inspiration.

And funnily, as my exercise habits went southward, so have my dietary ones! I know for myself, if I exercise, then I am less inclined to put crap in my body. But if I'm being slack, then who cares - pass the chips!

I finally got to go the podiatrist on Thursday - my feet do pronate, but my shoes (Asics Gel Kayanos) and my off-the-shelf orthothotics (Scholl Orthoheel Sports Orthothotics) are doing the trick. I'm wearing the right shoe for my foot type (yay me!), although both the shoes (nearly two years old) and orthotics are due for replacement soon (shopping, anyone??).

So, this morning, after a few wines last night, the rain had eased a little. I had a cup of tea and contemplated getting out there. The dog seemed keen. After about 9:30am, I felt OK, so I thought "bugger it", got the running clothes on, poo bags ready and me and Max went for our run. In the rain (well, sprinkles).

I'm up to Week 7, Day 2 of Ease into 5K - I was a bit worried about running for 26 minutes after my break of nearly a week. But my legs felt good (twinges of plantar faciitis returning in my left foot - have to get onto that) and I felt really good. The dog felt good once he'd relieved himself (he's like clockwork - poos and wees in virtually exactly the same spot every time). I'm such a responsible dog owner, I always pick up after him :-)

So, still not fast, by any stretch of the imagination - in fact, at one point I looked down at the dog and he looked like he was just walking fast, rather than running. But I got out there and I'm taking it easy and trying to stay uninjured.

This afternoon, I have to go shopping (again - I spend my life at Coles), so the fridge looks nice and healthy again like this:

The choc snacks are for the kids...

The rain is forecast to stay with us for another few days at least. Parts of NSW are under water, so I am grateful at least we are being spared flooding and that we replaced our leaking roof last year.

"For some reason I can't explain, once you go there was never, never an honest word, and that was when I ruled the world"

Sunshine on a rainy day...

"...makes my soul, makes my soul, drip, drip, drip away..."


I sooooo did not want to get up early this morning! Cool, cloudy, to bed too late last night...

But I did! I had to go to a meeting for work and so for the 3rd day in a row (yup, I'm hard core) I got up in the 6's!!!!

And did Week 4, Day 2 of Ease into 5K. Loved it - much cooler, enjoying finding my rhythm on the (slightly) longer runs (6 minutes). That's what I'm talkin' about, baby!

And after yesterday's disappointing weigh-in, guess how much I weighed this morning! Go on, what do you think, huh?  60.5kg! OK, so I might have a problem with my scales!

And I resisted temptation tonight (and my husband not helping) and did not have any wine! Go me! I find this the toughest part of the day - 5:30pm-ish, cooking dinner, and usually a glass of wine. But I had diet-tonic and light-cranberry and felt good about myself instead!

Loving watching Excess Baggage! And it was bizzare when Christine Anu came on shuffle on my iPod this morning! She is one year younger than me and back in the day, looked pretty hot:

And now...not so much:

She is 82.3kg (only a few above me) and together Christine and I are gonna kick butt!!

Summer Rain!

"running with you in the summer rain"


I'm aware Belinda Carlisle actually sung "dancing". But I ran. In the rain! For the first time ever (well, there was a little sprinkle this one time...but this was really truly rain).

It started off just sprinkling, but got quite heavy there for a while. I loved it! Still warm (21C). But the rain mixed in with the sweat and cooled me off.

Max came too and I had to stop every now and then for him to shake himself off.

Maybe because it wasn't so hot, maybe because I wanted to get through the rain, I had my fastest run pace!

Wet and soggy, but happy!

"Doesn't matter what I do now, doesn't matter what I say, somewhere in my heart I'll be always, running with you in the summer rain"