What comes next - Part 1

Well 2012 was about STRENGTH.

I have been reflecting on what this word represented for me throughout the year. It was a very challenging year both personally and professionally. Injury, weight gain and anxiety added to the mix as well.

I came up with a goal for each letter in the word 'strength' that I was aiming to achieve to buy the letter for my pandora - so here's the run down.

S - (this one was a freebie)

T - Triathlon
Completed a six week training course for the Women's Triathlon in February and entered the event in the short course. My aim was under an hour and I completed the course in under 50 minutes.

R - Run 10km
This was a hard run. I'd originally planned on doing the bridges 10km but had a calf injury after the freeway bike hike. I did the Challenge fun run which was the morning after I arrived back from a school trip to Melbourne and I had a really bad cold. I completed the run in 79 minutes. The next official 10km event was in Margaret River where I came in at 70 minutes.

E - Endurance 70km cycle
The Freeway Bike hike is not an interesting ride, especially when doing it by yourself. I came in under 3 hours and was glad I made it and thankful for Perth crew friends at the end!

N - Never give up
Initially this was just about 12WBT and successfully completely at least one round. I think it is quite appropriate for how I have approached set backs throughout the year.

G - Goal weight
I didn't reach my goal weight this year but I have achieved all the fitness goals I set for myself which I think is amazing! I am now 2 weeks away from running my first marathon which is something I didn't think possible 12 months ago.

T - Tunnel run
HBF Run for a Reason was my first fun run in 2011 and for 2012 I decided to do the 14km run which includes running through the tunnel. Nat and I finished in 1:50.

H - Half marathon
Well I signed up for the city to surf half marathon training course through The Running Centre with Petina and neither of us ended up running the c2s! I did run the Perth Half Marathon though.

2013 is going to be fantastic. I have a few things in mind that will be revealed over the next week. But to leave you with a teaser...2013 is going to be...

Exceptional.

P.S. I ran 28km this morning. Just saying.

P.P.S To view a selection of photos from the year that was head to https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A85oqs3qcRoX7 

New York, New York

Well, I've been told off twice this morning for not updating my blog so I'd better get to it! At the moment, I'm on a train to Boston (first class, with free wifi and breakfast included) where we are going to spend the day. I've already eaten two meals worth of food in one sitting using the reasoning that I have a 28km run tomorrow (this is possibly why I only lost 200g this week lol!).

So, what has the last week or so included?

We said farewell to Chicago on Sunday afternoon. I got to explore a lot more of the city that last time as we had a few days there before the conference started. We got the news that my sister Emma had given birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth Grace on Friday 21 December and then spent an hour or so fiddling with FaceTime on Christmas Day trying to speak to everyone while our internet connection kept freezing!

We have discovered the joy of sharing photo streams - I started one of my photos for this trip and then Dad created one for Christmas and of Ellie.

Our first few days in Manhattan were spent strolling around the city. We have visited the Time Warner Mall at Columbus Circle, watched the New York String Orchestra (made up of players 15-22 years old) at Carnegie Hall, enjoyed High Tea at the Plaza Hotel, Saw the musical production of Elf, enjoyed Christmas lunch at the Russian Tea Rooms (where we were sitting next to a couple from Sydney who are both in the entertainment business. She is an agent or something like it with her own business and he is a dance teacher who worked in Bollywood for 10 years!), we visited the Christmas markets in Central Park and Bryant Park, the Asics store on 42nd st, Niketown and M and M's World.

As far as training goes, I had the most successful run I've had for a long time on Christmas morning. As Karin knows, I've been very cautious when it comes to hills because of my glutes. In each of our long runs I've walked up the slope to each bridge 'just in case'. Well, Central Park is full of hills. One section of my run (I think the 6-8km mark) was ALL hills! I made the decision to run and not stop running. So on Christmas morning, in sub zero conditions (although thankfully with sun) I ran non-stop for 18km. I did stop to fill up one of my water bottles at the 15km mark but that was it.

Tomorrow I have my 28km run which will be three laps of Central Park which means those hills three times! I know that it will be hard but I'm looking forward to the challenge. It will be interesting to see how different it is running in Vegas, San Diego and then Orlando with the warmer weather. One thing I never have to worry about here is my drink getting warm! It just gets colder and colder throughout the run!

As far as my weight loss has gone throughout this trip, and the current round of 12WBT here is a summary:

Starting weight: 87.6kg; BMI 33
Current weight: 84.8kg; BMI 31.9

My next weight related goal is to get below 80kg which will take my total weight loss to 20kg and my BMI to under 30 which is out of the obese range. Considering at the moment I am really just relying on the amount of running I am doing to drop the weight (don't always have the best options and am letting myself enjoy the holiday as well) I think this is really achievable by my birthday in March.

Coming up next - my word for 2013 and some new goals to work towards!

A younger me?

So I've been to the USA three times and have had very different experiences each time.

Visit 1: 2006 age 25
Visit 2: 2009 age 28
Visit 3: 2012 age 31

Apparently I've been losing years because I've been asked for ID nearly every day! I should take it as a compliment really but the only thing that's changed over the years (apart from hairstyles) is my weight.

Photos at the bottom are from each visit in order...

So what else has been happening? Well I was a wuss this morning and didn't want to run in the rain so I went and did my tempo run on the running track in the gym. I had to adjust the targets on my garmin from pace to heart rate, and was glad I know my approximate HR for different pace. It was a good session and I was really glad that there was a foam roller in the gym! What was even better was that my glutes and hips weren't too tight.

Another big win today was that I could weigh myself. Now it wasn't the usual 'wake up wee Wednesday' (for starters it was Thursday!) because I had my training gear on (no shoes). Since last Wednesday I've lost 600g which is awesome. The extra walking certainly helps!

Last day of the conference for me tomorrow - I got to hear a tuba concerto today which was an unexpected surprise. Tomorrow I've got a mix of clinics and concerts to go to which should be good.

Hope all my Perth friends are enjoying the hot weather!

The Windy City

Well thankfully Chicago didn't live up to its nickname on my run this morning because the wind combined with the cold would have done me in!

So far we have shopped along the magnificent mile, found a little jazz restaurant and did the 'Stopher Walking Tour' of Chicago (which basically means mum researched where we'd walked yesterday and then realised what we hadn't seen!).

Recommendations: eat at Bandera's. this was upstairs above a bank and we just happened across it. It was a really nice meal with a good atmosphere. They have live jazz on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Getting up to run this morning was a little weird as it was my first run over 12km without Karin. It was also still dark when my alarm went off at 6:30am! I discovered that bagels are an awesome pre-run meal (finally an excuse to eat bagels!) and that layers are no help at all in the cold!

Thanks to my 800 down Lululemon pullover my arms and torso were toasty warm once I got going. My ears were protected nicely by my head band but even with two layers (full length compressions and non-fleecy track pants) my legs were like frozen blocks of ice for most of the run! Anyone who says its only cold if you are standing still is lying! So see those who say the cold makes you go faster - it doesn't. It was a beautiful run despite the cold, and I'm glad I got out and did it. Running an extra 10km on Saturday will be interesting but the sun is supposed to be out!

The conference starts tomorrow which means no more sleep ins until New York next week! Looking forward to catching up with some friends from Uni who will be at the conference as they are studying in the US.

Waiting for news of my baby niece or nephew which should come any day now!

And we're off!

Well, 1 flight down and 2 to go!

A very early start this morning after only a few hours sleep meant I slept for most of the flight to Sydney. Now we're in the Qantas Lounge in Sydney having some lunch before our looooooong flight to Dallas this afternoon.

Highlight of the trip so far - the automatic pancake machine in Qantas Club Perth! What a great way to start the day. Now I'm relaxing with a glass of wine (so thankful to be off the antibiotics) and contemplating what to choose for lunch.

Looking forward to getting to Chicago and kinda looking forward to running in cooler weather - I just hope the 'windy city' doesn't live up to its name! Lots of posts coming in the next few weeks so I hope you enjoy!

Photos are:
1. Being being the 'embarrassing child' wearing my panda hat in QC Perth
2. Pancakes. Enough said.
3. Lunch in QC Sydney

Lesson 2

Considering I'm heading to Disney World for a marathon I think this is a pretty good quote! The next lesson I've learned is about the people who will come alongside you when you have a dream.

Lesson No. 2: Surround yourself with people who have your back. Remove yourself from those who don't.

I have an amazing group of friends, some closer than others but within the Perth Crew especially there are some phenomenal women who I'm so grateful to have had in my life over the past six months.

Natalie Campbell - my running partner since November 2011.
Nat and I have run a number of events together this year and while we always start together, the only event we finished together was the City to surf (which was spent on a golf cart!). When Petina got injured and had to pull out of the half marathon training course, Natalie just started doing my long runs with me!

Petina Weggelaar - my city to surf training partner
Petina and I signed up for the Half Marathon Training course run by The Running Centre and were so nervous before our first session! Our last long run together during the course (before I went to Greece and Petina got injured) was 10km which we managed to do while keeping up a nice conversation.

Karin Smith - there are no words...
Karin has been an AMAZING support for me, both in managing anxiety and just being there for my long runs. She will run at my pace and keep talking at me so that I keep running. I know that I will be able to re-run conversations in my head during my training sessions in the USA.

There are a number of other women who are just amazing but I can't mention them all in fear of forgetting someone!

But what about those who threaten to burst your bubble???

 

Source: sunshineandpearls.tumblr.com via Olivia on Pinterest

I believe that it is important to listen to the experts (such as my physio and coach at The Running Centre) but the people who are just negative about goals or dreams are not good people to spend time with. They drain your energy, motivation and willpower.

And finally,

Source: meggielynne.tumblr.com via Kristen on Pinterest

35 days and counting...

Disney World here I come!

In 35 days I'm going to be running my first marathon at Disney World in Florida. The past few months have proved to be very challenging with injury, illness and just 'stuff'. Along the way I have learnt a few important lessons that I wanted to share with you all over the next week.

Lesson 1: The voice in your head that says you can't do this is a lying slut.
In October I travelled to Melbourne for the Marathon weekend. I was originally supposed to be doing the half-marathon in preparation for the full marathon in January. However, for those who have read my blog before you will know that I was injured at the Perth City 2 Surf and so I was sidelined for awhile. The process coming back to running was much slower than I would have liked but I had amazing people supporting me along the way.

My amazing friend Karin was running her first marathon in Melbourne (you can read her story here) and she was struggling with anxiety in the week before so I put together a selection of pictures I found online for her. One that really resonated with both of us is this one:

The inner dialogue that goes on in my head when I'm running is ridiculous! In Melbourne, I was running the 5.7km event and even though I ran a PB I knew I could have gone faster. I was scared. Scared of injuring myself more than I had been or just completely failing. Logically, I knew I was in good condition to run, but the voice in my head doesn't deal in logic.

Anyway, the past two weeks have dealt me another blow to my training: an infection coming off a cold (which itself had me sleeping for 3 1/2 days) which had me being sent for chest x-rays and on antibiotics. Let's just say that the 18km run last weekend (before the visit to the doctor) wasn't pretty or much fun.

Yesterday was a big turning point for me. A 20km run in less time than the 18km took last weekend and a much better run than the Perth Half Marathon back in August. It was one of those great runs....for the first 10km. After that it got a little bit interesting, in part because of the voice and in part because I've been on antibiotics so was getting dehydrated - but at least this week I didn't have a coughing fit every time I had a drink!

So, I leave for the USA in 6 days. In those 6 days I have 3 training sessions (Wednesday being a 23km run), Graduation evening at school, my dad's final Speech night at his school followed by a retirement function, doctors appointments and my school Christmas lunch. So it's going to be a busy week to say the least!

My plan while I'm away is to blog my training sessions and 12WBT challenges - I won't have access to scales for 5 weeks so there are no weigh ins (just my trusty measuring tape) and I will be navigating my way through eating out for nearly every meal. I think the past year doing 12WBT has prepared me for this challenge and I'm looking forward to sharing it with all of you!

Zucchini Fritters...posted from the road

So Nat and I are sitting at Settlers Roadhouse on our way to Margaret River and we saw the cyclists on the Ride for Elliot.

As I've had requests since posting a picture at lunchtime, here is the recipe for my zucchini fritters.

Ingredients
100 g zucchini, grated
30 g grated cheese
30 g ham, sliced into thin strips
1 egg, lightly whisked

Directions
Mix together the ingredients and using egg rings on a fry pan coated with cooking spray, divide into four fritters.

Cook for 2-3 minutes per side on medium heat until golden brown.

Each fritter is approximately 52 calories.

A great big can of whoop-ass

That's right - I'm back! This week has been great in parts and frustrating in others BUT I have been reminded so many times that life is a gift and I want to celebrate that. I decided today (while running on the treadmill in spite of DOMS from my 80 pushups, squats and medicine ball sit ups yesterday) that I am going to OWN this round - I am opening up a great big can of whoop-ass so watch out!!!

This post is coming from my phone as I am drinking my coffee while cooking up pesto chicken for tomorrows lunch. I just put a challenge out to the NOR Perth crew girls to tell the group what they have done to set themselves up for success this week. For me, that includes being organised tonight so I can get up and train tomorrow morning before I start work at 7:30am.

So - here's the plan:
Organisation - make lunch and breakfast the night before so that I can get up at 5am to train.

Training - running intervals, butt exercises, two weights sessions

Planking challenge - starting at 30 seconds on my toes tonight, I'm going to try and add to that each day this week - even if it is only 1-2 seconds longer.

BALANCE - I need to leave work at work and not overload myself! I have my business to worry about at home and if it means I stay a little longer at work in order to not bring anything home then that is what I'll do.

This week is mini milestone week for all the 12WBTers and I don't know what I'll be doing yet - but I challenge you all to join in my planking challenge for the week and let me know how you go!

Life Happens...

Okay, so it has taken me a week to work up to this post. Mainly because I didn't know what to say about the funny little turn my life took last weekend.

Sunday morning was the Perth City to Surf and Nat and I had signed up for the Half Marathon. I had done the 10 week training course with The Running Centre and come through it fine, really enjoyed the course and didn't get injured. I ran in the Perth Half Marathon during this training time, and while it was a crappy run (I still haven't looked at my Garmin data for that run because I'm sure the last 6km have me getting slower and slower!) and I got rained on for 10km, I FINISHED. That was the goal that day.

Well, last weekend Nat and I had decided to finish the race together. We train together but when it comes to a fun run we generally run our own race and end up splitting up at some point. Well we did finish the race - but under some very amusing (and painful) circumstances.

As we approached the start line everything seemed to be fine but as soon as we started running I knew something was off...and then the pain came. My right glute and hip had an almost stabbing pain going through it and I had to stop running. At first I thought that I would be fine and I could walk it off, so we walked up the first hill (which was annoying because we had run it twice in one of our training sessions and didn't have any trouble getting to the top) and headed into Kings Park. I stopped to stretch a few times, tried running a bit but before we reached the 2km mark I wasn't even walking properly and I knew I had to stop. Nat, being the awesome friend that she is, made sure I wasn't just letting the head games get to me but this was the first run that I started that I knew my body wasn't able to finish.

This is where it gets funny. We found an ambo crew and had a chat with them and they decided the best thing would be to get to a physio. Because I couldn't walk (and we had stuff at the finish line in the bag drop) we got a lift in the 4WD following the last marathon runner with the ambulance and medic buggy. When I say marathon runner, I mean a fairly young guy who was walking most of the time. I felt a bit bad for him because every so often he would turn around and look at the three vehicles following him. We picked up another couple of passengers (one who looked devastated and another who complained the whole way how slow it was) and off we went.

Nat and I spent the trip in the 4WD playing words with friends (as you do) and every so often the driver would ask if anyone wanted to change vehicles into the bus that was following (I was in the front and it took so much effort to get into the car that I didn't want to try and get out) and finally when we got to Railway Parade we got told that another vehicle was coming to take us to the finish line, because they could get us there faster. It was a golf buggy. With no restraints on the backseat where Nat and I sat...so we just started laughing! It was a very funny trip from there to City Beach and we got to cheer and wave at a Perth Crew girl when we saw the shirt going up the last hill. Getting to the finish line, we were dropped off just before the line, so I ended up getting an email saying I could purchase the video of my finish...which was me hobbling across the line! I don't think I'll be spending $10 on that!

So what's next for me? In January I am running the Disney World Marathon which is having its 20th anniversary which is awesome. Starting at EPCOT, I will be running through all four theme parks - Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Once I'm able to run (well, first I'll take walking without limping!) then I'll be back to training with my partner in crime, Nat in preparation for these events. Check out the course map below for the Disney marathon :)

Half Marathon Training - week 1

Well this week I started my training course with The Running Centre for the City to Surf half marathon. It is a 10 week course, of which I will miss 2 weeks because I'm travelling to Italy and Greece but my plan is just to run there!

After our first session - at Hyde Park

The program:

Day 1: Monday 5:30pm Hyde Park
This session was a threshold session. After our 1.5km warm up, stretching and running drills we had to do 3 x 1.5km at threshold pace which for me is about a 6:00 pace at the moment. I didn't have my HRM or a GPS watch with me though so I had to go completely on FEEL which was good (and I succeeded!) In between each run was 2 1/2 minutes rest. Apart from the nerves going into this training, I really enjoyed it.

Day 2: Tuesday - Bikram yoga
I am adding in two sessions of bikram each week to help with my flexibility and recovery. I was SUPPOSED to get up and do my weights session in the morning but it just didn't happen. I have sleep apnea and haven't been using a CPAP for the last month because mine broke and then the loan machine broke! I have one now though, got it on Thursday :) So, Natalie and I headed to Bikram which was great - hot (duh!) but my glutes felt AMAZING afterwards - they are my main problem area.

Day 3: Wednesday - easy 40 min run
I'll be honest. I didn't do it. It was cold, wet and once I turned off my alarm at 5am I didn't even have my normal 'will I/won't I' routine before I actually got out of bed - I just fell straight back asleep!

Day 4: Thursday - double whammy day!
Normally I would do PT on Thursday mornings but I was not at work on Thursday due to my poor sleeping and my body was going to give up so I slept in and then headed into the city for a session with Karin before getting my CPAP replaced. We ran through Kings Park and then did 3 laps of Mount St. The second session for the day (after my nice nanna nap in the afternoon) was again at Hyde Park but this time it was speed! We did 6 x 400m sprints basically with 150m slow jog rest in between! Well, in 45 minutes I burnt 483 calories! It was a hard session but I was so glad I got through it!

Day 5: REST!
Normally I will go to Bikram on a Friday morning, but having a night of sleep with a CPAP meant I wanted to get as much as I could squeeze in!

After our long run - at The Running Centre

Day 6: LONG RUN - 8km
This week's long run was 8km through Kings Park (including a really long nasty hill at the end!) that Petina and I just took nice and easy. My average HR was only 147 (and only peaked at 162 which is what my race pace HR is!) so I know I could have run faster but that wasn't the aim, it was just to clock up the kms...which we did (although we did contemplate skipping straight to coffee!)

What is up next week? Basically the same again, but a step up. I'm looking forward to the next nine weeks of running and I am seriously hoping that I lose some serious weight with it!

A year on...and a lifetime ahead

A little over a year ago I started my 12WBT journey. I didn't know the girls in the Perth Crew, I was afraid to go to events by myself because I didn't want to put myself out there. I ran in a few short fun runs (less than 5km) and just tinkered away at my weight loss.

I look at my life now and it is so full. I have an amazing group of friends within the Perth Crew who this weekend have really shown how amazingly supportive and caring they are when someone is struggling. I am so thankful for the way people have stood up for me and are willing to go into battle for me. The past few days have been so hard, but I have been surrounded by people who I can count on.

Friday morning I met up with Karin and Petina for an early morning workout. Karin and I did three laps of Jacob's ladder while waiting for Petina to run over from work and then we headed out for a run through Kings Park. 5km later we were back at Mount St for a couple of rounds up the nasty hill. It was a great workout and sitting having breakfast (and coffee of course) with Karin was great. It isn't often I get to do morning workouts with the girls but I had an appointment near the city so rather than sit in peak hour traffic I decided to make the most of my time.

Saturday I spent most of my day wallowing in self-pity. Now I had cause, and resting my body was probably a good idea. I did have a long list of things to do, of which I achieved nothing! I did manage to get myself down to the North of the River Perth Crew Workout in Mawson's Park which was great! It was so good to see so many newbies coming to workout and putting themselves out there. I remember how hard that was and I'm glad that we have such a supportive group for people to come along to.

So, today I went to Craig Harper's 'Life is not a Seminar' Seminar, which was fantastic! For me, it was reaffirming a few things that I have been thinking about as well as giving me a bit of a kick up the butt to get on with it! What better timing as well, seeing as tomorrow is the first day of my half marathon training with The Running Centre. Four running sessions a week that are NON-NEGOTIABLE. I have put my money into investing in my training for this event, in preparation for my bigger goal of my marathon through DisneyWorld in January.

So, what is going to keep me going? Well, a little late I have put together my Inspiration board and here it is!

There is so much more that I could say right now, but I am going to give it a few days to settle. To my girls (you know who you are) thank you so much for your support, love and craziness! I love you all xxoo

Round 2 Pre Season Tasks

GET REAL: EXCUSES

I really didn't want to look at my excuses. Why? Because I know they are a load of crap. I know what I need to do to get the results I want. I have been CHOOSING not to live in a way that honours the body I have. Below is a screenshot of my excuses, I have no injuries, no real reasons why I can't get out of bed and exercise in the morning. It is usually because I just can't be bothered. Well, that stops here.

Every decision I make is either going to take me closer to or further from my goal.

I need to make this count. I know I am running a marathon in January - I have booked and paid for it. I know I am running a half marathon in August, I have signed up for a 10 week training course for it. Now I need to honour these decisions by taking care of my body and doing what I need to do to best support these goals. I need to put in the weight training, the yoga for flexibility and the swimming for recovery that I was doing when I was at my peak. I know I need to eat food that is going to fuel my body to support the training I do and replenish me afterwards. There is no point in doing what I have always done and expecting different results...that is just not going to happen!

GOAL SETTING

I worked backwards for this task. I knew that I had the half marathon and full marathon already booked in...so here's the plan.

GEAR UP

I bought myself some new Michelle Bridges training gear (note to users - wash the red tops before doing Bikram yoga on a white towel! Noala borrowed mine and the towel went a lovely shade of pink!); I have a new Soleus GPS watch for my running so I can track my pace and do some threshold training and I have my awesome Thermomix...which I got in March but I absolutely love and will be using it to cook up heaps of new dishes this round!

SAY IT OUT LOUD

My commitment is to stay the course. I will commit to taking each day as it comes, be consistent in my approach and not beat myself up if I make a bad decision - own it and move on.

KITCHEN MAKEOVER

I live with my parents and so there are certain things in the house that I don't eat (especially during a round). Last August I gave up Diet Coke completely but it is still in the house because other people drink it (mainly my sisters when they come over). What I have come to learn is that I have the power to choose and I will continue to make the choices that will serve me well.

ORGANISE AND DIARISE

I'm excited about this round. This is what my round is going to look like:

Monday morning: Swim 1km (aim to get down to 30 mins)
Monday afternoon: The Running Centre Half Marathon Training (TRCHMT)

Tuesday morning: Lean and Fit weights session - gym
Tuesday evening: Bikram Yoga

Wednesday morning: Swim 1km
Wednesday afternoons: TRCHMT

Thursday morning: Lean and Fit weights session - gym
Thursday afternoon: TRCHMT

Friday morning: Bikram Yoga
Friday afternoon: rest or Perth Crew workout

Saturday morning: Long run - TRCHMT

Sunday: Walk along the coast

RED FLAGS: I am going to Italy and Greece for 2 weeks over the July school holidays. I leave on Friday 6 July and don't come back until Sunday 23 July. I am so excited to be traveling and doing some work for my business at the same time. I know it is going to be a challenge, but I am going to train hard (in the European summer!) and enjoy the food in MODERATION! This is going to be an amazing experience but I value myself too much to let go completely for two weeks - I will have a plan and I will be sticking to it!

FITNESS TEST AND MEASURE UP

Well, I'm currently sitting in the Qantas Club in Sydney, so these will be done tonight (measure up and parts of fitness test) and tomorrow (time trial). I am looking forward to what my time trial is now!


Thanks for taking the time to read this post - I am so excited about where I am headed this year and I'm so glad I have so many awesome people to share this journey with.

Getting perspective

Yesterday morning I got up and hopped on the scales, normal for a Wednesday morning. Like usual for the past 6 weeks the scales have not changed. Rather than get really upset that I'd worked hard and hadn't lost anything I decided to go and take my measurements. In week 8 I was in Melbourne so I hadn't done my measurements or weigh in. Here's what I found out...












In the 6 weeks I had lost no weight, I had lost 18cm off my body! I knew I'd lost size because I was wearing smaller clothes, but to see the numbers there was really encouraging. I got myself organised and went off to cycle around the Swan River with some amazing Perth Crew girls (and Brent!).

The past two weeks I have made the time to train with my girlfriends from the Perth Crew, even if it is a walk around the river (often a great time of therapy!) just to connect with like-minded people who know me and know my journey. They know where I struggle and they know where I want to go and what I want to achieve...even better, they encourage me to go for it!

I had two really great and different things happen last weekend. The first was my one-on-one session with Emma aka Emazon, which really gave me some perspective on some of my relationships and how I trip myself up and don't resolve issues when it gets tough...and the other was getting a lactate threshold test at the Running Centre. The latter was a present from some of the Perth Crew girls for my birthday and it was a fantastic experience and has really informed my training and racing now. It was great to see what my limits are for training and how to improve based on how my body responds to what I am asking it to do. It was also good to know that I had identified one of the levels (just below my threshold) as my race pace - I knew by my heart rate that I could keep that pace for quite a long time.

So, where to from here? Round 1 is nearly over and I'm still umming and ahhing about signing up for Round 2. I do know that I am learning more and more about training and nutrition and about doing what is best for my body. For me, that means shaking up my nutrition and taking things back to how I was eating for my training schedule in January when I was training for my triathlon. I lost more weight in one month than I have done in a complete round of 12WBT and I was eating a lot more...partly because of the amount I was training. I love to train, and I go hard in my sessions. I have learnt that I will burn out and get sick if I don't support my body with the nutrition it needs.

Coming up I have Step up for MS this Sunday, Relay for Life the following weekend, the Mothers Day Classic and then Round 1 Finale in Melbourne. Not long after that I head to Central Coast for Emazon Stand Your Ground 3 - Road trip weekend! It's going to be a busy term at school, but I am blessed to have the opportunities I do outside of work to keep me sane! Also coming up this year I have the HBF Run for a Reason (14km) and the Perth Half Marathon...and I'm planning on doing Run Disney in Florida January 2013 so I've got some training to do!

Over the next couple of months I am going to be tracking my nutrition, measurements and body composition quite closely and making the adjustments I need. I will also be cooking up a storm and posting new recipes, hopefully each week! I know I still have a long way to go on my journey but I am so excited about what I have achieved and the fun I've had doing it!

In case you are new to my story...check out some of my photos below so you can see where I've come...

L-R: Before (March 2011); Bridesmaid for Bernie (Oct 2011); NYE 2011; Triathlon (Feb 2012); School (March 2012); Birthday dinner (March 2012); First 10km race (April 2012)