Two more sleeps

Selamat pagi. That means good morning in Malay. And i guess i will be saying that for the next two weeks because on Thursday, i am blowing this town baby and getting on a plane!
Things i will be packing:
dresses
bathers
sunscreen
runners
mm hmmm, i am taking the show on the road. I think running on sand will be harder than running on the nice firm concrete but considering i have zero plans for the holiday aside from sleeping, eating, laughing, being massaged etc i think i will manage. Just to give you a little view of what i will be looking at when i next go running.....





yep. nice.

Apples, trees and falling.

As a little girl, i was always a witness to my parents attitude towards exercise. My mum was always active-i do believe she was once a competitive body builder! And my sisters and i would often traipse along to the gym to watch her aerobics or step Reebok class (hey it was the 80's.) Jane Fonda was my first exposure to fitness videos and i could sing one of the workout songs for you word for word if asked ("there's so much more to you than meets the eye, there's so much more, i knew you're gonna try...there's so much more....livin' livin' livin' livin'...." as i said, it was the 1980's.)
And my dad? He didn't get into the Lycra as far as i can remember, but what i do remember is greeting him at the finish line of his marathons. He used to train by running from our house into the city to get to work. That's around 20 kms. One way.

So last night i had dinner with my dad and he tells me he has started running again. He wants to take part in the Melbourne Marathon this year. So I'm thinking....if a 60 year old man can run 42kms in one go.....surely....surely his 28 year old daughter could at least attempt the 21km version.

i know, i know, i know, i should focus on the big 5km I'm aiming for in March. But now i have half an eye on October too. I'm a procrastinator and I'm totally lazy but another aspect of my personality is that i am really stubborn..and persistent. As my father used to say i have "a one track mind." I wonder if that track is 21 km long?

Round one: finito

Guess what? yup, I've finished Week One!

This fills me with both a sense of accomplishment and a slight tingle of dread regarding what the coming week has for me. I did a little tester this morning to see what 90 seconds of running feels like compared to just 60 seconds....60 seconds was easier.
In happier news, i ran/walked 3.2km in the 25 minutes today. That is progress people (and probably has something to do with the extra hour sleep in i had beforehand. oops.)

I use an online tool you can find here to measure the distance i am covering. Somewhere down the line, i'm going to map out a 5km track and just walk the remainder until, oh my goodness, i can run the whole thing.

I'm feeling a little strange about my Dr visit yesterday and the acknowledgment that yes, my uterus is unusual ("most like a pear, yours like a love heart" said in a thick russian accent) and that yes, this is going to be a problem when i fall pregnant. (it's like falling into a ditch)
i spent last night reading about adoption and waiting lists and financial security...all of which sounds daunting. Maybe i could just become a cat lady?

Things i don't like doing but do anyway because i know they are good for me.

My second run was slightly harder than the first. i think it's because i decided to do it at 7am due to this heat wave. I was dragging my feet and was just not that into it. BUT, the main thing is, i still did it and felt better for it afterwards. And walked an additional 4kms (yes, in the heat) because i was feeling energised and motivated (and i thought the car would be too hot.)
I covered exactly 3kms in the 25 minute program which is awesome news for me as i can see that 5km run twinkling at me from seven weeks away. Especially considering the first 5 minutes is pure walking (or stumbling as i'd only rolled out of bed 2 minutes beforehand.)
In other news, i rode my bike 5km today. I'm usually scared of roads but i now have a very glamorous helmet which, when put over wet hair, creates a very alluring hairstyle. So today i rode on the big roads and felt quite safe. AND i rode to the doctor which is another tick off my to do list. AND i got a referral to a specialist regarding my heart shaped uterus which i've been trying to psych myself into for..hmm....seven years. i am an excellent procrastinator.

Konichiwa Bitches.

Hi y'all.

Well it's a sunny 20 degrees right now and let me tell you, it's only going to get hotter. This hot weather is not conducive to my little running regime, that's for sure. It's more conducive to drinking Pims in the sunshine with my beloved. And possibly sunbaking in the park, rather than running around it.

I've been considering a new playlist for the next set of sessions. I think if i somehow create a playlist of one and a half minute and two minute songs, i won't have to keep looking at my watch. Sort of like musical chairs to tell me when to swap running for walking and vice versa.
What i really need are some upbeat songs with a quick baseline and empowering lyrics. So far i am thinking Beyonce, Robyn, Show Me The Money by Petey Pablo and maybe the theme song out of Rocky just for fun. Any suggestions?

A walk in the park.

My first run went off without a hitch.
One down, 23 to go.

Things i have learned so far:

Extra hair ties are a must. I'm sure that once my hair tie broke, people wondered what the crazy lady with the blonde frizz was running away from.
Ipod. Desperately need a distraction from my inner dialogue of "wow, cute dress, what is that dog doing? Because it's my first time, surely i don't have to do the whole thing...opps..forgot to look at my watch again...are those people looking at me? Maybe i know them...should i stop to say hi?" etc etc.
I've also learnt that i go really, really red when i exercise. Which leads me to believe that i have not exercised since 1984.
Oh and one more thing, your legs don't hurt the day after you run. they hurt the day after the day after. Usually when you've have 4 hours sleep and have to walk to work in 35 degree heat.

Overall though i am slightly impressed with myself. i know it's only 8 minutes of actual running, but the main thing is, i wanted to give up and be gentle with myself but i didn't. I gave myself a Toughen Up Princess Pep Talk at around the 18 minute mark and it was smooth sailing from there.

Tomorrow I'm going back for round two. I'm kind of excited. Another thing i have learned about myself? I think i actually like running. Shhh...don't tell my inner sloth-her and the meerkats are bound to gang up on me....

Finding a method in the madness.

For the next eight weeks i will be following a running program found here

I thought it would be a good idea as i definitely need some structure while still a novice. But it truly seems manageable at this stage. For the first week, it is only actually 8 minutes of running diced up into one minute, bite sized pieces. Luckily there is lots of walking in between (I am good at walking.)

And guess what? i realised last night the meerkat connection....i used to watch Meerkat Manor on tv while working out at the gym! The mind works in mysterious ways....

If it's not one thing, it's your mother.

Last night i had a really weird dream.

I was at Werribee open range zoo with an old boyfriend and I was speaking to my brother in law on the phone. He told me he'd been looking at photos of me and that i "could no longer deny" that i had a fat arse. Of course i woke up at this point and ran into the kitchen to tell Mr husband that his brother was being a jerk in my dream.
"No one speaks that way about my lady" he quipped, as he checked out my backside.
All day though, i have been wondering what this dream meant...why was i at a zoo when this message was delivered? why was my ex boyfriend sitting next to me? why was my brother in law being such a prat?

Then it came to me.

I'd been watching twin peaks the night before and let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, David Lynch does not a good bed partner make. But i I think my dream was trying to tell me something. I think it was subtly implying that my arse, is indeed, in some need, for speed. I think featured exboyfriend was present to remind me of a time when i was slightly more bootylicious. The meerkats however, are anyones guess.

So here i am. On a quest for fitness. On a journey of courage and hopefully strength. My goal is to break 5kms in 30 minutes, by my wedding anniversary which is March First. That's just less than eight weeks before i can say stuff like "mmm, i know, i never used to be a runner either but now, well, it's almost like a life philosophy isn't it? Shall we stretch?"

Wish me luck!!!