Flags

This morning was potentially a red flag day.

And what is a red flag day you might ask?

These are days where you know you are going to be challenged nutrition wise. This morning our work area had organised a Biggest Morning Tea event so there were going to be lots of baked goodies. Ok normally this isn’t an issue for me because I can’t eat most baked items but some people had very graciously baked gluten free items and then informed me of this. That’s right, they were putting the guilts on me because they had spent time and effort baking food with ingredients they don’t normally use so that I could eat them.

There were brownies and Florentines on offer – omg, lots of delicious gooey chocolatey goodness. I love Florentines. And brownies aren’t so bad either. And you should’ve seen the range of other baked goodies set out on the table for morning tea – cup cakes, mini cheesecakes, sausage rolls, croissants, cookies, cake, etc. Actually come to think of it, there were no macarons. Obviously either cup cakes are easier to make than macarons, or macarons are not in favour in our branch.

However, I am happy to report that there was no waving the white flag and surrendering to these calorie-laden, artery clogging, oh so chocolatey, delicious looking delights. In fact, I wasn’t even tempted. As I said, if it’s not on my program I aint eating it. I’ll donate money (which I did given it was a fundraising venture) but I didn’t have any brownies or Florentines. Not a crumb. I have to say, letting people know that I’m following the program has made it easier for me to stick to it because I have made the commitment out loud. Everyone knows about it, not just me. I can’t sneak in non-Mish-approved snacks because people know what I’m doing.

Instead I had my natural yoghurt with mixed berries, which is one of my favourite snacks. Chobani natural yoghurt is delicious. I love a thick, dollopy yoghurt and this yoghurt ticks all of the boxes for thickness and dollopiness. However, I don’t like their fruit flavours – these are much too sweet and the yoghurt is not as thick so I prefer to have the no fat natural yoghurt and add my own fruit or flavourings. At least then I know what’s in it and I’m not adding more sugar than I need.

And there was no flagging at the gym this morning either, even though I’m really only doing half a workout.

There was the warm up on the treadmill before doing assisted chin ups. I thought I had selected the correct weight but when I got up and grabbed the handles I damn near killed myself. Waaaay too heavy. Get off, add some more weight (the more weight added, the easier it becomes – the reverse of most machines), get back up and damn, still too heavy. I know it’s been a while since I’ve used this machine but surely I haven’t lost that much strength. And I’m not that heavy. Really. So get off, add more weight…and then I looked more closely at which weight I had selected. No wonder I was struggling – I had gone a lot lighter than I thought which meant I was pulling up more of my own body weight – I really must wear my glasses! Once that was sorted I managed to complete the exercise.

There were more exercises but no dramas. Then another 5 mins on the treadmill followed by 5 min on the arm crank thingo. I’m so not rapt in this cardio machine – it is boring, boring, boring. But I have very few cardio options at the moment so I have to suck it up and use it. BUT only 5mins at a time – I cannot do more than this without screaming from sheer boredom.

The push up challenge continues. 200 down, 100 to go

Playing the weighting game

Today it was the weekly weigh in. I wasn’t expecting great things given that my exercise last week lasted all of two days before I injured my hammy. However I had stuck to the nutrition plan like super glue – there were no little sneaky snacks.

So it was that this morning the scales said it all: a 100g gain! Ok so no big drama – 100g is just a blip on the scales but jeez, given my puritanical restraint on the food front (in fact I should be up for sainthood, thats how good I’ve been) I would’ve hoped for a little more encouragement ie a liitle more downwards movement in the number. It goes to show that while 80% of weight loss may down to what you put in your mouth, there is still a place for exercise in the equation. Yep, that bloody 20%! And my cardio component is sadly lacking currently.

But…I’m trying very, very hard not to get frustrated.

I had my physio appointment yesterday. Some very slight improvement in extension without pain. To my repertoire of exercises I can now add bridging. Woohoo! More ultrasound therapy applied and then re-taping of the hammy. I have a bright pink racing strip down the back of my leg Next appointment is in a week’s time. Cardio can include gentle walking on the flat and swimming with pull buoy.

Post-physio appointment ie last night and today, my hammy has been giving me grief

And so I was back in the pool this morning, during peak hour. There were at least 5 swimmers in my line but we managed to co-habit the lane without any lane rage. I do think I swam better today even though I am experiencing some DOMS. There was no sooky la-la behaviour, just a JFDI attitude.

And when I got home it was “get down and do 25 push ups stat!”

Well, actually it was one set of 15, have a little rest and then do another 10! And do 3 sets of 12 reps of 2 ab exercises, and 3 sets of 30 secs of the plank exercise.

Loved my dinner tonight: spiced lamb meatballs with tabouli (made with quinoa). And I have it for lunch tomorrow as well.

And managed 25 push-ups with no rest tonight. Only 150 to go.

Tonight’s dinner

Weighing up my options

Week #2, day #2.

That must mean its weights day in the gym. I’m feeling the effects of yesterday’s 50 push ups and the swim-with-pull-buoy session and now I’m going to add to it with an upper body weights session. I have this vision of morphing into the Incredible Hulk in the upper body with puny legs!

Discovered, when I got to the gym, that I was wearing the heart rate monitor strap for the wrong watch. Fail! I found myself automatically heading to the cross trainer for my warm up before stopping myself. Uh huh, no can do. So it was a 5 min gentle walk on the treadmill followed by 5 min on the upper body ergometer aka the arm crank machine. This is a very deceptive machine. It looks easy. You stand and pedal with your arms, end of story. Resistance can be varied. I thought the treadmill was boring – this machine tops that. Five minutes on this machine feels like an eternity and its hard work. Yes, I admit, I turned the resistance down…and down…and down. Five minutes is my limit – both in endurance and boredom tolerance level.

Much as I wanted to use the leg press, or do squats and lunges I stayed well away from this part of the gym. Instead what followed was a circuit of lat pulldown, cable rows, chest press, shoulder press, barbell curls and tricep dips. And another 25 pushups – in public this time. It didn’t help my technique any but I was conscious of not face planting, as my arms were feeling very jelly-like by now. (another 25 push ups done after work). Only 200 push ups to go!

It will be interesting to see whether I can even move my upper body tomorrow, let alone swim!

Me and my buoy

Well, it’s week 2 of the 12WBT. Let’s hope this week passes without any major dramas. I think injuring my hamstring on day #2 will be hard to beat though.

This injury means that I have to had to totally rethink my exercise. I can’t follow the cardio program and at the moment I can’t even follow the entire weights program. It also means that given I won’t be expending as many calories as I would like, I have to be super vigilant with my nutrition plan. I am quite chuffed to report that so far, so good. Okay, okay, it is only day #1 of week #2 but I’m celebrating all achievements however little.

My cardio this week will include swimming…with a pull buoy to prevent kicking. I’m also thinking of giving that strange contraption in the gym, the upper body ergometer, a whirl. I’ve always wondered what’s the point of this machine, and well now I get it! It’s a good cardio workout for those with lower body injuries or disabilities. My weights regime will focus on upper body weights. And the weekly challenge for this week is…wait for it…300 push ups. Yup, 300 push ups…on.my.toes. We can do this challenge however we want – 300 in one hit (yeah dream on), or spread out over the week. I’m opting for 50 push ups a day – 25 morning and night. And I will just put it out there now – I suck at push ups. But given my focus on upper body strength and cardio at the moment, I’m hoping this will change!

It really pays not to think too much about going to the pool early in the morning when it’s minus 2 degrees outside as this can really do my head in. I mean, what sane person does this? Well me, for one. It’s been a few months since I’ve been swimming so any gains I’d made from swim training last year for the half ironman have dwindled away. And just to add to the challenge, I would be doing the entire session with a pull buoy – yes, that’s right, my old nemesis! There was many a swim session last year when I cursed this swimming aid. Yes, it does assist with body position in the water but it does rely on upper body strength and balance, and it was the latter that I struggled with last year.

Upper body strength is sadly lacking if this morning’s session was anything to go by. The first 50m was a breeze – I was cruising along thinking that the kilometre session I had planned for this morning was going to be a breeze. But then for the next couple of 50m efforts my arms started to feel like lead weights that just didn’t want to turn over. The bonus was my heart rate was pretty high at this point – that has to count for something. And that was my warm up done – 4 x 50m. Now for the 8 x 100m main session. Things weren’t looking quite so rosy to start with and 800m was looking way too hard. However at about the 300m mark I sternly reprimanded myself: stop being a wussy sook and harden up. I have 8 x 100m to do so just bloody do it, no complaining. And the rest of the session did improve after that. And surprisingly I had no issues with the pull buoy.

The push up challenge started when I got home – I opted for 1 x 13 reps, 1 x 12 reps. I have to say that at this point I have a lot of work to do – those push ups were pitiful. I finished with ab exercises – double leg raises, crunches and plank. I had to change a couple of the exercises to those I could do. Reverse crunches and scissor kicks just aren’t possible at the moment, and even the double leg raises were proving a challenge.

And the remaining 25 push-ups for the day were completed when I got home from work tonight. 50 down, 250 to go

A tale of two posts

Amazing how things can change in a day, in fact in less than 12 hours. So what follows are “before” and “after” posts.

Post 1: Getting my s*** together

6.05am: weights session + abs
Time: 54.28min
AHR: 104; MHR: 221 (HRM is playing up)
Cals: 132

I didn’t need an alarm clock this morning. Around 4am I stretched out my left leg and…*wham*…cramp attack! Holy crap, that’s a horrible way to be woken. It is the most painful thing – the intense cramping pain that just seems to go on and on and on.

However I didn’t get up at that hour – even I draw the line there. That is just way too early. Instead after a fortifying coffee brought in by Mr CJ before he headed off to work, I eventually got up around 5.35am. Plenty of time, she says. The gym doesn’t open until 6am, she says. Except I couldn’t find my weight gloves. No worries, cycle gloves will do. Membership card? I know it’s around here somewhere as I rummage through my gym bag. HRM? I only wore it yesterday so it must be here…or in the bathroom…or spare room…or??!! Shower stuff? I am having a shower at the gym after my session. @#$%^! Why didn’t I pack last night?

Mad dash to the car, throw bags in, start the engine, switch on the wipers. S…c…r…a…p…e. S…c…r…a…p…e. @#$%^! I need to scrape off the ice. Dash back indoors for a jug of warm water to pour over windscreen.

In the gym car park. I’m only a few minutes late. Halfway across the car park to the front doors and I realise I am missing my gym bag. It’s still in the car. Backtrack to collect it.

It’s been around 6 months since I’ve set foot in the gym. But it may as well have been 6 years. I had no routine however I did have my workout session plan. I spotted a few familiar faces. What really surprised me was how quiet it was.

Machines had been moved around so I spent some time searching for both the leg extension and hamstring curl machines. I am starting on the lightest weights as I really do want to be able to move tomorrow. On some machines this was okay – the lat pulldown and chest press weights could probably be increased next time but I had to keep checking the weight on the shoulder press machine. Damn, I was convinced it was heavier than…10kg! Actually even the leg extension and hamstring curl machine weights felt a lot heavier than what they actually were – and they were on the lightest setting. Oh well, can’t go setting the benchmark too high too early!

Nearing the end of the workout my tummy rumbles were becoming rather audible. I was starving! I needed input! However there was still the 5 min final blast, ab exercises and shower before I could even think about having breakfast.

Then before leaving for work I had to pack my running bag for the SG session at Dickson oval. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, it’s a double whammy today – weights in the morning and running after work. Thursday will be the same. Awesome.

Food-wise I have no complaints except I can’t randomly pick at food when bored, tired, stressed, while preparing meals, whenever. This is one of my worst habits and the hardest to break. However so far, so good. Breakfast this morning was Bircher muesli and it was both delicious and filling. Bonus! Lunch was chicken noodle soup, very fitting for this chilly weather.

And I really love the 12WBT app on my phone – it includes a food diary, plus it has my weekly program (food and exercise) if I need to refer to it eg when at the gym trying to figure out how exactly I’m supposed to do a certain exercise without looking a complete dunce.

The take home message for me today? Pack my gear the night before!

Post 2: I cried

5.31pm: SG session at Dickson oval
Distance: 5.2km
Pace: 6.42min/km
Cals: 306

I went to the SG session at Dickson oval after work. It had been a chilly day and certainly hadn’t got any warmer as the day wore on. So it was on with layers, tights and gloves for tonight’s session. I was feeling hungry and tired as my last meal was lunchtime. Work conspired against me to ensure I never got around to having afternoon tea (which I might add is highly unusual for me). I had a nagging headache that just wouldn’t go away.

After a warm up we did 2 x 10min continuous 100m intervals, with half of us up one end and the other half of the group down the other end, with each runner handing over a baton after running the 100m.

It was the final 100m. And then it happened. About 10m before the end of the run I felt that horrible popping sensation at the very top of my L hamstring, similar to what I felt 2 years ago when I tore my R hamstring. #%^*+! I couldn’t run after that as it hurt to put weight on that leg.
It hurts when I sit.
It hurts when I bend over.
It just plain hurts.
And driving home I cried. Tears of frustration because its like, here we go again.
If I’d had a block of chocolate in the house I would’ve devoured it. Not that it would’ve helped nor would it have made me feel better.

Operation Marshmallow to Muscle

5.50am: cardio session + abs
Session: 10 x 1 min hard efforts (1 min easy spin) bike intervals on wind trainer; 1min mountain climbers & squat thrusts with medicine balls; abs – 3 exercises x 3 sets; stretches
Time: 53.26min
AHR: 133; MHR: 221
Cals: 304

Operation Marshmallow to Muscle is officially underway. The soft squishy middle needs to go, or at least morph into something less soft and squishy. Muscles hopefully will be revealed.

So it’s goodbye…temporarily…to chocolate, magnum icecreams, sponge cake with jam and cream, and all the other tasty delights I have been…ahem…indulging in lately. Hey, it was Mother’s Day after all! But for the next 12 weeks, unless it’s on my nutrition plan it’s not part of my food consumption.

For the past few months I have enjoyed the luxury of not having to get up really early in the morning to exercise but instead I have been running at lunchtime or after work. Well, things are about to change…well not about to, they have! This morning I was up on my bike on the windtrainer at 5.50am doing a session of 40mins which included 10 x 1 min hard intervals. It’s been a while since I’ve been on my bike so yesterday afternoon I had to dust off the cobwebs and brush out the leaves that were caught up in the spokes. Mr CJ sprayed the bike with insect repellent so I didn’t experience any nasty creepy crawly surprises this morning.

Last night I prepared today’s lunch and cooked a couple of chicken breasts in preparation for tonight’s meal (chicken noodle soup). I diarised my exercise commitments for the week and then I breathed deeply. I can do this! I have a secret weapon for night times which are my downfall when it comes to snacking and when I tend to hover around the pantry and fridge. This secret weapon will be revealed all in good time.

This morning I weighed myself (gulp), took measurements (bigger gulp) and a ‘before’ photo (omigawd). However, these stats and the photo will remain private – a girl has to retain some mystery.

So the bike intervals were done – hot and sweaty work and 10 intervals seemed to take forever. This was followed by 1 minute of mountain climbers and then 1 minute of squat thrusts with the medicine ball. Can I just put it out there now that I hate mountain climbers with a passion. In fact, they are up there with burpees as things I don’t love at all. Anyway I started the mountain climbers at speed (stupid, stupid, stupid) and promptly died about 30 seconds in. How could it possibly be that only 30 secs have gone by? I did some more at a slightly slower pace. Still 20 secs to go. @#$%! Another one…or…two…or…three…done.quite.slowly…because I could hardly move at this stage! Ok, now let’s do some squat thrusts. Awesome! With a heavy medicine ball. Double awesome! Squat…now…what?! Stand up raising the heavy (did I mention this?) ball above my head. Do this for a minute. I cannot believe how out of practice and out of shape I am. Running certainly does not prepare one for this. Trust me on that.

Okay, now I can lie down. Thank goodness. Yes, yes, I know…it’s not rest time, its abs time. Three sets of three different abs exercises. I watch the video for each ab exercise intently and then try to mimic the action. Somehow I don’t think my efforts quite replicate Mish’s graceful actions but hey, it’s close (ok I look like a dying bug), and you know what, right now close enough is good enough.

Finally it’s time for stretches. Now this bit I like and I can feel the stretches doing me good. I confess I don’t do these stretches often enough so I will religiously do them as part of my program *cross my heart*. When the program says ’stretch’ I will stretch.

This afternoon I hit a brick wall figuratively speaking – yep, the dreaded mid-afternoon slump. I was almost face planting the keyboard. I’m blaming it on the early morning cardio session. I resorted to a caffeine kick (black coffee) as well as some afternoon tea (a designated, Mish-approved snack). Hopefully this is only a temporary state and I will soon get used to the early morning exercise sessions.

One day down; 83 days to go…

This morning’s breakfast – apple & ricotta toast

Happy Mothers Day!

8.34am: Mothers Day Classic, Lake Burley Griffin
Distance: 10km
Time: 50.58min
Pace: 5.02min/km
Cals: 350
Place: 265 (3rd in 50-59 age group)
Weather: 6.2*c, wind – calm; foggy, followed by blue skies

As we were driving to LBG this morning in thick fog I wondered why on earth I was doing this. After all, this was Mothers Day. You know, the day you get to sleep in and have breakfast in bed or get taken out for breakfast. And this is what I’ve done in previous years. So what on earth possessed me to enter the 10km event and voluntarily get up early to participate?

The reasons aren’t important now – the fact is I did get up and did run the event and did enjoy the morning. The fog never really disappeared entirely for the run but other than that, it was perfect running conditions. The only thing I would do differently is where I place myself at the start. We started in the middle to back of the pack and that was a huuuuuge mistake. Crossing the bridge was hilarious – I felt like I was out for a Sunday stroll as I couldn’t go any faster than a very slow jog. So for the second lap I tried to make up some ground on my time.

Following the run we had to race home so I could have a shower so we could collect sons #1 and #2 for brunch at a local cafe. Gotta love boy talk – the conversation was all footy, weights training and protein shakes! Still it was great to catch up with them. Home again after grocery shopping and sitting at the front door was a huge box of beautiful pink roses, from son #3. This was a complete surprise as I’ve never had flowers before from the boys. Wow, they can still surprise me!

So, chocolates, brunch and roses – what more could I ask for. It was a lovely Mothers Day, as I hope it was for my mum, my sister and great niece, and all the mothers out there.

And tomorrow…it’s the start of 12WBT. Bring it on!

The promise of coffee for the caffeinista sistas!

7.49am: Gindy parkrun
Distance: 6km (inc 1km warm up)
Time: 31.49min
Pace: 5.15min/km
Cals: 350

Parkrun results:
49th across the line, 1st in age group
Time: 25.39min (this included stopping to tie up shoe laces)

Weather: 6*c, wind – calm; a chilly start but a gorgeous sunny morning

It seemed really strange driving to the start of parkrun this morning as I usually run down and then run home afterwards. But not today. Why? Well there is the Mothers Day Classic 10km tomorrow so I’m saving myself(!), and Gary was shouting the caffeinista sistas aka CJ and Ruth, a coffee for doing the marathon last month. Just quietly – that was the real reason I showed up for parkrun today!Thank you Gary!

It was a chilly start this morning but we soon warmed up on the 5km run – those tricky little hills just pop up when you least expect them! That first one up to the bridge can be particularly nasty – very short and sharp. Deek’s female Indigenous squad were marshalling today as they are running tomorrow. They are training to run New York marathon later this year, as we are!

Then it was off to Birrigai Cafe for a coffee that Gary promised us for running the Canberra marathon. Trust me it was a well earned coffee! And as a special treat, Ruth also had a choccie biscuit and I had a Jaffa slice – very delicious and totally negated any calories I may have earned today from the run! Oh well, the countdown is on – only 2 more sleeps and the challenge is on (deep breath CJ).

This afternoon I baked my first ever sponge so wasn’t sure how this would turn out. I used a recipe from the Cooks Companion – my Stephanie Alexander cooking bible. I remember my nana used to make a sponge using a recipe that didn’t have the usual plain or SR flour but instead used cornflour. This is what this recipe had – cornflour, custard powder, cream of tartar, carb soda, caster sugar and eggs. It baked perfectly and, apart from a tricky situation where it stuck to the wire rack while cooling, there were no dramas. It has now been sliced horizontally and sandwiched with strawberry jam and cream.

Tomorrow its Mothers Day. So why am I getting up early to run 10km? I’m still wondering that myself!

Conquering Hospital Hill

12.33pm: lunchtime run out past Black Mountain peninsula, including Hospital Hill and Black Mountain peninsula hill
Distance: 10.2km
Time: 58.02min
Pace: 5.40min/km
Cals: 601
Weather: 19.4*c, wind – NW, 7kph; a gorgeously warm and sunny day with barely any breeze

Today I thought it was time to conquer Hospital Hill rather than go my usual way, around towards the museum. I have to be careful with running hills because it can aggravate my hip but today I felt inspired to do some hills – not sure why but I figured it couldn’t hurt. As long as I am conservative but consistent with including hills in my runs I hope to eventually regain my hill running ability, which I have to confess is sorely lacking at the moment. In fact, I can quite honestly say at this point in time, ie now, I suck at hills.

Anyways it was such a beautiful sunny day, quite warm even, with a glass off on the lake as there was very little breeze. It was stunningly gorgeous.

Trundling up Hospital Hill was a bit of an effort, as was Black Mountain peninsula. The downhills on the other hand were great!

Again I was starving all afternoon but I didn’t succumb to crap today. Though I did stand in front of the charity chocolate box in the work kitchen for what seemed like forever contemplating the range on offer. But instead I had an apple.

Well, I have printed off my nutrition plan for next week. On offer is apple & ricotta toast, Bircher muesli, beef stroganoff with pasta & beans, ginger salmon stirfry and chicken noodle soup, among others. But no chips or chocolate. And I’ve had a peek at my exercise plan. Best not to scare myself too much. Omg I think I’m going to experience DOMS next week!

And the best news of today and possibly the week is that…*drum roll*…Keren has got in to NY marathon. She’s coming to New York! Woot!

Legs like lead

12.03pm: slow run along cycle path through Turner and Lyneham
Distance: 8.9km
Time: 50.36min
Pace: 5.41min/km
Cals: 518
Weather: 19.1*c, wind – NNW, 9kph; sunny day, blue skies

I definitely did not have legs of steel today, it was more like legs of lead. After last night’s 800m efforts at Dickson oval my legs were complaining about moving any faster than walking pace today. Well, initially anyway. However, I gradually settled into a reasonably comfortable pace and just enjoyed being out in the fresh air. It was a gorgeous sunny autumn day in the nation’s capital. It’s a shame that I spend most of it indoors.

Today’s run took in a loop that started on Barry Drive, headed along the cycle path through Turner, crossing Macarthur Avenue, going past the ponds that were constructed from an existing stormwater drain, then along Wattle St, then turning off just before Lyneham shops (stopping for a coffee a Tilley’s was a tempting thought!), heading along Brigalow St, then back along the cycle path past Brindabella Christian College and Lyneham High ovals, past the ponds again, across Macarthur Ave, past Turner Primary, through Haigh Park, and back to work.

And since the run I have been hungry…despite having lunch…and afternoon tea…

And yes, I succumbed and had a packet of chips.

Good morning!