A+ report card

This afternoon I had my physio appointment.

Had there been any improvement?

More importantly, would I be allowed to run?

What would my report card say?

Flashback to 5 weeks ago: doing 100m intervals. On the last one for the night I overdid it and felt that telltale crunch or pop, followed by an immediate stop mid-pace. Diagnosis: torn hamstring up at the attachment. How bad we didn’t know, without an MRI. The decision was made to treat it conservatively and see how it goes. The first week it was so sore – couldn’t walk far, couldn’t stand for long, even sitting was painful, given where the tear was.

I have been a model student, doing my prescribed exercises. And slowly, ever so slowly, I could do more. Now? Now I can do weighted lunges, squats, and hamstring curls. I can walk briskly (a surprise to many, including me!), use a recumbent bike and cross trainer. I’ve also followed my 12WBT program, working around the exercises I could do and substituting for those I couldn’t. No excuses.

And now? Now I can introduce short intervals of running during my walks, whether on the treadmill or outside. Woo hoo! Progress! I’m to use discomfort as a guide as to whether to continue, slow down or stop. Common sense really. I can also get on a conventional bike. And incorporate step ups in my program.

I also have some neural stretches to do to prevent scarring around the sciatic nerve, as the hammie heals.

I have a glowing report card – I’m an A+ student who applies herself diligently.

So, tomorrow it’s my cardio day. I’m off to the gym in the morning for a combination of the bike, cross trainer and treadmill and now I can include some…running! Glory be! Hallelujah! Woo hoo! And one helluva happy dance!

Halfway there

Week 6 – we’re halfway through the 12 WBT program. It’s going so quickly.

This week was off to a flying start with a brisk 5km walk at 5.30 this morning. The reason for the early start was that I was meeting friends for breakfast in town at 7.30am.

So it was on with the many layers to keep warm and then out the door – with my polar HRM on to record calories burnt and heart rate, the Garmin GPS in my pocket to record the number of kilometres covered, my phone in the other pocket because that counts steps, and my ipod shuffle for music! Nothing like technology to record all sorts of details! Love my gadgets.

After my walk I still had 50 push ups and 4 mins worth of planking to do (this week’s challenge involves doing 40mins worth of the plank over the week) before I could have a shower and get ready for work.

Breakfast was great. I love catching up with friends Ruth and Liz, and this morning we met for breakfast at 2Before10 café. I had poached eggs on gluten free toast with pickled cherry tomatoes, rocket and pesto and it was delicious. Several cups of coffee later, and having caught up with all the news, it was off to work. The lifts have been playing up (there is only 2 in our building) so it meant I had to use the stairs – no excuses. Since my hamstring injury I have been avoiding the stairs but I think now it’s time to return to using them again. It doesn’t seem to bother the hammie and it beats having to wait for what seems forever for the single lift to show up.

Last week’s challenge involved getting to be early every night. How did I find it? I actually felt so much better for getting to bed early during the week so I am trying to continue with that. On weekends I tend to stay up later but that’s because I get to sleep in on Sundays. Anyway I’ll see how I go.

Santas, speedos and shuffling?!

I love my rest days! The chance to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, pore over the Sunday papers (especially the pull outs), and just have a relaxing, do nothing day. Truth be told it doesn’t always go to plan but today was one of those days.

And after the wet, and cold weather we’ve had lately, the weather this weekend has been great. Cold, crisp sunny days with blue skies. Would be great for running…if I was running.

Which brings me to Santas and speedos and shuffling!

Not three words that would normally go together. I was reading the local paper yesterday when i came across an ad for an event which being held on Sunday 28 July to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Association of the ACT. It’s called the 6500 Santa Speedo Shuffle


The 6500 refers to the distance (in metres) from Glebe Park to the Kingston Hotel. The event starts at 11am. Registration is FREE, but all Santa’s (with the help of a Reindeer or Elf) must raise a minimum of $550 before the day. Santa’s must strip down to their budgie smugglers and run (in the Rudolf Pack) or jog/walk (in the Blitzen Pack) the 6500m from Glebe Park to Kingston. Given the temperatures in Canberra in July, this must surely qualify participants superhero status.

More information can be found here. Are you game?! It’s for a good cause.

Super Saturday

It’s been a super Saturday in more ways than one today. Yes, the SSS happened this morning, with more intensity than usual because I was having my good friend Ruth around for lunch and I needed to burn a few more calories than normal. Mind you, there was also a lot of running around cleaning, dusting etc once I got home from the gym to make the place more presentable!

Now don’t be alarmed! I haven’t fallen off the wagon. No siree, lucky Ruth was being treated to a 12WBT-themed lunch to prove that you can entertain while on the program.

The menu:
Entree: Salmon and grilled vegetable terrine with ricotta

Main: minestrone with lentils & zucchini with toasted seeded wholegrain roll

Dessert: mini chocolate fudge cakes with icecream

To drink: water flavoured with lemon juice and at the end of the meal, a cappuccino (courtesy of my Nespresso machine)

It was a lovely afternoon

And a quick shout out for this morning’s breakfast, French toast with banana, berries & maple syrup. It was soooo good and especially appreciated after my SSS this morning.

Finally, there was a stunning sky this evening.

Truly a super Saturday

The week that was: review of week 3

I can’t believe that it’s been almost 3 weeks since I started this round of 12WBT. It used to be said that to form a habit takes 21 days. However there seems to be a shift in thinking lately that it takes anywhere between 26 – 66 days depending on the habit you’re either trying to make or break.

However I have noticed that I’m not picking at food between meals, I’m trying to differentiate between head and stomach hunger (ie kicking the emotional eating habit) and most of the time I’m satisfied with less on my plate. It does help that the weekly menus offer up tasty options and for someone who loves variety, this program offers plenty of variety.

Not that I’m anywhere near perfect, no way, not by a long shot. Ask me again in 66 days!

This was how week 3 panned out for me:

Monday – froze on my early morning walk. Note to self: wear more warm clothes! Dealt with a social event with amazing restraint. Diet coke anyone?!

Tuesday – apparently I’m an elite athlete according to a health check I had today! On the serious front, my cholesterol ratio is improving. This has been a long time coming. Had my weekly physio appointment and there has been some teensy improvement – I have been given the go ahead to use a recumbent bike at the gym!

Wednesday – lost 300g! Discovered that lentils and I have an uncomfortable relationship. Underwhelmed with dhal.

Thursday – weights session and 5 mins on the recumbent bike! Amazing how little things like this can make my day! Busy planning next weeks menu and exercise program.

Friday – a hungry day. The grumbling gremlins made their presence felt in the afternoon. Drove me crazy. But I didn’t attack the charity chocolate box (just thought about!)

Saturday – my version of a SSS – swim, pool walking, bike, treadmill and weights. The grumbling gremlins hung around again today. Deployed my secret weapon. I also made and ate an awesome chicken, roasted eggplant and capsicum roll with ricotta & baby spinach for lunch. Did the final 50 push-ups for a total of 300 for the week (two weeks now).

Sunday – rest day. Loved the smoked salmon cases with salad for lunch. Very fancy schmancy!

Week 4 – bring it on!

Those fancy schmancy smoked salmon & tomato cases with salad

Just smile

It was definitely wishful thinking on my part to hope that the hamstring injury was just a bad dream and that everything would be fine this morning. Last night put paid to that misguided theory. I had a terrible night. I didn’t realise an injury could be so bloody painful. It hurt to move, to lie down, sit, walk, bend over, stand up….

And it’s been the same today. Unfortunately I couldn’t get in to see a physio today. Tomorrow morning is the earliest I could get and with a physio I’ve not seen before. I was on the standby list today in case someone cancelled but no such luck.

So today was spent alternating between feeling sorry for myself and trying to be positive. Day 3 of 12WBT and I can’t exercise! Great start! Makes me wonder what else I might achieve over the 12 weeks. But then in my inbox popped up a post from zenhabits that put everything in perspective. There are worse things than a hammy tear. I particularly like the following:

“What do you have to smile about in this moment?

Some ideas:

You have someone in your life who cares about you.
There is beauty all around you, in many forms.
You are generous, compassionate, and good-hearted.
You have someone you can help.
You have eaten today.
You can move.
You can see the sun shining.
You can appreciate the leaves of a tree, rain falling, wind blowing.
You can taste chocolate.
You get to spend time with someone you love.
You have music in your life.
You get to create something.”

So tomorrow I hope to get a plan for dealing with my injury and an idea of what exercise I can and can’t do. So I might not be able to run in the short term but there are other things I can do. And as I’m not exercising at the moment I have to be ultra diligent with my food. As Michelle says, weight loss is 20% exercise and 80% diet, or words to that effect.

It was also weigh in day. I’m 300g lighter

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!

Post-marathon recovery

It’s been 8 days since I ran the marathon – 7 days of which I did no running at all. I did manage three walks last week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I had planned on running yesterday but some niggly back pain put paid to that. I felt it was safer to wait another day before going for my first post-marathon run.

So that was why I was out running 10km at 6am this morning in light misty rain. It was a good run – there were no problems to report and my back remained grumble-free which was a relief. So I guess this means I am now back in training for the half marathon next month.

So what else has been happening in the past week? And how was my recovery following the marathon?

Monday – A day off. I was feeling a little tired and had some minor muscle soreness but otherwise I was feeling okay. I thought I might be experiencing DOMS by now but figured that Tuesday was when it would hit me.

Tuesday – still no DOMS, and in fact the muscle soreness that I had the day before had disappeared. Went to the new Palace Cinema at Nishi Apartments after work to see Song for Marion, along with a work colleague, Ruth and Mr B – it was a great movie. And the popcorn is delicious – they use olive oil which means it’s not so heavy and greasy like normal cinema popcorn, which normally I won’t touch with a ten foot pole.

Wednesday – wow, the tiredness hit me like a Mack truck today. I hit the 3pm slump at lunchtime – never a good sign. So it was an early night for me. I also went for a 40 minute walk at lunchtime – initially hoping it would wake me up but it seemed to add to my weariness later in the day.

Thursday – I managed a 50 min walk at lunchtime. I was feeling much better today and there was no more tiredness. I also signed up for my next challenge – the Michelle Bridges 12 WBT challenge which officially kicks off on 13 May.

Friday – another 40 min lunchtime walk today.

Saturday – I was a volunteer marshall at the Gindy Parkrun so it meant I was standing out in the cold wind early this morning. Still it was worth it to see the effort everyone put into their 5km run. I enjoyed providing encouragement and seeing the smiles (sometimes strained) in return. Ruth was also a marshall, just down the path a bit from me. This was followed by coffee at Birrigai Café. And a bit later a well-earned massage – it was so good. My massage therapist said I had come through the marathon with flying colours – the best shape I’ve been in for a very long time. Go figure!

Sunday – I had planned on going for a run but was experiencing some back niggles (proof that housework is not good for you – I’m blaming it on cleaning the bathroom!) so decided another day of no running wouldn’t hurt.

And so to today……

5.59am session: easy run
Distance: 10.3km
Time: 1hr 26sec
Pace: 5.49min/km
Cals: 604
Weather: 8.2*c, wind – N, 9kph; patchy light rain

photo taken at the 40km mark of the marathon
– feeling good! (Photo credit: Ewen T)

Charley horse

Last night I experienced an excruciating Charley Horse in my calf.

“A what?” you may well ask.

A Charley Horse is a term for a leg cramp that usually occurs when you’re sleeping. Apparently.

This was news to me too. Can’t say that I’d heard of this term before.

According to phrases.org.uk it’s a North American phrase that originated from baseball to describe a leg cramp. Apparently it’s a term that appears to be confined to North America and is not used or heard of in other English-speaking countries.

Enough of the trivia. There is nothing trivial about the pain you experience when woken by a calf cramping in the early hours of the morning. It would have to rate as one of the worst ways to be woken from sleep. Then I spent the next hour trying not to stretch my leg again, which seems to set off further cramping.

So why the cramping? Maybe I’m not drinking enough water? So I am consciously increasing my intake today. Lets hope this makes a difference.

Caught up with Ruth, Margaret, Ewen & Norma for coffee this morning at Birrigai Cafe down by Lake Ginninderra, the post-parkrun venue for coffee and brekkie. Janene also dropped by to say hi as well.

Splish, splash & a lunch date

Today’s session: swim (7am)

Distance: 1.5km
Time: 37.05min
Session: 300m wu/300m pull buoy/6 x 50m paddles/300m swim/300m kick board

Sleeps to marathon: 35

The first 300m was excruciatingly awful – slow, no technique, just abysmal. Fortunately things did improve, either that or I was going to drown. That’s how bad it was! While I don’t normally get up early on a Sunday to venture the pool, given that I’m on my own for a week, it seemed like a good idea and a great way to start the day….ignoring the first few 100m where I thought I was going to expire.

Swimming on a Sunday morning is quite pleasant, once I get my head around the idea of getting up early. Not too many other people are at the pool and I had a lane to myself. And I felt so good once I’d finished – partly because I had swum 1.5km, but also because I had battled through the warm up, when I felt so awful, and had not given up.

Later in the morning I drove interstate to have lunch with a friend. If I hadn’t been going for lunch I would’ve taken a packed lunch for my trip to Jerra. My friend had prepared a beautiful lunch. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey