On NYE 2006, I had a lot to say. On NYE 2007, I don't. Words cannot begin to describe what an incredible, surprising & wonderful year I have had -
Monday, December 31, 2007
NYE 2007 - LG :-)
First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment or email/PM me privately. I can't begin to describe how much your support, encouragement, advice, sponsorship & occasional laugh at my expense means to me. I wish you all the very best for 2008 - may it be full of happiness, laughter, injury-free training and much love.
On NYE 2006, I had a lot to say. On NYE 2007, I don't. Words cannot begin to describe what an incredible, surprising & wonderful year I have had -
On NYE 2006, I had a lot to say. On NYE 2007, I don't. Words cannot begin to describe what an incredible, surprising & wonderful year I have had -
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Eye of the Tiger
Today's theme song :-)
Still coughing but slowly returning to consistent training -
Friday
AM - 42mins bike session on the trainer in front of the telly (including lots of short AT intervals) before work
PM - physio exercises, core work & stretches
Saturday
AM - sleep-in :-) followed by a very warm 20mins walk, 15min run & stretching. My cough was a bit worse when I woke up this morning. I sounded a bit like Darth Vadar while running - nothing like a bit of heavy breathing first thing in the morning ;-)
PM - headed to the pool in the late afternoon for a (scenic) 1.8k swim in the 25m pool thanks to the outdoor (50m) pool being inundated by screaming children. Made a big change after last week when R & I were the only ones in the 50m pool because everyone else was scared off by the rain !
Sunday
AM - my first long ride in over a month (!). Headed up to the Glenbrook National Park with Apollo for 90mins on various trails. I was supposed to do 2 hrs but cut it short. It was nice to be out on the MTB again but my legs had nothing this morning. I think I need to eat a bit more before my long rides.
Tomorrow, it's back to work (yes, on NYE) before another self-inflicted strength session in the gym.
Thanks to 2 colds, various Christmas & engagement functions & 1 weekend of laziness, my totals for December are so pathetic I'm not even going to bother to add them up. Still, I've done my first tri this month - and again remained injury free for the 4th month in a row (woohoo!) - so it hasn't been a complete wasteland. It will be nice to get rid of this cough & get back into consistent training again, particularly as my goals for the second half of 2008 in particular will require the development of a greater base & much more strength....:-)
Still coughing but slowly returning to consistent training -
Friday
AM - 42mins bike session on the trainer in front of the telly (including lots of short AT intervals) before work
PM - physio exercises, core work & stretches
Saturday
AM - sleep-in :-) followed by a very warm 20mins walk, 15min run & stretching. My cough was a bit worse when I woke up this morning. I sounded a bit like Darth Vadar while running - nothing like a bit of heavy breathing first thing in the morning ;-)
PM - headed to the pool in the late afternoon for a (scenic) 1.8k swim in the 25m pool thanks to the outdoor (50m) pool being inundated by screaming children. Made a big change after last week when R & I were the only ones in the 50m pool because everyone else was scared off by the rain !
Sunday
AM - my first long ride in over a month (!). Headed up to the Glenbrook National Park with Apollo for 90mins on various trails. I was supposed to do 2 hrs but cut it short. It was nice to be out on the MTB again but my legs had nothing this morning. I think I need to eat a bit more before my long rides.
Tomorrow, it's back to work (yes, on NYE) before another self-inflicted strength session in the gym.
Thanks to 2 colds, various Christmas & engagement functions & 1 weekend of laziness, my totals for December are so pathetic I'm not even going to bother to add them up. Still, I've done my first tri this month - and again remained injury free for the 4th month in a row (woohoo!) - so it hasn't been a complete wasteland. It will be nice to get rid of this cough & get back into consistent training again, particularly as my goals for the second half of 2008 in particular will require the development of a greater base & much more strength....:-)
Friday, December 28, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Play toys
Christmas Day
Rest day - not to mention a wonderful day with my families new and old :-)
As requested, Santa kindly delivered a set of trekking poles and a Thermarest. Not your typical Christmas presents for a girl I know ;-)
Boxing Day
..became a rest day after I was awake half the night coughing up at least one & possibly both lungs.
Thursday
Back to work :-(
I almost skipped this session after a late night & early start - I caught the train to work from Shellharbour this morning after staying with R's family for a few days. But the prospect of doing my next tri on zero training since my last one forced my hand. My PT is on holidays at the moment so I headed to the gym at lunch for 15min run on the tready and strength session (40mins):
- lunges with pulses with front foot on bosu ball (6/8/10/12/10/8/6)
- 20 x single arm row
- 20 x bicep curl + shoulder press
- 20 x single leg deadlifts (with 2 x 4kg dumbbells)
- 20 x tri pushdowns
- stretching
Still coughing but getting better. Looking forward to getting back into the consistent training again.
Rest day - not to mention a wonderful day with my families new and old :-)
As requested, Santa kindly delivered a set of trekking poles and a Thermarest. Not your typical Christmas presents for a girl I know ;-)
Boxing Day
..became a rest day after I was awake half the night coughing up at least one & possibly both lungs.
Thursday
Back to work :-(
I almost skipped this session after a late night & early start - I caught the train to work from Shellharbour this morning after staying with R's family for a few days. But the prospect of doing my next tri on zero training since my last one forced my hand. My PT is on holidays at the moment so I headed to the gym at lunch for 15min run on the tready and strength session (40mins):
- lunges with pulses with front foot on bosu ball (6/8/10/12/10/8/6)
- 20 x single arm row
- 20 x bicep curl + shoulder press
- 20 x single leg deadlifts (with 2 x 4kg dumbbells)
- 20 x tri pushdowns
- stretching
Still coughing but getting better. Looking forward to getting back into the consistent training again.
Monday, December 24, 2007
T'was the afternoon before Christmas....
And I'm home after a 1/2 day at work. The Christmas shopping has long been finished, my mum & nan are in the kitchen whipping up a storm, organising our traditional Christmas Eve seafood extravaganza and R and the Mini Mango are on their way over to spend Christmas Eve & Christmas morning with us. Amazing to think how life has changed for me in the course of a year - Mango & I hadn't even met this time last year. Now I have a fiance - not to mention a step-daughter-to-be, a scary prospect for someone who has never wanted children of her own. But I have been very blessed with a wonderful step-daughter-to-be (R isn't bad either ;-)) and I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy days :-)
The last few days have been a write-off for me so far as training is concerned. Wednesday afternoon I started coming down with a nasty head cold which has pretty much floored me since then. The only sessions I have done since my bike session on Wednesday morning was a (scenic) 1.6k swim on Saturday afternoon in the rain (I love swimming in the rain, almost as much as I love running in it) and a PT session (60mins) this morning -
- 5min w/u
- 24 x walking lunges with one 4kg dumbbell extended overhead.
- lunges with front foot on a bosu ball with pulses on a ladder structure (6/8/10/12/10/8/6) for each leg. Each set followed by what was supposed to explosive step up onto a bench
- 20 x lying oblique twisting thingy with a 3kg medicine ball
- 20 x core exercise I can't begin to describe with a 4kg medicine ball
- 20 x single (right) leg deadlifts with bicep curl & shoulder press (2 x 4kg dumbbells)
- 10 x right leg thigh kicks (my first kickboxing experience)
- alternating thigh kicks with push-ups up to 10 - ie 1 kick, 1 push-up, 2 thigh kicks, 2 push-ups etc. By the time I got to 8 it was bloody hard work !
- 20 x core exercise I can't begin to describe with 1 x 4kg dumbbell extended overhead
- 20 x lying oblique twisting thingy with a 3kg medicine ball
- 20 x single (left) leg deadlifts with bicep curl & shoulder presses (2 x 4kg dumbbells)
- plank
- stretches
Phew.
My training in December has been terribly inconsistent. I haven't done a long ride in a month now (yikes!). But hopefully with another day's rest tomorrow, I should be close to fully recovered and ready to get stuck into it (consistently) again.
I hope everyone has a wonderful & merry Christmas & that your day is filled with family, friends, joy, happiness & much love. I know mine will be :-)
The last few days have been a write-off for me so far as training is concerned. Wednesday afternoon I started coming down with a nasty head cold which has pretty much floored me since then. The only sessions I have done since my bike session on Wednesday morning was a (scenic) 1.6k swim on Saturday afternoon in the rain (I love swimming in the rain, almost as much as I love running in it) and a PT session (60mins) this morning -
- 5min w/u
- 24 x walking lunges with one 4kg dumbbell extended overhead.
- lunges with front foot on a bosu ball with pulses on a ladder structure (6/8/10/12/10/8/6) for each leg. Each set followed by what was supposed to explosive step up onto a bench
- 20 x lying oblique twisting thingy with a 3kg medicine ball
- 20 x core exercise I can't begin to describe with a 4kg medicine ball
- 20 x single (right) leg deadlifts with bicep curl & shoulder press (2 x 4kg dumbbells)
- 10 x right leg thigh kicks (my first kickboxing experience)
- alternating thigh kicks with push-ups up to 10 - ie 1 kick, 1 push-up, 2 thigh kicks, 2 push-ups etc. By the time I got to 8 it was bloody hard work !
- 20 x core exercise I can't begin to describe with 1 x 4kg dumbbell extended overhead
- 20 x lying oblique twisting thingy with a 3kg medicine ball
- 20 x single (left) leg deadlifts with bicep curl & shoulder presses (2 x 4kg dumbbells)
- plank
- stretches
Phew.
My training in December has been terribly inconsistent. I haven't done a long ride in a month now (yikes!). But hopefully with another day's rest tomorrow, I should be close to fully recovered and ready to get stuck into it (consistently) again.
I hope everyone has a wonderful & merry Christmas & that your day is filled with family, friends, joy, happiness & much love. I know mine will be :-)
Friday, December 21, 2007
Drafting
Righto. My draft list of events for the first half of 2008 is now listed over ==>
As I said previously it's a rather eclectic mix of trail runs, "aquathons", MTB races, triathlons & adventure races. It is only a draft list at this stage as a few race dates - and a few other events I have my eye on - haven't been announced yet. None of them are really 'key' races for me. More like a prelude to the second half of 2008 & early 2009 :-)
As I said previously it's a rather eclectic mix of trail runs, "aquathons", MTB races, triathlons & adventure races. It is only a draft list at this stage as a few race dates - and a few other events I have my eye on - haven't been announced yet. None of them are really 'key' races for me. More like a prelude to the second half of 2008 & early 2009 :-)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wicked games
Wow! Thanks for all the comments & SMS' people. Much appreciated :-)
No rest for the wicked as they say. I pulled up extremely well after my tri debut on Sunday. Both soleus (sp?) are a bit tight at the moment - though I suspect it has more to do with the number of times I've been wearing high heels (thanks to various Christmas-related functions) in recent weeks than my training as I rarely wear them anymore. Hopefully with lots of stretching & the number of Christmas-related functions dwindling, it should improve quickly.
Monday
AM - 60mins PT session
I said to R over the weekend that I almost dread sessions with the PT because they are so damn hard. This session was no exception -
- 5mins run w/u
- lunges with pulses on a ladder structure (6/8/10/12) with 4kg dumbbell (5sec recovery).
- 20 x squats with a bicep curl & shoulder press (4kg dumbbell)
- 20 x push-ups with 1 hand on a bosu ball (15 of them on my toes)
- 20 x chest flyes on the swiss ball (4kg dumbbell)
- 20 x push-ups with 1 hand on a bosu ball (on knees)
- 20 x a core exercise I can't begin to name or describe
- 5mins run
- lunges with pulses on a ladder structure (6/8/10/12/10/8/6).
- core (jackknife & plank)
- stretches
O.M.G.
Tuesday
AM - took the extra sleep option this morning after getting in late after a lovely dinner with Mouse & NTR (*waves*). Good idea too as even with the extra sleep I had a lil bit of a sore throat during the day
PM - back to the pool for a (scenic) 1.2k swim. I felt pretty heavy in the water tonight. My chest & shoulders in particular are rather sore after yesterday's PT session which made the 'firm' efforts bloody hard work.
Wednesday
AM - up at 4.30am for a 45mins bike session including a total of 20mins at AT. Ouch.
Another PT session tomorrow morning. Oh man, I'm still sore from Monday's session. Is it too early to think about the weekend? All of my client's believe the world is going to end at 5pm on Christmas Eve….ai ai ai.
No rest for the wicked as they say. I pulled up extremely well after my tri debut on Sunday. Both soleus (sp?) are a bit tight at the moment - though I suspect it has more to do with the number of times I've been wearing high heels (thanks to various Christmas-related functions) in recent weeks than my training as I rarely wear them anymore. Hopefully with lots of stretching & the number of Christmas-related functions dwindling, it should improve quickly.
Monday
AM - 60mins PT session
I said to R over the weekend that I almost dread sessions with the PT because they are so damn hard. This session was no exception -
- 5mins run w/u
- lunges with pulses on a ladder structure (6/8/10/12) with 4kg dumbbell (5sec recovery).
- 20 x squats with a bicep curl & shoulder press (4kg dumbbell)
- 20 x push-ups with 1 hand on a bosu ball (15 of them on my toes)
- 20 x chest flyes on the swiss ball (4kg dumbbell)
- 20 x push-ups with 1 hand on a bosu ball (on knees)
- 20 x a core exercise I can't begin to name or describe
- 5mins run
- lunges with pulses on a ladder structure (6/8/10/12/10/8/6).
- core (jackknife & plank)
- stretches
O.M.G.
Tuesday
AM - took the extra sleep option this morning after getting in late after a lovely dinner with Mouse & NTR (*waves*). Good idea too as even with the extra sleep I had a lil bit of a sore throat during the day
PM - back to the pool for a (scenic) 1.2k swim. I felt pretty heavy in the water tonight. My chest & shoulders in particular are rather sore after yesterday's PT session which made the 'firm' efforts bloody hard work.
Wednesday
AM - up at 4.30am for a 45mins bike session including a total of 20mins at AT. Ouch.
Another PT session tomorrow morning. Oh man, I'm still sore from Monday's session. Is it too early to think about the weekend? All of my client's believe the world is going to end at 5pm on Christmas Eve….ai ai ai.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Tri-ing
Well, I've finally done it. My first triathlon - not to mention my first race since the Great Nosh in June!
It is incredible to to think what has changed in my life since then :-) After Team Mango has had so many outings lately, it was time for Team Jen Jen (ie Mango) to step up to the role of cheerleader & official photographer today. And what a great job he did, thank you :-)
Today's club race was a memorial for a former club president who was killed in a training accident in 1999 so the format & distances were a bit 'different'. The short course race, which I did, was 200m swim, 10k ride & 2k run. The long course was 200/10/2/200/10/2. Ouch. The morning finished with breakfast - bacon & egg rolls. Perfect recovery food :-) .
I must say that I wasn't nervous about this race until I got in the water. The swim was ok. I had a 'moment'. Not a panic attack. I didn't hit or get hit. But at one stage very early, I felt claustrophobic & probably went out too fast. So to calm down, I started breathing every second stroke - which of course meant I went veering off towards the shore. Note to self - keep an eye on the buoy next time. Anyway, I got myself back on track & got out of the water in about 5 mins. Unfortunately I forgot to turn my watch on so I only have estimates of the splits.
* It's not your eyes. The photo is slightly blurry.
T1 was a bit too, um, leisurely. I felt a bit light headed when I bent over to put my shoes on.
I made a slow start on the bike as I couldn't get my foot into the cleat and so was quickly passed by another woman. I later caught her :-) It was a handicapped start so the girls had a 5 min head start over the boys. My uncle, who was doing the long course race, must have been slacking because he only passed me not long before I got off the bike ;-)
Onto the run & my legs felt heavy (as expected) so I just focused on my form & keeping my abs on. It took me about 500m before I started to settle into the run. 'High 5ing' my uncle as he went back past me on the run distracted me for a minute. I finished the 2k in about 13mins (which included T2) which I'm very happy with given that 6:30m/k is my current 'training pace' - not to mention the fact that I haven't run further than 2k since July!!
So I finished in 40:57 - far exceedingly R's estimate of 45mins and my estimate of 50mins :-)
From Black Stump to Six Foot to this - what a year it has been !
It is incredible to to think what has changed in my life since then :-) After Team Mango has had so many outings lately, it was time for Team Jen Jen (ie Mango) to step up to the role of cheerleader & official photographer today. And what a great job he did, thank you :-)
Today's club race was a memorial for a former club president who was killed in a training accident in 1999 so the format & distances were a bit 'different'. The short course race, which I did, was 200m swim, 10k ride & 2k run. The long course was 200/10/2/200/10/2. Ouch. The morning finished with breakfast - bacon & egg rolls. Perfect recovery food :-) .
I must say that I wasn't nervous about this race until I got in the water. The swim was ok. I had a 'moment'. Not a panic attack. I didn't hit or get hit. But at one stage very early, I felt claustrophobic & probably went out too fast. So to calm down, I started breathing every second stroke - which of course meant I went veering off towards the shore. Note to self - keep an eye on the buoy next time. Anyway, I got myself back on track & got out of the water in about 5 mins. Unfortunately I forgot to turn my watch on so I only have estimates of the splits.
* It's not your eyes. The photo is slightly blurry.
T1 was a bit too, um, leisurely. I felt a bit light headed when I bent over to put my shoes on.
I made a slow start on the bike as I couldn't get my foot into the cleat and so was quickly passed by another woman. I later caught her :-) It was a handicapped start so the girls had a 5 min head start over the boys. My uncle, who was doing the long course race, must have been slacking because he only passed me not long before I got off the bike ;-)
Onto the run & my legs felt heavy (as expected) so I just focused on my form & keeping my abs on. It took me about 500m before I started to settle into the run. 'High 5ing' my uncle as he went back past me on the run distracted me for a minute. I finished the 2k in about 13mins (which included T2) which I'm very happy with given that 6:30m/k is my current 'training pace' - not to mention the fact that I haven't run further than 2k since July!!
So I finished in 40:57 - far exceedingly R's estimate of 45mins and my estimate of 50mins :-)
From Black Stump to Six Foot to this - what a year it has been !
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Cross training
Thursday
AM - PT session (60mins)
Monday's session with the PT smashed my legs. I still had some DOMS in my quads so with that, and Sunday, in mind, my PT mercifully took it reasonably easy on me. "Reasonable" of course is a relative term -
- 5mins run w/u
- side step lunges while raising a kettle ball with straight arms over my head til failure
- 10mins ride/5mins run brick
- walking lunges with a bicep curl & shoulder press with dumbbells while at the lowest point of the lunge til failure
- 10mins ride/5mins run brick
- stretches
Phew.
PM - the most important part of my training all week - socialising :-) Caught up with Rags (*waves*) over lunch & heard all his tales from his recent trip back to Nepal. I also took delivery of a couple of books he had kindly picked up for me from my favourite bookshop in the whole world. Thank you :-) And then after work it was off to the classy establishment that is the James Squires for CR drinks.
Friday
Had a 30mins easy spin planned but it ended up being a rest day due to a late night as well as work & shopping getting in the way of a lunchtime visit to the gym. It is probably a good thing because I had a bit of a niggle in my right hip flexor after yesterday's session with the PT.
Saturday
AM - 4 hours of cross training - Christmas shopping. Between a late night (work Christmas party) at the end of a long & tiring week & an early morning today to beat the crush at the shops, I'm completely stuffed this afternoon. Might go out for a short walk followed by a long stretch when it cools down.
Still not feeling particularly enthusiastic about tomorrow's little adventure but I bought myself my first one piece tri suit on Thursday (and no, there will be no photos) so I s'pose I'd better get some use out of it ;-)
AM - PT session (60mins)
Monday's session with the PT smashed my legs. I still had some DOMS in my quads so with that, and Sunday, in mind, my PT mercifully took it reasonably easy on me. "Reasonable" of course is a relative term -
- 5mins run w/u
- side step lunges while raising a kettle ball with straight arms over my head til failure
- 10mins ride/5mins run brick
- walking lunges with a bicep curl & shoulder press with dumbbells while at the lowest point of the lunge til failure
- 10mins ride/5mins run brick
- stretches
Phew.
PM - the most important part of my training all week - socialising :-) Caught up with Rags (*waves*) over lunch & heard all his tales from his recent trip back to Nepal. I also took delivery of a couple of books he had kindly picked up for me from my favourite bookshop in the whole world. Thank you :-) And then after work it was off to the classy establishment that is the James Squires for CR drinks.
Friday
Had a 30mins easy spin planned but it ended up being a rest day due to a late night as well as work & shopping getting in the way of a lunchtime visit to the gym. It is probably a good thing because I had a bit of a niggle in my right hip flexor after yesterday's session with the PT.
Saturday
AM - 4 hours of cross training - Christmas shopping. Between a late night (work Christmas party) at the end of a long & tiring week & an early morning today to beat the crush at the shops, I'm completely stuffed this afternoon. Might go out for a short walk followed by a long stretch when it cools down.
Still not feeling particularly enthusiastic about tomorrow's little adventure but I bought myself my first one piece tri suit on Thursday (and no, there will be no photos) so I s'pose I'd better get some use out of it ;-)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Running on empty...
That's me this week. If I don't get enough sleep on Sunday & Monday nights, I'm stuffed for the rest of the week. I just can't catch up. Mike, my PT, wants me to try & get 8 hours sleep each night. Tell 'em his dreaming I say. I'm probably lucky to get 6 each night which is enough to keep functioning without falling asleep at my desk but perhaps not the best for recovery purposes. Thankfully the Christmas-related events ease off next week...
Monday
AM - killer PT session (60mins). I've never had my legs actually refuse to work before. My brain was saying to them 'take a step forward'. All they could in response was hold me up - just. Aside from some of the days trekking in the Himalayas, I think it was one of the hardest sessions I've ever done.
- 5mins run w/u
- 2 x supersets of:
(a) lunges with 'pulses' at the bottom on a ladder structure - ie 6/8/10/12/10/8/6 - each set finished with what was supposed to be an explosive step up onto a bench - let's just say that I was lucky to be able to step at all by the end of the session; and
(b) split jump lunges
- 10mins ride/5mins run brick session
- core (jack knife & plank)
- stretching
ET was training in the gym at the same time, saw me running on the treadmill & gave me some very encouraging feedback on my running style, form & stability. It's nice to know the hard work is (finally) paying off
Tuesday
AM - (scenic) 20mins walk + 15mins run. It's getting easier. Kinda. Sorta.
PM - managed to escape work at a decent hour & headed to the pool for my swim. 1.3k swim including 3 x 300m efforts with 60sec recovery. I felt ok, not great, in the water tonight. But the nasty dark clouds overhead kept me moving because I dreaded the thought of having to move into the busy indoor pool in the event of a thunderstorm.
Wednesday
AM - my legs are still sore after Monday's session with the PT. Thankfully I had a relatively easy 32:30min bike session in front of the telly this morning including 10 x 45sec efforts/10 sec recovery.
PM - massage
And no, Bro - not the Seven Summits. Only some of them. And a few others :-)
Monday
AM - killer PT session (60mins). I've never had my legs actually refuse to work before. My brain was saying to them 'take a step forward'. All they could in response was hold me up - just. Aside from some of the days trekking in the Himalayas, I think it was one of the hardest sessions I've ever done.
- 5mins run w/u
- 2 x supersets of:
(a) lunges with 'pulses' at the bottom on a ladder structure - ie 6/8/10/12/10/8/6 - each set finished with what was supposed to be an explosive step up onto a bench - let's just say that I was lucky to be able to step at all by the end of the session; and
(b) split jump lunges
- 10mins ride/5mins run brick session
- core (jack knife & plank)
- stretching
ET was training in the gym at the same time, saw me running on the treadmill & gave me some very encouraging feedback on my running style, form & stability. It's nice to know the hard work is (finally) paying off
Tuesday
AM - (scenic) 20mins walk + 15mins run. It's getting easier. Kinda. Sorta.
PM - managed to escape work at a decent hour & headed to the pool for my swim. 1.3k swim including 3 x 300m efforts with 60sec recovery. I felt ok, not great, in the water tonight. But the nasty dark clouds overhead kept me moving because I dreaded the thought of having to move into the busy indoor pool in the event of a thunderstorm.
Wednesday
AM - my legs are still sore after Monday's session with the PT. Thankfully I had a relatively easy 32:30min bike session in front of the telly this morning including 10 x 45sec efforts/10 sec recovery.
PM - massage
And no, Bro - not the Seven Summits. Only some of them. And a few others :-)
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Climbing the walls...
Thursday
AM - up early again for another PT session (60mins). I'm convinced he is trying to make my legs fall off -
- 5min run w/u
- 3 x supersets of lunges with bicep curl & split jumps (ai ai ai)
- 10min ride/5mins run - my first brick session!
- core stuff (jack knife & plant) x 2
- loads of stretching.
Friday
AM - Our firm's client christmas party was held last night so I stayed at a friend's place in Marrickville - which of course meant that I got to sleep-in until, wait for it, 5.45am and still do my session before work. Woohoo! 30mins on the bike in the gym this morning including 10mins of 30/30s. Though not sore, my legs were feeling pretty fatigued after yesterday's session.
Saturday
AM - after a loooong sleep-in, I went out for a 20mins walk + 15mins run
PM - headed to the pool just after 3pm for a (scenic) 1.6k swim. I felt really tired during the session & almost cut it short but managed to pushed through & finish the session reasonably well.
Sunday
Um, let's just say that a combination of a late night after another engagement celebratory dinner, dehydration & a couple of hours of work that I needed to do gave me more than enough excuses for skip my 2hr ride today. Yes, I was being lazy. The day didn't end so well when golf ball sized hall from Sydney's freak thunderstorm this afternoon rearranged most of my car's panels :-(
I'm supposed to be doing an enticer next weekend (my first tri) but I have to admit that I'm feeling rather blase about it. I have just finished a great book by an inspiring lady. Called To the Summit, it is about the author's journey from a world of multiple addictions (coke, food, alcohol, laxatives) on her discovery of mountain climbing & her attempt to climb the Seven Summits; the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. Her book has also made me realise a few things in relation to (shall we say) my future athletic pursuits. I am beginning to realise that perhaps tris - and running to an extent - are simply a means to an end...
AM - up early again for another PT session (60mins). I'm convinced he is trying to make my legs fall off -
- 5min run w/u
- 3 x supersets of lunges with bicep curl & split jumps (ai ai ai)
- 10min ride/5mins run - my first brick session!
- core stuff (jack knife & plant) x 2
- loads of stretching.
Friday
AM - Our firm's client christmas party was held last night so I stayed at a friend's place in Marrickville - which of course meant that I got to sleep-in until, wait for it, 5.45am and still do my session before work. Woohoo! 30mins on the bike in the gym this morning including 10mins of 30/30s. Though not sore, my legs were feeling pretty fatigued after yesterday's session.
Saturday
AM - after a loooong sleep-in, I went out for a 20mins walk + 15mins run
PM - headed to the pool just after 3pm for a (scenic) 1.6k swim. I felt really tired during the session & almost cut it short but managed to pushed through & finish the session reasonably well.
Sunday
Um, let's just say that a combination of a late night after another engagement celebratory dinner, dehydration & a couple of hours of work that I needed to do gave me more than enough excuses for skip my 2hr ride today. Yes, I was being lazy. The day didn't end so well when golf ball sized hall from Sydney's freak thunderstorm this afternoon rearranged most of my car's panels :-(
I'm supposed to be doing an enticer next weekend (my first tri) but I have to admit that I'm feeling rather blase about it. I have just finished a great book by an inspiring lady. Called To the Summit, it is about the author's journey from a world of multiple addictions (coke, food, alcohol, laxatives) on her discovery of mountain climbing & her attempt to climb the Seven Summits; the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. Her book has also made me realise a few things in relation to (shall we say) my future athletic pursuits. I am beginning to realise that perhaps tris - and running to an extent - are simply a means to an end...
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
And so it goes....
Thank you soooo much to everyone for your lovely comments, emails and SMS' over the course of the last week - we both really treasure your sentiments. Although I must say that we were thinking about a tropical island wedding so I don't think we'll go with either the Rottnest or Sydney Marathon suggestions (thanks anyway guys!) ;-)
I had better get off cloud nine (for a little while) and get the blogging back up to date. November, as a whole, was a pretty amazing month. I find it hard to believe that the Sydney to Gong ride was only a month ago!
Oct: 10k swim + 213k bike + NFI run
Nov: 7k swim + 123k bike + NFI-but-more-than-last-month run
The totals were a bit down thanks to a mini-taper before, and recovering from, the Gong ride, getting out on the MTB instead of the roadie for my long rides & Brampton Island :-) And once again, the bike total only includes my weekend long rides - stoopid cadence sensor. Still, I have another fun & injury free month of training up my sleeve!
As for the last few days since I got back from Brampton -
Wednesday
Rest day. Had a ride planned but catching up with my mum after our little announcement took priority
Thursday
Back to work :-(
AM - PT session (60mins). Lots of lunges, set ups, split jumps, squats followed by a bit of chest & back work & stretching. Nasty. My only consolation is that he hasn't killed me (yet) so I must be getting stronger!
Friday
AM - 50mins steady ride on Betty including 5 x 1mins hills. Felt exhausted & lethargic during this session and for the rest of the day.
Saturday & Sunday
Had a run, swim, & ride planned but both days became rest days when I discovered why I was so tired on Friday - I woke up with a bad head cold, feeling utterly shattered despite having over 10 hours sleep. So I called it a 'rest weekend' and, apart from a celebratory dinner on Saturday night, spend the weekend curled up on the couch watching TV & reading.
Monday
AM - PT session (60mins) again. I was feeling a little better after my weekend of rest but still rather ordinary so my PT kindly took it easy on me - that didn't stop my legs from feeling like jelly when I walked down the stairs afterwards. It was all about the barbell during this session - lots of deadlifts, clean & presses & bent over rows followed by core work & stretching.
Tuesday
AM - 20mins walk + 12:30mins run. Things are going well.
PM - back in the pool doing laps for the first time in 2 weeks for another (scenic) 1.3k swim. I was expecting to feel a bit ordinary during this session given my length of time out of the pool but felt pretty good - well, except for the fact that my arms wanted to fall off after the PT session on Monday & ET getting stuck into my shoulders during my massage earlier in the day.
Wednesday
AM - up at 4:(freakn)20 this morning for my ride - a 50mins session on Betty with lots of grindy gears & low cadence sets. Tough but I felt surprisingly good.
Energy levels are high again after my cold & despite some early mornings & late nights this week thanks to work. Long may it continue !
I had better get off cloud nine (for a little while) and get the blogging back up to date. November, as a whole, was a pretty amazing month. I find it hard to believe that the Sydney to Gong ride was only a month ago!
Oct: 10k swim + 213k bike + NFI run
Nov: 7k swim + 123k bike + NFI-but-more-than-last-month run
The totals were a bit down thanks to a mini-taper before, and recovering from, the Gong ride, getting out on the MTB instead of the roadie for my long rides & Brampton Island :-) And once again, the bike total only includes my weekend long rides - stoopid cadence sensor. Still, I have another fun & injury free month of training up my sleeve!
As for the last few days since I got back from Brampton -
Wednesday
Rest day. Had a ride planned but catching up with my mum after our little announcement took priority
Thursday
Back to work :-(
AM - PT session (60mins). Lots of lunges, set ups, split jumps, squats followed by a bit of chest & back work & stretching. Nasty. My only consolation is that he hasn't killed me (yet) so I must be getting stronger!
Friday
AM - 50mins steady ride on Betty including 5 x 1mins hills. Felt exhausted & lethargic during this session and for the rest of the day.
Saturday & Sunday
Had a run, swim, & ride planned but both days became rest days when I discovered why I was so tired on Friday - I woke up with a bad head cold, feeling utterly shattered despite having over 10 hours sleep. So I called it a 'rest weekend' and, apart from a celebratory dinner on Saturday night, spend the weekend curled up on the couch watching TV & reading.
Monday
AM - PT session (60mins) again. I was feeling a little better after my weekend of rest but still rather ordinary so my PT kindly took it easy on me - that didn't stop my legs from feeling like jelly when I walked down the stairs afterwards. It was all about the barbell during this session - lots of deadlifts, clean & presses & bent over rows followed by core work & stretching.
Tuesday
AM - 20mins walk + 12:30mins run. Things are going well.
PM - back in the pool doing laps for the first time in 2 weeks for another (scenic) 1.3k swim. I was expecting to feel a bit ordinary during this session given my length of time out of the pool but felt pretty good - well, except for the fact that my arms wanted to fall off after the PT session on Monday & ET getting stuck into my shoulders during my massage earlier in the day.
Wednesday
AM - up at 4:(freakn)20 this morning for my ride - a 50mins session on Betty with lots of grindy gears & low cadence sets. Tough but I felt surprisingly good.
Energy levels are high again after my cold & despite some early mornings & late nights this week thanks to work. Long may it continue !
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