Thursday, September 16, 2010

7 Months! ... aka Here I am

I had to look at the London Marathon site to see how long it is until the big day, was surprised to see exactly 7mths ... that time is going to tick by awfully fast.

So where have I been, what have I been doing?

Well, for a couple of months I really wasn't running, and it was very frustrating, not to mention worrying. Not sure where I got to the ages ago that I was here, but I ended up going to see a sports doctor, she sent me away to get my knees x-rayed and ultra-sounded, they came up with nothing and after more examination she decided (but I don't think was really sure) that it was the very bottom of my hamstrings hurting, basically that is where I was pointing to was hurting coupled with the fact my hamstrings were very weak, seemed to be the logical explanation. She sent me off with instructions to strengthen the hamstrings and that yes, I could run, but not consecutive days and not too much.

So I left there, had already started seeing a Personal Trainer, have carried on seeing him. I started running 5-6km 3x a week and since then have slowly built up. I saw the Doctor again last week and she was very impressed at how much stronger and more stable my body is and we set an appointment for two months time with the plan being that I probably wouldn't need it, but to have it there just in case, and okay to run, but stick to the 10% rules.

So where am I at now? Feeling pretty good :) I've upped my mileage to about 35km/week, I ran 14km last Sunday without the injury playing up. I ran 12km yesterday, that felt fantastic. I'm running a 10km race on Sunday, so that will be a good test to see where I am at. All the strengthening work I've been doing has definitely made my body feel stronger and more stable, speedwise and running fitness wise, I'm not quite where I was at pre-marathon and just after the marathon when I was probably at my peak, but I'm definitely getting there and am pretty confident that I can built up that fitness again pretty quickly.

At this stage I'm pretty much following the same build up as I did last year. The Masterton Half Marathon is in a few weeks, which was my first half last year. I'm hoping to run it, but will see how the body feels, I definitely won't be doing it "as fast as I can", but am hoping to be able to run it at an easy/slow pace, just so in my head I know I'm back at half marathon fitness again. The Rimutaka Incline is on the 13th of November (about 18km), I'll definitely be aiming for that and then the Wanganui Half Marathon on 12th of December ... I'm really hoping to put in a good race and good time at Wanganui, after that I will start marathon training again. Feels like I'm in a time warp in some ways, same plan, same place as a year ago ... except this time I know I've done it once and I can do it again.

I've been eating crap again and it is showing on the scales, I wonder if you ever win against the eating demon? I know in my head that to run just that much faster and easier I need to lose that last 5kg, but I can't seem to buckle down and do it. Oh well, I will keep trying though!

Family is good ... we're in that nice inbetween winter and summer sports time, we have NOTHING on Saturday which is very unusual (okay, I lie, the girls do have cheerleading, but that is later on in the day - no getting up early for it!). I'm not even running or spinning, I'll be resting my legs ready for the Pelorus Trust 10k on Sunday.

Shall I try and promise I'll keep updating here better, or just make no promises - but try?

Monday, July 26, 2010

8 Months, 21 Days

Whoops, skipped a few!! Oh well, that is life :)

Okay ...

Training

Friday
1 Spin Class
45min Cross Trainer

Saturday
40min Cross Trainer (cross-country ... hard work!)
30min treadmill (snuck in a 1km slow jog)

Sunday
1 Spin Class
50min Cross Trainer

I really really want to run :( ... the 1km I did on the treadmill on Saturday just reinforced I'm not healed, definitely not sore and limping around, but I could feel it ... and know that if I had run, say 5km, it would have been sore. Patience isn't my best attribute, and this just plain sucks!

On good (and being totally optimistic!) news - I've persuaded three of my sisters to enter the relay with me for the Tarawera Ultra ... should be lots of fun!! It is about a month before London, so hopefully I'll be back into it, fit and training ... the 23km I'll do should equal a good long training run for the marathon.

Eating

Just don't want to talk about it!

Life

Busy, busy, busy ... as usual :) Not such a bad weekend, Saturday was quiet for us, the girls both played netball at 9.00am which means we were finished with sport early, which gave me time to go to the gym. Went and visited my new great nephew, he is rather gorgeous - a good looking baby! Sunday, off to the gym again, and then I had a Stampin' Up workshop in the afternoon - days sure do fly by! Everyone back at school and work today ... I'm about to do the very exciting job of hanging out the washing, then on my bike to deliver and then back in time for the Mr Sky Man to come and connect us etc, fingers crossed it all happens this time!!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

8 Months, 25 Days

Just sneaking in before the day finishes to keep up with the daily blogging! Not a whole lot to say today ...

Training

Zilch ... we'll call it a rest day! Dad rang this morning and said I could have the day off, he'd do all of them today, under questioning, he's supposed to be only doing about 30min on his bike, he has had his stitches out but the skin isn't knitting together quite like it should (he had internal and external stitches) ... but he is being his usual stubborn self and feels fine, so isn't listening quite like he should. Anyway, it was raining, and I although I tried to persuade him being out in the rain and the possibility of slipping etc wasn't a great idea, there was another part of me quite pleased I didn't have to go out and get wet! I thought about going to the gym and doing a stint on the cross-trainer, but decided a complete rest day would probably do me the world of good.

Eating

Double blah

Life

Ahhhhh a nice day at home, I got so many little things done today! The Sky TV people were supposed to come this afternoon and get us connected, we've been with Telstra forever, but have finally got sick of waiting for their Home Media to start and have decided to switch to Sky and MySky (I miss so many good programmes working in the evenings!). Anyway, the technician rang at about 10.00 and said he would get there about 3.00, of course at 2.55 I had to go out and get the kids from school (it was still raining), and he left a message just after to say that they couldn't do it in the rain (the satelite dish needs to be put on the roof of the house). Why he couldn't have worked that out earlier I really don't know. Oh well, nice day at home, housework got done, phone calls got made, stampin orders got dropped off, my workshop for Sunday is all organised (and its only Thursday!).

Spin tomorrow, plus a cross-trainer workout ... hopefully will balance out the work dinner later on!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

8 Months, 26 Days

Happy 100th Post to me!! ... pretty sad when I'm pretty sure I've probably had it going for about a year (just checked, first post was 2nd September) ... so another day in the thrilling life of Lisa trying to get to the London Marathon :)

Training

1hr Cross-Trainer - I've decided to emulate what I'd be running pretty much on the cross-trainer, hoping that will keep my fitness somewhat where it should be for when I start running again, in fact I'm thinking that once I'm okay to run that for a while I might try running 3-4x a week and using the cross-trainer the other couple of days, its not such a bad work out and I feel like its making the leg muscles stronger. So today, I decided to try and make it equal a longish, easyish run. I set it for 60min and manual (because I couldn't workout how to change the time on the fat-burner programme from 30min) and alternated between 5min on 1 and 10min on 4 ... trying to make sure my heart rate was pretty much in the fat burning/sweat, but not high cardio stage. I think it worked pretty well - it felt like a good workout, albeit seems like a long time and is pretty boring (I don't think it as boring as the treadmill though!).

1hr Delivering - Dad must have been given the okay to get back on his bike because I came back from the gym to find a box with not nearly as many bills in it as it said on the box, he must have taken a good chunk of them himself. Probably not so great because he probably should still be taking it easy, but a bit of a relief as I still have grocery shopping and helping Rhiannon with her paper run to do!

Eating

Blah, just the same as yesterday ... and the scales are matching that - not moving, good that it isn't upwards, but downwards would be nice. But, well you have to WORK at them coming down!

Life

I have a new Great Nephew, born at 6.50am this morning! That makes my "greats" now number four ... does that make me old? LOL Romeo (I still can't believe my niece is making the poor boy live with the name Romeo through the rest of his life, especially his school life ... ) was born after only about a 4hr labour and 30min pushing, wow - 7lb10oz :) Rhiannon is hoping we'll go and see him at the birth unit this afternoon, but I don't really see us fitting it in, maybe a quick 5mins on the way to the supermarket. Tracy (my niece) was living a pretty hard life up until she got pregnant, addicted to P and alcohol and doing some pretty awful things that go with those addictions, the last 4-5mths she has really cleaned herself up, is living with my sister, and is back to the sweet niece I've always known and supported through some pretty hard family times ... hopefully she will stay clean and this will be the making of her (and yeah, my family could be a soap opera ;)).

Time for a shower and getting ready for the afternoon usual rush!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

8 Months, 27 Days

Training

1 Spin Class
45min Cross-Trainer (on cross-country programme ... hard work!)
1hr45min Delivering
0 Housework ;)

Eating

Not bad, not good ... it is hard to balance getting hungry from working out with eating right, one day I might get my head working with my body!!

Life

Well, quick one today ... its been a busy day! 3.00pm, just waiting for afternoon tea to finish cooking (Sizzlers in bread ... pack of 8 means 2 each for the kids so I can't be tempted because someone will miss out which = me being in trouble! LOL). Once they are cooked I'll go and have a shower, then off to drop of the first one at Jazz, deliver the last of the bills in the car, then home to get dinner ready (Pumpkin Lasagne ... yummmy) ... with gym and hip hop drop offs/pick ups inbetween!

Not a lot else happening ... thats what happens with trying to blog everyday, anybody who can be bothered reading, gets to see how mundane my life really is ;)

Monday, July 19, 2010

8 Months, 28 Days ... & I'll show you mine

Marlene's I'll Show you Mine if you show me your's

Okay, I don't have many medals from running at all, they don't always give them here! I'm disappointed they didn't have one for the Rotorua Marathon, that would have been one of my proudest.

Mine aren't anywhere exciting, in fact I'm probably the most relaxed person about medals, the only reason they're hanging up at all is because my husband or the kids have hung them up!

But here they are hanging on the framed (by hubby, not me, of course! LOL) medals from my shooting days ... my proudest medals - I always said the London Marathon medal would probably get the same equal proud feelings. Anyway, the ones in the frame are my Oceania game medals - first in the Womens' Individual match and second in the teams match ... way back in 1995! ... note the two Australians either side of me, that is worth a LOT of medals LOLOL.



Training

Lets call it training ... it will eventually become that!

Yesterday -

1 Spin Class
30min on cross-trainer
2.5hrs delivering on bike

Today -

1.5hrs delivering on bike

Nothing too exciting, but definitely feel like I'm keeping my muscles moving and my cardio fitness up there.

Eating

Yesterday - okay, not great, but okay. Today the scales had me at less than I was Friday, for me, and a Monday morning, that is an accomplishment :)

Today - bad lunch ... but it wasn't really bad (half a thing of chips, chicken sandwich and sultana scone). Breatfast was good, dinner will be healthy shepherds pie. As long as I keep to the no picking after school, that is an okay day ... not a weight losing day, but shouldn't be a gaining day.

Life

The kids are back at school today, yay! for a quiet house ... boo! for the getting back to rushing around. I've got to pack the girls in the car amongst some bribery to do some of my delivering ... as in me driving, and them hopping out to the letterboxes. Dad came off his bike last week and has internal and external stitches in his leg and has been told NOT to bike for a while (for avoidance of blood clots that he is prone to and an ulcer forming on his leg) ... so the bits and pieces he usually bikes for miles to do on his bike, I'm doing in the car - just don't tell him I'm taking the lazy way out ;)

Hubby has a job interview this afternoon ... fingers crossed for that - I think I've mentioned a bit here about his work and their lack of motivation to pay him his commission payments, we ended up going to a lawyer and mediation and as a result ARE slowly getting paid ... but things aren't great ... he loves his actual job, but the stress of their money problems etc just isn't much fun.

I'm about to be totally indulgent ... ignoring the bathroom that really needs a good clean ... and going to sit and watch Outrageous Fortune taped from last week :)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

8 Months, 29 Days

Okay, time to get serious ... serious about updating the blog - do you think I can do it daily, even if I just have drivel to write about? Maybe some daily headings :)

Running/Training/Exercise

Running = not happening, I've made an appointment with a sports doctor for 2nd of August (first available appointment). I ran 10km a week ago, absolutely loved the run, took it at an easy pace, leg felt good while I was running, the sun was shining albeit cold ... it was one of those perfect runs BUT by night-time I was limping around again - not so good.

So I decided to make the appointment, what I'm hoping will happen is that by then without running for just over three weeks it will be almost better from rest and the Dr will say start slowly, or rest it a bit more. I'm not sure I need the appointment, or whether rest will do it, but giving it takes 3-4 weeks for an appointment, I didn't want to rest for a few weeks, run, find I needed an appointment and then have to wait another few weeks. So, that is the plan, for now.

I'm picking the Auckland marathon isn't going to happen, I should be training now. I'm okay with that, I can always do it next year - way more important is to get right for London next year - 8 months and 29 days away!

Exercise - so what am I doing instead? I'm doing the three spin classes I can get to each week and on Friday I gave the cross-trainer (elliptical) a go at the gym, figuring that my leg seems to only hurt from the running impact ... I'm hoping it is closest to running and will keep my fitness up there ready to run again. I did 30min on Friday and boy did I have sore muscles yesterday, obviuosly you use different muscles, or muscles differently on it! Good news though is that my knee/injury DIDN'T hurt, so it should be an okay alternative - yay!

Weight Loss

Insert high pitched screeching laugh ... or maybe call it weight GAIN. I have been awful the last week, its like a total mental thing - can't run = eat instead, absolutely pathetic behaviour! I'm exercising, I'm burning calories, I don't have to run to stay this weight ... but I do have to eat right! Hopefully slightly back on track since yesterday.

As for official weigh-in on Friday, I did sneak a look, but hated what I saw so I'm pretending it didn't happen ... blinkers are on!

Stupid, because one of the things I know I need to do is drop that last 5kg, impact is hurting my leg and causing the injury, less weight = less impact, pretty easy equation.

Life

This school holidays ended up being busy for me! The first week my "real" job had half the team away, so I did about twice the hours I normally do ... although Dad did all the delivering so it wasn't so bad, I had time to take the kids out to the movies one day, and time to spend some time baking doing stuff at home before I left for work the other days. Last week Dad managed to come off his bike and he has stitches in his leg ... and been told NOT to ride his bike for at least a week, so I've been doing all of it ... good exercise, but lots of time! I'm lucky I have good older baby sitting kids, and good kids that are happy to entertain themselves.

Yesterday I spent a lovely WHOLE day at home ... made pumpkin soup ready to freeze, some scones ready for lunches next week and started a craft project with the girls ... and even did some tidying and vacuuming!

Today it is spin class and then I'll do another 30min on the cross-trainer ... delivering and then hopefully time to finish the craft projects (so my name isn't mud! LOL).

Back to school tomorrow!