Slump Day.

Yesterday afternoon I had a slump day. ARGH, I had always heard people talk about these but I had never really had one since I started exercising. The last three weeks have seen me step out of my routine quite a bit due to my injured calf and quad muscles from my bushwalk, to my mother fracturing some ribs and then my children going on school holidays. I think the inconsistency in my training habits has made me feel tired and frumpy. I also think the change in the weather has had an impact on me emotionally. I don't like the cold and I am starting to feel it in my spine again. But even with this said I have been trying to stay focused on my running atleast.

So yesterday I went out in the afternoon for my normal 4km run and I must admit I was SO not impressed with my performance. Everything hurt - my knees, left shin, lower back, lungs and to top it all off I had a stitch from "Whoah to go". What is going on? I spent the majority of this activity walk/running. I felt like I had gone backwards and so had my headspace. I would never normally allow myself to do that but yesterday was just horrible, pitiful, ridiculous. I just felt fatigued, and even this morning as I sit and type I still don't feel energetic. I feel like I am missing my usual MOJO.

I guess even the most elite athletes have these kind of days and it is my bodies way of telling me just to rest, even for a couple of days. But thats all. I don't want the lethargy to start taking over as it can sometimes do. So with this in mind I shall definately have today off as it is my twin's 14th Birthday and possibly tomorrow as well so I am refreshed and renewed for my 8km run on Sunday. That is a must do.

My life summed up quickly.

Often in our lives we meet people in person or meet them via a forum and form friendships without really knowing anything about them. It is sad that in today's society we have become quite good at hiding our true selves or what made us who we are today for fear of being ridiculed or not fitting in with the norm. Today's post is about getting to know me. So I thought I would start from childhood and work my way up to today. I will try to keep it to 20 points or less.

• Born 11th March, 1974 at Bankstown Hospital. I am a typical Piscean female. Dreamy, creative, trustworthy (at times to the point of stupidity). I love my freedom and hate constraints. I love my privacy (funny that - I am blogging on a world wide forum).

• I am the youngest of 3 with two older brothers born to Uruguayan parents. To this day my parents play a huge part in my life and I respect what they have to say even though at times I don't always agree with it. Thats probably another Piscean trait - stubborness.

• I did ballet for 5 years as a child and was really quite good at it. Towards my last year I was approached by the Australian Ballet Academy and told that when I turned 12 I would be eligible to join the academy - I quit at the age of 9 and persued my swimming career.
  

• I started swimming at the tender age of 6yrs - if I had fallen into the water then I would have drowned. But I made it State Championships at the age of 7 and came second in the Under 9's for my 50m & 100m Backstroke and Freestyle. My swimming life continued till I was 14.

• Went to my first concert - Whitney Houston. She was awesome.
  

• I went to two Primary Schools and four High Schools. I didn't graduate from High School - I left half way through Year 11 to go overseas. I had always dreamed of being a marine biologist but although I was really good at Biology at school I was useless at Maths and Chemistry. There went my dream and my determination to finish high school.

• I started smoking - boy what a mistake. But I succumbed to peer pressure. And smoked for the following 9 years close to a packet of 25's a day. I never smoked during my pregnancies or around my children, but I started again shortly after giving birth. I quit after my son Kyle was born.
  

• Trying to find a purpose in life I flitted from job to job - I was a Sales Assistant at Sussans Clothing Store and Williams The Shoeman. I worked as a receptionist and this nearly did my head in. Repeating the same sentence everytime I answered the phone was a little more than I could handle. So I quit. Although this was a rough patch in my life it opened a door to a very big part of my life NURSING.

• My mum had introduced me to nursing at the age of 18 in a nursing home. Boy this was an eye opener - initially I was quite shocked by things I had seen but I then realised that I was responsible for another humans life. What a feeling. I took my responsibility seriously and this became my life for the next 18 years.

• I started as an Assistant in Nursing, progressed to being an Enrolled Nurse, Endorsed Enrolled Nurse then Registered Nurse. A fantastic journey - one I do not regret ever having undertaken.

• I met my husband Stephen at the age of 18yrs, he is my oldest brothers friend. When I first met him I was instantly in love but saddened by the fact that he was 11 yrs older than me (Oh, the fickle mind of a teen). Two years later we started dating and we have not looked back since.

• At the age of 22 I gave birth to our twins Kurtis and Taillah. I was blessed and knew this but my joy was overshadowed by Post Partum Depression. I never knew how low my thoughts would get - and wanting to disappear off the face of the earth was never far from my list of things to do. Luckily I have a supportive husband and family who got me through this period.
  

• At the age of 23 I suffered my first bout of back pain. This was the first of many to come.

• At 25 I gave birth to our 3rd child Kyle. Postpartum depression returned but this time I think it was more manageable.
  
• I loved being a parent, so feeling this overwhelming sense of sadness was so incongruent with how I felt towards my family.
  

• My next bout of back pain returned and I managed it with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.

• Started my university degree and finished with almost "Honours". Got a job as a Paediatric Registered Nurse. A blessing and an honour, but my lifelong dream was short lived. My next bout of back pain was severe and needed medical intervention.

• I never knew what the next year would bring - but I am glad I overcame it.
  

• The rest I guess has been documented in my blog so I won't bore you repeating it all. You just have to read it from the beginning. I hope you have enjoyed this post - I have gained alot from it.
  

Itching to get started

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait. But I am waiting, waiting, waiting - ever so patiently. I want to see what my first training session will be like. Will it be a swim? I know that he knows I am a good swimmer - so with this in mind will he go all out on me or just maintain my stamina? I think he will maintain my stamina in the water till its time to up the anti in Spring/Summer.

What will he make of my first bike ride then? Will I stick to flats and increase distance at first or will he add some hills in there for some fun, mmmmmmmmm - I wonder. As for the run, there are far to many things to improve so I guess the skies the limit in regards to my first session. I watched a video of myself running today and I look like I am doing a fast Olympic walk. I don't really lift my feet too far off the floor and I sway my hips from side to side like a Salsa dancer. I have my parents to thank for my South American genes, the hip wobble is ingrained.

So here I wait and ponder my fate, the anxiety is almost eating me alive. I think I have almost worn out the "check mail" icon on my email. I am almost 100% that I was one of those children who was found under the Christmas tree shaking presents to see what was inside. ARGH, the suspense is killing me.

Patience - tis' such a virtue

Sad, sad news.

On Saturday just gone as I headed out for my bike ride, a pack of 4 cyclists got hit by a truck on the M4 motorway. One of the gentleman got killed instantly and the other 3 got injured terribly. Such a sad time for their families. I was not aware of what had unfolded as I turned onto the motorway and saw police lights flashing in my rear view mirror some distance behind me but when I found out yesterday it made me sick to my stomach. I had passed the truck in question on my left and remember seeing the driver and there was police everywhere. This makes me very scared about road roading now.

Yesterday, as my husband was returning from the shops he said he was watching a cyclist on the other side of the road and out of nowhere a car collided with him and sent him flying off his bike. He quickly stopped the car with a whole heap of other people and ran over to the gentleman who was getting himself to his feet. An ambulance was called, luckily the gentleman was ok. These two incidents not only have me scared but also my husband and mum, who now would not like me road riding. Not because they don't trust me, but because they don't trust others. Fair enough.

So yesterday, Stephen and I drove to the M7 motorway bike track and I think this is where I will have to do my training. I think it is 40km one way and 40km back. Better than nothing, it has hills and stretches of flat road and it is away from the motorway totally. This not only makes me feel safer but my husband and mum as well.

RIP Mr Williams. And to the other cyclists, may your injuries heal. I will pray for you all.

Introductory long run - done and dusted.

I didn't sleep very well last night, all I kept dreaming of was finishing my 8km run. In my head I knew I could do it - but I guess self doubt was sitting on my shoulder and giving me some negative input. I wish it would just BACK OFF. Haven't I proven enough to myself that I am capable of anything. What was it going to take?

Well, when I woke up this morning I made myself a cup of coffee, grabbed a banana out of the fridge and a yoghurt, turned on the computer and jumped on Facebook - as you do at 0600hrs. I jumped on my horoscope - which is a daily ritual and it said . " This could be a very fortunate day for you, in that you could see the fruition of something that you have been working on. You could also have very clear vision or purpose, especially if you take a few moments to look at where you have come from, where you are now and where you will be if you remain on the same course. It's not that you are seeing something about your vision coming to pass, it's about the revelation of how to carry it forward into the future".

Having read this, any negative trace of self doubt flew out my window. I was going to rock this morning. I wasn't going to settle for anything less than running the whole 8km. Walking was not an option. Not at this stage. I had procrastinated enough and today was the day to either "Put up or shut up". I was going to make this 8km happen. I just had to feel comfortable with the fact that it didn't matter about the pace, I just had to last the distance. So I grabbed my Ipod and mobile and placed it in my arm pocket - took two puffs of my Ventolin and set out on my run at 0730hrs.

What a beautiful morning - the air was crisp and there were hardly any cars on the road. It was totally perfect for my run. So in went the ear pieces pounding out some hard core music and off I went. Nice and steady is all I was wanting - nothing fast paced or at "Speedy Gonazalez" pace, I was happy to be like the tortoise - slow and steady wins the race. Atleast for now. I just need to watch out that I don't injure myself.

I got half way and I assessed how I felt. Were my legs sore? NO. Where my lungs sore? NO. Was I doubting my ability? HECK NO. I actually felt fantastic. You heard me, FANTASTIC. Something in me said "Go on, go a little faster". But I quickly nabbed that thought in the butt. I feared this may set me up for defeat. I didn't want to tire and then have to walk. I wanted to finish this run feeling proud of what I had accomplished. I wanted to finish feeling like I could do anything if I just set my mind to it. And that is what I did.

As I passed my driveway and headed for my last 300m loop to my father in laws driveway and back I said " If you are going to finish strong - now is your chance to do it". I knew I had heaps in my reserve tank. Now was the time to just let it all out and finish strong. I lengthened my stride and pumped my arms nice and hard - not like Rocky Balboa as he is climbing the stairs but enough to help propel me forward nice and strongly. Even my husband commented about good I looked running. I am so happy. Another step forward, what more can I say "Done and dusted"

On the road again.

Today I attempted riding on a real road. Not the road that ran alongside the Regatta Centre which is only accessed by patrons of the centre and trucks from the quarry, but a real road - with cars coming from every direction. It was a 10km circuit but not in a complete loop, which meant I had to be road savvy to navigate turns with the traffic. I actually quite enjoyed it and felt at ease with my ability to do this. I guess if your confident but are still cautious of what is around you then accidents are less likely to occur. That's not to say that it could never happen, God only knows there have been alot of cyclists who have been hit by negligent drivers. But I will try with all my might to avoid this happening.

This is an important step for me as I feel that soon my training for the Half Ironman will require long distances, which I can only acquire by riding on the road. It would do my head in if I had to do the 5km loop at the Regatta for more than 30km. So I look forward to the open road and the challenge of riding up some hills. I may not be saying that though when it actually happens. But having something different to look at seems to distract me from the burning in my legs and seems to make the time pass faster.

So with another goal ticked off I am set to attack another one tomorrow, my first long run. Ok, so it's only 8km but this is more than I have ever done. I have to remember that it is not about the pace but rather just doing the distance. So nice and slow I will go and I will not walk once.