I made myself and the family a yummy tortilla tonight. It was made with potato, onion, eggs, ricotta cheese, fresh parsley and basil and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top. And may I say it was exceptionally yummy. Taillah my daughter decided she wanted to add a salad to the mix and made a divine Carrot Salad. A totally vegetarian dinner and it was to die for. I can safely say now I am full, but prior to eating my meal and as I was cooking I was ravenous.
Last night's meal was a feast fit for any carnivore on the planet. A juicy T-bone steak with a green salad. That was absolutely finger licking good. I not only gnawed on the bone I did not leave one bit of meat on that bone. I even think my dogs would have turned up their noses to the naked bone I left behind. I just can't seem to eat enough now, I am always hungry.
I remember back to when I was trying to lose weight and having to re-train my brain to eat smaller portions. All I wanted to do was eat cause my portions were so small they would have only fed a sparrow. Now I am always hungry cause my metabolism has sped up so much I am burning more than I can put in and I even think I can put Fred Flintstone to shame eating the amounts I am beef I am eating. My body is obviously craving protein and I can't seem to feed it enough. I guess it's ok considering everytime I exercise I am burning a tonne of calories. And if I don't fire up the engine with enough fuel then it's just going to burn out. And anyway, I feel in tip top shape doing what I am doing. The scales never show weight gain at the moment if anything they are either sitting pretty even or showing a slight deficit in the weight department.
I seem to be managing ok on my own so far.
I finally rode some of the M7 bike track today and it was a really enjoyable ride.The sun was out and there was a slight chill in the air. Before I started riding I decided I wanted to spend about 90 minutes cycling. I have to start getting used to spending more time on my bike, and today was the day I would start doing just that. So I put my Ipod on, reset my speedometer and off I set for a 90 minute pedal fest.
My journey to my turn around point at the 45 minute mark was challenging. There were some flat parts but mainly it was a series of up hill climbs. Not anything too serious but enough so that you could feel the burn. I have to practice getting out and staying out of the saddle when my legs are burning.I was watching other cyclists just burn it up the hills right past me and they were all leaning right forward and had their backsides right up and out. I tried doing it but my legs just kept giving way and I would have to sit. I guess everything takes practice, and the more you practice the better you get at it. There were times I was even keeping up with some of the younger, stronger cyclists or even making up ground on the hills. So I was pleased.
The way back was absolutely divine. Even though there were a few hills to climb, the majority of it was a nice downhill ride. I love riding my bike fast, what a buzz. So as a result of riding faster on my way back I shaved off 8 minutes and only rode the bike 82 minutes and a total of 29kms. A bit annoying cause I wanted to actually make it to 90 minutes but nevermind. Next time I will just go further, no big problem there. Today was a really enjoyable day and it was great spending it outdoors. I never realised how many people I would see out on the track this morning and they were all nice. Everyone of them said "
Good morning" to me. And this seems to be the norm wherever I am. Everyone I see either cycling, running or swimming acknowledges the other person. I guess that's what makes me like exercise even more.
I have finally found the image of my bike. This is him to a "T". Don't you just love him. I am still paying it off and probably won't have him till the end of June and I cannot wait to have my first ride. However before that glorious day I need to name him. I don't know why I think it's a "He" versus a "She", it just looks masculine. So I will have to search the internet for some names that do him justice. I would like something that represents strength, determination, courage, speed, bravery. Not sure if there is a name that accurately covers all of this but I will try to find it, because naming him "bike" won't do.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I did it. I am officially registered for Port Macquarie 70.3 in 2011. It's all paid for and there is no turning back, not that I would, but it is now totally for REAL. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and I am having waves of nervousness go through my body already. What will I be like on the day if just filling out an online form does this to me...lol. This has got to be the coolest feeling I have felt in a while. I keep looking at my online receipt to make sure it's genuinely for real. And yep, after about the 10th time of checking it I can safely say it is for real.
What made me want to sign up for this? What makes me want to put my body through the hours of training I am yet to attempt? Well, I think it all boils down to the fact that over a year ago I thought I was going to never be able to do anything physical ever again. I honestly thought that my life was going to be put on hold forever and I was going to have to learn to live with chronic pain. But a year later and many accomplishments under my belt and a new frame of mind I now realise that I can pretty much do anything I set my mind to. So why not a 70.3.
I look forward to the challenge.
If I could rate my day today and how I performed I would give myself an A+. I felt so on top of the world and wish now that everyday could be like today. Today I set myself the goal of running a route that I had only ever previously walk/run. It is 7km in length and one side feels a bit like cross country running and the other side is just road. So all in all I got a pretty decent workout. What made it even better was that I ran my 7km in 37.15 minutes and it didn't feel that hard at all and most important, nothing hurt.
Susan and I started off at a relatively decent pace and I do believe I kept it the whole way. The one thing I always find that take a bit of time to adjust to the increased workload are my lungs. They tend to burn for about the first 2km but after that they are ok and I just seem to breathe easier. I always carry my Ventolin inhaler with me just in case and have had to use it a couple of times as my exercise induced asthma likes to rear it's ugly head every now and then. It's a childhood thing that I have just learned to live with but never ignore.
As the run continued I just felt stronger and stronger to the point where I finished off in a full sprint. I could not believe how strong my legs felt at the end and I was happy to just go "full hog". And to top it all off when I finished running I was breathless for about 30 seconds and that's it. I recovered so quickly even I was impressed with myself. Susan just kept giving me compliments about how far I had come, gees it feels nice hearing it from a friend - especially one who is gifted in the running department.
I cannot begin to tell you how happy I feel. This walking on cloud 9 business is awesome and as a friend so eloquently put "if we could bottle it and take a swig every now and then" I think I would be the happiest woman on earth. But I am a firm believer that it is the hard times we go through that make these good times so worth remembering and hanging onto.
Ok, this is cool. My feet don't feel any worse for having run on then. For this I am extremely greatful. I ran my 4km in 22min 54 seconds and I have recovered relatively quickly post run. I did feel tired and hot during the run but I think I was running at a faster pace because I knew it was only 4km and I wanted to push myself a bit faster. And I never thought I would say this but I do believe I like the longer runs "Oh, shock horror". I like it because I can take it a bit slower and it takes me almost the first 2km to warm up and then once I am in a rhythm I just stick to it.
Today is Day 3 of taking my nutritionals and I look forward to taking my morning and night time doses. I also look forward to the devine pre/post exercise rub. Apart from smelling devine I can feel the relief, it's cooling action just soothes the area that feels inflammed. Not only do I use it as a definate before and after any activity, I rub it in before bed. Having read alot during my years of nursing I have realised that your body does alot of it's repair work whilst our body is asleep. So why not set it up properly by giving it a good base to work from.
Today has been a good test run and I am pleased with the outcome. Things are looking up.
Today was session two of the hills. Oh boy, memories came flooding back very quickly from last weeks attempt. There was an almost instantaneous rise of lactic acid in my quads to which I quickly told them to "toughen up". Believe me I wanted to stop on more than one occasion but I refused. My stubborness comes in handy sometimes and when it is in full swing I let it have it's way. Susan joined me today and I am safe to say that she was possibly cursing me on two of those hills. But despite this she still soldiered up those hills way faster than I did. All I could see was her behind disappearing over the crest of the hills. When I finally caught up all I could say was " OMG, don't talk to me yet, I can hardly breathe". Susan looked as refreshed as ever -
I wish.
I always think that it is amazing how when you know a specific track and it's intensity, your mind goes into this little "game play" mode and you start to almost question your ability. Annoying really. But I did it and that's all that matters. I just kept thinking to myself, this is going to make me stronger and I will benefit from this immensely. I can already feel my quads starting to bulk up and I like it. Having stronger legs will make my run leg feel easier "
I hope". Likewise continuing to run will make my legs stronger for the bike - it's a win/win situation really.
During this session I got to test out my new speedometer on my bike. Quite exciting really. This nifty little gadget tells me my average speed, maximum speed, distance travelled, time spent pedalling, revolutions. So on this session I travelled 21.4km in 1hr 14min with an average speed of 17kph and a maximum speed of 41.5kph - obviously that is cruising it down hill. I think at one point my slowest time going up hill was 9kph. You could have walked faster for sure, however the aim was to cycle up and not put my foot on the ground once.
As for how I am feeling physically, well, I must admit I do feel a little less fatigued and my feet don't feel quite as tender. Not sure if it's because I haven't run since Sunday or because I have started my nutritionals or both. I am tending to lean towards the nutritionals, but I am going for a run this morning so I will see how I pull up. It won't be a lengthy run, just 4km but this will be enough to see if things are starting to settle down. Wish me luck.
Your hard work will be rewarded.
"The path to a dream is paved with sacrifices and lined with determination. And though it has many stumbling blocks along the way, and may go in more than one direction, it is travelled by belief and courage and conquered with a willingness to face challenges and take chances" Barbara Cage
I made myself and the family a yummy tortilla tonight. It was made with potato, onion, eggs, ricotta cheese, fresh parsley and basil and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on top. And may I say it was exceptionally yummy. Taillah my daughter decided she wanted to add a salad to the mix and made a divine Carrot Salad. A totally vegetarian dinner and it was to die for. I can safely say now I am full, but prior to eating my meal and as I was cooking I was ravenous.
