I set a new PR for myself. Finally I feel all my hard work with regards to my running is finally paying off. I am so glad my best friend pushed me or I would have not achieved it on my own I don't think. I ran my 3km in 15min 6 secs and was astounded by my pace. I not once looked at my watch, I just wanted to see how it felt to run at a certain pace without feeling the pinch of the minutes ticking by.
Just prior to starting off my best friend Susan had said to me "when you start, set yourself a pace that you will be able to keep for the whole distance". Mmmmmm, must remember- when one feels rested try to not get too excited and take off at a Gazelle's pace. Susan was not going to let this pace slide into that of a sloth, she is very good at keeping pace - and that is what she did for the whole 3km. I am now glad she did - because it means I can do it. Something I thought I could never do - I now know I can.
I know this new found confidence in my running ability will push me to strive further and harder for a faster 2.5km in my next Triathlon. Rather than doing a 14.01min for it, I am hoping to do 12 mins if not a bit faster. We are now heading into our colder months so the Tri season is coming to an end, this means my next Tri will be in October. I have another 7 months of training to help get me ready. My next Triathlon should produce results that should make my eyes water. With tears of joy of course.
Yesterday I went bike riding with my mum who is 63 years old. Mum hasn't ridden a bike in around 40 years and to see her enjoying herself was absolutely priceless. I must admit, when mum told me she wanted to come riding with me I was a tad scared. I had visions of mum going into some crazy wobbles on the bike and landing face first in the lake, or worse still breaking an arm. That blue wrist strap you see in the photo is hiding mum's latest scar. About 3 months ago she fell over in the bathroom and broke her wrist. I didn't want that happening again. And it didn't.
My mum is one resilient and talented young lady. She got on that bike like she had never been off it. Obviously tackling some small hills were a bit of a challenge but she still did it. What a woman. The only thing I needed to help with was setting the bikes gears onto a setting that was manageable for mum. So off we set for one loop of the lakes which is a 5km distance.
I remember starting off back when I first got my bike and thought that 5km hurt bad, but not my mum, she smiled the whole way. Her laughs could be heard I am sure from the other side of the lake's system. She pedalled really easily and you could see her mind wonder back to the days when she was younger and would ride with her brother. Mum often recalls those memories with such affection but also with a yearning to get back what she once had. And why couldn't she. Every Tuesday is now our day where we go and have fun bike riding.
I look forward to watching mum enjoy herself every week. And set new challenges for herself on a weekly basis. I love her lots and love seeing her happy.
I had an absolute ball at boot camp today. There is nothing like getting flogged silly at the seaside. As you can tell by the photos the weather was overcast, this was definately in our favour. Had it of been sunny the sand would have been scorching hot and we would have been fried to a crisp. Being cloudy meant that the workout didn't feel too hard. As I started to feel too hot, I could actually cool down by running through the water.
We ran up and down sand dunes, commando crawled on the sand - without the use of our legs.
Totally hard, but well worth the sores I got on my elbows. We also played frisbee and touch footy. All in all it was about 2 hours of good old fashioned hard work mixed with fun. Kelly, Barry and I finished off with having a swim in the cool ocean. I even body surfed - I haven't done that in years. I loved it.
Wow, I am 36 today. So far, doesn't feel much different to yesterday when I was 35. But boy does it feel vastly different to when I turned 35. Hugely different. On my 35th birthday I was 20 kg's heavier, hugely depressed, in chronic pain and was starting to think to myself, if this is what the remainder of my life was going to be like, I wasn't sure if I could stand it. Everything seemed so insurmountable, even getting out of bed. I couldn't even get myself going for my children and husband. What a shame it would have been if all my children knew was a sad and angry mother.
Fast forward 12 months and I am a shadow of my former self physically, but mentally I am a totally different person. Nothing seems to get me down now. Everyday is a blessing. I am thankful for everything even the tough things that are thrown my way. I can do anything I set my mind to all I have to do is believe.
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 set a new PR for myself. Finally I feel all my hard work with regards to my running is finally paying off. I am so glad my best friend pushed me or I would have not achieved it on my own I don't think. I ran my 3km in 15min 6 secs and was astounded by my pace. I not once looked at my watch, I just wanted to see how it felt to run at a certain pace without feeling the pinch of the minutes ticking by.
