PB!

Tonight i ran for 8km on the treadmill!  I never thought I could run 200 metres, let alone 8km!  I just love it, and my body is adapting, the clever thing!  I used to be really sore after a long run, but this past week?  Nothing!  I think my body is expecting it.  I've asked a lot from it in the past few months.  I'm like, "Yeah, I know I've sat you on the couch for the past 12 years, and I've fed you whatever we felt like, and never got above a slow walk, but, hey, how about we NOW get moving again and I'm gonna deny you anything that you're craving".  My body has risen to the challenge, and I'm so proud of it!

I'm going to slowly up the distance, as I head into my Fun Run season.  I have the Bendigo Bank 10km at  the end of Oct, the City to Sea in Nov, and I'm doing a 6km run in January.  I can't describe the way I feel when I run.  I think it's just that I've always aspired to be a "runner".  I love the lean, fit physique that runners have, as well as the awesome feeling that it must be to know that your body is capable of covering such distance.

I'm keen to weigh in on Wednesday.  I've lost 5kg thus far into my second round of 12wbt.  I'd lost more at this point last round, but I realise that it gets harder to lose it, as you get fitter and closer to your goal.  My goal is at the upper end of my healthy BMI.  I could probably lose more past this point, but if it happens, it happens.  I'm not gonna get stupid about it.  I already feel amazing, but don't want to use that as an excuse.

I'm gonna do 50 laps of the pool tomorrow.  My hubby told me tonight that his PB was 60 laps.  Of course, I aim to beat that, in a few weeks!  I used to swim all the time before I had kids, and I loved it.  My gorgeous daughter has been churning up the laps with me, over the school holidays.  I hope that, when she's old enough, we'll be going to the gym together.

Yay!

I mentioned a plateau-buster in my last post.  Woo Hoo.  2.1kg gone this week.  I knew it!  I was feeling very trim, very bony etc.  I am loving my time at the gym, and when people mention that it's not "sustainable" I have to question why they say that.  Some days I'm only there for an hour, other days I'm there for 4 hours.   I only work two days per week, and my kids are all at school.  I have time on my hands, so what else would I be doing.  Housework?  Overrated!  Making cards?  Haven't done that since May, don't miss it.  I find that if I put the effort in when I have the time, I'm a much nicer, happier, fitter person when I'm  not there!

I need to vent about my MIL.  She seems to be my biggest saboteur.  I know she'd be horrified to hear that, but it's true.  When I'd lost 8kg, with 27kg+ to go, she was telling me to stop!  A few days ago, she was coming around to pick up my kids for an sleepover.  She's wonderful to me, in so many ways, and yet....  I answered the door in my gym gear, as I was going there as soon as the kids were picked up.  Her reaction.  She laughed hysterically.  And laughed and laughed and laughed.  She said, "Sorry, but you're looking too 'sporty'".  I didn't respond (as I was pissed off) and she admitted that it made her feel bad to see me looking so fit, she felt bad that she wasn't.  Finally!  She admitted what I suspected all along.  Don't bother to project you issues onto me, I'm finally dealing with my own issues, and I'm doing quite nicely, thank you!

Summer is looming...

...bring it! I used to hate summer. Combine baring rolls of flab with horrid chafing = nightmare for the fat girl. This year, I'm craving some warm weather. I now feel the cold, I have a body that I'm happy to bare, and I hope that my chafing thighs are a thing of the past. I have yet to test this theory, so stay tuned! I had a very small loss last week, and was feeling crap. However, this week I have fitted into previously too tight clothing, and have had a lot of "have you lost more weight?" comments. I'm hoping that my mega exercise regime has finally smashed this plateau in the arse. I soo love my hubby. He told me that it's like he's having an affair, with a hot new chick. However, his "smokin ' new date" is his wife of nearly 15 years! Last night I was cutting some moves on the dance floor, while he watched. Later, he told me that I have "awesome back muscles". I never thought to look there! Last time I looked, I had back fat, so I'm very pleased. I love my new life. Honestly, nothing tastes as good as "fit" feels. Stuff skinny, I just wanna be lean and fit.

PS

I discovered today, that I need a mat beneath me when I stretch or do Pilates.  My newfound bones dig into the floor and actually hurt.

Woo fricken hoo!

Rockstar!!

That's me.  I'm a Rockstar!  4 months ago, I joined the gym, aiming to do some classes in order to mix it up a bit.  It took me another month to actually summon up the nerve to walk into the group fitness classroom, and then it was with a girlfriend at my side.

Today, for my SSS, I went in there, with two GF's, to do 4 classes back to back.  I woke up this morning feeling a bit nervous.  What was I on about?  It was easy.  Well, maybe not easy.  I had sweat slicking my  hair to my neck, and I couldn't feel my toes at one point.  However, we proved that we are strong, capable women who can do anything we put our minds to.  4.10 hrs later, and 1523 calories gone.

My next milestone is to conquer the 10km Fun Run at the end of October.  2 weeks after that I have a 14km run in Melbourne.

Who knew that this couch potato would be putting herself out there and living an active life?

I sort of thought that everyone was used to my new self, but today, 4 different people asked me if I'd lost more weight.  I can feel my face is more defined, and I think that my boobs are finally shrinking.  I'm still a bit sick of defending myself.  People keep asking if I'm done losing weight, and I smile firmly and tell them that my BMI still classes me as "overweight".  I need to stop listening to these people.  Even my gorgeous hubby asked me if I only had "about 2 more kilos" to lose.  Bwahahahaha.  No, my love.  Try 11kg.  Compared to where I was, I would probably be happy here, but since I'm such an "all or nothing" sort of person, I strive to achieve my goal.  And achieve it, I will!

I was rude...

... to my mother-in-law!

I sorta knew it was coming.  I hadn't seen her since late June, so I'd only lost 9kg or so.  She told me back then that I "didn't need to lose any more weight". Hello 22+kg and I knew she'd have something to say.  Predictably, she marveled at my weight loss, then told me to stop now.  When I said that I still have a way to go, she gave me the deep, intense eye contact stare, and said, "Really?".  As though I have  a problem!  I matched her stare and said, "Really!  I'm still overweight, according to my BMI.  When I get back to "normal", I'll be sure to let you know, and then I'll stop losing and start maintaining".

Honestly...  I know that it's more about her issues than mine.  I also know that, due to loose clothing, some people didn't realise that I have so much weight to lose.  However, I am pretty fricken far from anorexic.  Check in with me when my collar bones can shave ice.  Then we'll talk.  At the moment, I'm flat out rediscovering those bad boys!

Oh no!

So, after a few niggling aches and pains, I think that the time has come to seek treatment, and that I might actually be injured.  Goddamit!  I've been ramping up the running program for the past 6 weeks.  I did the C25K up until Week 5, and once I could run for 20 mins straight, I put myself onto the EI10K in order to prepare for the 10km run that I was "bullied" into signing up for!  That's on Oct 30th, so I need to get cracking.

Today was such a beautiful day that I decided to go run outdoors.  I need to do more of these, as running on the treadmill is SOOOO much easier than actually running outside in the real world.  Yesterday at the gym I noticed a pain in my left shin as I ran.  It went away very quickly after stopping, so I didn't give it another thought.  Today, when I ran outside, it nearly crippled me.  I kept going, to a degree, then decided to just power walk the rest of the run.  I still did 9.5km in total, and burnt a load of calories, but I'm concerned.

I've had shin splints before, and this feels different.  I'm going to run in the pool tomorrow, to give it a rest.  I might even try to cut a few laps!  I used to swim, swim, swim, but the last time I tried it, I was fat and unfit and nearly died halfway down the 50m lane.  I'll be interested to see how I go, actually.

Hopefully, it's just a teething pain and with a couple of days of rest, it'll settle down.  I, perhaps, need to remember that I am 40 now, and not a teenager anymore, regardless of how amazing I feel these days.  Most "older" people I hear about who run, say that they need a rest day in between runs in order to avoid injury.  Why did I think I could run 6 days per week?

I hope that the rest of my 12wbt family had great results today.  I dropped a further 1.4kg and am thrilled.  I thought that I had 15kg to go to my goal, but due to pre-season and my ingrained exercise habits, I've only got 11.9kg to go!

I'll try to run again on Friday.  If it's still bad, I'll go back to the awesome Sport's Physio that I saw a couple of years ago when I had a stress fracture in my foot.  He'll sort me out!