Tuesday, October 25, 2011

1426


I think nerves accounted for my lack of appetite today. I had my panel interview. I'm not sure how well I actually interviewed, the feedback being that I need to believe in my own skills a little more. However I also had some really positive feedback, so let's just wait for the official letter first before celebrations occur!

How I felt? I was a little hungry after my interview, I try to carry a bar around so I have a healthy option. It did the trick. Not pictured were the couple of rice cakes, few jellybeans and satay sauce that went with the rolls. They were accounted for though. Since I've been back on Fitday I've lost somewhere between 0.5-1kg. This is the desired effect!

What I'd do differently? Not much today. Lunch was seriously awesome as was dinner. I think the double dose of protein (smoked salmon & a boiled egg) at lunch helped. And all the veggies in the rice paper rolls were really filling.

Run: 36:25 | 6km | 6:04/km. Slower than anticipated, but again a "long run". No ITB issues, just an incredibly strong headwind for 3km.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Weekly goals revisited

1. 12,000 steps per day
The average over the week sees me hitting the target. Getting back into some longer rides helps!

2. Two kickboxing sessions (I haven't been in weeks)
Went Mon & Sat. Just have to get to Wed session.

3. Three runs
Yes. Or maybe 2 1/2? Does a small run off the bike count?

4. One bicycle commute
Two bicycle commutes. And two long rides. Bonus!

5. Five days of calorie deficit.
This was easily the toughest. Thursday I missed the mark, and I came pretty close yesterday to going over. The caramel slice was not a wise choice. But you've got to live a little, right? I usually wouldn't track weekends, but I think that's been detrimental in the past.

An hours ride does wonders for the calorie burned values. Riding to work on the fast bike is looking more enticing all the time.

Ride: 1:20 | 35.7km |26.7km/hr. Glorious day for riding. Found some additional road in which to take on a few extra km on my usual Williamstown ride.

Run
: 11m | 2km | 5:50/km. Run off the bike. I forgot how much this hurts.

Swim
: 39m | 1700m | 2:17/100m. I am ever thankful to J who agrees to meet me at the pool most Sundays. I'm not sure I'd have the motivation to go if it wasn't for him. 3x 500m. 2x 100 kick.

Sat: kickboxing: 45m. Seriously awesome class. One of the guys who trains with us during the week took the class. He's a machine and pulled out the moves on Sat morning. Best workout in a while. More Saturday classes, yes please!

Friday, October 21, 2011

1741


Today was far better than yesterday. A stint of casework in the morning saw me not eat or drink for five hours and left me with a debilitating headache and a feeling of faintness that I couldn't shake all day. Plus I was hungry. HUNGRY! Nothing seemed to satiate me. And thus I exceeded my calories burned.

I just had to jump back on the deficit bandwagon today. Coffee to start, followed by an egg scrambled with cottage cheese on a bed of spinach, with a toasted english muffin.
Homemade almond milk hot chocolate and cranberries. Moroccan Soup (whereby I omitted the raisins, but used a whole can of chickpeas = 215 cals per serve) with additional spinach. Sour cream & chive rice crackers - 2 serves, these could well be my downfall. Miso soup (it was cold here today!) and Vanilla tofu pudding (170 cals). Oh and tea, a few cups of tea.

How I felt? So much better than yesterday in terms of being satisfied. I am absolutely loving the lack of bloating. I even bought a new bikini today!

What I'd do differently? I could have had less for lunch and saved one of the pita pieces until later. I was pretty full after the bowl of soup.

Run: 21:21 | 3.8km | 5:36/km. There was a whole lot of procrastinating going on prior to this run. It was cold and a little bleak out. But I knew I'd feel better afterward. And yes, another run I live not to regret!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

One year on

Today I celebrated with a choc mint berry smoothie.
Why? It's my one year blogiversary!

200mL homemade almond milk
100g frozen berries
1 tbs drinking chocolate
Handful mint leaves.
(213 cals)

A year on and I'm still as excited as ever to get outside and get moving. I love this time of year as it gets warmer and there's more time between rainy days. At the moment I'm putting more emphasis on my food choices, so expect that to filter through here over the next month or so.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Lunchtime activity

I'm a bandit for not leaving my desk at lunch, I usually work through. So I was pretty happy to sign up for a run at lunch time with my workmates as part of the 10000 step challenge. It was hot, windy and hard work up the Anderson St hill, but so very worth it.

Run: 22:22 | 3.8km | 5:53/km. About 2 mins off my PB for the track, but considering it was so hot and I felt like I was running backwards for the last 1.8km, I'm ok with the time.

Commute: 1:15. Seriously questioned the wisdom of taking the slow bike out on a day blowing a hot northerly headwind. Going in was awesome, coming home not so much.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

1800 cals


This is what Monday looked like. Plus an additional coffee. And three clif shot blocks, not just the one. And yes, lunch was a protein smoothie, which isn't ideal, but I was time poor. I love sneaking "healthy/diet" food into the Man's day, even better when he enjoys the meal.

I rode & I kickboxed, I totally hit calorie deficit!

How I felt: Stomach wasn't overly pleased with a smoothie for lunch. I added more protein than usual and think it may have contributed to a stomach ache, but thankfully no bloating. It dissipated by late afternoon.

What I'd do differently: Add more veggies to my day. Lunch, I'm looking at you.

Tues; commute: 1:15 on the slow bike.

Mon; ride
: 1:18 | 33km | 25km/hr. I rode with my Mum and the group of ladies she's joined. A bunch of really nice women. Took it easy to Patterson Lakes with the group and then pushed it back to Blackrock into a headwind by myself.

Mon; kickboxing: 45m. I was dreading going back to class. Yes, I've lost fitness, but it's more incentive to go, right? PS. Skipping is hard. So is 10 x 10 sets of push ups with boxing between each set!

Monday, October 17, 2011

10000 steps

This is what I'll be wearing for the next however many weeks. It's 10,000 step challenge time at work again and there's already some smack talk being bantered around. No one wants to be the person on the team who didn't record their 10,000 for the day. And as a team captain, I'm aiming to go higher.

Getting through yesterday's fitness test has taken a weight off my shoulders. I feel as though I'm ready to get back into an exercise routine, rather than having a fear of aggravating my ITB.

Goals this week:
1. 12,000 steps per day
2. Two kickboxing sessions (I haven't been in weeks)
3. Three runs
4. One bicycle commute
5. Five days of calorie deficit.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Applicant 22

...you have passed the fitness test. Thumbs up and happy faces here. 6.10 on the beep test. Hell yes! So much easier running it in a group. I even think I could have kept going and I'm sure all my nervous energy would have contributed to a good result.

I'm off to have my first coffee for the day, the lack of caffeine has left me with a punching headache.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

1500 cals


I've got to get back on the Fitday bandwagon. I've watched my weight creep ever so slightly up to my uncomfortable point. I couldn't even begin to estimate what I've been eating per day at a guess between 1800-2000 cals. Which would be fine, if I was actually exercising. But I'm kind of not at the moment.

So today I wanted to be more mindful. I indulged over breakfast, coffee, french toast with raisin bread, stewed apples, strawberries & maple syrup (468). Lunch was a slightly less calorific affair, stir fry broccoli, fresh corn and home grown carrot, with chili, soy, lime sauce (143). A huge bowl of canteloupe, with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of almonds (184) followed not long after. Afternoon snacks included and orange and a piece of bread with almond butter (178). Dinner was tacos, with refried beans, avocado, low fat cheese, tomato & lettuce (520).

How I felt: There was no denying I felt hungry. Which makes me feel uncomfortable. But I didn't feel bloated either, which is awesome. I drank far more water than I usually would, and far less coffee.

What would I do differently?: Opt for a smaller breakfast. Add more protein. Particularly at lunch.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Resuming normal programming

Today was a good one and I felt like me.
I was able to let go of the anxiousness that Sunday's fitness test is causing me. What will be, will be.

Started the day with a commute on the Gazelle. There is no speed option but slow, whereby you just have to enjoy being on a bike. Do I ever. Then at lunchtime there was time to abandon my desk for a river run. It was an effort, but so very worthwhile. After the work day was done I walked into the city, encountered some huge sculptures, striking against the Town Hall and Cathedral (as part of the Melbourne Festival) and ate dumplings with a friend. Finishing the day off a ride home against the backdrop of a glorious sunset in time to view The Slap. Today bought me joy.

Ride: 1:15 | 20.3km | 16.24km. It's near on impossible to be fast, but still quicker than catching the train!

Run: 21:38 | 4km | 5:25/km. Longest run post ITB injury. Added an extra km and suffered not pain. It was windy and warm out, but seriously, I think this is a PB for 4km :).

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Ride to Work Day

I'm work's Ride to Work Day ambassador. I have been for years. I felt a little sham-like this year because it's been ages since I've spun the legs into work. But last night I packed my clothes, pumped up my tires and laid out my gear in anticipation for this morning, so all I had to do when I got up at ridiculous o'clock was get dressed and jump on the bike.

And you know what? It was bliss. Being so early meant fewer cars, trucks and cyclists to contend with. Plus I didn't have to sit idle for 10 mins as seems to be the norm on the train these days.

We had a great response at work with a total of 10 bikes racked. I organised a healthy breakfast, complete with bananas as a special treat for riders, which were well received.

I'm tempted to ride in again tomorrow!

Ride: 52m | 20.6km | 23.7km/hr. I had the path to myself this morning, but found this afternoon to be a little congested and as a result had to take it easy in parts.

Beep test: Level 7. Yesterday wasn't an anomaly.

Tues; beep test: Level 7. I freakin' made it, finally. It wasn't easy, but I got there. I know I am physically capable, I just have to believe it on the day.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Melbourne Marathon


I didn't get to run, my ITB injury put paid to that idea. Instead it was all about supporting. I rode to the start line and then around the course with M, to support P. A few people had the same idea, and good to see that the Melbourne bike share got a fair bit of use.

For the most part the weather behaved, I was a little worried for the runners when woken at 5:30am by belting rain but it passed over and apart from a light sprinkle it was clear, if not a little windy.

Our plan of attack was to ride to certain sections of the course to cheer. We had a trusty cow bell that actually garnered many cheers and thanks from the runners. A couple of times P spotted us first because we were making a small racket. Incidentally I overheard a runner remarking that Melbournians don't know how to cheer a marathon, but I can tell you there was a small group of supporters giving it their all at Domain interchange (where the barricades are in the top photo).

Sadly the finish line was a disappointment. At the same time the sub 3 hour marathoners were finishing, so were the sub 2 hour half marathoners. Because of the volume of people we missed P cross the line for 2:53:30*. This is where Gold Coast gets it really right. The 21km starts an hour before the 42km, so there's almost no overlap. Something to think about for MM 2012?

*That's an instant qualifying time for the NYC marathon. So excited for him!!

Sun; swim: 36m | 1700m | 2:07/100m. I was tired after the early start. There's no way I would have swum if it wasn't for the fact that I'd arranged to meet J at the pool. Not an awesome swim, but I'll take it.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Adjusting

We caught Gotye on Sunday night. A gig finally (that's another thing off the list) a thoroughly entertaining one at that. But it was late, and combined with daylight savings, mornings have been a little slow to start this week. It doesn't help that it's dark now when the alarm goes off. I am much better at getting up when it's light! I just love those weeks prior to daylight saving.

Run: 17:15 | 3.1km | 5:34/km. River run, pain free! Winning! Didn't really want to run two days in a row, but the weather looks like it's going to turn, so I made the most of it.

Tues; run: 17:54 | 3.24km | 5:31/km. River run. Slight aching in the knee, but all in all feeling better than Sunday.

Tues; beep test: Level 6.5.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Easy does it


I was recently given a huge jar of cherry jam. Not knowing exactly how I'd use that much jam, I did a little searching and found David Lebovitz's Easy Jam Tart. But there was tweaking. I wanted to see if I could make the tart Gluten free to expand my tiny repertoire. So I made a gluten free flour mix consisting of:
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup potato starch
1/3-1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp xanthan gum

I just substituted the gluten free mix in for the 1 1/2 cups of plain flour the recipe called for.

The tart was good, albeit crumbly - at a guess this was due to being gluten free or my slight over cooking! Regardless, this recipe is a keeper and so very simple. I cooked it on Friday night and it was even better Saturday afternoon at the 'G. Shame about those Pies...

Run: 17:54 | 3km | 5:58/km. A run! Sadly not exactly pain free. A dull ache certainly noticeable in my knee. Still a run! I'm excited and it makes me more determined to keep up with the icing and stretching and strengthening.

Beep test: Level 6.4. Just going for gradual improvement here. Again could feel my knee, but

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Monthly totals: September 2011

Run: 6:48:59 | 63.13km
Swim: 2:07:30 | 5900m
Strength: 1:30
Kickboxing: 2:45
Walking: 8:10

It wasn't quite the September I was supposed to have. ITB Syndrome derailed my marathon plans, and midway through the month I essentially had to stop running and start hip strengthening. As a result my kickboxing hours were diminished too.

That said I swam more this month than I did in the whole of 2010! I've enjoyed the swimming more than I'd expected and puts me in a good position if I'm to sign up for a triathlon or two this summer.

The first half of October is all about the beep test. On October 16 I have to reach level 6.10. I'm hoping that I can actually get higher than that in training. I'll also be looking at slowly slowly building up my running again. And get back on the bike. No cycling in September?? Eep!