5km best-to-date

I mentioned when I ran my 10km event last month that I was training to try to achieve a 5km personal best (noting that a PB for me is probably much slower than for most people)...and I'm pleased to report success on that front.

I headed to the very pretty Beach Road with a speedy girlfriend last weekend, for what I thought would be a flat and easy run. Boy, was I wrong?! Melbourne has been experiencing some crazy weather of late and the coast, typically the windiest of all locations, was probably not a prudent choice in light of this. The bureau even issued a wind warning (which sounds like something I issue after eating too much curry...). I digress! It was certainly a very picturesque spot, despite the wind.

The run was an out and back portion of the road and the entire way out (2.5km) was slightly uphill with an extremely strong headwind. I was utterly stuffed by the time we turned around and contemplated easing into a walk. I knew, however, that I'd be disappointed with myself if I did so, so persisted with my slow waddle.

The second half of the run should, theoretically, have been easy - tail wind and slightly downhill. While this was indeed a welcome relief, I was so exhausted from battling the wind on the first half of the course that I could barely pick up any pace.

The outcome? Well, I didn't crack the sub-32 minute goal I had in mind, but was only seconds off it at 32:37. Yes, it was considerably slower than many of my training runs, but still a good'un and a personal best (given my training tends to be divided up into intervals that include walking segments).

Upon reflection, maybe it's a good thing that I didn't crack the illustrious 32 minute mark - gives me something to continue to work towards and aspire to....

Onwards and upwards! 

August update

Things have been busy for me in the last month - more time at work, more time running and less time blogging. That's why I thought I'd share some highlights of the last couple of weeks.

1. A new toy.

Our rice cooker recently had a meltdown and committed suicide in fairly dramatic fashion. I knew he (she?) wouldn't be long for this world the day I bought him...for $9! This time around, I opted for a device that could do more than just steam rice and bought a pretty sexy five-in-one contraption that steams, pressure cooks, slow cooks, fries...and has some soup function that I'll never use (this one's definitely a "she"!). We've been experimenting with the slow and pressure cook functions over the last few weeks. Highlights have included flaked lamb shank ragout, a slow-cooked American-inspired chicken dish (that was, among other things, cooked in pickle juice!) and a Moroccan lamb stew (pictured).

2. More cycling.

We have enjoyed some warmer weather down in Melbourne and my beloved and I have seized the opportunity to squeeze some more cycling into our lives.

Bikes pictured in Southbank, Melbourne.

3. Markets. 

We're about to head overseas for a few weeks (fear not - there'll be updates, as always!) and find markets to be great places to stock up on presents for our OS pals. Locally made products always seem to please....not to mention the benefits for the shopper - sunny weather, beautiful scenery and crepes smothered in Nutella!

Images from the Southbank Sunday market, Melbourne.

The Age Run Melbourne 10k - race recap

As promised, here's my recap of The Age Run Melbourne 10km event held on Sunday. 

The weather was absolutely horrendous on Saturday. I believe it may have been one of the coldest July days on record in Melbourne. It was certainly one of the wettest...not to mention the icy winds! I was absolutely terrified we'd have a similar day for the run, but by the evening, the weatherman was assuring me that rain would be, at worst, light. 

I woke up with a sore throat and achy glands, but I wasn't going to let that deter me. Although it was dark and chilly, I could tell the day was going to be an okay one for running. Win!

I forced my beloved to get up early with me. As my live-in barista, his mad espresso skillz have rendered me dependent on a nice brew to start the day, and this day was no different. Along with my flat white, I had two pieces of chia bread toast - one with peanut butter and the other with Vegemite (Aussie gold, for any unacquainted readers) - a glass of water and my usual vitamins.  

Then it was off to meet one of my friends who was also competing and, quite fortunately, lives only 15 minutes (by foot) from the starting line. Car park win! We rugged up and wandered down St Kilda Rd to Federation Square in the heart of the Melbourne CBD. There, we collected our race packets and spent the next 45 minutes huddled for warmth and queuing for the toilet. After dropping off our bags and additional clothing, we headed towards the start line and this happened:

Sunshine!!

There were thousands of participants in the 10k event alone (nearly 8,000, I believe) - plus there were also 5km and half marathon events on the day. As such, there was definitely a little waiting as wave after wave were started and we shuffled our way forward. 

At one point, the announcer made the comment that in the wave ahead of me, the leader of the Australian opposition was about to start the 10km event. Now, I am not, have not and will never be a supporter of this man. However, irrespective of political leanings (and, let's face it, there's no longer a way to lean in this country - grrr!), I thought about how blessed we are to live in a nation where our political leaders can feel comfortable enough to complete a fun run with the rest of us. I honestly cannot see that happening in many other developed countries.

And then....we were off! 

As I'm training to achieve a few personal goals in a 5km event next month, I wanted to take this event pretty casually and decided, with the help of coach extraordinaire, Julia, that I would walk a minute of every kilometer of the race. Well, that was all good in theory, until I couldn't work out how to get my Garmin to display time elapsed and had to guesstimate. As a result, I applied my own run/walk approach. I ran the first two kilometres (I was going to walk at the end of the first, but remembered that virtually the entire second kilometre was downhill and it wouldn't be very strenuous to jog) and, at the first hill, I thought "uh huh, this is my new plan - walk the worst hilly bits"...and that's exactly what I did. About 7 or 8 times through the event, I conserved my energy by walking up the steepest hills.

Now, I know this was a timed event, but I'm going to report on what my Garmin told me....because there was a MASSIVE bottleneck under a bridge next to the Yarra River in Richmond (along the northern bike path for anyone who rides into Melbourne from the east), where not only were we all forced to walk, but there was even a period where I came to a complete standstill thanks to a whole bunch of walkers blocking the narrow pathway. I didn't personally have a problem with the stop (though couldn't help myself turning to the bloke next to me and informing him facetiously, "that's it, PB is shattered"...teehee!). I estimate that this delayed me by about an extra minute, which is reflected in my Garmin times, but not in the overall race times.

Anyway, let's back track a little. 

Kilometre 1: 6:19

The adrenalin kicked in as soon as I heard the starting gun and I jogged off feeling great. There was one hill in this first part of the course, but aside from that, it was largely flat. I listened to my breathing and simply felt great to be participating in this event with the extended Melbourne community. 

Kilometre 2: 6:08

Downhill!! This portion of the course was almost entirely flat and downhill. I definitely could have pushed harder, but Coach Julia's words were echoing in my ear - 10km is a long way - you need to conserve energy at the start of your run. I was feeling simply sensational at this point!

Kilometre 3: 7:27

My first walk was during this segment - up a pretty steep hill. I then recommenced jogging, turned a corner and was faced with yet another hill (right next to the Royal Botanic Gardens). Instead of forcing myself to jog up it, I slowed to a fast walk again. I was grateful, as it meant I could fly down the notorious Anderson St hill and make up a bit of lost time.

Kilometre 4: 6:41

Kilometre 5: 6:47

The next two kms were an out and back section along the south bank of the Yarra River (i.e. down Alexandra Ave for the Melburnians). This was one of my favourite sections of the event last year and it remained so this year. It's long and flat, with a couple of music stages and a drink station. As I approached the turn around point (probably around 4.5km through), the musical duo were playing an acoustic version of Easy (i.e. like Sunday morning). I kid you not, I got teary. Why? I cannot tell you - I just felt so blessed at that very moment to be out running in such a beautiful city. I do wonder if running somehow heightens your emotions - any thoughts on that?

I finished 5kms in 33:22 and felt fresh, happy and invigorated. I certainly hadn't pushed to my limits and I'm thus pretty stoked with the outcome of the first half of the run. As a consequence, I'm going to modify my 5km time goals for next month accordingly. 

Kilometre 6: 6:45

It was during this segment that the aforementioned bottleneck/standstill incident occurred. Towards the last part of this section of the course, I started to find that moving from a walk to a jog was increasingly difficult. Once I started jogging, I was fine and moving from a jog to a walk was also okay. However, getting back into that bouncy gait after walking was tough. I think my butt, calves and feet were beginning to feel the distance. No matter, I just kept up the jogging lightly and soldiered on.

Kilometre 7: 7:17

All was going along relatively smoothly. And then this happened.

That's right folks, your favourite "unco" did it again. My foot landed on an uneven piece of curb, my ankle rolled and, no doubt, hyper-extended, and then over I went. I grazed my "good" knee pretty impressively, but I was more annoyed about putting holes in yet another pair of expensive leggings (any Lululemon executives reading this, please note that you should definitely send me a new pair of running leggings...with a zip waist pocket, if possible. Pretty please!). 

The fall was a bit humiliating. Everyone around me was so lovely and concerned, asking if I was okay and needed help. I pulled myself up, dusted myself off, thanked everyone for their concern and shot them the biggest grin and thumbs up that I could muster to let them know I'd be okay. The knee wasn't too painful at the time - I was far more concerned about my ankle, which was a wee bit tender. 

So, what's a girl to do when she falls over spectacularly? Jump right back up and start walking/jogging again. I knew from prior basketball experience that I hadn't sprained anything, but that once I cooled down I'd likely be a wee bit sore - i.e. best to keep moving. 

Kilometre 8: 7:07

I think it's around the eighth kilometre mark of Run Melbourne that the course takes you over a long foot bridge in the heart of the Richmond sporting precinct. This may well have been the toughest part of the course for me. I knew that slowing down to walk would mean it would be difficult to get back into a jogging rhythm and the overpass, while not especially steep, was looooong (and virtually all uphill!). I waddled my way over it (by this stage, I wasn't lifting my knees much and I'm sure I could have walked faster!) and was glad to come down and out the other side.

Kilometre 9 and 10

I chugged along and was beyond relieved to see the marker for the final kilometre of the run. I remember from last year that there's one mammoth hill (Wellington Pde South) before a 500 metre downhill/flat dash to the finishing line. I made the decision to walk up the hill (evidently the correct one, as I was even passing some stubborn joggers who refused to walk!). Once at the top, I knew all the tough bits were over and I could enjoy the last 500 metres. I bolted down that last hill and sprinted to the finish line. It never ceases to amaze me that even though EVERYTHING hurts, I somehow have enough energy to sprint to a finish line - just goes to prove that you can always push a little harder than you think you can. 

My final time? Garmin says: 68 minutes, 44 seconds

In the back of my head, I was hoping for a sub-70 minute result, given that I knew I'd be walking throughout (mind you, I had told myself that it would be very unlikely). My official race time is also sub-70 - yesssss! 

Upon reflection, I am super dooper proud of myself, especially given how sore I am today in all sorts of places I didn't know could hurt! 

After collecting our swag we wandered back to the apartment, I cleaned up my knee and it was time to relax and recover - a big bubbly spa bath, followed by pizza and beer. Bliss! 

A frolicking update

You may have noticed a little badge on the side of my blog that links to some of the "frolicking" I've been partaking in of late - namely, an online running course for women of all abilities - Up & Running.

Until my knee reconstruction nearly two years ago, "just running" was always in the too-hard-no-fun basket. Basketball was fine, as was bike riding, but running? No way! I even recall informing a former colleague that my body was "not designed" for distance running, like his - I'm too tall (nearly 6 foot), all sorts of bendy flexible, a tad knock-kneed and my legs are too long. Crazy, right?! He, and my other friends who ran, all had a lower centres of gravity and were just a bit more compact/sturdy-looking than yours truly. In any case, it's a ridiculous assertion - I'm clearly aware that the top marathon runners in the world are long and lean (that lean part is still a work in progress for me, mind you!).

It wasn't until I was told by my surgeon that I had to temporarily steer clear of sports with lots of sideways movements (e.g. basketball) that I even considered running as an exercise possibility. These instructions coincided with increased reading of some great blogs, whose authors happen to be avid and very talented runners - like Meghann and Monica.

As a result, in the last year, I've participated in a handful of fun runs (around five) - all of which (perhaps with the exception of one) I've really enjoyed. However, my training was, at best, sporadic and, at worst, non-existent. I simply relied upon the fact that in a previous life I was vaguely sporty and that I was doing a couple of group fitness classes each week and could therefore push myself to move a little faster than a walk.

To be honest, I have been pretty disappointed with my results (there's probably a reason they didn't appear on this blog...at least not with any sort of transparency!), but that's unsurprising. What did I expect? I wasn't putting in the hard work and, while I could achieve the distance, my times were slow (I think my best 5k attempt was a wee bit over 35 minutes - i.e. a slow jog the entire way). I realise that this may represent a good time for some, but being a (then) late-20s, historically sporty person meant I had and continue to have higher expectations.

Fast forward to today - five-and-a-bit weeks into my Up & Running 5km course. I've been completing three  running workouts per week (typically coupled with two strength-focused group training sessions with my friends at work), with each pushing me slightly further than the week before. I am totally in love with the amount of support I have received through the program, both from its administrators and participants. These ladies actually make you want to get out there and have a crack, in spite of the many obstacles life throws in our way.

Wanna know what else is really cool? I'm actually looking forward to my runs. For the first time in my adult working life, I'm excited for 4:00pm to roll around so I can get out of my work clothes and head out into the fresh air and spend some undisturbed time with me, myself and I. Mind you, I imagine my colleagues are less than impressed when I wander back in 35 minutes later smelling like a sewer and continuing to work!

With another few weeks remaining of the program, I have booked myself into a 5km fun run and have a clear time goal in mind that I'm working towards. The thought of this makes me simultaneously excited and nervous (What if I don't achieve my goals, in spite of all my hard work? What if I do?).

This weekend, I have another challenge - one I signed up for well before Up and Running was on the horizon and thus before establishing my 5km goals. Months ago, a girlfriend asked me to run/walk with her in the Run Melbourne 10km event. I was happy to oblige, feeling somewhat confident that my fitness abilities would be slightly higher than hers and that I could offer her the support and encouragement needed to get through the event. Since this time, she has injured herself and will not be participating and so, I'm going it alone.

I have a set run-walk plan in place and I'm just going to enjoy the atmosphere of the event - i.e. not push myself. I intend to conserve energy at the start of the race and try to complement rather than derail my 5k training. So...watch this space. I shall report back in the not too distant future and hopefully won't be caught doing something as silly as this...though you never know!

30 before 30: #11 - lose 5kg

When I came up with my 30 before 30 list, I thought achieving my 11th goal of losing 5kgs would be the hardest of the lot. Since my knee reconstruction, I had let my eating habits get the better of me and was no longer listening to my body about what it needed in terms of energy.

I am pleased to say that I'm down over 5kgs (WOOHOO!) and would ideally like to drop another 5kg to get smack bang into the middle of my healthy range (according to BMI).

I attribute my success to two key factors:

1. Sessions with my wonderful hypnotherapist... 

...who has helped "reprogram" (for want of a better term) my habits and behaviours with respect to eating. Seriously people, get yourself a hypno. Pronto!

I'm now eating (and, for that matter, living) much more mindfully and in the moment. I find myself listening to my body and more frequently asking if I'm *really* hungry, or just reaching for the biscuit jar out of habit. More often than not, it's the latter. There are no rules or calorie restrictions - it's all about eating when I'm hungry, enjoying my food and not over-eating. You can't get any more simple than that, right?! The changes I've made are both empowering and liberating, and I'm glad to be back in a healthy and sustainable head-space when it comes to my eating habits.

2. More moving!

I am close to half way through completing the Up & Running 5k program. This is the brain child of the brilliant Shauna Reid and coach extraordinaire, Julia Jones and provides a virtual training program  for women with the goal of completing a 5km run at its conclusion. I cannot endorse the program highly enough - the support and bonding of the women involved keeps participants accountable and, on a personal level, keeps me striving for success.

Although I have run a number of 5km runs (i.e. doing the course wasn't about achieving a distance goal), my times have been extremely slow. This is unsurprising given that in the past, I've done no more than about two training runs before every fun run. However, this time I've set myself a time target that I'm working towards and have a fun run locked in in mid-August.

In between my three running sessions per week, I'm participating in work-run group fitness classes twice a week and the odd game of basketball here and there. I realise that this is a lot of activity and am very carefully monitoring my body. I expected that I'd be feeling sore and run down as a consequence of all this moving (especially through this cold winter), but instead I'm feeling energised and very healthy. Win!

As an aside, one of the coolest parts of my three weeks of regular running has been seeing the definition that is developing in my thunder thighs. They are still thunderous, but there are muscles under the thunder. Muscles, I tell you!

Anyway, enough rambling. To sum it up, I'm feeling fit, healthy and positive - a good place to be when one is about to enter their thirties, me thinks!

30 before 30: #13 - do some sort of physical activity every day for a week

Most of my 30 before 30 challenges are fun, achievable goals. Some are less achievable and some are less fun. My latest accomplishment probably falls into the latter category. It started off as fun, but ended with the need for a massage and a pretty shattered body.

My goal to exercise every day for a week started strongly with the inaugural Melbourne Glow Run (which I posted about here). This activity was followed by a day spent doing quite intensive work in our garden in preparation for Winter (I'm claiming it as exercise irrespective of what anyone says!).

Days three and four comprised a 3.5km run and a 1.5km run followed by an intense strength session respectively.

Day five was when the pain *really* kicked in. I was required to do some fitness testing for a bootcamp-like program in which I participate twice a week (it's kinda like a bootcamp with very malleable, nice instructors). The testing comprised the dreaded beep test, some timed suicides, flexibility testing, max push-ups, planks etc. You know, the usual array of torture...

Although I knew that I had really improved in my fitness over the last couple of months, my body was so utterly wrecked from its five-day slamming that it just shut down and my results did not reflect any improvement. My calves cramped well before I could attain a strong (for me) beep test result and my upper body couldn't handle any of the tests - I think I held my plank for less than a minute(!) - I just gave up. I was pretty devastated and frustrated by the whole experience. On the plus side, my flexibility continues to be well above most of my teammates (yay for years of dancing when I was much younger and much more slender!).

The last two days of exercise were less intense. A couple of shorter walks and a remedial massage to end the week, complete with dry needling (which made a serious difference, might I add).

So, what did I learn? Well this:

Source

...and also that this sort of goal is probably not conducive to my wellbeing...unless my plan is to limit my ability to walk post 30! I think recovery and rest is so important for my health and is rendered even more so by the fact that only 19 months ago my left ACL was reconstructed. I think that at most, a couple of days "on", with at least one rest day is ideal for my lifestyle/body. Whether I can stick to such an activity schedule as the weather gets cooler is another matter altogether though....

30 before 30: #4 - participate in a fun run

After my "un-fun fun run" earlier in the year I resolved that fun run redemption was required. I wanted my next group run to be in a totally pressure-free, enjoyable environment...so, when I saw a newsletter advertising the inaugural Melbourne Glow Run, I knew it was meant to be.

This race was exactly what I needed. There were no timing devices, lots of ridiculous glow-in-the-dark paraphernalia and fantastic DJs pumping out music at around half a dozen spots on the 5k course. The atmosphere was absolutely buzzing and, despite the crisp temperature, people kept warm by boogieing by the main stage. The average age of the crowd was slightly younger than a typical group run, where most people seem to be about my age (read: late 20s, early 30s) - I guess the prospect of being in the city late while listening to loud clubbing music appealed to the underage crowd.

It was just as well the run wasn't timed, because there were some issues in the first kilometre, where the trail narrowed (under the Swan St bridge) and created a real bottleneck, slowing everyone to a walk for about 50 metres. It didn't matter though - people weren't at this run to PB - they were there to chase down the party!

I personally felt great throughout the run and, with the exception of the aforementioned spot of walking, managed to jog the entire way at a comfortable pace. In fact, with hindsight, I realise I was so conservative in my efforts that I didn't really get puffed at any stage of the run and could have definitely pushed a bit harder.

The Garmin said we finished in about 35 minutes. I'm pretty stoked with this given a) how comfortable I felt; and b) the fact that we stopped and boogied momentarily at each of the DJ tents on the course. It was also the first time that my beloved has run a 5km event and I'm so very proud of him!

This event has definitely spurred me on to participate in more runs throughout this year. There's something about the buzz of a group run that is definitely motivating and inspiring and each time I find myself in a pack of runners, I can't help but feel blessed - thankful that my body can carry me over distances and thankful that I live somewhere where running is a pleasure and not a means of survival.

Of course, no run is complete without pizza and I'm pleased to report that after completing the event, we left the dancers dancing and headed to our favourite local pizza joint for a good carb-fat fix.
A great night on all fronts!

Un-fun, fun run?

The stars were conspiring against me last night, as I lined up for my fourth fun run - a 4km trot around the Melbourne Zoo.

A brief history of fun runs a la Georgia:
I ran a mammoth 10km mid last year - my first ever race and one that I had done zero (and I mean zero!) training for. My goal? To jog the whole way no matter how slowly. The result? Success. Must have been due to some residual fitness built up at a boot camp I'd been doing.
I then participated in two shorter runs with my beloved later in the year. Both were good fun and we PB'd (that's sporty parlance for achieved a personal best) in both.

Skip forward to last night - my first ever evening fun run. I'd had an epic day at work, was on antibiotics for an infected toe, oh...and about that infected toe...umm...ouch! All this, coupled with the fact that there were cool things to look at, like this Gorilla (we also spent time checking out the giraffes, zebras, monkeys and, somewhat less awesomely, a toilet block), and the crazy (and unexpected) hilliness of the course meant that what was meant to be a fun run turned into a very un-fun fun run.

Basically, what should have been a 25 minute jog (oh yes, we are *that* slow!) turned into a nice evening stroll around the zoo.

I suppose I shouldn't get too down about the event. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and our surrounds and I know that, given the circumstances, I did my very best. However, I still can't help but feel a tad frustrated.

I think there's only one way to proceed: fun-run redemption in the near future. I'll keep you posted.

A relatively healthy start

And so the intuitive eating began on the weekend. Overall, I was not altogether displeased. While I over-indulged a wee bit at a friend's 30th barbecue celebrations, the weekend was generally packed with fruit, veggies and a reasonable amount of movement.

"What were the highlights?", I hear you ask. Behold! A collage of my weekend:

1. Quick frozen veg and ham omelette with a sprinkling of hot paprika.
2. Breakfast at Bear Brass - perfectly poached eggs around the table. Mine were enjoyed with a side of bacon and a skinny flat white. 
3. Sampling of a new yoghurt - Roaming Cow. With a name like that, how could I possibly resist?! The verdict? Pretty tasty, but not overly sweet (two big ticks); however, I prefer my yoghurt a little less runny. 
4. Mum's famous bruschetta (recipe here) hastily eaten on a Salada (hey, the price of tomatoes practically requires taking out a second mortgage right now - you've gotta be quick!).
5. Breakfast smoothie: frozen banana, frozen blueberries, milk and a hefty dose of cinnamon. What does it spell? Delicious.
6. A 4-and-a-bit kilometre run with my beloved - a PB for us too (that's personal best in sporty parlance) - we're now reaching such supersonic speeds as 6-7 minutes per kilometre. I know, I know, Usain, Yohan Blake you guys better watch it - I'm hot on your tail!

Time flies...

Has it really been 6 weeks since I last blogged? How does time pass so quickly?

I thought I'd give everyone a quick run down of what's been happening in the ever busy, often crazy life of Georgia.

Life
Since I last posted, we've settled on our new house and have started making some cosmetic changes to the place. Specifically, we're painting all rooms (white, white and more white, thank you!) and changing a few fixtures to modernise the place (photos forthcoming).

At the same time, I've started my last (I can't believe I can now say last!) semester of my MBA. Now that the light is well and truly at the end of the proverbial tunnel, I'm getting very excited about the prospect of reclaiming my evenings and weekends. At the time of my graduation, it will have been 5 years since I commenced post graduate study. Moreover, I have been working full time for the entire duration of the course. I must not get ahead of myself though, I still have two subjects to pass!

Eating
Now that we're "mortgaged" (it's kinda like married, but not as fun!) again, we've been trying to eat at home more regularly and bring our lunches to work to save money. This hasn't been as hard as we had initially anticipated. I'm particularly loving my Sunday afternoon cook-ups - huge quantities of casseroles, curries and fried rice have been especially popular for winter lunches.

We're not perfect savers, though - we've found more than a couple of excuses to eat out. Most notably, we spent a lovely, carnivorous evening at San Telmo. The chorizo and Estrelle Inedit (a wheat beer handcrafted by El Bulli) were particular highlights for me.


Exercise
I'm super excited to announce boast about my completion of a 10km fun run in July. Prior to my knee reconstruction, I had great intentions of running a 5km event (see here and here), but my grand plans were twice foiled. The first event coincided with a Summer unit in which I was enrolled and the second was only days after I busted my knee.

I was convinced to sign up for the 10km distance in July, because my mate and running buddy claimed it would be "better value for money" (yes, I'm also not quite sure about that logic!). With virtually no training (the furthest I had run prior to the race was 2km!), I set myself a goal of getting through the first 5km without walking. At the 5km mark, my slow jog felt good. I reevaluated my objective and set myself a new target - 10km without walking. The pace was extremely slow (70-something minutes) and the blisters became excruciating, but I DID IT! Less than a year after my full knee reconstruction, I achieved a huge fitness milestone. I am so proud!

In the weeks since the fun run, I've started to really enjoy my jogging. I am, however, still struggling with blisters in the arches of my feet and would really appreciate any advice from readers on how to manage this.

~

So there you have it - the last six weeks of fabulous food and a little frolicking in a nutshell. Stay tuned for more running adventures, a tour of our new house and a restaurant/product review or two.

Why I'll never do another spin class...

For uninitiated fabulous food followers, you may not realise that I had a full knee reconstruction in July after busting my ACL during a basketball match. Here's the grisly evidence:

I'm pleased to report that my recovery has been speedy and as painless as one could hope. Just last week, I was given the all clear by my surgeon to start slowly building up to a jog and to crack out the yoga mats - namaste!

Up until this point, I've been allowed only to ride my bike, walk or, rather comically, balance on one leg in water while my beloved used what he coined "turbulence sticks" to try to make me work to maintain stability. Thankfully, I love to ride my bike and did not want to overdo my rehab. This meant that until last week, this rather minimal level of activity suited me to a T.

Now that more strenuous activity is encouraged, I have decided to partake in a few classes (that do not require a great deal of lateral movement...yes, I'd still make a rather useless crab right now...) at the gym adjoining my work. My lunchtime yoga class was great - the instructor was amazing (I could have watched her headstand all day!), she was careful to ensure that I didn't contort myself into any potentially knee-damaging configurations and I felt stretched and rejuvenated afterwards. My evening spin class, however, was an entirely different matter!

Spin class participants are serious. Deadly serious. There is no fun, no spirituality and, for goodness sake, no smiling! Earnestness aside, there was pain...lots of pain...and not nice thigh burning quadricep pain. Oh no, this was numbness in my right foot, a massive whack to my recently reconstructed knee (yes, apparently one can injure oneself by bashing one's knee into the central bar of a spin bike) and, oh my goodness, "ladybit" pain. I'm convinced that the comando-style instructor has numb privates...or at least uses some sort of local anesthetic pre-class.

Strangely, as someone who adores bike riding, spin classes are just not for me. As I dismounted my heavy metal torture device (and feeling returned to a couple of places) I could not wait to hightail it out of the centre. En route to my car, I sauntered past a couple of basketball courts. The melange of basketball aromas (sweat, polished floor boards, the odd human skid mark...) hit me like a tonne of bricks. I kid you not, my eyes got a little moist (lame, I know!). In less than seven months I'll be back out there, throwing myself around like a crazy woman, but in the meantime, I have to find some more challenging (and importantly enjoyable) activities to get stuck into. Any thoughts?

ACL update

Thanks for all of your encouragement and well wishes while I've been out of action. I'm pleased to report that the surgery went well (at least that's what the surgeon's telling me!). I'm still struggling a little with the pain management side of things, but feel well enough to resume blogging. It's going to be a long and, at times, painful road ahead, but I hope it'll all be worth it when I hit up the basketball court in a year or so!

Please stay tuned as I resume my EuroTrip2011 trip report - still to come:

• San Sebastian
• Porto
• Lisbon
• Albufeira
• Seville
• Granada
• Rafelguaraf
• Barcelona
• Marseille
• Vernazza
• Florence
• Lucca
• Rome
• The Italian Riviera
• Kuala Lumpur

Hold on to your hats! 

Mid-Eurotrip update

I apologise for breaking the long string of daily EuroTrip2011 blog posts, but I feel compelled to let you all know that I will be missing in action for the next few days, as I am scheduled to have my left knee reconstructed.

For the morbid among us, feel free to read my posts on how the injury occurred and the diagnosis.

In any case, I shall be back and rearing to update you on the fabulous latter half of our holiday in a few days. Hopefully, these updates won't be written in a drug induced haze...though that could make for interesting reading! See you all on the other side of my ACL reconstruction!

Things are looking up!

Yesterday was the day I was meant to run 5km for Christchurch and, as you know, this attempt was thwarted by a knee injury that occurred last Sunday. Indeed, most of this past week has involved me lying on my back with an elevated leg or running (no pun intended!) from physician to scan to surgeon. And the verdict? Totally busted anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), cracked cartilage and a helluva lotta bone bruising.


By very early in the week, it was apparent that the injuries sustained were much more than bruising and muscular strains. Check out the swelling (or look away now - I understand if you're squeamish!):

I took the news well and was optimistic about my plans to head to Europe at Easter. However, by midweek (and one day prior to a scheduled appointment with my surgeon), my positivity began to flag. Perhaps he would tell me that I couldn't fly. Perhaps I would not be fit to walk by then. At 11am on Wednesday, my mood took another blow, as my hot water tank burst, spewing bubbling water and steam across my parquetry floors. Being immobile, I called my beloved for assistance (he's seriously been my rock/man-slave this week - I will be forever grateful!) and a few plumbers and sparkies (that's "Aussie" for electrician) later and the problem had been rectified...albeit at a cost. The day was nicely rounded out when Pickle decided to have a piddle on the floor. TRIFECTA!


Here's the little jerk. How can I stay mad at a face like that?

As I prepared to see the surgeon on Thursday, I braced for the worst. Like all good surgeons, this one was socially inept, preferring to speak to his desk or the wall than maintain any sort of eye contact. I find such ostensibly antisocial behaviour comforting in a surgeon - as if, what they lack in social skills is somehow balanced by their ability to interact with an anaesthetised body...I digress!


I was advised that I would need surgery, should I wish to participate in any sort of activity that requires lateral movement in the future (basketball, skiing, tennis, running around corners etc.) and that until then, I'll be a kind of inverse crab (i.e. only able to move forwards and backwards). My star sign is Cancer, after all!


The good news? Surgery is not required until 2-6 months after the injury to ensure a better outcome in the long term. The even better news? I will be able to travel to Europe and partake in all walking (and maybe even some biking) activities, provided I build strength up in the leg to compensate for the missing ligament. HUZZAH!


So, there you have it. A knee reconstruction has been tentatively scheduled for mid-July (happy birthday, Georgia!), but I have *much* to look forward to before then, like sandwich cake in Sweden, snails in garlic butter in France, the generous breakfast spread provided by my German "family" and a good Malaysian curry or two to finish off.


Things are looking up!

...and sometimes the world seems to conspire against you...

So, once again I have publicly declared on this blog that I will run 5k and once again I will fail in doing so. I was so excited about the opportunity to run and raise money for Christchurch. However, it's not to be. Last night during a game of mixed basketball I *did* my knee. Really *did* it. Worse than ever before. The collision involved a male opponent, who was running backwards trying to intercept a high pass. Likewise, I was running forwards to intercept said pass. He backed straight into me and we ended up tangled and falling together - the lower portion of my leg at a decidedly obscure angle. He fell on my knee - all 100+ kgs of him (not that he's at fault - it was clearly an accident) and I could feel (maybe even hear?) a pop in my knee. Needless to say, I'm sure my screams are still echoing around the tinny stadium 12 hours later! 


After a trip to emergency and a handful of X-rays later the jury is still out. Apparently, there is far too much blood in the joint to ascertain the extent of my injuries. It's most likely a bad soft tissue injury, but I'll need an MRI once the swelling's subsided to determine exactly what I've done. At this point, I'm really hoping I haven't torn my ACL - please cross your fingers and toes for me! 


Now, given I can't put any weight on my left side at present, a 5k seems totally impossible in the near future. Nonetheless, I'm glad to have been able to provide a small donation to this important cause and I urge you all to do the same. 

Running for Christchurch

Yes, yes - astute readers will know that I didn't quite reach my February goal of running 5k, that I vehemently declared I would here. I was just thinking about how I could break this to blog readers, when I heard about Run for Christchurch. The idea is the brainchild of a bunch of Kiwi-based fitness bloggers who have put together this virtual 5k event to raise money to rebuild the city of Christchurch (where, incidentally, I have holidayed on two occasions). The minimum donation is a meagre $5NZD ($1 per km) and all proceeds go towards the Red Cross New Zealand Earthquake Appeal.  


I shall be donning my red and black (you know I'm serious, because normally I wouldn't be seen dead in the colours during the footy season!) the weekend after next and busting my gut to prove that I *can* run 5km. Who's going to join me, or at least join me in donating to this very worthy cause? 

Running shenanigans - a (second) brief update

I have some devastating news (oh, and I'm prone to hyperbolise if you haven't noticed!) - my 5k charity run is not to be. Late last year I decided to take a Summer MBA unit to expedite the completion of my degree. I noted down the class dates in my diary and then promptly forgot about them. When signing up for the race (clever little cookie that I am), I did not check my diary and surprise, surprise the two events clash. The $30 race registration fee is a slightly (understatement of the century!) smaller financial commitment than my MBA. So sadly, class wins out. 


I am now considering two options, because I will run 5k before the month of February is out. The first involves a run around the local park, using my RunKeeper iPhone application to track distance. The second involves registering for another local fun run. At this point I'm still undecided...but rest assured, I am determined! So determined, in fact, that it's time for some frolicking right now - basketball time (in lurid purple!) - gotta fly!

Running shenanigans - a brief update

It's been a while since I updated y'all on the progress of my running (read: slow waddling) endeavors, but I'm pleased to report that not all fitness was lost during the festive period. While I have certainly not managed as much training as I had hoped (1-2 times weekly is about all my life and body allow at present), I managed to run over 2km straight this week and felt I could have gone further. I pulled up at around the 2km mark because I want to be careful to ease into this new activity slowly. As a hyper-flexible and *reasonably* fit person, I'm all too familiar with my ability (talent?! hehehe!) to painlessly partake in certain activities only to find myself riddled with pain the following day. 


My 5km event is now less than a month away and I'm hoping to slowly build up from my 2km run this week. I realise this is ambitious and will be proud of myself for finishing the event irrespective of whether I am able to jog the entire distance.


**Note to any runners out there with an iPhone, the RunKeeper Pro app is free for the month of January - I have been using this (and previously the free version) and can certainly vouch for its ease of use and general niftiness!  

Travel

December 22 – Travel 
How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year? 
(Author: Tara Hunt)


Once again, today's reverb10 prompt comes at what seems like a very appropriate time. In fact, today will be my last reverb10 post, as I will soon be off exploring the world and away from my computer. To briefly recap on the year that was, travel in 2010 was not anywhere near as extensive or elaborate as it has been in other years. This year we are yet to travel abroad (however, this will be rectified in a matter of hours!) and have instead visited a number of places around regional Victoria...

...as well as spending a week in tropical North Queensland. 

Next on our list is one of our favourite destinations for relaxation and rejuvenation:

These are photos from our last visit. Can you tell that I'm literally bursting with excitement? A full trip report will be posted upon my return.  


While travel has been minimal (by our usual standards) this year, we made a conscious decision to make 2010  a low key travel year, as we are saving for our two month trip to Europe in mid-2011. To answer the second part of today's prompt, I would love for "Eurotrip" (as it's come to be known) to be filled with much laughter, discovery (especially in a food sense!) and new friendships. Our itinerary includes such cities as Dubai, Paris, Barcelona, Florence, San Sebastián, Munich, Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur...to name just a few! Jealous much?!


As this will be my last real post for the year, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers every happiness over the festive period. Have a brilliant new year and I look forward to catching up on all of your news upon my return! 

Season's Greetings!

Healing (oh the irony!) and C25K training

December 19 – Healing 

What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? 

(Author: Leoni Allan)

Today's prompt seems like a cruel, cruel irony right now. Despite this, it does lend itself well to a description of my day and my now delayed 5k running preparation. At around 7am this morning I decided to go for a 45km bike ride in Melbourne's east. Nearing the halfway point of the ride (a café, of course!), I rode off the bike path, onto the grass area next to it and, in attempt to get back onto the path, mistook the height of the asphalt and ended up sprawled across the pavement, missing quite a bit of my epidermis! Here's the evidence (*WARNING* slight gore factor, but I have refrained from posting the most gruesome bits):

Shredded 2XU compression skins - there goes $100...but better those shredded than my skin! Mind you, there's about a 4x4cm section of skin missing from my knee!

Elbow ouchies!

Even my thumb didn't escape the fall! (Note that the cats seem more interested in any potential food than their mother's wellbeing!)

My accident has two implications for today's blog post. Firstly, in response to today's reverb10 prompt, I can say that I really do hope that these physical aches and pains mend in 2011. Secondly, with regard to my C25K training, I might have to take it easy for the next week or so. Let's hope I can pull some miracle out of the bag for improving my endurance in January!