Too much weight, not enough power

Activity: climb

Time: 1hr

I think I lost my groove a bit during our break (which doesn't bode well for our enforced Xmas break while the climbing wall is closed). I'm having trouble doing any moves which involve shifting my centre of gravity laterally & not having my feet right under me. Hopefully some strength work will help convince my mind that I can actually hang on while I move my feet!

The going gets good

Activity: run

Distance: 2.3km

Time: 25min

I crossed paths with S tonight, just as he was starting his run. Heading in the other direction, and I was in the zone (of pain), so nothing more than a smile/grimace & quick hello.

Other than that, I can feel muscles in my big toes. Is this a good thing, or do I need new shoes/orthotics? Frankly, I'd rather feel my toes than spend that kind of money right now. Maybe in January...

New plan

Activity: walk

Distance: 2.4km

Time: 35min

Instead of lazing about after dinner, I figured that a walk would be better than nothing. I think I'm onto a winner there.

Step 2

Tuesday

Activity: climbing

The trouble with not climbing for about a month is that the staff have plenty of time to reset the routes - all our favourites had gone! We managed 3 climbs each, which is standard, but they were all on the short walls, so we were done in about 1 hour. Not too bad though. 1 more week before the wall closes for Xmas, then C will probably drag me out for some day tramps. I was silly enough to express interest, so I can't really complain too much.

Step 1 again

Activity: run

Distance: 2.3km

Time: 20min

Not the best planned exercise, but I feel better for getting out there & doing it. As I knew I would. I've just got to remember that the afterglow is worth the pain.

Roll on March.

Round & round & round

Activity: aqua-jog

Yeah, lost track of time & distance. It's so easy to do when you're chatting away.

I hate Norwesters

Sunday

Activity: swim

Distance: 1000m

Just the thing on a hot afternoon: a swim in the outdoor pool at Jellie Park. Found out they had the lanes up at 4pm, which will hopefully continue for a few more weeks (until the weekends get really hot & the pool is full of play-swimmers). All the best intentions in the world don't overcome my inertia on weekend mornings.

Friday

Activity: cycle

Distance: 17km

Time: 53min

What a day to bike - SE head wind in the morning, screaming NW in the afternoon. I actually think my workmate who finished 30min after me may have got home at the same time as me.

Mental note: must get bike cranks checked. Lots of disturbing clicking on the ride home today.

Buggered

Monday

Activity: climbing

Just C & me this week, but it was a good one. The climbing room's getting warm up at the top! I finished the night off with a couple of hours of gardening with D & her mum, then did the inside of the house tonight after Guides. Hopefully we pass this inspection first go, then it's the home straight to the final inspection after moving out in January! I think this is the first time ever that I'm actually looking forward to moving. Take that Jannu Rentals, you've managed to motivate the slackest house mover in the world.

Struggle

Activity: run

Distance: 2.3km

Time: 25min

A friend's asked if I want to take her slot in an upcoming tri - one I'd half-heartedly considered entering about a month ago, then put to the back of my mind. If we can swap entry names, I guess I'll have to pull finger & do it! Problem, it's only a week away. Hmm, time to start biking to work again, I think!

Mojo within grasp

Activity: run

Time: 30min

Distance: 3.4km

Wow, longer than I thought. OK, now I don't feel so bad about the 30min time.

The steady metronome-like arm movements seem to have eased my shoulder a bit, though I'm getting a few twinges now as I type. I think keeping the running and aqua-jogging up for the next 3-4 days will be a good idea. And since running is my weaker tri discipline, this should be good for me. I'd really like to get into some hill running - before or after work maybe?

Come back mojo!

Activity: swim

Distance: 500m

Pain: about an 8

Wednesday

Activity: climbing

Pain: about a 5, more annoying than painful

Injuries - gotta love them. Nothing amazing, I slept on my shoulder funny on the weekend, and now I have the mother of all neck cricks. I've tried rest, I've tried exercise, I've tried massage. All solutions appear to be temporary.

The reason for the pain measures is that the shoulder pretty much stopped me from achieving what I wanted to this week. Nothing like getting halfway up a wall & realising that if you put your arm above your head, you have no grip strength. Or almost crying inside your goggles from the pain of pulling your arm through the water. I think I might need some professional help on this one. I just feel so stupid for injuring myself in my sleep :)

Fully mobile

Activity: aquajogging

Distance: 800m

As usual, we lost count of our laps as we gossiped our way around the pool, but 800m seems about right. The legs certainly were a bit jelly-like when we got out!

Mum, Dad and I spent a couple of hours looking around Turners for the cars I'd spotted on the website - and found a very tidy Rover that was in the same auction for Tuesday. Dad got sent off to chat to Malcolm at the pub, and long story short, I bought an identical car off him, with all the necessary repairs done, no need for an auction. Now, to work out how to use the stereo.

Meh. To it all.

Thursday

Activity: cycling

Distance: 31km

Time: 1hr 30min

Activity: climbing

Looks like I'll be getting a car next week (fingers crossed). I know it's good for me, but this biking for transport thing is getting old quickly. Especially doing the flat shop on the bike.

We seem to be plateauing a bit at climbing - sticking around the 16 mark, not quite able to complete all 16s or move up to 17s. I think it's a combination of not quite knowing what we're doing technically, and not having the muscle conditioning to manage the technical stuff. Still, with work those should both come along nicely. It'll just take more concentration.

Phew

Activity: cycle

Time: 1hr 50min

Distance: 35km

Biking for transport. Yay. Work & back, to bowling & back (does the bowling count too? I don't think I can claim that in comparison to the biking).

Almost, not quite

Activity: aqua jogging

Distance: lost count

Time: about 30min

Mum can change into her togs, put on the belt and get in & out of the pool by herself. The only thing she can't quite do is take off the first strap of her togs when they're wet. But that's pretty good going, and as she says, there's usually someone around she can ask to yank the strap down.

Looks like another carless week for me, so I'm all packed & ready to bike tomorrow. Shopping for the flat should be interesting...

Crazy strikes again

Activity: cycle

Distance: 24km

Time: 1hr 10min

OK, so the idea of a Saturday morning bike ride isn't so crazy, but it's the fact that I'm also going swimming this afternoon with T, and then tomorrow is aqua jogging with Mum, plus I want to fit a run in somewhere. And buy new togs. And call the IRD. And look at cars. And plan the Guides programme for camp.

Hang on, weekends are meant to be relaxing, aren't they?

Cycle commuting

Activity: cycle

Time: 1 hr

Distance: 20km

I find it interesting that now that I don't have access to a car, people are offering me rides left and right (yes, OK, I accepted the offers). After biking 25min each way to work, the 10 minute ride to the Guide hall seems like nothing, especially going through the university & back streets. But that doesn't stop me from being grateful for a lift home on a dark rainy evening after a long day.

The next best thing

OK, so I was lazy & didn't bike to work today. And then I got distracted & was too late to bike to climbing. But I went to climbing & completed a few climbs and had a good time. Pip & I have worked out that we are at the point where grade 16 climbs are almost easy, but we're not quite strong/skilled enough for grade 17 climbs. Frustrating, but with work we should get there.

And I'm still sore from Sunday. So I shall let the genius of Stephen Fry & the gorgeousness of the manakin bird distract me:

Gotta keep the ball rolling

Monday

Activity: cycle

Time: 50 min

Distance: 17km

Wednesday

Activity: swim

Distance: 1200m

So, although Jellie Park is the closest pool to the flat, the fact that the swim squad takes up all but 2 lanes of the two 25m pools means I won't be going back there for after-work swims. Though when the 50m lido pool opens in November, I may start forcing myself out of bed to go there before work!

Ow

Thursday

Activity: climbing

Sunday

Activity: run

Time: 22min

Distance: 2.5km

Does it count that after my car got rear-ended last weekend, I felt like I'd been climbing? Whiplash sucks. So does shopping for a new car when you realise that you got a really sweet deal on the previous one, and even though insurance is paying out the full agreed value, it's nowhere near enough to get a car of the quality you had. :( Roll on payday, scrimp & save for a week or two & get a nice car. And don't let some noob in his 40s on a Restricted licence crash into you.

Oh well, must go to sleep as I fully intend to bike tomorrow, but really need to get up with the first alarm in order to do so.

Setback again

Well, another week off due to illness. Having now had strep throat, I do not wish it on anyone (and apparently it was a "light" case!).

Thursday

Activity: climbing

Comments? It felt kinda like starting again. Not only had I lost some ability/strength, I'd lost some confidence too. Things like being able to trust your footholds really matter when you're on an awkward rope and falling off will result in you losing so much height and swinging out straight into the belayer's head!

Last night I biked to L & C's flat in the city and we + P went to see Scribe & P-Money. It was fun - lots of dancing - but not a lot of people. A few more & it would have been really pumping.

It'll come to me

Activity: oh, so many

The weekend up at Temple Basin was fantastic - excellent snow & a great party. On Monday I traded my sore & tired legs for aching arms & shoulders following several good climbs.

On a downer, Mum's managed to put an end to her ski season by falling on windcrust at Mt Hutt on Friday, resulting in a cracked pelvis and a chipped humerus, at the shoulder. She had surgery today to reattach the bone chip. She'll be in a sling for about 6 weeks, no skiing, no swimming, no gardening.

Pain vs reward

Wednesday

Activity: bike

Distance: 16km

Time: 50min

Thursday

Activity: bike + climbing

Distance: 16km

Time: 50min

Specifically, the pain of getting back on a bike after several weeks off. No amount of padding in the shorts can make up for just sitting there & toughing it out!

Ah well, another bike ride to work tomorrow, then two days up at Temple Basin this weekend, then another night climbing on Monday. I'm almost an active person.

Back in the saddle

Sort of.

Activity: run

Distance: 2.5km

Time: 21min

I'm back to only running 3-4min at a time, but overall it's pretty good. I need to check my bike over this week - adjust a few cables & give it a grease & I'll be back cycling to work, fingers crossed.

Lacking the crucial part...

...motivation. Not to do the exercise, strangely enough, but to write about it.

I've recovered (mostly) from my cold, so this last week has been pretty light on the exercise. Swim with mum (short, but with aqua jogging on the end), short run during the week & lots of walks during lunchbreaks.

Climbing went well, with C in Aussie we were down to two, which is always tough on the arms, so P brought her husband along. He proceeded to show us up on every climb we did, using brute strength. Infuriating, but challenging.

I went skiing with Mum & Dad yesterday, and I'm still paying for it. The snow was great, and the crowds very well managed. Lift lines were just long enough to give a good rest! My legs gave out just after 3, which was a pretty good day.

On a different note, I spotted this toy phone in one of those cheap junk stores in the mall, and it made me laugh so hard I had to spend the $2 to get one & take some photos. I suspect I'll give it away to the Girl Guides, along with some more Barrels of Slime.

Day out

On very short notice I managed to cobble together P, K and myself for a day's skiing at Porters yesterday. We've now discovered that P's husband's vehicle is most satisfactory for getting into the mountains - a little fluffing about with a very stiff gear lever to get into and out of Low ratio 4WD and we were set. Though a roof rack may be needed if we want to take four people.

There was snow on the ground from Springfield, and our ambitious early start meant many cries of "I should have brought my camera" from K as we started up into the foothills with an amazing red sunrise. The light cloud burnt off and we arrived in the carpark at 8:45 to find we were about the 10th car - not bad for the first day of the school holidays!

Being the first day of the season for all three of us, we were pretty unfit & sore, especially since we were riding T-bars all day. We soon settled into a routine of 3-4 runs, then a rest break. Luckily the car was in the front row of the carpark, so we'd just sit in there & have a munch.

The snow was excellent, though off-piste was a bit chopped up and T1 got quite shiny by lunchtime. We pushed on up to T3 after lunch and had several runs on the groomed up there before heading round the back way and coming all the way down. We finished early, but we were all buggered and wanted to get down the road before the crowds started piling up behind us (first time driving on the snowy access road - we wanted to take it slowly!)

Being a Canterbury ski area, we all met people we knew, and had many catch-ups with old friends. All in all, a great day, and I'm off to the gym this afternoon to work on my leg strength so that I can cope better next time! What do they say, it's a fine line between pleasure and pain? So true!

Detour

Trigger warning: I really can't hold back on this, so I recommend thinking hard about whether you want to read my take on a particularly disgusting and violent attack.

Since I'm sick, I'm taking this opportunity to note something that's making my heart race in an entirely un-aerobic fashion: the Clayton Weatherston trial. Move along if you're not prepared for a rant.

Being in a volatile relationship does not excuse going around to your ex-girlfriend's home, into her bedroom and stabbing her over 200 times with a kitchen knife that you brought with you. You do not get to plead to manslaughter for attacking her in the very parts of her body that you verbally abused her about while in said volatile relationship, and continuing that attack after she has bled out on her bedroom floor.

I don't care if she was promiscuous (it has no bearing on the 'incident' in question). I don't care if your friends thought she was a "psycho bitch" and she was prone to temper tantrums.

There's all sorts of red flags here: the university tutor and the student; the screaming, yelling, throwing items; physical, verbal and emotional abuse. The repeated visits to each other after breaking up. Guess what? None of it excuses the act that took place.

I was reasonably calm about this trial until today, when the character assasinations started. I lost a bit of hope or something when I saw the defense basically fall back on the "but she was a bitch" line. Clayton's a grown man, in his thirties, university degree. Did he really think that the only course of action open to him was to kill his ex? Can he really claim that it amounts to manslaughter when he took the weapon with him, barricaded the bedroom door and effectively tortured Sophie to death?

I really hope the jury sees through the posturing. I want them to be able to focus on the events of the last day of Sophie's life, not the months prior. Sophie Elliott may not have been a 100% stable, angelic human being, but nobody deserves to go like that, and her killer needs to be held accountable.

Slack, slack, slack, slack, slack.

Sunday, June 21

Activity: swim

Distance: 1200m

Time: 30min

Thursday, June 25

Activity: run

Distance: 3.5km

Time: 30min

Yes, I have a bit to catch up on. Life's been getting in the way, not necessarily of exercising, but posting about it. I just haven't had the urge to follow it up. Hopefully I'll get over this cold soon & be able to get back to a routine.

Schedules

Activity: run

Distance: 3.5km

Time: 30min

I've decided that the only way to get over my fear of intersections is to face it, so I've extended my running route. I've also discovered that my cycling top makes a good nighttime running top (long in the body, long sleeves, day-glo green), and that my usual "hidden" track is not a good place to run in the dark. It's not lit, so knowing where you're putting your feet is tricky, especially when the track is full of slimy leaves & puddles.

Round & Round

Activity: swim

Distance: 1300m

Time: 30min

I'm getting better at tumble turns, though they're pretty untidy. I just have to work on linking more of them together in succession now!

Slow going

Activity: run

Time: 22 min

Distance: 2.9 km

I think I need to plan out my running routes a bit better - I don't like crossing roads too often, so I tend to go around a large block. Unfortunately, this results in my usual route being about 2.3km, and I can do it in less than 20 min. If I'm looking to extend myself, my options seem to be limited to repeating part or all of the route, which I don't enjoy as much.

I guess the main problem is that I tend to just decide to go for a run & head on out before I change my mind, so there's not a lot of forward planning involved.

On a different note, my bruise from climbing last week is still pretty impressive!

I was chatting with D about the size of actresses on tv - we both feel like people are getting noticeably thinner. We remember a big fuss a few years ago about people's body size & how they were poor role models, but even then, they were still healthy/average size, if at the small end of the scale. Now, trying to find someone who doesn't have jutting shoulder blades or tiny arms is a challenge. People who were causing the problems a few years ago now look positively enormous next to their castmates.

The effect is pretty depressing to people who have doubts and worries about their body image already.

Back on track

Activity: run

Distance: 2.5 km

Time: 19min

Yesterday

Activity: swim

Distance: 1300m

Swimming at Centennial is pretty nice. You don't rack up the distance as fast in a 25m pool (or perhaps that's just my perception), but it was quieter than QEII normally is on a Sunday afternoon. I even managed to do tumble turns at both ends without whacking my head or trying to breathe while upside down. 

I've definitely felt the lack of running this last week or so. I think I'm starting to catch the bug - motivation is getting easier to find.

One step forward...

Climbing last night went really well, a couple of really successful climbs and some good attempts at the others. I've now got some small free weights to work on strengthening my arms, and I'm hoping to up my runs & swims to bring my weight down, improving my power to weight ratio. And general fitness.

not such a good week.

Weather sucks, so no runs. Poor time organisation, so nothing much else either. I had a great time climbing last week, and dancing at the party on Friday. I'm hoping to put in a bit of effort & get back on track this week.

Timing issues

So, I've misplaced by heart rate monitor watch, so my run times are now estimated from the difference of leaving & arrival times on the microwave by the back door. Until I do a clean up.

Activity: run

Distance: 2.5km

Time: ~20min

In the meantime, fun with YouTube:

h/t to Petulant at Shakesville. Always on form. 

Rush of blood to the head

Activity: climbing

Sometimes the three of us are just too silly for our own good. But we tried some new routes tonight, a bit of a new challenge & change.

Crazy lady on a bike

Activity: cycling

Distance: 17km

Time: 55min

For some reason, I was wide awake early enough to bike to work, and actually wanted to. So I did. I did manage to time the rides to and from work during relatively dry times.

Turns out the Girl Guides are good for something, I was so tired last night I must have got a decent sleep! 

PS

BTW, I'm now pretty much all set for climbing - bought a harness last weekend, so with that & shoes, and the chalk bag P got, I'm only paying for climbing wall entry. My first concession card for the Y runs out next week, and we'll re-up on that. Now that I'm not have to hire gear too, climbing at the Roxx is sounding pretty good. All the people I've spoken to rave about the quality of the climbs, but the cost has been a sticking point for us. Get what you pay for? Probably.

"Regular" activity

Friday: 

climbing & dancing

Saturday

Activity: run

Distance: 2.4km

Time: 19min

Sometimes, during my solitary runs, I think about my motivation for doing what I'm doing. I know that skiing is easier for me when my cardiovascular system is fit, and running helps keep my legs strong to balance my weak knee ligaments. But I can't ignore the fact that one of my reasons is the fact that I'm a size 18-20 and weigh around 95kg. Finding flattering clothing is difficult - mainstream clothing stores rarely stock anything above a size 14, plus-size ranges in department stores and specialty shops don't really cater to my sense of style and are either cheaply made & fall apart easily, or out of my price range.

Why am I able to accept other parts of myself that have been a source of ridicule (red hair, freckles, "un-ladylike" manner), but not my weight/size? I'm not a small person - even at my most active as an adult, I barely got below 80kg/size 14. That's a BMI of 29.74, 0.16 inside the overweight range (my current BMI is 35.32, well into the obese category. And I know BMI is a crock of shit measure, but everyone seems to know it). I'm never going to be light as a feather, and I actually pride myself on my strength.

I just can't get rid of this niggling feeling that I shouldn't have to feel this way about my body, and that I'm somehow giving in to society's bullying ways. Is this nuts?

Loose definitions

No real measurements this weekend, dance on Friday, clubbing on Saturday, then spent Sunday walking around the central city for 3 hours organising a scavenger hunt for a Guide camp. Decided to join the walking group at work again yesterday, did the Valley Road steps route (up the steps & down Hackthorne Rd - I much prefer the other direction!)

Swimming with the Guides tonight, then back to regularly scheduled programme.

Up, up and...not quite

Activity: climbing

Just two of us today, only completed the one climb (not very elegantly either), but there's hope for another next week!

Hit the wall & keep on going

Activity: swim

Distance: 1km

Time: 35 min

Yeah, I hit the wall. But, I kept going. After a late lunch due to being dragged out for a walk at lunchtime & then off for a "quick" 2 hr meeting, I was ready to flag the pool & go straight home after work. After a chat to Cath on my way out of the office & a ruch of blood to the head at the intersection, I found myself in the changing rooms & figured there was no backing out.

Things got tough around the 400m mark, mostly a loss of coordination. Ever try a tumble turn without enough fresh air? Don't.

All in all, it's a win, since I was only planning on doing 800m, but the round 1000 was too tempting.

Climbing trials

Thursday

Activity: climbing

Duration: 1.5 hours

We're reaching that point where having our own gear for climbing is becoming a sound investment - I was the first with the shoes, and P is talking about investing in a chalk bag. Which makes sense, since the Y has been out of chalk for a month & climbing is much less fun without it!

P & C are kinda frustrating to climb with: C has a great power to weight ratio due to her crazy cycling addiction, and P is so tall she can reach most things we have to leap for. Although, they did tell me last night that I have the tactics (during our silly talk about combining the three of us into a single "Super Climber" a la Captain Planet). Still, it would be nice to have the flexibility and strength to manage some of those tougher moves.

What's the Rachel Hunter quote? "It won't happen overnight, but it will happen." Let's hope so.

New toys

Activity: run

Distance: 2.7 km

Time: 24 min

Cute shoes, huh? Relatively comfy too, compared to, say, 3 inch stillettos. An extra plus - no more stinky rentals. Harness to come in a few weeks.

Does gardening count?

'Cos my shoulders definitely got a workout over the last couple of days.

Getting started. Again.

Activity: run

Distance: 2.8km

Time: 28min

I have trouble motivating myself to do anything, so I'm hoping that posting my exercise ups and downs here will provide me with some virtual training buddies or cheerleaders. And make it harder for me to fudge it when my Mum asks what I got up to in the last week.

My reasons for keeping up the activity are many: I want to be able to find clothes in a store without havng to search for a Plus Size section, I want to fit my ski pants again in July.  I'd like to be able to climb the stairs all the way to my office at work without getting so puffed. I want to keep up with the pace set at dancing, and also at climbing. 

I promise to try to keep the rants short and the information on this side of TMI.