Rest day

I’ve had an interesting few days.  I’m reaaaaally tired, mainly due to waking up at bizarre and numerous times throughout the night and for various reasons (dog, mozzie, too hot/cold, odd dream) and also for getting up early after staying up late to scoot my brothers around.  I can’t WAIT for my parents to come back!

  Wednesday morning I happened to wake up at 6.30am for no apparent reason.  I didn’t have to even be up until 8.30.  But it was one of those days, where even though it was freezing outside, I was completely awake.  I bargained with myself that if I hadn’t fallen back asleep by the time the sun got up, I’d go for a run.  But after a while I got frustrated with waiting, so I got dressed and drove to Glenhaven.

  It was still freezing, and my legs were quite sore from all the week’s training, so I decided to walk a loop track with my tracksuit jacket still on to warm up.  I was cursing myself for wearing shorts and not wearing tights (or both).  My legs just couldn’t get warm.  They were sore.  They weren’t going anywhere.  Add to this it was morning, I was tired, hadn’t eaten and freezing…I just reminded myself that “doing anythin is better than doing nothing.”  Eventually I ran for five minutes or so, but I’d forgotten my watch AND my iPod, so I had no measuring devices, and with feeling as cold as I was, I just decided to walk.

  So walk I did for an hour.  And at the very end, when I was driving home, the shining sun of warmth decided to come out.

~~~

The week that was (so far):

Sunday - run/walk 40 minutes

Monday - training 2hours (high intensity)

Tuesday - training 1 1/2 hours (lots of running)

Wednesday - am walk 1hour; pm training 2 hours

~~~

Which brings us to today!  A most needed rest day.

  I had a massage today, my first ever.  I found this place through a physio I always run past, and thought I’d give it a go.  I’ve had really sore legs since Monday, in particular my left hamstring.  Normally, if I bend over forwards in a pike stand, I can get my hands flat on the floor easily.  But this week I can’t, and no amount of stretching was helping that.  And with state on Sunday, and how tired (and how much work I’ve been doing) I’ve been, I thought I was justified in spending some money on myself (is $42 for 1/2 hour steep?)

  I’m not sure if this lady had a sports background, and I don’t even know how to compare or rank her with what a good sports massage should entail.  But she got stuck into it.  Although, she did comment that I must have a pretty high pain tolerance (I do), and she could go softer…I just said “nah, it’s fine, in fact go harder!”.  Honestly, I was expecting it to hurt a lot more than it did, but often I felt like it wasn’t really doing anything.  I don’t know.  Maybe I just don’t know enough about it?

  Want to hear my problem points?

 *My left hammie was in particular really tight, and I had had some shooting pains in that leg up to the butt (normally I blame it on the shoes I’m wearing being dodgy most likely).  Turns out my sciatic nerve and my pirofirmis muscle are having a grand old get together and being tight arses (aha.  Get it?!?)  Hence the shooting pain.  Well, oooooooooooooooooooooowwww is all I can say at the massage for my inner thigh…YIKES.  And my butt hurt.  Oh yes.  When they hit the exact spot where it hurt, aaai ya. 

* And in my right leg, the back of my calves really hurt.  Why on earth there?!?!?  It was so sore, so tight.  And aaaaachy.  She said it’s more common to be more sensitive there - I guess the nerves are closer to the touch as there’s less body fat.

  *Ohh, and she put a hot pack on my back….ahhhhh That was sooo nice.  My back has been really sore in specific points for two weeks - a result of having a week off training and never really getting all little niggles out - but the level of pain is not making me keen for the week off training I have in a few weeks!

   I left, feeling kind of gluggy and not the sprightly person I thought I’d be.  Instead of pain in just specific parts of my butt, I now have pain all over.  Who leaves with more pain than when they came?!?!  It’s still really sore now (although has gotten better), and my hamstrings are still really sore (although that could be due to the strength on Wed).  So I’m not convinced that this massage person was the greatest.  I expected to be “fixed”, and no great progress seems to have been made.  I thought I wouldn’t be sore, but oh well.

~~~

Monday training

Had a fantastic training tonight.

  I’m impressed with how hard we worked.  We were doing significant routine work (although vols were easier today), but the intensity was quite high and it was very fast paced.  So my coach should be very happy!  We had 3/4/3 set x 5…so we would do 3 in the first go, and 2 in the second.  Ever tried to do 3 sets of doubles after each other?!?!  I was so puffed out.  Even the first go of training today, our drills.  We did 6 sets of skills (24 total) in one turn.  Loooong goes, considering normally we’d do 2 sets in one turn.

  I was on fire today as well.  I was jumping great - it was one of those days where everything clicks, and it all works.  I love that.  It’s so hard to have it sometimes - you really have to make the most of it when you have it.  But everything was flowing nicely, good stand and lift and beautiful kickouts.  I was pushing forwards in my half outs a little, but that will go.  But all my single sault work…so nice.  And I did some awesome b/s P and crash dive, ballout 1/2s today.  My set in bits is so nice

  And vol work was brilliant today.  I really like this vol, although it’s useless for my age group (it doesn’t meet difficulty).  But it’d be brilliant for an 11/12s or 13/14s kid.  I think it’s so much easier than my set and I can’t wait to do a really beautiful routine on Sunday.  I could score quite well on this, and even do all 10 skills on the cross.

  Ohh, injury report though: during warmup, some boy (and I know who it was as well) left the parallettes on the floor, and I tripped on them doing a jumping exercise.  Sooo angry, my foot was quite sore after that.  I’ve just strained the muscle running diagonally across my left foot (from outer left top to inner left bottom), so it only hurts when I roll my ankle in…but still.  One week out from state, I was so angry.  And I had no tape with me either to tape it up as a precaution.

  My other injuries came on dmt.  We were doing mounts, but I was also doing barani-double back.  I’ve been doing that pass for well over a year (in fact I even remembered in the car on the way home having to do that pass at club display without a warm up, and I did it), but I haven’t done any this year, particularly because I hurt myself.  Well the 2 mounts were ok (in the right spot at least), then the 2 passes…hmmm.  Well, the first one I took a few extra jumps, then sat into the double back with no lift, so I flung so far back I just held on…pretty sure I landed on my head (on a thick mat) and kept rolling)…and the second…I forgot/didn’t get to grab my legs in time, so in turn did a double puck…and from the height I was at (I “forgot” to stand up, so I was about a metre up from the double mini), I had no chance in the world of getting a double lay around, so I landed on my knees….but OOOOOOOOOW, that stung!  So now I have what will soon be these two gigantic identical bruises on my knees.  It’ll be a funny look for the rest of the week.

  Amazingly, tonight I had problems with going long - which I’ve never, ever had before.  I even kept on missing the dismount bed.

Sunday

I had a fantastic run on Sunday.  Well, parts of it didn’t feel fantastic at all, but it was a fantastically beautiful day.  Perfect blue skies, lots and lots of warm sunshine, no cool breeze (yet still pleasant)…all this and at the end of March!

  I carted my grumpy brothers off to soccer at Fred Caterson, so I thought I’d go for a run around there (seeing as how many of my netball games did they ever watch? Nah, kidding, mainly because I knew nothing about soccer).  We used to run cross country there for school, and I used to frequent the trails on my walking way to school when I’d (frequently) miss the bus.

  So I decided to just run any-which-way.  And I did.  Along the tracks, across bridges and up the banksides to behind houses and back.  Along sections I’d never been before - now I know where the track through to the sewerage treatment plant is - and along some of the streets of Kellyville as well.

  I’ve got to say, they’ve paved more parts of the track, which is quite disappointing :(  Including my favourite hill, the one that runs parallel to Gilbert Rd.  We used to run down it when it was a dirt and rock mess, and everyone else would be concerned about falling off and try to go slow (note: going slow down hills like that does not work), whereas I’d just bolt down them and let momentum carry me.

  To my amazement, I even ran past a coolrunner who said “hello”.  I said hi back, and then did a double take as the hat registered - and I called out “you’re a coolrunner!”.  I have an idea who it was, but I’m not quite sure, as I was a bit buggered by that stage.

4 (2), 6 (3), 4 (2) x 3 which goes to 22 minutes running, 11 minutes walking.

  Oh yeah, and I learnt why I never run in the morning- I was so tired and sleepy for the rest of the day!

A conclusive thought…which turned into a rant

Although I’m not sure conclusive is the right adjective to use there.  I mean an “aaaaah” light bulb style moment, almost like an epiphany, but not so highly held.

  I had a freak out/shock to the system moment earlier this week trying on jeans.  I’ve been on the quest for the perfect pair of jeans for the last 3 years.  I have only one pair I truly love (and I actually only wear that pair, so jeans aren’t in my normal rotation of clothes), but they’re on the skin-tight side.  Which is fine, because sometimes I look/feel really thin, when other times I don’t.

  My problem is I have a rather large backside, and not the thinest legs in the world.  Add this to a totally skinny and bone-showing stick like chest, arms, stomach and calves.  (So in grand conclusion, all my body fat gathers at the bottom of it, if you’ll pardon the pun).  But normally I’d wear size 8, or size 9 for jeans.

  But that is almost irrelevant. 

  I picked up several pairs of jeans, choosing styles that I knew would work (so no straight leg/slim fit/skinny legs; boot cuts and mild flares work well).  And I got to one pair when I thought “WOW!  This is it!  They’re so comfy, they fit fantastically, they’re moderately fitted, comfy comfy comfy” etc.  I look at the price tag to check the price, and the size is an 11.  And my mind couldn’t comprehend that.  Now I know brands run big or small someimtes - and these were Lees, to which the 10s I couldn’t even do up…but still.  I didn’t buy them because I didn’t like the colour, but what a darn shame, because they did fit beautifully.  It would only take me then having to get over that size tag.  I know people will scoff and roll their eyes at me over my concern, but I’m just after consistency.  Last week I bought a dress in size 6, and it fits perfectly.  It’s just so frustrating to have to take three sizes of the same item of clothing into a change room to see what fits.

 /rant over. 

  What I was more inclined to post about was my “ta-da!” style thought.  I was wondering why I eat so much food.  Naturally with the jeans episode I started blaming my body, sooking that I was “fat” etc.  But then I realised - no, I’m just not 15 anymore.  I don’t do 20 hours of gymnastics.  I don’t run 5 days like I used to.  So I need to adapt a new frame of mind, and shop for what my body actually is, rather than the perfect picture I have in my mind I wish it was.

  Thinking about why I eat so much dinner sometimes (although it’s always healthy food)…it occured to me, that maybe I eat lots because I’m simply tired and sore from training, and I’m eating to try and “fix” that.  Yes, there is a place for recovery meals, and getting enough protein and carbohydrates into your system is important.  However, I think I’m eating more than I should because normally I come home from training so tired I could fall asleep, and I’m hoping that my insanely sore and ouchy-to-touch muscles will be fixed by the food.

  Really, instead I should be focusing on other aspects of recovery as well.  I’ll have to do some research to refresh my memory, but sleep, massage, ice baths and keeping your legs warm could also be increased.

  So my test this week is to get more sleep (back to 9-10hours, like I was getting a month or so ago - and I would wake up every morning feeling great!).  State is next weekend so surely it could also help that as well

Shapes, wheelbarrows, and double twisting somersaults

I’ve just discovered the worlds’ most yummiest food…cheddar shapes…mmmm.  Ok, maybe not the world’s most yummiest, but definitely yummy altogether!  They’ve got enough salt too that they’re satisfying (without tasting salty).

  I am the world’s sorest poppet at the moment (or maybe just gunning for a title in hyperbole).  My arms are sore, my back is sore.  And we’ve only had one training so far.  What did it (on top of all my other crazy exercise this week) was the wheelie rolls.  It’s a small wheel, with handles coming out of the centre.  On your knees (or toes, if you dare), you hold onto the handles, and then roll out as far as you can (with straight arms, and then roll back in).  Ideally, you should be able to roll all the way out so as to have your stomach parallel to the floor (and inches from it) and your shoulders open (180* flexion plus).  Then roll all the way back in (that’s the hard part).  A couple of my teammates (including an 8 year old girl!) can do it, however for the rest of us mere mortals we’re lucky to get very far at all.

  I squeeze my elbows a lot when I do it; consequently two days later my elbow hurts

I also did gymnastics last night.   I worked hard on my double twist backs onto a mat, trying to stand them up.  I’m always able to get the twist around, but then I overrotate and roll out of it.  1 1/2s I can land fine.  A few things I noted include:

*I wrap and pull too hard in a dtb…the better ones had a slow(er) twist and wrap.

*You really need to have a good stand into the twist, as it helps slow you down and not throw.

*Make sure you spot out of the full…so stand, turn, spot, turn.  Spotting all the way around helps.

  I love just being able to work hard at this skill again and again.  I train by myself and just keep going.  No distractions.  And I learn so much this way - it is amazing how much feedback you can get from yourself by doing things over and over.  You learn much quicker what is right and what is not helpful.

  I’m deterined to have this skill on my feet, essentially this instant.  I’m competing it next Sunday.  To my feet, and stuck. 

Amazing fact: I did 32 twisting somersaults with 50 twists!

 My poor body has done 5 days hard work in a row, so it’s ready for a rest.  I’ll push it one more day today and then maybe Saturday can be a rest day.

Where were we?

Hmmm…when’s the last time I’ve posted?  I have been meaning to write, but it’s just such an extended process…and I’m really lazy sometimes.

   I’m so tired now, so sleepy.  It can be attributed to three things: a) not enough sleep, due to having to get up 2hours earlier to drive my brothers to school; b) not having dinner last night, even though I did an hour’s worth of exercise; and c) …I’m blanking. Oh yeah, I’ve done some solid exercise a few days in a row, and so tiredness naturally sets in.  So lessons learnt about the importance of getting enough sleep (go to bed earlier!!) and good recovery meals (protein + carbs).

 So, what have I been doing to make me so tired?  Let me consult my training diary…

Last week at training was an easy week (on the strength)

Monday 17th - double strength…I can’t remember doing that, but it’s what’s written down!

Tuesday - bike 30min fast; 5 min on the cross trainer (elliptical).  For the first time in my life, I was huffing and puffing on a piece of gym equipment!  I’ve NEVER ever done that on a cross trainer (although, I don’t like the pain in your knees and hips you get - too much waddling).

Wednesday - strength at training (easy). 

Thu/Fri/Sat - days off.  “Shocking, I know” I wrote.  But the reality of it was that it was Easter (yippeee!!) and also my first four days off in 8 weeks.  This week proved to me that I was pretty much almost entirely burnt out.

  Also, because I was no longer going to Victoria for trampoline, I had four days off…which actually turned into a full week of training off.  Fantastic!  Sometimes I hate having breaks when you don’t feel you need them, but other times I look forward to them sooo much.  This was one of those times.  I was actually away from the gym for three days in a row.  That’s unheard of for me.

  So Easter Sunday I decided late afternoon to go for a run.  Wow, it felt so much easier because I didn’t have sore legs!  I was completely 100% fresh, well rested.  There was no lingering soreness or fatigue, no muscle aches, no signs of intense training.  I’d even done a very fast 5minute skip (very high intensity) earlier in the day and that felt effortless. 

  I intended to do 4(2) x 5, and ended up doing a variation of that due to an extended walking period in the middle during some gruesome cramps and yucky pain.  The first two 4 minute runs were so fast - flying on my feet - and they reminded me of what school cross country was like.  I always loved that aspect of cross country: everyone was pushing so hard, so fast, and for so long.  It was such a challenge, to push your body to do that.  I settled down for the other run parts and just ran gently, but phwoar, the speed is still there.

Total 21 minutes running, 18 walking.

Monday at the gym.  Bike 30 (5 w/up + 5 c/down) with rpm > 100; and some strength activities.  Nothing overly strenuous; arms, back and legs.

Tuesday went to the gym again after work, but didn’t stay long.  Legs couldn’t settle, they were a bit lifeless.  So I decided to go outside in the semi-rain and walk instead.

20 min bike (5 w/up + 5 c/down) > 100rpm and then 35 minutes of walking, hilly and flats.

 ~~

   I felt yesterday like I was a teenager again.  I used to do that much exercise, and more, every single day.  And it was no problem, it was routine.  I’d do running 4-5 days and if not, I’d go for a walk for an hour as well as use the gym.  Plus I could lift heavier weights more easily (although I had been doing gymnastics, which at the time meant that 90 pushups in warmup was no big deal).  It amazes me how much I did; no wonder I was so skinny (although I never thought that at the time).  And that would often be after a 3hour gymnastics session.  But best of all was that it was habit, and I didn’t have wandering motivation or laziness take over.  Now it’s harder, especially because a lot of the time “I’m over it” and also due to where I live.

~~

  I’m so hungry today (seriously, who becomes absolutely starving within an hour of eating breakfast?!?), I’ve eaten half the house.  Oh rant too, because today I’d gotten up earlier to drive around some undomesticated slobs (read: my brothers) I live with, and I had to go to the new Rouse Hill shops for errands and the library.  But, even though there are supposed to be TWO Gloria Jeans there (one is in Borders), could I find it?  NO.  And I’ve been to this centre a few times now, and even though “it’s on the map”, I’ve never been able to find their store.  I walked around for 15minutes this morning, completely out of it and looking like death warmed up, desperate for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate or something to wake me up.  So angry.  I’d start a boycott if I found it, but I like having coffee with friends there too much.

  /rant off.  Back to point at hand: check this for eating.

  Breakfast - Protein Plus (? I dunno - it’s grains + raspberries + blueberries) and milk;

Morning Tea - fruit salad + yogurt (apples, nectarine, passionfruit, kiwi fruit, strawbs)

Lunch - *was* going to be a frittata, but only one egg…so combo of: diced onion, baby peppers, capsicum and ham, fried (only with a tiny amount of spray oil), and then folded into an egg (with parmesan).  Served with a carrot and I ate the leftover chicken kebab as well.

  PLUS a heap of Rolo chocolate, and the customary glass of milk to go with it.

  Now that may seem all good and well.  In fact, you might even be jealous: “how can she consider that pigging out?  All those fruit and vegetables?  Who even thinks to eat that when they’re starving?”  And true, I’ve 1-2 servings of fruit and and 2 servings of vegetables, and 2 protein foods as well.  But it is the sheer quantity of food I’ve eaten.  I could’ve eaten half the house…

  Really I think my main problem is I didn’t eat real dinner yesterday.  I always forget to eat or pack real dinner.

 ETA: Oh yeah.  Forgot to add.  Who even gets cravings for eggs?!?!

Life is unfair, or is it?

…but I’m just going to deal with it, and move on.  Move past it.  And focus on what I can do now, and what I can control, rather than focusing on the past.

  But for those who want to hear the rant-worthy topic that had me fuming and deeply hurt yesterday, here you go:

  Yesterday was our last competition before state.  So realistically, our last chance to qualify to nationals (because our state championships are an international qualifier, and we have interstate judges, so the judging is much tougher).  To qualify for the state team, you need a certain score and to meet difficulty requirements.

  At the last competition, judging was quite tough, and only a few people qualified.  Certain routines also should’ve qualified people, but they didn’t.  Those people deserved to go.

  So at this competition, the judges openly decided they’re going to judge easier.  Judges were asking which gymnasts still needed to qualify, so they could push their scores up to give them a better chance.  Easy, easy scores were being handed left, right and centre.  Especially on the events I was judging - I had to laugh at how ridiculous some of the scores were, mainly because they were provided by inept judges.  It’s ridiculous, because although they gave a kid 9.7 today, at state they’ll be lucky to break 9.5 for the same effort.   9.4 if you land on your feet…so many 9.4s given, which really should’ve been 9.1-9.2s.  Too much bending of the rules. 

In all reality, whilst that sounds really bad and really unfair - it works.  It’s actually an ok thing to do, for the rare competition.  Because if you help a gymnast from another club, their judge will help yours.  But before you all go jumping crazy mad - no one is focusing on making their club the best.  Everyone in the state knows who deserves to be on the state team.  We all want the best for our state, and to have the best ability and talent to defend our national team titles.  So everyone’s pumping up scores so that our state is advantaged.

  So whilst some coaches were jumping up and down at how “wrong” that was, really, how wrong could it be?  Was that just because all the athletes from their club that needed to qualify had already done that?  And I bet if they had an athlete that hadn’t qualified, they’d have been very quiet on the matter.

  The bit that irked me the most was the “2nd chance” on trampoline the judges were giving.  That was maybe pushing it.  But if you were within 0.5 say of your qualifying mark - so only needed .1 or .2 extra from each judge (3 scores count), they’d give you a second chance to qualify.  No idea how they’re going to try and put that through the swescore system!

  So the part where I get pissed off…I should’ve competed yesterday.  I really, really wish I had.  I know realistically that I’ve been in no state to do routines; but if I competed yesterday, I would’ve qualified.  And I would’ve sorted out all my PAS badge issues, because I was competing age and senior.  It was an easy comp with throwaway marks, and I’ve even got a sympathetic story to go with it.

  But I didn’t.  I have to see a sports pyschologist.  I had to pull out of an interstate meet.  I’ve only competed once this year.  State’s in three weeks, and I’m going to get hammered by the judges.  I need 8s to qualify, and I’m not going to get them.  I’ll be lucky to get 7.5s.  No one’s going to take it easy on me.  Especially because all those brilliantly talented VIC kids will no doubt compete right before me, and by comparison, I’ll not look as good.

   So. I’ve decided to hold my breath on deciding whether I should get angry and mad over yesterday, or just move on (which is the harder option).  Definitely state will affect my attitude towards this comp, once it’s over.

  Whinge and whine, or just try and go back into the gym and work my butt off.

Do something better today than I did yesterday.

I’m going to be a conditioning machine!

Did you know, that in February, I did 76 chinups?  (That’s 76 chinups I swung up on the bar).  I did 150 reverse leg lifts (back strength).  230 Vsnaps (tough gut strength), 280 crunches (as well as 175 side and 105 reverse crunches). 210 swiss ball squats. 80 piked leg lifts.  50 guns (single leg squats).  And the list goes on, for about another 25 items.

  Now, whilst that seems impressive…when you break it down per the amount of days in February, it’s not that fantastic.  Especially for someone who supposively is an “elite” trampolinist/ex gymnast.  (And was hoping to regain those gymnastics muscles).  I only did 14 training sessions in Feb, and we always get a large variety of strength items and differing intensities…but c’mon.  Only 40 pushups for the month?  Only 1min handstand holds?  That’s chicken…

   So my solution is to add some general consistent conditioning to every single day.  A small group of exercises designed to build my strength up (because I really need to!).  And something that will not take more than 10minutes…because I hate procrastinating doing really hard strength.  Seriously, who gets excited knowing they have to do 4 x 20 Vsnaps, squat jumps and pushups?  That’s the world’s worst strength combo.

  The plus on my side is I know a thousand different exercises, I have a skipping rope and a swiss ball

   So I have begun.  Tonight’s strength at training was easy, and a few hours later I was ready to go again…although it very much provided my stomach muscles are greatly diminished.

At training:

3 x 20 crunches, reverse crunches, fish flops and bicycles; 2 x 15 pushups; 2 x 20 leg swap jumpers on a box; 8 Handstand lowers

Afterwards:

4min abs alternating 4min arms as follows (30s of each, no rest):

Vsnaps, crunches, side crunches x 2, plank, bicycles.

Handstand hold, pushups* (on knees, narrow), pushups (on knees, normal), t’dips, Handstand shrugs, front support hold.

*Ok, normally I do them on my toes, but that huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurts.

   Anyone want to join me?

Rubberband loops

I did something brand new today.  I did a rubber band loop.

   A rubber band loop?  What’s that, I hear you ask.

   Well, this great ephiphany came to me as I was driving home from the run.  I’d run a small loop, then run back to the original starting location, and run a larger loop that had encompassed it.

  I was going to embed it, but MapMyRun is being silly and proving too frustrating.  It was 4.91km, though.  I run/walked for 40minutes, running 17 of those…actually did a lot of walking today.

   Amazingly as well, another new thing for me: running in the morning.  Ok, so 10.30am isn’t morning to most people, but I’m a bit to Western Australian about running in full sun (and I was one sweaty mess at the end!).  But I may as well make the best of this underemployment while it’s still there.

  So with training tonight it will be a 2-a-day, and hopefully (and most likely) that should be fine.  My legs were tired and I was feeling quite sick (even lying in bed I was restless!) until I ate some food.

  My other grand idea that came to me was that I should probably go for a 40-odd minute walk around some hilly routes as another measure of getting my muscles and endurance back.  It was funny, whilst I was run/walking bits…if a hill came after a walking bit, I could still attack it like I used to, with push and bravado, but I’d tire not far from the end  of it (or straight after it).  So definitely somewhere where my fitness can improve.

Run, run and run just to make the pain go away

I started writing this post with a different topic, but it was too frustrating to complete, and so we’ll just drift off on another tangent instead.

   Do you know what was nice?  Today I woke up and thought, wow, you look really thin.  Not as in sickly or anorexic, but just less flabby and more muscly.  For someone who spends their life in a leotard, that was really nice to have as a confidence boost :D  Plus it encourages me to keep up with all the hard cardio work I did this week.

   Eating well, on the otherhand, will be hampered by the fact that a friend brought me back 1kg of peanut butter m&ms from America….yum….must…show…restraint!  I’d take them over Easter chocolate anyday, though :D  I’m still considering whether it’s rude to ask for a small present (like a $5/10 gift voucher or something small) instead of chocolate from my family…because I’ll be getting a secret Easter present from a teammate, anyway!

   Enough about food and stuff.  Onto the running stuff:

  I went for two runs this week…last Sat/Sun/Mon got wiped out by laziness/tiredness/and the world’s longest competition (8am-6pm. Yikes).

So Tuesday I headed out for a run.  I was deciding as I went, still running when I feel good enough to, and walking when I have to.  I decided not to go hilly, so ran through the burby burbs along an old route I enjoy.  I was out for an hour, and amazingly, without an iPod again :D  These last few weeks I’ve been running without an iPod, and I’ve survived.

Run 20 minutes total, 60 minutes run/walk.

Wednesday I had a shite training session which I finished early, and so took off to run again.  Running two days in a row…haven’t done that for ages.  My legs could definitely feel it…and oh yeah, that was the day I’d had root canal.  I went another beautiful route through Glenhaven, although changing where I was running so it would only be along a “beautiful” track…didn’t really want to be inspired by concrete and cars.  So at the last point before I’d hit the main road, I turned back to run through a section of bush I’ve only ever walked through once in my life.  It was great to be running through the bush, I haven’t done that in years! (Since school cross country).  It was a quick 5minutes (best way to reduce the 2ks otherwise) and nicely uphill…will definitely be including that again

 Total running 10minutes for 30min run/walk.

Thursday - it would be silly to run, but seeing as I had Sun/Mon off, my normal rest day became cardio at the gym…I initially thought 1hr on the bike, although my legs couldn’t hack it (they were complaining!), so it became:

25min bike, 10min eliptical (and for the first time ever on a cardio piece at the gym I was huffing and puffing) and 25 min on the recumberent bike (hardest and most schtupidest illogical thing in the world).

  My legs didn’t want to move at the end.  I thought I would die and not be able to walk on Friday (uh-oh).  However, I relaxed and did a good stretch…and amazingly on Friday I was perfectly 100% fine!!!  I could not believe it, especially with how sore I’d been the other two days.  Definitely reminds me to be consistent in stretching.

   As for the title…I’ll answer that another time.