That's me!!

That aside, I need a good talking-to. I've been waaaaayy off track since Sunday. Not sure why, but tomorrow is time for some 'spring cleaning'. 12 days until Round 3 starts, but I don't want to have an extra few kilos to lose again.

First Pilates class tomorrow

Tomorrow I'm going to my first Pilates class at the gym. Ever since I started 12WBT I have been saying I'll go to Pilates, but haven't. I think I really need personal Pilates reformer classes, but I just can't find a time and location that works for me to commit to regularly, so I figure this is better than nothing. My core is not quite as hopeless as it was six months ago, anyway. I'm trialling a lunchtime class, 12.10-12.50. I'll see how I go!

City to Surf

We did it!! Fellow Perth Crew member Karin and I completed the City to Surf half-marathon this morning. Firstly, I have to say Karin is an absolute rockstar. She originally had this race as her goal, but injured herself towards the beginning of Round 2 and had to have six weeks off running. She hadn't trained towards this (though had still been running approximately 50km a week), and made a last minute decision YESTERDAY AFTERNOON to register. Karin absolutely smashed it in 2:08, I take my hat off to her!

I was absolutely ecstatic with my unofficial time of 1:59.35 - that's from my RunKeeper app which I started as I crossed the start line. The race clock said 2:01 as I crossed, but I'm hoping like mad my official time scrapes in under the two hour mark!! 5-6 minutes quicker than my first half-marathon three weeks ago, and this is a much tougher course. If you're from Perth or have visited, you may know it's pretty flat. I think this course manages to find every hill in the Perth metropolitan area ;)



The 12WBT Perth Crew were represented in every distance today from 4km to the amazing three women who completed their first full marathon. We are all achieving much more than we ever thought possible, and I don't think we would be there if not for Michelle Bridges and the 12 Week Body Transformation. I know I wouldn't.

Half-marathon prep

Carbs for dinner: check

Picked up race kit: check

Filled bottles for Fuel Belt (one water, one electrolyte drink): check

Clothes laid out: check
- shoes
- special race day socks (toe socks! Love 'em)
- leggings
- Perth Crew singlet (of course)
- sports bra
- comfy undies
- old too-big jumper to toss at the start line (City to Surf do 'Flick your Kit' so I can donate this and it saves having to pick up clothing at the finish, will need a jumper for the walk to the start though)

Accessories laid out: check
- Fuel Belt
- armband for iPhone
- Halo headphones-in-a-headband
- visor for when that sun hits

Fuel belt pocket loaded: check
- $20 note (for emergency coffee/food/drink purchases afterwards)
- credit card (for same, or for emergency taxi ride home if necessary - hubby can't pick me up)
- front door key
- GU chews (carbohydrates + caffeine) - these work for me, I don't think I could take a gel but these are good.
- mini protein bar for afterwards - yes, these are the ones that were given out at finale, love them.

Timing chip threaded onto shoelaces and tested for comfort: check

Breakfast planned (wholemeal English muffin with jam): check

Playlist programmed into my iPhone: check

And running is supposed to be simple!!

Two days until my second half marathon

Only two days to go until I run in my second half marathon, in the Perth City to Surf. It's a tougher course than my first, lots of hills, and the sheer scale of the race is a little intimidating. With that in mind I don't think I'll beat my previous time of 2:05.34 - but I am excited because it's such a feel-good event simply because it's so huge! There's a really good atmosphere in runs like that.

Thankfully I don't have much time to be nervous!! I have to say my arms and legs are still sore from the weights workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday, maybe I should have left those until next week.

Once I'm done with this run, I won't be doing anything over 10km until the end of the year, as I'm focussing on strength in this round.

2nd session and I'm hurting!

Owwww. Today: pec fly, chest press, shoulder presses, tricep pushdowns, tricep dips. Followed by a quick 20 minute run around the oval where my children were having soccer training. I feel like I can hardly walk!!

I am loving the buzz on Twitter, Facebook and the 12WBT forums around this round. It is going to be BIG. Even the Perth Crew is getting BIGGER (but smaller!) I love the social and community aspect of this program. I have made friends that I never thought I would, from all walks of life. I have more confidence to put myself into new situation.



A photo of fellow Perth crew member Ginny and me with Michelle Bridges.

First weights workout at the gym

I did it!! I actually went into the weights section of the gym and did a full work-out. Legs, back & biceps today, according to the program the PT made up for me (and tried to talk me into PT sessions, but I'm too cheap to pay for them on top of gym membership, 12WBT and the running course I've signed up for). I'll do these programs - the other one is for other muscle groups so that I can alternate - until Round 3 officially starts and I get my Lean and Strong programs from Mish.

I did leg presses, squat jumps, lat pulldowns, seated row, bicep curls, rotating curls & finished off with some leg raises and crunches - plus warm-up and cool-down on the treadmill. Go me. I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow, but I will go back in and do the other muscle groups, JFDI.

Finale wrap-up

Welcome to Brisvegas! The weather on Friday afternoon and on Saturday was perfect; quite a change from Round 1 finale in Melbourne. I must say that by Friday night I was absolutely wrecked though. I did the red-eye that left Perth at 1.30am Friday morning (was meant to be 12.30am but was delayed, gee that was fun waiting around Perth's boring domestic airport at that hour), so I got into Brisbane at about 8am. The hotel room wasn't ready until 2pm, so I walked around Brisbane all day - down into the city, across the bridge to Southbank, along Southbank to the Goodwill Bridge and then through the Botanic gardens. Very pretty - but I was tired!! I grabbed about half an hour's sleep before going in to the Hilton to help pack gift bags for a couple of hours. A not-very-quiet dinner with the Perth Crew and then an early night for me.



Saturday morning: workout time. I had heaps of fun helping to register people and matching up a few faces to usernames, before it was time to get sweaty. I did advanced and I really felt like I kept up better than I did in Melbourne - possibly because there were very few sit-ups!! My number one goal for Round 3 is going to be do a damn full sit-up.

It was just really fun and uplifting; such a good vibe around the group.



Saturday night: party time. I need to get some better photos off other people's cameras, but this is me and the absolutely gorgeous and inspiring Noala Gotsis (aka Tink on the forums). She's a Perth girl and just so lovely, I can't wait to see her hit her goal weight this round because I KNOW she's going to do it.

Overall it was such a huge weekend but so much fun. The winners - and everybody I met - inspired me so much, and I can't wait to hit Round 3 hard.

Lean and Strong

To be honest, I am sh*tting myself. Me and weights, just don't mix. Running, I can do. I hadn't done it for years, but my body and my mind did remember how to do it. I have never been strong; unless you're talking about my baby-carrying muscles, which are finely honed (I can still carry my 18kg three-year-old on my back all day in a good carrier).

Last round I said i was going to do it, but chickened out because I really wanted to do that half-marathon instead.

I need to break down my comfort zone. Running is great, but I need some muscles to underpin the cardio. On that note, today I visited the gym behind my work, and I am going to cancel my current membership and join up there. It is small, and hopefully I can become comfortable in the weights area. Also classes like Powerbar and Abs Butts and Thighs run at lunchtimes.

HOWEVER, because I'm a sucker, I've also signed up for this running course. Haha! It's aimed at a 10km run i'm doing in October, I would like to beat my personal best and get below 50 minutes, but also I haven't had any running coaching since I was in high school and it will be interesting to get professional advice.

If I update this blog regularly, is anyone actually going to read it? If a tree falls in the forest ...

Fired up for Round 3

I'm sorry, my poor neglected blog.

What have I been up to? Working! New job, trying to establish that routine, not just for me, but for the whole family. Business trip to Sydney. Chicken pox for each of the three children.

Somewhere in there - actually, the day of my flight to Sydney - I managed to run my first half-marathon. Official finishing time was 2:05.34. I am absolutely stoked with that time!

What is next? I have signed up for Round 3 of the 12WBT. This time, I am doing Lean and Strong. I've met my running goal, I can put that on the backburner for a while. I have a couple of 10km runs lined up, but L&S is my focus this time.

Before that I have the City to Surf half-marathon in 12 days, and the finale party weekend in Brisbane THIS WEEKEND! I'll see some of you there :D