Updated times

Over the last week, I've redone my time trials for all three of the triathlon disciplines. They are as follows:
300m swim 8:56 (was 9:53)
10km ride 28:32 (was 31:06)
3km jog/walk 21:12 (was 23:24)

I'm particularly proud of the last one, as it is only 2 weeks since I last tested it. In that time I've increased my intervals from jog 1 minute/walk 3 minutes, to jog 4 minutes/walk 2 minutes). I also feel my jog-style has improved from the trudge I was doing before!

So, pleased with my improvement and looking forward to the triathlon in 3 weeks. Who would have thought it!

Fridge pic coming soon...

Tag

Here's the stuff-about-me tag. Keep watching for the fridge pic as suggested by AGR - I think it might need a clean first!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Estimator at a printing company, but about to stage a coup and take over as production manager.
Wearing size 20/22 clothes.
Suffering through Jake's '7 year old boy' stage. That's right girls, he wasn't always perfect!
2. What were you doing a year ago?
About to move into a brand new house (which we still haven't paid for because it still isn't quite finished).
Starting to plan for my 40th birthday bash.
Wearing size 24/26 clothes but hatching a plan to do something about it.
Skiting to everyone about my perfect teenager.
Selling over 600 of my books on the internet. Along with lots of furniture and other stuff - moving from a 5 bedroom house to 3 bedrooms required drastic action.
3. Five snacks I enjoy:
Answering this isn't as much fun as it would have been a year ago!
Vine-ripened tomatoes chopped up, sprinkled with lime juice and smothered in freshly ground salt and black pepper.
The divine coffee friands from the cafe round the corner from work (an occasional 2.5 point treat).
A mini Callipo ice block.
WW raspberry jelly with fresh strawberries set into it.
WW French Vanilla ice cream, with two of my home-made brandy apricots chopped over top.
4. Five songs to which I know all the lyrics:
Not counting the hundreds of show tunes I know!
Welcome Home - Dave Dobbyn
Slim Shady - Eminem
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynard Skynard (sp?)
The Rose - Bette Midler
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
5. Five things I would do if I were a millionaire
Buy my man whatever motorbikes his heart desired.
Hold the next sisters' meeting in Prague instead of Noosa (my treat girls).
Shop. Tirelessly.
Help Jake set up a business when he qualifies in whatever he's going to do (still undecided between plumber, builder and personal trainer).
Take the 1st XV on tour to Japan.
6. Five Bad Habits:
Getting up at 5am, no matter what day it is.
Correcting people's grammar in conversation (usually only in my head, but it's still vile).
Not believing that someone else might know more than I do.
Talking too much about my weight loss.
Not taking my make-up off before bed.
7. Five Things I Enjoy Doing:
Going to the gym - sorry, that's sick.
Sex.
Having the house to myself, turning off all the TVs and stereos and lying on the couch reading a book (in the past there would have been a box of chocolates in this scene).
Organising sports trips, tournaments etc.
Having dinner at the table, all together as a family - even though there are only three of us, this is much harder to arrange than it sounds!
8. 5 Things I Would Never Wear
A hat to the races (still can't get over years of yelling at boys to take their hats off at the table).
White - I'm a dirt magnet.
Heels higher than 2cm - it cost years of pain and $3000 to get my feet fixed, not going there again.
Anything that shows the broken veins covering my thighs; a rule I have to break to swim.
Shoe string straps.
9. Five favourite toys:
ipod.
Laptop.
My home PC for playing Sims 2.
The kitchen.
Other people's minds.

Just some stuff

Thanks for all the compliments you've been giving me on the look of my blog - it's certainly my favourite so far.

Racing didn't come about for Mark on Sunday, although he watched plenty of action out at the track (I stuck that out for about 10 minutes - absolutely not interested if my man's not involved!).
Instead I had brunch with our dear friends who came over from Hawkes Bay for the day, followed by a visit to Mark at the racetrack, then a bottle of wine at a lovely hotel in the hills, overlooking the lake.

In response to a couple of questions I've had about how I look after myself with all this training...
Lots and lots of stretching! Obsessively. But only ever of warm muscles. So far I've managed to survive a small Achilles twinge, but I definitely don't want to get an injury at this stage. I do have the occasional massage, but that's more treat than therapy. I have quite a bit of trouble with the toenails on my little toes, so I'd better get in to the podiatrist in the next week and get those tidied up.

I went to the Zebrano sale on Monday. Zebrano is a big girls' shop with fabulous clothes. I have bought almost all my clothes there for the last 12 years and eagerly anticipate the two sales each year. This will be my last sale there - I bought two things off the size 16 rack, which is their smallest size. Soon I'll be too small to be allowed in!

I don't want to became addicted to events, but I am concerned that I'll do the triathlon and then just stop and get lazy.
So now I've signed up for the Special K duathlon as well. It's on Easter Sunday, 8 weeks after the triathlon, which will give me 2 recovery weeks, then back into training. This one is 1.5km run/10km ride/3.5km run - all on the flat, so an easier event.
The only possible sticking point is that we haven't yet decided which week we're taking the 1st XV on their pre-season tour - that will be in the school holidays, so might coincide with Easter. Have to see how that goes.

Tried to became a hood ornament for a bus while doing my 10km time trial the other day - misread his signal at a roundabout. Luckily I was on the mountain bike, so it was fairly easy to chuck the bike (and myself) out of the way, not a manoeuvre I would have been capable of a couple of months back. Nearly went from fat to flat! I'll post all my trial times at the end of the week.

The search is on for a frock to wear to the Wellington Cup next weekend. We always go with Mark's work and some of their clients. I'm not doing the hat thing though - I just can't get over that it's bad manners to wear a hat when you are indoors and eating, even though I know it's acceptable at the races and in church!

Anybody seen a couple of hints in your comments that I'm coming to Sydney (good spotting Jodie). We're planning a sisters' meeting in Noosa in May, so I'm hoping to do a few days in Sydney on the way back. I'll keep you posted on that. Perhaps I'll be at goal...

Have a great day everyone!

Training times

Twofold meaning to this heading:

What time of day is best to train?
In Taupo, it is best not to train to 5.30pm on a day when it is 28 degrees!
I decided I couldn't fit in the gym AND 90 minutes riding before I left Wellington yesterday morning, so I juggled my schedule. Went to the gym in the morning and was left with a 45 minute walk/run to do when I got to Taupo.
It was so hot. Even though I got to go around the lake front on the lovely path from Kaiwaka Point to Wharewaka Point, there was no breeze at all. I really struggled to keep up my 3 minute walk/1 minute run intervals for half an hour. When Mark arrived 45 minutes after I got back, I still looked like a fluorescent beetroot!
By contrast, I went out again this morning at 7am. Overcast, cool and a gentle breeze off the lake! Ran intervals for a full 50 minutes and now I feel great.
Shaping up to be another scorcher here in Taupo today.

How do my training times look?
As part of my training in the last few weeks, there have been time trials for the race distances. The different disciplines are tested on different days.
My current times are:
300m swim - 9:53
10km ride - 31:06
3km run (walk) - 23:25
Some of these times are quite old - the swim especially, timed on the 8th of December. This week I am going to re-do all my time trials.
These are the times I used to set my triathlon goal of 75 minutes, taking into account transition times and the fact that I have to do all these things one after another!
I still think my goal will be quite hard to reach, but it is better to aim high and fall short, than to be aimless!

Racing update: while track-testing at Manfield yesterday, the bike suddenly stopped! Appears to be an electrical fault that Mark hasn't managed to pinpoint yet. Barring miracles (in the guise of some clever motorbike man), it looks like he'll spend today as a spectator.

I didn't mean to mislead you!

Some of you may have taken the inference from my last post that Mark and I were off to Taupo for a romantic weekend. Ha ha! Wrong!

The weekend itinerary goes something like this...

Tonight Mark will load the race motorbike in the van, drive to the Kapiti Coast and stay with a friend - to cut some time off his journey in the morning. Saturday he will drive to Manfield (racetrack near Palmerston North). A group of them have booked the track out for a 'fun day'.

The definition of a fun day: not structured racing, but lots of testosterone-fuelled competition against your mates, riding round the track and trying new lines etc. Plenty of the usual standing around, drinking coffee, telling lies and smoking. Oh, and making essential adjustments to the bikes.

Saturday morning I will - go to the gym, go for a 90 minute bike ride, then drive to Manfield. I will stay for the shortest time possible - make sure Mark sees me, give him a fresh Thermos of coffee and try not to get hugged by too many greasy motorbike men. Then I'll drive to Taupo.

Mark will drive to Taupo after they've finished at Manfield, so I don't expect to see him before 7pm. This is where the spa bath comes in - he'll be tired from a day on the track, and that 48-year-old body will need easing back into shape for the real racing the next day.

Mark will get up early Sunday morning and head to the track for the second in the summer racing series (3 events). He is currently lying third on the table in the hybrid section - fascinating, I know!

I will get up a bit later and go for my 50 minute walk/run. I'm then catching up with friends for brunch. After that I'll go to the racetrack, watch a couple of races and then drive 5 hours home. Mark will drive home either later that night or on Monday morning.

So, not many opportunities for romance there. But we'll have had a bit of time away together and I will have shown sufficient interest in Mark's racing that I can safely ignore it for another six months. And Jake will have had the house to himself on Saturday night for the boys' gambling night.

If you look at my weight record on the sidebar, you'll see I've lost another 1.1kg this week. Good going, but I'm actually a bit annoyed about it. My eating discipline has been poor, with far too much sneaky eating and too many sugar points. Because I'm training so hard, the weight continues to come off, so I need to make a conscious effort to curb the bad eating before it becomes a bad habit.

In hot water

Another of those strange side effects...

I've always liked my showers and baths really HOT. If Mark used the shower after me he always complained I was trying to scald him!

Now, however, I can't handle the water hot at all - it's more like tepid.

So, did all those layers of blubber used to insulate me against the heat? Illogical, when you consider the nerve-endings are in the skin. Maybe it's related to my fitness or some other physiological change?

At least we won't squabble over the temperature in the spa bath at the motel in Taupo this weekend!

Life in the slow lane

Well, I'm still the slowest person in the swimming lanes in the morning, but not by much. I've definitely got faster since that rude cow tried to kick me out. Unfortunately the other people who swim slower than me don't seem to have returned from their holidays yet.

I have got over my need to cut through the water like a silver arrow (for those of you with kids, that reference is from a Margaret Mahy book called 'The Great White Man Eating Shark: A Cautionary Tale'. It's about a strangely-shaped boy called Norvin and a great story to read to your kids). I have decided I will be quite happy to breast stroke the 300m of the triathlon - particularly because it will be in the sea.

My main reason for this is when I do manage to freestyle 300m, I'm completely stuffed at the end - not a good way to be with the ride and run still to come.

Just four weeks to go till the triathlon, so I figure it's about time to front up with a goal time. Here goes:

My aim (apart from just finishing) is to do the 300m swim, the 10km ride and the 3km run/walk in under 1 hour and 15 minutes, including transition times.

There, I've said it now!

80's girl!

At this point I should write a deep, introspective post reflecting on how far I've come, how this milestone makes me feel and what is to come in the rest of my weight-loss journey.

Sod that. I'm just going to shout:

Yippee, I'm an 80's girl!

The worst thing about being back at work?

Having to wear shoes!

And make-up. And girlie clothes. And waking up to an alarm again - took me a while even to work out what that strange noise was.

It doesn't help that that Mark isn't back at work until next week, and that Jake doesn't go back to school until 7 February.

But at least it's only a 3 day week.

Resolve

As I've got back into wandering through people's blogs, I see lots of comments about New Year's resolutions. Lots of people are making them; many also comment on how they think they're a waste of time, or have never been able to keep them in the past.

I've never been big on resolutions myself - if asked I'll usually reply 'This year I resolve to take up a new vice' or 'My resolution is to never make resolutions'.

But something is different this year. Most of the blogs I read show their authors have no need for New Year's resolutions. These people have shown enormous reslove already in the last year - losing weight, getting fit, improving their lifestyle.

I'd like to applaud you all for what you achieved in 2005 and encourage you to keep going in 2006. I'm certainly proud of myself, and you should all be proud of yourselves too.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Well, 2006 has dawned, and it's going to be another great year.

Mark and I had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve - went to King Kong with friends and then out for dinner.

That left the house free for Jake to have 20 or so friends round for drinks. They all took off into town about 11, so when we got home the house was empty - and not too much of a mess.

Just picked up all the cans and bottles, wiped a few benches down and left the floors etc for Jake to do today. I heard him come home around 4am, so I don't expect the cleaning will be done too soon! There was a bottle of spray and wipe and a cleaning cloth left in our bathroom. I'm figuring someone was a bit the worse for wear - but at least it got cleaned up!

I'm just easing into the day - the gym doesn't open until 9am, so I have an excuse. It's going to be another gorgeous day here.

Best wishes for the New Year, everyone!

I'll probably got shot for being unpatriotic, but I think King Kong is one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen.

No place like home

Well, we've been home for a few days now. I didn't manage to blog as much as I thought I would while I was away, and also haven't managed to catch up on what everyone else is doing. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

Jake and I came home on Tuesday. We'd intended to make it a two-day journey, but just wanted to get home and into our own beds. So we did the 12-hour drive in one go - much easier now he can share the driving.

In the three weeks since my last weigh-in, I've put on 1.1kg. I'm fairly happy with that, considering all the eating, drinking and being merry that's been going on. I know my exercise helped counter many of my excesses, so thank goodness for that. As a sample of the temptations that came my way, here is the dessert spread one of my sisters prepared for the anniversary party:

YUMMY!

It was lovely to been surrounded by family, and for a good length of time, instead of a rushed weekend. For my two nieces from Adelaide (born in Nova Scotia), this was the first Christmas they've had with their cuzzies.

We had a tree at the camping ground, and the tents were decorated for the occasion. Everyone gathered for present-opening in the morning, then we had Xmas dinner at Mum and Dad's - very traditional, with ham, turkey, roast lamb on the spit and all the trimmings. Another magical array of desserts, including pumpkin pie and, of course, more pavlova.

Here are the two youngest nieces, being shooed back to their tent with their stockings, under strict instructions not to emerge until 7.30am:

A wonderful holiday, with some wonderful memories. But wonderful to be home!

Best Xmas pressie ever!

This morning my lovely son (that's right, the big, tough Kiwi bloke) gave me:
a trophy engraved 'Congratulations on losing'.

Yes, I did have a jolly good cry.

A quick summary

Hi all, just a quick summary of the events of the last week:

1. Found the best scales in the world in a motel in Rotorua - lost 16kg overnight! Of course half an hour later I'd only lost 8kg and in another half hour I'd lost 23kg. May not trust that weight...
2. It's been lovely to see all the family. There's just nothing like it.
3. The 50th anniversary was fabulous. We had a lovely Northland day and the setting at the Kerikeri yacht club was magical - blue sky, blue sea and green hills. Lots of old friends and other relatives to catch up with, a lovely speech from one of Mum's bridesmaids and another one from Dad.
4. Giving Mum and Dad their present involved much planning and sneaking. We had got them a sculpture for the garden, so Jake and two of his uncles snuck up under the cover of night, climbed the fence and put it in the garden. Carried it off without being sprung, despite being questioned by a local police officer. The text from Mum the next morning was priceless: 'Just looked out the window. First tears of the day'.
5. Last night the local Farmers' Market had an extra market so everyone could stock up for Christmas. Lots of gorgeous local produce, as well of a selection of locally made sausages, mussel fritters etc to eat.
6. More planning afoot for Christmas Day. We'll do present-opening at the camp with a champagne and chicken brunch, then mid-afternoon dinner at Mum and Dad's - the full works: turkey, ham, lamb, pumpkin pie, you name it!
7. My eating has been okay most days, but several nights with plenty of alcohol! I have been getting lots of exercise, though, and sticking to my training regime, so hopefully maintenance is still on the cards.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Still blogging

To confirm my status as an uber-geek, I will (of course) be taking my laptop on holiday with me - complete with 3G card. So I can blog anywhere. Oh, and probably slip in a bit of work as well. Pathetic.

I will sporadically post about my holiday and visit your blogs when I can. Photos might have to wait till I get back.

I have to admit to briefly considering taking my scales with me. Pathetic again - at least I only considered it for about a second. My normal weigh-in day is Friday. I'm not going to weigh early this week and won't do another official weigh until the Friday after I get back, so next time I post a weight will be 30 December. I think you can guarantee I will be keeping a wee eye on it though, on my mother's scales.

The car is all packed, complete with tents, sleeping mats, Christmas presents and my bike helmet. A few of the bare essentials are there too - gin, Jake's golf clubs, the coffee plunger (never travel without one) and the salt and pepper grinders. I just need to pick up the pram and portacot for my great-niece. Yes, it's a pretty big car.

I had one of those perplexing conversations with my boys while I was packing last night. They can't seem to understand why I need three sponge bags. It's all quite obvious to me - one each for: skincare, make-up and the general washing and body stuff. Luckily they didn't spot the fourth bag - the little one I use for my jewelry. I pack lighter when I'm flying, but if you've got the space you might as well use it!

So I'll rush through half a day's work. Then I'm having lunch with a friend. Jake is taking his girl to see King Kong at 10.30am, so the plan is to hit the road as soon as they finish. Traffic in Wellington will be a 'mare today, with the KK premier on tonight.

Next post will be from the winterless North.

2 more sleeps!

It's nearly holiday time. Hooray!

On Wednesday we head for the Bay of Islands for two weeks camping and family frivolity.

You'll see my triathlon schedule in the sidebar is a bit lighter than usual on some days. Wednesday we're driving to Rotorua after work, so I won't fit in any exercise that afternoon. Thursday we drive to Kerikeri - and I figure pitching the tents will be enough extra exercise for that day!

And Saturday is the anniversary party. I'll try to fit in my bike ride early in the morning. We have to be at Mum and Dad's by 9.30am, all flashed up in our glad rags, because they've booked a photographer. Then the do starts at the yacht club at 11am - a lunch there, followed by dessert back at the house.

We haven't really started thinking about Christmas yet!

Prizegiving

Rongotai College had their prizegiving last night. I love going to this event.

Rongotai is a boys' school, years 9-13, with just less than 700 boys. This number is made up of over 30 nationalities and a huge socio-economic range; we have students from some of the richest suburbs in Wellington, some from old-fashioned 'middle-class' families and we also have lots of recently arrived immigrants and refugees.

This diverse group makes up one of the most beautiful families I have ever seen. We may struggle financially as a school, but the heart and soul is immeasurably rich.

Our departing head prefect talked about that in his valedictory speech last night - the love they have for each other, the spirit that runs through the school. His speech brought tears to my eyes; indeed he struggled to deliver it without breaking down himself. And then, as always, I was completely undone when the school rose as one and performed the Rongotai haka for their leader. An awe-inspiring sight.

They all deserve a prize. Even my ragamuffin of a son, whose carefully cultivated mullet and muttonchops had disappeared for last night's prizegiving. And who looked so grown up on stage at the end, leading the school chants as the teachers filed from the room. As one of next year's senior class, he knows it's time for him to step up to the plate.

So, enough ramblings from a proud mum.

I'm very pleased with my half kilo loss this week, which has probably been one of the toughest weeks I've had, with so many functions on.

And, yes, the one day cricket on Wednesday was the most exciting game I've ever seen. A win would have made it perfect!

Moscow Mule

A very refreshing summer drink:
Crush a sprig of mint into a tall glass. Add plenty of ice, some freshly squeezed lime juice and 2 nips of vodka. Fill to the top with ginger beer and enjoy!
To make this a point-friendly drink, make with a single nip of vodka and diet ginger beer.

I'd like to thank all you Aussie girls for pointing out how badly we got our arses kicked in the cricket. I notice not one of you mentioned the rugby league!

Phew, recovery week!

Well, it's been one hell of a few days.

The trip to the Wairarapa on Friday was fabulous. Lovely weather, lovely company, lovely wine, lovely food.

I wore my size 16 jeans and a little knitted top that came to just above my hips - a very daring departure from the old days of mid-thigh loose tops! I was SHOWERED with compliments! Everyone was so nice - there were even a few who had to double-take to work out who I was.

So of course being surrounded by all that love put me in a great mood and I spent that afternoon/evening/night being a complete social butterfly and loving it.

Food-wise I was pretty controlled, but the alcohol was quite a different issue. Plenty of wine and then I hit the Moscow Mules when we got back into the city. I don't think even the wild dancing would have burnt those off.

Also to help keep my steps up (yeah, right) I spent the 1 hour train trip walking up and down, making sure everyone had a drink and that they had all made a new friend on the trip.

Sidenote: don't you hate those guys who used to ignore your very existence and now think it's acceptable to flirt with you because you look better than you did? Luckily most people I know aren't that shallow.

So, a brief recovery time on Saturday morning, then off to the races at Trentham, for the Printing Federation Christmas do. Another great day of catching up with the people I often only get to see once or twice a year.

Mark and I had our usual average day with the betting, but my drinking was a huge success again! Sometimes I think having a non-drinking partner isn't such a great thing - it's never my turn to drive, so I can always drink when we go out.

Didn't fit in any exercise on Saturday. Went to the gym Sunday morning and had to work very hard to do my usual programme.

Then Sunday afternoon I decided I really should get my car from work, where it had been since Friday. So I rode in to pick it up.

This is a 10km ride with practically no hills. Should be quite a pleasant ride. Except for the northerly. In true Wellington style it was blowing forty bastards again. And much of the ride was into the headwind. Several times I had the gears down to 1/1 and was barely moving.

So I've had a great weekend and am looking forward to a couple of more controlled days before the cricket on Wednesday. And it's recovery week in the triathlon schedule, so my training won't interrupt my social life!

Fattening the Christmas turkey?

Oh dear, I'd forgotten just how much we all eat at this time of year.

The social scene for next week has ramped up considerably. In the next seven days I have: wine-tasting and dinner in the Wairarapa, Printers' Federation day at the races, a big barbecue with some printers and friends, a supplier lunch, day in the corporate box at the races, the first of my work Xmas dinners!

And next week is a recovery week in the triathlon training, so I will be doing LESS exercise than usual!

By following my Christmas plan I've shown a very pleasing 1.3kg loss in the last week.

Considerable will-power will be needed to survive the next week unscathed. Note to self: always, always, always drink a big glass of water between glasses of wine.

The next thing to face will be the Xmas gifts. Being in production I get lots of gifts from suppliers and clients. I consider it just reward for the amount of work I do - it's a job no-one else wants for 11 months of the year.

Most of these presents will involve food and alcohol. So, they'll all go in a box to take on the camping trip and contribute to the 'group fund'. I'm sure someone else will sacrifice themselves for me.

I was hoping I might be an 80's girl by the end of next week. Really, I'll just be happy to make it to the end of the week without catching some chef trying to work out how much sausage and apple stuffing to shove up my cavity!