Get Fit, Feel Epic - Week 3

Hi Clanettes!  Its Monday, so it must be time to join Rebecca over at Weight Wars and look at my GFFE goals and think about starting week 3!

Lets recap my goals and see how I'm doing :-

1) Cycle 300 miles during the 8 weeks

I haven't done any cycling this week, so I am still at the 20 miles I did last week. But thats ok, I knew this would be the case when I set myself these goals and I am happy that I can still achieve my target.  Paul is home tonight (YIPPEEEE!) and I can bring my focus in and get out on my bike.  I need to average 50miles a week over the next 6 weeks.  2 good rides a week will see me clear!

2) Run 60km (37 miles) in the next 8 weeks

I have had a great week for running! I got out 3 times and did 3 road runs totalling 17.1km this week!
The first was on Monday lunch time, and I did 5km.
The second session was on Saturday, first thing in the morning and I did 7.1km, (I talk about both of these runs here)
Then I did another 5km run on Sunday morning. So 17k.1m this week,
Added to the actual 6.5km I did last week = 23.6km to date and I am delighted!  Well on my way to achieving my goal!

Plotted out on 'Memory Map' so I knew I was going to do a 5k circuit

The actual stats from Sundays run - a great time for me for an outside run! Plus, the map was accurate!

3) Swim at least 12 times during the challenge

I managed one swim last week, 40 x 25m lengths in 30 mins. Again, I knew it would difficult to fit swimming in with Paul away (Did I mention he is home tonight?!) so I know I can get this back on track once he is home.

4) Yoga

As with last week - I got myself sorted first thing 4 mornings in a row, and then went to Reading for the weekend. The tradition for the kidlets and me to climb into my Mums bed first thing in a morning hasn't changed and its still much better for my soul than any Yoga!

5) Eat right

The weight watchers meals saved me this week.  I have been absent minded, concentrating on other things and food was not a priority.  Had I not planned for it, I would have struggled to eat well and probably gained weight from making last minute snack choices.  So whilst I don't advocate the use of ready meals in any way, shape or form normally, they do have a place and they really helped me.  Win!

I always faithfully and honestly track my intake on MFP and this week looked like this:

The challenge this week.... Find some way to display your goals and keep them in the front of your mind. 

I LOVED this challenge!  I am a keen record keeper (I think my blogging is also testimount to this!) and have a paper chart on my fridge that I update after EVERY workout and I love looking at it and reminiscing about what I have achieved this year.

 

Given my penchant for keeping my achievements on our fridge, I decided that the fridge was the obvious place for my goals too.. So I drew myself a little picture of the kind of thing I wanted to make and got busy with the scissors and glue!

The squillion cycling, running and triathlon magazines my husband (who is home TONIGHT!) reads came in pretty handy for inspiring me, and I thought I would have a bash at creating a piece of recycled magazine word art.. However it was my Dad in the end who kindly sacrificed his cycling magazines because this was a project I did over the weekend at their house.

A dab hand with some scissors, glue and a scanner... 

Et Voila!  One bright and eye catching display keeping my goals firmly within my eyesight - 

Now very much at home with my workout sheets, on my fridge! I LOVE IT!

This weeks challenge is a home workout: Record your time for EACH ROUND. Go on. Surprise yourself.

3 rounds for time (time each round and rest at least 1 minute between rounds).

- 10 burpees
- 20 squats
- 30 push ups

So there we go, I will have to google what a burpee is, but I am on it like a car bonnet! Bring on week 3!!

Sunday

Paul finished RAB this lunch time, he cycled from Lands End to John O Groats in 9 days and we are so very proud of him - if a little giddy at the thought of having him home!!

Paul - King of the world x x

Apart from lots of running, and blogging (I am on a roll at the moment!), I have also been doing a bit of sewing and I have a few projects on the go.  We were glad to be able to gift some bunting to our friend Barney this week, and I am particularly pleased with it because I upcycled an old shirt sleeve for the lettering and ribbon.. He is only 2 bless him, and I know its a bit mature, but he will grow into it..!

Running

During a run with Lucy at the beginning of the week, I noticed that Endomondo (my free phone app) said a wildy different distance to that of Lucys garmin and this made me suspicious of what Endomondo was telling me.

We are currently at my parents house, on the second weekend of RAB distraction and I went for a run at dawn this morning.  I was out 55 minutes and I got back and Endomondo told me I had gone less than a mile.  I was fuming with indignation.  So my Dad got the Memory Map out on his computer and we checked my route and low and behold I had gone 7.1km (4.3miles!) - a new solitary outside distance PB.. Yay me!

This morning was glorious. I would have much preferred to have been out on my bike, but given that I deliberately didn't bring Amy, a run was going to have to do.  It was cold - my first cold outside run (exercise of any kind) since spring.  So I borrowed a fleece from my Mum, because I had only brought warm weather gear with me, and off I went.  My parents live in a lovely part of the country and you are only minutes from seemingly deep countryside. The sun was just coming out, my breath was crisp on the air and there was mist over the fields.  The kind of invigorating morning that makes you feel glad to be alive - and glad to have made the decision to get outside early.

So once we'd cheecked this mornings distance (shown above), I then made my poor old Dad check a few of my other distances and I am running further than I thought I was!  Last weeks run (mapped below) was 5km on Endomondo, but in reality it was 6.53km (4.03miles).

So I have plotted another route with my Dads mapping wot-sit to try tomorrow morning and I am happy that I am closer to hitting my GFFE goals for running than I thought I was!  I knew when I set my goals that I wouldn't be doing any cycling for the first couple of weeks, and I know that I can easily make those distances up - but running was worrying me. Well not anymore!

I am through with Endomondo!  I know it was just a phone app, and a free one at that, but so annoying!  What is the point!  I'm going to have to re-think my tracking options.


Speaking of RAB briefly, Paul sounded tip top this morning and I am feeling better for him.  2 days left and this monumental challenge will be over and I can not wait to have him home and look after him a bit - for a little while anyway, then it will be life as usual..!

Quick pic of our Map exploits last night - and introducing my Mum!  There are loads of pics of Daddy on here, from our cycling and wotnot, so its nice to finally see Mummy. 

Yo!! Hello Mama!! Looking good there.. wolf whistles ahoy!!

Happy Saturday Clanettes x x x

Music to run (or indeed exercise) to!

I am brimming with emotion.  Paul is in Scotland, cycling his massive heart out. Today was always a big mile day, but due to a landslide they have had to de-tour meaning they have to cycle 137 miles today - in gale force winds and pouring rain. That, I think coupled with a relentless week, the consultant last night, and the end being so close now, has meant I have been teary this morning (I know! I know! I ALWAYS cry! Its a way of life!).

I kind of needed to record the moment I guess, so that the annals of history can record that Niamh and I went swimming (she loves it!), Bebe completed her first week at school, Lochie going into class this morning said of me wishing him luck on his first spelling test 'Don't worry Mummy, I'm a Christie, I'll kill it'! The Chris Moyles show ended and Paul battled Mother Nature on his bike.

But seriously, what a post to write - let alone read, so I thought I'd disguise the emotion with an upbeat post about music!!

So! What do you listen to when you work out?  I don't have music when I'm on my bike, but I do listen to music when I run and when I swim..  I thought I'd share my play list :-

Kelly Clarkson - My life would suck without you
Jakatta - American Dream
Madonna - Love Profusion
My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the black parade
Kelly Clarkson - My life would suck without you
Ben Howard - Keep your head up
Jason Derulo - What if
Justin Timberlake - What goes around, comes around
Madonna - Sorry
Linkin Park - Crawling
Kelly Clarkson - My life would suck without you
Mika - Relax, take it easy
Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston - When you believe

Quite an eclectic mix, I'm sure you'll agree - a mix of good beats and then sing your heart outs..  And I can't think of an excuse for 'When you believe' other than it has got me home numerous times!  No your eyes are not deceiving you, the same Kelly Clarkson song does indeed appear 3 times - its my absolute fave to run too and I like that it keeps popping up during my workout!

Go on,  cheer me up Clanettes, what do you listen to?

Thoughts on Thursday

I don't think I have mentioned RAB enough peeps!!  I can't tell you how much you should read Paul's blog if this whole cycling malarky inspires you.  My husband realised at the age of 30 that he was born to ride a bicycle and now he seems to be realising his dreams.  Its an epic, amazing journey that he is on - and in three days he'll be home and I can't wait to see him and tell him face to face just how proud I am of him.

Here is day 5 on the map we marked up yesterday, even Brenna noted that Daddy had travelled a long way on his bike - high praise indeed!

And day 6 - today Paul hit Scotland!

A friend sent me this poster because my email tag line reads 'The challenge is to be yourself, in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else. Eleanor Roosevelt. Love it!

So whilst we're having a chat about thoughts on Thursday, I should mention that I am back from my consultant appointment this evening and I'm going to have some gyne day surgery to try and figure out all the stuff I talked about here.

Ahem. Now then, lets end on a high, with some inspiration courtesy of believe-toachieve.tumblr.com :-

WIAW #6

Its Wednesday Clanettes!!  Normally a  great day, but especially a great day today, because Paul is half way through RAB and hits Scotland tomorrow.

So, let me share all of my food choices with you, lucky you!!

I got a bit crazy this morning and swapped my usual orange juice for apple juice.. woah there!  Kept it simple with my porridge though, and opted for banana's and blueberries as topping.

I have been so super hungry today, so I had two snacks before lunch.  A chopped pear, with a few tortillas and a teeny bit of amazing asparagus, broad bean and mint humus, followed by an apple, a small piece of chocolate cornflake crispy and a herbal tea.  BIG thanks to my amazing parents, who as avid readers of my little old blog, bought me a brand new glass mug for my tea - I now own two and have double the virtuous tankard drinking possibilities!

Lunch was broccoli and a weight watchers mushroom and wedge melt, followed by pineapple this afternoon - of which I probably ate 3 pieces before the girlets had demolished it!

Quick pic to show you my three fave herbal tea choices at the mo - although I guess Chai isn't really herbal tea? Not sure.  But it kind of ticks the afternoon coffee box, without being coffee.. Its a 'thick' drink - fills your tummy without actually filling your tummy..  Do you know what I mean?

I have been dreaming of my dinner all day!  Quorn burgers ahoy! The secret to a good burger experience is to make sure the roll is as fresh as possible, the tomato is at room temperature and that its sliced very thinly, and then that you have enough mayo gluing it all together..  Hello goodness!

Then, ending on a high, my last gingerbread skull from yesterday.  Delightful!

And remember - ALL herbal tea should be served specifically in a glass cup/tankard, thus making the drink 'special'.  Herbal tea is 'special' because it makes you feel virtuous.  I like to drink out of a glass half pint tankard, so I get to feel like a warrior in a tavern - virtuously obv.!