I can waffle better than I thought!!

I got a phone call yesterday from a local coffee table type publication asking me to write an article for an upcoming edition. Yep, no worries, I've done it before, I thought. Great, she says, I'll need it by 1.00pm Thursday. EXCUSE ME?!?!?! Like I have nothing else to do at the moment!!! So I've been putting it off and honestly I didn't know where to start!! Just an article - no topic to go by, just a 400-500 word article. Last nite I could have done it, nah, put it onWednesday's To Do List. I've procrastinated all day, done every other little insignificant job (like cleaning out a drawer!!) then that was the only one left. This will be a late night, I thought at 3.00pm when I started it. You know, just like when school assignments were due 8.30am Monday morning , and you were up till midnight getting them done?!?! Well I'm pleased to announce that by 3.30pm I had finished!! So now later on I'll be off for a run and then you guessed it - a bike ride!!! ;) Must remember to never under-estimate my powers of waffling!!!

Could I be addicted??

I love my bike, I love my bike, I love my bike!! Sore bits or not I was on it again on the weekend. Saturday morning was an early 1hr 10min run, then straight onto the bike. I had to do it in that order, coz if I started with bike, I wouldn't have gotten off it :P All done and dusted before 7.30am :) There were 3 separate near misses with attacking birds, thank goodness for helmets, I hope the sucker has a dent in his beak :P

Just like Riding a Bike huh?

That's what I thought well, riding a bike might be like... my mistake!! I finally got out on my new lil demon the other nite, I hope the neighbours were entertained! I haven't ridden a bike since about 2001 as my goregeous lil brother decided he'd ride big sis' bike to school and not lock it up therefore leaving a temptation too good to refuse to the theives of the world, but that's another story...
Back then it was a mountain bike. Not a light skinny road bike that even I can pick up with one hand.
I was wobbly, I was freaking out, I was very tentative turning corners!!
Now I'm bruised in that part, but I can't wait to do it again!
The best part - I still belong in the group of people who are about to fall off their bike!!! :P

Can she do it, can she do it... YES SHE CAN!!!

Each day is one step at a time. 5 weeks to go, breathe... hang in there 5 weeks till Christmas girl!! I've been sooo flamin' unbelievably busy!!!!!!!! I haven't had a chance to grab some air for weeks. The two trainers previously mentioned have both finished up now :( was sad, but a new era begins!! The two newies are doing really well, which I'm stoked about. At this stage they don't know the fiddly admin bits, so that's put heaps more pressure on me, but we'll get there. I was so used to having staff who knew how to run the business, I forgot how much extra work it is!! Must remember to not take that for granted.
I'm pretty weary from lack of sleep, surviving on 5-6 hours sleep and doing up to 14 hour days (but whatelse is new!!). I just need to keep my head above water till Christmas then I can relax. The renovations aren't quite finished, but the rest of the equipment should be in next weekend, then I'll spend the whole weekend trying to put it together. Help anyone?! ;) Putting together big puzzles is certainly not my strong point!!

I've been managing to squeeze in my planned running sessions all outdoors, I'm having sooo much fun with this program. Last weeks goal session was 4 x 1km efforts, with 1min 30sec standing recovery in betweet. Goal time was to be under 4mins 20secs. Pleased to say my fastest was 4min 11secs, slowest was 4mins 23 secs :) Not bad considering I'm struggling to hold together 5min kms during a 5km run!! Nothing like a challenge to get me moving.

I've also got a new road bike!!! I bought if off my trainer who left to travel, it's a DiamondBack Racer... I don't know alot about bikes yet, but it's sposed to be a good one :) Unfortunately I haven't even ridden it yet!!!! ARGH!!! I won't be touching the little thingies that lock your feet in just yet, that's just an accident waiting to happen!! I've been told there's 2 types of cyclists, those who have fallen off, and those who are about to!!! HA!

Last weekend I did a Punchfit Punch Pad course - so now I have a pretty little certificate saying I'm qualified. My body was so sore!! I was hurting in places I've never hurt before!! It was heaps of fun!!

Another thing I'm keeping busy with at work...

Breast Cancer Foundation Fundraiser

From October 29th – December 5th, 2007, I have taken up the challenge of entering a local ‘Pink Ribbon Hero Quest’. This quest is an important mission to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Why I have decided to do this

We all know someone who has been touched by some form of cancer. I have decided to help fundraise for Breast Cancer Foundation as my sister has a good friend who has been through it all. At 26 years of age, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and started chemotherapy and radiation therapy at 27. She was in remission for 2 years until earlier this year at age 29, she found another lump which had spread. My sister was with her while she had one of her second lots of chemotherapy, and the processes she explained to me brought tears to my eyes. The friend, only 2 weeks ago had her first mastectomy – in 6 months time will have the second after completing radiation therapy. At the young age of 30, she has been through breast cancer twice, which is why this cause touches a chord with me.

My Goal

My goal is to raise a minimum of $1,000. My competitive streak is coming out, as there is a bit of a contest as to who can be the highest fundraiser. It is my personal goal to be the winner for this cause.

How You Can Help

Donations - To donate to the ‘Pink Ribbon Hero Quest’, you can simply make a donation – every cent goes towards making a huge difference. Donations over $2 will be issued a receipt and are fully tax deductible. Direct credit into our bank account can be accepted, as well as a credit card deduction (+ 1.5% credit card charge fee).

And for our training clients and locals...

Sweet jar – Guess the number of sweets in the jar. $1 per guess – winner takes it all (great to give away as a Christmas gift!!)

Men – wear a pink shirt to your training session and we’ll donate $2 per session! Tip – the brighter the better!!! (And we have to take a picture for our board of fame!)

Water & Towels - All proceeds from water sold for cardio sessions and towels hired between now and December 5th, will be donated to the foundation.

I thank you in advance for supporting this worthy cause. I am fortunate as no one in my immediate family has been affected by breast cancer. Every cent - large or small goes towards making a difference to those who have been.

“You can move mountains by
removing one rock at a time”

Ohh Eee Yee--ouch

One of the other trainers here and I trained each other today... holy crap I'm not gonna be able to walk tomorrow. We all train ourselves, but I forgot how much harder you can be pushed by a trainer. It felt great, and I was a painful client as I complained!! Hee hee, BUT I did it anyway ;) I was smart and went first though, *evil giggle* coz then it was my turn to dish it back!! She said the only other time she felt so close to death was after her first Olympic distance triathlon. I'm taking that as a compliment. She a tough little cookie, we had some huge weights and her form is impeccable. Strongest female I've ever had the pleasure of putting through a session. It's something we're all going to do more often, it's just so hard to find a time when one of us can train when the other isn't working! Having said that, I hope we're both capable of working tomorrow...!!! :)

It's All Happening!!

I feel like I haven't had a chance to breathe for weeks! As well as getting all in order for the new staff, after waiting since April, yes that long, to get approval to do renovations to my studios, it finally happened last week!!! Everything at once, so I've been busy busy busy!! But it's sooo exciting; I can finally get all the new equipment I ordered and paid for way back in June, up here!! I can't wait to see the finished product, and nor can the clients. The builder has done his job, the plasterer has now finished, it's just the painter to make it look alll pretty and me to put all my flash new motivational posters and prints on the wall and rearranging the furniture and YEEHAAAA we're done!! I love new things, best of all a new playground!!
Will post some pics in the next few weeks when it's done!!!

TIME FLIES!!!

Well it's now seven weeks today till Christmas!! Which means it's been two weeks since I contributed anything to my blog...(thanks for the push Hils!)

I've been so busy and had many stressful moments over the past month, but at the end of the day, I'm still alive and kicking!! Kicking hard at that :P

One of my two main trainers finished up last Tuesday so that was sad to say buh-bye. He's off venturing around the world, and I don't blame him one bit!! His replacement is going well as she has been working with us all year, she's just picked up more shifts.

My other trainer, who is also a really good friend, finishes next week. That will be said to see her go, she too is fulfulling her travelling dreams. To save stress I started recruiting for staff 2 months ago... I had a fantastic replacement, she was so keen to start, the current trainer was happy to finish up next week (instead of holding out till the end of the year as originally planned). About 4 weeks ago the new girl pulled the pin before she even started, so that left us up the creek without a... trainer! The current one already has flights booked or she told me she definitely would have stayed there was someone else. Another trainer came along and she told me the job was hers (ie - very keen too!!!), but last week also pulled the pin without even starting... I'm starting to get a complex here - come on, I'm not that hard to work for!!! Although these two things have brought on mini stress attacks - hence the few senseless stress posts previously, I'm coping 100% better to what I was a year ago, when I had a mini breakdown! I've come to realise that we can only do what we can do, and the world isn't going to end if things don't go quite to plan :)

It'll be sad to have no one to share training stories with - the only person in my current world who understands what if feels like to train with passion!! To run so hard you nearly throw up, to have DOMS so unbelievely bad that walking into work is a chore, and to sacrifice nites out just to get up early and train. See why I love my blogging buddies so much!!! :)

I'm buying her road racing bike off her, which is a damn good one at that which I'm SOOOO excited about!! My christmas has come early!! I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!

In other training news - I've got an awesome running program I'm smashing myself with, I'm hoping to get a little speed in the off season, to come back faster and stronger next year!! Todays efforts were just that - a huge effort, with the serious leg DOMS I'm carrying. All I was thinking was "if you can do it with sore legs, it's gonna be 10x easier with fresh legs, so JUST DO IT!!" By the end I was a poster girl for the Nike 'run ugly' campaign!!

Hope everyone had a win today!! In all honesty, I didn't even hear the race on the radio... so who won?!?! ;)