Thursday, August 14, 2008

Locals Doing us Proud :)

Ooooh how I love the Olympics!! My favouritestestest event ever is the swimming, (yea work that out, I can't swim to save myself but love to watch!) so I've been having a great week this week and as expected, not quite enough sleep. I've teared up over every gold medal the gals have won. I can feel their pride. I'm sad huh :)

I've also developed a very adolescent-type crush on Eamon Sullivan. He's always been nice to look at, but there's just something else about him that gets my ticker going. LoL ;)

Great day today - local gal Linda Mackenzie won a gold medal in her final Olympics in the 4x200m relay!! Her bro is good mates with my sis, so we've met at parties and stuff. Being a swimmer-stalker-fan, that's exciting for me! ;) The paper will go rank tomorrow, and so it should. She's been a quiet achiever in the Aussie team for a long time now!

Nick Ffrost, another local, will be bringing home a bronze from the men's 4x200m relay. Can't say I've met him... yet ;P

Then we've got Benita Johnson in the marathon on Sunday, that will be an event worth watching. Another claim to fame - I used to work with her brother! LOL!! Of course this isn't a small town :)

Then there's a boy in the hockey team who I went to school with - not that he'd know me from a bar... :)

I'm so inspired by all the results, just being there; to achieving a PB is a massive thing, and to do it on the greatest stage - just imagine how good that must feel!! Winning something to wear on your neck must be unbelievable!!

So on that note, I'm gonna go dream about it, coz that's the closest I'll ever get :)

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Found!

I found some pics from the King of the Mountain run I did a few months ago :) Here's some evidence for your viewing pleasure :P




It's been a bit of a bumming weekend, which is just how I like when the Games are on! Yesterday I did an 18km run early again - my golly gosh it was cold yesterday. 9 degrees when we started at 5.30am. Of course I don't have any cold weather running gear so I suffered in a singlet and compression tights. At least my legs were warm. And because we were running so fast the wind chill factor was quite chilly ;) The further we got the warmer my body was, but my hands just froze with the achey painful cold. I couldn't get my key in my car and manage to unlock it at the end; someone had to do it for me they were so frozen. That'll learn me! I've made a mental note to at least wear my weight training gloves next time :)

I organised a had a social ten-pin bowling day yesterday with clients. It was so much fun. I had a great game my first one - 66 :P My second game wasn't so good... In fact I only missed out on the Winner's trophy for the lowest score (without trying of course!) by THREE points. That was close ;) I was second-last last year as well... I have a problem with getting the ball to not go in the gutter. Of course my smart-ass boy whose never bowled before came second overall.
Anyway, it's time to go back to the TV! Swimming's about to start :)

Friday, August 08, 2008

Why thank you... NOT!

I had a trip to the physio on Wednesday which was an experience. I got my shoulder seen to by the only health professional who hasn't had a look, feel, squeeze and guess. After having the general chit chat "So what do you do? Ohhh, so where do you do that" rah rah rah and going through my history "Are you of good health", err, well I bloody should be, we got to the fun stuff.

I had to strip my shirt off (thank god I wore a padded LJ crop top - for concealing everything people, not for other reasons). It was a little uncomfortable I guess standing there half naked while I was eyed up and down "turn this way, now the other way, lift you arm up etc etc etc ". (On that note - thank god for having done 4 IPL sessions, I only need to shave 1-2 times every 6 weeks and no, I hadn't thought to before the appointment!!)

So he asked what weight I'm lifting for shoulders. I jumped in first and said,
"well not much because I'm not sure what's going on with it", like I had to justify myself or something. But I didn't, so I don't know why I did.
He replied "yea, that's not much". Compliment number #1.

Then while playing and poking my arms, he goes,
"you've got really small arms for someone who trains a lot". Hmmm me not getting happy now. "That's because I'm so inconsistent with this stupid injury". Justification #2 that wasn't required. And not quite true... I think I train hard and quite regularly considering; and I thought my arms were looking OK thank you. Definitely not skinny :P I nearly said yea, but you should see my legs buster ;)

Then he's playing with the arm again and goes "Nice ring". I'm like huh? I didn't have any rings on and he saw me look at my fingers and says... "nooo you're belly ring thing"
Get your eyes off my belly and onto my shoulder!!!!!!
Couldn't wait to get my shirt back on! LOL.

Anyway the outcome was all good. He gave me what he thought was the issue and taped me up to see how things are affected. I feel real tough like a footy player now with my shoulder all strapped :P I have to go back on Tuesday for a re-strapping and more poking and prodding, but the good thing is he wants me to continue as normal, and wants me to do weight training to see how the strapping affects things.

Works for me!!

Except on Tuesday I think I'll wear a singlet top that I won't need to strip off :P

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Getting Olympified

Not long to go now!!! I'm such an Olympic Games nerd, any games nerd for that matter :) As a 10 year old I collected every single clipping from the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland and that's when the addiction started. ;) My adolescent crushes were on sports stars not movie stars (oh, except for that one lad named Brad Pitt) :P

At work, we're getting everyone fired up to "Embrace Your Inner Athlete" - all our motivational posters are up in Green and Gold with quotes from athletes and generally any success quotes. We've set up an optional Olympic Event - a fun cardio-based session racing the clock. Clients are able to do it as many times as they want and beat their previous time within the 8-24th August. The three trainers are yet to set the standard (ah-hem) and do our time-trial... maybe tomorrow?! ;) We've also set additional weekly challenges for the clients to do at home - nothing like a change of focus to bring out the competitive streak in everyone!

Last Olympics in 2004 I had just started working again after living overseas and travelling for a year. I was an employee and the business was new therefore slow as it was still building. I did my few clients a day and was glued to the TV the rest of the day. And night. This time round, yea right :P So instead, I'm bringing the TV into work! ;) Hey, the clients would like to know what's going on too!!!

Seeing all those fit, athletic bods only fires me up to train harder!! I'm quite certain I'll be getting very little sleep! ;)

Personally, I reckon the two weeks should be a Public Holiday :)

Monday, August 04, 2008

SWEAT
+
SACRIFICE
=
RESULTS
That's it for today folks. :)

Saturday, August 02, 2008

18 Before Breakfast!

I fought with myself all day yesterday as to whether I was going to get out of bed at 4.45am to go for a run. It's been effing freezing here the last few mornings (yes Kek - FREEZING! Single digits even!!) ;) but I knew if I didn't do the run with the usual gang, I'd probably not go at all.

My mind was made up though about 6.00pm when my boy called and said he was heading out for drinks. Last Monday evening, one of his friends from work was killed in a car accident - 19 years old with the world at his feet. Was a very sad event, and so unfortunate - he was the passenger in the back left hand side of the car and killed instantly. The other three young lads walked away without a scratch. It was a sombre week, as in a smaller town someone is linked to him, his family or his mates who were in the car. So the funeral was yesterday and the boys kept going till late in the night. (anyway I got off track there...). Oh yea, because he was out he asked for a lift home, but I hate doing it at the best of times, let alone in the freeeezing weather, so I said no, I had to get up early for a run. ;)

So that sealed the deal, I had to run this morning to get out of the pick-up!! I had no idea what distance or length of time was on the agenda, but 18kms later we were finished.

We're smart now, and start in the City Heart (so are lucky enought to witness the sorry state of the stragglers still out from the nite before!), and when we're finished the coffee shops are just starting to open up.... ah ha! Smart thinking huh ;)

Enjoyed a nice filling pancake breakfast when I got home. It went down soooo good :)

Gotta run, I'm catching up with a friend tonite who's in town for the weekend :) Yeeeha, I get to dress up and pretend I have a social life! :)