My run looks a bit gammy

After reading LoriV's blog about her struggle to fix her niggling injuries with new shoes etc. I had some ideas. This is what happened to her:

She was talking to her husband about her mental commentary of "heel toe, heel toe. heel toe" to keep her pushing through on her runs. This was when he mentioned that's not how you should run. As it turns out it can cause injuries. This is how I was introduced to the idea of heelstrike. Perfectly normal for walking not good for running.

I thought about it again later that day and on my run the day after. This was when I realised that I do this to. When I came home I googled heelstrike and found an abundance of info. This youtube video by danlempriere I found really helpful about correcting techinque with forefoot running or the "pose method" just ignore the subtle product placement.

In the blurb was this "Running on your forefoot will increase your speed, efficiency, balance, increase your stability, reduce injury and impact to joints and muscles and give you greater propulsion." This answers my husbands question of why I am so terribly slow and mine of why I have had sore knees running on tarmac in the past.

The difference in impact is remarkable but I warn you your calves may be quite sore at first. At the end of the video there is a warning about the leg and calf strength needed but I thought that as I have been running now for about 4 months I shouldn't have problems, silly me.

Weigh in #4

Tis the first of the month, hence the pictures. But I have an announcement to make... this month my loss is 3kg, or to put it another way a current weight of 75kg, or yet another way is that I have now lost 10kg in four months yay me!

Yesterday the Hubby, MIL, Miss and myself decided to get back to some normality and became quake refugees for a day. Aka we escaped Christchurch and went to Hanmer hot pools. For the first time in a loooong time I didn't hesitate before putting my togs on. I didn't even wrap myself selfconsciously in a sarong or towel for the walk between the changing rooms and the pool. Cool huh!

We still have hope!

Just a short post here from quake-ville aka Christchurch New Zealand. So many people have terrible stories and had close escapes. There are some who have not been so lucky. My family and friends so far have reported safe and well. It seems that most of the eastern half of the city has liquifaction and minor flooding from broken pipes. The city centre looks like a war zone. Familiar streets and landmarks are now almost unrecognisable.

We still have power this time so have been able to watch the coverage. Phones have been patchy with land lines and cell phones overloaded. Interestingly the most reliable way to communicate yesterday was via text to someone outside the city who could then report back.

Illness is not the recommended weight loss method

I have not been feeling great lately, Miss was sick last week with a rash and a fever so off we went to the doctor. Turned out to not be anything serious but still one cranky little girl. Then this week I have been very blah. Headache, body aches, sore throat, upset insides, general lethargy. None of which combine well with caring for a baby. I have to hand it to mums who manage several kids and work and everything else they do.

But somewhere in the middle was Valentines day. The hubby and I celebrated on Sunday instead so that Nana could look after Miss while we went out. We had a lovely lunch at Cafe Roma then a tour of the city on an old london double decker bus with handmade chocolates. It is amazing what a different perspective makes and some of the history I never knew of the city I grew up in. The hotel balcony that is across from our old school bus stop in town is where The Beatles and the Queen have both stood in front of massive crowds. Who knew? Not me.

Out of curiosity I weighed myself this morning, although this is not an official weigh in, I am down 3 kg from about two weeks ago. I can only put this down to not having eaten much lately and a struggle to keep enough fluids in me.

Super dooper food!

This is a recipe I adapted from a magazine for breakfast muesli and had to share. I can make a big batch for roughly half the price from the supermarket and it is packed with protein, fibre, vitamins, and nutrients. A half cup serve plus a couple of spoons of yoghurt keep me going through 'til luch without snacking or a hungry tummy. I know this is an energy dense food with a comparatively high calorie intake to say plain wheat cereal, but I think it is worth it. As I don't personally count calories I have no idea of the exact number. This is ridiculously easy and cheap to make.

The great thing about this recipe is that if you don't like something you can leave it out or substitute with somehting else. I like to change it so that each batch is slightly different. I made a festive christmas muesli with cashews and cranberries which was delicious. If your nuts are already roasted (not salted) throw them in with the fruit at the end. This would be good made with maple syrup too.

Awesome muesli

5c rolled oats
1c chopped raw nuts (I use almonds and peanuts or walnuts)
1/2c sesame seeds
1/2c sunflower seeds
1/2c pumpkin seeds
1/2c desicated coconut
1/2c baking bran
1/2c wheatgerm
1/4c canola oil
1/4c honey
1/2c brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla essence
1c chopped dried fruit (I use sultanas and apricots)

Heat in a saucepan the oil, honey, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla until hot and the sugar has dissoved. Add to the rest of the ingredients (except fruit) and stir well. Tip out onto a baking tray (or two) with sides then spread into a thin layer and bake in a preheated oven at 140 degrees celcius for about 15 mins. Toss and bake again for about 10mins until a light golden brown. While still hot stir through fruit and leave to cool then store in a sealed container.

Weigh in #3 pics finally!

I am finally starting to see a difference in the pictures. I am pleased that I decided to take the pictures each month to document the changes in my body. While I know I have lost weight, as the number on the scale has gone down and my clothes have gotten looser, fit better and been downsized, my mental image has alas not changed.

I have struggled to see any difference in the mirror, even though I now weigh two kilos less than when I got pregnant which is a minor miracle in itself. These pictures are showing me the difference. My tummy is less and my back has less of the dreaded "love handles" aka backfat.

Weigh In #3

As it is the first of the month it is weigh day! Luckily my husband just sorted out the virus issues we were having which resulted in much frustration and the re-installation of just about everything. I just know he would be so pleased to think that he spent many hours last week trying to sort this just so I can blog again.... hmm maybe we won't mention that part to him :).

Enough rambling lets get down to business ...the weigh in... da da dum! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the number on the scale today. I admit I peeked about a week ago and was downhearted when I thought that 0.5kg was all I was down. My pants felt looser and I had to move a ring to another finger because it was too loose and I was afraid I was going to lose my great grandmothers ring! So while I was busy rationalising this last week with muscle gain vs. fat loss the scale went down a whole kilo when I wasn't looking. I don't know why, I haven't done anything different this week. That makes a new weight of 78kg and 1.5kg for the month of January!

Unfortunately I don't have the pics for this month yet but will hopefully do them tomorrow and post them of course!

Anxious? Me?

I have just started the registering process for the City to Surf race that I am hoping to compete in at the end of March. Just hitting the send button made me nervous, I am really going to do this aren't I? What started out as a far away goal that I am not sure if I actually intended to achieve, is now roughly nine weeks away.

Nine weeks to run 12km. I am at 6.5km now. I know that at this point in time I could complete the race with a run/walk combo. But I want to do what I set out to achieve. To run the race. Did I just say that? Crap.

What is even scarier is what my mind has been thinking about after the race has been run. There are other races that come after the City to Surf... longer ones. At the moment I might just stick to the one then see how I go before committing myself.

New pants go non-stop

Ok so the title doesn't make a lot of sense, until I explain a little further. My trackies that I have been running in have become so big that they try to fall down when I run. I either have to tie them on really tight so that the drawstring hurts or run a few steps and hike them back up. Leaving me fearing the day that they make it all the way down to my ankles.

Cue a trip to the store and some new snazzy stretchy pants. Not entirely flattering but they do feel nice to exercise in. Which brings me to the second part of the title. Last night I went for a 6.5km run, nothing super special about it except that it was my first one non-stop, and timed at roughly 1 hour 5 mins or just over 9 mins a km, woohoo!

Fat pants do not fit me any more!

Have not posted here in a little while as Miss has just got her first tooth and she has been a teensy bit grumpy the last week or so. Just a little bit. But I have had time to go through all of my clothes and remove the ones that are now too big, yay! and bring out of storage the ones that now fit and the ones that will soon fit... yippee!

How awesome is it that my fat pants are too big. REALLY awesome. On the downside my jeans are also to big and the other pair that I have are too small, can button them but with a serious muffin top. But at least the weather is too hot at the moment for pants.

Under 80!

An unexpected surprise awaited me on the scales on the 1st, yes I know it has taken me a couple of days to post the results. But the official weight recorded was 79.5kg which is less than when got pregnant. Yippee!

There isn't much difference in these pics from the last ones but for consistency and accountability here they are. Still a loss over the month of December is pretty good 1.5kg. Now I have to try and keep up the good work.