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| Don't be fooled by the thumbs up...I was dying! (thanks to Tracy King for the photos) |
I'm now 5 weeks into this round of the Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation. I am absolutely LOVING it! It was definitely the right decision to do it over Christmas. I have full accountability, and it is making me really stay on track with my eating and exercise, at a time that would usually just be a complete write-off for me.
I've lost 5kg and am feeling great - despite huge days, late nights and big to-do lists, I'm finding I have a lot of energy and motivation. I'm loving having a running program to stick to - I'm doing about 4 runs a week, including a long run, hills or intervals, a fast run and a recovery run. I'm feeling a big improvement in my fitness, and I'm definitely feeling stronger, faster & leaner as well.
Basically, if I wasn't on the program, I know I'd be over-eating nearly every day at Christmas functions or while baking Christmas treats. I wouldn't be prioritising exercise and I'd probably come out the other end a few kilos heavier, more unfit and not feeling good. Instead, the opposite is happening! But I don't feel like I'm missing out - I'm still having the occasional treat, but only small bits here & there. I'm embracing the real treats of the season - things like cherries, mangoes & nectarines, some of my favourite fruits. I'm still baking just as much as I always do at Christmas, but it's all being given away (except for the bits that Dean has been sneaking from the freezer!) I've also decided not to drink any alcohol for the 12 weeks. I'm not a big drinker anyway, but I find it's a great way to save on what would be basically wasted calories anyway.
It's not all smooth sailing - it is hard work. Some days I definitely don't feel like exercising, but once I'm doing it, I never regret it. Some days I'm just plain hungry & want to eat everything in sight - but even when I fail in my calorie counting, I'm back on track soon enough.
I have my fair share of hard runs - while I've been getting up to about 15-16km in my weekly long run, I hit a major wall last week while only doing 12km. From about 9km onwards, I really struggled with no energy and just wanting to stop. I shuffled on, but wasn't feeling too good after.
I was really hoping for the best the next morning, because I was running at Sandgate parkrun WITHOUT the pram for the first time since early October. I've been so consistent with running for the past 5 weeks, so I knew I could have a crack at a pretty good time. My last non-pram 5km was 4 weeks ago, when I ran 24:02 at Kawana parkrun. My goal was a sub-24.
I set out pretty well and was really happy with my pace. It was a hot day and there was no shade to help out, but I just stayed focused. One of our regular runners was just a couple of steps behind me and that's where I wanted him to stay. I don't like being overtaken. I got to the turnaround and had a quick look at my pace & time on my phone and was happy with where I was at.
At 4km, the runner who was behind me encouraged me to pick it up for the last km and finish off quickly, but I just didn't have it in me! He went on ahead while I tried to hang in there and not lose too much pace, even though I was exhausted.
I finished with a time of 23:27 - way under my sub-24 goal! I was thrilled and got so much encouragement from other parkrunners. Checking out my splits, I lost pretty much 10 seconds on each kilometre, which is not an ideal way to run. But hey, at the end of the day, I'm happy!
My goal is to shave another minute off my non-pram time by the start of February next year, and I'm sure I can get there. Consistency is definitely key. We're heading away on holidays just after Christmas, so that will be a challenge, but if I can keep up that consistency, I know I can stay on track. Will keep you updated!
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| Don't be fooled by the beautiful day - it was soooo hot! (thanks to Tracy King for the photos) |
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