Moving on.

Well its moving day. Not entirely sure how long Ill be living out of suitcases but between work and training I cant afford to get stuck with stuff I need so the car has to have anything I might need for work, training, competition and occasionally doing something not tri related. So thats what im ready for.

Anyway, I could do the drive from newcastle to melbourne in a single day, thats about 950ks and would take about 11 hours (as I have to drive all the way around sydney). But I dont want to.  Its a horrible way ro spend a day and I feel like crap when its all over. So Im taking two days and breaking the drive in two.  So Ive stopped in Gundagai at a lovely little b&b and even got in a quick 10k run through the countryside.  A much nicer way to travel.

The beauty of running

A while ago the idea of me posting something titled 'the beauty of running' would have been a joke.  At best it would have had to make reference to the notion of me watching other people running.  And yet, here I sit having gone for a quick run this morning and having really enjoyed it.  Not, endured it, not felt it was ok, but I seriously had a good time.

Part of this is because I've lost weight and simply get off on the almost floating sensation I have now.

But this morning the biggest chunk of the fun I had was getting out really early in a place I've lived in before (Canberra) and seeing it in a whole new way.


View 2011-09-24 07:16 in a larger map

This was my run.  From the hotel, and around the bridges in center of Canberra.  Not a huge distance - 8km - and not fast - a tick over 10 kph - but far and fast enough.  But apart from the training benefit it was lovely to see the city this way.  And all it took was a pair of trainers, shorts and a t shirt (and Walkman).  Thats the beauty of this running thing, the lack of stuff needed to make it happen.  That total lack of pissing around required before and after.  For me its get up, throw on clothes, eat half a cereal bar, turn on gps, turn on music and run.  Thats it.  I'm thinking I can keep doing this!

Two milestones achieved

A big day today.

1. I finally managed to be classified as Overweight (ie a BMI of over 26.9 but under 30). That might not sound like an achievement but remember I came it overweight from obese (BMI over 30) so getting down to overweight is great. When I started this journey I weighed 128 kgs, at 192 cm this gave me a bmi of 34.7. Frankly, this was scary for me, I felt sick all the time and was seriously concerned I was heading for a heart attack. Now I'm 109.3 kg, for a BMI of 29.7.

I'm not at my goal weight yet, and even then this isnt really about weight. At some point I'm going to stop worrying about weight and start tracking fat content.

My next weight goal is to get under the tonne - that is 99kg. This would also give me a BMI of 26.8 so put me in the healthy range. Note, I know the BMI is a flawed metric not really suitable for tracking individual health but still its a commonly understood measure.

2. I also ran 10.3 km today. This is the longest run I have ever tried. I had to slow to a walk twice on the return leg, for about 50 meters each time, as I just couldnt keep it going. More than anything the small (but very steep) hills on my 'course' really sucked the life out of my legs.

But, one thing I learned from my first triathlon is that no course is flat and if I want to improve I must get used to hills.

The best news is, however, what I dont have to report. I have no foot, ankle, knee or back pain to report. That is fantastic! That said I'm interested to see how I pull up in the morning.

Training tip. Getting up for a run.

I have always hated running.

Never been big fan of riding either to be honest but recently my riding has picked up as Ive begun riding to work. And it was this that got me thinking, why had my attitude to riding changed and what could I learn from that experience?

What I noticed is that riding became a lot easier when I stopped "going for a ride" and started riding somewhere I wanted or had to be. Whether it was work or the gym or the shops, I actually really enjoyed the experience (even though the ride home from work sometimes leaves me exhausted). So could I apply this to running? Well why not?. Anyway, the ride to my gym is just over three and a half kilometers. A little short for a ride but I thought, you know I could run that.

And I did. And I actually kind of enjoyed it, note that, it wasnt ok, it wasnt "not bad", it was good, I had a good time. I enjoyed it so much that I actually ran home faster (after a strength session) than I ran to the gym.

So, there's a tip. If you find yourself struggling to motivate yourself for that ride or run, try changing your routine so that instead of running or riding a circuit go somewhere (even work).