Today is swim day, I was determined to go and give it my all, flipper free and see what kind of pace I could get for 300m (the swim distance of my first triathlon in a fortnight).  I have read in various spots that for a triathlon you should attack the swim with the mentality of keeping it easy, and I certainly will be as I battle internal anxiety over open water swimming and keeping on the course for the first time.  I timed myself at a moderate pace and managed to swim 300m in 3.5 minutes.  So my aim is to make sure I swim that portion of the tri in around 5 min, allowing extra time for checking my course and general freaking out!

It felt really good flipper free again today, for one portion we all put our flippers on and it felt A-mazing to be going that fast through the water again, no wonder it took me a while to get comfortable without them!

I arrived home to find my new book in the letterbox, I have no idea why I insist on buying more books when I haven't finished the ones on my bedside table but I am sure there are worse habits to keep!

I am itching to open the front cover and start reading but sadly I am about to jump in the shower and head to work, after more coffee, and maybe some dencorub and brufen!  Swimming certainly knows how to attack my shoulders!

Big run day tomorrow, looking forward to getting some of the hills done.

Run and run and run.....

I have a few posts that I really want to sit down and write, but I just can't seem to get them right in my head just yet.  I need to process our new FIFO life, when we commenced FIFO last year, it was only a contract, nothing permanent and we had a loose end date in sight, now that it is permanent, even though the roster is much more manageable it feels big, and hard, and busy.

However, my training continues, I ran on Tuesday and today (Thursday), Wednesday remained my rest day this week even though I am down a day thanks to the public holiday.  I surprised myself on both runs, I have been feeling tired thanks to a teething toddler and new routines with back to school so put no pressure on myself to run fast or manage all the hills.  I ended up running my 8th fastest time on Tuesday and 14th fastest time today.  Colour me surprised!

Tuesday:
Distance: 5.5km
Pace: 5:55/km
Time: 32:17

Thursday:
Distance: 5km
Pace: 5:59/km
Time: 29:51

It is swimming tomorrow and after a week off I am looking forward to the water, I just wish the sun would come out again and the wind go away.  Oh, and if Hugo could stop waking up at 4:30 my life would be so much more pleasant.  Thank goodness for coffee.

And so it starts.

The first day of kindy was today, his final year before starting prep next year.  Otto was so excited, happy to go and meet new friends and play in a new space, explore and have adventures of his very own.  These happy, joyful moments are always peppered with sadness and a longing of days gone if you are a mum I am sure, but with big smile on our faces we waved goodbye and made promises of choc chip biscuits as a treat for home time.

Hugo was a bit lost to start off with, he kept looking around calling out for Otto, and then you saw the sudden realisation that he had all the toys to himself, and he was perfectly fine!

I picked up a tired yet happy boy and brought him back home to fresh baked biscuits which were baked with love and happy thoughts while he was away, a reminder that while he can't see me, he is never far from my thoughts and he will always be loved.

So there we go, another school year started, another trip around the sun.

Week one wrap up.

I started off this weekend by getting up at 5 am on Saturday and hopping on the bike, I was so excited to be out there peddling that only the sweat in my eyes wiped the smile off my face.  I didn't go far or for very long but I did manage to set up my first runkeeper log of cycling to give me a benchmark.

My stats are:
Distance: 20km
Time: 1 hour
Average pace: 20km/hr.

I have no idea if this is a good average pace for a cyclist and at this stage I am not too worried, I am very new to the sport and it gives me something to improve on.

And with a view like this to ride past you certainly can't complain.

Yesterday morning was a 10km run day and I was keen to try a new route that included some more hills and trail running.  I had heard that trail running is a lot of fun and also a good way to change up the surfaces that you run on especially while training hard.  This route has a hill included that is my nemesis, the first time I tried to conquer it I had both boys with me while pulling them on the bike, I have never been so scared that at any minute we would start going backwards as at that moment.  We only just made it to the top.  The second time I came across it I was on my own while riding and didn't even bother trying to get up it.

This time I was sure it was mine, I know my legs are strong enough, but as is often the case with running, it is a mental exercise as much as it is physical and my head let me down.  I am determined by the time this training period is up, that hill will be mine.

I did enjoy the rest of the run, it was really nice to run through the bush and then back onto a path along the river, a change of scenery did wonders and I will be sure to check out other runs in the area that I can do without the boys to make Sunday runs a bit more enticing, and I did get to conquer one hill, and that felt amazing, it really hammered home that I CAN do it, I really just need to believe in myself more.

Today is the Australia day public holiday so there is no swimming,  to be honest I am not very upset, this training routine is pretty full on and the extra day of rest has been great, we have caught up with friends this morning at a park and a slow afternoon is on the cards.

So week one recap:
Running:
Distance:  21.78km
Average pace: 6min/km (I think?!?)

Cycling:
Distance: 20km
Average pace 20km/hr

Swimming:
I didn't document distance, but will try harder to do that this week.

Overall this week went well, I managed to fit in all the workouts even with a busy life, they didn't all feel great and I have a lot to learn about nutrition and rest as the weeks continue.  It has me both excited to continue but also a bit cautious about exactly how tired I will be.  Also, I think I need to learn some of these positive thinking mantras by heart for when it gets tough so I can repeat them in my head!

swimming in the rain.

What a glorious feeling, swimming in the rain!  That was going through my head this morning when we pelted out our sprints as the heavens opened above us.  The boys loved camping out under the shelter in kids club for a picnic and then getting gloriously muddy in the breaks between showers, thankfully they washed off in the pool before heading into the car.  I can't believe how lucky I got with kids club, the ladies who run it really enjoy hanging out with the kids and let them play and explore the area which is shaded by big trees, has more bikes and contraptions on wheels than most kindergarten's and a huge sand pit for all the kids to drive trucks through.  It makes my day and spending time in the pool so much easier when I know that are happy too.

I felt good at swimming today, no flippers again and I noticed that it seemed easier than Monday.  I am not sure if I have lowered my expectations or if a bit of strength training concentrating on my upper body is starting to pay off.  Whatever it was it felt great to be more confident.

Tomorrow is cycle day and I am so excited!  I haven't been on the bike for weeks and even though it will mean a very early start so I can fit it into our weekend plans it will be great.  I am not sure how far I will go or how fast but I am not concerned about that right now, I just want to get onto it and get some practice in.  Fingers crossed the rain stays away.

 

Run slow, run a little.

Today was meant to be a 6km run.  I didn't quite get there and I ran very very slowly, but I did it, and I really enjoyed it.

I have a recurring back injury which flared up a little yesterday so I went into the run knowing I would be slow, may not reach my 6km, and I was ok with that.  This is only week one of nine, I need to make sure that I listen to my body and rest when I need to or I won't ever get to that half marathon.  To top it off it has still been very hot and humid here which I find really draining, 2 minutes into my run this morning and sweat was pouring into my eyes and down my elbows, is it any wonder that I enjoy swimming so much at the moment!  I expect that will change come winter.

Distance: 5.6km
Time: 36min
Pace: 6.20/km

Stretch and grow.

Otto had his first Kindy orientation day on Tuesday, a half day to get used to the environment before the year officially starts next week.  I had been concerned how it would go as Otto had been adamant that he wasn't going to kindy this year, and I have to say, I wasn't excited about it either.  At the beginning of these school holidays I was worried I wouldn't be able to fill up all the time we had together, and now as the new school year starts I am wondering if we will have enough time together through the school term.

We started as we intend to continue, with Otto riding his bike there and I was so proud of his determination to do it "by myself", even over the steep hills.

Once there I casually mentioned that I was going to have a coffee in the local teashop and another mum elected to join me.  This was a big step after last year and I was really happy to put myself out there with other mums.

I am so hopeful that this year is the start of a truly wonderful one for my little family.  There are so many changes and for the first time it feels like we are really busy, Otto will be turning five and I have started to notice a big shift happening for him.  He is looking more toward the outside world, his questions come from a deeper understanding of how life works and he is determining more the man he will become.  This year feels like the start of the boy, his baby, toddler and little boy days are all behind him, and as much as I mourn the loss of them (there have been tears), I must concentrate on the road ahead, because I am sure it has some wonderful treasures for us.  If the past has taught me anything, I must treasure this final year before he starts school and make some wonderful memories for us both.

He was such a beautiful baby.

Thank you Pharrell.

Thank you Pharrell Williams for making my run this morning just that much more enjoyable!

Best film clip I have watched for a while.

I had a good run this morning considering it was bloody hot!  By 6:30 when I left the temperature was already hitting 26 degrees which would normally be a lovely temp to run in if the humidity wasn't so high.  I was happy to keep my pace under 6 min/km (just) and was unlucky not to score any train crossing breaks today.

Distance : 5.5km

Time: 30min

Pace 5.59/km

I have decided already to fiddle with my training schedule, it became very obvious last night that strength training on a Monday just wasn't going to happen so I have changed it to a Tuesday night as Wednesday is my rest day.  This is what I have decided to use to help me as I don't need much to start off with.

I am really looking forward to a rest tomorrow, something I already knew but have learnt again this week is how important sleep and rest is for recovering.  So right now I am off to have a bath and then go to bed, to hell with the folding!

Day one.

Today was the first day of my nine week training program for the half marathon.  Monday is swim day which I normally really enjoy but after our week of vomiting hell I just felt tired, strung out and seriously in need of a sleep in!

I went anyway and had probably one of the worst training sessions since I started, however I was very happy that I went ahead and proved to myself that even on bad days doing something is still better than sitting on the couch.  I also went without flippers which probably didn't help.  Normally I am one of the faster people in my lane but today I was second last, well and truly trying to catch everyone's bubbles!

Halfway through I decided that pushing myself probably wasn't going to make anything better so instead used the time to concentrate on my technique, something I really wished I had paid more attention to during school, rather than counting the minutes until I could get myself out of the water.  Concentrating on something other than how much I wasn't enjoying myself worked and I finished the hour feeling better than when I started, with a smile and bloody sore arms!

The last one standing.

Well that is it, everyone in this house has succumbed to Rota virus except me.  I am officially over the copious amounts of laundry, the sound of retching and cries for mummy (Otto) and baaaaabbbbbbe (Han).  Hugo appears to be back to normal and has reached the milestone of over 24 hours without a vomit, so I am grateful that at least one other person has joined me back in the healthy ranks, he has however developed an unsettling new habit of pretending to vomit when one of the other two do it, no matter how much I try to discourage it.

While the house has descended into a scene from the exorcist around me I have tried to keep my inner calm, and my lunch by thinking forward.  I have a half marathon in 9 weeks and my goal this week was to come up with an eight week training plan, considering this week has ended up being a rest week.

I took to pintrest and google in the hopes that there would be a few good plans to adapt to my needs and in no time at all I had a few examples.  It has taken a bit longer than first anticipated to get it drawn up and written down but I think it should work, writing out a plan is a new stage for me, in the past my plan consisted of run as much as you can as fast as you can!  I am trying to ensure that I remain flexible, I can easily become obsessed with strictly keeping myself to any routine set out before me, but we all know that won't work when it comes to family life.  It is also imperative for me to remember that while having goals and trying my best to reach them is important, it isn't everything.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Swim + Strength	Run 5km with boys	Rest	Run 6km with boys	Swim	Run 10km	Cycle
Swim + Strength	Run 5km with boys	Rest	Run 6km with boys	Swim	Run 10km	Cycle
Swim + Strength	Run 5km with boys	Rest	Run 6km with boys	Swim	Rest	Bribie Triathlon
Swim + Strength	Run 5km with boys	Rest	Run 6km with boys	Swim	Run 15km	Cycle
Swim + Strength	Run 6km with boys	Rest	Run 7km with boys	Swim	Run 15km	Cycle
Swim + Strength	Run 6km with boys	Rest	Run 7km with boys	Swim	Run 15km	Cycle
Swim + Strength	Run 6km with boys	Rest	Run 7km with boys	Swim	Run 10km	Cycle
Swim + Strength	Run 5km with boys	Rest	Run 5km with boys	Swim	Rest	Half Marathon

Sometimes I wonder why it has taken me so long to get caught up in the sport of running again, I used to love it when I was at high school, and then dropped it when I got caught up in Uni and all the extra curricular events that go with living on campus.  I often imagine how different it would be if I could dedicate all the time I used to have before children to training, I could join a triathlon squad or a running group, sleep in and go for long rides on the weekends without anyone to answer to or make sure dinner was on the table ready to go at 5pm, I may have been faster and stronger had I done back then, but I do believe I am more motivated now than I would have ever been before children.  I have to make each run count, you never know if the next day will bring a virus that has the whole family down for a week.   I set an example of healthy living for my children, being strong not just skinny, setting goals and striving to achieve them, picking myself back up after a disappointment and starting again.  Seeing those faces on the sideline cheering me on and waving at me gives me so much more than any of those long rides and sleep in days could, and I am very grateful for each of them.

My unexpected week off.

So much washing.

This week is not really going the way I had planned.  From early Monday morning it turns out Hugo has had Rota virus.  Luckily he is fully immunised so the effects of the illness have been mild compared to what could have been.

However, I am exhausted, 3 am seems to be the witching time for Hugo to commence the day vomiting the remains of his dinner, eventually waking his brother sometime before 5 am.  Trying to entertain an overtired 4 year old who is quarantined with a sick 19 month old is leaving me with very little patience.  We generally watch little TV but rest assured I could now sing you the lyrics to Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder and if anyone would like to discuss with me the arrogance of Fireman Sam I am right there.

You would think with all this time at home I would have achieved more jobs that are desperately calling my name, instead I have only barely managed to keep up with the insane amount of washing a vomiting toddler can create!  I am however halfway through making my training schedule for the next 9 weeks, there is nothing like a full calender of events to get you motivated and planning ahead. Oh and as soon as Han walks in that door tomorrow night I am going for a run, anything to leave the smell of dettol and Glenn 20 far behind me for at least a little while.

3 weeks to train.

So I have done it, for the later part of last year my goal was to start this year off with a short distance triathlon.  I kept talking to people as though I had already signed myself up and was preparing for it, the truth in fact is that I had been too chicken to do it.
I have the reminder in my calender, I run through how it will feel to complete it and then I see myself struggling for air in the swim, stumbling through transition, falling from my bike while I try and clip in and I loose all my nerve.  The mind is a powerful organ, with the ability to help you achieve great things or ensure that your dreams remain only dreams.

With a fortifying glass of wine and credit card in hand tonight was the night, I found myself at the website again, looking through all the pictures, wanting to feel the achievement of competing in my first triathlon and I did it.  I am all signed up and paid in full, there is no turning back now.  In truth I am excited, it is done, now all I have to do is train and read everything I possibly can about transitions!

Short course stats:

Swim 300m

Bike 10km

Run 3km

Resolution Run.

So yesterday was my first race of the year, I was so eager to get it done and feel like the year was off to a good start, especially after feeling so comfortable on my runs through the week.

The alarm went off at 4am and after the moment of confusion that everyone must feel I jumped/ moved like a zombie to get ready.  One difference I noticed straight away was the lack of nerves, each race last year was accompanied by a million butterflies in my stomach, however it seems as though now I have my pre race routine down pat.

I was ready to go at 4:30, right on schedule and cranked up the music in the car to get me moving.  A quick walk over the bridge after parking just as the sun hit the horizon had me grinning from ear to ear.  This business of living is feeling pretty great.

Then it dawned on me, I was early, really really early, the fifth runner to arrive.  On one hand I was happy to not be stressed, but that meant I could have easily had another half hour in bed!  Oh well, it gave myself and the other runners a chance to watch the sun rise over the river and the finish markers.

The weather was perfect, 21 degrees when we started and 24 degrees when we finished, after the heatwave from the week before I was so pleased for a cooler start.

Overall I felt the race went well, in the past I have been upset with my pacing, I often feel as though I don't push myself enough and sit in a pace that is too easy and comfortable.  My main aim was to sit in the 5.20's and really attack the race.  

My final stats:

Pace: 5.27/km (5min 15 sec/km)

Place: 34/197 (age category 26-34)

I was ecstatic with the end result, my muscles today are telling me that I really ran it hard and each time I felt myself slow down I was able to pick the pace up.  It felt amazing to have Han and the boys there to watch me run and really inspired me to keep trying my best.

Next up is the twilight half marathon in March, another event I get to tick off my bucket list.  Time to get training and work out my plan of attack.

Today I was looking forward to an easy swim session to help loosen my tired muscles, instead I have been up since early in the morning caring for Hugo who seems to have caught some sort of vomiting bug.  It is awful to see them go down, hopefully he is up and feeling better again soon.

Tomorrow it starts.

Tomorrow I am running in the resolution run.  I first signed up as a way to motivate me to continue training/running after a series of medical issues and an operation at the end of last year which led to me sitting out a few weeks while I recovered.

I am excited to get 2014 started, my pin board of race numbers is all clear for the start of a fresh year, and I smiled as I packed away all of last years numbers and medals.  It was a good year, but this year will be better, faster and fitter.

Off to bed for now, early start tomorrow.

Just keep kicking.

Swim day today and it is sprints day, bloody sprints day.  I love and hate it.  I am sitting here, my shoulders and legs are aching and I am going to need an injection of caffeine to get through work tonight, but that memory of gliding through the water trying to catch the bubbles of the person in front, and then mentally patting yourself on the back when you pass them and they are the ones catching the bubbles is just too good.

I have to admit, I chickened out of going without flippers for much of today, I am not sure how I would go doing all the sprints without some help.  When we dove and did 25m sprints I did go without them and felt I held my own enough to consider doing more next week.  The idea of swimming in open water still leaves me with jelly legs, a fear I am going to have to overcome soon!

As always, today was a great day, the boys and I had so much fun poolside, jumping from one pool to the other.  Hugo is the fish of his swim class and is so daring in the water, as is Otto who went from screaming in terror at the idea of swimming to the deep end in September to now jumping in and doing tricks.  The best part of a Friday is the ham and cheese sandwiches and red frog before heading home with two very tired boys for a relaxing afternoon.

The bottom photo was meant to be a group shot!  Seems as though Otto is hell bent lately on having no photographic evidence that he was four.  He decided the goggles were a better representation of him.  At least Hugo will still look cute for me!

Lace up those shoes!

I was all ready to skip today's run, I just didn't feel like it, the kids were whingy, it looked like rain, we were cold and I was tired.  All valid excuses, except this place kept me honest, how would I explain myself later in the day when I came to write here.  So I did it, I laced up the shoes, put my headphones in and ran.

It felt good.  It always does once you get going.

My pace was similar (5:58/km) to the other day, except I forgot to switch the run keeper on for five minutes after waiting for a train to pass, so who really knows.  The important factor for me was that I did it, I ran the whole way on a day that I didn't really want to.

I learnt one more lesson.  I have a lot of free shirts and visors from the races that I ran last year, I am always grateful to receive one as a lot of apparel is expensive, and it is always a good motivator to pull on a shirt that brings back good memories of a great run.  I was won over to the running visor after forgetting my cap for the Brisbane Marathon and grabbed a free one at the race, I wore it for a long time until replacing it with another free one for the Noosa Triathlon.  

Yesterday I had decided to check out a Nike one from my local sports shop.  It seemed like a lot of money to pay for not much material and a piece of cardboard, but I went ahead anyway after hearing how amazing they were, today I ran with it for the first time.  Sadly no wings sprang from the sides to help me run faster but I was amazed at how much more comfortable it was to wear.  So sometimes, it is worth it to spend that bit more (or anything at all) and get quality gear.  Now all I need to do is convince Han of the same thing.

In all my post run sweaty glory!  When will I learn to take photos BEFORE I run?!  Tomorrow is a swim day and I am looking forward to hitting the pool, Friday is sprints which is always crazy and fun and exhausting.  The best part is picking the kids up, having their swim lessons and then a fun time at the pool before we head home for naps.  I can't think of a better way to get ready for the weekend.

Beach day.

A few years ago, as my Grandparents health started to decline and they are unable to travel independently we have celebrated Christmas early on the Sunshine Coast.  It is always a lovely day, to spend a big amount of time together as a family without the rush of people needing to leave to different engagements on Christmas day.  It also helps that they live directly opposite the beach.

This is our Christmas, and just like the actual day we enjoy presents, eating ourselves silly and then afternoons spent on the beach.  For as long as I can remember my Grandparents have lived in this house, and there are lots of fun memories here waiting for me whenever I walk through those doors.  It is a joy to now see my boys also experience the love within those walls.

Oh, and also the beach, no matter what the weather we visit to the beach, just as I did as a little girl.

There is always energy to run off before the drive home and nothing brings a smile faster to my face than to see my children running along the same beach that I once did.  A day spent here fills me up again, ready for anything.

Run darling, Run.

So after all my talking last night, I was ready for a slower run with some hill walking to get me through.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  It was one of my best runs with the kids for a long time.

My average pace was 5:56/km, I remember this time last year I was trying to get my pace to 6:30/km so it is good to see that even though the boys are getting bigger, my numbers are going down.  I am usually happy with anything under 6:10/km while running with the boys, and kept waiting for the numbers to creep up during my 5 minutely updates (I use runkeeper on my iPhone).  I did have the luck of catching two trains at the level crossing today which I am sure helped me recover for some of the hills on the way home.

It is a rest day tomorrow and I am looking forward to a sleep in, relaxing bath and breakfast in bed!  Who am I kidding, the boys will be up bright and early as usual and the grocery shopping beckons.

My first dip back in the water.

I haven't yet worked out how I will be keeping my fitness journal on here.  It is not feasible for me to write every night but I am hoping that I will be able to write regularly enough to make it worthwhile.  I suppose I will just see how it goes.

Today was the first swim squad of the year, considering the high temps and humidity I was overly anxious to get myself there and in the water.  Otto and Hugo headed happily to kids club covered in suncream and I always pick them up with huge smiles covered in dirt and sand!

The pool was so warm it felt like a bath which had us working at a slower pace than normal to avoid heat exhaustion.  I have never heard of heat exhaustion in a pool but took heed of the warning anyway.  It felt so good to use and stretch those muscles that had been lying in wait during the last two weeks of holidays, I am always surprised at just how much strength is required to propel yourself through the water.  There is real enjoyment for me in noticing how much faster I can swim, and a huge decrease in the amount of pool water I drink!

Last year I swam with flippers constantly (I started in October) considering I hadn't swum since school and needed to keep up with all the other lanes.  This year I am hoping to use them less, if I am ever going to feel confident swimming in open water I am going to need to loose the security I feel having them on. Today was the first day I tried and to my surprise I kept up and enjoyed the knowledge that I was improving so much.  Overall it was a great first day back and I can't wait until Friday to attack the pool again.

It is a running day tomorrow, and while I have run during the past two weeks, it has been without pushing the kids.  I am dreading it a bit to be honest.  The bigger they are getting the harder I am finding it to push them, between them they weigh 28kg and then factor in the weight of the pram and I am running and pushing over 30kg for 5-10km!  I have renewed my expectations for this year out of necessity,  I will not be talking myself into running up each hill with the kids, but accept that sometimes depending on the day it is ok not to make it to the top.  It is better to have a break every now and then and not manage some hills then stop running with them all together and miss out on training time and Km's.  I need to run with the kids when Han is away as it is an activity that they can accompany me on, I need all the cycling km's I can get when he is home and able to watch the kids for an hour or so after they wake up while i finish my ride.

This is all starting to sound obsessive, which I suppose is my nature, but I like to be organised and in a routine, I find it makes my life easier if both the kids and I know what to expect each day.  Otto often reminds me of the activity for the next day and I am always looking for ways to find their time spent in the running pram more fun.  I am lucky to live near a train line so the rail crossing always features in my route, along with my fervent requests that there be a train passing so I have no choice but to stop for a drink!  Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Image source

A new year.

As the new year starts in Brisbane we are suffocating in a heat wave with wind that is bringing smoke from a nearby island across to the mainland.  You would be forgiven for thinking that it is far from idyllic circumstances to enjoy the final days of being together as a family, hot, grumpy and tired, I certainly wasn't looking forward to it.  It has been a wonderful surprise then that these final days have been some of our best during the whole break.  Christmas and the crazy that accompanies it has been packed away, the leftovers eaten and all the relatives back in their own homes.  It was a wonderful festive season, but as with every year, by the time Christmas day arrives we are Done!

So now as a family we look toward another year, if 2013 taught me anything, it was to expect the unexpected!  Han will commence a new FIFO (fly in/fly out) roster, in a new job and we are all getting used to the idea that this lifestyle is permanent for a while.  Otto starts a new kindy and Hugo gets on with the job of turning two and growing up.

As a rule I am not one who has new years resolutions or goals, I have never really seen the point of them, life will always change, what you start with in January is rarely what you will end with in December.  This year is a bit different for me, since becoming a mother life is a bit more predictable (until you are sent to Jakarta with 5 weeks notice!), and while I am happy with that I think it is time to push my way out.  This year I am hoping to achieve some goals that I have had rumbling around in the background for years.

In 2008 I sat on a balcony of a friends apartment looking out over the esplanade in Mooloolaba and watched as many strong, fit, determined and amazing individuals put their bodies and minds on the line during the Mooloolaba Triathlon.  I turned to my friends in a hungover haze and told them that one year I would be down there doing that.  A few weeks later we were told we were moving to South Africa and shortly after I became pregnant with Otto.  Late 2012 I started running again as a way to loose some of the baby weight and carve out time to myself after having Hugo, my goal was to run the 5km dash as part of the Mooloolaba triathlon series 2013 and leave it at that.  But I got bitten by the running bug hard, I wanted to run faster, for longer and more often, I wanted to see exactly how much I could improve over the course of the year, and I did it.  I ran faster, more often and for longer distances, each race has been faster, I went from 5km to 10 km in varying degrees of fitness and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  The final race was my best and most wonderful experience, competing in the run leg as part of a team for the Noosa Triathlon.  It was a hard, hot race and I still got a PB.

This year I am putting myself out there more, I have an 11km run next weekend, and a half marathon in March.  I am hoping to run as part of a team for the Mooloolaba Triathlon also in March.  The best part, the part that is both scary and thrilling, is that I have signed up for a mini triathlon.  This year I am hoping to get more serious about setting myself goals and achieving them, putting myself out there and giving it my all, no excuses.

So this has all been a really long winded way of saying, that this blog might change a bit.  I am hoping to use it as a training journal and goal setter, to celebrate my victories and understand the losses.  I will always write about my children and our life, and hopefully some home improvements and renovations will start soon too.

I have a big year ahead, and our family has exciting times coming.  2014 is going to be great!