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.