My next Challenge!!

My exciting news...............

more info can be found here :  Kremetart Cycle Challenge

Nothing like a challenge - RIGHT!!

This one appeals to me.  It is a challenge.  A HUGE one for me.  The thing is I'll have to drop some weight.  If I am over my plateau and I am confident I have waved goodbye to it then I should be fine.  Here's crossing fingers :-))

One of the reasons :

I'll get to see lots of these on the route. 

In planning, I need to do the following :

*  Lose 12 - 15 kg's (26.45 - 33 Lbs) in the next 3 months (3 - 5 kg loss a month)

*  Increase my speed to an average of at least 26 kmph

*  Improve on my endurance levels

*  Time in the saddle

Dischem Ride 4 Sight - Vita-thion 63km Challenge (completed)

At the start line....

This photo was taken just before my 07:51am start.  As guessed, the ride was going to be a scorcher.  Not only did hubby forget my breakfast and banana but I forgot the sunblock.  Yikes!!  Thankfully we had packed lunch and muffins that were suitable for a quick breakfast and fortunately the organisers had arranged for some young girls to walk around promoting Piz Buin Suncare products.  I got a good spray on my legs and arms and then got a sample sachet that I used for my face and other parts that I thought could do with some extra.  I am so glad they were there otherwise I would have finished the race a tad bit crispier.

I ended up cycling mostly on my own this whole race.  Their were 100's of other cyclists but none that I knew so I tend to stick to my own.  One of hubby's friends passed me and told hubby today at work that I need to start riding with other cyclists.  I know there are benefits - I'm just not sure I can stick with total strangers.  Guess there is always a first time.

Near the end I did pace myself with a couple on a Tandem but lost them after I made a quick stop to let hubby know that I wasn't to far from the finish.

A fairly flat race with loads of pedalling to be done.  I was out longer than I had guess-ti-mated but still did a good time.  My official time was 3:05:23  

My 'positive frame of mind' was not with me on this one.  It was a constant battle - part of me going 'you're just to fat, you should lose more weight' and another going 'you can do this'.  **sigh**  How we love to sabotage ourselves.

The nice thing about this race was that it was downhill for the last 2km's for the finish.  Thank heavens.....small things to be grateful for.

I crossed the finish line and was told they had ran out of medals - my heart was broken.  We'll see if they eventually send me one. 

Bonus :  They had a huge tent with physiotherapists who are in training.  So these legs got a cool massage.  Woohoooo!!

My racing season is calming down with only a few more races before winter sets in.

It's official

I now weigh less than 90 kilograms (198.4 pounds).

Today the scale showed a 1.8 kg (3.96 lbs) loss for the past week.  I now weigh 88.4 kg's (194.8 lbs).

I can only hope that I go from strength to strength. 

What I did differently this past week:

The good:

Ate according to plan 95% of the time.
Ate the best choices where possible according to the Weigh Less plan.
Did not eat carbs after 5pm (evening meals being mainly protein and vegetables/salads).

Homemade carrot muffin with cream cheese topping

The bad:

* Last Saturday I had a chocolate and a can of coke.

* Sunday I did not stick to plan because of a picnic but made better choices + I had a KFC Brownie Avalanche

* Wednesday after hearing about my friend's mom being murdered I had another chocolate and can of coke.

Tonight will be a carb meal due to the fact that I am racing tomorrow - but nothing too heavy as it is not a looooong race.  :-))

I've got some exciting news - will post ASAP!!

Dischem Ride 4 Sight - Vita-thion 63km Challenge

Goodie Bag and Race Number

Another great goodie bag!!  I grabbed the 'Bar One' and hid it very quickly before the kids could find it.  Now to figure out how to take it on the race with me without it melting into an icky squishy melted chocolate mushy mess!!  Also got a socks - socks always come in handy as well as a bunch of samples of various stuff from tissues to soap.

I am in the first open/seeded bunch to go off.  Woohooooo!!  I'm looking forward to this race but have concerns.  It is taking place on the East Rand and boy those motorists did not prove themselves to be the most patient bunch the last race that took place in the general area.

Tomorrow will be a weigh-in day and odd jobs around the house.  Nothing major!!  Sunday 'up and at em' rather early.  Yikes!!  My start time is 07:51 so sunblock will be a MUST, I think it's going to be a scorcher.

Have a super weekend.  I'm silently praying for those wings and that the scale will be a bit kinder tomorrow.

Very sad news!!

Today I found out that my best GF's mom was murdered this past Sunday during the night sometime.  It was a gruesome murder.  She was sitting reading a book when she was choked with a telephone cord and had her head repeatedly slammed against the wall.

I'm numb, shocked and sad!!  My thoughts are with her and her family.

The battle of the 'bathroom scale' wars.......

Valentines Day 2010 - Picnic @ the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens

I've become obsessed with the bathroom scale and this is NOT good.  Not good for me or for anyone else.  Stepping on the scale a zillion times in a space of a few minutes is not going to change the number.  I promise you - I can attest to this fact.  Nor believing that you have magically grown wings to lift you a bit - is not going to happen.  How do I know this?  Because no matter how much I begged those wings to appear they did not!!

Not to long ago - a couple of weeks ago I did some something miraculous and lost 2 kg's (4.4 lbs if my calculations are correct) in one week.  There I was sky high - hey, do this every week and before I know it - poof - the weight will be gone.  Well, my body had other ideas - truly it did.  A slight gain followed, then teeny weeny losses and I just about lost it when I knew I had put my heart and soul into sticking to the plan and exercising to only have lost a solid *&%$# 200 grams.  My Spirit was broken....why, why, why???  That was it I was going to give up 'the habit' and throw that horrid piece of equipment in the bin - I was done with it.  BUT - I couldn't do it.  I'm way to attached to my bathroom scale, the gym scale and any other scale I can step my sticky paws onto.  Come Sunday - I'm feeling lighter.  Do I brave it?  I stare at the scale - wondering why the hell I'm doing this to myself and there it is :  I'd finally managed to drop below 90 kg's (198.41 pounds).  There is no accounting for what the body wants to do and WHEN it wants to do it - it just didn't want to do it on Weigh-IN DAY!!

From this week I've decided to cut out all carbs after 5pm (except on the day before a cycle race day). I am making more of an effort to be in bed by 20:30 - any later and I seem to fade quick the next day and it seems to have a snow ball effect.

This is a huge mile stone for me as I have not been under 90 kg's in the past 10 years.  I hope not to see the 90's at all ever again.

The next goal 85 kg's - I can do this!!

Exercise Plan : 15 February - 21 February 2010

Monday :  Rest day / major housework
Tuesday :  Yoga, strength training, Zumba
Wednesday :  Kettlebells (home), Belly Dancing (studio)
Thursday :  Strength training, cardio
Friday :  Belly dancing (home), Kettlebells (home), Yoga
Saturday :  Rest Day + Weigh-in day
Sunday :  Dischem Ride for Sight (63km) - cycle race

Experienced a major energy crash last week Wednesday/Thursday.  I am still upping my routine this week.  Last week I also only had a 0.2 kg loss.  NOT GOOD!!  I was extremely upset and spent most of Saturday morning in tears but more about that later.

Have a super week everyone.

Emperors Palace Classic : 50 km (7 February 2010)

Past the finish line at the Emperors Palace Challenge

Race Time : 02:22:12
Avg Speed : 21.1 kmph

We had a very early morning. We were up just after 4am as we like to try and get to the start an hour before my start time - this way if there is traffic or any other problems we have some extra time.


I was blessed with an early start.  With the heat we're experiencing an early start is the best.  My official start time was 07:01 but I dropped back 5 minutes to cycle with a friend of mine.  She was in the 3rd group where I was in the 1st, you can drop back but you're not allowed to try and sneak an earlier start.

This was a very flat race.  I was hoping for a 2hr finish but it was not going to be.  My legs faded on me in the last 15km's and recovery only happened 2 km from the finish just as I approached a hill - I was extemely happy to have them functioning 100% up that hill.  I then had a good strong finish.  Hubby was waiting for me just beyond the second timing mats which were just inside the entrance of Emperors.  He was not aware that the actual finish and start line were just around the corner.  Oh well, I was still VERY happy to see him.

Although I enjoyed the race I found my that my shoulders kept tensing up - the traffic was making me stressed and I was constantly telling myself to relax my shoulders, needless to say they seemed to suffer more than my legs did - I was in agony by the time I got home and a headache settled in for the afternoon - luckily I was allowed to chill.   At the halfway turn-around some of the marshalls were not fully communicating with each other and when I was told it was safe to go another marshall allowed a car through.  Luckily I was going slow enough to stop and unclip while the car went through the intersection.  Unfortunately not many races have full road closure, there are only 2 that I know of in Gauteng and of 1 in the Cape.

I have two more races before a long break.  They are in the last two weekends of February.  My next race is the Dischem Ride for Sight (63km's).  I've once again been seeded into the first starting group - yippeee!! (edited to add - these are the open/seeded groups that are behind the licensed racers/Elite racers)

On a side note - I'm going to be attending a Kettlebells workshop.  I'm really exicted about that.  More about that soon. 

Exercise Plan : 8 February - 14 February

Had a great week last week except for a bit of a 'crash' on Thursday - energy levels were VERY low :-((

Monday :  Rest day
Tuesday :  Yoga (?), Strength Training, Zumba
Wednesday :  Belly Dancing getting tired
Thursday :  Cardio + Strength Training exhaustion has firmly set in :-((
Friday :  Yoga
Saturday :  Rest day + weigh-in * SCREAM *  only lost .2 kg's - had a good cry :-((
Sunday :  Spinning (90 min) (?) it's Valentines day - if the weather holds we're off on a picnic at the Botanical gardens

Reaching the finish line - then what?

Towards the end of last year my focus became about a certain race I had entered and my life revolved around planning for this race - the 94.7 (no finish line for me) but the BIG race was over and I was left wondering 'now what?'  All direction, all focus disappeared - a HUGE black hole appeared before me and I sank into it.  Not a good place to be.  I think my body was pushing for some time-out and that is what it got. 

With the New Year came a fresh burst of ENERGY, a renewal of sorts - a need to continue with my journey.  I entered a few more races and completed my first Century race - 103 km's. 

BUT

I got to thinking this week - I feel like I'm setting a trap for myself.  What will happen when I reach goal weight?  Am I setting myself up for a 'now what' moment? 

I don't want it to define my life - this 'goal weight' achievement, if anything it should be a step/path on a journey to life of healthy living - not the be all and end all.  I don't want to find myself at goal weight and falling back into old habits.  Hopefully all my new healthy habits will stick cause let me tell you old habits have a sneaky way of creeping up on you and taking hold. 

With each 'finish line' comes a sense of achievement and I cannot wait for my next one.  With every kilo lost the cycling gets easier and one day soon I'll be flying up those hills instead of struggling up them.  I even manage to make 'granny' gear look hard.

Today my focus is seeing beyond that 'finish line' - keeping the passion and continuing the journey because the journey should not have an end but always a beginning......