Out with the old in with the new ...

One of the great things about losing weight is of course buying clothes in a smaller size - like my new pair of Lululemon pants - full length for the cooler weather.  I love buying from this store as they take up the hem for free!  If they didn't that would be another $25 on top.  It's expensive being shortish.

My old pair, besides looking like they had been in the wash a few too many times, were only staying up with the assistance of a draw string being done up quite tight!  Of course, when one is buying new clothes in smaller sizes, one runs out of space to store them along side the clothes that are now too large!

It is tempting to still wear them even though they don't fit right anymore.  It is tempting to keep them 'just-in-case' or because you can't bear to give them away, having spent good money on them.  But storage is at a premium at my house, so today - out they went!  The people at the Smith Family will be able to choose amongst Laura Ashley, Country Road, Adidas, JAG and Verge (that's the one that really hurt :  www.verge.co.nz ), and that is just from my dresser draws - I am yet to go through my wardrobe.  I threw out anything 'L' and anything higher that a 12.  I was still holding onto some stuff that I had bought right after I had my last baby 5 years ago!

In other news - Magic Hands Margaret (my Massage Therapist) figured out and sorted out a niggling lower back pain that I had not been able to shift for the past few weeks.  Turned out it was my Lats that were actually causing the grief.  I am so relieved and please to be able to push on with the training with my new Lat stretch.  I had been avoiding boxing which I love - thinking that the twisting and impact of the punches had caused the issue.  

My next fitness goal is to prepare for my skiing holiday in New Zealand in June/July.  I am only a 'beginner' skiier, but I want to be able to have lessons and enjoy myself at a level I could only previously have imagined :-)

She Runs Unleashed! She Runs 10K! She can't believe she can run!!!

Last Saturday night I gathered with 11 other women from my gym and my sister to run in my first event since I was a teenager.  Back in my teenage years, I could indeed run.  I used to  be a Cross Country runner, running 5kms in under 19 minutes to stay on the school's team.  In year 10 - when I was 15 our team won the NSW State Championships in fact.

But that was a long long long time ago!  So when I registered for the Nike She Runs The Night, Sydney!, I was only really motivated by the chance to be with friends and have a night in town :-)
http://nikesydney.com/nike-she-runs-2013/

I fully expected to run a bit and walk a bit and maybe or maybe not run some more and have a bit of a giggle.  Actually, at one point I must have thought that I would in fact train for the run, but the reality turned out to be quite different.  Prior to the event I had only run/walked 5km's max, just a couple of times, and with School Holidays and long visits from the Parent-in-law, even that kind of activity went out the window in the weeks before the event.

So you may be able to imagine my surprise and in fact euphoria that I felt at actually running the full 10kms, without walking at all!  My time was 66mins.

I sprinted the last few hundred metres and crossed the line as if I had won the whole event and would be winging my way to San Fransisco (that was the prize).  More than one week later I am still astounded.  Actually I ran 1km this morning to the Cafe for my large soy flat white with an extra shot and wondered how I had run an extra 9kms just a few days before.  This photo is me on the left, shortly after the end of the race with my BFF who ran in 9mins faster than me.

I can only explain it as the culmination of an interesting set of circumstances! Which I will list in some kind of meaningful order below:

1. Running with my sister:  16 years younger than me and I wanted to not come over like a middle aged lady in front of her :-)  I wanted us to have a great time that night - something to really remember.  I certainly did not want to be asking her to stop running and walk with me.

2. Great atmosphere:  98% women, at night, lights, music, good cheer!

3. Improved fitness:  While my cardio has not had a great deal of attention,  the combination of weight loss, diet and strenghthening through weights, can only have made my result more probable.

4. Even after all these years, I think that the running experience that I had in school, may have at least given me some good memories of running good distances - about getting my breathing right, and pushing through the tough bit and waiting for the 2nd wind to come along.

Anyway, I think that my next event will be the Colour Run which is also at Centennial Park, but this time only 5kms. http://thecolorrun.com/australia/sydney/ And that I will definitely do the Nike She Runs again next year!

Sisters Be Fit!