Frankie is getting fit - session 2.

 So the first visit to RunWalkForLife was relatively uneventful. The greatest achievement being that I actually got out of bed almost 2 hours earlier than normal on a frosty winters morning and arrived in time. The friendly lady went relatively easy on me and I managed a mild glow on my brow. The mild glow may have been more from remembering all the instructions. Tits Out, Chin Up, Arms Swing, Loose Fists, Abs Stiff, Push Back Knees, Lift Feet, Lean from Ankles, Tuck In Tails (that's my butt... I think) and maybe a few other instructions that slipped my mind.

 

And so, full of vigour and enthusiasm and the burning feeling of the hole in my pocket from paying the years membership upfront, I managed to again achieve the meritable success of arriving on time this morning. Dreams of toned and shapely arms under my wedding dress sleeves were dancing in my eyes. (I am aware that results only follow after 5 – 7 months)

 

This time there was another new young lady (in this club, mid forties counts as young) to train with me. (The other members do hard(-er)core stuff like run along the road.) And we worked SO much harder today. I was proper sweating after 20 minutes of training. (What can I say – I really am unfit). Yes, I was beaten by someone closer in age to my parents than me.

 

In the end I feel pretty good even if my arms and legs are warning me of future aches to come.

 

The current goal is to run the 10km Spar Ladies in October this year. My maths tells me I need to gain 2km per month to be ready. Yip, I need to be able to run 2km by the end of June without collapsing .. Honestly, I am mostly scared at this stage of wanting to give up and stay warm and cosy in my bed.

 

But in the end what will be the most rewarding will to know that I can wake up on a winters morning without nightmares of oversleeping, throw on some stretchy pants, stretch my legs and come home for a wickedly hot shower and feel like I am going to live to 100... three times a week.  

 

(A wedding dress that doesn't have to contain parts to "mask" my figure would be nice too...)

After a long hard Saturday....

... We do lunch :)

Vida e caffe, I love you :)

Good bye old life - Hello new life

I have decided to make a change to my life style. After an almost 12 year break (actually more like an 8 year break) I have decided to take up road running again. Indeed friends, believe it or not I used to compete in races like the Spar Ladies. (that isn't really such an achievement)

I used to run 5 km a few times a week when I was at school and I was terribly ridiculously fit (teen age bodies are wonderful dynamic under appreciated devices). Then I gave it up to be captain of the chess team (honestly we mostly played cards). I was fine without the regular running because I was still catching the bus home from school (minus one tog bag of running kit) and taking a brisk walk between bus stops and home. Even into my university years I was sprinting between classes as well as the bus stop run.

But now I am no longer a student and have entered into a professional career and I own a car which willingly carries me to all sorts of places that buses just won't do. I am well aware that I am no longer as fit and spry as I used to be. And so, I was spurred on by MrT and have decided to make a change and take up some exercise before my blood pressure drops so low that standing up from a chair will make me see stars.Before I develop premature flappy arms and a pot belly. Before my metabolism packs up and goes on an extended holiday. Before I can not longer play racing games with my Brownie Guides. Before I have to buy too many more pairs of elasticated pants.

I look at photos of myself in those fitter days and I feel a little tragic to notice that I really was a gloriously slim creature. Not that slimness is the only acceptable form, and not that I am really that dramatically much fatter but having to change trouser size after 12 years of wearing the same size is very damaging to the ego. In fact, my butt should hopefully not vanish to much by this endeavour because I have my heart set on a mermaid wedding dress skirt. My bootahay is part of my beautahay.

I found out, by some strike of luck, that there is a Run Walk for Life crew that meets in close walking distance from my front door. Oh Joy!

...They meet at 7 in the morning. (For reference, I usually only wake up at 8am most days.)

And so today, I am in mourning because tomorrow I will be conscious and out of my warm bed for much more of the early (freezing chilly cold dark dreaded painful dreary winter sub zero cold) morning.

And let us hope that I will be persistent and focused and start reaping some benefits in three to six months time. (I hope my body forgives me of my laziness and gives back the other 90% of my lung capacity)

 

Here's to good health! (and more veggies and fruit and less fudge and chocolate)

Is this any surprise?

...that I would loose all momentum after two days of furious blogging twice?

I am am actually quite disappointed with myself. I specifically took two days of leave last week to have  few free days to get myself and my life sorted. and now what i mean by that is that my little housie is somewhat of an organised chaos of a mess. and on bad days it is a chaotic disorganized mess.

And after two days of leave, what did I achieve - well just about as much tidying as I achieve on any other non-leave taking week. (I vacuumed and wiped down some counters and removed odd smelling things)

...and so after a glorious two days out of the office I am actually back where i was a week ago. still in organised chaos!

I could blame MrT for proposing and throwing out the whole plan so that instead of cleaning I was getting manicures and giving people arc eye by sparkling them in the face unexpectedly... but I am still feeling too good about the whole "I am engaged!!" thing.

And then MrT got a serious case of man-flu and I had to be at his side to feed him soup and make sure he was wrapped up warm and stuff.

So another Monday passed - this Monday came with very poor lunch time food prospects so I splashed out on sushi for dinner - and that was a splendid idea until after 8 salmon California rolls, two chicken spring rolls and four vegetable fashion sandwiches in I was rather tired of the taste of soy sauce and seaweed. I finished off with jelly beans and a big glass of orange juice to make me feel better.

Now at present my organised house of chaos smells like fresh baked scones and the whisper of a lonely pillow begs me to pay a visit (prompted my my back that is telling me to get off the cold hard floor and onto something a little kinder on the butt cheeks and knees.) because sleeping is something I definitely have staying power for.

Let us start with the big news first

so the big news is that... wait for it... wait for it...

After many months of threatening/charming/sweet talking/more threatening, MrT proposed to me on the day before my birthday...

..and we are very very happy.

It started with a breakfast picnic at the Botanic Gardens. Salmon ("smoked Norwegian" MrT wants to add) and cottage cheese on croissants with hot coffee and cuddles on the blanket. Then after some sunbathing we went to inspect the waterfalls. (along with a massive church group... not that romantic)

We found a secluded path and walked through the mud and over branches and found a quiet bench to enjoy the surroundings. Then after a cough and a cleared throat and a bow on the knee (in the mud) MrT simply asked me to be his wife.

I was smiling so widely that I simply nodded... a lot...

and this is what was inside the magic blue box.

...or at least it was modeled on this design from a well known jewelery store (Not My Image - This Image Belongs To Browns)

I think we will feature proteas in our wedding theme in June next year.

So it has been a week almost now. I have decided for the sake of controlling the madness to have a ten minute "wedding time" every day where I let spill out all the wedding things I thought about that day - this all tumbles out into MrT's ears who patiently listens and notes down the ideas that actually make any sense.

I keep being distracted by the sparkle on my finger.

see...

The line I wanted to update my Facebook status with right in the moment was
"He has put a star on my finger to match the stars he puts in my eyes." 

Pity we kept it a secret to tell people personally first.

na na na na doot dee doot...

I am back! After a long drought of no posts I have got my technological ducks in a row and (Let us hope) I will be able to bloggy bloggy blog a lot more often. (As shown before, I should probably disclaimer that I may not always keep this promise)

Anyway I have So So So much to say on here. fast trains and hypothetical ferrari's and diamonds and eagles and giant lumps of cement!!. but for now, I celebrate with a new blog design (for those using the mobile version - sorry - same old, same old for all of you).

And while you glory in the splendor of some one else's artwork...I shall go make dinner for MrT. He needs attention more at the moment :)

Dear Rollercoaster

... I know you are busy rushing around and asking half way through this wild trip is rather inconvenient... but can I climb off now?

Big bloggy news is coming up... (Well not that dramatic really) ..but time runs away from me like chasing tiny rubber balls through a shopping centre - it is utter pandemonium.

It is one week until I turn 26... I'll set my goals at breaking this blogging drought while I am still 25.

Wish me luck!