Taking Stock

Just because I still can't run doesnt mean that life isn't wonderful! It definitely is. Just have a look at the weather we've been blessed with the last 2 days. 

I, in particular, have been blessed as I've been able to enjoy that weather fully. Yesterday I walked with Conny from The Spit to Manly and today I walked myself into Haberfield to check out Primavera - part of Crave Sydney. 

Yesterday's walk was long, hard, magnificent, spectacular and limitlessly rewarding - 11km in under 3 hours. It was also the last time I will see Conny until her return from Switzerland in January 2010. But today was pretty special in its own right.

I became familiar with my 'hood. I walked streets, tracks and paths that I didn't know and hadn't explored. I felt like an adventurer and it was awesome. I had set off after my team meeting at Personal Best and I discovered a new universe in my very own backyard. I enjoyed every moment of it, all on my own.

Had I only remembered to wear sunscreen whilst out walking in the middle of the day, I wouldn't have come home, fallen asleep and woken up reincarnated as a lobster. Oops.

In news of things foodie, Hayden and I have started a weekly trip to The Big Brekky. Its close to home, listed amongst the top ten cafes in Sydney, and for good reason. We're lovin' it. Hehehe. 

And looking further back, Wednesday evening we attended the Merivale Ash St Long Table Dinner - a 120 person communal dining experience as part of Good Food Month. It was INCREDIBLE. The best value meal we've ever had - $50 a head and the food was exceptional, bountiful and the wine flowed as if it were water.

Looking forward, tomorrow we'll be walking to check out Summer Hill Global Village and preparing for the week to come. I'm also hoping to go swimming with Trogdor.

Next Saturday we'll be off to Byron Bay and - GOOD NEWS! - my lovely physio says I'll be in shape to run the 10km!! I'll be slow, I'm sure, but I'll BE RUNNING!!! I'm so excited I could EXPLODE. Seriously. Put your rain coat on - there's real danger here.

Now that I'm onto the topic of running - which we all know I HATE discussing ehehehehe - listening to The Runner's Round Table podcast about barefoot running on Thursday afternoon whilst I walked from Wynyard to Leichhardt has me DESPERATELY hanging to get into the Vibram Five Fingers store in Waverly. As far as my xmas list goes, they are no. 1! I must find out my size. The podcast did inspire me to splurge and indulge myself in a copy of Born to Run, which should arrive in my hot little hands next week.

Now, as I'm so bummed about not having been able to participate in the World Wide Festival of Races last weekend, I am determined to actively participate in this years Sydney Summer Twilight Series and encourage you to join me! I'm thinking that Sunday Brunch runs will take place on the alternating weekends throughout summer and start at 8am to avoid heat stroke, with distances between 8 and 15km.

Llinos and I will be racing in the first annual Run4Fun at Homebush on November 8th - please have a look at participating, the best thing about running is the community. Be part of something bigger! There's no donation plate here...

Before I wrap it up, I have to give myself a bit of a plug. My domain has been registered and is currently under construction and a business is being built. The hard yards truly have begun.

A massive THANK YOU to all the people who have joined my Facebook group and fan pages! I'm completely ecstatic and overwhelmed by the support on there, but a business doesn't run on online fans alone. I need CLIENTS and I need to fill the group session I'm teaching, which are detailed on the fan page. Please come along to a class, refer me to a friend, or book in a PT trial session! The first one is free, how good is that?!

I should probably keep it shorter next time, huh?

<3

A Week Without Running...

Is, for me, a week without sunshine. I had a ten day hiatus from one of my favourite pass times, but judging from the poor results of Wednesday morning's run, it looks like a much much longer break may be necessary. My heart thuds resoundingly against the walls of my chest cavity, reflecting my deep horror at such a prospect...

What got me here?

Let me first begin with a happy announcement: I completed my first half marathon! But I probably shouldn't have...

(I'm going to interject here with a big shout out to Conny, Chandler, Claudia and Llinos - CONGRATULATIONS TEAMSTERS!)

I know where I went wrong. There were a couple of faux pas. I tried to get back into some pole training after 6 weeks off with very little warmup. I then ran into a wall. As a result, I displaced some ribs, as well as putting a few of my neck vertebrae out. I compounded the issue by insisting on continuing my training whilst injured. I then increased my training load dramatically 2 weeks out from the race. Boy, don't I feel silly. Because then I killed my knees, too.

I ran the half at my comfortable training pace and focused on my form. I ran with both knees strapped. They later swelled up like soccer balls and are yet to completely deflate. I have ice on them at this very moment! So that, unfortunately, rules me out of this weekend's 10k at Brighton.

I am, however, booked in for a weekend away in Byron Bay!! I'll be running the 10k Lighthouse race on Sunday, 25th October.

If I ever get time, I'd like to write a separate post about what muscular imbalances and disruptions to the kinetic chain caused my various injuries, how they can be prevented and how they will be resolved, because I'm the kind of girl that finds all that sort of stuff fascinating, but for now, I need to move along.

Just because I can't run doesn't mean I'm any less obsessed with running. I now have my HTC Touch Diamond 2 and we're getting along swimmingly. Feeling confident with technology, I decided to take the plunge and dive into the world of the podcast. I've been going on some long walks and have taken to listening to Running with the Pack, as well as the Runners Round Table. I am a zealous convert. It's official - Podcasts are made of all things win.

I've also added another blog to my list of favourites. I rank it as highly as Amelia Burton's, which is definitely high praise! If you get a chance, head on over to Cranky Fitness. I'm sure it will still be awesome despite the loss of one of its writers.

In other Deb news, yesterday I taught my first Stretch n Core class for ANC Health. Tomorrow morning I'll be taking my first Bootcamp session for them, also! This is in addition to my continuing involvement with Personal Best. Don't worry: there's enough of me to share!

More news as it comes to hand...

Yours in unwaning obsession,

Debzillah xx