On The Right Track

Thanks to the incredible support of the amazing people I'm surrounded by, throughout the global network of connected individuals, everything is progressing swimmingly.

Centrelink approved funding for my prosthesis and it is currently being configured by APC Prosthetics in Northmead. I have to head to the office, bike in tow, to test it on Tuesday. While I'm over there, I need to go in and meet all my friends at TADNSW, who have let me piggyback off their charity to raise - can you believe it - $10,100?! Wow! I'll come back to this point.

I've changed bike supplier and what a great choice that has turned out to be! My coach suggested that it would be beneficial for me to work with Clarence St Cyclery because they're close to my work, he has a great relationship with the manager and because they have developed a support relationship with the Paralympic team. They are very sympathetic to my cause, also, and have given me a great deal, as well as being tremendously attentive and helpful. Danni and I went in to get me fitted up for the bike and there is only 1 part missing from completion. If that part can be sourced locally (it is currently on backorder), then within a week from now, I'll have my bike and stationary trainer in my home!! The funds raised are sufficient to cover my bike and trainer, helmet and cleats, proper clothing, a good lock AND insurance.

Learning to ride, on the other hand, is the biggest challenge I've faced yet. I met coach Tom out at Dunc Grey velodrome on Tuesday to have my first lesson... It was super tough. 28 years of my oblique slings functioning in their specific and unique alignment, which involves my right ribs slotting over to the right hand side of my right hip, is a difficult thing to correct and is prohibitive to me finding the balance point and position to allow for solo riding. Technical and complicated, I know, but essentially it lead to me being exhausted within 10 minutes! The other problem is that, unlike my coach, I'm not very patient. Seeing me try to ride for the first time, he just smiled and sighed and said "this is going to take a while."

Raising over $10 000 in such a short time has not only done amazing things for my confidence, but it has exposed me to the beauty of the human spirit and the power of human generosity and kindness. The wonderful ways in which people contributed and the ideas people had were ingenious and touching. I need to make a couple of shout outs:

• To Skye Jones, for calling for paper bag donations in all her spin classes.
• To Diane Azzopardi for auctioning her dvds to contribute.
• To Jules, who sold his artwork at a discount and donated a percentage to me.
• To Louise and Steve Kovacs, for their generous donation and requesting that I write to their nieces and nephews - which I did.
• To Fitness First Bond St for running a charity day with $10 sessions and all proceeds going to me - thanks also to the PTs who volunteered their time for me.
• To FSP for their $1500 contribution and complete support.
• To the friends I didn't know I had or hadn't heard from in so long who surprised and delighted me with HUGE donations.
• To Donna and Alison, for all your advice and encouragement.
• To Ingrid, for the posters, for listening, for being patient, for my website, my newsletter, for everything.
• To Eddie, Chandler and Danni: for being my tripod of closest friends, who support me in every way, every day. It takes a lot of flexibility and patience!
• To Scott and Louise, who jumped in at the very last to push me over the line.
• To everyone who contributed in any way. For Donating. For spreading the word. For believing in me. For caring. For being part of something bigger than ourselves.

Thank you <3

This Amazing Journey

I am pretty positive most of the time that I lead a particularly charmed life. I live in a GORGEOUS city, it is a beautiful time of year, I love my work because I find it so satisfying and rewarding to help people change their bodies, minds and lives. I have found my soul mate and life partner and I live exactly how I believe and see fit. I run when I want to, swim, dance, move, live, breathe, share, eat and cook. I experience so much joy.

It wasn't always like this. In fact, I've been through times tougher and darker than many. That's another thing I'm glad for - that most people can be spared those experiences, but also that I'm strong enough to shoulder them.

I'm happy as it is and I'm totally glad to be here... I'm an ambitious creature though and I love a good challenge, so the opportunity to work towards a gold medal in cycling at the paralympics when I've never ridden a bike alone is something I simply can't pass up. In fact, it frightens me to admit I've never wanted anything so badly in my whole life.

So I'm just back from a month overseas, trekking in Himalaya - hard to be me, right? I start planning some fundraising events and plotting some ideas for February - when people's wallets have had a chance to recover from Christmas and New Years, and so my ideas and events are well conceived and well executed.

Then on Monday I received an email from the Paralympic Committee advising that the National track championships are on February 3-6 2011, and that I need to attend for classification and to put down a time.

BUT I HAVE NO BIKE OR PROSTHESIS!?

So after a minor panic attack, I resolve to set to work on Tuesday to raise funds for my bike with the special gear set that will enable me to ride one handed and the stationary trainer that will enable me to ride MY bike, indoors, without an arm. I got up early and wrote a plan and brainstormed with my close friend, graphic designer and web site producer, Ingrid in Canada. I was on the phone by 9am, spoke to my accountant about the possible ways I could raise funds without the tax man eating them instead of them going to my bike and the donors receiving the tax deductions they deserve. The only feasible solution was to partner with a charity.

I got onto the Everyday Hero site and went through the list of charities geared towards helping people with disabilities... When I got down to T, I discovered TADNSW - Technical Aids for the Disabled. A charity with a service called Freedom Wheels - specifically aimed at assisting the disabled to ride bikes! Well YAY - that's exactly what I want to do! So I got on the phone secured an authority to fund raise. I see the beginnings of a beautiful partnership... While its fantastic that I found this organisation just when I needed them most, I must say that I'm completely baffled and bewildered by the fact that I have not once heard of this service in all my 28 years. I could have started riding long ago!

I spoke to the team at Renegade Cycles and made sure they knew about my order and were happy to help and I also contacted my friends at Financial Service Partners, who helped launch my motivational speaking career. Then I built my fundraising page and got Ingrid to help me writeup the facebook event.

At 1pm Tuesday I launched my fundraising campaign on Facebook and Twitter. I sent my email campaign shortly after. To my astonishment, the donations started rolling in immediately, accompanied by beautiful messages of encouragement and support. It was an incredible feeling to be connected to so many people in the faith and hope that I will reach this lofty goal of raising $10 000 in 10 days, and ultimately success in para-cycling. At the time of writing this entry, less than 48 hours later, I have raised $4535. INCREDIBLE.

Wednesday was another big day! Fitness First have offered to run a fund raising event where the PTs will give  30 minute training sessions for $10, with all proceeds going to my cause. FSP have a plan to raise funds for me and another friend is pitching me to her company in the hopes of securing corporate sponsorship (thanks Donna!). I also met with my cycling coach, Tom Skulander, and will be headed out to the Velodrome to start training with him (see: learning to ride a bike, Jayme Paris' old one!) on Tuesday.

This morning I did another big thing and instructed APC Prosthetics to go ahead and order my arm from the US. I am confident that funding for the prosthesis will be secured when required.

The response has been completely overwhelming. This amount of support is something I never dreamed I was destined for. I just keep trying to keep on top of the donation emails, responding with my expressions of gratitude, regardless of how insignificant and unsubstantial they seem to me as compensation.


My eyes keep welling up with tears. This journey is amazing. I have never felt so loved.


If you have made it this far through reading my post, please share this link to my fundraising page and my story with everyone you know.


<3

13 Hours in Hell: The Detox Debacle

I think I'm about to start vomiting. I keep burping the flavor of vital greens which I vow never to drink again. I've just eaten a carrot and I'm wondering when I'll start feeling better. I have been crying and barely have the energy to type. This is awful.

Those are the words that crossed my mind more times in the past 3 hours that at any time in memory.

This. Is. Awful.

It started with great intentions. Dani and I booked this 7 day fasting detox in before I went to Nepal. The goal of the exercise is to remove plaque and mucus buildup from the intestine and eliminate lots of stored toxins from the body, resulting  in improved energy levels, mental clarity, skin condition - not to mention digestion. It sounded like just what I wanted to achieve. A bodily toxin reset. Besides, I'd never tried a fast before and as a health professional it appealed to me as an area I would like to be able to discuss from having personal experience.

Never. Again.

The method was taken from Daniel Reid's Tao. We are meant to drink psyllium husk, hydrated bentonite (a clay to attract toxins) and vital greens on a rotating roster 5 times per day. His method suggests home colonic irrigation daily. I decided on a professionally administered colonic at the beginning and end of the detox. The first colonic would be my first ever.

I'm not at all hungry, though I was at 10am. It passed. I've been awake since 5:30. I've been mildly dizzy and light headed since 11am. Throughout the day, this dizziness has increased, as has the light headedness. It peaked at 6:30pm when I lay on my bed crying, hoping beyond hope for the room to stop spinning. Any movement of my head amplified this a hundredfold. The nausea rushed over my in waves. It felt horrible and depressing. It did not feel like I was being nice to my body. It felt (and feels) like punishment, torture and deprivation. Not AT ALL like the nurturing or supportive outcome I was trying to accomplish.

This is not practicing self care. This is not balanced. This is not healthy. My brain is completely deprived of glucose, my body weak and my vision blurred. My skin tingles and my ears ring. This is destroying my metabolism AND I'm running 34km in 14 days.

In short, this was a very bad idea.

I have, however, learned some really cool stuff.

Today I had my first colonic. I learned not only through the experience of what happens, but from the advice of the practitioner who administered it. She talked to me at length about nutrition in terms of the foods best suited to both my blood type and the symptoms my bowel displayed. I learned that green tea dehydrates the bowel as much as coffee and my interest in an alkaline diet was renewed.

I had made some resolutions as to how I would eat following the detox and I'm going to skip straight to them - eating primarily organic fruits and veg, sprouted grain and raw, with the addition of making alkaline food choices. But I'm definitely not going to torture my body one second longer. Holding walls in order to walk, sitting to dry retch whilst feeling incurably miserable were all great signs to quit. When I reached that conclusion and called on my support crew, she was already on the same page and eating turkey.

We had realised, in the words of James Yates, "that life is too short to be skinny, dizzy or boring".

The End.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog.

Why Hello There!

I have returned from an amazing adventure, trekking through Himalaya. I took LOTS of beautiful photos. The ones I took sightseeing in Kathmandu you can see here and those from the actual trek are viewable here.

This is a great little map of the trek itself:

I cleared customs in Brisbane, Australia and headed to Byron Bay for the Lighthouse 10km, an annual event and a favourite of mine. Boy oh boy I could tell I hadn't run in 4 weeks! It was TOUGH. I even needed walk breaks. From the turnaround point down on the beach, I started chatting with a lovely speech pathologist from the area named Cathy. It definitely made those last 2km much more enjoyable.

I arrived home on Monday evening, November 1st and my tenants were wonderful. They left my apartment in better condition than I had given it to them in! It was such a blessing.

I had been well for the entirity of my nepalese adventure. I had 1 day of stomach upset in Namche and 1 day of a sore throat. And then I came home.. I got gastro AND a chest infection once I had returned! So the germs of a developing country are no match for my immunity, but apparently Australia is. I think it was the air travel. I'm finally recovered from that and easing back into work at the gym.

Last Thursday I had another fitting for the socket attachment of my prosthesis, which is very exciting and coming along nicely :). On Monday, I was visited by a staff member from Work Focus to assess the requirement for my prosthesis in my place of employment. Hopefully this will result in the government's Employee Assistance Program providing funding for me. On the downside, the process is a little slow.

In slightly disappointing news, I didn't win the New You Awards and will have to get cracking on serious fundraising for my $10 000 road bike in the new year. I'll focus on the arm first. I think it will be far less stressful if I tackle one thing at a time.

As we hurtle towards the end of the year, I decided that the best gift I could give myself is a finely tuned version of myself. I decided to embark on an 80 day transformation on the day I left for Nepal in order to ensure I enter 2011 in improved mental, physical and spiritual shape. Regular journalling is key and there is a whole list of objectives contained within my entries. Completing the trek in good health and without injury was another goal, so hooray for having ticked that one off already!

The next stage of the transformation is a little scary. My friend and fellow trainer Dani will be accompanying me on Daniel Reid's 7 day fasting detox, which is all about cleansing and purification. I've never done a detox before, and I've certainly never gone 7 days only drinking supplements and not eating. Add to this that I've never had a colonic, of which there are 2 through the detox, and you'll get an idea where my trepidation stems from :)

There's lots more in the works, but I'll leave you with this for now. Until next time!

<3

Loving The Journey

The Toyota Paralympic Talent Search was an incredible experience and I got so much out of it. Meeting bronze medalist Jayme Paris and her devoted mother Trayce was a huge gift. This is a relationship I look forward tremendously to developing over the coming years.

Fast forward 10 days and my first motivational speech for a Financial Service Partners dinner was a great success. I couldn't have done so well without the tremendous support, guidance and encouragement of Andrew May, or without Geoff organising the event. I was completely unprepared for the positive response I received or the amount and quality of support offered. More great contacts made, more amazing relationships to nurture and grow.

2 short days after that and I was sitting in APC Northmead with plaster drying on my arm - my first ever mould for creating a socket for my first ever prosthesis, the arm. My phone rang and it was fitness first calling to tell me that I had made the finals for the $30000 New You Awards.

Another 2 days and I received my letter from the Paralympic Committee, encouraging me to continue training for both cycling and athletics! 2 more days and the New You Awards came and filmed an interview with me in the gym and a request for permission to contact the local media followed.

In short, the good news has flowed freely in my direction. I am with a man that I love passionately and on a journey that I feel the same way about. I know what I want. I have clarity. I have direction. My goals are clear and success would feel amazing, but RIGHT NOW is better than the end game. I'm really loving the journey. Every moment is incredible. I'm living my life from the heart and I honestly feel that this is the biggest reward in itself. Once I took that first step in the direction of my dreams, everything around it has fallen into place so naturally. I never want this to end.

I do so love life all its challenges and my next one begins Monday, when I fly out. I'll be overseas for a month, and for 25 days I'll be trekking through the Himilayas, headed for Everest Base Camp. You can find plenty of information about my trip here. I'll have my best friend with me and a fully loaded kit of supplied we have spent months accumulating. I've no doubt this will be the trip of a lifetime.

I'm also using the trip as the start of an 80 day challenge to mentally, spiritually and physically prepare myself for 2011. I want to finish 2010 in the shape that I want to maintain from day 1 of the coming year and I will do everything in my power to ensure that the next year is the best one so far. Once I'm back, I will be detoxing, goal setting, programming and planning. I will write in a journal for 20 minutes every single day starting Monday. I'm going to head towards this years' end having taken stock and expressed gratitude for all that it has brought me and for the person I have become - and I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that person is everything that I can be :)

See you in November! Xx

The Snowball Effect

I'm 9 days away from participating in the paralympic talent search day and I need to turn my head space around.

Calamity has snowballed over the past 2 weeks: I have dropped and smashed my PDA twice in ten days ($120, $150) and last night locked my keys in my apartment ($120). These things don't really impact me in any meaningful way, but I think energetically I may have drawn them to me by my mounting dread and negativity.

Yesterday was the worst day I have experienced in recent memory. I have been training exceptionally hard and had an extremely tough and rewarding hill session on Wednesday morning. It was physically draining and my legs have suffered. I have also been limiting my carb intake. My first practice run of the beep test yesterday afternoon really reflected these two factors and my result was terrible. My legs just wouldn't serve me, though the lungs were OK. My attitude was terrible going into the test and I let myself down from the very beginning. Worse than the result itself was my emotional reaction to it. I was a tearful mess for the hours following. Its a good sign that I'm carb depleted, over-trained, but most of all, I'm completely overwhelmed.

As a child, I was kicked off the school netball team. I was always the last girl picked for any sports team. My self esteem in the sporting arena was abysmal and my performance reflected my sentiments. In 9 days time, when I step onto that field, I don't want those memories to come with me. I don't want those feelings to hinder me. This fear of failure I'm currently battling is at risk of paralyzing me. I want to send it packing. I want to summon the internal power, the strength and will to make all that negativity turn on its heels and flee. I want this entry to be the turning point to setting me on track to positivity.

The people I will meet at next Sunday's talent search will likely have had very similar childhood experiences to me. They have all faced adversity. Their bio-mechanics are all going to be challenging them in different ways, just as mine challenge me. This is my opportunity to compete on a level playing field. It's also my opportunity to shine. What I would love to be able to do is go in there and beam. I have this light inside me. This power to  inspire people just through my radiant love of being alive. I want to generate that energy and to produce enough of it to motivate ALL of us next weekend. I want the experience to be a positive one for every athlete on the field, but especially so for every single person I come into contact with. I want us all to be enriched and feel like winners on the day and for the outcome to be secondary to the experience.

Please send me your love, thoughts, well wishes and positive energy to help me make it so. <3

The Roof Of Australia

Nearly 20:30 on a Sunday eve. I've just arrived back in Sydney and spring is definitely in the air. It is the conclusion of a fantastic weekend, filled with fun and adventure.


At 13:30 on Friday afternoon, El Flangers picked me up from my apartment in Randwick and we set off for my first ever adventure in the snow. We ate dinner at Angie's Italian in Jindabyne, and just after 21:30pm we pulled up at our accommodation, which until that point had been kept secret from me! We stayed at Rodney the Rocket Fox's Rivergum Lodge, in our own private log cabin with a wood fire and everything!


The mission was to unpack and quickly get to bed, as we needed to be up shortly after 6am. On Saturday, we breakfasted at 7am then headed into to town where we met our guide, Nick, at the Wilderness Sports store and collected our snow shoes and other necessities. Finally, we set out for Thredbo village. It was such a sloooooooow journey because every man and his dog wanted to get to the snow! The weather was beautiful and there had been recent good falls. We, however, were not heading to the fields in order to ski or snowboard. We were headed on a trek from Thredbo to the summit of Mount Kosciuszko on a journey entitled "The Roof of Australia".


As we approached the Kosciuszko Express chairlift, I went into sensory overload, surrounded by glistening white for the very first time and about to embark on my first chairlift experience! It was with much awkward nervousness that I sat between my mals counterparts, but once we were headed up the mountain I quickly began to enjoy absorbing all this new input, the sights and sounds of a busy snowfield. By the time we reached the top, the situation had drastically changed and we faced very different conditions on the mountain. Once we had attached our snow shoes, we started making our way into a very strong headwind, but for the first half hour, we still had clear sky. 


It was magic. In the sunlight, I marveled at the way the snow glistened like diamonds. I noticed the different textures of snow; soft, hard, icy, bumpy, flat - all of it incredible to me! As we approached Rams Head, the strong headwind became fierce and the weather closed in. The blue sky was ancient history and we experienced frequent white outs. It was very tough going and as the feeling came and went from my fingers they burned and ached. It was also extremely challenging mentally and just 30 minutes away from the summit, conditions became so bad our guide made the executive decision that we should turn back... But we didn't. We agreed to go another 50m and if it didn't improve then we would abort... Improve it did - albeit very slightly! 30 minutes later and I was ELATED to find myself at the summit of our highest mountain for the second time this year - but under strikingly different conditions to my first encounter with this mountain. That magical place where I feel so centered and alive. Where all things are clear to me and I am able to release myself of all fear and anxiety.

After a quick photo stop, we headed towards Rawsons Pass and homeward bound. Less than 2 hours later, we were back at the chair lift and on our way down to Thredbo village. Of course, once we reached the bottom, the weather was just as perfect as when we had embarked on our journey, if a little windier than before. We essentially trekked the red trail on this map:

Overjoyed but thoroughly spent, we stopped in at the Wild Brumby Schnapps Distillery for a tasting on our way back to Jindabyne. We spent the evening chatting with Rodney back at the Rivergum - as it turns out, he's a city2surf legend and we had much running to discuss :)


Today we made our way back to Sydney at a very leisurely pace and along some very scenic roads.. Secure in the knowledge that our gear for Everest has been successfully tested and that we are made of the right stuff to tough it out! Adam was fantastic company and I am so so grateful to him for taking me on this adventure and organizing it all :) I just had to pack and tag along!

Forging my Way!

What a roller-coaster the past 7 days have been! The wonderful human being who has sparked me up to commence this big adventure shall now be known as Geoff, and subsequent to our meeting on Monday, I have a meeting set up with Tony Adams and Melissa Moon on Thursday morning! Very exciting stuff :)

This week I also met with 2 providers of prosthetic limbs and selected who I am going to proceed with, as they have contacts within the AIS and paralympics.

The first meeting I had on Tuesday left me feeling quite despondent, though of course I never allowed that to show through my determination face. The reality, though, is that upper limb amputations make up only a very small percentage - something like 5% - of all amputees and only a very small percentage of those upper limb amputees are above the elbow. Due to us making up a small minority group, there is no money or market to have stimulated the research, development and production of load bearing, motorised elbow joints. Simply learning this fact left me feeling insignificant and very isolated. Although I learnt that I could acquire tools to assist me in riding a bike, holding a dumbell/barbell and even balance me while I run, my hopes of attempting two-handed push ups and handstands were effectively crushed.

That didn't feel very good. What compounded my sadness and frustrations was that I had no access to speak with anyone like me who would really understand what I was feeling. As a one armed girl in a two armed world, the more I spoke to my friends about it, the more frustrated I became by the fact that they couldn't really get it because they didn't know what disability meant. At the same time, my understanding of what being disabled really means and how it can feel grew tremendously. As my limb deficiency is part of who I am and part of my experience, it would serve me well to become more comfortable with handling these emotions instead of rejecting them in defiance. I'm an adult now and the time has really come for me to embrace and accept the whole package. It is, however, quite a difficult and daunting journey to be embarking on alone. The road is very interesting, but I have no shoulder to cry on when I hit speed bumps. Whilst I'm enjoying the freedom and flexibility of single life, it is difficult facing these challenges alone and a bit sad not to have anyone beside me with whom to share my journey. On the other hand, when I come through the other side, I will really own my success and the pride that will accompany it for having done it alone. I try to hold onto that thought.

Friday was a big turnaround day, though! First I met with the Amputee Association of NSW and hope to develop a relationship with them that is long lasting and super strong. There is great promise for a mutually rewarding and beneficial future delivering improvements to the amputee community at large. Someone just needs to bring them all together... It was at this meeting that I was shown a picture in a magazine of an athlete using a sea leg with an elbow joint as an arm to ride a bike! Such a resourceful and understanding bunch of people at this association... And it was armed with these new resources and information that I then went and met with APC.

Subsequent to this informative meeting, I elected to continue my journey with APC. Firstly, we are going to get everything sorted to enable me to ride a bike, weight train and run balanced. Stage 2 will look at using the power knee joint to make an adapted elbow for load bearing activity.. But that one is a mission of a couple of hundred thousand dollars and not in my immediate future. The meeting was very positive and filled me with hope and marveling at the possibilities of how my future will unfold. I left smiling. It was exactly what I needed.

What does the immediate future hold for me?'

• I'll need to get a script raised for the prosthesis and see how much funding the government will supply. 
• The gap will need to be sorted out through fundraising activities of an EPIC nature! More on that when I have the quotes and dollar figures. 
• I need to research Amputee Athletes within the AIS and Paralympics to see how I can get on that path.
• I need to write my story... *gulp* This needs to be done post haste as I appear to have my first speaking gig the first week of September.

And in other marvellous news, I have recovered from my injury and was able to run this weekend! Watch out bay runners and city2surfers!

Til next time! Xx

Serendipity

Last Wednesday morning at 10:05am, less than 48 hours after my previous post, a gentleman who was starting his workout approached me on the gym floor and asked if I could tell him my story. I replied that I was on my way to a meeting but gave him my card. 


Luck had it that the meeting was cancelled and I was able to go back and have a very interesting conversation. He asked me if I was interested in public speaking. I said it was my dream. He asked how I lost my arm. I told him my story. He is the CEO of a financial services organisation and interested in my motivational capabilities.

The outcome of the 40 minutes that we spent together is that he intends to have me trained in public motivational speaking and has events already earmarked for me to present at. I have been tasked to research the prosthesis that would best serve my requirements and to start working towards breaking the record for one-armed push ups. 

It dawned on me at the conclusion of our conversation that, one day very soon, I will ride a bike. I could be on my way to being a role model. This brought me to tears, completely overwhelmed and needing to be pinched.

With cautious optimism, I sent out an email to my close friends to say what had just taken place. We are all so excited about what lies ahead.

Since last Wednesday, I have completed 50 push ups. That was Saturday. I still hurt! The record is 105 in 10 minutes. I reckon I'll go for 120 - by Christmas. 

My next meeting with this gentleman (who shall for the time being remain nameless) is scheduled for Monday 12/07/2010 at 11:30am. I'm also meeting a prosthetician the following day, to spec out my exact requirements.

Watch this space!

Adversity Addled

Last night, when I started this entry, I was seated on the floor of my new residence in Randwick, icing my ankle. I have been plagued by running injuries these past months and the latest is Tibialis Posterior Tendinopathy. I was hopeful that 2 weeks of massively reduced training load would be adequate to have me fit to run the Gold Coast Half Marathon, but a test run Sunday morning has very loudly confirmed that I'll be walking the race.


Lucky for me, I'll have walking company! I have been on 2 running camps this year with Sweat Sydney and both were SO enriching! I have met such inspirational, amazing runners and made some life long friends. My friend Nathan Hayes is also currently injured and will be walking the half next Sunday. Its a huge shame for him because he is a lightning fast runner, but with his first full Marathon to look forward to in New York later this year, its important right now to recover from current injuries and nurture his body. 


I need to really embrace that injury recovery and healing are key, as I have a major event to look forward to later in the year myself: El Flangers and I are off to Everest Base Camp!


For the month of October, he and I will be trekking through the Himalayas and it is absolutely critical that my body is injury free. Adam has offered me this trek as my birthday gift this year. No one has done anything quite so amazing for me in my entire life and I feel so blessed and honored.


With all this in mind, though, today really hurts. I'm grieving. Frustration and depression are rattling me and I'm struggling hard to hold it together.


The most amazing thing happened for me on the Easter running camp in Jindabyne. Our long Sunday run was from Charlotte Pass to the summit of Mount Kosciusko and Mark Chandler was my running buddy. I loved the run and was grateful for his company. It was awesome to share the experience with him. Once I had reached the summit of our nation's highest peak, I was able to release myself from the fear of failure, if only temporarily. I realised who I am, what I love, where my passion is and what I want from life.


I am a distance runner. I am girl with one arm who finds joy and freedom in running. It is my truest love and my greatest passion. I embraced my power to inspire people. I embraced that I wholly enjoy creating connections with people and sharing stories of our experiences as well as sharing the experiences themselves. I long to ignite the spirits of those people I come into contact with and I want to illuminate them with fresh hope, courage and bravery as they share in mine. I want to travel the world from age 30 running marathons and speaking to people, motivating, inspiring and enriching them. I want to be sponsored to do this. 


I want to experience balance in my body and the fullness of function that a human can experience. To this end, I would like my sponsors to assist in funding a functional myoelectric limb. I desperately long to ride a bike and this would allow me to broaden my horizons, expanding my view as an athlete to encompass triathlon.


I guess this injury I am currently suffering does help the triathlete's cause: I will need to get in the pool and on the bike, because it will be some time before I can run again.


It is the accumulation of these desires and experiences that leads me to my grief today. I am separated from the outlet that allows me to connect with my joy, my freedom and my passion. The love and support of my friends right now is vital.


My friend Clint, who is also a PT from Fitness First Bond St just messaged me with some sage advice;
"You can't allow injury to break you mentally. It's a set back, yes, but not the end of the world. You just need to change which half you're going to do. There are heaps more. Nothing will break you if you roll with it. Our job is to keep people motivated and mine is especially to show you that there are opportunities out there every day. Reevaluate yours and move forward - it makes you stronger."

From Strength to Strength

A few weeks ago whilst out on the bay run with dotmef, I had a very bad fall. I was marvelling at what a beautiful morning it was in Sydney and how blessed we are when I should really have been paying attention to the roots and rocks beneath my feet. As a result, I tripped and fell. I took a very pointy rock in my already problematic left knee. That was the worst of my numerous injuries.


I hobbled around in pain for a few days, humiliated by my inability to walk quickly or negotiate stairs, but with time, I healed. I rested. I listened to my body. I saw doctors and learnt that it was not broken. They said the swelling was not normal, though, and that I need to see a specialist to have that looked at. Its not urgent for me, though. I saw my physio who cleared me of any ligament damage and said the residual pain was the result of bone bruising that could take a few months to settle. I was given the go ahead to start upping my kilometres once more.


So 48 hours later I was on the grass at centennial park, and I ran again the following Thursday and I ran AGAIN Saturday morning and my knee has never felt better! I'm very excited because this time next week I'll be in Jindabyne, having already completed 2 or 3 training runs and preparing to run up Australia's highest peak - Mount Kosciusko!


Conny is back here from Switzerland, so a group of us are going along with Sean William's Sweatsydney training camp to do some running as well as some catching up and chilling out. I cannot wait!


Check out our itinerary!


After an idyllic Sunday spent tandem biking around La Perouse and Little Bay, followed by my nephew's 2nd birthday party, I've just spent 2.5 hours in the kitchen preparing my food for the following week. On the menu are the following items:

• Hummus (my recipe)
• Salsa (my recipe)
• TONNES of crudites - snowpeas, capsicum, carrot, celery, cucumber
• A massive salad dressed in seeded mustard and lemon juice with lots of olives and cherry tomatoes
• 3 grilled fish fillets
• A huge batch of DELICIOUS spinach and chick pea soup
• 4  boiled eggs.

Om nom nom and bon appetit! :) Time to check in on my challengers! Xx

Good Food and Gratitude!

I can't believe I'm already on day 29 of the 12 week challenge! Holy cow, it just flies. The first month of 2010 is already over and that just completely blows my mind.

I've lost 1.5kgs, which is pretty sweet considering I'm already a very active person and a healthy eater with little to lose. I though that seeing as the challenge is 1/3 of the way over, I'd share some of my favourite foods with you.

Today I made Tanya Dyhin's breakfast smoothie. Her base ingredients are fruit, soy milk, an egg, cinnamon and ice. Mine had an egg, malt free organic soy milk, half a frozen banana, some frozen mango chunks and raspberries with cinnamon. Pretty tasty indeed!

I make another type of smoothie as an afternoon snack. It has soft or silken tofu, cinnamon, frozen berries (no bananas for me after midday cos of the carb content) and ice. If you add water or juice its a smoothie, but I like to eat it like yoghurt, with a spoon.

I eat loads of tinned and frozen fish - I know fresh is best, but its just not that convenient for my lifestyle, eating out of my backpack. I eat the tiny tins of smoked salmon in springwater as well the coles brand spanish, italian, morrocan, mexican, japanese and spicy tomato and chilli tunas. I split a tin of sardines in spring water into 2 serves.

I make my own hummus using chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, tahini and I add chilli and cumin. I dip celery, carrot, capsicum and cucumber in it, as well as the occasion wholegrain 9 grains vita wheats or a couple of multigrain or soy and linseed corn thins. I might also spread a little macro organic nothing added crunchy peanut butter on one of those as a treat. Whilst on the subject of chick peas, I buy the bag of chick nuts from woolworths and divide it up into little snack container portions which are great on the go.

I also love fruit as a snack with a couple of almonds and sunflower seeds to make the energy last. I keep apples and bananas for the am.

I have first lunch, around lunch time, and second lunch, later on. For first lunch I might have a version of a lentil stew i make at home. Sometimes I use regular lentils, sometime yellow, sometimes both! I cook them slowly with onions, garlic, spinach and tomatoes (tinned, fresh or both) and any number of herbs or spices - chilli, ginger, tumeric and cumin are all wonderful. I throw in mushrooms and olives if I have some. Sometimes I'll mix that with a tin of salmon post reheating.

Second lunch is usually a salad with a tin of fish and a piece of fruit (nectarine, blueberries, peach). My salads contain loads of green leaves and cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives and mushies. I dress it with seeded mustard, lemon juice and a splash of olive oil. Sometimes its steamed firm tofu with chilli, broccoli and various other vegies.

I try not to eat dinner after 8, but that's not always easy working my hours! My favourite meal is grilled salmon and steamed vegies - carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, beans, peas, zucchini, capsicum - I'll eat them all if I've got them! I will always use vegies as the base of my meal and also like to make a stir fry using a frozen hoki fillet. Both are very quick, very easy, tasty, satisfying and ultra healthy.

Hopefully this gives you all some healthy ideas that you can introduce into your days!

Onto the next subject, I'm going through some pretty tough times in life right now, but I think its important to express gratitude for what we do have, especially when worried, sad or suffering. So today, I choose to express gratitude in the form of a top ten list. Here goes:

1. I'm thankful for the car my mum bought me. Stellar is the basis of my independence and is a wonderful machine that brings me immense pleasure and joy.
2. I'm thankful for my mum and all my brothers and sisters who are there to hear me and support.
3. I'm thankful for my wonderful friends and clients who make a huge and positive impact on my life in so many ways.
4. I'm thankful for my chosen career path and my business, which provides me with the amazing opportunity to help people find better health, better confidence, greater happiness and longer life. I truly believe that society at large has an immense need to recconnect with body and breath, that being trapped inside our minds and stuck behind desks is a tremendous problem, but one I aim to combat.
5. I'm thankful for being in this body that allows me to dance and run. YAY I LOVE TO DANCE! YAY I LOVE TO RUN! Also, the specifics of my body and how I was born give me greater connection with it, as well as enabling me to inspire people! That's a huge gift :)
6. I'm thankful to live in Sydney! It's such a beautiful city with so many benefits. The sea, the weather, a beautiful harbour, every modern convenience, access to fresh food, water and air... This list could be a long one!
7. While we're at it, I'm just thankful to live! To experience the fullness of the human condition, for all its ups and downs.
8. I'm thankful for the internet! It allows me to connect with you all in so many ways and is a fantastic research tool! I only wish I had more time to take advantage of it.
9. I'm thankful that, for the most part, I do not want for necessities. I have shelter, food, clothing and transport. Already I have so much more than so many millions of people I share this planet with.
10. Finally, I'm thankful for Hayden. I know what it is to be truly loved, nurtured, supported, looked after and cared for and it is such a tremendous blessing that I'm truly grateful now for every single day that it was mine.

It has begun!!

I guess some of you might be wanting to know more about the challenge than just my facebook status updates give away. Besides, that's my version of the challenge!

So here's how it works:

It doesn’t have to be about doing something drastic. It needs to be a commitment to making a difference.

You might want to pull out all the stops and do everything possible to be your ABSOLUTE best in 12 weeks. Or you might prefer to look long term and use my 12 week challenge as the first step in sculpting your lifestyle to be healthy forever, by implementing small changes, week by week.

We can work it how you want it. I’ll design this with you. It’s an individual program which is specific to your needs. The essentials remain the same:

·         We track your diet and teach you how to eat properly to optimize your body function.

·         We schedule your exercise routines and get you active, moving, breathing and burning.

·         I keep you focussed and on track.

·         I monitor your progress and record your results.

And those results are universal. You WILL have a better body in 84 days.

What you need to do:

1.       Nominate a start date.

2.       Maintain a food and exercise journal until such time as we are both satisfied that you know how to eat and properly to achieve your goals. Nominate your preference - paper or online.

3.       Commit to a weekly weigh-in around the same time one morning each week and submit the results.

4.       Submit a weekly exercise schedule to me – in advance.

5.       Accept my weekly challenges and homework tasks.

My Commitment to YOU:

·         If you’ve selected an online food and exercise journal, I’ll create that account for you and get you set up.

·         I’ll track your progress, keep score and reward your efforts!

·         I’ll keep it interesting! No 2 workouts with me will ever be the same, and no 2 weeks of your challenge will ever be the same.

·         I’ll send you new information and resources every week to educate and motivate you.

·         I will be there for you. If you need your hand held, I’ll do it. If you need an ear, I’ll listen. If you need advice I’ll give it!

·         I WILL support and encourage you and I WILL NOT let you down.

If there’s anything else you need, please tell me! I’ll do my best to accommodate you. I want you to succeed and I’m here to help!

Check out my spiffy promo flier from the inimitable Ingrid of Frankenmedia Design!

How awesome is that?? I love it!!

On The Eve of my 12 Week Challenge!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Welcome to 2010 :)

I trust we've all had a fantastic break. I know *mine* was indulgent and spectacular, but as of tomorrow, all that is going to change.

Tomorrow, I'm starting my own 12 week challenge. 84 days from tomorrow, on Monday, March 29th, I want to look in the mirror, stand on the scale and be 100% certain that I look and feel the best I have ever looked. I want to be the fittest, leanest and meanest me that anyone has ever seen. And I want to stay that way for the rest of my life.

I'm planning my workouts for the next week, and I'm starting off with 6 days of strict detox. No refined flours, no sugars except those in fruit, no red meat, no dairy, no numbers or anything artificial. I'll be eating loads of fresh fruit and veg, silken tofu, organic malt free soy milk, chick peas, lentils and beans.

I'd go for longer, but on January 10th I have a 'girls picnic' planned at the winery. No problem! I have a strategy for coping with that. Food events just signal that I have to do an hour of hard workout on both the day, as well as the day after the event. That's all planned. Everything is negotiable and forewarned is fore-armed!

I have loads of other strategies to help get me through the challenge, a weekly weigh in to keep me accountable and a support network to hold me to it, too.

I also have a whole stack of online resources I'll be taking advantage of to keep me motivated and informed on how to eat clean and be healthy.

I will gladly share these with strategies and online resources with you, as well as inform you of my progress - just respond and say you're interested - but better yet:

JOIN THE CHALLENGE!

Experience the Debzillah Difference and Be Inspired to find your fittest, most fabulous self in 2010!

Kick off the new year like never before. Witness the incredible transformation your body can undergo with this program combining diet, exercise and expert motivation.

Makeover and photoshoot opportunities as well as skin care and beauty services, not to mention inspirational books, await the winners!

BE FIT. BE FABULOUS. BE INSPIRED!

I will guide you, provide interesting challenges for bonus points from week to week, and help you develop strategies SPECIFICALLY to suit you and get the most out of the 12 weeks. I will be with you and keep you on track EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

So who is with me? WE CAN DO THIS!

C'mon. Get in touch. Tell your friends. Let's get started :)