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First School Photo

May 22nd, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Being a mum | Little Human | Milestones - (2 Comments)
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My small human continually amazes me, I had originally planned a post around her developing before my eyes but I’ll share that in the coming weeks.

Tonight I need to share another milestone in her life. The emotion around this one has taken me by surprise. My Worm had her first school photo a few weeks ago.

The Farmer & I were divided as to if we should spend the money purchasing the photo, these things always seem rather expensive, and initially the child care wanted the cash upfront.
I put the call out on the Facebook page thanks to everyone who responded.
I particularly loved my mother comment ‘just buy the photo’.

I was with her for the initial photo session, but the photographer accidentally scared her with a bouncy ball which led to tears. I had to head off to work so I couldn’t stay for the 2nd attempt (which the girls were going to do a little later)

In a way I’m so pleased that I didn’t hang around as when I was handed her photos this afternoon I was genuinely surprised and thrilled with the result. My worm looks so grown up!

So here it is- my Worms firsts school photo. I can’t believe that in a few months she will be 2!

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What’s your thoughts on school photos? Are they a must purchase?

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The Post Race Slump

May 20th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Fitness | Iron Mum Training - (5 Comments)

After any major event I suppose it’s somewhat normal to feel a ‘downer’ in the days following. After all you’ve put so much effort and focus around that one day, that afterwards you can’t help but think ‘what’s next’

I’m having that slump right now. After a fantastic race in Hervey Bay, I’ve come back to reality with a slump. My next major event was supposed to be the Rocky River Half Marathon on the 2nd of June, but this dodgy foot of mine has put an end to that. My coach & physio have both advised that I’d be ‘bloody stupid’ to push a HM out at this stage of my year. So I’m down grading to the 10km.
This combined with my doctor wanting a more detailed MRI to be done on my foot, has left me flat.

But my foot isn’t the only thing hurting at the moment. My quads have been taking longer to recover between sessions. Now I’ve been doing this exercise thing long enough to know that DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is a thing & it’s indicating that muscles are continuing to grow. This pain feels different.

It feels like under nourished muscles are being asked to do too much. When I started to think about why, I realised that when the Farmer is away with work I don’t eat properly. I eat good food, veggies, proteins but just not very much of it as I’m usually eating with Em before I put her to bed & go into the gym.

My torture chamber has gone from something I love to something I almost dread, and don’t even start me on the pool situation! I can’t even talk about the dread that brings out in me (probably explains why I’m missing far too many swim sessions lately)

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I’m calling an end to it now
Sure I’m allowed to have a few days or a week at a lower intensity after a race, family need to come first, but I think I’ve let it slide a little too far. I’ve got just over 12 weeks until my major race for the year.

That’s about 70 training sessions to go. I’m going to break it down into little steps and work through them all.

When I started this adventure with my epic race schedule I never thought it would be easy. I think it’s been exactly as I imagined. I think I even expected to have a moment or period of time feeling this way. But it needs to stop now.

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So I’m making a commitment.
I will put everything I’ve got into the next 70 training sessions.
I will eat proper foods, and enough of them.
I will get outside whenever possible & enjoy my training again.

This is my word

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I’ve stolen the photos above from somewhere & I honestly don’t know where. I’m sorry! If they are yours please let me know.

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Never leave a toddler unsupervised!

May 15th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Being a mum | Life | Little Human - (3 Comments)

Worm, like most toddlers, loves painting! For my birthday last year she brought me a big canvas, and a stack of paints (care of The Farmer of course!)

I think the original plan was to paint something on the canvas together as a special artwork, but to be honest we had loads of fun the first time we used it, that ever since I just pull the same canvas out each time and she paints over it.

Last Saturday, Worm was full of energy, and it was a lovely day (the weather here in Queensland is so perfect!) so I decided to let her paint outside on the grass.

An allocated amount of paint put onto her canvas, 2 brushes supplied, and she was off….. the brushes were used initially  but then obviously the hands came into the fun. She was having a great time, so I took the opportunity to get some washing in the machine.

When I came back a few minutes later this is what I found!

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I was so thankful she had only decided to paint herself & not the walls or something equally challenging to clean. Thank goodness for washable paints too!

Has your toddler ever painted themselves? Did you take photos for the upcoming 21sts?

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What’s a girl without a vice?

May 13th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Being a mum | Life - (10 Comments)

What’s a woman without her vices?

I have many vices, some people might suggest that our individual vices make us the person we are. Personally I think that without some sharp edges I would be a little boring.

My biggest vice is alcohol…. I’m known to have 2-3 glasses of wine 2 or 3 nights per week. It’s my favourite beverage. The ritual of getting home, making dinner whilst sipping on a glass of red is relaxing. The warmth of the wine, the feel of the glass in my hand, the anticipation of the tannin’s tingling along my throat…… even typing that makes me feel good.

A few weeks ago I participated in Bupa Australia’s #HealthyChat on twitter. The subject was alcohol and it was one I was extremely interested in. I thought I knew enough about this vice to keep my daughter & I safe, however after the chat I realized that I didn’t know that much at all!

I thought I would share some tips that I learned in the chat. Most of these tips came from Registered Dietitian Rosalyn D’Angelo.

  • Recent evidence suggests that any potential health benefits from drinking alcohol probably have been overestimated
  • Alcohol is carcinogenic and is related to cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, liver, colorectum & female breast
  • Low levels of alcohol intake can reduce stress, tension, anxiety, self-consciousness & increase feelings of happiness – although it is not recommended to start drinking in order to get these benefits

Standard Drinks:

  • Measure out what a standard drink looks like.. 100ml of wine in a big glass looks like less than in a small glass! A large wine glass can sometimes hold up to 4 standard drinks
  • Usually 100ml wine = 1 standard drink- typically you may be served about 150ml at a restaurant… =1.5 standard drinks
  • Can spirits (approx 5% alcohol) = 1.2 to 1.7 standard drink
  • 30ml nip spirits = 1 standard drink

 

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I’m not a resolution maker, I hate when people say “I’m giving up alcohol” or “I’m on a diet” or even “Coffee is bad, so I’m quitting” all these statements are rather final and in my mind set the statement maker up to fail. The all or nothing approach rarely works for me.  I tend to feel pressured and rebellious in these situations. So events such as “Dry July” or “Feb Fast” don’t work for me.

But I took something from that chat. I think it was the catalyst for me to realise that I was on a slippery slope, towards drinking a bottle of wine a night again (like I did in my pre-worm days)

In the days preceding the chat & I think even that night, I was faced with an upset toddler who wasn’t happy to settle without some mama milk. I have ALWAYS calculated my drinks around her needs, however on these 2 or 3 occasions, I stuffed up. I had drunk 2-3 glasses of wine, and Worm needed my milk. I offered cows milk, I offered water but nothing would be the substitute – I had to feed her.

As I fed my child my tears started falling, we’d gone this far with our breastfeeding relationship. Nearly 2 years without me attempting to ‘pickle her brain’ and here I was now giving her milk that nearly certainly had alcohol in it. Now if this had happened once I might not have been too worried…. but this was 2 or 3 occasions in very quick succession, each evening my guilt was growing, each evening I imagined my beautiful intelligent daughter losing brain cells through no fault of her own.

So I stopped drinking……

Initially it started as my normal no drinking before an event routine. As I prefer to have a few alcohol free nights before racing, to enhance hydration, and to avoid any nasty race-day hangovers.

As the days have passed though, I’m not sure what to do.  I’m not sure what I want to do really.

When this post gets published I will have been alcohol free for 13 days. Not long I know, but for me this is HUGE…. I struggle with 1 alcohol free day per week, let alone 13 of them all in a row.

To be honest I have thought about having a glass of wine & so many times during the writing of this I have wandered down the hall & stared at the wine rack, but each time I have had an enormous weight of guilt press down on me, and I have returned to the computer with a bottle of water in my hand. I’ve even made it through Mothers Day without the obligatory glass of bubbles.

I don’t know how long I will abstain from alcohol for, maybe until I stop thinking of it? Right now my biggest tests are when I walk in the door from a hard days work, it’s a ritual to start cooking dinner, select a wine and pour a glass….. a habit I suspect.

It also sounds & feels a little like an addiction…. so for now I drink my water….

water wine

Cheers!

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Race Report – Hervey Bay Triathlon

May 10th, 2013 | Posted by Sara in Iron Mum Training - (8 Comments)

The decision to enter Hervey Bay Triathlon was discussed when the Farmer, Worm and I were enduring the 8 hour drive back from Mooloolaba Triathlon. We were chatting about how I really needed another Olympic distance event before my big 70.3 in Yeppoon in August.

Hervey Bay was quickly chosen due to it’s relatively close location (only 5 hours drive) and the fact that it has a reputation for being a fun event. We also considered Cairns, but the cost of airfares etc made it a little excessive.

As the race day approached and I received the numerous race information emails my nerves started to get the better of me. I saw in one of the first race briefings that the swim cut off for the 1500m was supposed to be 40 minutes. WOW I was terrified by this – my previous open water PB was 44mins and I don’t think I had EVER swam 1500m in 40 minutes before – my swim training leading up to this event was certainly lacking, I mentioned here that my swim is the first to go in a busy week. So I was certainly lacking confidence in this leg.

After reading the briefing I actually rang The Farmer almost in tears – I couldn’t believe that I had spent all that money, and all the hours training to not even be allowed to finish the first leg. Thankfully The Farmer calmed me down, and reminded me that I was only ever competing against myself, and even if I wasn’t allowed an official finishing time I would still race my own race and do my best.

The night before my event I got a beautiful perfectly worded text from my coach Jen.
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Exactly what I needed to focus on, and having heard it from Jen & the Farmer made me believe it.

 

RACE DAY!

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I woke at 5am race day, to a lovely cool morning. My bad foot had swollen up and was VERY tender, so I quickly sat on the hotel loo and taped it up, trying my best not to wake the rest of the family. Worm work at 5.20am for her milk feed – perfect timing and this fitted in with my schedule nicely (not like at Mooloolaba, where I nearly missed the transition closing time).

I jogged down to transition and got there in plenty of time to pump my tyres, dry my bike from the dew that had set the night before, and generally set out my area. Around this time I was told that it was a wetsuit optional swim for Age groupers – the water was 22.9 degrees.

The next 30 mins were all about getting a coffee, eating my bananas, discussing the pros & cons of wearing a wetsuit. I eventually decided to go wetsuit free & I was so pleased I did.

My swim went really well, I need to work on my sighting more, as my Garmin thinks I swam 1700m instead of the 1500m of the course, I looked up numerous times & I think I was actually swimming out to New Zealand at one point!

As I passed the final turn around buoy I was about 50m off course, I saw people around me were WALKING! I put my feet down, and sure enough I could touch the bottom, so I quickly jogged back closer to the course, and re-commenced my swim.

My official swim time was 35min – however I think there was an issue with the starting times, as my Garmin had me at 37mins.

As I entered the cycle leg I was shaking all over, I struggled to get my leg over the bike, and to clip my feet in, I’m not sure how much time I lost, but it felt like forever, I felt like I was going to throw up and all I could focus on was getting my leg over the bike, and getting away from all the people on the sidelines before I stacked it! I was soon off and riding though.

I really enjoyed my ride, I dropped the first Endura Gel that I tried to take for energy and nutrition, but I didn’t allow this to panic me, and I simply had my spare one within the first 5km (exactly per my race plan). The cycle course at Hervey Bay is beautiful, very scenic with views of the ocean at most points. My aero bars felt really comfortable, and I was able to go up and down from them without careering off the road. This was a huge confidence booster, and allowed me to relax my shoulders and enjoy the ride.

I made a conscious effort to keep my cadence steady, and I think I managed this with an average of around 90rpm across the course. I was so pleased I had been given the heads up on the one hill on the course – a short 30 meter incline, at around 20% grading…. it felt like I was riding almost vertically I saw a lady stuff up her gears and fall over in front of me, thankfully I managed to avoid her and keep riding – yelling out ‘are you ok’ as I went passed – I head the ‘yep’ as I reached the top (which was good as I really didn’t want to head back down to help her).

The 40km course went so fast, I think I enjoyed it, hard to say really. My Garmin time had me finishing in 1:28mins so I was thrilled that I had come in under my Mooloolaba time for the same distance.

As I set off in the wrong direction through transition for the run leg, I laughed out loud at myself – the officials yelled out to me and I quickly turned around to head out the run entry sign (even though the 2 times before the race when I was in transition I made sure to double check the entry & exit points numerous times!)

My legs didn’t have that shaky horrid I just rode a bike for 90 minutes feeling – I think its because for the last 2km coming into the transition I had deliberately reduced my resistance on the bike & tried to spin a little faster to get the blood running better.

As I started at the run, I easily fell into a comfortable pacing, I remembered that I hadn’t had my 2nd gel in the bike leg, so I took it within the first 2km. I was able to overtake a few people, and walked through each of the drink stations, to allow myself time to drink the water, and let my heart rate drop a little. I took my 2nd gel as I rounded the half way mark. At Km 7 I started some really positive self talk, I knew I was running well and I was comfortable, but looking at my data Km 7 – 8 was my worst of the race. It was like as soon as I started to tell myself how good I was going everything started to hurt! Thankfully a quick look at the watch made me realise that there was a chance I would beat my previous 10km PB so I but a wiggle on and ran ran ran. As I rounded the last corner and started to hear the spectators I tried to stride out some more, I was certain that the PB was mine! My run leg came in at 1:03 – 3 minutes under my previous best 10km run route (which wasn’t preceded by a 1500m swim & 40km ride)

Overall my ‘official finishing time’ of 3:10:39 is 30 minutes faster than my Mooloolaba time, I had SMASHED the internal goal of 3:15 that I had set myself (but not told anyone!)

OD REsults

Hubby thought my recovery ‘outfit’ was very sexy!

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So that’s my last triathlon of the season. My next big triathlon challenge will be the 70.3 in August. But before then I’ve got Rocky River Half Marathon (2nd June) and the Rockhampton Bike4Life 100km cycle (29th June). I’m looking forward to both of these events to test myself over the longer distances. Hopefully my body cooperates & my ugly runners feet improve by then!

sorry for the lack of race photos, hopefully they are available soon!

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