Time to Face the Demon......

4:30am.....always so bloody hard to get my head around. But , surprise, I was awake and getting out of bed. Dragging my cycle kit on under heat lamps in the bathroom (not nearly cold enough to warrant the excessive drain of electricity) before trudging into the kitchen to scramble up some breaky. Always a fav, oats, raspberries, Greek yoghurt and homemade Granola. Sugar free!

Yes, today was the day. It was time to face the demon! My nemesis, the one that kicked me and left me beaten... Bald Hill and Garrie. SOOO DRAMATIC SAMMI! Yeah, just a little over the top. But last time I was up North it was a very different story. Negative thoughts, self imposed pressure, anxiety attack, sore limbs and a list of excuses a mile long. NONE of which was REAL! Well it felt bloody real at the time, mind.

Big Gazza was coming along as Wingman. I love that man. So patient and always ready to slap me when the dramatics start. 


My main Wingman and #1 fan


The gathering at Coach's place was kept to a whisper with Ava and Megs still yet to wake up. A quick chat about sticking to the program provided by Coach which would prevent an awkward conversation, or rather confession, as one of our own had just discovered when they had gone on an 'off program' ride and fell off during the ride. Not only having to confess that they had fallen but having to book physio treatment with him as well.

The Crew headed off into the dark. I felt ok, but I didn't want to blow up and get caught up in the head game of keeping up with the other girls. When we hit the hills I told them to go ahead and then Gaz and I stopped to give them some distance. I needed my own space and not be pressured. I took advantage of the break with a strip down of the winter gloves and a quick Gram shot. With the girls some way down the road, I relaxed heaps and found my own pace and rhythm. I cruised along, Gaz chatting away behind me. It would have been such a slow speed for him. It was a gorgeous morning, warm and the sea was smooth and flat. Perfect for whale watching. But no chance today. Bike ride first. Riding along the Sea Cliff Bridge was just amazing. There is never a time that the road along the bridge doesn't take your breath away.

Internet shot of the Sea Cliff Bridge

The road continued up some short pinchy climbs before the big one loomed ahead. Bald Hill, always a struggle. It used to be at least doable once. Riding weekly up North with the Crew was great for strength and hill climbing and so Bald Hill was once 'easy.' I was also fitter and stronger. But when you haven't climbed it for a while, it takes a lot of out of you. I felt better when on our way home we ran into our friend Chris who also said how long it had been since he had been so far North and how hard the climb had been.

The entire way up the hill I focused on my breathing and not on how far I still had to climb. I counted 10 pedal circles on my right foot standing, 10 pedal circles sitting. Repeat. I kept my mind calm and Gaz was happy toodaling along behind me. Normally he would overtake me and go up in twice the time I would take. He knew it would add pressure if he did, so he sat patiently behind me and occasionally gave encouraging comments. Pft, ya have to ask. What was all the bloody drama about Sammi? You have done this ride and climb so many times. Its a mental game and today I played a smart game, staying calm, focused and unpressured.



Top of the Hill. And undefeated



So we made it to the top. No demons, no anxiety attack, funny that. The girls were at the top. I was surprised. We hadn't let them get as far ahead as I had thought. They headed on down the road towards Garrie and Gaz and I stopped to admire the view, catch our breath and take a quick comfort stop. Oh and of course another Gram shot to act as evidence that I had made it and also to remind myself of a good time when we climbed the hill.

The rest of the ride went fairly uneventful. I continued past the spot where I had turned back the previous ride and continued on to Garrie. Again we found the girls having a break at Garrie and the turn around point. Again, not too far ahead of us. I was still happy that I hadn't ridden with them though. No pressure!

Gazza and I had a quick break, fuelled up on a banana and an energy bar. A whopping 5 teaspoons of sugar in that bad boy! yikes. I think I would have burned it off during the ride though, but my gallbladder later in  the ride, right up under my diaphragm was giving out a strong cramping feeling. We headed home. Descended into the valley at a wicked speed and then climbed slowly back up out of the Park, returning to Bald Hill where we stumbled upon Chris doing a solo ride. He joined us for the 22kms back home and I tucked in behind him as he set the pace. He rode at my usual speed and I was worked hard again. Back in my normal pace and with every mile away from the hill and closer to home the legs got stronger and stronger. Funny that!

A Little Off Road Adventure............

The plan was to grab an extra day on the back of the long weekend and hit the road. With RAV packed and Sammi, as usual flying in sideways after a huge week at work, landed in the passenger seat and we started the 6:48hr drive North West to Coonabarabran.

Shellharbour to Coonabarabran

We stopped for lunch in the Blue Mountains at Common Ground...now called the Yellow Deli and had a wonderful healthy soup before heading on. Further North and West than any Sammi has ever been before. It was exciting and new. The land was beautiful. I love to see new mountain ranges. Never bored of my own escarpment, but equally enthralled by new scenes and places where people live.

We arrived to find a neat and tidy motel room and a couple who ran the place who were 'Jack of all Trades' from receptionist to cleaner to chef. They were warm, gracious and welcoming.

I slept deeply and woke refreshed and ready to go. With morning came the plan to hit the trails in the Warrumbungles. It was freezing and I dressed ready for sub artic weather. We parked and started the 14.5km 'Grand High Tops' walk and before long the trail lead us up and up. We stopped several times and like a game of Strip Sammi Naked, I peeled back the layers one by one. Finally I was comfortable in just a light weight sleeved top and hiking pants.

Breadknife behind me, now warm and having to carry all my layers. Following the red brick path.

The trail was just a little disappointing in a way. Council/National Parks had obviously paid a lot of money to have a paved path put through the park. It seemed to take the adventure out of the walk somehow. But I balanced this with the happy thought that many more people would be able to take advantage of the walk as it was smooth and straight. Not wheelchair friendly though, as at times it was quite steep. We reached the bottom of the Bolougery Spire and from there we mounted the steel stairs and started a steep climb to the base of the Breadknife.



Summit

We found the saddle between the Breadknife and Crater Bluff for lunch and shared our view with a handful of other friendly, respectfully quiet hikers and a pair of pesky and extremely over friendly Currajongs. Just a little disconcerting as they demanded our attention with their yellow beady eyes.

Lunch view facing South East and home somewhere in that direction

After lunch we continued on and made our way slowly downhill (much to the disgust of my two big toes) between Bluff Pyramid and Balor Peak finally landing some 4:30hours later back in the car park. But not before I had taken off my hiking boots, lost the thick winter socks that were cramming my feet into the toe box at each downward step and ripped off the top of my big toe nails on each foot to make room for my aching toes. Sweet relief and mental note to Sammi. Cut your toenails before you hike and wear thin socks. Yeah I know, gross. Thanks for sharing Sammi. You're WELCOME!

Map of our hike

We drove back towards town but took a quick detour up a steep road to do a whirlwind tour of Siding Springs Observatory. Literally! It closed at 4pm and we had 10mins there.

 

Internet pic as I couldn't get the whole observatory captured in my photo.

But the view was impressive and we could clearly see where our walk had taken us.

 

Happy with our efforts we relaxed and had dinner in the motel restaurant before heading out to the Warrumbungle Observatory with Peter Starr (yep, that's his real name) and a wonderful night of star gazing. There were two guys facilitating, 6 telescopes and one huge telescope that was housed in a white dome. One fellow had a laser pointer which was a thrill as he clearly pointed out the stars and reference points before we stared through the telescopes at various stars and the moon when it came up. A definite highlight was being able to see Saturn and the rings and 5 moons. What a thrill.

 

 The Sombrero and The Hamburger Galaxies and a Spiral Galaxy and also a Comet

The following morning we headed further North West and into the Pilliga National Park where we encountered the most lovely woman who was the Artist in Residence at Pilliga Pottery. We had Devonshire Tea in the Café that was a hidden treasure that could only be found by following a long red dirt road. We bought a piece of pottery, a vase with a Blue Fairy Wren and Flannelette wild flowers on it. Two of my favourite Aussie Flora and Fauna.

 

An amazingly generous woman with a gentle soul and a genuine appreciation of her country and its people

Our travels took us further along the red dirt rack to a truly special place. Sculptures in the Scrub. We both have to admit we were a little sceptical when we read the blurb about the area. We imagined some ol' mate claiming he was an artist standing there with a bunch of bottles strung together and held with blutak and wire or something. Boy, were we wrong. We took a 1.8km wander through the scrub, followed an exposed ridge line and stumbled across a collection of art works that were commissioned by local indigenous artists and long time residents. It was so tactile. Each piece inspired thought or made you want to interact with it/them. And we did. Running our hands along edges of smooth granite to feeling the smooth shiny tiles in the mosaics. As the sun will still rising, each piece soaked up its heat and we found them warm and comforting on one side and cold and hard on the other. It was another unexpected, delightful, hidden treasure once again. 

 



 

Our trip back to the motel lead us through more back country and farm lands and, believe it or not.... I spotted my first wild Emu. After 49yrs 8months, I finally spy my first wild Emu. No photo proof though, buh!  One last tick to get now is to spot a wild Platypus. I maybe 100 though by these odds. A final look cast back over the Warrumbungles and it was time to bunk in for the night.

 

The edge of the stunning Warrumbungles

We spent our last afternoon in the area lazing and chatting and revisiting our photos and retelling our new memories. And all things must pass and so an early start in the morning was the plan. We were on the road by 6am and heading home via Kez and Jess' place. A 1hr diversion but a chance to catch up with the girls. We dodged Eastern Grey kangaroo's along the road and we marvelled at the stunning landscape that we have the amazing fortune to live in.

 

 

 

About an 1:30hrs out from Richmond we stopped for our last photo opportunity of the weekend. Our next adventure stood majestically rising out of the valley floor nestled deeply in the 'Gardens of Stone' National Park. Huge high rock cliffs whispered of possibilities and the surrounding walls of the valley echoed a resounding note in our hearts. We will return to this place. We will climb the rock cliffs and camp atop of Panatoney's Crown. Its only a matter of time til we return to this space and create more wonderful memories together.

 

The Crown is a long ridged plateau



 

Internet pic of Panatoney's Crown

 

 



Bulli Burning for Coach Mark.....

Its been a heck of a week. Busy, travel, nights away from home, and of course the one that always suffers...training missed.

Nothing like being hammered by the boss. Luckily it wasn't directed at me, but a collective group of HR Managers. It just rolls off now like thick hot tar. burns and sticks to you and it stinks! Two days of intense work and bitching, but I still managed a quick 4km run. It was a lovely place we stayed at. On the beach at Narrabeen and with a lake reserve behind the hotel I had options a plenty. I walked out of the hotel  got a little turned around in the dark and ended up with the lake route. The legs and knees were good and I felt comfortable from the moment I broke into a lazy jog. Except being away from home and the usual routine, meant the body wasn't happy and so I found myself walking some until I could find a loo that was open.

Narrabeen beach view from the hotel

A work Gala Night on Friday saw me frocking up and racing around like a maniac. It also saw me falling into bed around 1am. Yep, there was no way I was going to make the ride on 3 and a bit hours of sleep. And so sleep in was the second best option and I enjoyed it! I have a confession to make. I actually felt beautiful in my frock on the night. I splurged and got my hair blow dried and did my nails, wore a designer 'hand-me down' dress of my sisters and high heels (that I later regretted, as my feet killed by the end of the night). I had a flat stomach and squeezed into the dress with no back fat and no Spanx required. Running does pay off.

That's me on the left


Today was the Bulli Burn. Its a 5k running race and the proceeds of which go to Mark Scott aka 'Coach.' Mark was my first coach and got me to my first Ironman. Mark was hit by a car while out riding with his dad just after my Ironman. He has a brain acquired injury. Its hard to see him now in the adult running chair being pushed by his dad round the course. Little Oscar (now 4) running with his Nan into the finish line. Everyone clapping and Oscar not really understanding why he was getting so many claps.

My run was actually pretty good. As always I am ridiculously consumed with 'I could stay in bed' attitude and was reluctant to strip off for the run as I was so cold. Everyone else was too, so I didn't feel so bad. Mel (eventual winner) gathered all of the AP Crew together for a warm up run and went through our drills. Alex arrived with Ava, pram, baby food and a pile of baby paraphernalia. He had swapped duties and was daddy for a day while Megz did the run. The obligatory team photo and then it was time to strip down and run.

That's me, 2nd from the left. Gazza front row, right

Race started, hit the GO on the Garmin and set off uphill and out to Bulli Beach. Turn around and more uphill (we're talking slight hill) and then back to the start line and beyond to the car park before turning round again and heading for the finish line, but up the hill again before you get there. I just concentrated on form, cadence and knees. Not much I could do if the ITBs started to tighten and burn, but there is always some energy given to listening to the knees and how they are doing. One day I hope to not worry about that any more. The legs held up and as I headed for the finish line I came up alongside another girl about my age, I figure, maybe younger. She picked up the pace and I went with her. The finish line loomed and Gazza was there calling me in. I kicked into another gear and went between the flags. With my friendly competition right on my shoulder.

I was pretty pleased with my effort overall and the Garmin said the same. Second fastest 5km to date. Sweet. Including the hills. If the race had of been at the Husky course where I got my fastest run I reckon I would have smashed the time as it is basically dead flat. Sweet! And now, cause it is Sunday arvo. Its all about cooking getting ready for another busy week.

 

And Now For Something Completely Different.....and PAINFUL!

So Groupon had a special happening. 30 (count em) 30! sessions at Crossfit for $69....WTF!

I have always wanted to give Crossfit a go, but its always been so expensive. We grabbed them. Considering that its winter training and my area of extreme weakness is my Core. I figure now is a great time to get stuck into something new and exciting that will keep the winter training block interesting and diverse and working on those weaknesses.

So Gazza and I rolled in with a bit of an understanding of what we were in for. We have watched the Crossfit games, done a few WODS with Baker and I have integrated a little of the concepts into my home gym workouts. But we were still apprehensive. The Trainer was a nice guy and I felt instantly comfortable. One eye and both ears on him as he explained the gym and facilities and then into warm ups while the other eye wondered about the gym taking a recce on the other people in the gym and what the vibe might be like. It seemed ok. A hugely pregnant lady, 2 guys slightly overweight and about 30yrs old and a very butch (typical Crossfit square body shape) chick.

Looking forward to getting ripped over winter

Before I realised it we were working our way through the warmup sets. The doubleunders which I had not been looking forward to were first on the agenda. I didn't get one. Practice needed here. Gazza struggled on the skipping, looking like we was leaping over a 6ft wall rather than letting a 3mm piece of plastic line slip under his feet. I was thankful for my hours of school yard practice. Warwick then turned and faced the climbing ropes.....you have got to be kidding. I was keen to have a go. But I have never had the chance til now. Warwick asked if I could hold my weight. pft! Get out of my way. I had a few attempts and struggled with the feet placement. I could see the technique and in my minds eye I was there, but my legs and feet and the pesky rope weren't cooperating at all. Meanwhile, Gazza was the proverbial rat up the rope.

We headed to the bench presses. No intervention required by the trainer there and I knocked out the 5x5 @ 10kgs comfortably. And then it was time to WOD...

My first WOD

3x 5 min amraps with 3 min rest between do with a running clock

Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)

5 min amrap
5 HSPU - Handstand push up, done by kneeling on a bench and doing a pushup on the floor
10 KB snatch 20/12 - Not too bad in the end
15 pull ups - Done with a green band and I was in Struggletown, a long way to go
Completed - 2 rounds + 27

Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)

5 min amrap
5 ring dips - wowsers, I got these done with a purple band
10 ring rows - by the end I was struggling to get my chest to the rings
15 kbs 24/16 - all over it!
Completed - 3 rounds  

Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)

5 min amrap
5 push ups - I got them done, plenty of breaks in the last round
10 sit ups - These were done with an ab support, feet together, hands together over head then pass feet
15 wall balls 10/5 - 5kg ball, squat to wall ups, yikes! in the end the ball made it just above my head lol.
Completed - 2 rounds + 15

Finished, showered and fed, I reflect and think I'm sore but happy as I have worked a full body, functional session and can feel every muscle worked.

Damn You Scales, You Lie..........

Spreading false information like a plague through my brain. The scales were not pleasant to me this morning and I DON'T CARE! I don't believe them. I simply have to put one hand on my hip to feel the bone being uncovered, One hand on my ribs to feel the grooves and lay a hand over a boob to know that the girls are disappearing .....again <sigh> but that's ok. So, I am not going to allow the scales reporting I am back to the usual weight, when the rest of me is suggesting there is some trimming going on. Also according to the Sammi body'O'metre there will be a certain amount of water weight retention for the next week or so anyway. It's great being female. But even better being a modern female and having medical advancements at my fingertips. Yep no pesky period here for me, thank you very much.

In the meantime this week has been one I can write about as being positive, but long. Even though I missed Monday nights swim due to being in Canberra and coming home late, I managed to tick off all the other training boxes. I was strong on the no sugar diet and ate well and was not feeling deprived or guilty at eating real food. I felt comfortable and strong throughout the sessions and managed to finish all with some energy. Friday morning's swim was the only session where I dropped pace over the last 500ms or so.

Saturday was a fun, hard day in the saddle. I rode with Roberto and Charlie and we hit the hills of Jamberoo before heading off round the lake. We left Charlie at Wongawilli before Roberto and I headed home. I worked hard on the hills and we did some decent time trials through Minnamurra bends (always a favourite) and along Primbee. After the ride my legs were thrashed and trashed. It was a very slow walk as we did some shopping and later I needed a nap to function and then an early night for me. What a party animal I am. In bed by 9pm.

But Sunday morning saw me up and awake and ready to go again. Gazza and I drove down to Shellharbour pool and started a run from there for something different. We ran along the beach to Warilla Surf Club and back. We finished with 9kms done. It was a bit slow on the run as my legs were fatigued still and a couple of times I had to push to keep going, but again finished strong at the top of the hill before taking a nice easy walk back to the car.

The afternoon was spent cooking up some staples for the week. I just love my inside-outside bread and have made some tweaks so that now it is so tasty. I also tried my hand at some muffins. Made chia protein pots for pre training sessions and of course some quinoa for porridge in the mornings.

One of the highlights for cooking this week was on Saturday night when Gaz was busy painting the toilet walls and door and we realised late in the day that there was nothing planned for dinner. I defrosted a casserole that Gaz had made a few weeks back and then tried my hand at dumplings. You gotta know, they were beautiful. The Tassie Devil oven mitt is always a special friend of mine in the kitchen. A gift from my brother when he worked at the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Refuge in Tasmania.

Moom's & Marja's Day..........

Can I just say, it has been a huge few weeks. But none were busier and fuller than this weekend. I am sure we couldn't possibly have fit more living, loving and laughter in than we did on Mother's Day. (Or what we call Moom's Day for my mum or Marja's Day for me).

Slippery and Big Gazza

The girls arrived Friday night, we ate and watched TV and relaxed a bit before hitting the pillow. Saturday morning I was up and Gaz and I drove to Slippery's to meet up for our ride. It was cold and windy. It's been windy for weeks now! I felt pretty strong throughout. I worried about suitable nutrition. Being off the sugar now for weeks, I really didn't want to go back to having sugar, but it seems Glucose on Saturday's is a non-negotiable. As it was we weren't humping along so I got away with half a bidden of Endura and one mouthful of Dextro. I had planned an 80km ride round the lake and into the hills of Jamberoo. But by the time we came round to Slippery's joint again the boys pulled the pin. NOT ME!!!! But I was convinced in the end and pulled it too. Mostly because we had big plans with the girls and I was keen to get home. I still had some energy and could have gone on. So good stuff.

Josh 2yrs

They never look like the photo, oh no!!

Gazza and I went round to The Onion Man's place to visit the family and see his new baby, Ella. She is 6 weeks old and lovely. We delivered our present and we both got our fill of baby cooey cuddles and had some play time with Josh.

We got home and the girls were waiting for us and we went shopping for staples and items for making 'sugar free' recipes. Yes, Master Class was in session. I showed the girls (inside outside bread, seedy bread, bacon and egg breakfast muffins, granola, and chia pods). Shortly after that, with beer in hand we launched into food prep for Mother's Day lunch. It took the four of us to create the Mother's Day feast of the century. Complete with Tomato Harvest Soup, Lamb Shanks and vegetables and ......drum roll please....... Choc -Caramel-Chunk and Peanut Butter 'Cheesecake' insert awesome photos...... 

Family cooking, & me with a Beer

 It was a huge fun afternoon and bone weary but so pleased with our creations we sat down to, what is always the highlight of my visit with the girls, tickle time..... This might sound weird, but some history here... Kez is not the most cuddly PDA kind of girl, but we found when she was little, that she would lay all day across my lap, if I tickled her back. As she grew older I managed to coerce a foot rub out of her at the same time. So now, even at 28, I can have contact with her if she sits in front of me while I sit on the lounge and I wrap my legs around her and put my feet in her lap, she gives amazing massages and as long as I tickle, she will stay for some quality time. I hope we still do this when she is 60 and I am 81. It's a bonding time I treasure, & I know she does to.

Mother's Day dawned and I was up with Gazza at 6:30am for a run. Determined not to miss another run, we headed out. Session instruction from Coach. 50mins done as 6min run 30sec walk. We covered some ground and explored the new train station as part of the run. I was very happy with the knees and no ITB issues throughout as well as the energy being high.

When we arrived home the girls were waiting for us. Breakfast in bed. I settled for coffee, Granola, Natural Yoghurt and Raspberries. Yummo. By 11:30 Moom and Dood were here. My Niece, Sally arrived also, which was awesome and we sat down to a wonderful lunch and lots of chat.                                          Everyone seemed so relaxed and it was nice to have the house filled with people. Gazza and I have made a pact to make sure we entertain more and invite friends and family over more often. I can see the "I Quit Sugar' Menu books and a new recipe book the girls bought me for Mother's Day and the new Mandalin they also bought will come in handy and mean lots of opportunities to experiment also. After lunch we moved back into the living room and Moom and Dood brought out the guitar and ukulele. We listened to Moom play the Ukulele and she has really improved. Then the girls broke out and played a few songs too.

And then a very special moment....one that I have never seen before. Moom and Dood connecting and enjoying time together in a common interest. I like to imagine them spending time alone at home together playing and laughing. It makes me feel so content...........and now here for prosperity, the video.



 

 

Late Night Segway....... do you think after I die that my blog will just sit, idol? Perhaps an occasional random person will stumble across it when they push "Next Blog" and have a little scroll through my posts. Will my blog live forever in the archives of the Ethernet? It's a deep thought for 8:40pm on a Wednesday night. Where do blogs go, when no one is there to love them anymore? Will this be my own personal time capsule. Having never shared this with my family or friends the history I have put here (interesting or not to any of them) is gone, perhaps it will spend eternity sitting on a subway station's cold aluminium bench waiting for a passenger to pick it up like a random newspaper and read a couple of excerpts before tossing it with indifference into the bin. The Recycle Bin obviously. Deep!

Another Sugar Roll Please.........

Just joking!

Breakfast, no sugar here folks

No sugar here peeps! Another great week of no sugar, sweets, chocolate and soft drink. But also no hidden sugar either. No tomato paste, fruit/dates, yoghurt or simmering sauces. Just good wholesome, mindful food. Mindful??? Yes, mindful. I think this has been one of the biggest mind altering moments, watching the That Sugar Film, reading the blog and doing some research. Mindful, in that I am conscious of everything we buy and eat now. I look at the charity chocolates at work and all I see is 6 teaspoons of sugar, 8 tspns of sugar. The only whoops I had was buying our usual marinated chicken kebabs and we wont be able to use them as the marinade is full of sugar. I can't even give them to the girls now as last night they went to see the film and they too are making some significant changes. They have a fresh produce barn close by and they bought a load of greens etc today. I am so pleased. I may have been a little late to the party with my own health, but Kez is only 28 and will do better at it than me.

Kez & Jess' shopping




Savoury Bread, baked my ME!

I have also done some baking. Its a determined vigour that I have found. Even turning on the oven and selecting ingredients that will make us healthy has been a lot of fun. My research bent has got me flicking through Pinterest and checking recipes. Dismissing sugar loaded meals and opting for clean, healthy and not to mention tasty meals.

Gazza in Struggle Town at Max Brenner's

In a crazy act, Big Gazza and I were up at the shops and decided we needed a coffee. The usual coffee house was doing its usual dismissal customer service and so in a crazy move that was totally risky, I suggested that we head in to Max Brenner for a coffee, NO CHOCOLATE! I am so pleased to say that I walked boldly pass the chocolate counter, strolled brazenly up to the cash register and ordered two coffees and stood and counted the teaspoons of sugar looking back at me. I wasn't interested. Gazza on the other hand was drooling. Our coffee was nice and strong and we triumphantly left the white sugar satchels on the table beside us. I walked pass the fat girl sharing a chocolate fondue and smiled inwardly at myself.

Apologies to self

Earlier in the week I visited the doctors and got a script for a blood test. The Doctor seemed ok with my request and to top it off I got a free Flu Shot to boot! Yeah for me. On Wednesday night I felt like I had been hit by a truck. A touch of the Flu anyone? I hope to go back this week and get the results of my blood test and see where we are at. I aim to ask a few questions this time round. Usually I just nod when I get the 'all clear' on my blood test. This time I want more information. Because I owe myself an apology..... Sorry Sammi, I have stuffed up. But I hope you will allow me to make a mends!

Changes I have noticed. My skin on the side of my neck, just under my ears has changed. I have noticed this once before when I was dieting and eating clean. But this time is even better. The headaches have lifted and I am not quite so tired. But training hard still has meant that fatigue is hard to determine. However, this week I was awake and energised but most importantly, enthusiastic and keen to do training, awake and ready to go. And how about sleep? Well usually I am a hopeless sleeper. Always the insomniac and always creeping about the house in the dark, late at night, wide awake and stuffing about on the I-pad to try and tire myself out, now I am sleeping soundly and waking feeling rested. Occasionally I have woken up, or had to go to the toilet, but I would say 9 from 10 sleeps are deeper. Hey I am even dreaming.....

Lastly training. The week as I said has been great I have been enthusiastic about training. But come Wednesday I was hit by the Flu truck and ended up coming home early from work and then going to bed for an hour. But, over the weekend I did a 2:40hr indoor spin trainer, followed by a 50+min run/walk. Very happy peeps. And all the while keeping the sugar below 6 teaspoons a day. SWEET!