Great weekend - watch out for the nasty people at the fun runs though!

Last week on Friday I weighed myself. I had been 100% with my food all week & was rapt to see a 2kg loss. Even with the heatwave we had, I had still cooked up healthy meals. Very happy!

Saturday morning, I went to SSS - Super Saturday Session with the girls, there were only 4 of us, but we had a fun time & managed lots of laughs during our workout of around an hour. We did some boxing to start off with, followed by a circuit of squat presses, lunge twists, planks, crunches, bicep curls, tricep dips, push ups & box jumps - it was a lot of fun!

Sunday, I was going to do my first official fun run for 2014 - The Resolution Run - organised by an athletics club - 6km here I come. My friend Sarah decided she'd do it with me, so we met before the run.

We started out together, but it was quite hilly, so I said goodbye to Sarah & watched her go off in the distance. I really don't like slowing people down so I'm the first one to say "you go ahead". I was jogging along, then passed 3 people who were walking. As I got in front of them, I heard the guy say "That can't be right, we better get moving" & the girl say "Nothing like seeing THAT to motivate you" or somethig to that effect-yes they were THIN. They were clearly talking about the size of my butt waddling in front of them! I had headphones in, but I never have them on loud enough that I can't hear around me.

Thing is though, there was a third person with them, and he was a big fella, so what were they doing bagging me for? As it turns out, I caught them again walking, so I passed them again, only for a couple more comments "c'mon, let's get going" etc etc. I ended up passing them again, and had to run by them at the turn around point. The big fella then passed me & I pretty much could see him in front of me the whole way. Wondered where the rude people had gotten to, and THEN - KARMA struck, I finished & then a few minutes later, THEY finished! So I beat them! And they had bagged me?! I told Sarah about it & showed them who I was talking about and she was in total disbelief. I wanted to go up to them and actually tell them to grow up, after all, there were a couple of large ladies at that race, and if those comments had been said to them, well that can turn someone off from ever running any FUN run again - or, even worse, maybe turn someone off from even trying to lose weight or get healthy - really unfair. If I see them again at any run, I will be keeping my ears open, that's a certainty-not sure if they're part of the club or were just participating like we were...AND let's not forget that skinny doesn't mean FIT! Yes, I have a few more kilos to lose, but I am doing my best & turns out I'm fitter than the 2 skinnies anyway!

If anyone bad mouths you or puts you down at anything - it is just their insecurities & mean spiritedness coming through - they must be very unhappy with their own lives to be dishing out comments like that to a total stranger!

I had a rest day on Monday, nutrition - 100%
Today, I woke up at 5.25am for a 6am pump class. I had my workout gear ready to go & I actually woke up raring to go. Great class & had 2 people who are regulars come and help me as I could not get the step to raise up - it was nice to be around some helpful people! I will definitely be going back next week, and hopefully every Tuesday morning. Nutrition today - 100%

Raels is BACK baby!

That's all from me - stay positive no matter what the nasties throw at you! :-)

Reality Bites - On to 2014!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last "blogession" & forgive me for I have sinned! I have not been on track at all & I was kidding myself to think that I'd reach 69.9 by New Years Eve! GRRRRR!

So, I'm just going to write off the rest of this year & eat & drink as much crap as I want & worry about it all in 2014! JUST KIDDING! I will definitely NOT be doing that!

I went for a short 3.5km run yesterday with 2 training buddies & actually knocked 3 minutes off my time for the same distance the previous week! I didn't even realise that until I got hoe & looked at my results - I was pretty happy with that & also happy that I didn't have any foot pain during that run. We then met up with the other 2 groups of friends that were doing different distances & tempos & had a lovely coffee/juice & chit chat. It was lovely & relaxing to sit & chat amongst friends who share similar goals & beliefs & are all really positive. I always leave these gals all fired up & happy! They rock!

The plan designated to me from my physio was to run 4kms a couple of times this week, then 5kms next week if no niggles from the 4km runs, gradually building up to 8kms in time for the Sunset Series in February so that I can run alongside my sister Sharon like we did last year for some cheeky selfies with all the zoo animals!

I think I've been overly paranoid about my foot today, it's like my brain is trying to make it feel sore as it's been plaguing me for so long. But a roll on my recovery ball showed me that it is getting a lot better! Fingers are crossed as I have big plans for 2014!

Anyway, back to the first sentence of my post.....yes, I was all fired up to reach 69.9 by years end, but it's just not going to happen. I've had a cold, a sinus infection & haven't trained as much as I'd have liked to due to work commitments & a new computer system quickly coming our way in February. I know right - EXCUSES, EXCUSES. I sat here thinking "What would Mish say to me if I told her all of this"? I'm pretty sure she'd slap me & tell me to suck it up! And I won't even start to think what Commando Steve would say to me!

As I discussed with one of the girls yesterday, yes it'd be grea tto have the life where you can train effectively every day & eat perfectly every day, but the reality is that it's just not that easy to get back on track & stay there. I think this time of year is worse as everyone's so busy with catch ups etc that I get home & then think "oops I didn't train today" & by that time, it just ain't going to happen! I'm being honest, I just haven't wanted it badly enough whre I've put my training & diet before everything else going on around me.

I have just under 2 weeks until the end of the year, I'll be happy to lose 1-2kgs between now & then to be honest! I do want to enjoy Christmas & New Years Eve. I will however be behaving myself drinks wise!

I've spent some time today on the 12WBT website, printing out recipes & getting organised.

I wish you all a Happy Christmas with your loved ones, please stay safe on the roads xo

Sussans Womens Fun Run - Decisions, Decisions

As some of you know, I had signed up to do my second half marathon at the Sussans womens run yesterday, well before my foot injury from the Melbourne half marathon in October. My foot has been ok, it gave me some grief during the City2Sea & Eureka climb, but held up pretty well afterwards.

I went to change my distance to the 10km but the bibs had already been sent so I could only change on the day. After chatting with my sister, she suggested to leave it at the half and see how I was feeling during the race, worst case, pull out at 10kms. Great idea!

Sharon & I got to the event & did our pre race rouitne of toilet and bag drop & then we were lucky enough to find Sarah & Katherine right before the start of the race. Sarah was running her first 10km & I really wanted to see her to wish her all the best.

The start wasn't the best, there were so many walkers all spread out along the road, we had to go up on the kerb to pass them. Sharon left me at her usual 1km mark - she is 1-2 minutes per km quicker than me - then Sarah & I stuck together until around the 3-4km mark when I encouraged Sarah to go ahead as my foot had started to hurt.

Shortly after that, I helped a lady get her hat which had flown right past me down a side street & then I had a couple of people pass me who had read my dedication bib for the day & say to me "sorry for your loss & good on you for doing this, keep going" - I dedicated yesterdays run to a high school friend who passed away last year from breast cancer, leaving behind a husband, young toddler & also a 7 month old - very sad. It made me really emotional. From there, it was a battle for me to get my head in the right place to even continue running without being emotional about Judy. I then had to stop & put some voltaren on my knee - it's obviously compensating for my foot & that had started to hurt too. I'd decided at the 8km mark that there was no way I'd be able to complete that second lap & get that second half mara, so I just followed the 10km markers to the finish. It was officially my worst ever 10km 1:20:10 - even worse than the dreaded Emma & Toms run that I did last year which was 1:10 & I was disappointed back then. So you can imagine how frustrated I was!

I received my finishers medal & managed a smile at the end then went to find Sarah, Katherine & Paula who had all done really well - big Congrats to Sarah for completing her first 10km, I'm sure there will now be many more to come! I then waited for my sister to finish her half mara & got chatting to an old lady who had walked the 10km & was waiting for her daughter to finish her half marathon.

I saw Sharon come across the line, absolutely spent & gave her a big hug from over the gates. She is a marvel for doing her 3rd half mara, and knocking time off of each one, mind you! So proud to be her sister!

So, I have decided & did decide during the last 3kms of that run, that I need to concentrate on smaller runs until my foot is back to 100% again. Or even do more cycling or eliptical work which will take the load from my foot so that I can still continue to lose weight. I'm seeing my physio tomorrow so I'll see what he suggests & I may even go for that MRI to see what's going on in my foot - even though it will cost around $300 as it's not covered by anything it seems - I think I need to rule out any stress fractures for sure. I'm not liking that this foot injury is now affecting my knee.

I am also hoping to participate in the 60km Weekend to end womens cancer walk with my sister in March 2014, so I really need to know what's going on with my foot to decide if I can attempt that weekend & what steps I need to take to get there - no pun intended!

Yes, this post is a stark contrast to my last post about Bikram, which I received a lot of feedback that a few of you really enjoyed it, but we all have our days, even me.

I'm off to another Bikram class tonight - that should at least get me giggling again.

Bikram Yoga! The Bridget Jones version :-)

I have been wanting to try Bikram yoga for over a year! I've only ever done a couple of yoga classes & that was a few years ago! So when my friend Sarah wanted to try it I thought - perfect - let's do it!

I made sure that I was well hydrated a couple of days prior & especially today - I drink enough water generally - usually 2 litres plus an extra 750ml on training days, but I knew that with being in such a hot room & sweating out all of those toxins that I would need extra.

We rocked up to class, checked in & got sorted & entered the room - it was hot but I thought - this is bearable-famous last thoughts. Sarah & I set up our mats, towels & water bottles & sat there whispering to each other as most of the other participants were lying down relaxing - well except for one - there's always one in every class....you know the girl who does planks & side planks & leg raises right before a yoga class? I whispered to Sarah "What is she doing-is she trying to psych us out or what" - very intimidating. I was scared. Good on that girl though for being so fit that she can do those things prior to a bikram yoga session - but I'd prefer it if you did those at home next time ;-)

The instructor came in then & turned ON the lights. NO - turn them off - I want to bumble about trying to do these poses in the dark please! No such luck....

We started off with a breathing exercise & you had to have your elbows up, head back, elbows touch, exhale, head down. Well let me tell you - I had my elbows up when they were meant to be down & I was forgetting to inhale after exhaling so when the instructor said exhale I was thinking "What - I was meant to breathe again? Oh, ok then!" The instructor spoke quite quickly too so you had to concentrate.

We went through some postures, I couldn't do a lot of the postures fully, so I just did my best - one of the poses is called "Awkward pose" - of course I did that one really well! LOL

And then IT GOT HOT!!! Really hot. Like a furnace. Like there was no escape. I sat down for a bit until the feeling passed & then picked the posture back up again. I looked over at Sarah through my sweat laden eyelashes & was glad that she was there sweating up a storm as well. A few moments later, I accidentally looked at the clock.........IT HAD ONLY BEEN 25 MINUTES!!! I'm done! No way am I going to last in this heat for another 65 minutes! All the while the instructor is saying "right foot up on left thigh, knee down, hand behind back etc etc", oh and my favourite of the class " hold on to your foot with all 10 fingers clasped" - sure no problems - can I just go & dry myself off first - I was so sweaty that my hands were slipping no matter what I was trying to hold on to! Every time she said "hold your foot" I had to stop myself from laughing as I knew what was coming.

I sat down for another minute or so & had a few sips of water until the furnace feeling passed, then stood back up again. Oh, I'm meant to get my forehead to touch my knee whilst my legs are split stance standing? Sure, that will be no problem, how about I just lie down here and have a rest doing the Savasna?! The Savasna is where you lie on the floor on your back, heels touching, palms facing up & concentrate on your breathing. This helps reduce your heart rate & encourages healing - also known as the dead corpse pose. I liked that one - UNTIL we had to do it after each floor pose.

We did approx 30 minutes on the floor & after each pose, we had to do Savasna followed by a full sit up. Towards the end it was hard trying to turn around from the last pose into the Savasana - after doing our rabbits or camels or turtles or whatever other poses we did. I'm pretty sure all of my poses looked like a deranged elephant - arms here when they should have been there, leg up here, not on the floor etc etc At one point I saw myself in the mirror trying to keep it all together & had a silent laugh to myself.
During the "Balancing Stick" I was wishing that I had a stick to balance on!
My "Triangle Pose" was more like a circle.
My "Rabbit Pose", well I'm sure that it would have looked like I was having a nap!

Then the lights were turned off. We made it! We were still alive & we didn't pass out or leave the class! Both soaked with sweat, we got our gear together & were relieved to get outside. We are going back for another session on Saturday & then a couple more next week. It will be interesting to see how we go with the heat the next time. It was hard as I'm not very flexible but I did enjoy it. I will need to take a different towel next time though as my light green towel fluffed all over my dark clothes - not a bright idea!

My last word of advice for anyone that hasn't tried Bikram yoga yet - listen to the teacher when they say only breather through your nose after the initial breathing exercise. I forgot about that & opened my mouth & was smacked in the face by a furnace - I think that's what made me feel a little off for that brief moment as well.

Here we are straight after the class - sweat is "in" right?!

 

Outside in the cool fresh air afterwards

I came home & had a shower and I'm now feeling stranegly invigorated - and not hungry either? I just had a Powerade Zero, some watermelon & more water as I don't even feel like food as such. I will have a decent breakfast tomorrow though. I'm hoping I have a decent sleep tonight & that I'm not invigorated in the "stay awake, can't sleep" sense. Guess I'll just have to practice Savasna then won't I?

Aside from tonight - I've had a 1.4kg weight loss this week which I'm very happy about. I'm in a great place mentally & I'm going to keep going!

Thank you Sezzy for trying Bikram yoga with me, it was fun! (Apart from your parking ticket :-(......)

How I became overweight & how I've turned it around & become truly happy!

This post is very personal to me but I feel it's time to let go of the past for good......I'm sorry if it's a bit erratic/all over the place!

To most of you I'm a very happy person. That is very true these days!
What most of you won't know about me is I used to be a disgraceful eater & dislike myself immensely!
I used to be very happy with my figure & myself, I used to wear short skirts - I still have my favourite one - it is a size 10. I showed it to my sister the other week & we both looked at it and went "wow" look how small I used to be!

When I was around 30 (back in 2006), my second engagement fell to pieces. I went off the rails (no pun intended for those who call me Raels) & went out drinking frequently (not water either!). This then turned into eating crap food on the way home from a night out with girlfriends, crap food to help the hangover the next day - OH and crap food for the rest of the week as I'd blown my diet anyway so who cares! And repeat. Again and again. I was eating take away almost every night of the week and not to mention chocolate or chips - whatever I could get my hands on really! My mentality was "Well I'm single now and have no one to answer to/cook for/watch my weight for" etc etc
I would wake up the next morning promising myself that today I'd be better, today I'd eat healthy, then the demons would take over & I'd be at the take out shop near work buying a fried spring roll & chips for lunch! I was in a very dark place for a couple of years & the subsequent years that followed found me trying to lose the weight but only to end up back where I started. I also had a couple more really crappy relationships during that time as well - I was a walking doormat - all too eager for anyone to stomp all over me.

I began to punish myself internally:

"I'm not good enough"
"No one wants to be with me"
"No one loves me so who cares if I put on weight"
"Even if I am being treated poorly, I'm still getting attention" etc etc I really could go on and on and on. Very low self worth back then.

I had huge support from family however it never felt like "enough" to stop me being out of control with my food or my feelings, thoughts and actions. I stayed home a lot as I didn't want people to see that I'd put on 15 or so kilos in 2 years. I felt so alone. I remember feeling so low one night & calling my sister who lives an hour away & having a big teary on the phone with her (best sister ever) and then her husband (best brother in law in the world) and I remember them telling me that they loved me & to just be patient and the right man would come along-back then it was all about being single. I put so much value on being in a relationship that when I became single, I didn't really know who I was anymore, which is the main reason I ended the second engagement anyway. I thought being in any kind of relationship would "fix" me.

I tried everything, self help books, cd's and counselling - the counselling did help immensely but I thought I could go it alone.....

In 2007 I got a puppy - Titch - and for the first time in ages I felt the stirrings of happiness, I had a little furkid who needed me - not as much as I needed him that's for sure. I look back & know that Titch was sent to me to "save me" as such - I wasn't even looking for an animal the day I found him & I wouldn't change a thing about the day that I brought him home without any preparation whatsoever - ebter emergency trip to pet shop for furkid accessories!

Roll on 2011 (and another dog later (Tara) from 2010 - Titchy needed a playmate lol) & my sister asks me if I want to be a trainer at a football club that she's head trainer at - sure - heaps of fun & I get to spend more time with some of my family every week. Not to mention there are men at football clubs wooh hoo. We had to wear all white - pants & polo top - not the best look when your butt has become the size of a baby elephants butt let me tell you. As for running on to the field to do first aid or run water - gee there were some mini earthquakes happening on a Saturday! I'd come home absolutely stuffed from being a trainer for 8 hours and the 2 hour return trip so I'd just have take away AGAIN-I'm not cooking when I've been working hard all day! I was getting exercise during the day but eating way more than what I'd burnt off - silly me! Enter shitty fling with hot football player that was pretty much over before it began-I was a trainer for 2 years & finished up at the end of 2012.

In May 2012 I hit rock bottom - I hadn't weighed myself in such a long time, but had been buying new bigger clothes, always with the view that "I won't need these for long, just until I lose some weight".  I'd been drinking a bit more again. I was lethargic all the time.

I jumped on the scales one morning to find an 8 in front of a 4 = WHAT????? 84.1kgs??? I've never been 80 anything in my life! I rang my sister & burst into tears and just spilled my guts. I knew I had to do something, I knew I had to change, but at the same time, I had no control, I wasn't strong enough to avoid crappy food or alcohol. I still remember that conversation - my wake up call - And then I came across the 12WBT. I signed up for Round 3 2012 & got all motivated again. I actually started cooking every night & exercising almost every day, losing 7.5kgs that round and making some wonderful new friends who are still in my life this day.

I got my weight down to 69.5kgs in May this year thanks to 2 more rounds of 12WBT (enter more wonderful new friends), and life was great again, I didn't care that I was still single, I was getting out and about again & enjoying life!
I didn't participate for another round as I was going overseas to Dallas, Texas for work. Big trouble over there - fatty food everywhere & even their "healthy" options weren't too good. I struggled to get fruit some days! I came home for 3 weeks before leaving for the second trip & it was much the same again, except I found my workplace had organised a whole heap more fruit & veg for us that time. My colleague who is quite thin also managed to put on weight! By the time I was finished with the work trips - I'd banged on 4.6kgs over the space of 8 weeks! Back to 74.1kgs - my goodness!!!!! That was mid August. Another work conference in September with the most delicious gourmet food & wine - of course I was going to enjoy it! A little too much perhaps....12 W B - what's it called? LOL

In the last 2 months, I have not been perfect. I signed up to Round 4 12WBT which started the week I was on holidays, then I came back & was unwell for a week & this week has been an "off" week as well. There have been times where I've had take away for dinner, chocolate in the evening. I've been very good with very limited alcohol though-apart from my holiday where I had a couple of cocktails each night. Yes, I completed my first half marathon & other fabulous events in October & November, but I still feel that if I don't get these feelings out of me, they will always be lurking, ready to pounce the next time I'm pondering KFC for dinner versus a Mishy 12WBT meal.

A lot of my issues with food & comfort eating used to stem from the fact that I have now been single for 4 years. I even had my Aunty ring me up one day & ask if I've met anyone yet and then said to me (& I quote) "You're best to set yourself up for a life alone by the looks of it". That comment absolutely ripped me to pieces - was I not worth anything unless I was in a relationship?! And from a family member - gee what must my friends who are in relationships think of me then?!

Bad times, very bad places mentally for around 5 years from 2006 to 2011.

For the most part of the last 18 months I value myself more than I ever have in my whole life. I am a good person. I try to be a good friend. I care about the people around me & enjoy seeing that they're happy. I'm thoughtful. I can be a total nutbag. I'm honest. I can laugh at myself without the feelings of self doubt afterwards. I love my life. I love that my calendar already has quite a few entries in it for 2014! I love that I can now look forward to the mystery man appearing - near future would be nice - but I have learnt that I need to love & respect myself (not being a "love me do" here) before I can expect to be in a relationship with someone who treats me the same way. I'm getting closer as I'm getting rid of the bad guys a lot quicker these days - one didn't even make it through a whole coffee date! I'm willing to compromise on small irrelevant things but not the things that are important to me. I love that the people around me support me & don't judge me or use me as a doormat - not that I would allow that behaviour these days! I have said goodbye to a few friends over the past 18 months as I realised that it was all about them & not mutually respectful friendships. I'm in a happy place.

My goal is to be back to 69.9kgs at least - by New Years Eve - I can do it, I've done it before. I'm over my cold bug so it's back to it - bring it on! I still have 9 weeks of the 12WBT left & I intend on smashing them to pieces!

Thanks for reading this - I already feel so much better for sharing the short version of my journey so far.

The Aftermath & DOMS - AND the City2Sea/Eureka double!

When we finally left camp on Sunday afternoon, we realised how sore we were. Getting out of Sally's car was a surprise, that's for sure. By the time Tracy arrived home, Sharon & I realised that we couldn't lift our arms above our shoulders & we were doing "The Waddle". Tracy kicked us both off for showers & all I can say is - after washing my hair 3 times, there was still dirt & muck in there! It felt so much better though - actually being able to shower!

Tracy then kicked us out by the pool - gee this is going to be even tougher than Commando camp!

We had a yummy dinner of chicken, roast veggies & some yummy potatoes & some wine which went straight to my head! I fought to stay awake, but by 9pm it was all over - off to bed I went. I woke up during the night - I rarely sleep right through ever - and attempted to roll over - nope - no can do - THAT'S how sore I was! My arms just didn't have it in them.

The next morning, after I "slid" off the bed & showered, I had to get Sharon to tie my hair up as I couldn't reach!
Sharon & I had a lovely brunch with one of her nurse friends at Hilarys Harbour, then we went for our hot stone massages & facials - all I can say is - WOW - if you're ever in Perth, head on down to Revive Day Spa in Mt Hawthorne. Feeling much better after that, we then went out for dinner with Tracy & her family.

The next day, it was time to fly to Monkey Mia, where we stayed until Saturday morning. We swam, did a sunset cruise, camel rides, wildlife ocean cruise, went to shell beach & the stromatolites, saw dolphins everyday, oh & did 50 burpees each morning in the sand thanks to a challenge set by one of our fellow camp mates - to do 500 burpees by 22nd November! Apart from the burpees, it was a very relaxing holiday & by the end of it, we were both starting to feel quite relaxed & content.

 

Sunrise at Monkey Mia

Time to head back home - landed at 11pm on the Saturday night, then up at 5am the next morning to go & do the 14km City to Sea run AND the 88 floor Eureka Stair climb - yes, slightly crazy, BUT life is to be lived! The City2Sea was tough on my foot & I was worried towards the end how I'd go in the stair climb but I did both! Thanks to Sharon & Alana who sang happy birthday to me up countless flights of stairs & roped some of the volunteer water staff in as well! Hahaha

 

After City to Sea

At the top of the Eureka tower!

 

Enjoyed a lovely dinner with some very wonderful ladies on the Sunday night-each one of these women have either inspired me, taught me something or supported me in the last 12 months & my life would not be the same without them. They are a fantastic bunch & I'm both lucky & thankful to call each one of them a friend. You guys all rock!

 

 

The rest of this week has found me battling a cold since Tuesday, I thought it was hay fever, but on Wednesday it was a full blown head cold! I ended up missing my Hertz relay run on Wednesday night, but my 17 y/o nephew stepped in for me & proceeded to run the 5kms in 20 minutes!

 

My diet has not been the best this week as I've had very low energy or motivation, however when I'm normally sick, I opt for take aways like KFC to "make me feel better", this time I've been having soups & raisin toast & 2 minute noodles - not ideal - but it could be much worse. My calories have been at just under 1200 each day, not "quality" calories I know, but I'll tackle that once I'm on top of this cold. To top that off - I pulled a muscle in my neck last night! Maybe my body is punishing me for "stopping" for a holiday??

 

Where will I go to next?!

 

Commando Camp - Final Day - Fears conquered - well partially anyway!

In my last blog - part 2 - I omitted that we also had to do 40 burpees in the scorching heat on Saturday afternoon - one of the trainers picked someone from the group and asked her to pick a number. She picked number 4 so Nick said 4 x 10 = 40 burpees off our debt. Poor Kirstan had to stand there and count them out for us while we did them, she didn't enjoy that at all, you could see it on her face. Bruised knees & hot hands would be an understatement!

On Sunday morning I woke up feeling much better, we were up before our 6am wake up call as well! Off we went for some more technique work, this time it was clean and press! I tell you what - that Commando Steve can certainly move his body well - WOW! Once he was happy with everyones technique, it was then time for another team challenge - suicide runs with paired clean & press. 2 people would run while 2 would do the press & another 2 resting with the spare person filling in for any team member as required. Sally & I didn't stop - we just kept going the whole time-I've never done so many presses in my life - 40kg at that! We smashed it - AND our team didn't come last this time YAY!

Time for breakfast & the unnerving worry of our still remaining 100+ burpee debt.....after brekkie, it was time for ABSEILING! We were split into 2 groups - team 1 & 4 and team 2 & 3. My group went to gear up for the abseiling task first whilst the other team went to do the leap of faith.

Team #4 all geared up to abseil!

Everyone knew that my last attempt to abseil didn't go off as planned - I failed to do it, so I was quite nervous & my sister was in the other group so I was on my own with my new Commando team mates and trainer Nick. I was the 5th person to do it, I was so nervous.
Nick was fantastic, he just kept telling me "just listen to my voice and do as I tell you, I promise you won't get hurt, you're 100% safe" - I'm thinking he must have hypnotised me while I was up there LOL I leant back and took my first step down & everyone was cheering for me & I was even cheering out loud for myself too! I was so happy - AND THEN the cliff face totally disappeared - there was a huge indent & nowhere for my feet to go! I panicked big time, but managed to calm down and reach the ground. Morgan (my Friday night burpee buddy) was at the bottom & she gave me a big hug - more tears - at least not painful ones! I walked back up to the group as we all had to repel twice - except there was a catch for the 2nd time - whilst leaning back at the top, we had to touch our heads - yes that's right - not holding on to the rope - putting our trust in the brake person at the bottom of the cliff and also Nick. I freaked out more the second time than the first, but again Nick got me through! I flew down the second time - it was so much fun! Check out the middle right photo of me touching my head! Scary stuff!

 

 

Leap of Faith was a different story - I attempted it 3 times, getting further up the pole each time, but I just couldn't do it! My body felt so weak from soreness that I was shaking, my palms were sweating & I just couldn't keep climbing up on the small pegs :-(  Trainer Dan really tried to get me through as did another team mate - Clive, he actually inspired me to try for the 3rd and final time & wanted to climb up behind me but for safety reasons of course, he wasn't allowed. On my 3rd attempt, I'd gotten about 3/4 of the way up & then I did a sideways jump off the log so I still had the suspended feeling.....although I then came back towards the log and had to put my foot out to stop myself from crashing into it and then I did a bit of a penguin slide in the bark LOL I can laugh now! It's on my list to conquer, but I was happy that I'd conquered the abseiling.

 

Before my 3rd attempt - I was so nervous!

 

 

7 metres high & only a small plank to stand on before the jump off!

 

Getting there, sweating bullets!

 

C'mon Raels, you CAN do it - Clive tried so hard - he's a great guy!

 

 

My graceful face plant in the bark!

 

Time for our last lunch.....all still wondering "what about the burpees".......in comes Nick & announces that if our strongest 4 burpee people can do 50 chest to ground, hand release burpees in a row to a strict 5 second count, our remaining debt of 137 would be wiped, but if they failed, we would ALL have to do the 137 burpees anyway. Up stood Clive, Morgan, Tracey & Kirstan - absolute powerhouses! We all walked down to the matted area feeling guilty, hopeful, happy, nervous.

 

THEY SMASHED IT! Celebrations - burpee debt wiped by 4 amazing people! We all couldn't thank them enough AND it was 37 degrees!!!

 

Commando Steve did his wrap up chat, presented each of us with our Commando Steve t-shirts, took photos with all of the trainers and then had him sign a photo - Sharon had found a photo of him looking more like a supermodel than the Commando on the internet & it made him crack up laughing when he saw it!

 

 

Troy, Dan, Commando Steve & Nick

Sharon & I with Nick & Dan

 

Cheeky Commando 

 

 

So - what did I gain from this camp?

1.New friendships with some amazing people - we are still in daily contact already! AND we are doing a 50 burpees a day challenge - yes we are MAD!

2.I experienced this with my amazing sister Sharon, who inspires me everyday with all of her achievements, not just the fitness ones-she really is the best sister & friend that a girl could ever hope for.

3.I learnt that it's ok to fail at something as long as you try your best (Leap of Faith)

4.I conquered my fear of abseiling & now want to go back to that Brisbane cliff & be rid of that demon forever & maybe even try a bigger one!

5.I pushed myself way outside of my comfort zone on little sleep, hard training & exhaustion!

6.I was completely NOT in control of my life for the whole weekend - we never knew what we were in for from one minute to the next

7.I learnt a lot about form & technique & will never squat or deadlift the same way again!

8.Nick & Dan are just as, if not more inspiring than Commando Steve - yes, that's right! Don't get me wrong, CS was amazing at camp & is amazing at what he does in his career BUT Nick & Dan were always in the thick of it with you egging you on. And Nick guided me to abseil so he's my favourite hahahaha

9.I learnt what it's like to have to carry a 1.5 metre pole around with me ALL day! Once we left camp, Sharon actually looked for hers - that's how used to them we were by Sunday afternoon.

10.I did more burpees over that weekend than I have in probably my whole life!

11.My mind does give in before my body most of the time BUT on Sunday during the Leap of Faith - my body was done - listen to your body when it's telling you enough is enough, but don't use it as an excuse when you're feeling ok.

12.It's ok not to have a shower for 2 days due to time constraints as long as you are with people just as sweaty as you are! Hahahahahahaha

 

I could go on and on & I'm still processing a lot of the things we went through so I'll keep you posted on any further ephiphanies as they arise!

 

 

 





My next blog will be - The Aftermath & DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) from the camp - ie.how I couldn't lift my arms or roll over in bed for 2 days! LOL