Lapping everybody on the couch

This morning's session was a solid three hours on the wind trainer followed by a 25 minute run/walk that was in some ways a little less convincing.

I'm building my running by combining walking and running and I feel self conscious about it. Although I knew the reality - that I'd been hard at it for over three hours - I was embarrassed by what others might be thinking. I was worried that I looked like just another middle aged lady, shuffling around the block, holding desperately on to a new year's resolution to shed a kilo or two.

Part of this is probably that I find walking for training purposes a bit tiresome and boring. I also have this niggling idea in the back of my mind that I'm wasting my time and I should just run.

Breaking up is hard to do

We all know it. It's true. Breaking up IS hard to do.

Don't be fooled, KKB and I are fine. What I'm referring to is the grieving cycle I'm going through faced with little choice but to dump none other than S.K Warne.

I've forgiven him many an indiscretion, but this time I'm not sure I can.

You make your own luck

I believe you do make your own luck.

My husband is a surprisingly superstitious man. Surprising because he's a man's man; not the type you'd expect to believe in old wives' tales. Generally, though, he's only suspicious when it comes to bad luck. I've told him that getting pooed on by a bird is good luck. He doesn't buy it.

The recent arrival of my Challenge Roth "participant" tshirt may be the deciding factor. Is it bad luck to wear it or not?

one-hundred-and-seventy-something-days

So, I've been injured. I'm on the way back though. I'm swimming, water running, and slowly building up my time on the bike.

Coming back from injury, you can't generally expect much more than this. You need to build your strength and fitness up again and that takes time.

I'm very aware though, that time is ticking. I got a reminder just the other day via Facebook. 180 days to go until Challenge Roth. That makes it one-hundred-and-seventy-something days now. It doesn't seem that far away.

First event of 2012. Done.

A big contrast to 2011, which was completely event-less for the athletic powerhouse, a week in to 2012 I've already done my first race. I did the Dicky Beach Ocean Swim with a couple of friends on Monday.

I entered the ocean swim on a dare set down by a friend from Sydney. She had recently done a swim at Coogee and with a trip home planned for Christmas, thought the Dicky Beach event was too good an opportunity to miss.

So did I.

Desperately seeking... The Athletic Powerhouse

Once upon a time, there was an athletic powerhouse. This athletic powerhouse would ride her bike, run, and even swim. She would train hard and push herself to her mental and physical abilities.

Reflecting on 2011, it's hard to believe that the athletic powerhouse I'm describing is me. I haven't raced this year, unless you count the Beer Mile of course! Many of you will not be surprised that according to my calendar, it's still April 2011. I visited a friend the other day and her parents asked me if I was still doing triathlons. I wasn't quite sure what to say.

"Yeah, but no, but yeah, but... "

As I sit here wondering where that athletic powerhouse has gone (and whether I'll get her back) I think about how the Athletic Powerhouse came to be in the first place. Not many people really know the story, so as I go into 2012 desperately seeking her, it might be a good time to reflect on the legend of the Athletic Powerhouse.

Recover, rebuild and hopefully reinvent

My next blog post was meant to be about reinventing myself - about trying something new and challenging myself in a whole new way. You see, since my last post, I've enlisted a personal trainer to build strength, particularly core strength. I've had three sessions with Jojo at Northside Boxing Gym.

Right now I should be writing about how hard the first session was. I could have called it "Burpees are not my friend". It's true. They're not.

I could also have told you about how surprised Jojo is about my lack of core strength, me being an Ironman and all. I could be quoting him right now. "You've been neglecting your core." It's true. I have.

I rolled my ankle during the week, though, and have some ligament damage. So I've had to rethink this blog post... and it looks like I need to rethink some of this reinventing stuff.