Positive!

Haha so sorry I have been a little slack in my posting on this over the past couple of weeks. Since my little bumpy patch last month, dealing with a few little health niggles and sorting out a couple of little complications with study/running in the states later on this year I feel like finally everything has come together! The past couple of weeks I’ve been feeling so much better with basically every aspect of life (work, running, uni, america). Work wise, I’ve started full time work which has been fantastic as my boss Scott was great in organising everything around the couple of uni subjects I’m doing this semester. It feels great to be busy and feel like I have some sort of structure/routine to life again. Although its super busy at the moment I think that’s how I function best. It also feels great to think I’m starting to get myself financially sorted. Starting back at uni has been a massive positive too, I think I really enjoy being able to study and quite honestly I think I might have found things a little difficult had of I not been able to do some sort of study till August. Running wise everything has been going really positively too. I was dealt whats seemed like a couple of dodgy cards a few months ago finding out I can’t compete till I go over to the states later on this year (NCAA ruling seeing as I did not complete school last year ). Anyway, after a couple of months and a few really reassuring chats with my coach over in the states/other people who have had experience putting athletes though the college athletic system I think everything is going to work out alright in the end. It has been kind of nice to just be able to focus on training without the stress of competing and honestly I have been having some of the best/most consistent blocks of training that I’ve ever had so I guess there is something said in that!

Finally, signing my uni forms for Maine later on this year was a MASSIVE relief! I also booked flights which was super exciting too! All in all….things are positive at the moment :-) 

Hello Running MOJO:

I’ve got to admit this past week has been a little up and down. I guess the down part of it was finding out that I can’t do any more AV races till I head over to the states later on this year. At first I took this as being a MASSIVE negative as I’d just recovered from a few health niggles and I was just getting back into the swing of things. I though, with anything in life its not always going to go your way and there are always bound to be things you can’t control, this being one of them. I know my mum always tells me to look on the bright side of things and always view life as being “glass half full” rather than “half empty”. Although mum finds it difficult to relate to the world of running I think that this motto is just as important regardless if you know anything about running or not. The fact is, I’m healthy, uninjured and feeling stong and fit in training. While I may be held away from the compeitition field for a few months in the scheme of things a couple of months is really nothing. I want to be running for years and years to come and I know things are going to be pretty full on in terms of racing once I get over to the states. While comeptitions and winning certainly does make running rewarding and enjoyable when I look at the bigger picture its not the only reason I run. I think sometimes as runners we can become a little caught up and greedy in wanting everything at once; wanting to smash our PB in consecutive races and not wanting to give our bodies rest when it needs it most. I believe in myself and I know while I may have little set backs along the way, as everyone does, as long as I continue to go about running the way I have there is no reason I can’t continue to improve over years and years to come. I guess thats how I see myself at the moment. While I can’t deny it is a little frustrating not being able to finish off the AUS track season exactly how I’d planned, I know I don’t need this to prove it to myself of what I can achieve. Everything in good time as I say haha and watch out when I do get back! :-) 

(Source: notasthin)

Try this!!! So yum!! Even if you are not a fan of soy milk, try getting a really, really good quality brand. I’ve tried a couple and I really like Vitasoy Organic Soymilk- Fiber or Calcium Enriched (they’re in the green, purple or red bottles) or Bonsoy. If soymilk is not your think maybe try almond milk, quinoa or maybe oatmilk. This is my recipe for a perfectly simple, very delicious calming drink. - 1 mug of good quality soy, oat, almond or quinoa milk - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - 1 teaspoon honey Mix all together and then place in the microwave for 1 and a half minutes! I love this drink because it is nutty (from the milk), a little sweet from the honey and cinnamon :-)

Try it! 

Porridge for breakky this morning, yummy! I’ve started using Carmans Muesli to make porridge with and I have to say its really nice, I like the nuts/fruit and cinnamon in it :-) 

New Runners

Got new runners at work yesterday! I used to be pretty big on Asic shoes but since working at the running company I have begun to develop a love for Mizuno shoes. I know everyone has their own personal preferences but in general I like how narrow and light under foot they feel. Despite having a rather supportive model, Inspires, they feel far lighter than contrasting brands in the same support level; Nike Structures, Asic 2170’s, Asic 3030’s and Saucony Echelons and Brooks Adrenaline. While I like a shoe that is supportive I don’t like one that feels overly weighted down by cushioning, this is one trait of the Mizuno shoe in that they have support without being an overly bulky padded show. Don’t get me wrong, some people really like cushioning and so as a result would love a highly cushioned/padded shoe such as the Adidas Ride. For me, I love my Mizuno Inspires! They provide a good level of support without being too bulky :-)

Sunday Morning Run Never Felt This Good!

Went for a run this morning and felt great! Watto (my coach) just said if I was feeling okay I could do an easy 20 minutes or so and then see how I felt after that. After that I was feeling fine so I ended up doing about 70 minutes which just felt soooo good! I’ve been really surprised at how well I’ve recovered from having all my wisdom teeth out and how little swelling/pain I’ve had. It didn’t bother me how long I took off running while I was recovering, I just wanted to give my body time to fully recuperate but being able to get back into things so quickly has been a nice little surprise. 

I just feel so good to finally be feeling better, already I think I can notice a difference in my overall ‘wellness’. I’m defiantly glad I had it done in the end and I know with a little bit of patience, I’ll be back into racing in no time at all :-) 

DVD’s, Foxtell and cooking…perfect wisdom teeth recovery! :-) 

Operation done! Goodbye wisdom teeth!! While I must admit I’m not feeling too crash hot at the moment I am feeling a lot better than I thought I would and the swelling is know-were near as bad as it could have been. I know that in the long term I’m going to feel so much better, when they showed me my tooth after the operation it was all horribly black and dead, clearly a major reason I have not been feeling myself lately. So while the next couple of days are going to be pretty quiet and hardly running orientated I know this is a good chance for my body to recover and come back even stronger. Haha I can hardly complain, so far I’ve spent the day watching DVD’s and cooking about 60 muffins for my sisters rowing regatta…..quite frankly…a nice way to relax :-)

(Source: muffintop-less)

Signed, Sealed and Sent!

This morning I experienced a rather glorious moment, a moment I quite frankly 2 weeks ago wasn’t sure was going to happen….I sent off all my final application forms for The University of Maine. At times I just felt so overwhelmed by the process, there seemed to be never ending requirements and hurdles that I had to jump over before I could even think about sending in official application forms. Completing the SAT and sending off my forms this morning has taken a MASSIVE weight off my shoulders. All I need to wait for now is my SAT results that come out next Thursday and then getting the final all clear from the NCAA!

Also this morning put a little smile on my face when I heard from my family in North Carolina. Unfortunately I’m not going to be able to get over to the states in April/May which was my original plans however I’m super excited to be going over a little earlier and spending some time with my family. They were even planning on driving me up to uni from their place in NC which should be heaps of fun, not to mention a lot less daunting than having to face everything myself. All in all these few little moments helped to lift my mood a little and reassure me that I’ve got a lot of great things ahead of me. The little bumps of having to get my wisdom teeth out and few minor illness are really nothing in the long term. I guess its just like they say, don’t sweat the small stuff :-)

Hahha this did make me laugh, it is exactly what my coach says to me!

(Source: gettingfitandthin)

Bring it on!

Surgery, this Thursday. Quite frankly, BRING IT ON! Speaking to my coach last night was really nice as he was really supportive/realistic. He just said, whatever happens, happens. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I recover quickly but if not I just take the time off I need and get back into things when it feels right :-) 

(Source: ificouldopenmyheart)

The Missing Piece: I really, really just feel like I’m missing something at the moment and I really hope I know what it is. I had quite badly infected wisdom teeth a couple of months ago and I was really hoping to put off getting them out till the end of the season. I knew at the time I was being greedy trying to buy time but it was so hard at the time when I was running really well and everything just seemed great. I just felt so pathetic this morning when I literally broke down and started crying to mum because I know deep down this is the missing piece. I know its really not at a great time at all but at the end of the day my health is the most important thing and if I really want to be able to run AND race my best all the puzzle pieces need to be together.

The thing I really don’t get is training has been going really well, it was just on Thursday that I did one of my best sessions and had made obvious improvements from a few months ago. However when I went to piece it together in a race yesterday I honestly just felt like I wasn’t my normal self. Yes it was hot and yes it was hard not having anyone to run with but I still don’t think that it should feel this way. On top of that my throat felt pretty ordinary this morning, I just really hope its not the beginning of tonsillitis. I know that these are obvious signs that my body is not happy and I know it is time I listened to it. I know this is not my normal self, I am usually strong and hardly ever get sick. When speaking to my dad, who is a doctor, he said my suppressed immune system is likely to be related to my tooth infection. 

Sometimes I think we have to make decisions in life that really aren’t easy but at the end of the day they are the right things to do. I know I am not a failure and the reason I’ve been feeling average is not a reflection on my ability, rather a message that I need to listen to what my body needs. Yes, it is at a fairly shit time of the season to be taking time off but at the end of the day I have to do the right thing, not listening to my body is not right and whats the point of running the rest of the season 70%.

I know it feels like the end of the world at the moment, I can be a little dramatic sometimes but it is a little disheartening. But hey, life is kind of like a roller-coster, you’ve just gotta enjoy the ride while things are going up; enjoy the runners high’s, the PB’s and the moments when things do go your way and well….just hang in there when it feels like your going down a bit of a dip. I know this little bumpy stretch won’t last forever and even if it means I don’t quite achieve every single one of my track goals I had set out for this season I think I have to be okay with that. Life can’t always go to plan and often its the challenges and setbacks we face that truly make us stronger, I guess its kind of like the saying “sometimes true strength comes from the journey, not the destination”. 

Okay…so I do not like to swear but HOLY FUCK I thought I knew pain before I met a foam roller. Worst/best experience of my life…..utterly painful!!! 

Recent Training:

Rant: I’ve been a little slack with this over the past week but I’ve been a little pre-occupied with my SAT’s. It feels like such a relief to have them over and done with and that little bit closer to the US later on this year. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole situation about a week ago, it just seemed like a never ending pile of paperwork and complications. After completing my SAT’s and getting a reassuring email from my coach at Maine it seems like FINALLY things might be starting to come together. I just felt so stressed when didn’t even know what I needed to be organising, what forms needed to be signed, what documents needed to be sent. It was also a little stressful to think that I might not have been able to sign till only a little before I left,  it at first sounded like I needed to complete a couple more subjects at uni here in Australia before I left. HOWEVER; I am keeping my fingers crossed, but by the sounds of things, if I’m happy with my SAT results when they come out on the 16th of Feb I should be pretty close to having everything sorted and signed which will quite frankly be a MASSIVE, MASSIVE relief! Bring on the 16th of Feb :-) 

Training: Over the past week I have been really happy with the way I have been training. I am beginning to feel consistency and a sense of achievement again in my sessions which is helping to build my confidence in hopefully racing well in some targeted meets over the next couple of months. While it was a little bit disappointing that I’m going to miss out on the AV shield Final 5000m which is the weekend after next, reflecting on it this afternoon with my coach I don’t think it is really the end of the world. Yes, it would have been a really good opportunity to get a good 5000m race in, against what probably will be some really quality competition. While it is a bit of a shame to miss out because of this reason I know I’ve got a couple of other opportunities to race over this distance at the Melbourne Uni 5000m Classic, Victorian Open Championships and Vic Miler 5000m. Even though the Melbourne Uni 5000m is not till the 23rd I think I could really do with a solid month of consistent training and maybe a couple of shorter races such as the Vic Milers 1600m and Essendon Classic 1500m along the way.