Workouts and stuff..

This morning went down to the beach where it just happened to be howling a gale! The beach was littered with a mixture of blue bottles (North Easterly!) and cuttlefish. One that had washed up honestly looked like a hand - until you got a bit closer and realised what it was. Eeuw.

Anyway, we got through our jog and sprint sessions - just in a very wind blown way.

My legs were really fatigued throughout though - probably due to the gruelling sessions I had the previous two days - the workouts in weeks 5-8 are fairly heavy on the legs! Squat jumps with a barbell are not for the faint of heart at all. Last night I also did a kickboxing class, which was equally punishing, just in a different way.

Two more sleeps until we get our staffy. Then the house will feel like a home again. Yes, I'm excited.

What a weekend.

Well, since we are picking up our new addition to the family on Saturday, we had to work double time to get our new fencing & gates built....
I spent Saturday applying timber decking oil to the timber slats, and painting the metal posts (back breaking stuff). It will look fabulous, but is only about half way finished after all that time.

I also decided that I best give the dog kennel (it looks like a mini house complete with bullnosed verandah) a spring clean also - since it hadn't really seen any doggy activity for quite some time - the dogs had moved to sleeping indoors due to having old dog privileges.
What a dusty/cobwebby job that was!! eeeuwww. I had to keep emerging to breathe & sneeze.
Still, all better and cleaned out in readiness for the new children when they eventually want to use it. Just need to go out and buy some new large cushions to fill it with and then it will be snuffle heaven again.

The horse's leg is looking decidedly good and healing nicely... I have a feeling his retirement may not happen just yet ...but let's not speak too soon. Still no flu emerging around our properties. Although there has been an outbreak in Picton, about a 15 minute drive away, so we'll see if the wind carries it over our way or not. Fingers crossed it doesn't. Someone at work foolishly asked me what the big deal was - I said, you've seen the size of a horse's nose haven't you? Can you imagine the size of the snot globs? That stopped 'em! Hehe.

Since my c/v fitness has suffered a little I decided that a good beach workout session was in order this morning. It's lovely having the sun starting to rise at 6ish again - so much more pleasant than darkness! So, I did a light walk, then jog warmup, then just did about 12 x 60 m sprints, and did a longer fast run. Tonight I should be able to go to kickboxing for the first time in a week - can't wait!!

I will start my week 5 Afterburn workout tomorrow morning.
I think when our girl arrives next week will see me heading down the beach with her for my workouts, and I'll just have to reshuffle the Afterburn workouts in amongst those somehow.

another day..another dog...

Yes, I realise I had said..no more searching...but again. I found my fingers scrolling to the staffyrescue site.. Just for a look..HONEST..

And then I found her.

Rosa. A beautiful 18 month old staffy girl who sadly had to be surrendered by her family due to changes in circumstances.

She will be coming home to live with us on 8 September and I can't wait to get her.

Back to the beach again!!

Well, after being locked away in meeting rooms for three days I was going a bit stir crazy... and literally feeling overly energetic (which is really unusual for me at the end of a long one day meeting!) which just happened to go overtime and mean I missed kickboxing class..
God forbid.
Husband went into overdrive to put my punching bag up in the garage for me because I was desperate to punch and kick something... hehe. Oh the power.

Met up with my beach workout partner this morning nice and early at 6am at Sandon Point and we did a nice jog then several sprints interspersed with walks & jogs - we're not as fit c/v wise as we were last summer - me thanks to injuries and refocusing more on weights, and her thanks to new job, but... we're back into it so we can be jumping out of our skins in no time again.

I am looking forward to kickboxing on Saturday morning though - it's such a great workout and the only time I am not in control of the workout.

All hell breaks loose in the horse world...

Wow. What a difference a weekend can make!! One minute I'm feeling all sorry for myself and my pony with his leg....then people are in lockdown unable to go anywhere with their horses....Some people can't go and see their horses for 30 days as they are in the flu zone... People who have travelled to Parkes to compete with their horses are stuck there now for at least 40 days until the last horse gets rid of its flu...
Hopefully our ponies will remain uninfected. Maybe that's the reason I've not been able to compete this year...
Or maybe not!
Still.
Well, exercise for the past two days has been a very short sharp 20 minute burst of circuit work... since I've had to be in the city for a course by 8.30am. Sleep...that'd be nice.

Have decided to wait until our dear little ridgeback boy comes home before pursuing his potential partner.... Common sense has prevailed. I must be getting old or something.
I was far too emotionally overwrought last week ...

How beautiful the weather has been here too, the past two days... it reached about 27 degrees today... too bad I was stuck inside...

Sore Glutes

Well, I think the combo of Deadlifts, Bulgarian Split Squats and the supine hip / leg extension thingy have really killed my glutes.... of course followed that evening by kickboxing.. then a beach session this morning.

I think I have come to a (difficult) decision regarding my horse. It's time he went out into the big green retirement paddock and played out the rest of his days, without me desperately trying to get him sound again for one thing or another...or simply just to ride. I can honestly say I could count the number of times I've ridden on both hands since October last year....so just shy of a year... if it was just an abberation I could cope...but it's not..it's been more the norm. I think in the 9 years I've had him, probably had about 2-3 good years.... the rest have all been downtime/injuries/recovering....and now he's rising 16.... no spring chicken!

Still, on the bright side, I'll have more money for the time being...and more time to get my business up and running (and time for me to finish my practical side of the course)...and of course, time for our new babies.

Now, I was supposed to stop looking for a second 'child' for the time being. I did promise...but how can you, when you know there are thousands of poor unwanted dogs out there just looking for someone to love them for the rest of their doggie days...
..enter Flick
http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/13275#pic.
who is:
(a) Alive
(b) Available
(c) Has been looking for someone to love her since February..
(d) In the same town as me with her foster carer

Now... I just have to chat to the husband.

I'm not superstitious...but.....

I can't help feeling as though I must have broken a mirror some time ago.

Now, did I foolishly say I was going to ride my horse on Saturday? Silly me...
Saturday morning dawns and I had a phone call from the agistment property... 'Kado has cut his leg'..
When I get there, it appears that Kado has spiked himself on a stick - obviously a very sturdy one as it has left a nice puncture in his front leg - and also chipped a small piece of bone off with it. Excellent.
Faster than you can say, vet bill, the vet's there and it is all bandaged up. (after he'd fossicked in the wound to see if there was any more broken bits...eeeuuuuww).
$Kerching $Kerching.
Hopefully it will heal up nicely, otherwise it may get an infection in the bone.
$Kerching $Kerching.
Which would mean an operation. Hear that cash register ring!
Still... all was not lost on Saturday. I met our gorgeous little tiny bear boy - his eyes were still closed. So cute.
His Mum is divine. I had forgotten just how seriously beautiful ridgeback girls can be. So serene and majestic.
I would have missed my flight on Sunday morning too, had it not been for my friend who was driving me up waking me up with her knocking at the door..... Unbelievable!! I never sleep that late..... a mad race then ensued showering and getting dressed to still get to the airport on time!
Enjoyed the birthday party, then on Monday got up and did the big drive home from BrisVegas to the Gong.
Finally got in at 9.30pm...knackered!
Yesterday I made the mistake of googling to see if I could find the breeder who owns our little boy's dad. Came across a 4 year old Ridgeback girl who had been rescued from euthanasia.
Did some quick grovelling with dear other half and he said yes, happy to save her. Only to call the foster carer and find out she had died after being desexed.
Poor little angel. So I have promised to not do any more searching for our second 'child' yet...
Too much of an emotional roller coaster ride.
Off to kickboxing tonight...had to miss out on weekend and Monday sessions!

BrisVegas or Bust

Well, life has been pretty hectic since we returned from holidays.
Our Bali trip was just exactly what we needed - total relaxation (the Balinese are keen to tell you constantly to just relack!)
We knew our little beloved girl was being looked after at home by our good friends, so we knew she was in good hands, so we enjoyed ourselves totally - cocktails, swimming, sunning, even went running each morning on the beach - saw Michael Klim going for his run too.
Husband got in 19 surfs - so he was pretty happy too.
Oh....did I mention the shopping? hehe. What would a Bali trip be without some good old retail therapy? Got some fabulous silver jewellery too.

Our house is so empty with no 'puppy' love in the home at the moment.... we're quite lost without our little girl.

Well, my calf muscle has well and truly healed, thank goodness, and I am nearly completed week 2 of my Afterburn program. This morning met up for the first time in aaaages with my beach training partner, and we recommenced our weekly beach session.

This weekend I will be:

Saturday: am/ Afternburn workout mid am/ ride horse lunch: drive to see newborn 'son' - a little Rhodesian Ridgeback boy that we will have in 7 weeks time :-)
Sunday: am/ Fly to BrisVegas for Brother in Law's 50th birthday, then drive back with husband (who has left towing the snotmobile for a surprise racetrack day already) on the Monday.

RIP Suki

The little dog with a heart of gold, and too many names passed away last thursday.

Is sorely missed...

Last sleep

Finally the last sleep has arrived!!
This morning I thought I'd best weigh in just to see what I am before holiday mode!! I am sure it will shift a bit - hopefully not too much, I will remain in control, have packed protein bars & taking my yoghurt maker.... sad but true! But at least I'll get my acidophilus to fight the old Bali belly!
It appears that somehow I've lost 2 kilos - must be due to the fact that I've had to change my morning beach workouts to something less cardiovascular! Just goes to show - too much cardio is a negative thing!
Slathered on the old St Tropez fake tan last night - will be so much better when the real thing takes over in the next few days!
See you all in blogland in a couple of weeks.

Final days!

How exciting, in just a couple of days I'll not only have another new hair colour to get used to, but ...will be sunning myself on the beach at Legian.
Fab.

And ...relaxed in the knowledge that all of my exams are now complete...with just the practical to take care of.


My last physio session before holidays went well, he's pleased with my calf..not pleased with my toe which is still twice the size of the other one.... so he's put a new strapping on it. He feels, as I do that two weeks of no kickboxing will probably do it the world of good (there was no sympathy there from him!). The funny thing will be me trying to only run on every third day of my holiday... I had planned on a run each morning. Hmmmm.... will have to get creative - may pack my focus mitts & gloves for my friend & I to punch each other on the other days.

Exams...Bali....

My final exam is tonight! It will be a great relief to have that part of the course all over ..done and dusted!

Then I can just focus on the practical - poor long suffering husband has been my guinea pig for 'body fat' testing - hmmm he's as lean as can be, so this has been interesting!
..Then there's the blood pressure - which, according to moi, was normal! Fun.

Just really have to find somewhere I want to go and do my 20 hours practical - that will be my post holiday challenge!

3 more sleeps to Bali.


Oh, the rebounder is getting the biggest workout - from doing pop squats on it, to sprint intervals.... it's amazing what you can do on a mini tramp LOL.

Success or failure?

I was thinking a lot the other day about the things that make people succeed in long term weight loss, and the high amount of failure rates and the reasons behind those.

I know that when I first did Body for Life, it was all about the 12 weeks. Well, of course, once the 12 weeks finished, old habits started to creep back in, and before you knew it the scales were creeping up and the clothes were getting tighter again.

You see it all the time with others as well, after all, it takes a great deal of planning & dedication to ensure that you have enough good food choices on hand for each day, and sometimes it all gets quite hard - and that's okay..occasionally. People tend to forget that by resuming those old eating habits after a 12 week regime is going to eventually spell disaster.

It's been quite some time now since I've just accepted that this way of eating is the only way I can live in the body I want, to make sure it's as healthy as possible.

Of course, the other factor in the equation is exercise, and like with the food, it does require a little forethought and planning - and of course, the most important success factor with both is that they must be enjoyable.

Enough of my rant today!

travel warnings...

Okay,
there have been car bombs diffused, and car bombs going off in the UK, yet smartraveller.gov.au still lists the UK as only a minor grade - be aware type of warning...
yet Bali has been upgraded to 'avoid travel' if possible type warning...
sorry... I'm still going on my holiday - I figure, I have more chance of being killed/injured in a car each day, then I do of a terrorist attack.

**************************************************************************************
Workouts at the moment are consisting ONLY of trying to strengthen, rehab the calf muscles, with lots of intervals now on the rebounder, followed by modified calf raises on a step, which then lower down to bent heel stretches which stretch through into the gastroc.
Added in a few barbell deadlifts and VMO squats too....
tonight is kickboxing..! yay.

*************************************************************************************

Apparently dengue fever is rife in Bali at the moment... (terrorist mosquitoes?)..so off to buy all the necessary "bushmans" stuff today...

bouncey bouncey...

Well, I purchased the rebounder... it really is a great way to rehab the old torn gastroc, the bouncer combined with a good calf raise down to a stretch off a step...
add that in with my swiss ball half squats with medicine ball between my knees to activate my VMO... sound like a right crock!
then a nice additional circuit of swiss ball upper body russian twists, dumbbell walking lunges, dumbbell deadlift with a shoulder press, T pushups then back around!

Back to kickboxing tonight.... and ugh... all day meetings in the city tomorrow...
10 sleeps to Bali

Super Ras el Hanout

Don't you just love getting freebies in the mail? The shop where I get my spices (www.herbies.com.au) sent me out their latest and greatest invention, it's called Super Ras el Hanout, it has just a whole heap more spices added in then their standard Ras el Hanout.
Now...to make it into one divine meal, all you need is:

1 Lamb loin fillet.
Rub some good virgin olive oil into the lamb fillet, then rub in a good rub of the spice mix.
Sear on a super hot sizzley hot plate, so fillet is brown all over, and then transfer to oven for 10 minutes.
Serve on a bed of wilted spinach leaves & some green beans with some couscous on the side.

not a soul in sight...

well, actually managed to drag myself back out of bed to recommence a (somewhat) normal routine... this morning I went down to the bike path which runs adjacent to the beach - in Wollongong we have around 30km of bike path that runs parallel to the beaches - to do my 2min walk, 2 min jog x 5 as prescribed by physio. HOWEVER. This was prescribed when my calf was in use and starting to respond to rehab... doh.
Didn't really think about that part... first jog...all felt fine.... second jog...ouch... bit painful...push through it (doh again).... feels pretty rough ...
Think I might go out and buy myself a rebounder to do that rebound / calf stretch circuit that he made me do...
that'll help!
Toe's starting to look and feel almost normal again though...
anyhow, back to the bike path - it was dark, but there was some light starting to emanate on the horizon - but there was not a soul in sight.... quite bizarre. Up until a couple of weeks ago (the last time I got down there for a normal morning workout) there was always people starting to get out for their runs/walks/bike rides.... not this morning... very unusual.
Perhaps everyone's got the flu!
I started my first Afterburn workout yesterday morning - amazing how just a few exercises can actually exhaust you, when prescribed in a certain way!
12 sleeps to Bali.

It's amazing how quickly a week passes...

when you've been in bed for three days of it!! Some dreaded lurgy managed to 'stop' me in my tracks this week...aches..fever..swollen glands..
I could hear my body saying, well, you broke your toe...you didn't stop
you tore your calf muscle..you didn't stop
you WILL stop now!
so I did.

The trouble is, being such a creature of routine, I love my routine... get up at 5.45, workout, shower at 7..
I just hate having it broken. Still, I had plenty of time to read my new books, and I am itching to start my new workouts! I should also be able to have my final theory exam in the next fortnight, so looking forward to that. Then Bali.
I am also very over the rain.... and bleak weather.. at least today there is some blue sky and sunshine!

Books!

I love reading as much stuff as I can...but felt guilty at 'extra' reading during the theory portion of my studies.. so it's nice to have a break from the theory stuff and now read stuff that has just appeared in my mailbox..
The New Rules of Lifting http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1583332383/wwwalwyncosgr-20?creative=327641&camp=14573&link_code=as1
and
Afterburn http://www.afterburntraining.com/

whilst at the physio...

well, I can at least start back kicking in the kickboxing again! Yay. Now have to do 20 minutes of a walk x2min / jog x 2min session to see how the calf goes...

Anyhow, whilst I was having my tens session (following my 40 minute calf massage!), I was reading the local rag. There was a snippet of really disturbing news. Apparently a car that turned into a parking lot hit a child, injuring it. A crowd had turned on the driver, then the passenger got out to defend the driver...the passenger was then beaten to death. How sick is that? It was in Austin, Texas.
Bizarre world.

Something interesting in my inbox

I had my usual email newsletter from Dr John Berardi this morning, and it's just worth posting as a constant reminder around the myths that surround exercise and nutrition...

so, courtesy of the aforementioned Dr Berardi, here it is:

Fitness Myths and "The Truth"
I was recently asked to contribute a few fitness and nutrition myths to a popular magazine. After some consideration, I included 4 biggies - the cholesterol myth, the protein myth, the exercise volume myth, and the aerobic exercise myth.
1) The Cholesterol Myth
Eating eggs leads to high cholesterol levelsAdults are continually told that eating foods rich in cholesterol can elevate an individual's risks of atherosclerosis and heart attacks. As egg yolks are a major dietary source of cholesterol, this has made them public enemy #1. However, research studies consistently show that dietary cholesterol intake does not correlate well with blood cholesterol - in other words, eating foods rich in cholesterol does not necessarily increase blood cholesterol or cardiac risk. Because the body makes its own cholesterol, eating more means the body produces less. And eating less means the body produces more. It's only a small % of the population that doesn't regulate blood cholesterol well - and in these individuals, blood cholesterol can be high regardless of dietary intake. If blood cholesterol is a concern, the best way to deal with it is to increase exercise activity and improve the overall quality of your diet - not to eschew foods because they contain cholesterol.

2) The Exercise Volume Myth
Exercising for 30 minutes 3x per week improves health outcomes.For years we've been told that 30 minutex 3x per week was all we needed to do to improve overall health and body composition. However, according to most research, this minimal amount of activity does very little to improve either health or body composition. New government guidelines suggest that to improve health, one should shoot for 30 minutes of exercise every day. And to improve body composition 60-90 minutes a day is required. Now, before you go whining about time - North Americans plop down in front of the TV for an average of 19.8 hours per week. Surely we can make the time for 3.5-7 hours of exercise per week.

3) The Aerobic Exercise Myth
Aerobic exercise is the best kind for fat loss.Although aerobic exercise burns a higher % of fat per minute spent exercising, aerobic exercise alone does not necessarily lead to leaner bodies. Recent research papers with titles like "Aerobic exercise does not lead to weight loss" are demonstrating that steady-state aerobic exercise is an activity of diminishing returns - the body adapts so quickly that to really get the benefits, you'd have to keep increasing your duration - leading to sessions that would be impossibly long in duration. So the real "best" exercise for weight loss is a combination of high intensity interval exercise, strength training, and a small amount of aerobic exercise. Of course, nutrition is important too.

4) The Protein Myth
Protein builds big muscles.Although athletes and exercisers have believed for generations that eating more protein builds big muscles, this statement isn't always true. Sure, if an individual is undereating protein (getting less than the recommended 1.5g/kg) then they might see some muscle growth with an increased intake. However, additional protein above this intake won't build more muscle. However that doesn't mean that this additional protein is a waste. In fact, additional protein intake helps improve body composition by helping maintain a higher muscle to fat ratio. Same muscle mass - less fat - sign me up!

You can find more pearls of wisdom at http://www.precisionnutrition.com/

It's done.

I have now submitted my final assessments (all 22 pages worth) for the last module.
Sometimes there is a good side to bad weather!

Now I can just get the last bit of final study done in readiness for my exam... then onto the practical mode.

The practical stuff can happen when we return from Bali, where we're headed mid July for two weeks of sunshine.

_______________________________

So much for category 2 cyclonic winds... they didn't really eventuate, thank goodness. Would have put our new roof to the test!

Rain, Rain & more Rain..is good for studying!

Well, we have had such a wet old time here in Wollongong. Saturday saw so much rain I thought we were going to have another flood like we did in 98. Luckily..we didnt. But still, with so much rain, all I could do was study. So I have 99.9% finished my last module's assessments. Just have to research and write an article on some innovation within the fitness industry and I will be done...
Went back to physio this morning and I can go for one run between now and Friday morning ( my next appointment) but only on grass and only for 15 minutes...

Apparently we are supposed to be hit with even more violent weather tonight. Hopefully it will be after I have been to visit my pony to make sure he's okay, not too bored...warm enough, dry enough.

physio

Well, I bit the bullet and figured I should really make some time for myself and go and see a physio. So...off I toddled. It turns out that I do have a tear in the belly of my Gastrocnemius, but the bleeding has gone into the Soleus deep underneath - hence my thinking that it was more soleus than gastroc.
Still, a bit of good old ice, compression, some cross training on the bike...boxing, no kicking..stretching...and apparently I should be good to go again in a week...although only jogging, not sprinting...damnations.

***********************************************************************

This weekend looks like it will be yet another in the wild wet cold & windy stakes..just perfect for staying indoors, studying...and finishing off module 5.

Not so good for horseriding though....pony will be bored.

Might see if we can go hunting for floorboards too...

Will go to kickboxing tomorrow morning...warm up on bike and then just box.

Falling apart...

On Monday since it was a public holiday, there was no kickboxing class..so since I now have a bag in my garage under the house (which I can only hit VERY lightly otherwise it shakes the whole house as it's attached to a floor beam....and the dog gets very upset) I thought I'd do some technique practice. Somehow my calf muscle in my left leg seized up a little... no problem I thought. Husband kindly massaged it.. and I thought for sure it would be okay in the morning.

Wake up, head down the beach...notice my calf is still a little stiff, but figure I'll walk & warm up then try a light jog. Ha! well, I started to jog and then 'ping' felt as though something snapped and excrutiating pain..there must be a slight rupture in the soleus tendon as it is really deep and really hard to locate. Well, all I could do was just laugh (despite the pain), purely at the sight of myself attempting to look and be fit and healthy, and there I was in the pitch black hobbling pitifully to get back to my car. I didn't know which leg to hobble on...the one with the broken pinky or the other one..
Still...a day later and it's starting to ease up thanks to nurofen gel, ice gel, ice...you name it.. and I made up my 'knit dem bones tm' concoction to heal my toe and already it appears to have shrunk a little...

Oh... I got 87% in my exam! So far that makes it 86%, 85%, 92% and now 87%... all good!! Hoping to have the last module finished pretty soon - all pretty basic marketing stuff, so should go well enough -

Exam...

Over and one with.... and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would/could have been! So for that I am eternally grateful.
Still.... better wait for the results before I say it wasn't that hard.... I could have been seriously mistaken!
Started on the last module last night - all about business & marketing... oh, and there's even a section on computer skills.... given that I have been doing marketing for 10 years, have worked in conveyancing, e business, and many other businesses...hopefully this one will be a breeze....

Managed to put my running shoes on today and run in them, rather than just hobble and quickly remove them. Luckily that I was able as this morning was pretty cold on the beach. Still no whales...

Missed my kickboxing class last night which I was upset about... my big boss decided to call me in for a chat to make sure all was still okay after all that has happened over the past week or two... that was the time I was supposed to leave to get to the KB class on time.. still. had to be done.

Builders are back today to finish the last of their work in our renovations.... should be all finito by the end of this week. Oh, what luxury... but then, we have more hard work in finishing it off properly to come. We will still be doing the rendering outside, which will include blueboarding over some of the old weather board along the sides of our house, and repainting the whole thing... then painting the new room inside...then we can move our loungeroom to that new room..and redecorate the existing lounge room to make it the new large family / dining room. Not that we have any family save for us and the pooch...but still.. it will be fab when finished.

Another day another busted toe...

or so it seems! well, if my little toe wasn't broken before, it sure as heck is now.

Saturday I went kickboxing, as planned, then took Suki - the very clingy hound up to see Kado, the very patient pony (well, pony trapped in a very large 16.3hh horse's body).

Suki just really seems to think that Kado's just a big dog. She happily bounds along beside, between, through...you get the drift, of his legs, as he's moving. It's quite scary.

Anyhow..on to my toe. After all this excitement, my poor foot really looked a bit swollen that night, so I just iced as usual. Got up off the lounge and promptly managed to catch my little toe on one side of the large caster wheel and the rest of my foot on the other whilst walking...and then falling to the floor in so much pain....it was truly excrutiating. Two Nurofen Plus allowed me to sleep (mixed with a few glasses of red).

Who would seriously have thought that something so small can create so much pain.....
I did some research on the net and basically best thing to do is strap it to your next toe and off you go! A bit of good ol' Ibuprofen and icing and all will heal .... I might make myself up a comfrey extract solution to add to the mix as well....knit dem bones

I did still run barefoot on the beach this morning though. And I will be going kickboxing tonight too....

Well, I have my penultimate exam tonight - a bit nervous about this one as it's a heck of a lot of information - the special populations one which includes - Rehab, Pregnancy, Older Populations and Kids. Seriously, each one is a massive subject on its own, but put all together.... HUGE! If I pass not only will I be surprised, but extremely happy.

Winter's here!

I couldn't believe just how cold it was this morning..... I had been woken at 2.56am and failed to return to my slumber...when I dared look at the clock next it was 4.59...and I knew it was only a small matter of a half hour before that rude bleeping would force me to get up.
I fleeced up, with hood...and put my running shoes on, despite my toe not being entirely happy ensconced within the shoes. I only managed to walk the beach - just did about 2.1km, then I braved (or stupided if that can be a word!) the cold icy sand and went barefoot to do some sprints - managed 4 x 80m sprints on the firm sand - before I decided to get out of the freezing wind (it was still only 8 degrees), get some shoes back on my frozen feet and get into my shower!
More of the same tomorrow.
Tonight I was going to ride the pony, but... that same cold southwesterly was blowing, and it's always a few degrees colder up there than down here on the coast - and I just didn't have the heart to take his warm rugs of, to make him prance around at my expense in the cool. If I had some competitions planned, it might be a different kettle of fish, but with nothing immediately looming on the horizon, Saturday's another day!
He didn't seem too perturbed.
Tomorrow's back with those dastardly agencies that love to put all sorts of junk on the tables in front of us. Still, it's easy to resist these days. I've got my lunch ready - pecan crusted chicken breast with baby spinach leaves.
Back to kickboxing on Saturday morning, then off to ride.
Our concrete slab is being poured in our back room on Saturday morning - consequently our laundry is non existent at present - which makes washing clothes interesting, or it will anyhow come Saturday.
We had an attic ladder installed today - so much room up there! No wonder Diamante our lovely python has enjoyed that space! No sign of her at present, so she must be keeping a low profile.

Some things you may not know about me

Okay, I've been tagged by the lovely Cherub.

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I was born in Bridport, Dorset in the UK.

2. When I was 7 we moved to Auckland, New Zealand where I lived for 13 years.

3. The very first job I had when I first left school was packing smoked eel in Whenuapai in the evenings...

4. I hate the smell of milky coffee.

5. I am allergic to coriander leaf. Just the smell is enough to make me want to hurl.

6. I have never wanted children - and luckily (for them for that reason!), I don't have any.

7. I always wanted to be a hairdresser when I left school, but was offered an apprenticeship on the proviso that I provide 'extras' for the luxury of having that job. Needless to say, I decided hairdressing wasn't for me (LOL, hence the smoked eel soujurn). That was Graeme, the owner of Saks Hairdressers in Auckland. Eeuuw.

I am tagging
1. Sue
2. Pip
3. Jadey
4. Barb
5. Linda
6. Leanne
7. Michelle

Fabulous weekend

Well, this weekend the wind luckily decided to disappear - we have had the strongest, coldest southwesterlies blowing last week. Now they have been replaced by ..just beautiful deep blue sky and warm weather - well, 22-23 degrees.
I saw in the paper that the whales have started their migration Northerly - with one humpback photographed off of Long Reef beach north of Sydney last Friday.
So...my scanning of the waters has commenced in earnest!!! I can guarantee it will almost be like the Kit Kat ads.... I'll be looking, looking, then head up to my car and then they'll all be their, breaching, leaping... frolicking...
I had to jog on the beach barefoot this morning. It's still too painful to put a shoe on my foot - poor little toe is still twice its normal size.
Figured that the frozen-ness of my feet on the run would help keep the swelling down.
Sort of therapy .
The saddle fitter came back to readjust my saddles for my horse - what a difference a few weeks back in full work makes to a horse's muscles - when he readjusted them before my horse still had a marked muscle wastage on one side, so he had to account for that when he restuffed them. Now all that has gone and my horse had shown crabbiness again under one saddle - well, it appears that one was built up a bit more on one side to allow for the muscles - which have reappeared, so it was sitting heavier on that side because of it.
What a difference when I rode him in the new fixed version - he felt like a dressage horse...

off to kickboxing again tonight.
We've now officially lost the use of our back room before the new slab is poured on Friday...so a whole week of my dog trying to go through to the back room to get out to the backyard and us having to walk her around through the back gate...
hope she can hold on during the night... otherwise I will have to shove my husband forcefully in the small of his back to go and help her ... hehe.

work, toes and silly things....

What a week.
Well, during the kickboxing warmup on Wednesday night which consisted of a 30 pushup/30situp interlude, during the switch from pushup to situp my little toe must have caught on the matting and wrenched backwards.."Ouch" I proclaimed, then watched it swell to about three times the size of the other one. Hmmm. No matter, keep going, just being careful not to miss-hit the bag when I was kicking.
Got home, iced. ..oh...and showered...
next morning, still swollen, tried foolishly to put running shoe on, decided that Thursday morning was not going to be a usual run, so I barefooted down to the garage and did a small dumbbell circuit.
Got into work, got humiliated yet again by my 'manager'..I shall use the term extremely loosely.
Somehow, my emailing a PDF document through for approval, and the subsequent manager approving, and then denying... was my fault. No matter.
Had a chat with the bigger boss today and told him what's been going on for a while and that I was really considering my employment options at the moment as I was finding that type of attitude really difficult to continue working with. I've now been humiliated in front of a company that we were sponsoring an initiative of, and a few too many times in the office. Scorpios and Geminis should never work alongside each other!
Looking forward to the weekend - hopefully I'll be able to get a riding boot on my foot so that I can safely hobble around my horse and also so that I can ride.

Totally freeeeezing!!!

Omigod, the wind this morning was from the South West...and boy did it cut you like a knife. I jogged the beach in my fleece....which is pretty unusual for me..honest.
I am so loving the really low tide this week....
Back to kickboxing tonight!
Well, I critiqued myself in the mirror this morning - and there are definite body composition changes happening before my very eyes.... finally! And trousers that I bought a couple of weeks ago that were snug are getting pretty loose already. I think it's the combination of
the cold
the Precision Nutrition plan and
the kickboxing

oh... FINALLY today..our hot water is back on the roof....I will not miss boiling water for 1/2 hour in the morning for my bath.

I can't wait to get home from kickboxing to get in the shower ...bliss! hehe.

Weekend...

What a weekend! Ha, well, hot water... let's say that baths are becoming boring.. but still, better than nothing! Tomorrow is the day we have our solar power heater back on the roof.

Oh..our roof... it's finished. Just like our ads say, we made the right choice. The houses on either side of us are tiles, like we had. But our new sleek steel roof, just looks stunning. Can't wait until the rest of it's finished now.

Friday night. Hairdresser to Caroline, 'what colour were you thinking of?' (me, plan ahead?), me to hairdresser, 'whatever you think, i trust you'. Mwaaahaaahahahaaaa
well, it's gone from blonde to dark browny/auburn. Whoa. what a shock. Oh well, it'll fade off.

Saturday was an early start - I wanted to throw some rose petals into the water off of Sandon Point where I scattered Mum's ashes last year. It's been 2 years since Mum passed away.

Then went to kickboxing...then rode the horse - it was howling a freezing gale up there, but the pony just acted cool, calm & collected. Then my girlfriend brought her 3 year old off the track filly over for a roundyard session & ride around the property with 'uncle Kado'. Uncle Kado reckoned this young filly was might perty and kinda hot stuff for a young chick. This young thoroughbred was as cool and calm as her old 'uncle' in the howling gale. Sensible pony.

Took Suki up for her weekly treat up to see Kado yesterday. It really is 'Suki's' time up there when she's there. Poor Kado kind of resigns himself to the fact that I will get to him once I've dried Suki off from her several swims in the dam.
All up there were 6 dogs up there by the time we had finished - Grace the foxie cross, Boris the Mastiff/Ridgeback (who I just LOVE - he's one special boy), Jack the schnauzer (with a little too much attitude, but he fell in love with this new older woman that was around, one Ms Suki), Mindy the pomeranian cross, Bundi the springer spaniel cross and Ms Suki, the kelpie cross. It was probably the most dogs that Suki has ever been 'loose' around and they were all fabulous together, so she had a great day.

Paul was off down at Wakefield Park doing supersprints with the Snotmobile yesterday and while he was sitting on the grid, someone came up and said hi to him, it was Matt from the Body for Life forum! Very cool.

Last night I finished typing the assessments for my special populations module (the penultimate)...it is now safely emailed to Fitnation with my exams being sent to my JP as we speak...

Well, this morning I headed down to the beach - the tide is out for miles at the moment. Bliss! So I jogged 1.5km then did a 200m fast run / 200 m soft sand jog x 4 then headed home to heat water/draw bath....

Yay..it's Friday!!!

Well, Friday has rocked around quicker than expected....it's raining too. Silly me decided I would do a dumbbell session in my garage yesterday instead of hitting the beach..but then I had to do another garage session this morning because it was pelting down. So..I grabbed out my old step, did some boxing technique moves & alternated with my version of a step class.
THEN I had to haul butt back upstairs to get the water that was boiling on the stove into my bath! LOL it seriously is like being back in the dark ages. Novel. Very novel. But if that damn solar heater isn't back on my roof today then the novelty will wear very thin very soon..like..now..!
Of course, who knows if it will be possible to stick the thing back on when it's raining.
Getting my haircut & coloured tonight. One day I will get around to sticking some photos of me on here - but...no need to scare people so soon.
Now, I really hate getting my hair coloured at the hairdresser. So much time wasted!!!! But I finally decided to relent and let them do it...trouble is, having short hair requires cutting every 4-5 weeks, which means... recolouring. So I always figured it was not only a waste of time but a waste of money too. Oh well, you only live once.

Oh...my horse..well, I started to lunge him (pre-riding as he has 'isseeeuws'). He must have just had a bit too much pent up energy, because the first excuse he could find (the sensor light coming on outside the shed) he started bucking and careering an snorting around me, then the head went up, neck arched, tail went up like an arab (he was clearly pretending to be a black arab stallion apparently), and he bounced his way around me again. Finally I managed to get him to stop, he let out the biggest snort. And..all was quiet and mosy again!
Funny bugger!

Aaah, well, off to kickboxing tomorrow morning, then up to ride the pony - weather permitting.

No Hot Water!!!!

Now, amidst all the joy of having a new roof, new gutters, new back room, there has to be a little pain right?! Well, that pain is possibly going to be in the shape of COLD showers for a few days (at least I hope it's only for a few days...well, I hope it's only 1 day...)..We have had one of our two roofers off sick yesterday with the vomiting bug...then the other left after a few hours feeling queasy also...then the crane turned up as promised this morning to remove our solar hot water system from the roof. Now that thing has been there for 20 years at least, and we thought for sure it would crack or be damaged in the removal process...(actually I better not speak too soon..it still has to be picked back up by the crane and returned..) anyhow, the hot water plumber said it still looked in great nick! Well, we see what happens when it gets put back on.

This week has been so busy at work. So many projects going on at the moment - we have budget left that we need to spend!! Crazy time. New TV commercial in the pipeline, two brand 'stingers' being shot for the Lifestyle Channel, New online brand centres, new online colour centre, and new photo shoots for new brochures!!!!!
But... I have beached on Monday morning (LOL, sounds like I did a whale impersonation), kickboxed on Monday night, hit the beach with my friend on Tuesday morning, - and the sand has been hell, no hard stuff for those two days, Rode the wild beast last night who was just pretending that EVERYTHING was so scary as he leapt around like a young loony, it helps just to laugh at them when they do that - that way you don't portray any nerves (because if you're scared, then there must be something really scary around), and it really calms them down...eventually. Luckily this morning, the tide was a little lower so I had some firm sand to jog on, then I hit the soft stuff for some sprints, tonight is kickboxing again.

Something is working at the moment. The fat is starting to drip off me, which is great... this is generally where I start to get into strife. I get scared to change things, but I KNOW that changing things is the best thing to do to keep it up.
I need to add more weights back into my routine but at the moment I'm enjoying beaching in the mornings and kickboxing/riding at nights. That will have to change! I think I might have to swap one of my beach mornings just with some dumbbell workouts - or swap my Wed kickbox workout for a good weights session!

Winter was here this morning....

12 degrees when I dragged myself out of bed this morning. Of course, locked in the sanctuary of one's warm house doesn't allow one the luxury of knowing this until they are heading down the driveway...shivering....
Took a while to warm the old bones up on my run this morning...so I opted for soft sand sprints after my 1.5km jog.
Can't wait unti June when the whales start migrating back up North.... imagine jogging along the beach as a humpback whale is playing around in the water nearby....I will have to take my camera each morning just in case.
We've seen a few heading through each season - pods of pilot whales and the odd humpback or two. Spectacular stuff.

bizarre

I can log in from work to this blog, but not from home... must check security settings!

I think I have officially mastered the most withering look today.... my day has been filled with dealing with idiots. If only people could use their brains.

But I digress... just came across a couple of recent photos of my dear little girl, Suki - who has many more names, and answers to them all (spooky, spookalini, spooky bear, banana bear, pooky nana bear...you name it...). She developed a heart murmur this year, and is currently on heart pills and now more recently diuretics to help keep the fluid from the lungs. I don't know how much longer we'll have the pleasure of her divine company, but I am grateful for every day that I do.

More Rain....

I really hate dreary days... probably the reason why I never missed leaving the UK as a child...winters in the Gong are bad enough, but...nothing could compare with a bleak UK winter.. grey stone cottages, grey trees, grey footpaths, grey sky .. that is, when it's not dark (which is about 18 hours of the day). Quaint.
There... I feel better now after wallowing in greyness memories.
Still, did a good kickboxing workout last night, but it was skipping rope hell. I have this hate/hate relationship with the skipping rope. I watch these others, doing these flash moves not an 'oops' to be heard. Then there's me, oh, and to be honest, a few others all managing a few childish skips before oops..giggle..sh!t.. Oh, and the instructor thought it was great to do an extended skipping warmup last night - complete with making us (or trying to make us) do one leg, then the other...then knees up, faster..yeah right. There was much oopsing from me last night. I have a real problem with focus and momentum when I just can't do something. My boredom levels overtake me.
Don't get me wrong, I love the kickboxing class, the way it gets you sweaty and the way you can get stuck into the bag kicking and punching the bejesus out of it. BUT I do have issues with the lack of fitness qualification of the instructors, and consequently the contraindicated exercises that they try and make people do. The lack of knowledge in correct form for certain exercises such as squats. I CAN'T HELP MYSELF when I see people doing things wrong that could possibly cause them injury. I HAVE TO HELP THEM CORRECT IT. Those people then think...why is SHE telling me this? she's just a newbie freak that can't skip.
Gosh. what a whingey whiney blog so far. Riveting stuff caroline.
This is what happens when you start the day with the sound of wet stuff falling on the tarp above our heads. Yes, where most people have a roof, except those people that live in a tent, or in our case, us idiots who are having renovations which we were told would be about 2 weeks in duration...and now look like 2 months would have been a better calculation.
*sigh* I can see why people just DON'T BOTHER. LOL.
Especially when you remember ALL the things you TALKED about that you wanted. Then all of a sudden, all the things you TALKED about BEFORE they quoted, are 'extras' ... KERCHING, KERCHING, KERCHING... goes the sound of the cash machine...
Perhaps I should have stayed in bed this morning.
Clearly I got out the WRONG side. But, if I did, my husband didn't make a sound as I trampled him into the mattress in my hasty exit.
Well, no beach this morning. Just walked the streets - I live in a very hilly zone on the side of our escarpment, so it makes for a great workout walking our streets. Then I finished off at home with just body weight squats, lunges & my peterson step ups. Jeez my right knee makes some interesting squelching sounds doing these....

low tide...

It's been excellent down the beach this week with low tide - so much firm sand to just jog, run & sprint on! YAY!!!
So far this week has entailed (apart from lots of work...! *yawn*):
Monday morning - ummm...the alarm failed to wake me....did have a shocker of a night's sleep though. Sometimes it's okay to go with the flow....
Monday afternoon - thankfully kickboxing! Did 1 hr study ...
Tuesday morning - Beach - mixed 1.5km jog with firm sand sprints - 80m
Tuesday evening - Ride the wild pony. Poor thing, had the dentist check his teeth on Thursday and it appears that in his last accident he must have fractured a tooth - and stopped using one side of his mouth...all fixed now though... teeth all even again, so hopefully he'll start using that side again! Got home to find Precision Nutrition v.2 waiting for me, so can't wait to have more than 5 minutes to get stuck into that!
Wed morning - Loads of firm sand still - jogged 1.3km then did 200m fast run on firm sand, walked up to soft sand, then jogged 200m in soft sand - did 5 circuits of that, then went down to the firm sand and did a mix of 60, 70 & 80m sprints, then decided to stretch & head to the shower..
This evening is kickboxing again, more beach tomorrow morning, ride pony again on Thurs night, and beach friday morning, then sat am will be my weights session - legs, chest & triceps. - I'm only doing one weights session a week at the moment purely because I am enjoying the kickboxing - and that's quite an upper body workout too - and then I can just concentrate more on getting a good leg workout in. Did notice a vein in my shoulders starting to pop out in my shoulder workout last week... much to my husband's horror at my excitement LOL.

have we moved to the northern hemisphere?

It's positively balmy outside...about 27 degrees to be precise! Just like a mid-summer's day in the UK! what the??? Although someone at work said they'd just heard on the radio there are 'snow showers' on the way tomorrow for the blue mountains...huh?? LOL, you can guarantee...if we've still got no roof on the back room, we're bound to be in for snow in the Gong (be a first, but hey!).
Kickboxing was another good hard workout last night - we did lots of kick routines against the bag - low, power and head kicks...that gets the heart rate up!!

This morning's sunrise - complete with full moon setting over the escarpment, was quite spectacular once again....
and...there was some firm sand...so I avoided the soft stuff like the plague and did some good 60m firm sand sprints - until the tide started to claim my spot!
Off to ride the pony again tonight.
Splashed out and ordered Precision Nutrition v2 yesterday - thank god the special is $50US off because that's about how much the international postage was! Ouch. Still...the Metabolism Advantage book has been excellent, so I now eagerly await the new investment.

Tomorrow is up in Sydney, well, St Leonards at our advertising agency, then Surry Hills to our PR agency...so will have to pack well for my food!!! Our advertising agency ALWAYS brings out this reallyYUMMY stuff though...LOL...it's a real exercise in self control to avoid it.

sunrise

This morning the sunrise was just stunning.... and I have to say, every morning when I get down the beach I think the same thing..I should bring a camera down. But do I? nope.
Well, there was a fabulous fluorescent orange/pink strip along the horizon..couple that with the beautiful silver ocean with tinges of pink....magic.

There was a bit of sort of firmish sand so I jogged that, then did some 60m soft sand sprints with a walk in between. That was HARD. I think the last few I ran out of puff at about 40m! LOL.
The funny thing was there was some young boy jogging along the soft sand past me, and I'd just finished a sprint and was having a drink, as he passed me he picked up his speed and ran for about 20m, then slowed down again. What the? I just wonder what this 15yo boy was trying to prove to this old 41 yo woman?
Hmm, son, when you're 41, come back down and we'll see what speed you're doing through the soft sand. LOL.

Renovations & inhabitants

Many many years ago, we had what sounded like a herd of elephants living in our roof. Okay, they were rats, but it seemed that, the more ratsak we provided, the more they came and partied. It really sounded like a ratty rave party. Then..one day...no more. Silence. My husband had to go into the roof to do something, and found what looked to be the Taj Mahal of all rats nests. Inside this 'taj mahal' was a large skin...recently shed by one obviously very well fed snake.
We would occasionally see the odd skin shed over summer, here and there, but never got to see the shedder. Until one Melbourne Cup night about 3 years ago - I had been at a party, drinking far too much champagne, and was back at home outside in the barbeque area whilst husband was cooking dinner..it was dusky...I looked at the lattice beside our gate and saw this thing that looked like an exotic sea slug...it was just a mere portion of our diamond python, now about 6 foot long, winding her way back into her lair. She has since been affectionately known as 'diamante'.
The only time I have ever been upset with her was when I did have two cute little tree frogs that lived in the wisteria (unfortunately, on Diamante's nightly route) - one day, I found a skin winding through the wisteria, but no frogs. Clearly they had just been too much for her skin to take! LOL.
Anyhow, what does this have with renovations? Well, we're getting a new roof. We had warned the builder about Diamante, but hadn't seen her of late, and she wasn't in her usual lair, so we had assumed the worst - she must be getting on in years now.
Well, the builder was up in the roof, inspecting the trusses this morning, and discovered one Diamante, fast asleep, curled up high in the roof. Wires have said to just let her be, she'll apparently just remove herself from the fracas and return once the builders have finished! Cute.

Oh...just for Sue...got down the beach this morning! Yay :-) NOT an inch of hard sand though, all soft sucky stuff. Legs very tired now!!! Will attempt to ride the black beast tonight too.

what a blur of a weekend

hmmm, I feel as though I blinked and missed the weekend...not quite sure where it went....let's see...
Sat am - kickboxing, friends popped over, went to horse, then friends over for dinner - mammoth cooking effort including dessert - Pistachio madeleines with chocolate sauce.
Sunday am - had to drive to Bowral, pick up mother in law, drive to Blue Mountains, sister in law's birthday...finally got home at 7pm.
Flash & it's Gone. Oh well...here's to next weekend of no plans - except, maybe, a weights session & ride the pony and do some STUDY!!!

This week's plan:
Mon am: was going to get to the beach, but it started to pour just as I stuck my head out the door....and since I'm still doing the 'black lung' thing...decided to just do a makeup no weights leg circuit this morning - soooo hard with my weights shoved away in the garage where i can't access them...
Mon pm: kickboxing
Tues - Fri am: beach workouts, weather permitting
Tues & Thurs pm: ride pony, weather permitting
Wed pm: Kickboxing or weights session - probably KB.
Fri pm: rest...
Sat am: weights ; ride pony
Sun: rest...& ride pony

I'm really struggling with motivation for my job at the moment.... MUST find some motivation other than the obvious (bills...which will be increasing with the renovations!)

coughing up lungs....

Aaaah, what a great picture...
one woman, jogging through the soft sand, stopping every so often to cough up the odd lung or two....then soft sand sprints.... again, interspersed with the odd cough.
What is wrong with this picture?
I HATE being sick.
But then again, who doesn't?

Managed to get to the gym last night and did a good legs & back session. After working out at home for so long, it's kind of good having to go to a gym and gee, just having to use their plethora of stuff... the smith machine, hack squat, leg press, lat pulldown, seated row instead of just having to make up my own things with a barbell and trusty dumbbells and more than adequate bench!
People did look a little strangely at me as I was doing my Peterson Step Up though.... but, it is a kickboxing gym..and not many people are using the weights...which is great for moi!

Am planning on kickboxing tomorrow morning, then hopefully, weather permitting, ride my wild pony...then Sunday will be a well earned day of rest. We have friends over for dinner (bringing the mini infector aka Eva with them ;-) ) So I have found a lovely lamb loin with lentil and rosemary aioli recipe in my cookbook to try... which apparently goes beautifully with a nice shiraz... as if I need an excuse to have a nice Shiraz! LOL.

Sunday is off to a sister in law's birthday barbeque in the Blue Mountains. So no time to ride the black wonder horse.. he won't be impressed.
It took him a couple of days to talk to me after being away all weekend.
He usually greets me with a massive big deep whinny when he sees me walking in the distance. When I got back on Monday he turned his back on me. Funny boy :-)

Back to the beach....

With lurgy gradually getting back under control, but a bit tight in the chest, I got down to the beach to meet Donna, my workout partner. It's been a whole week away from the beach!!! I really didn't know how my breathing would go, given my chest feels constricted, but I managed to jog the length of the beach okay, then because we didn't have any really good hard sand sprint areas, we had to opt for soft sand sprint sessions.
So, I marked out a 20 metre line, then a 40 metre line, and we rotated between doing the 20mx2 shuttle run, then some squat jumps or lunges, with doing the 40metre sprint with walk back and tricep dips. We did that for about 40 minutes! Good workout. Legs struggled a bit at times.
Off to the kickboxing gym's weight area tonight for a leg workout.... with all these renos going on and my weights stored away under the house I am DYING to do some weights...!

Oh.... and can you believe that we had the most rain we have had in FIVE YEARS on Monday night? How typical is that when you have had your roof taken off?! LOL.

Will go for a run on the beach tomorrow morning, then kickboxing on saturday morning.

Project VMO

For the next 8 weeks I will be working on Project VMO. Yes... I intend to have visible Vastus Medialis within 8 weeks...
courtesy of the Peterson step up...http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=36606&tid=105

Filex!

Well, what a weekend. I signed up as Event Crew for this year - a/ because my horse's injuries had put paid to any spare cash that I may have ever had for it, and b/ until I am earning from the fitness industry its not a tax deduction, so... roll on next year I say!

All event crew had the briefing on Thursday from 12-2.30, then I wasn't schedule to work until Friday afternoon - first afternoon on the desk and the second and third afternoons (12.30-7) I was scheduled as 'door bitch' on the Parkside Auditorium, which meant I could listen to such luminaries as Paul Chek and Len Kravitz, as well as Seamus Dalton.

The first morning I jogged on over to the Pyrmont Park to check out Suellen Dennehy's outdoor session, before hoofing it back to quickly chuck my tuna & salad down before clocking on. Luckily my first afternoon we had some quiet time, so a couple of us snuck into the lecture by Tony Boutagy on Lower Limb assessment and programming. FABULOUS stuff!!! I am so glad I got in there. He demonstrated the Klatt test to determine where people's weak/tight areas in their legs which helps you to focus your programming on those areas. Talk about valuable information!!!

Len Kravitz was interesting - very scientific though - but for those that have read Metabolism Advantage, kind of reiterated what John says - the optimum time for your body to utilise carbohydrates (and for you to eat them) is within 3 hours of your workout.

Popped in to listen to Gavin Aquilina for his 'wicked workouts' session - but ...nothing groundbreaking or astounding there...just common sense really.... still, not bad on the eyes!

Had a go in the session for balance devices for PTs - that was excellent.

So, for my first foray back into the fitness world, I was totally impressed - at least I have a much better understanding of the things I would attend if I was paying - because I know now that I would have been trying desperately to swap a few things at the last minute - but working as event crew and trying to attend as many sessions as possible leaves you NO time whatsoever - so my best intentions of at least catching a five minute hello with Kek was not to be - but maybe next year.

I now have a dreaded lurgy to contend with, courtesy of my friend's 6 month old who had just had her needles on the Thursday I arrived, and I guess because I ran myself into the ground a little I was a bit susceptible! At least it waited until Sunday afternoon before it started to say..ahem...Caroline...how would you like a little scratchy throat...before it turned into swollen glands which I could feel swelling with every kilometre I got closer to home on Sunday night!

Still, it didn't stop me from kickboxing last night...I thought a good sweat may do me good, but ...I felt a little worse for wear again this morning so ..maybe that wasn't so wise.

We have also broken the drought.... our renovations started on the house yesterday and the builders decided in the morning, yes, we will take the back room roof off....
I can honestly say we haven't had rain this heavy in quite some time!! There is now no roof between our dining room (which is closed off) and our laundry...my husband casually reminded me not to lick any of the power points in the laundry this morning...
and you know, that was exactly what I was going to do too! LOL.

Beautiful morning for the beach....

Slept like a log last night, which was great, compared with the tossing and turning I did the night before....was probably too exhausted the night before!!
Anyhow, up before dawn, down the beach, jogged 1.2km, and there was some firm sand, bliss. So I managed to get 10x60m sprints in on the gradually decreasing area of firm sand (some of the sprints were through water towards the end!) Tide was determined to come in despite me.
Then I shifted up to the soft sand and did 5x40m soft sand sprints. Figured that would do me considering I will be going to kickboxing tonight - yes another hour of sweat & torture.
I'm still feeling the stiffness in my lats, rhomboids & hamstrings, but figured this time I may just really concentrate on technique over and above trying to kill myself too much.

This will be my last blog until next week, when I've returned from filex!

Kickboxing convert

Well, I have to say, that is one of the best /hardest workouts I've encountered for a while. I did give it my all though - no pussyfooting around punching & kicking those bags - thought I might vomit at one stage....so had a quick recovery then got into it again.
Excellent stuff. Will definitely be going back on wednesday night!
Felt pretty fatigued on the beach this morning - my arms hurt at first when I was jogging, but... I soon forgot about it. We did beach sprints (2x20m) then one set we did 10 pushups, then the next set we did 10 sit ups, then we did 10 tricep dips, then 10 pop squats. then water, and start again! Then I marked the sprint session out to 40 metres, and we just did 10 x 40 metre sprints with a walk recovery in between.
So, off to ride the pony tonight, hopefully my legs will still be working!

Sssssnakes

Diet has been so good today...but must be lacking carbs....the fundraising snakes are calling to me!!! But I shall ignore them...400 calories I DON'T need!!!!

And I don't need them to fuel my kickboxing workout...

kickboxing again

okay, if you can't tell, I'm excited about kickboxing.... this is where I'm going:
http://www.reflexcentre.com.au
I'm also going to check it out for its weights area - my weights have been put away indefinitely until our back room (my previous gym area) is renovated..... which involves laying of new slab, new roof which goes over our entire house, etc.... we've got the builders in doing the roof & slab, but it will be up to us to finish it off - which knowing our lack of spare time could take ages!!

So I need to find a weights area. Was toying with checking out fernwood which is just literally a hop skip and a jump away down the road, but.... the whole girly atmosphere doesn't appeal, nor does the meat market of fitness first appeal....so... I'm kind of looking forward to checking out the feeling of a kickboxing studio.....
more reports tomorrow (and hopefully I won't be too sore to do my beach workout in morning!)

weekend, horse and bike rides & kickboxing

Well, this weekend I was just soooooo good it's astounding. Friday night was my 'cheat meal' which also involved 1/2 bottle of champagne - all good and planned.
The rest of the weekend not one thing passed my lips that wasn't on the plan. Sickening! :-)
Saturday was my rest day - but I did ride my still wild pony. It appears that my saddle is also incredibly scary and does possess teeth that I knew nothing about. At least, that's what Kado was telling me when he spotted it sitting (lurking) in the stables (ready to pounce).
Luckily, the hour and a half of work on Saturday may have started to take the edge off some of that overdose of sugar in his system, because on Sunday he started to resemble something more like my old horse that I used to have before this manic monster took its place.

Sunday afternoon I went on my own for a bike ride as speed racer had been working like a dog on Saturday - 4 hours of ripping out flooring, and lugging it downstairs to the trailer. He said that was more than enough of a workout for him. Phewy. Anyhow, I endeavoured to make the same time as last week, and I did - it's a damn fast pace to get to this spot in 15 minutes....and it hurt a bit too. But this time I only gave myself a couple of minutes to recover before turning back - more fool me. I turned back into the mother of all head winds. It took me 22 minutes to return - there were times when I felt i was pedalling but not moving!!! Excellent quad burn though, but when my quads fatigue guess what takes over? My glutes!!!!! Must be from riding horses - you use your glutes so much in riding!
Then I did a couple of hours study.

This morning I went down to the beach for my usual workout - well, it's usual depending on the tides, state of the sand etc!!! So this morning there was no firm sand whatsoever, and I opted for barefoot yet again - thank goodness! I did 900m walk warmup, 1.2km in soft sand jogging, then 10x40m soft sand sprints. Tonight I am trying kickboxing for the first time - I have been dying to do this for years, but never got around to it - well, tonight's the night!!!!

common sense....

well, after much deliberation last night, I decided to allow common sense to prevail, and decided to stick with my planned leg workout this morning, rather than pushing it back down the beach for more cardio. I've become a little addicted to my cardio sessions down the beach - it's a fabulous way to start the day - clears the mind and all that, BUT... my legs need a good hard weights session..and I will need a day's recovery. So, I did a leg circuit session, which involved skipping rope, very light barbell squats to lunges to sumo squats, then back to skipping rope, then I just added a bit more weight to the barbell and did some stationery lunges, then diagonal lunges, and squats with pop squats in between. Then I did a heavier modified hack squat (with my swiss ball and heavier barbell behind the legs), then more pop squats, then swiss ball leg curls, then a final pop squat session and aaaah, cool down and streeeeeeetch.

Food today is pretty much same as yesterday, except the chicken for lunch is the shredded coconut variety (Metabolism Advantage recipe), and dinner will be out with friends at Il Porcellino with a nice bottle of red.

Looking forward to calming my psycho pony this weekend too..... and then it's off to filex next weekend!

barefoot

Now I've been running barefoot on the beach for a few weeks now, and all has been good. I decided to switch back to shoes today purely for reasons that...when I get out of my car, walk through the grass down to the beach - my poor toes are icy!
Well, I did my 900m walk warmup, jog 1.2km, then did 10x40m soft sand sprints. What a struggle. I struggled even in the first jog!!!! I haven't felt like that since I first started out - so I am going to forego my leg session tomorrow morning, move that to Saturday and go for another run tomorrow on the beach sans shoes.... I just want to see if it's just me running a little empty or the SHOES! These were new Avias that I had on..
Maybe I'll try my not so old Asics next week.
But even my rectus femoris was tightening up again in my sprints, which hasn't happened since I've been going barefoot, and now I can feel tenderness under my right foot on the ball of my foot.

Husband's off at the racetrack for a racetrack lesson at Eastern Creek today - hopefully he'll appear home happy and in one piece! (and the car will be in one piece too) he has supersprints next weekend, so he wanted to get some good times in and he's been coming in a little too cautious and slow - I guess that is what happens when you're driving something that you've built from scratch and put 3 years of hard labour into!

Rode the horse last night -god he's being a complete and utter bloody nutcase at the moment. God only knows what's in the grass he's eating - his other diet is the same - good old chaff, hay & a muesli mix type cereal (easi results). But with the rain and the sun, I think that grass is pushing out some good high sugar contents at the moment. Hence the fire breathing lunatic that has replaced my laid back beast.

Diet has been excellent.

This morning made my cottage cheese pancakes (from www.stumptuous.com)
had a half serve (this means 1/2c oats, 1/2c cottage cheese and 1 and a half eggs) with 2tbsp blueberries, 1tbsp nat peanut butter, and a squirt of sugar free maple syrup.

mid : the peanut butter choc protein bar (metabolism advantage)

lunch is 1/4 whole chicken breast with salad - the virgin olive oil / lime & balsamic squirted over it
afternoon is nat low fat yoghurt with blueberries & handful of mixed raw nuts

dinner is going to be salmon fillets with mango salsa & salad. Yum can't wait!!!

Feeling so much better for being back on track....

tonight I am going to get in my back, biceps & abs workout since I am moving legs to saturday... sunday should be a day off, but I want to get in a bike ride.. maybe i can just convince speedfreak to do a longer slower ride...

food..

today's food:
1/3c oatmeal, 8 strawberries, vanilla protein shake (with skim)

1 metabolism advantage peanut butter protein bar

1/3rd of a whole chick breast coated with pistachio & sesame seed 'dukkah' & grilled with a drizzle of lime infused olive oil (www.pukaraestate.com.au)
Salad leaves with dressing of 1/2tsp of lime infused olive oil & balsamic - This is the BEST dressing. The Lime is just gorgeous and the balsamic just brings it more to life.

1/2c natural low fat yoghurt with about 12 raw mixed nuts & some frozen berries - about the last 8 or so in the pack (sob). Time to go shopping!

Dinner will be :
Grilled Lamb with spinach leaves & tomatoes with raspberry vinegar dressing.

bike riding boy

Well, so much for convincing my husband to go for a bike ride.... now, last week it took us 40 minutes to do our ride to Towradgi. This week it took us 30 minutes. How could we possibly shave 10 minutes off an already fast ride??? Hmmm, simple...take one husband who is in the 'speedy' frame of mind and off we go... cripes just trying to keep up with him was pretty torturous....and I'm supposed to be the fitter one... ha! evil swine. He does have much longer legs than me...honest.

My weekend workouts were pretty much as planned - just reversed around a bit. I did legs on Friday - and so much for my VM being burned to buggery (that happened after the bike ride) - I felt it more in my glutes & hamstrings - damn and blast. Saturday morning was Back & Biceps, then Sunday was day off, Monday was bike ride, then this morning was beach time. I timed myself at 11seconds over 80metres. Wish I could run that over 100metres!!! or even maintain that pace for 100metres. That can be my next goal. hehe.

Easter, diet & workouts

Oh joy, 4 days of not having to come in to work. What a blissful thought. It's also made me realise why I have been lusting after chocolate so much of late (and desperately telling myself...you can have something at easter) - I love easter egg chocolate.

Oh well, I can have some on Sunday!

Well, yesterday I did weights - Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, before heading up to Sydney for a full day of agency meetings.... such a waste of time! Still, I suppose it has to be done.
I resisted all the goodies that they put on the table yet again - they just love bringing out all the good pastries etc for morning tea. I packed my water, my John Berardi protein bars (easy travellers), and a tuna/soy pasta mix for lunch. Mmmm. Inspirational . Not. Dinner was the shredded coconut crusted chicken breast from John Berardi's book, and green beans.

I watched Biggest Loser as well last night. What transformations have taken place with those contestants over the past 8 weeks. Hell, I'm even beginning to like Courtney. God forbid. I can understand what made him the way he was though, just insecurity. But the courage that took to do that canyon swing..god, my stomach was in my mouth, and I was just watching it on TV!

This morning I ventured back down to the beach - did about 1.5km jog, with 8x100m sprints with a walk in between. Nice and tiring.
Tomorrow morning will be a big leg workout - and I will incorporate some of those VM burning lunge pulses/half ways. Then I'll go and ride the horse and rake the arena - more good 'incidental' exercise.

Saturday will be a day off - we have friends coming over, but there will be an early horse ride.

Sunday, apart from a visit to my mother in law, will involve a bike ride.... if I can convince my husband...otherwise that might switch to Monday and Sunday may be a back/biceps/abs workout..... all depends on time!!! Plus I need to get an early ride on the horse in both days....

Zen sarcasm

I received this in an email today... being of a sarcastic nature, some of these really appealed... in particular the last one!

ZEN SARCASM

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me,
for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much
leave me the hell alone.
2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and
leaky tire.
3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your
neighbour's newspaper, that's the time to do it.
4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be
promoted.
5. A always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.
6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of
car payments.
8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their
shoes.
9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish,
and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was
probably worth it.
12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.
14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put
it back in your pocket.
16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side,
and it holds the universe together.
18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.
19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are
moving.
20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative
on the same night

today's workout

Well, this morning I met my training partner on the beach for our regular Tuesday session.
This consisted of:
Walk 900m to warm up, then stretch - continual stream of chatter
Jog 900m, then stretch
6x100m soft sand runs
10x40m hard sand sprints with a walk back in between each one.
2x100m soft sand runs, with last one in a fast run
Lots of stretching & talking in between.
This all took us 50minutes.

One of the guys at work has just come back from Port Macquarie, where he did an Ironman Triathlon... wow, certainly not for the faint hearted.
It consists of 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km run. The last 5ks on his run he was doing 5minute kilometres - pretty bloody good for the last moments of such an incredible effort. He did it in just over 12 hours. Sensational stuff!!

Calories

It's funny how when you've been eating pretty well for a while and you stop really planning out your days and WRITING it all down because it's second nature and all that guff, how quickly it can all turn to crap! Well, not crap food per se, but... just an extra little handful of nuts here and an extra teaspoon or three of peanut butter, and what effect that can have on your suddenly increasing waistline...and then..bingo ... before you know it.. you're up a few kilos instead of down!
Well, with my food yesterday all was exactly as planned, except for my dinner, with the fish (which I cooked in a little lime infused olive oil with a sprinkle of dry chilli - it was barramundi), and I had to have one of those yummy protein bars for after - I was a little peckish still. I had bok choy & red capsicum with it instead of the green beans and sweet potato that I had originally planned.
I started to work out what calories I am going to be ingesting now - and it's around 1500-1600 per day, which may be a little low, but I'll see how I go. The max I think would be around 1700-1800, and that will be on cheat meal day. I think on that day I may have to invest in some low sodium sparkling mineral water and do the spritzer thing with wine so I'm not sabotaging myself too much. I can easily polish off a bottle of wine when you are having fun with friends - you still have to live a little and enjoy yourself, but... it's time to reel in the excesses of the last few months, which if I'm honest, have continued through from November. I find that it starts with Melbourne Cup day, then there's my birthday, then there's all the Christmas parties that start and continue, then Christmas and New Years, then ...well, you know, it's summer, in the backyard having barbies with friends. Then it's April and you go... holy crap!. Time to get serious again.

Anyhow, back to calories. I worked out as much as I can, that by mid morning I've ingested around 750 calories already!!! But given I do my workouts in the morning, i figure that's the best way for me at the moment.
So, breakfast & mid morning are the same today as for yesterday.
Today's lunch is turkey breast with salad
Afternoon snack is yoghurt with berries
Then I shall ride my horse, then around 8pm will be dinner which is actually going to be a chicken & vege soup.

New Quarter ... New Goals

Well, now that we're into the second quarter of the year, it's time for me to review and refresh my goals. I allowed too many extra nibbles into my schedule over the last couple of months and haven't been as focussed on the food front - well, I have been focussed, but I've just been a bit lax. So... we have now booked a holiday to Bali in July - so I aim to lose around 6-10kg for that holiday! I've managed to gain a bit of muscle over the past few months, so am happy there - but I just need to really get my food back under control and only have ONE cheat meal, not two or three - as this clearly doesn't work for me. I can also see a little bit more lard lurking around my waistline that wasn't there a couple of months ago. Uggghhhh!!!! Considering how much I've been working out, c/v wise you'd think it wouldn't be there..but .. oh lordy it is. So...nose to the grindstone time and time to get serious again.
I would like to join a gym for a few months just for a change of scenery - we have our back room renovations starting in the next ten days and this is where my weights are set up - so they need to be put away until the renos are complete..... and I need to do my weights.... so it would be cool to go to a gym for a while to use the plethora of other pieces of equipment rather than just my basic bench with squat rack / leg extension/curl. I could use a real smith machine and a real leg press, and a real squat rack that i could load to the hilt!! And, if I joined Fernwood down the road, then I'd probably be pretty guaranteed that nobody else would be using those things at 6am....and then I could get to know the people that manage /work there and...see if I can do my 20 hours there as well.

My other goals, on a more personal note (and these should also be achieved by July) are:
Be fully qualified as a Personal Trainer - that means two more modules, two more assessments, two more exams and 20 hours practical AND my senior first aid certificate.
Have my websites complete (for both my natural products and my online PT site)
The bare bones of my natural products site is there, but... I need to redo the photography to get the best images of the products.
Attend another trainer's bootcamp sessions - for competitive review!
By the end of the year, I aim to take my horse to Berrima One Day Event for one more hit out at the course there before the end of the season - it's scheduled for November, so a nice time of year for a blat outdoors. Hopefully he shall remain sound, and be fit enough by that stage. I would have liked to aim earlier, but...I don't want to push him too hard and there's not enough local events to go to around September.

My food plan today:
1/3c oats 1 scoop vanilla whey / 250ml skim milk
1 Metabolism Advantage choc peanut butter protein brownie
Chicken breast & green salad
Yoghurt (skim) with berries
Fish, sweet potato, green beans

My workout this morning:
Walk 900m on beach to warm up
Jog 1200m on beach to get warmer
Sprint 8x60m in soft sand to get exhausted
Cool down / stretch
I was knackered after Friday's pump class and yesterday's fast paced 40min bike ride with sprints...damn competitive nature & competitive husband! LOL

happiness is riding a horse...

well, I'm overjoyed...being able to just ride my horse again after 5 months of treatment, then thinking I had to retire him - just to get back on that big black beautiful beast and see that trusty long shiny black neck, big ears out in front flicking around.
Bliss.. not a flicker of soreness in his back as I hopped on - just kept his head down, didn't bat an eyelid.

Autumn.....

It was chilly down the beach this morning. And dark. But I won't worry too much about jogging in the dark..alone..on the beach...[much] because at least this morning the stars were out, not dark ominous clouds drizzling on me like yesterday morning.
I went barefoot again this morning - oh what a revelation soft sand jogging & sprinting is in bare feet. Especially when the ocean is WARM...HUMID...luvverly..... but the best thing is how much more speed you can get through the soft sand in bare feet.
Just as long as nobody's left a lone dog turd for me to locate unknowingly. That is, until it's too late. But, safe for now.

Kado.... he's fine. trots up nicely..one could even hazard to say, he's sound..well, for now anyhow..until the next injury. Even stood looking unperturbed whilst i leaned all over his back too - almost like he wasn't going to bother freaking and exploding when i put a saddle and a foot in the stirrup. but that's another story for another day...

A wild animal sighted in my back yard

This is Suki pretending to be a predator in the jungle. Okay, so I have an overactive imagination.

Cars that make you panic

I wonder how many airbags have just gone off whilst people have been innocently driving along? As I was driving home along a windy street in the rain the other night, my ABS brake lights came on, then my airbag light started flashing, then settled to on... The rest of the drive was one of sheer panic as I was waiting for the time when the airbag exploded to save me from myself!

Running Barefoot

Next time I'm down the beach, I am going to try switching to barefoot in the soft sand... interesting article!
http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm

Horses & Fools

I'm sure there must be some old wise saying by confucius - he who has bloody gorgeous black horse is bloody fool. Tonight, he's had a change of heart - perhaps he realised that in retirement he would not be rugged the minute it looked inclement and fed three times a day. Tonight he trotted up sound...not a whisper of lameness. So...let's just see what Saturday, then Sunday bring.... my farrier is due on Tuesday to take shoes off in readiness for retirement...or else..put new ones back on in readiness for work. Perhaps I should see what happens when I ring the saddle fitter - twice now I've had to cancel... can it be third time lucky?

I cannot believe how wonderfully lush it all looks out there now - just a few weeks ago it was tinder dry - now it's lush, long green grass, with full dams. Bliss.

Rain & Legs

Well, it totally poured with rain all night - and was still pouring when my alarm went off to tell me to get to the beach to meet my friend. We decided to wimp out - she went off to a spin class, and i opted for a hard leg workout in my back room.

My husband thinks that I am overly critical of myself, however, I think I say it as I see it (don't we all?) and if I can't be critical of myself...who can I be critical of? But anyhow... I think I've got the ugliest legs in the universe. I can seriously make alien faces with my knees. My friend and I (back in my smoking days) were having a fag, out the back of our work, and I had a skirt on - and we were looking in towards the dark glass doors. I said, hey, check out my knees...and had them doing several facial expressions which had us in hysterics. See? They're ugly. Add to that the fact that I cannot for the life of me seem to develop my vastus medialis - that area on my leg just looks like an old lady.
So... this is why I thought I have to work my legs like a demon EVERY time I work legs - and really focus on burning those Quads & VM areas - it's the only way... so i am trialling major supersets with pulsing burning leg type manoeuvres. I'll see how this goes for 4 weeks...!

Apparently this rain is supposed to keep up all week and into the weekend...which means the speed racer demon won't be happy - he is due to go to supersprints at Oran Park in the snotmobile - as you can see....it's built for fine weather!

The Beach

The beach is my favourite place in the whole wide world to work out - it dictates whether you will have one mother of a workout, or whether you can dictate what you will do in your workout. This morning...it decided I had indulged in far too much good wine over the weekend (Thursday, Friday & Saturday - diet SABOTAGE!!!) and so it took away all hard sand and just left me with soft sand to contend with. Not only that - a strong southerly - soft sand and a headwind.
Very tiring!
But... I am gutted... I was sure the beach was at least 1km maybe 1.5km long....
ha...http://www.slsa.com.au/default.aspx?s=beachprofile&beachid=nsw366 not according to this - it's only 900m long.

Horses

Well, I cannot believe that the era of Kado has nearly come to an end - I have had him for 8 years, and he's really been the horse I've always wanted. Not only is he gorgeous, big, black, and a total sook, he's got talent to burn. Showjumping was his first love, but he put up with the dressage for me, and excelled on the cross country course when he figured out that I wanted him to gallop..fast...and then jump..solid jumps that didn't move... Totally trustworthy and always sane, with brakes - and then was quite happy to just stand and munch his hay at the float for hours on end while the competition was going on around him. Trouble is, in the first six months of having him, he cartwheeled in his paddock on a rainy slippery day - then the fun started. Two years later, and several vets, we discovered that he'd fractured his hip in that fall. He was also being shod atrociously - let's say, for the uninitiated it would have been akin to trying to do a steeplechase with one running shoe on and one high heel. Um, any wonder why the horse has sore shoulders? So, we fixed that - 6 farriers later. So many idiots, so little time. We even managed a few one day events - the first one being the one in the picture. Then, I had to move him away out of reach of my good farrier...and back in the hands of so many idiots...three farriers later and my horse was intermittently lame again (ligament is tearing away from a bone inside the hoof due to idiot farrier not balancing hoof 100percent)...so i had to stick him in the float every 4 weeks and take a half day trip to/from Liverpool to meet my old trusty farrier again. I then moved him back to agistment in Wilton....sound again, and back to more events - then Kado was innocently tied up inside the stable area. Another girl walks up, rests her hand on his back and all hell breaks loose - Kado looks like he's had a firecracker shoved up his backside and ends up removing the wall he's tied to (so much for quick release knots) - drags the whole wall outside....Osteo comes and treats...all well and good. Then the for Kado's piece de resistance he decides to somersault once more - this time over a star picket fence (playing too rambunctiously with his neighbouring pal)- we finally get the all clear some three months later (after a month off on the last injury), then he starts limping and it's getting worse.. I have now reached the end of my patience. I cannot keep wondering what i can do to make this horse sound... So, he's out to the big retirement paddock indefinitely... I'll get him in from time to time to see if he's improving, if not, he can just wander around with his girlfriend and a bunch of other retired geriatric ponies. It's a tough life....