Do Life Challenge

As you may know, recently I discovered Ben Does Life, a blog which I fell in love with. In a wonderful sense of timing, he and the Do Life team have set a Do Life Challenge which started today.

For week 1, the first part of the challenge was to write down five quantifiable goals that can realistically be achieved by February 1st. They need to be quantifiable though, which was a bit of a challenge. Although I should be in bed, I'm excited and am trying to stay accountable and finish something through to the end. So here are my five quantifiable goals, and current assessment of where I am right now:

1. Run 5kms in 25 minutes (or a 5:00km pace for 5 kms). As noted earlier today, I may have done that this morning (woot!). Although my cardiotrainer also said that I ran 2kms around 3:50, so I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate (would be nice though!). My previous best was 5:02 spread over 7-8kms.  Need to start off faster.

2. No alcohol on school nights. Currently I'm drinking a glass of wine or cider most nights. This has to stop. 'School nights' means that I can have a drink on a Friday night and Saturday night, which I think is doable.

3. Do weights at least once a week. Now that my parents got me weights for Christmas (thanks guys!), I can do weights at least once a week. I've used them once since Christmas.

4. Drink 3 600ml bottles of water per day. Definitely one of the challenges that I had to quantify. I can drink about 2 a day at work, but this fails on the weekend (as shown by New Years). Keep a bottle of water in my bag (or in a smaller bottle) should help with this.

5. Stretch for 2 minutes plus after running. Currently very sporadic - didn't stretch after the run this morning. Gotta just do it!

Ben then asked us to think about the biggest excuse and how it can be eliminated. I identified mine as emotional eating/drinking. If I've had a bad day, depending on the time of day I'll generally end up going "Bugger it, I'm gonna have a coffee/cider/wine/cheesy delight". So my way of eliminating this excuse is to replace  If I'm angry, do some push-ups. Go for a run (one of my faves anyway). Eat some luscious summer fruit. Green tea. Yoga. Weights. Read a book! Heaps of options.

The challenge also asked us to do as many push-ups as we can, and this will be tested each week. I did 24 regular push-ups.

Finally, we were told to increase the amount of exercise that we do each week by 30 mins, and make it intense. I reckon I can do the weights session (or even two!) pretty intensely. I'll have to, for the Tough Bloke Challenge!

I think these are all doable. 2012, I think we're going to be good friends :)

Woot!

This morning I beat my running goal. About two months ago I arbitrarily decided (after seeing a random comment in Tough Mudder) to aim for a 5 min per km pace - i.e. 5 kms in 25 mins. I was sooo close last year, but on my last run I failed dismally (this is what happens when I run because I feel I should, rather than because i wanted to).

But this morning, I did it@ 8.8kms, 43 mins, 4:54 pace!!!


Woot!

Farewell 2011

Ah, 2011. You were a saucy minx, full of good times, great people, falling in love with things and and achieving goals I never knew I wanted to achieve.

We farewelled you in style at the Last Resort party in our front yard, a mixture of random and awesome people with no real plans for new years, mojitos, champagne, totem tennis, and fireworks.

We drank, sang, danced to awesomely bad gay anthems and watched fireworks. Ok, the fireworks were to welcome in your predecessor 2012, but there were more than enough fireworks to say goodbye to you too.

The part of Last Resort did have the best seat in the house when it came to fireworks, with a vista of fireworks from 5 different locations, best of all the racecourse just in front of our house:

Entirely too many drinks were had, and first sunrise of 2012 was seen. The rest of the day was spent in bed nursing one of the worst hangovers of my life, prompting the resolution of Drinking More Water and also, Drinking Less (more about resolutions to come). But we farewelled you in style, and this was fitting. 

2011, I liked you a lot. But I think 2012 is going to be even better. Let's make it spectacular.

Scuba Diving

A couple of weeks ago Dan and I did a Scuba diving course. We'd booked it through Zoupon and got a great deal. Of course there were added extras such as snorkel, fins gloves etc, and we had to upgrade to Open water course (which is 18 meters)  rather than a 12 meter course, but that happens.

It took a fair bit of time - online learning, 2 nights theory, one day in the pool, one day at Rye pier (on two dives), and then two open water dives the next week, but it was worth it! It really is another world under there. I can't wait to get out there!

Because I'm a bad blogger I don't have any proper photos (and Dan took video footage rather than photos), so here is a stock standard picture of a weedy sea dragon:

We saw these guys at Rye Pier and Portsea Pier, as well as leafy sea dragons, which are a little more ornate and well, leafy. There was also a couple of little fiddler rays, as well as a black manta ray that I didn't see (the joys of having bad eyesight). 

Now to start getting out there and exploring Port Phillip Bay. Any suggestions for good diving (or even snorkelling) sites? 

In other news, I suck at sticking to challenges. I did Shred a couple of times, and realised that I only had three workouts. I didn't quite realise that you're meant to be doing the first workout for 10 days, then the second workout for 10 days and so on... I do enjoy it though, but I think I'd get really bored doing it that much. I also got dumbells for Christmas (thanks mum!) so I will be using them. 

Tough Bloke Challenge

I probably shouldn't be doing this since I can't really run atm (it's been over a week now), but damn I'm excited.

Tough Bloke Challenge 2012. Bring it.

Meanwhile, how is it the first of December already?? Today is the first day of Summer! Carazy!

Tough Bloke Challenge

I probably shouldn't be doing this since I can't really run atm (it's been over a week now), but damn I'm excited.

Tough Bloke Challenge 2012. Bring it.

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Bah

The thing with getting very excited about training and running and new blogs about running, is that it makes me want to run. A lot. So I do. And I love it, and it brings me joy.

And then I realise that my knee is still not healed, and every run I do is probably causing me more damage.

This is not good.