Wowwy zowwy schmicko gym!!!

I went to the new gym yesterday and my goodness it is flash!! It was PACKED - there must be a row of 20 treadmills and all of them were being used. I plonked myself on one of those recliner exercise bike things - you know the one with the back rest, very comfy - and watched Foxtel on my personal TV!!! All the bikes, treadmills and other cardio equipment have their own TV. I asked the bloke if they had a DVD too but they don't - and I was disappointed! Then I jumped on one of those machines where you stand on it and your feet go in circles and your arms move backwards and forwards (gosh, I don't even know the name of it!) and that was cool fun too! TV with that one as well! I steered clear of the treadmills because I would have ended up running - because I am DESPERATE to run. There is a big spin room which must have 20 or 30 bikes in it. Classes don't start until tomorrow - but I imagine it will get hot and sweaty in there. Then there is another big room which must be for other classes. It's full of colourful swiss balls like in a kids play gym! I haven't really had a good look at the weights yet - I've booked an "assessment" for Monday when I will have a program written for me. I'm sure it will include weights - then I'll get some instruction about what the equipment does. The pool is awesome - only four lanes and 25 metres but fully indoors and heated. Complete with spa, sauna and steam room. The other pool on the rooftop is a bit bigger - apparently also heated but not noticeably! There are four or five squash courts and you can watch the squash from the same level as the change room. Man, the change rooms are flash!! Big and airy and lots and lots of lockers. There are individual cubicles if you want to get changed in private, although I noticed yesterday no one seemed to have any problems ripping their clothes off in front of everyone. They will be offering yoga classes but not at particularly convenient times - I'll have to organise myself. There are NO classes in the early mornings! Can you believe it? Perhaps they will introduce some if there is demand for it.

I wore my cycling clothes into the gym yesterday, and I realised almost immediately that I will need dedicated "gym clothes". I felt quite out of place, my bike pants were too tight and my shirt simply not flowing enough. Fortunately, for people like me, there is a clothing shop on the ground floor. They've thought of everything! (I'm heading back today!!)

The restaurant and cafes do not open until tomorrow - but looks like a nice place for a feed.

How utterly, utterly exciting! I've got everyone here excited about my gym too. My physio thinks it's great, as does my masseuse and those work colleagues who are not already members elsewhere. (Those who are members elsewhere are insanely jealous - and rightly so!)

See you there Vanessa!!!!!!

Injury report

OK time for some (more) sad injury news.

A couple of weeks ago, I aggravated my achilles on my right leg. My right leg used to be my GOOD leg, with the patellar injury on my left leg. Now I was probably not walking properly and I probably walked too far, and my right leg wanted to compensate for my left leg - but nonetheless I have micro-tears in my achilles. According to the physio it is not TOO bad, but it is worse than being minor. BUT it is not getting better. And the fault is all mine - cycling. Unless I cycle with my heel on the pedal I am aggravating the achilles - and I cycle every day so I haven't let the achilles heal. I try and cycle with my heels, I really do, but going up hill is too hard unless you stand up.

The physio threatened to plaster my leg to force me to stop using it - but I think he was joking!!

The GOOD news is that my gym has finally opened!! I am heading off this afternoon to see what I can do. They have a pool so I might borrow the wisdom of Em and Runjanerun and do some deep water running. At least I should get some more variety now, to take my mind off MORE time not goddam running.

I'm glad the gym has opened, because I was starting to struggle with the frustration of this injury. I've been toying with the idea of just ditching the whole "runner" thing, because clearly it does not suit me. Then I thought - it's not running's fault; I have to make myself suitable to running! There's a runner inside me that is just itching to get out!! You just can't see it at the moment, that's all.

PHOTOS!!!

OK I have succumbed to the pressure of posting where I run - well, cycle. I had enormous fun stop-starting my ride the other day. I left a little early for my second job and the route is substantially the same as my ride to and from home (except for the boring bits) so I thought photos during the daylight hours would be far more impressive than those at night or before dawn!

That's my workplace through the trees. My office has a beautiful view of Kings Park - I never get sick of it! I see joggers running through the park all day!

Kings Park avenue of trees. One tree is planted for every soldier killed in World War I and II (Except I think this bit is for "committee members" who planned Kings Park.) The avenue is kms long.

Ahhhhh. Beautiful Perth on another beautiful day.

OK - my ride. The scenery changes a lot over the 5kms I am in Kings Park. Yet it's all beautiful.

I think you can imagine just how dark it is at night - and scarey!! The only light is my bike headlight. I can barely see anything. I have to concentrate just to stay on the path.

When I hit the UWA campus, I'm almost home!!

Great day!

I had a great day yesterday! I was excited most of the day because I had planned to meet morseyruns for dinner. I know this wonderful little Japanese restaurant and I had booked us a table. Because I'm still working two jobs, I am usually late leaving work on a Monday, but at 5.30pm I just walked out of the office (and hoped that no one saw me leave so early!!). I jumped on the deadly treadly to get home and started pedalling as fast as I could because Sara was meeting me at my place at 6.30pm and I needed to shower and change.

THEN, as I was riding through Kings Park in the almost-dark there were a bunch of joggers in front of me. One of them looked familiar - it was Bob! I cycled beside him for a while and told him all my injury woes. He said he was wondering where I'd gotten to. Further up through the bunch of joggers were Jenny and Vanessa. Remember Jenny? She was the one kind enough to run slowly with me the couple of times I made it to the club runs. And speedster Vanessa would start her runs with us, until we got too slow!! I have felt bad that they must have thought I just ditched the club because I had no way of telling them what had happened to me. (I had thought of cycling to a club run just to stay in touch but I haven't!) Anyway, the beanie and helmet didn't really help in the recognition department but it was so good to touch base with them! I cycled beside them, expecting to have to explain my absence - but they have been reading my blog!! (Hi guys!!) They even congratulated me on the downward dog!!! They were in Kings Park on their Monday night run - if only I finished so early on a Monday I would have seen them MONTHS before this!!! We chatted until they turned off to head back up the hill - I was really happy to have caught up with them, but I was now running really late for my meeting with Morseyruns!

I zoomed home and made it home by 10 past 6. I had 20 minutes to shower and get ready and make myself as beautiful as possible to give morseyruns a good impression (the things we do). Nothing like a bit of panic to keep you focused. I was ready at 6.29 when a car pulled into the driveway. But it was hubby coming home from work! I was holding the door open for him when another car drove past really slowly - we're like "that must be her!" She pulled over in front of the neighbours house and walked back to our place. She said "Celeste?" and then it was like meeting an old friend that you haven't seen for years. I was instantly relaxed with her and hubby was there to meet her too. I think she was almost slightly concerned that hubby was coming with us!!! But it was just the two of us that drove off to the Japanese restaurant and we had a fabulous meal. We were like chat, chat, chat, chat all night. Then to another place for hot chocolate and mud cake (diet? what diet?). Thanks for a great night Sara!

I've got some new injury woes after my last visit to the physio, but that will have to wait for another post - this post is too wonderful to go and ruin it with injury!

Yoga progress

I had yoga today and I am so excited I just had to blog! I did the downward dog for the first time today! Even the instructer was surprised. I heard her say "Well done Celeste" and she started to head over to me to correct my technique but by the time she got to me I had already fallen over. Still, it was definitely 5 seconds of downward dog. Man that's an improvement!! My first beginner pose! It fills me with confidence! I definitely want to continue the yoga - as usual I could feel it working my body, and I can physically see how tight nearly every joint in my body is.

The lady who was discreetly spying on me last week, stood next to me this week. Neither of us can do the dog very well!

In other news, I have spoken to Morseyruns and because of logistical difficulties we won't be able to meet until Monday. Bless her, she asked if I was allowed out on a school night! I'll make an exception in this case!! More about that next week.

Steve, you mentioned that my cold might be your warm - and if it is then I vow NEVER to visit Melbourne in the winter!! We've been getting down to 7 degrees!! I can't remember EVER being that cold! And more to come. Brrrrrrr. Even the cat has been sleeping under the covers. She's never been in the cold either!

Visitors to Perth

It seems Perth is a popular spot. Not only am I very excited about meeting Morseyruns, but it seems Runmumrun is also heading this way. And why wouldn't you visit our beautiful city? MUCH more beautiful than Sydney or Melbourne! (he he - any bites from anyone for that?)

I've signed up for runjanerun's ausrun challenge - which sort of commits me to a bit of weight loss. I am even less inclined to post my weight than I have been previously, mainly because it keeps moving in the wrong direction - and because there does not appear to be anyone quite as large as me who posts regularly. All these skinny ones worried about being 60kgs or 70kgs or even 80kgs! I scoff at such figures!!

It's getting VERY cold to cycle to work in the mornings now but I have been soldiering on. I'm going to have to start wrapping a scarf around my nose so I can breathe without that icy pain that hits my chest on each breath! I also discovered "arm warmers" at the bike shop. Might invest in a pair of those too. All these accessories......

My gym is STILL not open. :( I'm getting antsy about it. I want to get into it while I'm still enthusiastic! Thankfully my second job finishes in two weeks so I'll have a bit more time to exercise (and post). At the moment, I feel like I am chasing my tail - thank goodness for my cycling commute or I wouldn't be exercising at all. And the BEST part is that on my busiest days I exercise the MOST because I commute to and from my two jobs up to 3 times a day.

Flat tyre

This riding gig is all fun and games until you get a flat tyre. Luckily I'd managed to get to and from my second job and I was heading home. Still, very inconvenient. Of course I am completely incapable of changing a tyre and all I could manage was a sigh of frustration. I locked my bike and took the wheel off. I was pretty proud of myself for managing that much. The next day I rode hubby's bike to work while (don't laugh) I took the flat to the bike shop for them to fix. So this morning hubby gave me and my fixed wheel a lift to work. Now, this is something they don't tell you at the bike shop (and for ages I couldn't work out what was going on). I THINK a tyre should really be fairly flat in order to attach it to the frame, because otherwise the tyre doesn't fit between the brake pads. Well I learnt that the hard way after struggling for quite a while to get the goddam tyre on. It's all experience. And the batteries in my front light needed changing. Yes, ok, I must be pretty silly because I didn't know it took batteries (I don't know what I thought the power source was) and then I couldn't work out how to open it. I had almost decided to just buy a new light when - pop! - the thing opened and two AA batteries fell out. I had bought AAA batteries so d'oh again. I'll learn. I'm now dreading getting a flat tyre on the BACK. I don't even know if I could get that tyre off. Mind you these "quick release" things are handy. Still, nothing quite like the feeling of incompetence when you take a flat tyre to a bike shop. It's that whole look of pathetic sympathy.

I've finished MAR's book "Footprints on the Water". An interesting read. These elite athletes literally live, eat and breathe running. I love running, but I don't LIVE running. That level of committment is incredible. And natural talent was not something I was blessed with either. Still the moral of the book seems to be that being an Olympic Champion means nothing unless you are true to yourself - and a kind of like that philosophy. I am happy to send this book to the next lucky reader. And just to be completely random, I'll send it to the first person who posts a comment that they would like it. If you are an Ausrunner, PM me your address.

My new gym is still not open. Waiting, waiting. My leg is still not better. Waiting, waiting. The latest accessory on my bike is a pouch thing that sits on the crossbar. Good for the mobile and the swiper thing to get into my workplace garage. And my latest "wishful thinking" accessory is trouser clips so I can ride to my second job already dressed and save myself 10 mintues.

For note: I must be getting better at cycling because I love the downhill ride home more and more each day. I'm getting more confident and am braking less. I am confortable hooning down the hill at 30km/h! I can sort of see cars a bit through the trees at some points, and the cars are generally stationary at that time of the evening in peak hour. Love it!!

For second note: I am NOT getting better at yoga. Patience.


*Edit* Gosh I almost forgot!! I had the BEST bike ride on the weekend when I met up with Hann. It was such an amazing experience to meet up with another blogger. We had so much in common! I was quite surprised. But then again, I'm bound to have something in common with someone who has the patience to read my blog!! Or perhaps it was because she already knew so much about me and vice versa! Anyway, more meetings planned on the agenda!

Ride in the rain

Well I finally got to ride in the rain today. I still haven't run in the rain, and I'm a little less keen given todays experience. This is what I learnt:

Rain hurts when it hits you at speed.
You have to ride with your eyes squinty or you can't see anything.
The bell doesn't work, unless "clink clink" instead of "ding ding" counts.
You get very wet. All over. (I mean ALL over....)
Rain is cold.
It feels like there's a cobweb on your face. And brushing it off doesn't help.
You get a rather unpleasantly coloured streak running up your back starting right at your butt.
Your brakes don't work very well. (Hmmmm perhaps that's one more reason to consider disc brakes.)
The panier rain covers are obviously only designed for light showers and not heavy downpours.

Still, I've been wanting to ride in the rain, and now I have so I can't complain I guess! I've had a couple of rides where it was a bit damp but this evening was full on rain. Great for the grass.

In other news, I have made remarkable progress at yoga. I have learnt how to breathe! Seriously - this is a big step for me. I can now do that audible breathing thing they do through the nose - it's pretty cool. I still can't do the downward dog, though. The instructor finally took pity on me and showed me the one on the elbows rather than the hands. Woo Hoo! I can do a stretch! I can't even do the child pose - I need a blanket under my forehead. It's quite sad really. But there's another lady in the class as bad as me, and I caught her watching me (I bet she was comparing herself to me!) so I feel a bit better. You know, misery loves company and all that. I was beside a lady who was just awesome - mental note not to stand beside her again for a few months.

Hubby went to the doctor for his ribs. Turns out they are probably not broken and it's only muscular or cartlidge or something and they can't do anything anyway. He's on painkillers for 6 weeks!!! Holy cow! Slow recovery. We got a call from the bike shop - his bike is ready to be picked up. Hee hee!! Like rubbing salt into the wound really! He's VERY cranky and I'll probably have to go and pick it up.

I'm still getting physio three times a week on my leg. We seem to have reached a plateau in the recovery so I got some very very physical massage on it. Crikey it hurt. A lot. I cried. It was as painful as getting capsicum sprayed in the eyes! But you know I think it might have helped. I've still got a bruise from his thumbs but it's not a deep pain, it's more superficial. It's still inflammed so progress is slow.

I'm looking forward to my gym opening and I can get on the treadmill!!! How amazing is that statement. (1. I am looking forward to a gym, and 2. I WANT to run on a treadmill.) My regular readers will see enormous progress in my personal development here!!!!! Amazing how your mindset changes when something you love is taken away. I can't run on the road for a while, so I'll take anything running, anything at all. I'm counting down the days. Still two weeks. My leg will be hopefully up to running a bit by then. Hopefully.