Today's post is taking on a bit of a different angle...
And I'll make it easy on you... I'll write the short version for those that cannot be bothered with my verbose style and the long version for those that want a bit of the background and motivation to this post (and maybe a little bed time reading to help them sleep!).
SHORT VERSION:
Over the next two weeks before I take part in Tough Mudder, I want to raise a minimum of $140 (just think, only fourteen people need to donate $10... easy right!?) for Legacy as part of my acknowledgement for the way that TM has changed my life and to pay tribute to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice during active service for our country.
Please click here if you wish to donate.
(FYI - Leave the "State" blank and put your state in the "Province" section)
LONG VERSION:
This morning, a friend asked what the charity group Legacy represented.
I explained to the best of my knowledge that they provided support to the families of Aussie soldiers who had died during active service (since checking out the Legacy website I've learned that they are "providing services to Australian families suffering financially and socially after the incapacitation or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their defence force service").
It got me thinking...
It has been "Legacy Week" this week and you may have seen the tin rattlers out and about... I'll be man enough to admit that I avoided eye contact with them last week when I was at Bunnings... When it comes to charities, I tend to donate to only to a couple, like the Red Cross or the Cancer Council, as they are close to my heart... Legacy isn't high on my list, as it has very little personal impact on me...
Unfortunately it was "good" timing last week for all Australians to be reminded what Legacy is there for, when we lost five of our diggers in a single day...
Three were murdered in a cowardly "green on blue" attack and two died in a helicopter accident.
There are now five more families out there, that will not have a father or a son or a brother or a husband or an uncle to ever see again...
Tough Mudder supports Legacy in Australia, Wounded Warrior Project in the USA and Help for Heroes in the UK. To date, over $3 million has been raised for Wounded Warrior Project alone. Here's a video with a little background if you are interested.
When you first register for a Tough Mudder event, you are sent a link to help raise money for Legacy. The added bonus is that if I raise $140, I get a $25 discount of my entry fee.
I registered in January for this event (yes a whole nine months before!) but purposefully ignored the charity side of it... The main reason why? Because I wanted Tough Mudder to be about me... Purely and selfishly that's it... I didn't want my motivation to be stemming from raising money for a charity... I wanted to be training for this event so that once I've crossed that finish line, I can proudly say "I did it!"...
But you know what...?
I have already won...
Tough Mudder has changed my life in so many ways for the better...
I am probably stronger, lighter, faster and healthier than I have ever been in my adult life at the moment... I have shaved centimetres off my sides... I have lost excess kilograms from all over my body... and I have added years to my life...
And it is really all thanks to TM... It has inspired and motivated me where other methods have failed in the past...
The goals I set originally have been surpassed... smashed even...
So now it is time for me to give thanks...
And this is the best way I can think of doing so...
I want to raise a minimum of $140 over the next two weeks... Hell not even $140 cos I've just donated $25 as proof that it is not about the discount... And if I do hit $140, then I will drop another $25 as further thanks to everyone for their support!
So may I beg of ye, for a mere $10 perhaps?
Too much? ...just a fiver would be great thanks! :)
Help make a difference to the families of those that made the ultimate sacrifice and were lost whilst defending our country...
Help cheer me on for September 23rd... be there with me in spirit if you cannot be there in person...
Please click here to go to the donation page.
And if that link doesn't work for some reason, please copy and paste this:
http://www.raceit.com/fundraising/donate.aspx?event=6814&fundraiser=r2594499
Luv ya!
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Friday, September 07, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 25...
Started the day with a 10km run.
Did it in 56min which whilst isn't fantastic for my City to Bay goal of 12km in an hour, I'm still happy with the distance.
Was a really damp morning and although I had taken a couple of puffs of my asthma meds prior to running, at around the 4km mark, my breathing felt really wheezy... Was close to stopping but pushed on and thankfully thru it.
The four km mark was along a stretch of pathway that I'd had troubles before as well... Maybe there is some bad juju along that path! :)
One of the best parts of the run itself was when jogging passed the local racecourse. As I was getting closer, I could see what I thought was fog around the area but there was no fog to be seen anywhere else, so I assumed it was steam from using hot water to wash things or something similar.
The closer I got, the thicker the fog got. It turned out that it was fog coming from the wetlands that are in the centre of the racecourse.
I wished I'd stopped to take some photos... But i was so set on trying to record a fast time that I didn't want to stop.
To my imagination, it looked like an entrance to Tír na N'og (the Celtic Otherworld). An area where the barriers between reality and the Fairy Kingdom blur allowing mortals the opportunity to cross over at their peril.
Will definitely take some pics if I see it again.
Plenty of stretches at home as well in the arvo. Did some planks and cobras to round out the day as well.
Did it in 56min which whilst isn't fantastic for my City to Bay goal of 12km in an hour, I'm still happy with the distance.
Was a really damp morning and although I had taken a couple of puffs of my asthma meds prior to running, at around the 4km mark, my breathing felt really wheezy... Was close to stopping but pushed on and thankfully thru it.
The four km mark was along a stretch of pathway that I'd had troubles before as well... Maybe there is some bad juju along that path! :)
One of the best parts of the run itself was when jogging passed the local racecourse. As I was getting closer, I could see what I thought was fog around the area but there was no fog to be seen anywhere else, so I assumed it was steam from using hot water to wash things or something similar.
The closer I got, the thicker the fog got. It turned out that it was fog coming from the wetlands that are in the centre of the racecourse.
I wished I'd stopped to take some photos... But i was so set on trying to record a fast time that I didn't want to stop.
To my imagination, it looked like an entrance to Tír na N'og (the Celtic Otherworld). An area where the barriers between reality and the Fairy Kingdom blur allowing mortals the opportunity to cross over at their peril.
Will definitely take some pics if I see it again.
Plenty of stretches at home as well in the arvo. Did some planks and cobras to round out the day as well.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 26...
Now I'm paying the price more for yesterday's stupidity.
Glutes, calves, quads... All tight... And often when I have tight glutes and quads, I will experience back pain (related to an injury in a car accident a couple of years ago).
Stretches galore before breaky and some more just after my shower too. A massage would be awesome, but no time for that today unfortunately.
To finish off, yes it was basically another rest day. But an important one. More stretches done in the evening and a bit of reading on the net.
A couple of good reads:
Importance of massage.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4077&PageNum=1
(found thru BodyFirst Massage on FB)
Why exercising makes us feel good.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/08/what-happens-to-our-brains-during-exercise-and-why-it-makes-us-happier/
Glutes, calves, quads... All tight... And often when I have tight glutes and quads, I will experience back pain (related to an injury in a car accident a couple of years ago).
Stretches galore before breaky and some more just after my shower too. A massage would be awesome, but no time for that today unfortunately.
To finish off, yes it was basically another rest day. But an important one. More stretches done in the evening and a bit of reading on the net.
A couple of good reads:
Importance of massage.
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4077&PageNum=1
(found thru BodyFirst Massage on FB)
Why exercising makes us feel good.
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/08/what-happens-to-our-brains-during-exercise-and-why-it-makes-us-happier/
Monday, August 27, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 27...
An educational, rest day would be the best description for day 27...
First thing in the morn, do some of the burpees on my tally... Now what happens if you try doing an exercise that you don't do regularly without stretching??
You hurt yourself!
Luckily, I don't think I went that far, but you would think I would know better by now. >:(
So the important thing, learn from my mistakes and move on.
Was a low key day all in all. Ate much healthier than the previous day and felt better internally.
By the end of the day, glutes were starting to ache a bit, so did some light stretches before bed.
First thing in the morn, do some of the burpees on my tally... Now what happens if you try doing an exercise that you don't do regularly without stretching??
You hurt yourself!
Luckily, I don't think I went that far, but you would think I would know better by now. >:(
So the important thing, learn from my mistakes and move on.
Was a low key day all in all. Ate much healthier than the previous day and felt better internally.
By the end of the day, glutes were starting to ache a bit, so did some light stretches before bed.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 28...
A bit of a rest day for targeted exercise.
Felt well rested after a solid sleep.
Some light stretches in the morn and around 33 push ups.
Did about 3.5 hours of gardening, which was the main extent of my training for the day. Had a beautiful day for it, which was refreshing after all the recent rain.
Since early March this year, when my training really started to kick up a notch, I haven't been drinking alcohol much. There has been the odd night out or a rare wine at dinner time. Used to maybe have a glass of wine every couple of evenings, sometimes the odd beer or a whisky. Being winter is perhaps part of the reason for less drinking but part of me has also not wanted to, in order to avoid the extra calories.
Often if there was beer in the fridge, I'd be more likely to drink it, just because it was there. However, there is a six pack in the fridge that's been sitting there for probably about two months and was only opened when we had guests around!
So this arvo the Adelaide Crows were playing the Melbourne Demons at the MCG. The footy season is definitely at the pointy end and the Crows are sitting at third on the ladder. :)
Caught up with a couple of mates at a pub to watch the game, but on the way there, I had resolved to do one burpee for every point the Crows scored to make up for the beer and snacks I was going to consume.
Two hours later... Two beers... Too much deep fried food... And the Crows destroyed the Demons by 69 points! Adelaide scored a whopping 150 points!!!
Oh yes... I'm looking down the barrel of 150 burpees that I plan to do before the day is through...
I start dividing them up as I'm driving home... It's 7pm... so 30 burpees per hour... Seems easy enough... I get a call... The family is starving and can I grab something quick along the way... Uh oh...
I settle on KFC... Not a great dinner option but conveniently located on the home stretch and quick enough...
As soon as I'm eating it though, I start regretting it... I've already had chips and wedges at the pub... This is more deep fried nonsense... Haven't had KFC in ages so would usually look forward to it, but today is not the day I should be eating it. :(
Didn't end up finishing it. Just felt off. Hadn't done any burpees but still felt I had plenty of time. Then daddy duties kicked in. Bathed and put my son to sleep. I fell asleep on his bedroom floor for a bit... Long, fairly active day plus a couple of beers will take it out of a lad. ;)
Look at the clock... 1030pm... Still determined to do burpees... 50 per half hour still sounds do able... I have done large amounts of burpees before... Probably the most in I've done in a single session has been when I've done some Tabata Training (http://tabatatraining.org/) but I've never counted how many I've done in the four minutes... Usually cos I'm wrecked! ;)
So I start doing lots of ten... A bit of a rest and then another ten... And again the same... I've done a total of thirty and I come to realize two things...
1. I feel like I'm going to throw up, not because of physical effort, but because I've got a belly full of oily crap.
2. I'm hyping my body up way too close to bed time and if I continue, I'm not going to be sleeping well tonight.
I'm a bit disappointed but I face the fact that the burpees aren't going to happen tonight.
But they will be done tomorrow... Come hell or high water... :)
(PS - the pics come from random Pinterest pages but unsure where from originally so can't credit where it is due)
Felt well rested after a solid sleep.
Some light stretches in the morn and around 33 push ups.
Did about 3.5 hours of gardening, which was the main extent of my training for the day. Had a beautiful day for it, which was refreshing after all the recent rain.
Since early March this year, when my training really started to kick up a notch, I haven't been drinking alcohol much. There has been the odd night out or a rare wine at dinner time. Used to maybe have a glass of wine every couple of evenings, sometimes the odd beer or a whisky. Being winter is perhaps part of the reason for less drinking but part of me has also not wanted to, in order to avoid the extra calories.
Often if there was beer in the fridge, I'd be more likely to drink it, just because it was there. However, there is a six pack in the fridge that's been sitting there for probably about two months and was only opened when we had guests around!
So this arvo the Adelaide Crows were playing the Melbourne Demons at the MCG. The footy season is definitely at the pointy end and the Crows are sitting at third on the ladder. :)
Caught up with a couple of mates at a pub to watch the game, but on the way there, I had resolved to do one burpee for every point the Crows scored to make up for the beer and snacks I was going to consume.
Two hours later... Two beers... Too much deep fried food... And the Crows destroyed the Demons by 69 points! Adelaide scored a whopping 150 points!!!
Oh yes... I'm looking down the barrel of 150 burpees that I plan to do before the day is through...
I start dividing them up as I'm driving home... It's 7pm... so 30 burpees per hour... Seems easy enough... I get a call... The family is starving and can I grab something quick along the way... Uh oh...
I settle on KFC... Not a great dinner option but conveniently located on the home stretch and quick enough...
As soon as I'm eating it though, I start regretting it... I've already had chips and wedges at the pub... This is more deep fried nonsense... Haven't had KFC in ages so would usually look forward to it, but today is not the day I should be eating it. :(
Didn't end up finishing it. Just felt off. Hadn't done any burpees but still felt I had plenty of time. Then daddy duties kicked in. Bathed and put my son to sleep. I fell asleep on his bedroom floor for a bit... Long, fairly active day plus a couple of beers will take it out of a lad. ;)
Look at the clock... 1030pm... Still determined to do burpees... 50 per half hour still sounds do able... I have done large amounts of burpees before... Probably the most in I've done in a single session has been when I've done some Tabata Training (http://tabatatraining.org/) but I've never counted how many I've done in the four minutes... Usually cos I'm wrecked! ;)
So I start doing lots of ten... A bit of a rest and then another ten... And again the same... I've done a total of thirty and I come to realize two things...
1. I feel like I'm going to throw up, not because of physical effort, but because I've got a belly full of oily crap.
2. I'm hyping my body up way too close to bed time and if I continue, I'm not going to be sleeping well tonight.
I'm a bit disappointed but I face the fact that the burpees aren't going to happen tonight.
But they will be done tomorrow... Come hell or high water... :)
(PS - the pics come from random Pinterest pages but unsure where from originally so can't credit where it is due)
Friday, August 24, 2012
Countdown to TM: Day 30...
Weighed in at 81.2kg
Blue skies when I left the house for a run but dark clouds to the south. Thought I was safe... But I was wrong!
Only soreness from core exercises the day before was a little aching around the sides. Water, nuts and dried fruit then off!
Felt really comfy running. Good pace, bang on 5min/km. Wanted to go for 10km if not 12km. Wind was bloody strong. And turned out it was blowing in a north easterly direction... Blowing the clouds right towards me! :(
At around the 4.5km mark, light drizzle turned into fairly heavy rain. :(
Main concern was iPhone getting wet. Need to get a more weather proof case for running or bring a zip lock bag and sacrifice listening to music.
10-15min later rain was lighter but still coming down. Had to get home though. Total of 6km for the run maintaining 5min pace.
Will take zip lock with me next time. ;)
Plenty of stretches at home and 33 push ups. Trying to increase total for bio-age testing which is happening in a couple of weeks.
Hoping for better weather tmrw and a long run.
Blue skies when I left the house for a run but dark clouds to the south. Thought I was safe... But I was wrong!
Only soreness from core exercises the day before was a little aching around the sides. Water, nuts and dried fruit then off!
Felt really comfy running. Good pace, bang on 5min/km. Wanted to go for 10km if not 12km. Wind was bloody strong. And turned out it was blowing in a north easterly direction... Blowing the clouds right towards me! :(
At around the 4.5km mark, light drizzle turned into fairly heavy rain. :(
Main concern was iPhone getting wet. Need to get a more weather proof case for running or bring a zip lock bag and sacrifice listening to music.
10-15min later rain was lighter but still coming down. Had to get home though. Total of 6km for the run maintaining 5min pace.
Will take zip lock with me next time. ;)
Plenty of stretches at home and 33 push ups. Trying to increase total for bio-age testing which is happening in a couple of weeks.
Hoping for better weather tmrw and a long run.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Countdown to TM: 31 days...
Originally planned to get up for a run at 545. Woke at 515 to rain, hail, thunder, and lightning... The princess in me killed the alarm and slept until 7am. ;)
Luckily had work PT session this arvo. Core strengthening was today's theme. It was savage as per usual. And I loved every second of it. :)
Thought during the session that I'd be feeling it tmrw...but already feeling it now!
The wood chopper twists using a resistance band were particularly punishing. That's what I'm feeling now I think.
Mountain climbers were taxing.
Side planks... Often collapsed a couple of times on one side but then would be stable and stronger on the other. Was weird.
Cobras were easy. Nice and strong with those now. Even did the last 45 seconds holding a ball between our feet for extra challenge.
PT called me his "sweaty little gnome" today. Well I think it was gnome...was mid exercise and mildly distracted. He said due to the amount I sweat, I'm a good indicator if the group is working hard enough. That's gotta be the first time someone has complimented me for sweating so much. :D
Everyday of the countdown won't be this active, but it's a bloody good start!
Now time to sleep and recover.
Luckily had work PT session this arvo. Core strengthening was today's theme. It was savage as per usual. And I loved every second of it. :)
Thought during the session that I'd be feeling it tmrw...but already feeling it now!
The wood chopper twists using a resistance band were particularly punishing. That's what I'm feeling now I think.
Mountain climbers were taxing.
Side planks... Often collapsed a couple of times on one side but then would be stable and stronger on the other. Was weird.
Cobras were easy. Nice and strong with those now. Even did the last 45 seconds holding a ball between our feet for extra challenge.
PT called me his "sweaty little gnome" today. Well I think it was gnome...was mid exercise and mildly distracted. He said due to the amount I sweat, I'm a good indicator if the group is working hard enough. That's gotta be the first time someone has complimented me for sweating so much. :D
Everyday of the countdown won't be this active, but it's a bloody good start!
Now time to sleep and recover.
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