Wednesday June 20

Today's run, comfortable enough. Glad to have the iPod back.
11 minutes, 4 minute break (I convinced myself to stop being wossy), then 4 minutes up the hills --> 15 minutes (had to fit it in before work/training).

Trained like crap, finished early, just did strength; aborted 30 min bike ride.

An amazing story.

Em from ausrun posted an amazing story. It makes you absolutely amazed at howfortunate we really are.

http://www.trainingrx.com/nellieaccount.htm

Oh no! No iPod!

I had to do the dreaded task today and run without an iPod. Which also meant I was running without a watch. Which meant that it was just me, some road, and a poor attempt at rain (mist is no fun to run in).
This may have been a good thing though, because it did mean I got to go out and "find the joy" in just running. Something I've been meaning to do for a long time...let running just be enough motivation to run. So I pushed when I felt like it, slowed to recover, explored the longheld-curiousity streets, and walked when I needed to feel normal again.
It's nice when you're feet stop being so frozen in your shoes and you can actually feel them producing heat. I ran through some very mushy terrain...good fun.

I wouldn't have a clue how long/how far...and that's the joy of it all (although it's bugging me).

I went straight to training afterwards. I put the double pikes up on tramp (YAY!) And they were fantastic too - not slung back, properly set into, opening up/slight kickout. Completely no dramas there - I feel like I've done so many they're second nature.
Did lots of rudis too...overall they're improved, but still not where I'd like them to be.
Did one really FANTASTIC arabian/ 1/2 in, 1 & 4. Properly timed and turned and rotated - it felt so good, and it looked exactly as it should. I could've easily snapped a double of it. I have a tendency to just take off from the bed, do a 1/2 turn, then crash dive. When really I should be initiating salto first, turning at around 9:30-10 o'clock, then starting the double at 12. I want to do more of these properly...I can't wait to do half halves (HIHO)...they're going to be so much fun.

As part of strength we had to climb rope (around 10m). Well, I PB'd for the highest I've ever gone, about a metre or so from the top...and then froze. I could see out the window. I looked down below. Everyone seemed tiny. And it was then that I remembered that I was scared of heights. I was trying to figure out the safest way to bail, or whether I'd have to call someone up to get me down. Scary.
Teammate: "You're scared of heights, and you do trampoline?"

Another good training session

Training was encouraging today. I like that overall I'm improving: everything is becoming much more easier and second nature.
I did my first 4 vol the first time up - wow, that was really cool! Nice to see this coming together well. It's exciting :D
I did some good double pikes too, just still working on the set. In fact I did some fantastic ones. And worked hard at front cruising. I'm getting there - I really need to set a new pathway in my mind of what I have to do to twist.
And I was coached by my least favouritist person/teammate/coach, but it was actually really good today, which was brilliant...I can't believe we actually got through today without a fight, even a bicker. Amazing. It was like there was hope and potential for us to be friends (lol yeah right).

Good night at gym

I had a good night at gym (apart from feeling relatively sick). I didn't get much done (feeling sick), but what I did was fun and note-worthy.

20 flic flacs on floor...they're getting GOOD. I struggle to push through my feet and have open enough shoulders...they really felt good at the end.

15 "almost" kips. I am so damn close. Every time. My legs were a little sore...but it's not long now, baby!

Had a great chat too with one of the guys, Dave. Haven't talked to him much before, but we're really similar and like the same kinda stuff. He wants to practice basing cheer more, and I told him I used to fly (briefly. For one lunchtime) - either way, I'm still light enough (ahem), but more importantly, coordinated and strong enough to do so.

And everyone constantly tells me that with my twisting techniques, I should just do diving...I dunno, I've done it before (and could never land head first)...yeah it's fun, but I love tramp and gym, and I don't really think it's smart to put those sports together. I love my gym family: eventually I'd have a new one at diving (I'd go to Homebush; I don't even know if they'd take me for elite/HP - I'm probably too old!)...but I don't know. Either option is fun. Maybe I should ask Brett at the next comp what he thinks I'd be like at diving. Too scared to ask Belinda :D She'd give me far too much of an honest answer.

THAT feels better.

Wow. As much as I've grown to dislike the gym (other than the free fees-ness, the weights, the showers, and the bikes :D), I do still love the challenge of going in there, and pressing a few buttons, and then starting. There's something very motivating to finish all those reps once they're plugged in!

30 minutes on L3 random (yes, not particularly the best), and for 98% of the time above 100rpm. Loved the feeling - it was straight after training, so my legs were already a little bit wheezy, but then you can feel your muscles work...ahhhh...and the post-soreness + awkwardness.

I feel a glow already. Marvellous.

Small beginnings

Well, today signified the start. I wanted to just run, aiming for a very cruisy 30 minutes, but really was out to gauge my fitness, to see how much I'd lost. Therefore no big hills - I just changed my route to avoid them.

Turns out I'm further back than I would like (well, dah, of course!). I was driving to the start, and I saw one of my friends so I decided to walk with her for the rest of her walk. Then I walked to the start. Already, my body was noticeably not rejoicing at the exercise. Just general out-of-shapeness, no spring in my legs. Once I got up the top of the very massive hill to start (did I mention I love hills?), I was off, and immediately I knew I wouldn't be cruising for 5km - I'd be struggling to run that instead.

So just gentle running - 12 minutes, 2 minutes walk, 8 minutes (down one very long and steep hill), then I decided just to walk back to my car (back UP the hill :D).

So not much running done, but hey - I was out there, I went and did some running, and now I know where I'm at. Plus I'm fairly confident I'll be back to running full 30s in about a week. Probably 40 minutes walking, 20 minutes running.

Someone reminded me about the hills on C2S :D (BIG evil grin :D). Bring it on. I mapped out some new runs on the way home too.

Blahdom

I think I've mentioned the state of blahdom before. If I haven't welcome, although you'll need to look briefly, because it is quickly leaving my life.

I've had a pretty reduced last three weeks (especially running): uni has hit the stresses and the tiredness/burnout-ness is alarming. I'm not quite finished but I'm really enjoying just being able to do nothing...(ish). Well, it's on borrowed time - I still have 4 assignments due. I'm really tempted to hand all of them in very early. Once that is done I have an entire week's break.

I've got to realign my goals, redefine them. Especially Hunter Valley - I'm thinking that's far too far out of reach now. Well, not out of reach, but would I do as well as I had hoped?

I had a think about gym. I am getting better at gym; however, not really at the rate that I would like. There are so many other things I could be doing to improve, and yet I'm not consistantly doing them. It's annoying too, because what I can do, I do technically perfectly. And so it's just the extension of the skills I need.

Running...I need to have a real big think about what I really want to do, and then an actual way that is REALISTIC that will work. I think I've finally made a breakthrough with Saturdays and Fridays. Fantastic. Only took a lot of flooding and rain for me to realise how to make it work!

Nutrition and fitness and strength...add flexibility (hello oversplits) whilst I'm there. That needs to go on the up again.

So this is the end of the "does she actually do anything, or does she just think and talk alot?"

signing off,
superwoman (who is now engaged, teehee)

a bizarre dream

I had the most bizarre dream the other morning.

I was on an excursion in Canberra, and I hadn't read the activities sheet. So one morning they just said "put on your running gear, we're going for a run." The next part I remember was running up this MASSIVE hill, so long and so painful. It was on road, and it had kind of fall-away scenery. My calves killed. I was struggling so much to make it to the top, and staying in front of the people behind me. Then I reached the top, and I just remember people yelling "GOOOOOOOOO!!!! RUN!!!" as it then was a downhill run for another kilometre. And seeing this girl just absolutely fly past me and run so very fast, and I was just thinking "do you not know how DEAD I am? My calves kill! I just can't run any further or faster." Really struggling to run down to the hill. Anyway, I got to the finish line, which said 1:20. I'd just run a half marathon *humungous eyes*. That's under 4 minute kilometres!!!! Arghh!!! And I couldn't remember the first 17km, only the last 4. It was such a fun dream because I was pushing myself as hard as I could, and I could feel the great fantastic feeling of your calf muscles burning up hills...and 1:20 is my dream time for a HM!!!!

But moral of the story is I think...don't wake up, and then go back to sleep again. That's when the strange dreams happen :D

Training tonight was awesome.

Training tonight was so awesome. It was a great session where I got lots of good quality work done. And I was feeling pretty good as well because I finally got that MASSIVE assignment finished. Blimey. Took me three weeks to do.
1st go was 20 s/s, ending with HO. Not generally something I can do well, or stand up, because after 19 somersaults you're just so darn dizzy. And normally I do all the somersaults tucked, because then you start applying the systematic principles of correct phasing - and it works.
Well, today I did it differently. A lot more straight somersaults; the first 12 were on the cross :D and it was all great. I had a bit of a floaty set up for skill 20, but still better (and not dizzy) than usual. Then skill 19 I did a b/s T...to seat drop!!! Goodness. It was so funny. I don't know what happened, other than I got tired :D

Next lot of goes were based on set work. I really was just jumping quite well today. I got my first 3 controlled; I did some FANTASTIC b/s T-crash dive, ballout 1/2s. The ballouts had heaps of height, they were up, tucked and kicked, and I have plenty of time to stand up properly at the end. Yay :D

I finished my 100 straight baranis today. I did 45 today. I really had learnt the right feeling, especially because 90-100 was when I was quite tired, and I just didn't lift up, not even rolling. They were just lazy saults. My legs were killing from all the work. But I could feel how 90-100 were typical of the rudis that I do. Not enough effort.

So I'm now onto barani 1/4 turns (full half/front cruise drills), undesignated amount (until they're great). Ooooooh, they're so annoyingly tough. The first one I did, I completely missed the end of the straight barani (spotting), and just did a full twist front. I did two goes of 10 each; at about no. 6 each time they would start to be perfect drills, perfectly twisted and spotted, with arms in the right spot every time. So I have to do plenty more of these, because they're not quite consistent enough. I don't mind spending lots of time working on this because I know how important it is that I have great rudis and that I'm driving the process.

After that I went and did my double pikes onto a mat in the pit. It's been a good idea to do this - although I can do them on the tramp, Belinda won't let me, and I was originally poo'y about the idea. However, now that I've done them onto a mat, I can clearly see her point. I was annoyed too, because training skills into the pit - there's only so far that you can go with them to improve, and then you need the contact and feedback of the trampoline. I'm game to do them: it's just I know the first 5 would be kind of icky.
Anyway, so my coach suggested I do them onto pit mats. I remember being terrified to do double tucks onto the mat (and I would balk at 1 1/4!). The first few on Monday just FLEW. Overrotated, rolled out, almost on the other end of the pit - into the wall. That's about 3m of flying. Now that's fantastically fine if you're a WAG tumbler, but not on a trampoline. I've stood a variety up.
I learnt two really important things though:
1) Belinda was talking to another teammate about doing triples, and the importance of really consistent technique, just phasing each section right. She said to imagine your arms go up, and hit a brick wall - they can't go back any further (Takeoff position in all somersaults is to 12 o'clock). Then it's your toes that lead the sault. That really stood out to me, because it'll remind me constantly to wait, stand up, and not overreach in my take off (especially for the dbl pikes).
2) The other thing was something I learnt in my prelim jumps. My dbls had been travelling a lot, and rolling out - because although I had a straight takeoff and my arms were up, my bum was back. And if you're bum is sticking out, you're going to over rotate. And fall backwards. I tried and tried to correct. Then when I was jumping, I thought - "If I'm jumping in a straight shape now - I need to feel this shape when I take off". And I applied that, and it fixed everything up straight away. My doubles didn't move more than a metre - perfect for pit tramp. So so so so much better. So now I'm going to practice that.
It makes a lot of sense to - sometimes you just need the 'click' moments and then everything works.

Also finally put a press and set to my arabians/arabian 1 +3s...need to make that skill consistant, because sometimes they fly too far. I'm still anxious about making sure I'm spotting everything correctly and completing the turn rather than getting enough somersault initiated.

Strength too - blimey, I was buggered all throughout training today (sore legs!). It was nice to be tired :D Strength was only a basic complex (4x10) but it was nice to be able to do something and not feel like I was completely dying. Arms killed, though.

A conclusion

After weeks of distress, I realised something this morning. And that is that I'm not happy unless I feel like I'm achieving something (whether that is that I'm on the path to achieving something). But I hate the feeling of futileness, and I hate wasting time.
It's interesting too, having to turn my life from where I am now to back on track, focused. Like last night I was missing out so much on competing, and I was thinking and getting excited about my new routine. I can't wait to perform it. And I was thinking and planning what I need to do to get their, my action plan. It's so clear what I have to do. Now the challenge is to be able to go into training and not be distracted by everyone else, who are training for competition one month ahead of me.

Just to add - hopefully it'll be HO P, b/s, HO T, DB T, and ending FTB, rudi, DB P. That would as AWESOME as it's going to get, aside from not being able to do my other dream routine.

More photos...

Golden dreaming...

This is for Ben, one of the glorious pictures I took. There are plenty more than this.