I have a friend. She just loves Gorges. I do what a friend does...and go to gorges with her. During the school holidays we have trekked through; El Questro Gorge, Emma Gorge, Cathedral Gorge, Mirella Gorge, Umbrawarra Gorge, and tomorrow we are off to run the steep hill at the Katherine Gorge. Some of them entailed quite a big walk over rocks, through waterways and around/through mud with two husbands and five kids in tow. All were picturesque but my favourite would have to be the Emma Gorge in WA. If you ever make it out that way, this is a 'must see' place. As we arrived a tourist made the comment, "No human could have made this place - it's just way too special", and he was right.
So we're back home from our fabulous WA camping holiday and I can admit that camping while 'in training' is bloody hard work! For a start, the mornings out west were like I imagine the Antarctic to be! Bitingly cold and wind that cuts you in half. I managed a couple of morning walks and runs on the old empty tummy, but the further south we got, the less I managed. Rob threw in a few weights and I got a fairly decent chest, back and biceps workout through the week, but I should and could have done more. While guilt is a waste of an emotion, it made it's way into my camper-trailer sleeps.
So we're home and we're into the single figures now - 9.5 weeks to be exact. To say "I'm scared" would be the understatement of the century. The more I think about this, the more momentous it becomes. So I'm not thinking about it too much.
I'm a liar. I think about this whole competition in one way or another for most of the day. It's all consuming. Why? Here's a selection of why;
1. My high-heels have arrived. They are 5.5 inches high with a nice thin heel. They hurt to put on, they hurt to walk in, and they don't seem to get much easier as I go along. I've taken to wearing them at night before bed. I do the dishes in them, clean the house, and all other night duties. I clack around like a little girl who's stolen them from her mum's wardrobe! This could be my undoing!!
2. Hair. Or lack of it.. I'm not even going to go there. Please take this in the light-hearted way it's supposed to be taken.....but this experience was every bit the traumatic occurrence I dreamt it would be....and some!!!!!! I cannot say anymore as the emotional wounds are still raw.
3. Healthy Food. My diet is changing constantly now and I can hardly keep up. Which is the whole point of the changes - to shock my body into a reaction. I'm well and truly into the 'cutting' phase and you may be able to gauge my hunger by just how much gum I'm chewing!! Two pieces and fast chewing means I'm flippin starving. One piece and a lazy chew means there's moderate hunger pains looming. I definitely eat enough to keep my energy levels going, but there's not a whole lot of substance and nothing you will ever find on a restaurant menu.
4. Cardio. I cockily made many comments about how sad I am about being told to back off the cardio, and how much I missed it. Looking back, the lack of food is obviously causing me to tell lies. I didn't miss it at all. Now I'm back on it and it's truly hard to get going. I'm still easing into this very gently as we don't want all of our cards on the table at once. We also don't want too intense cardio as my precious muscles would become the fuel and I would lose muscle size. I've worked far too hard to give it away over a quick run. For now I'm relegated to the morning walking brigade (there are a few of us at 6am) and I love that it is still dark. This morning over breakfast my son said, "Mum...no offence but those socks don't look good with those pants". "Why darling - are you referring to the stripey soccer socks, pulled up high, and my three quarter daggy track pants? I'm surprised you didn't notice the grotty old sweatshirt, the completely uncombed hair and the sports socks I wear on my hands to keep them warm?"
5. Weights. Same same. They are hard, heavy, frequent and annoyingly hard! They never get easier and chin ups still suck the big kahuna! I have no idea what a day without muscle pain is, but I still relish every ache and pain because it means I'm in the right zone. I've started a weekly massage to correct some of the muscular problems I've developed - that are normal for anyone lifting regular weights. Sadly the massage isn't one of those found on a beach in Bali. More the sort where you leave feeling (and looking) like you've been run over by a bus. Why o why must my head lie declined into that pillow!! It always makes my nose run.
And I laugh at all of this because I'm in the thick of organising the 'glamour' side of this comp. Nails, make-up, hair, bling, shoes, tan. Yet nothing I've written about today has any part in the word GLAMOUR!!!
Is it all worth it? Bloody oath it is!! Loving every minute of it.
Damn. Think I just told another lie. Need food.
Here's probably my biggest change in the last 6 months. Those blasted legs have started toning and I'm on my way to liking them even though the change is somewhat subtle. Boy oh boy they've been a lot of work, I cannot lie about that!!
Now February 12
