Something to Do

It's 2:30 in the afternoon and I am stuck with a problem so extraordinary that I don't remember the last time I encountered it.

I have nothing to do.

It feels weird. And yet, I feel like there should be heaps to do - only a month ago I felt like 24 hours was not enough in a day and yet I am sitting here, blogging, for lack of something to do. Usually I blog when I should be doing something else (probably sleeping, studying or reading a book).

And I haven't been lazy. Really! I mean, I was up this morning, bright and early (okay, more like DARK and early cos it was 4:30am). Did my first shift at the new studio - as of today my boss opened a second studio which is now my new workplace... more on that in the future. Finished work at 1pm, came home, lunched, and now here I am.

I acutally did have all these grand plans to work on our home budget but the laptop is nowhere to be found - I think James has nicked off with it. So I'm sitting here blogging. And probably boring you to bits.

I supposed some of you have read this far and are still stuck on learning that new fact about me getting up at 4:30am on an average morning. Well, it's not every morning - on Saturdays I don't have to be up til 5:30am (yes, to answer your question this will probably kill off what little Friday night social life I once had), and Wednesdays may become a sleep in day because I work evenings. And who knows? If I am somehow able to acquire that elusive skill of being able to put an entire face of makeup on in 10 minutes like some people claim they can (how the HECK do you do it? and it always looks so great. *sigh*) I may be able to push all these wake up times forward by 10-15 minutes.

Now I've just got to think hard - what was on that seemingly endless list of tasks that I had to do?

Oh yes... I could clean out my closet. You know, finally sort through and chuck out those clothes that I haven't worn for almost 2 years because they're two sizes too big (yay) for me. Except that I actually really like some of them... and given that an average healthy weight gain for pregnancy is about 10-12 kgs... I could find those clothes useful. Only, will they be out of fashion by the time I even think about having babies?

Gosh, I CANNOT believe that I am planning ahead for pregnancy. What is wrong with me? I really do have nothing to do.

I think I'll just go now and clean out that closet.

Super-Sized Ambulances for Super-Sized People?

I can't believe it.

On my way to work this morning one of the news reports on the radio was that of customised extra-large ambulances being built. There is a growing need for these as the percentage of morbidly obese people in our population rises.

These ambulances will be able to transport people to a maximum weight of over 400kg. This includes the installation of a custom-made lift on the side of the ambulance to help paramedics get patients into the ambulance.

The cost of one of these babies is estimated at about 200, 000 per contraption - and that's just the lift, not the entire ambulance!

I wish someone out there would take that same amount of money and put it into the health and fitness industry so we could better equip Personal Trainers, Fitness Instructors, Life Coaches and others to do their job properly.

There are too many radio ads stating "become a Personal Trainer in 8 weeks and be your own boss." Stupid ads! They attract people who do it for the money, or for themselves. Where are the people who are doing it for their clients?

Balut - Delicious Delicacy or Disgusting Duck?

Responses to some of the comments on my Balut photo album:

*****

Brave? I wish I had a video - James ate his with ease, instantly recognising that this was "simply" a test of mental strength. It took me 5-10 minutes of staring at mine and making funny noises before I could bring myself to eat it. The funny thing is, I've eaten this stuff once before so I already knew how it tasted... but the little baby ducky looked so sad, so forlorn, so... dead.

*****

It tasted quite nice - like the yolk part of a hard boiled egg, only softer and creamier. I know... just the word "creamy" in relation to an embryo is making some of you grimace. In fact, it even tasted healthy, especially after having eaten out so much and feeling like I've had at least 2 years' worth of my fried food allowance in the space of 2 weeks!

*****

But... who came up with the idea in the first place? Does anyone know? Did someone hard boil an egg only to crack it open to discover it had an embryo in it, but then being Asian didn't want to waste good food so they ate it anyway? This question shall be added to my list of food questions (e.g. who thought of putting chicken together with avocado?) until I find an answer.

*****

Regarding the Fear Factor comment - somehow I don't think Balut is anywhere near as bad as drinking an entire raw Ostrich egg (or some other large bird - it looked like about 2 litres of the stuff!). Did you happen to see that episode? I also think I'd much rather eat Balut than live worms... or coackroches. Ugh.

*****

Filipinos - you will be pleased to know that your national delicacy does have international fame. Balut-eating was featured as a challenge in one season of Survivor, although I forget which one. And they didn't just eat one, they ate up to four or more... the person who ate the most won.

*****

Stay tuned for a Balut-eating tutorial video... coming soon to a Multiply site near you!

My Dad & Mum - random thoughts

My Mum is working in a kindergarten teaching cute little kiddies. I never knew my Mum was so great with kids. On Saturday mornings she gives small group private tuition to three of the kids in her class. Can you believe that kindergarten aged kids in Malaysia need tuition? That's how early Asians instill the "workaholic" mindset into their children. And by kindergarten I mean 2 to 4 year olds!

According to my Dad, within weeks of my Mum tutoring these three girls, their performance in school improved dramatically. So much so that there are other kindergarten parents who want my Mum to tutor their kids! However she wants to maintain a high level of service to her students so she refuses to take more than the three she currently has. My Mum, in high demand! Wow - I'm so proud of her.

***

Every time we go back to Malaysia there is always that inevitable list of items we are requested to bring over from Australia. Things that either cannot be purchased in Malaysia or are of a much better quality in Australia. Without fail, on that list is a 500g bag of jelly beans - the kind that can only be found at your local Amcal pharmacy. My Mum uses these to "bribe" some of her children to behave. I shudder to think that one day my children's grandmother could be bribing them with jelly beans... or that they would prefer to stay at my parents' house because they get access to junk food there that their Mum wouldn't allow them to have at home. Haha. Perhaps that will be a funny story for a day in the future.

***

For the last 4 years or so, my Dad has put his heart and soul into working to turn around the family business in Malaysia. Just like any other type of change, it has involved a lot of negotiating, conflict, and heartache. All this time, I thought my Dad was doing it mainly as a service to my grandmother. As a part-owner, it forms a large part of her livelihood and therefore essential to a comfortable living particularly as she gets older.

It never occurred to me that the business also employs dozens of locals, therefore in turning the business around my Dad is not only trying to do what he considers his duty as the oldest son to look after my grandma, he also recognizes that if the business closes down, literally hundreds - all the employees plus their families - could be left with nowhere to turn. Some of the employees have worked for the business for 25-30 years, ever since their teenage hood. They would definitely have nowhere else to go for employment! This has given me an even more profound respect for my Dad.

My Dad hopes that when the employees realize how much he cares for them and how willing he is to be loyal to them, this will generate loyalty amongst them. He's the sort of person, however, who will never tell them that a large part of the reason he's making some of the changes is to keep the business going and therefore to benefit them in proving them jobs. I hope, for his sake, and for theirs, that they do find out one day. If I could speak the language, I'd tell them myself.

***

No one is perfect. Sure, I have my disagreements with my parents. But my love, admiration and respect for them reaches far beyond any irks I might have with them. Compared to how much they have given and sacrificed for me, my brother and my sister, compared to how much they clearly love me, compared to what a wonderful example they have set for me with their lives... the rest is most definitely inconsequential. I hope one days my kids will say the same things about James and me.

Filipino Food Adventures

I must admit, I had a challenging time finding food that I was willing to eat for lunch and dinner in Manila. I suppose I could have just made life easier and settled for fast food, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Thankfully, from 15 July we will be staying with some Filipino friends so will have the advantage of insiders' advice on food, but in the meantime I am left subject to the food on offer at the malls.

My first dinner experience was at Megamall food court: I ordered a pork steak grilled on a hot plate and an additional plate of vegetables. They were my favourite veggies - “tung choi”, also known as “morning glory”. However, they arrived swimming - no, drowning - in oyster sauce. The pork steak was also drenched, covered by some sort of gravy thickened up with a mound of corn flour. Nothing like what the picture displayed - a nice, clean pork steak - no sauce - sitting next to very neat pile of rice. I did manage to rescue my dinner out of their sauces as much as possible… the sauce on the pork was so thick that I could just scrape it off with a fork.

For lunch the next day, we found a lovely Asian store where I ordered a delicious piece of steamed fish fillet, complete with an Asian-style dressing of coriander, soy sauce, ginger and probably fish sauce. Ordered my favourite tung choi again. This time it had soy sauce instead of oyster, a much preferred option to the previous evening.

For dinner that evening, I discovered a Mongolian store in my search for fabulous food. I purchased a bowl which I then filled with whatever I wanted. This gave me complete control over exactly what and how much veggies, meat and sauce went into my meal. A fabulous feed for a fabulous fee.

So concludes part 1 of my Filipino Food adventures. Now it's on to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia - home of my parents, sister, grandma and other extended family. I'm looking forward to some good, familir home-cooked food after 3 days of eating out.

Filipinos seem to love their Fast Food

I have never seen so many fast food outlets in one single place in my entire life. Megamall, one of many shopping centres, boasts a huge array of fast food outlets. Yes it certainly lives up to its name - it is massive - yet it can’t be more than about 2 ½ times the size of Chadstone shopping centre, and it definitely has more than 2½ times as many fast food outlets.

The following is but a small sample of what I saw at Megamall, and by no means extensive: McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Donut King, Krispy Kreme, Mrs Fields, Wendys, Jollibee, Greenwich, Gonuts Donuts, BreadTalk. I can’t keep going because I don’t even remember the names of half the stores.

Do humour me and allow me add to the picture being painted:

• A number of stores had more than one outlet – I saw two outlets for McDonalds, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Pizza Hut, Donut King, a store that sells Brownies… and three Jollibees!! Jollibee seems to be the premier fast food joint in Manila, as opposed to the traditional McDonalds in most countries.
  

• Not only were there multiple stores for many fast food outlets, the stores themselves boasted a floor space of double, sometimes triple that of the average clothing store. And they were always filled with people.

• It seemed to me that 50% of Megamall's occupancy was food stores, of which 50% or more were fast food.
  

• There was a vast array of non-franchise fast food stores too, including at least half a dozen different donut stores, multiple bakeries (Asian bakeries often stock a lot of sweet breads and are more like fast food than what you might find at a bakery in Australia), brownie shops, ice cream vendours, bubble milk tea, “fruit juice” stores, fried chicken, all-you-can-eat buffets, Mexican food, pizza stores… the list just goes on.

• Even James thought there was a huge amount of fast food on offer - if that isn't telling you something, then I don't know what will!
  

• There seemed to be deep fried versions of just about any food you could possibly name.

The thingis - they're all so little.... where does all that food go?

Kids

I'm not clucky. Never have been. I can appreciate a cute baby but I have never, and will never, use the phrase "you're so cute I want to eat you!". I enjoy holding the odd baby here and there but will never join the crowd surrounding one for hours on end cooing at him/her.

I think I prefer kids when they're just a bit older, starting to learn a bit of independence, and can communicate with me using words.

Why am I sharing this? It was really just an excuse to send you to a link - click here for a video of Nathan Staggers displaying his newfound reading skills. The conversation he has with his Dad before and after the reading portion of the video is a demonstration of his intelligence. Enjoy!

Gyms in Manila?

James and I depart for Manila on Saturday 7 July. My first ever visit... finally! I've been wanting to go there since I was 17. It only took me 8 years to finally get around to it.

We'll be there until 24 July. Which means that if you are reading this and you know your way around Manila, you can help me. Is there a local gym you can recommend I check out whilst I'm there? I'd just love to see how another country does stuff and how it differs from Australia.

Gosh... if I have to, I might even pop into a Fitness First. But what I'd really prefer is a true blue Filipino-branded gym, if indeed this does exist.

If you currently live in Manila, any chance you can find out whether your local gym accepts day visits or guest passes (e.g. do they sell a one or two week guest pass)?

Get it right... please!

I have been spending every spare moment of my time studying, studying, studying to get this Certificate III & IV done once and for all. My final exam is booked for Tuesday 26 June ~ I can't wait til it's all over and I can be let loose to blast the fat of Australia out of bodies and into oblivion.

Which leads me on to a minor... complaint, if that's what you want to call it.

There have been errors scattered throughout some the text books I've been studying. Typos I can handle. Even the occasional incorrectly spelled word that is clearly not a typo. The odd wrong formatting... pushing it, but still bearable.

But incorrect usage of words? Forget it. It peeves me that whoever wrote the texts cannot tell the difference between AFFECT and EFFECT.

A child's development is not effected by their participation in physical ability, it is AFFECTED!

Affect is a verb, effect is a noun. Learn the difference and get it right... please!

Once in a while I see this misuse and I can let it go, but it's been sprinkled so liberally throughout my texts that I just had to vent and let it out somewhere.

Am I the only person in the world who has issues with stuff like this?

Currently Loving...

*Being a Personal Trainer!!!
*Smith machines, single leg dead lifts, swiss ball pikes and L sits
*Going to the gym on Tuesdays (props to Shane & Dave)
*Vanilla Creme Protein Supreme, flax seed oil, Donna's vanilla cherry power shakes, Emma's 'legal' muesli, raw nuts & winter-warming soups
*My new boots and my new pyjama pants (but not worn together!) and my new lip gloss (finally found the perfect colour!)
*Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie (hear it on my MySpace profile) and Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely) by Pink
*The electric blanket on my bed

Always aim for the moon...

...you may not make it, but you just might grab a star on the way by!

I love this quote. I love that recently, despite my own fears and self-doubts, I aimed for the moon. That I had friends and a husband who encouraged me to go for it, reminding me I had nothing to lose.

I am into week 3 of my job. I think it's my dream job, I really do. I wanted to work as a personal trainer, and I am being given the opportunity to. I wanted to be in a place where I could learn, learn, learn... this is the place for me.

I have learnt a lot in the short two and a half weeks that I've been at the studio, and what excites me is that I know there is so much more to learn!

New stuff that I am intrigued by:
- Single leg dead lifts using a Smith machine
- L sits
- Swiss ball pikes
- Swiss ball ab braces with the added challenge of touching my knees to the ball

Favourite Gym Equipment

Currently, my favourite piece of equipment is the Smith Machine. It's so versatile! So much so that James and I have plans to purchase one. Admittedly, it's a cheap version from Kmart but we tested it out tonight and it does the job okay, i.e. it won't kill us by unexpectedly dropping a heavy weight on our necks.

Looks like the "Poker Room" might be transformed into a mini home gym before the month is out.

Now all I want to do is get my hands on a Gymstick!

Trapeze Workshop

I'm a trapeze artist! Okay, not quite ~ I don't think professional trapeze artists actually squeal whilst they're swinging on the trapeze.

At my new job (which I love... lots!), every Friday afternoon we are invited to participate in something educational as part of an informal staff learning & development program. Today's activity ~ trapeze lessons! I asked if I could bring James along because there were extra spaces available in the class, which my boss kindly agreed to.

James pretty much nailed his challenges first time through everything, which makes for impressive but not necessarily funny videos. Mine are a bit funnier. Unfortunately we didn't catch some of our funniest moments on video, but here are a selection of some of our antics.

Video #1 - my first ever swing on a trapeze:


Video #2 - my first attempt at somersaulting off a trapeze:


Video #3 - a catch! Got it on my second attempt:
(James nailed it on his first attempt, of course)

For more videos, click here to go to my Trapeze playlist on YouTube. The above 3 videos are showcased there, as are 4 more, including several of James in action, and they are listed in chronological order.

P.S. James did so well that my workmates were asking me if by any chance I found him in a circus. I thought that was pretty funny.

P.P.S. Apologies to those of you with terrible bandwidth and can't watch the videos, we tried to take photos but they are all way too blurry to be worth posting!

Wrandom Writings

My love and gratitude to you family and friends who have offered your congratulations and support to me regarding my recent career update announcement. I love you and wouldn't be where I am today without you!

***

James has been laughing at me for the last two weeks because it suddenly occurred to him that pursuing my new career path will require me to be out of bed every morning earlier than he! James has always been a morning person. When we first got married, I definitely was not a morning person! Now, by default, I am.

***

I have only been to work for one day (yesterday) and I love it already. I love the atmosphere, the work environment, the clients and most of all, the team that works there! Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. Can I see myself in this place for years to come? Yes!

***

It is easier to get out of bed at 5am then at 8am. It was decidedly warmer at 5am yesterday morning than any other morning that I've woken up in winter! I know that sounds weird, but Matt, one of the trainers at the studio, confirmed it - he told me that it's usually warmer at 5am in the morning and then it cools down by 8am. That's a very comforting fact for me to hold on to.

***

Getting this new job has given me a new motivation to complete my studies and do them well. There came a point during the course when I had just had enough of assignments. The first few study topics were fantastic, but when I discovered that one of my most recent assignments was to write up a business plan, I felt this was a bit of a waste of my time, simply because at this point in my career I am not thinking about business, and whatever business plan I come up with now will probably have changed once I've gained some experience. Now, I have a new drive to complete the task at hand, even though, secretly, I would rather be reading more books on exercise and nutrition instead.

***

I unexpectedly ran into my new friends at the gym today. I met them about 3 weeks ago, and usually see them on Thursdays but discovered today that they also train on Tuesdays. This turned out to be a good thing because one of them spotted my bench presses for me. I haven't done bench presses for 2 weeks so I really needed that extra assurance. Thanks, Dave!

***

If you're sick and tired of the same old push ups, try something new - put your feet on a Swiss ball and it won't be long before you notice the increase in difficulty. The closer you put your feet together, the more challenging the exercise. This is my new favourite exercise.

***

It just started raining like cats and dogs outside. Definitely heavier than I've seen in a while. This could be a fantastic opportunity to test out how well my spunky new Nike+ running jacket protects my iPod, but I just don't feel like getting wet right now. Plus, I have to go write up that business plan.

Reflections on a Sudden Career Move

If you read my post on May 16, followed by the email I sent tonight, you may be wondering - what happened to the job at the gym? All this time, that's the job I've been talking about, so where did this seemingly out-of-the-blue change spring out from?

The studio where I start next week is indeed different to the gym. The opportunity had presented itself quite suddenly. It was announced in one of my lectures last week ~ my immediate reaction was that there was no way I would be considered for, let alone offered, the job that was being advertised. It just sounded too good for me. And yet there were butterflies in my stomach when I read the job description and requirements. It sounded like it was describing me!

My thoughts turned to the gym ~ wouldn't it be unfaithful to send in an application for a different job? Didn't Glen tell me several months ago that faithful staff were difficult to find?

I expressed my fears and doubts to James and Daniela ~ they both encouraged me to go for it. After all, what did I have to lose? So I decided to give it a go. But then, on May 16, I was given my gym uniform! Doubts re-presented themselves. But James and Dan's encouragements echoed in my head, along with that gut-wrenching feeling that this was just something I was supposed to do!

So, the same night that I received my gym uniform, I submitted my resume to the studio.

I felt a bit guilty, but then appeased myself with thoughts that nothing would probably come of my submission. How wrong was I!

The very next morning, I received a call from the studio - they wanted an interview with me. I accepted, still thinking that the competition for the job was probably quite high, and glad for at least the opportunity to meet and talk to an industry leader and expert in person.

Five days later, I went to the interview. I was invited back the following morning to observe what the work environment was like during one of their busiest operation times. At the end of that observation time, I was asked if I wanted the job. Was she serious? Was she REALLY offering me this job? Was I awake or dreaming? Of course I wanted it!

I was excited about this opportunity. But you know what blessed me so much? She and her team were excited to have me... wow!

In the five days between the phone call and the interview, I visited several libraries to try and borrow as many books as possible that had been written by the woman who owns the studio. I thought that I could gain some insight into how she thinks and what her values and philosophies are by reading some of her books.

The more I read, the more I liked. Every impression of her that her books were giving me was positive. She was someone I wanted to emulate, a role model I wanted to learn from.

At the gym, I knew that with time, I would settle into the job, even though my first impressions were a little uneasy (for no particular reason and at no personal reflection upon anyone who works there - maybe it was simply how my personality meshed with the work environment). However, in the studio, I just felt that the working environment would be one in which I would not just grow, but flourish. For me, the job at the gym was a good offer. But the studio offer was a great one.

At a personal level, the choice was easy. The logistics were not - yesterday I went to the gym and told the manager of the job I had been offered. He wasn't very happy. Who would be? I felt terrible. I felt that I had given him the impression I would be working there, and then didn't follow through. The truth was that my full intention had been to work there. I hadn't been looking elsewhere, I had never considered looking elsewhere and giving myself a list of options. But "elsewhere" literally placed itself in my lap.

So whilst there is a small ache in my heart because I feel that I have set up someone's expectations at the gym only to let him down, I know that the job at the studio is the path that I am meant to take. I just know it in my heart.

And if I am to follow my dreams and make them into reality, there is nothing more I can do at this point in time other than to follow my heart. Even though, sometimes, that can hurt in some places.

Instant Gratification

I love the internet!

Where else can you instantly send an email to all your friends and family telling them about the great new job you just got? Where else can you do it faster, more efficiently, to as large an audience?

Where else can you receive multiple responses within minutes offering their love and congratulations?

And where else can you have your online guestbook signed by a friend a mere 12 minutes after sending your announcement email, because your email had your Multiply website listed in the signature, which, unbeknownst to you, your friend was also a member of, so now you are both connected through such a great site?

Announcement (Career Update)

An email that I sent out to everyone in my address book tonight:

Dear Friends and Family,

Apologies for the impersonal nature of this mass email but I knew of no other way to spread my great news as quickly as effectively as this. Some of you may be receiving this "out of the blue" because we haven't been in touch for months or maybe years... if so, I miss you and hope you are doing well! You're on my email list because you're still important to me even though I've done a terrible job of keeping in touch.

Most of you will already know that early this year I commenced part-time study to become a qualified Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer. Most of you will also be aware that I would be finishing the course around this time of year. In actual fact, I attended my final class just this past Monday! I still have a few assignments and exams to complete in order to receive my official qualification, but I'm almost there!

The purpose of this email is to let you know about my next career move. Early this week I was given the opportunity of attending an interview for a position as a Personal Trainer in a private studio based in Toorak. When I first heard that they were seeking a Trainer, my initial reaction was, "there's no way I would get a job like that!". I had in my heart settled for a "normal gym job" in one or maybe two different local gyms. However, I decided to give it a go - Thank you to the friends and family members who encouraged me to take a shot at it.

I am sure you can guess the outcome seeing as I am sending this email: I got the job! I will be working part-time to begin with for several months during which I will be a "trainee trainer" - i.e. I won't yet train clients but I will be trained in how the studio operates and their style of training people. If all goes well, after this training period I will be unleashed as a full-time trainer.

I am extremely excited about this opportunity that I have been given. My passion for promoting health and wellness in individual lifestyles has only grown with time. The woman who owns and operates the studio has at least 20 years' experience in the fitness industry and is widely known to many as a leader and expert in the field. What I am most excited about is the opportunity to learn anything and everything that I can from the wealth of knowledge that she and the rest of her training team are offering me as a new employee - I want to be great at what I do, so who better to learn from than other great people who have gone way before me.

Thank you for your love, encouragement and support. Without you backing me, I wouldn't have had this opportunity to step into doing something I am passionate about and will thoroughly enjoy.

much love,
Fiona

My First Half-Marathon (+2km) !

After months of anticipation, the Great Ocean Road Marathon weekend came and went... just like that!

In the 4 weeks leading up to the big event, James and I faithfully trained every Saturday morning with a long run (with of course shorter runs in the days between each session). By the event day the furthest we'd run was 18km.

5:45am ~ pre-race preparations:

6:15am on Sunday 20 May found Daniela, Rehana, James and I standing at a petrol station in Apollo Bay, near the race finish line, with over 100 other competitors, waiting to catch a bus to the start line, a mere 23km away. Brett had already gone on ahead ~ he had further to travel to get to his start line 45km away.

When asked if I was nervous, I said I wasn't. Perhaps I was feeling too cold to be nervous. But as we boarded the bus and it drove us further and further away from the finish line, the butterflies in my stomach were awakened. 15 minutes later, we were still driving, and I began to wonder if we would ever stop ~ given that the bus was driving along the exact route we were about to run, I knew that the further the bus drove, the further we had to run.

"James... why on earth did you agree to do this with me, and why didn't you talk me out of it?"
He just laughed.

The starting area was filled with hundreds of people, all waiting to do the same thing as us. The pre-race lines to the toilets were devastatingly long... I was about to give up and head to the start line, but decided to give it one last try, and made it in with a mere 2-3 minutes to spare! Mind you, I did end up going in the mens' toilet, as the ladies' line was still at least double the mens'... you gotta do what you gotta do!

Despite fears of possible showers during the race, the weather was lovely - except for the odd strong, bitey "breeze" threatening to freeze my fingers off and blow me back up the hill that I'd just run down.

In the end, I completed the 23km in 2:21:36.2, placing me 672 overall. James placed in at 600 with a race time of 2:13:38.6 - good on you, James!

I am not sure how many people competed overall, but on the results page I am about halfway down page 4 out of 5, so I shall make it my goal to advance a page by next year, or something like that. :)

Immediately after the race, my legs were aching all over. You name it, it was hurting! My feet were complaining about being pounded against the road for so long. I have never felt that sort of pain in my quads before. My glutes were rejoicing because I had finally stopped working them into the ground.

James lovingly offered to stretch the hammies for me ~ what a wonderful guy!

One thing is for sure - if you have a certain base level of endurance fitness, the main thing you need to build is your mental strength, because for most of us average Aussie citizens, a race of this proportion is truly a case of mind over matter.

The victorious runners brandishing their "completion" medals:

"Graduation" - !!!

Glen sat me down tonight and asked if I would be willing to do a permanent roster shift - every second Saturday morning, commencing two weekends from tonight. Of course I said yes! Minutes later, he declared that he was putting me through my graduation ceremony. He opened a cupboard which was filled with boxes...

I thought to myself, "Oh, right, he's inducting me in as a newbie by getting me to clean out and organize this cupboard."

But actually it was much nicer than that - I got to rummage through the boxes and pick out my uniform!

Wanna see pics? Here they are!

1. With my jacket on:


2. Without my jacket on:


3. James and I were so impressed with the apparent growth in size of my bicep since the last time I took bicep-flexing pics, that we had to take another, more revealing photo:

4. And finally, my favourite ~ the don't-I-look-cool-with-my-jacket-over-my-shoulder pose:

Bee Stings? Forget it!

Did my First Aid course today which is a requirement to be registered as a Fitness Instructor. I guess they must automatically expect us to pass because I received my certificate, hand-delivered to me by my instructor, before I'd even packed my bag ready to leave at the end of the day.

The exam consisted of 50 multiple choice questions. I got 49 correct. So if you choke, or need CPR, or have an embedded object in your arm and lots of blood pouring out of the wound, according to my test results I should be competent enough to give you First Aid.

...but if you get stung by a bee, watch out! That was the question I got wrong.