My...Sport

I have a feeling those that know me well may have spat their morning cuppa all over their laptop screens when I announced this month's prompt. You see, sport and I have never really got along. You know those people that are a 'natural'? That can be good at any sport within five minutes of picking up a bat, ball or surfboard? Well, I'm the exact opposite of that. (Annoyingly my husband is a natural, just to highlight how very not a natural I am). 

I am terrible, at everything sports related. I have the hand eye coordination of a drunken mole-rat. At school I was always that awkward kid who got picked last for the team. (What kind of sadist invented that whole team picking system, by the way? I would very much like to have some words with them.). PE was torture, plain and simple. 

The school consistently forced me to play team sports, under some misguided notion that it was 'good for me'. But all it did was give me a lifetime of trauma. No really - I just had a horrendous flashback to me playing netball. I'd blocked that out until now. Excuse me while I go into the foetal position for a little while. Ugh.

Netball, softball, soccer, cricket, hockey, swimming, athletics, footy - it was all a humiliating disaster. Well...maybe not all of it. I do have two fond memories of sport at school. 

The first was around year ten, when we decided to start a girls soccer team. We had never played before so we had no expectation of winning. It really was just for fun. I remember playing a round robin, a full day of matches. We lost every game; I think maybe we only scored one goal! It was pouring with rain, which sounds awful but it was wonderful; all that mud to slip and slide about in, on our knees, Elvis style. We had a ball.

A bit later, a few of my friends decided to take over the school hall some lunch times so we could play indoor hockey. We took over the sound system too, and always had something a little bit retro, a little bit rock and roll playing, very loudly. Led Zeppelin was on high rotation at the time, from memory. I was still terrible, I had no skills, but I did have fun. It made me realise sport didn't have to be scary, frightening, humiliating. 

Actually there is one sport I am good at, with thanks to my Austrian step-dad, Erwin - skiing. Erwin loves the mountains, the cold and snow. So from a very young age every winter we'd head to Mount Buller or Falls Creek and spend a week or so skiing. We had lessons up until I was about sixteen, so I learnt proper technique, unlike my husband who is self taught. It's the one thing I can do slightly better than him. Not that I cling to that like a limpet to a rock. Not at all.

I adore skiing. I adore the brisk mountain air, the breathtaking views, the village feel of ski resorts, all the weird equipment and rituals and traditions (the queue jumping dares, the hot chocolates, the games of 500). And that feeling of freedom, being right on the edge of control and danger - pushing yourself, just enough, as you swoosh down the slope. One whiff of diesel fuel and I get excited; I immediately think of the ski lifts. 

Unfortunately you can't just pop your runners on and go for a ski. Especially in Australia it's an expensive and logistically tricky hobby. We don't ski very often these days, but when we do I still love it.

Outside of skiing, my husband goes through phases where he decides we need to do a family activity. When we were living in Hong Kong, that was squash. Since being back in Australia it's been tennis. We haven't played much lately, but for awhile we were playing semi-regular doubles matches with the step-sons as partners. Yes, I'm terrible, but that's okay. And yes, surprisingly, I do actually enjoy it. 

I guess in spite of all those traumatic school sport memories - the ones that make me shiver and sweat in fear - exercise and movement have become a really important part of my life. I discovered yoga about seven years ago and loved it - the feeling of progression and accomplishment, building your strength and flexibility week on week. I love doing hand weights and pilates and a weird mix of other exercises I've pulled off the internet. And, of course, I could walk for days and days. When I don't move, when I don't exercise, I feel terrible - emotionally and physically. Maybe school sport was good for me after all? 

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ps. In all honesty I did not feel like writing this post today. It's been such a sad, grim, heart breaking week. But I made a commitment to do one of these My... posts a month, and to write more, and sometimes writing is just about focussing on the task at hand and getting it done, even when you're feeling bereft of hope. Kindness and compassion and gentleness - that's what I'm seeking out right now, that's what I'm looking for in my corner of the world. I hope you are finding it in yours. x

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The My... posts are a way to get me writing more throughout 2015. There'll be one a month, each with a different My... prompt. You can play along as well, whenever and wherever you want. This month's prompt (April) is My Sport. Next month's prompt (May) is My Travel. Interpret each prompt however you like - a story or a jumble of thoughts, fact or fiction, personal or not. Don't feel too constrained by the months either, if you like a prompt then have a go. And make sure to let me know if you do join in!

Done! : Jabulani Challenge

On the Saturday just gone I participated in the Jabulani Challenge by walking 22 kilometres through Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Part of me wants to say it doesn't really mean anything because the 'real' participants ran the whole course, or because the 'real' participants did 45 kilometres, or because my time was pretty bloody slow. 

But I'm ignoring that voice in my brain because it does mean something, to me anyway. It means something because I wasn't at my best - having pretty much missed the last three weeks of training due to illness and life - but I did it anyway. It means something because I did it all completely solo. I drove there on my own, I walked on my own, I inhaled coffee and a toasted sandwich on my own, and I drove home on my own. I had so many excuses, so many chances to pull out, but I didn't. 

It means something because it was a hot and sweaty 22 kilometres up hills and down hills and up so many more ridiculously steep hills. It was 22 kilometres jumping over rocks and tree roots and streams, dealing with shoulder high vegetation, goat tracks and getting lost once (okay, twice). 

So I'm going to treasure my bling, and I'm going to treasure that sense of seeing yet another hill and just thinking 'yep, let's do this!'. And doing it. 

Here's some things I learnt: 

- Training plans are awesome, even when you aren't able to follow them to the letter. I'm certain that doing the training before I was sick and busy helped me out immensely on the day, especially all those hill intervals and trail walks. If I hadn't of done that work early on I reckon I really would have struggled on the day. 

- Preparation is key. See the note on training above. But it's also about making sure you've got all your gear sorted well in advance, and that you've thought through all the logistics for a stress free day (just the essentials like parking, food, hydration and coffee...). I even pre-programmed the car's GPS the night before; one less thing to think about at arse o'clock on the day of the event.

- Going to an event on your own can be a bit intimidating, especially for an introvert like me. But it's worth it. I like the feeling of training for something, and being set a clearly defined challenge. There's also a nice sense of camaraderie out on the trail, everyone was very friendly and helpful. 

- Although I was at the event on my own, I did have a virtual cheer squad which was so awesome. It really made a difference, especially in the first 7kms. So post on Facebook, tweet, text and 'gram. Just make sure you watch where you're walking when you do. 

- Trail walking / running is hard. Don't assume because you can do a certain distance on the footpath that you can do that same distance on a trail. It really doesn't translate. It's not just the hills - on a trail you have to think about every single step you take (unless you don't mind a rolled ankle!). The trail is constantly changing, which is mentally and physically challenging, but it's also kind of what makes it awesome. I was beyond impressed watching the 45km runners. Impressive stuff.  

- Apart from a bit of soreness in the knees yesterday, and a twinge (or three) in the ankles today I've actually pulled up pretty well. I'm putting it down to magnesium tablets daily (I've been taking them for a good few months now); good hydration before, during and after the event; wearing compression socks before and after; and a couple of nice long hot soaks in our pool.

Have you completed an event lately? Or just something that you're a bit proud of? Tell me!

In Training : Jabulani Challenge (Why Training Plans Are Ace)

One of my 15 things to get done in the Year of the Sheep is to complete three walking events. My first one is coming up in April. It's the Jabulani Challenge - I'm doing the 22km trail run walk. It's only my second event ever, and it's my first ever trail walk. And it's only 32 days away. But I'm not panicking. 

No siree, there's no panicking here. Because about a month ago I did a smart thing - after umming and ahhing for a few weeks I bit the bullet and got myself a personalised training plan. Zoey from Operation Move put it together for me, based on answers to questions about when I prefer to exercise, what my goals are for both speed and distance, and what cross training I enjoy. 

I've always thought about having a training plan, about getting some expert guidance. Back in my gym days I picked up so many personal trainer business cards, I had quite the collection going. I was always a bit scared of taking the next step though. Scared of what? Nothing and everything. Scared of interacting with a stranger for one (and the first step would mean interacting with a stranger on the phone. Ughhh.). Scared of having my bubble burst, scared of being told I was doing everything wrong. Scared of the unknown. Sounds silly now I write it all out. 

Long story short - it's a new experience for me, having a training plan. 

It's a new experience, and I'm loving it. There's a lot of variety in there - long walks and short walks, hill sprints and intervals. Things I never would have tackled without something telling me I needed to tackle them (namely hills and speed, at the same time!). Things get a little more challenging each week too, so you can see that you are in fact making progress (always a key motivator for me). 

But more than all that, having a training plan means I'm taking my walking a bit more seriously, I'm making it a priority. Previously I would have had a vague idea that I needed to fit a long walk into my week, but if the husband and step-sons were home I'd just let it slide to the bottom of the to-do list and it wouldn't happen. Now, if it's on my training plan it gets done. 

It also gives me a bit of confidence; it helps me feel like I'm doing the right things at the right time rather than just trying to do as many kilometres as I can, whenever I can. Instead of just muddling along and making it up as I go, I have clear goals and actions and things to get done. And yes, I tick each day off as I go (of course I do!).

A month in and I'm finding having a training plan isn't scary at all. It's actually awesome.

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Are you training for anything special at the moment? Do you have a plan? Do you want one? Are you scared of the phone too? Or is that just me?

The (Bloody) Long Walk

I've always loved walking. If I had the choice, and the time, and a sherpa, I'd walk everywhere. Walking is when I feel calm and inspired; it's when I feel connected and present. I've dabbled with running, every now and again, but at some point I always remember that I really, really hate running. But I never, ever hate walking. 

So when I heard about The Bloody Long Walk a few months ago I got pretty excited, and I signed up for the Melbourne one without thinking too much about how exactly I was going to walk 35 kilometres in one hit. And I hadn't given it much more thought since then either. Until last week when my Bloody Long Walk buddy, Shannon, reminded me that it was coming up pretty bloody soon, and that we should maybe possibly start doing something about it. Message received, yesterday - in the glorious Sydney sunshine - I headed out for a 19 km 'long and steady' walk. 

The training program I'm following suggests these long walks are a chance to test out your kit and get a sense of what you're in for. Here's what I learnt: 

- Sydney has a lot of hills. And when you pick a random path through the eastern suburbs you are going to walk up and down most of them. 

- Sydney has some seriously great views. Seriously great. Stunning, even. Sail boats and sparkling water and golden beaches and that bridge... The views pop up everywhere, constantly surprising you as you round a corner or crest a hill. They made me swear out loud in appreciation many times during my walk. 

- I walk twice as fast without the dogs. Which makes sense as I'm normally carrying Ferdi whilst dragging Elfi away from eating some thing mouldy and / or trying to take on a doberman. Not very conducive to a quick pace.

 - And I walk even faster again when I'm wearing my sneakers (I have a bad habit of walking longish distances in my Havaianas...). Who would have guessed that shoes made for exercise actually help you exercise? 

- I need a back up, back up battery pack. If my phone (and therefore Map My Walk) crashes during the big one and doesn't save my triumph (assuming I make it) for perpetuity (or at least for Facebook and Twitter) I will be a bit sad. 

- I may be mildly allergic to sunscreen but it needs to be an essential part of my kit. I learnt this the hard way. 

- Same goes for a hat (though luckily I'm not allergic to those...) 

- My left ankle is a bit of a mess, as is my right knee. But between the both of them I have one really awesome leg. Yay? 

Next weekend is a 21km walk. I've started planning a path that's a bit more westward, I think there's less hills out that way. And then it's 25km, and then the taper before the big event. I'm excited, and a I'm bit scared. Okay, a lot scared. To be honest, I really have no idea what I'm doing; there is a so much I don't know.

So I've just signed up as an Operation Move member. I plan on bombarding the forums with questions, but in the meantime - have you done any long walks or other endurance events? What did you take with you? What did you eat before, during and after? Any other tips? 

ps. The walk is a fundraiser for the Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. It's a bloody horrible disease, and a mysterious one too. If you feel like sponsoring me you can do so here. Thank you x

All iPhone shots, edited in VSCOcam.