Time to be the tortoise

By Virginia Winder
Restraint and endurance are my new key words.
These come from Coach Clint, who is doing his best to contain my over-zealous enthusiasm for aerobic training.
Both words are aimed at preventing me from injuring myself, plus endurance will help me build up stamina and muscle condition.
In other words I have to be the tortoise, not the hare, which is a major personality switch for me. 
I did practise restraint today.
My left Achilles tendon is niggling a little, so I refrained from running this evening and instead did a power walk. Or should a say a power dance.
When I have those earphones in, pumping arms and legs like a maniac, I get lost in my own world. I imagine finish lines and passing people, and often, like tonight, I replay concerts.
Tonight I relived last year's Green Day gig in Auckland by walk-dancing to Holiday. Then I pounded the pavement to Resistance by Muse (BDO last year) and got a little bit of rhythm via Michael Franti and Spearhead (Power Station 2009).
Earlier, I swam 40 lengths with my niece, Rebekah.
I felt slow in the pool tonight, but I kept going, pulling through the water saying "endurance" to myself over and over.
Did some tough arm-weight exercises at the gym last night, but don't think I'm ready for those yet.
Coach Clint wants me to stop doing weights until July, when I move on to strength.
Because I've committed to the gym for a year, we've come to an agreement. I need to strengthen my core and do more stretching, so the gym's combined Pilates-yoga class will be ideal for this. I'm also sure I'll head to the gym on bike-training days when it's too windy to be safe outside.
Let me tell you why Clint is worth listening to.
He's been doing triathlons since 1993 and has represented and also captained New Zealand at a couple of World Triathlon Age Group Championships in Lausanne (Switzerland) and Hawaii. His first degree was in physiology and he has lectured PE students.
He's positive and practical, insightful and inspiring, and best of all he understands why trying to be a career woman and dedicated mother didn't leave much time for exercising. Add my ridiculous drive into the mix and you have a recipe for poor physical and mental health, leading to burnout. Hi, I'm Virginia and I'm a workaholic... you know the story.
Anyway, after chatting with Clint today, I feel confident that I will be able to conquer this half-ironwoman race in 13 months' time.
But I have to repeat my new mantra - endurance and restraint, endurance and restraint...

Today, I:
Swam 40 lengths of a 25m pool
Ran four lengths of the pool
Walked 3.6km in 38 minutes (I now have Map My Run ap)
Drank 2 cups of coffee
Had a good breakfast, didn't do so well at a morning tea shout, had a good lunch and healthy dinner.
Worked for 5 hours (see, I am getting balance!!!)
Drank some water, but not enough

On the run again - yahoo!

It's happened.
Yesterday I ran and oh, how good it felt.
We were on the Te Henui walkway and heading back down a gentle slope, when I felt the urge to stride out a little.
"I'll run to that seat," I said out loud to Warren, my husband.
But it was so easy I kept going.
And going.
I ran for about five minutes, which may not seem a lot, but it's just the start.
In fact, that's how everything starts - just one step, one stride, one rotation, one stroke at a time.
If I do five minutes of running during each long walk this week, I can up it to 10 next week, then 15, 20, 25, 30... you get the idea.
However, I won't be pounding the walkway because that's concrete, so it'll be streets and Pukekura Park. Even writing this, I feel the desire to get out there again.
When I was younger, running and skateboarding were the two activities that made me feel like I was flying.
For years now I have had vivid dreams of skateboarding and flying.
I also had these nightmares about not being able to run away from something or someone chasing me. My legs simply wouldn't work.
Other times I'd have horrible dreams about being in a race on sand and not being able to lift my feet.
It's only five minutes, I know, but my living nightmare is over.
A few hours later I went for a swim, but only managed 30 lengths. Not because I was tired, but because I ran out of time!
Several years ago a dear friend died of breast cancer and this weekend would have been her 50th birthday. We had dinner with her parents and friends, lit 50 candles all over the garden and remembered this beautiful woman with love and tears.
She's one of the reasons why I've got a fundraising page for breast cancer research as part of my misison to complete the Tri-Woman race on January 29.
I always wanted to be running that race and now I think I will be. My aim was to be down to 100kg by the end of November and I'm on target. I also wanted to be running by then and I am - just.
As this journey has continued I have realised that more and more, my aim is to be an athlete again.
Another friend of mine says she's having a midlife crisis, so has returned to her love of speed - the fast pace not the drug.
When I was young, sport was everything.
So yes, triathlon training is the result of my own midlife crisis.
One that also aims for balance in work and life.
On Friday and Saturday I was totally out of balance.
After a lovely lunch with a friend (a healthy salad), I felt out of kilter and realised it was my ears.
When I got home, I put my head down and the world tilted - confirmation that swimming without earplugs for a week, days of walking in strong winds and nights of being plugged into audio books had affected my inner ear. I've had it before you see.
That's why Friday and Saturday ended up as rest days - hence no blogs.
My big aim this week is to get on my bike!

Yesterday, I:
Walked for 1 hour 40
Ran for 5 minutes
Swam 30 lengths of 50m pool
This wasn't a wonderful food day - I grazed, mostly wisely, and then ate home-made sponge with cream at a potluck dinner. Mmm it was good though.
Drank lots of water
Drank 3 cups of coffee
Drank 1 cup of tea

Water opens creative floodgates

By Virginia Winder

Water is the answer to many woes - especially writer's block.

For the past week I've been struggling with a piece of work, but tonight, on length No 7, an idea swam into my head. Then another and another until creative thoughts began to stream through my brain as the water flowed past me.
For the next 10 lengths or more, I submerged myself in creative thoughts. It was like a flood gate opened and let my Muse in.
When writing is your craft and career, suffering from severe writer's block is a curse.
It doesn't happen often and any minor blocks can usually be cured with a long shower. That trick hasn't worked all week though.
But in that pool, with the methodical plunge and pull, plunge and pull, breathe, my mind relaxed into a meditative state, all worries disappeared and now, I'm brimming with ideas and ready to write.
Don't ask me why, but water is my conduit. Perhaps that's why I also need a cup of coffee or tea at my elbow when I'm drafting ideas.
Even now I'm sipping on spicy chai in between tapping out these words.
You'll also be pleased to know that I talked to "grumpy man" about his verbal attack on overweight people.
After my written rave, I had a think and realised his mood was out of character.
So I visited him and, as he was about to apologise, I stopped him.
"You upset me the other day," I said, "but then I realised I wasn't a good friend to you. You were obviously upset about something and I didn't take time to listen. I'm sorry about that. Now what was wrong?"
As life would have it, my friend's grumpy mood had nothing to do with me - or the obesity issue. He shared his concerns with me, I listened and then he apologised profusely for his anti-big-people comments.
You see he got to thinking too and realised he had been unfair and unkind.
I forgave him.
We hugged.
All is good with the world.

So often when someone lashes out with thoughtless and angry words, they are only revealing how they feel inside. If your thoughts are poison, that's what flows from you.

I'm not perfect; I get angry too, but I do my best to be kind to everyone in my life.

On my phone, I've written the words: "Speak with a kind heart."

So I do.

Today, I:

Worked for 6 hours

Slept for 8.5 hours

Swam 40 lengths (2km)

Ran 2 lengths in the pool

Ate amazingly nutritious meals

Drank more than 1.5 litres of water

Drank 2 coffees

Drank 1 chai

Yesterday, I:

Tried to work for 8 hours (read major writer's block)

Slept for 7 hours

Went for a 45-minute walk (OK, I was meant to bike but it was windy, wet and getting too dark)

Ate perfectly - no more skipping meals!

Drank 3 coffees

Drank 1 green tea

Drank about 1 litre of water

Getting heated over weighty issues

By Virginia Winder
Every day there's a new challenge and today's came during a conversation with a grumpy bloke.
"I am sick of hearing all this stuff about obesity," he said. "It's simple, just don't eat so much and do some exercise."
When I countered that perhaps it's not as easy as all that and how a great deal of people struggle with losing weight, he shook his head with a look of disdain on his face.
Then he suggested that we're all getting too touchy feely and the real issue is that fat people (meaning me, my mother and millions of people worldwide) are just lazy and not particularly intelligent.
By this time, I could feel the anger welling up in me. I was indignant for all the people who have struggled with their size, who have been on diet after diet only to put it all back on again (and more), or who have a genetic predisposition to putting on weight.
"That's just an excuse," he said of the latter.
At this point I realised the discussion needed to end, before I said something I might regret.
You see, even though I'm now on the road to fitness and better health, I've spent about 17 years overweight.
But nobody could ever say I was lazy.
In fact, that was my problem - I was so busy working there was no time in my life to focus on exercise. I've always loved food (still do) but I was eating many of the wrong things as a quick fix to get me through each day. I was doing the best I could, but didn't have much energy left over to make other decisions.
I will, therefore, defend anybody who's overweight, because it's a tough place to be.
On my quest, I'm learning what foods will fuel me best, how important it is to have goals, rediscovering the joy of exercising and the wonder of being fit.
But it was my time to change. I had my ultimatum - the knife or my life (see my first blog).
It's important though to accept yourself, no matter what size you are and feel good inside. The truth is, I've rarely felt hideous or unattractive, although I know I'm no supermodel. My decision to change was purely for my health and then came the decision to become an athlete again.
Other people will have their own tipping points and reasons for making changes.
Whether you do, or don't do, I'll never judge you, won't purposely do anything to make you feel guilty and will accept you all, as you are - with an open heart and open mind.

Today, I:
Worked for 7 hours
Slept for 8 hours
Swam 40 lengths of a 50m pool
Walked for 50 minutes
Ate two fantastically nutritious meals, but missed dinner (not a good idea)
Drank two cups of coffee
Drank 1.5 litres of water

Coach Clint calls the shots

By Virginia Winder
Coach Clint has me in his sights.
He's no cowboy gunslinger, but this former triathlete is laying down the law for my training on the wild west coast of New Zealand.
This 30-something man of business is the general manager of a generous company, which has decided to back me in Mission Half-Ironwoman (note the gender change).
However, it's Clint's boss, the owner of the business, who has decided I'm worth a wager.
Sorry, I still can't do the major revelation - you have no idea how hard it is not to tell all - but it's all about timing and rights to the story. Haha, just joking, but it sounds good, eh, Virginia on the front page of NZ Woman's Weekly, dressed in a suit of iron.
You're right, not a pretty picture and not happening. But the details are all about timing.
That brings us back to Coach Clint... I had a one-on-one session with him last week and he plotted my future on a whiteboard. I now have clearer SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) goals, a training schedule and even have homework.
I need to find a social running/walking group, a cycling group, learn about cycling etiquette (I'll be like Liza Doolittle for sure), find out my maxium heart rate, record how far and how long I'm walking, stretch after each exercise session and find out the swim, cycle and run times for my age group in this year's Port of Tauranga Half-Ironman (done!). Researching the latter, I found that Taranaki woman Sonia O'Connell was the fastest female swimmer in the race. She's a former surf lifesaving clubmate of mine, so she'll have some great training advice for sure.
Anyway, Clint quizzed me about a whole bunch of things, including my realistic weight goal - we reckon around 65kg would be good and I should be able to reach that by the end of May next year.
Clint has also armed me with a new training schedule, which began today. OK, so I had rest day. He's revised things, because from now on I'll be doing long training sessions at the weekends and Monday is my most intense time for deadlines, so will need a break.
Had a couple of quiet days before storming ahead with a big week of training.
Yesterday, Warren and I walked through the Ratapihipihi Reserve and I wore my new tramping boots. They saved me, about three times actually, from twisting my bendy ankles.
Walked up that seemingly, never-ending hill and had visions of my mother swearing and puffing her way up and up and up those steps. I wasn't there for that cuss-and-climb outing; my sister Felicity was, but it's part of our family folkore so it feels like my memory too.
Our darling mother was delightfully naughty and terribly feisty.
Clint wants me to cut down on going to the gym. I might, a little, but the rebel in me just could slip two shortened weight-training session in somewhere to help with my swimming.
I like the plan, which we've worked out together, but have tweaked it just a bit so I can go swimming with my niece, Rebekah.
We're meeting up tomorrow, but if the forecast storm hits, we could be heading indoors to the shorter pool for our workout.
See, there's more than training on the horizon...

Today, I:
Worked for 15 hours (yes, fail on that one - glum face)
Drank heaps of fluids (coffee, chai, water, green tea)
Slept for 6 hours
Trained for zero hours (Monday is new rest day)
Ate pretty well, but did find myself grazing in the pantry for nuts and a couple of crackers
Had family time because I worked at home all day

Walk on the wild side with chocolate

By Virginia Winder
I'm writing this blog with chocolate melting in my mouth.
Dark chocolate, high in antioxidants, delicious and slightly forbidden. It's also giving me an instant endorphin kick. Mmm.
You see, it's OK to indulge every so often, to take a walk on the wild side without guilt.
I talked to a bloke today and he quizzed me about food, concerned I may get obsessive about eating or develop a disorder.
Fat chance - not when there's chocolate in the world.
Or chicken mole. That's a Mexican dish of chicken and chocolate sauce.
It's fine to enjoy food, eat every mouthful slowly and savour the flavour. I've talked about this before, but every time I eat it's about making choices.
Wise choices that will help fuel my mind and body. I've cut down on carbohydrates, given cheese and butter the flick and added more blueberries (I crave them!), walnuts, salmon and protein to my diet.
Fresh, unprocessed and home-made, that's the way to go.
And be mindful. Sometimes I take a bite of something, hold it in my mouth and imagine where it came from. Who grew the cocoa beans in this chocolate? Where is that farm? What does it look like and who picked these beans - a machine or human hands.
I love doing that. Sometimes I do it with other things too, like a book. I hold one in my hands and flick through it, knowing that a person wrote every word, a tree grew tall and was cut down by a person using a human-made tool to make paper for the pages, that someone mixed the ink... you can see how far you can think about a seemingly simple thing.
The reshaping of a body, a life, is the same.
It's a process that begins with a decision, then a short walk, a few lengths, a bike ride or a gym workout.
And then more and more and more.
With each training session there are changes, like the ease of breathing, a lightness of step, a gentle hill that felt like a hard slog is a breeze on the bike.
Then clothes feel big.
Others items fit.
This is a slow metamorphosis, which won't be obvious to others at first and then a friend will exclaim how your face has changed or you look glowing. Then you realise that these supportive people are your mirrors, reflecting you back to you.
But most important of all is how you feel.
After allowing a freight train of words to flow through my head, there are three that stand out: Motivation, determination and revelation. The first two are self-explanatory, the third is about finding out that I still enjoy exercise and, in fact, love it, with a passion.
Along with that joy of getting out there and doing it, is the growing pleasure of writing about it.
This blog is no slog.
Tomorrow I'll tell you about a man called Clint, a short-term and long-term training programme, remind us about SMART goals and then I'll tell you a true story about generosity.
It's an amazing one.
But for now, I'll leave you with a story about Ben Davis.
Watch this video and enjoy the soundtrack.

Yesterday, I:
Walked for 50 minutes
Ate like an angel
Slept for 9 hours
Worked for 5 hours
Drank 3 cups of coffee
Drank more water than ever (about 1.5 litres)

Today, I:
Slept for 6 hours
Did no exercise
Had a triathlon-training planning session
Worked for 9 hours
Ate pretty well (walked away from pizza and beer, but indulged in dark chocolate)
Had 3 cups of coffee
Drank about 1 litre of water

Getting a kick out of swimming knowledge

By Virginia Winder
Last night I was too exhausted to write, so went straight to bed as early as a chicken.
This week I discovered they retreat to the roost at first sign of darkening skies and so that's what I did.
Have been out of kilter with work-life balance and did a 2.30am start yesterday, which is plain stupid. But after feeling under the weather on Monday, I had no choice because meeting deadlines is an absolute must.
So is getting out there and exercising, which helps with everything - body, mind and spirit.
Went swimming with my niece, Rebekah, yesterday and she's not powering away as fast as before. She hasn't slowed down; I've sped up!
But one thing we did discover is that our kicking isn't great. We tried using flutter boards and kicking, but barely moved. We normally put on flippers for this, which gets our leg muscles working incredibly hard.
But au naturale we were useless.
Feeling despondent, I've just looked up a website called Swimsmooth and it's made me feel better.
It says: "Elite freestyle swimmers with world-class kicks only get a small fraction of their propulsion from their legs (about 10-15%). Most triathletes and amateur swimmers get next to no propulsion from their kick."
It goes on to say that we still need to kick a little to help with body position, but we only need to do a minimum to reserve energy. It's also important to kick with a straight leg from the hip because a bent knee causes drag.
That makes me want to get back in the pool right now to try it out.
I've also been doing Spike's schedule and that's working fine. Once again, I think I'll need to mix it up a bit more and to keep me challenged.
Also chatted to one of my brother's old friends, a bloke who, back in his rugby days, we called Tank.
He's done quite a few triathlons and says your fitness levels soar and the weight drops fast when you start doing two training sessions a day.
Had a few double-dose days, but they wipe me - so do 2.30am starts.
Tonight I'm going to go for a short bike ride and a long walk, to ease into those triathlon transitions.
See ya on the streets.

Yesterday, I:
Worked 13 hours
Slept for 3.5 hours
Swam 40 lengths of a 50m pool
Ran 14 lengths (so total 54)
Ate smaller meals and had more healthy snacks
Still failed on the water!
Drank two cups of coffee

Beating that dreaded plateau

By Virginia Winder
Hills aren't the problem in this fitness mission - it's those plateaus that are hard to get over.
Some sports nutritionists say that our bodies do their best to stay in balance and don't actually like losing weight.
So we have to keep surprising them with different foods, new exercises and prevent them from slipping into that comfort zone.
Talked with a friend today and she's lost about the same amount of weight as me - 16kg - but feels she too has reached that levelling out place.
Her aim is to look great at her daughter's wedding, mine is to become an athlete again and I know others who simply want to be avoid all those health issues that come with ageing and being overweight.
Tonight I forced myself, despite feeling under the weather all day, to go to the gym. I had an appointment with Courtney from Contours and she was extremely helpful.
"It's 80% what you eat," she says about affective weight loss.
Then she quizzed me about my snacks.
The truth is I don't exactly have any, not really.
It seems that I'm doing it all wrong.
If I'm exercising so much I need to fuel myself by eating something every three hours, like fruit and nuts, or yoghurt and nuts, or canned tuna or salmon, or have a protein shake.
It's also important to have a small snack about half and hour before exercise and half an hour after, she says. All these snacks should include protein.
So smaller meals more often is the ticket, which I'm going to try for the next two weeks.
And, I'm going to keep a food diary for two weeks, just to see if I am on track.
The other big thing is water.
My new aim is to drink 1.5 litres before lunch and 1.5 litres before tea. So that's 3 litres a day, which is a good idea because of how much I'm sweating during workouts.
There is debate about how much water we should be drinking, with some doubters definitely against large amounts of water intake, but I'm going to see if it makes a difference to me.
According to the gym scales I've lost 2kg, but the tape measure shows only a couple of centimetres have disappeared from my body - from my left leg and around my stomach. Perhaps the rest of weight loss was from my brain, because it certainly feels like it.
Anyway, for the next two weeks, I'm going to refocus on what I'm eating, but still without dieting. I kind of like the idea of having to eat more often to keep my metabolism powered up. Who would have thought it, eh?
Found some great advice from writer Paige Waehner on about.com, so check out her plateau-beating tips.
Off to get some more water now...

Today, I:
Slept 5.5 hours (at night) and 3 hours this afternoon (yep, definitely feeling fatigued)
Worked 12 hours
Went to the gym and walked home, with a fast hill climb in there for good measure
Have upped my water intake (aim to drink 3 litres a day)
Had three nutritious meals, but only one tiny snack of nuts
Started a food diary (to do for 2 weeks)

Beating boys, past lives and Walter Mitty dreams

By Virginia Winder
When I was a teenager I remember writing a poem about being an athletic robot.
I wrote it one summer when was I working and staying at the surf lifesaving club at Oakura.
Every day I trained and trained and trained, but wasn't using my brain.
When I went to university after that summer I used to go running with the boys in my hostel and they would all be out to beat me.
We'd do this loop that included the hill going up through the Auckland Domain and I ran at a slowish pace.
When we got to the flat going past Auckland Hospital and heading across Grafton Bridge I'd play cat and mouse with those young men.
I'd sprint for 50 metres and they'd all go with me; then I'd slow down and the boys did too. Then I'd sprint again and half would race me; I'd slow again and so would they.
Inwardly grinning, I'd sprint again and only one guy would go with me - a fellow from New Plymouth called Edgar Brooker.
Then I'd slow and then take off for one more sprint and I'd always be the first home.
It was so much fun using my fitness and tactics to beat those young men.
All they needed to do was make me go fast on the long run and they would've beaten me every time, but because I was the one to beat, they ran at my pace, leaving me to do sprint training at the end.
Unfortunately, I damaged my achilles tendon while playing squash a few months later, so couldn't continue those training runs.
That summer, aged 18, I was the fittest I've ever been and my aim is to feel that way again.
For too long, I've considered those days "another life".
Today I racing a bloke in the pool.
I got to the end a few times first, but mostly he beat me.
It's always fun to have spontaneous races with people. It prevents boredom and makes you push yourself faster, harder.
Am also a big fan of changing routines, which is why triathlon training is so good for me.
I have an extremely low boredom threshold, so will mix things up in training and life.
Actually, I rarely get bored and that's because of my over-active imagination.
If you've ever seen that Danny Kaye movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, you'll get close to what goes on in my head.
My father and I loved that film, and it also reminds me of a book Dad had about this sporting superstar called Wilson, who won everything.
I was brought up with such tales, plus the real-life stories of Jack Lovelock, Peter Snell, Randolph Rose, Murray Halberg and Yvette Williams. I read the lot.
Yes, I dreamed of being an Olympic runner.
Don't worry, I haven't suddenly gone mad and think I could make the grade in my late 40s.
But, I would like to do OK in triathlons, especially in my age group.
To help me get inspired, I'm reading Get Carter, the story of Hamish Carter and it's great. Click this link to read how he's making a comeback.
Another uplifting story from Triathlon NZ is about a bloke called Liam Friary, who has completely reshaped himself and his life through doing triathlons.
He's my new hero!
Oh by the way, I've got new scales and I'm now 104kg!
It's dropping slowly, but steadily.
I will definitely celebrate when I'm no longer in three figures!

Today, I:
Swam 40 lengths of a 50m pool
Ran 2 lengths
Slept for 9 hours
Worked for 4 hours
Drank lots of water
Had 2 coffees
Ate extremely healthy food

Mr Moon walks upon the water

By Virginia Winder
Went to the gym tonight and sweated through 20 minutes of Michael Franti, Split Enz, Pink and a song from the Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack.
Those minutes were spent on the exercycle and I pushed it, especially when Baddest Ruffest by Backyard Dog came on. That song from Bend It, is my favourite speed track of all time and if you see me absolutely powering it uphill, on the coastal walkway or pedalling like crazy at the gym, chances are that's what I'm listening to.
After the bike, I did weights and other exercises, then walked home.
We sat outside and enjoyed a BBQ dinner of lamb steak, Greek salad and bruschetta, then I picked flowers in the fading light.
Today was a good day and a productive one.
Worked and exercised hard, ate well and enjoyed the sunshine.
Had a whole bunch of interviews and then had a gorgeous Mexican lunch from Tesoro Fresh Mex. My meal was spicy, by choice, because I do so love those endorphins.
It's lovely because Clementine is home studying, so this afternoon she hit the books and I wrote.
Normally, today I'd be telling you how much weight I've lost (or not), but I have no idea because our scales are broken. Think moisture probably got into them in the bathroom.
I'm feeling good, but would like to know the truth - is this regime working or not?
Think I may have been eating meals that are too large, so cutting down might be on the cards.
Yesterday was meant to be a rest day, but went for a dusk walk by the sea with Warren (husband) and Xena (our dog) and watched the moon rise.
Warren sang: "Mr Moon you walk upon the water." That's a line from a song by the Headless Chickens and even his wailing didn't spoil the moment.
Those simple, beautiful moments make exercising a great joy.

Today, I:
Slept for 7.5 hours
Worked for 8 hours
Did a workout at the gym (walked there and back too)
Ate nutritious, healthy food, but maybe my portions were too big
Drank a good amount of water
Drank 2 cups of coffee
Drank 2 glasses of wine (pinot gris)

Spike turns up with toys

By Virginia Winder
When I went swimming with an old friend this morning, she brought along a bag of aids.
"You've got to have toys," she says, placing paddles and fins on the side of the pool and grabbing a dumbbell flotation device for drag.
It was great fun and I learnt a whole lot of new things because Spike's a swimmer from way back. She's been on a website called swimplan.com and got a schedule for 1500 metres. We kicked, dragged, did one arm training, push glides, used the paddles (and made seal noises - well I did) and worked on style.
Not only are toys great for training, they also add variety.
In the end we both did 40 lengths and then ran for four lengths, pretending we were slow-motion superheroes.
You see it appears I'm not the only one who lives in an athletic fantasy world.
Afterwards we talked about the delusions and disillusions of maturity.
Spike's way older than me (alright, just by 15 months) and says she's struggled getting back into swimming because she immediately expected to perform like she did as a teenager and 20-something-year-old.
That's like me with my transition from walking to running.
We both agreed, over salads from Tank, that we will get there, one step or stroke at a time.
Or one spin class.
Yes, I did a double dose today - swimming in the morning and indoor cycling at the gym tonight.
Annoyingly, I'm having a bit of difficult with my right foot.
Years ago, when backpacking around Greece, I went over in a pothole when leaving the island of Kos.
My ankle was excruciatingly painful, but thought it was just a bad sprain.
My dear fiance (now husband) was a bit grumpy with me for holding us back from sight-seeing. I had to lie in our hotel room in Athens while he explored the city by himself.
Not to be a drag, I hobbled around on it for days, including limping to the top of the Acropolis.
It's never been 100%.
Earlier this year I twisted that same ankle at Womad and was sent for an x-ray.
"You've broken this one before," the technician told me, looking at the film.
That was news to me, but it did explain some things.
Like why I was in so much pain after doing it, why it took so long to mend and why I can't sit cross legged.
I'm sure stretching, proper positioning in the bike foot straps and good walking shoes are helping.
Or perhaps there's a new toy I need that will help me.
Because, as Cindy Lauper says: "Girls just wanna have fun!"

Today, I:
Swam 40 lengths of a 50-metre pool
Ran 4 lengths
Did a spin class
Drank a good amount of water
Ate three nutritious meals
Have continued to cut down on carbohydrates
Worked for 1.5 hours
Slept for 9 hours (blissful and much needed!)

Parallel universes and winding roads

By Virginia Winder
Met my dreamgirl at the aquatic centre tonight.
"I should be saying that, not you," my husband, Warren, says.
He gets the "in your dreams" look and I explain that in the lane next to me was a woman training for the Tauranga half-ironman this coming January.
My dream is that this time next year I'll be like her - sleek, fast and incredibly fit.
As I did my lengths (42 swimming and 10 running), the 32-year-old cruised past me effortlessly and I began to imagine she was me, but in a parallel universe. You see when you're swimming up and down, up and down, it's extremely meditative and your mind expands, probably because of the endolphins.
So there I was pondering quantum physics and possible futures, a bit of time travel thrown in for good measure, when it struck me that all I had to do was clock up day after day after day of training and, in this universe, an overweight, nearly-50-year-old can achieve that elusive dream - a half ironman.
Just to remind you (and me), a half-ironman entails a 2km swim, 90km bike ride and 21.1km run. I can do the swim - I'm there, but terribly slow. So speed is the essence.
The bike ride is a long way off, but there is news on this front, which I'll tell you soon and you're certain to be as blown away as I am.
As for the run, my walking is going well, so I'm hoping I'll be running by the end of the month (toes crossed).
Also, I have to confess I had a bad weekend; one filled with sadness for the loss of a man I greatly admired and my own bleak thoughts. My eating was patchy and I lacked energy and enthusiasm.
Life is not a straight road. It's more like State Highway 45 between Oakura and Okato; up and down and winding.
We all have such times, but on this journey to fitness and health (physical and mental), it's all about starting again and being kind to ourselves and others.
And knowing, always knowing, that no matter how bad things are, they will get better.
If you're feeling awful, please reach out and ask for help.
Someone will always be there to listen and love you.
Please, please choose life.
Today I met a man who has overcome his fear of water and learnt to swim.
That might not sound a big thing if you're a swimmer, but what's your inner nemesis? Just for a second think of the thing you are most scared of facing or doing - it could be spiders, roller coasters or bungy jumping.
Now, I want you to imagine conquering that frightening thing, again and again.
That's mountain-high huge.
There are people all around us doing great things, like a man scared of heights who crossed a swing bridge for the first time. Such bravery.
I pay tribute to the courageous. I honour the gutsy.
And I say: "Good on ya dreamgirl - I'm gonna be you. "

Today, I
Swam 42 lengths of a 50-metre pool
Ran 10 lengths of the pool
Drank not enough water
Drank 3 coffees
Ate extremely healthy food
Worked for 8 hours

For the love of endorphins

When I was out walking tonight I realised four things.
1. Even though I might train and train at swimming, it is unlikely to be my best discipline. However, I need to work harder at it, because I don't want to be useless out there in the sea. I think, from now on, I'm going to have to swim every second day.
2. To perform well in a triathlon, I need to play to my strengths - both of them. Yes, I'm talking about my legs. Despite initially having some trepidation about biking, I have realised that it could well be my strongest discipline in these triathlons.
3. I need to get running. To do this, I need to lose another 10kg and I'm keen to do this as quickly as possible, but still without dieting. I'd like to be jogging by the end of November. I have started by running downhill, in a relaxed and slow manner, plus I'm doing my Bionic Woman slow-motion running the pool.
4. Help, I need new music! I love my playlist, but it's getting a bit too familiar. I need some surprises in there, so if anybody has any suggestions for uplifting music with a fast beat, I want to hear from you. I like rock, alternative everything, some hip-hop and even pop. I love great lyrics too, but most important of all is a fast beat.
Had my day off yesterday and gosh I needed it. I was so tired, probably because of those double-dose sessions. Am still going to do more of them, because exercise is so good for me.
When I'm going to the gym, walking or cycling, those wonderful endorphins make me feel happy.
Swimming is a different story. That's when a get a big boost of endolphins.
Don't start grabbing for your dictionary - my friend Callie coined that word and I think it's cute and clever.
But what are endorphins (or endolphins)?
A quick internet search reveals they are neurotransmitters that interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to reduce our perception of pain and make us feel good. Endorphins act in a similar way to drugs like morphine and codeine and are believed to be responsible for the runner's high. Exercise, sex, chocolate, acupuncture, massage therapy, meditation and hot chillies all trigger the release of endorphins.
That explains why chilli and chocolate is my favourite food combination.
Gotta love that natural high.

Today, I:
Worked for 3 hours
Slept for 8 hours (badly)
Had 3 nutritious meals
Went for a 6.1km power walk
Drank lots of water
Drank 2 cups of coffee

Dog tired after double-dose days

By Virginia Winder
It's possible I overdid things a little today.
Went for a 3.5km walk with the dog, but it wasn't a fast outing because it's hard to pump my arms and hold a leash.
Think I'll take Xena for pleasure strolls instead of the power walks.
Still, we boht enjoyed sniffing the fresh, salt-laden air and walking beside a messy teal sea.
This evening I went to spin class at the gym and it was great. Found it much more manageable than last time, although I did get cramp in my feet.
One of my classmates said that to stop this happening I need to push down on the pedals with my heels, rather than my toes.
The women also assured me my nether regions would "harden up" as I get used to the bike seat, so am feeling positive about cycling.
When I got home I went for a quick walk around the block to start teaching my body about transitions.
Must admit that I'm a bit shattered now, so this is just a short blog because bed beckons.
Tomorrow is Thursday, so I just may have a rest day, but still take the dog for a gentle trot.
A friend sent me a wonderful email tonight and reminded me how far I've come.
That first day of exercise I only managed a 20-minute walk - now I'm fit enought to exercise twice a day.
Still, I have a long way to go to do a half-ironman, but it's all just one step, one stroke, one pedal push at a time...

Today, I:
Worked for 3 hours
Walked 3.5km
Completed a spin class at the gym
Did a short transition walk at speed
Drank heaps of water
Drank 2 cups of coffee
Slept for 8 hours
Ate 2 healthy meals and then indulged in a delicious curry dinner, but didn't eat too much rice
Went to the movies with my friend Glenys and my teenagers

Running in slow motion

By Virginia Winder
Exercising begins with the mind.
I'm not talking about sudoku or crosswords, but deciding to get into action.
This morning I sat in the car outside the aquatic centre feeling tired and a little blue.
Wheedle Voice wanted to head home to bed and Inner Athlete was keen to to go swimming.
"Go home, you've got a great book, imagine snuggling down and letting go," WV coaxed.
"You're here now, you've got your togs on, the outdoor pool's open, come on!" IA ordered.
I listened to the latter and went swimming.
A friend says good things happen when you head out exercising - yes, Irena Brooks, you are right!
Before I got in, I noticed a tanned, incredibly fit older woman get out of the water and start jogging around the pool, pulling her wetsuit down as she went (she had togs underneath).
"Ah, a triathlete in training, I thought," and I was right.
She was practising her swimming-to-biking transition and explained how important it is to train the body to switch from one set of muscles to another.
"It's like learning your ABC," she said.
I told her my half-ironman goal and she boosted me with a hearty: "Good on ya sister, that's the way."
She did an ironman this year, so that was even more inspiring.
I started swimming and found the woman in the lane next to me was a dear friend, so that was another bonus.
Also watched what the women's squad was doing and had a go at keeping up.
I could when we were all doing flipper work, because my legs are powerful.
But fin-free was a different story.
This new style has slowed me down big time, but I know it's the best thing to do and, as I get stronger, I will get faster. I will, I will!
Swimming star Ayla Dunlop-Barrett was there training the women and she asked if I'd tried running in the pool, so I had a go.
I felt like the Bionic Woman in one of those slow-motion running sequences when you know the heroine is actually going super-fast.
In my head I was sprinting, powering through the water like a superhero. In reality, I was just slow.
Tonight I went to the gym for a session with my personal trainer, Courtney, aged 22.
The gym scales show I've lost another 2kg and she measured me and I've lost 10cm all over.
What I discovered tonight is that I enjoy the weights, love the aerobic parts of the workout, but hate the stomach exercises.
As life would have it, that's what I need to work on most.
But I knew that - it was a gut feeling.

Yesterday, I:
Worked for 13 hours
Ate two good meals and had nibbles for the third, but chose well
Drank heaps of water
Had 1 cup of coffee
Did no exercise - didn't have a spare moment because of work and family
Slept for 5 hours

Today, I:
Worked for 30 minutes!
Ate three nutritious meals
Drank heaps of water
Drank 3 cups of coffee
Swam 32 lengths of a 50m pool and ran for another 8 lengths
Did a gym workout
Slept for 8 hours
Had coffee and lunch with friends