Archive - Page 3 of 17 - Put the Kettle On

This time next week … IM Sweden!

Written by amanda on 9th August 2015. Posted in The Road to Ironman. No Comments on This time next week … IM Sweden!

This time next week I will be somewhere in the environs of Kalmar, Sweden – on my bike. Cycling. I will have swum 2.4 miles (3.8 km) and will be visualising getting off my bike sometime in the near future (as near as possible) to start a wee marathon jaunt. I think my last blog was slightly negative – but more than that, on re-reading I fear it was rather dismissive of the people who got me to this ‘here’ and and this ‘now’. I just want to rectify that. I would never have got to the start line...

Seventeen days and counting … (Ironman Kalmar)

Written by amanda on 30th July 2015. Posted in The Road to Ironman. 1 Comment on Seventeen days and counting … (Ironman Kalmar)

Oh my oh my. Yes, blogs have been missing – since Cairns! About as ‘missing’ as my training. Seventeen days to Ironman Kalmar/Sweden and am I ready? Erm …. well, not really. Then again, how ready will I ever be? Especially after feeling so ‘ready’ for Cairns and then not getting much past the swim. Hey ho. It’s a different journey and I’m still trying to file Cairns away and open a new chapter. I thought it’d be quite easy. I thought entering Sweden – 9 weeks away from Cairns – that I’d simply...

Five Excuses and It – The story of weight gain

Written by amanda on 29th June 2015. Posted in Weight to go. No Comments on Five Excuses and It – The story of weight gain

Chapter X Admit it! How many times have you looked at the scales, thrown a tantrum and headed straight for the biscuit tin screaming ‘What’s the point? It’s not working!’? I’d be a liar if I said I’d never done that. However, that was before I ‘needed’ to lose weight. In those days my goal was to ‘lose a few pounds’ or ‘tone up a bit’. What can I say? Fluffy goals will only be backed up by fluffy thoughts. ‘A few pounds’ is not a goal. ‘A bit’ is not a measurement. And ‘it’ can never ever EVER...

IRONMAN – NOT THIS TIME!

Written by amanda on 23rd June 2015. Posted in The Road to Ironman. 4 Comments on IRONMAN – NOT THIS TIME!

Midst the tears of disappointment, frustration and devastating result I shall try very hard not to dwell on the brighter, brilliant and more positive aspects of my Ironman adventure … travelling over in FIRST CLASS (Oh My Goodness HOW WONDERFUL AND AMAZING WAS THAT!!!), landing in Australia for the first time (a dream since teenage years) (did I mention that I flew First Class?), the adorable company throughout of my wonderful and magical eldest daughter, corals, snorkelling ……… these things...

Let the Adventure begin …

Written by amanda on 8th June 2015. Posted in The Road to Ironman. No Comments on Let the Adventure begin …

8 p.m. on June 8th and I’m sitting in the First Class (yes – gift from my amazing husband!!) lounge at Heathrow with a couple of hours to go before the adventure really and truly begins. It’s a little hard to relax when realisation keeps invading my dreams and sending my stomach lurching in fleeting moments of absolute terror – but hey, I’m trying! My new friend Mimosa (1 part orange juice, 4 parts champagne) is helping! This is IT! If I squint I can just make out the start line. Over there …...

Aspergers snapshot

Written by amanda on 26th May 2015. Posted in Things mothersome .... No Comments on Aspergers snapshot

The scene: Pile of clean towels on the bannister at the bottom of the stairs. They’ve just toppled over. Now lying at the bottom of the stairs. I’m on my way down. Son is about to come up. Me: Oi! Don’t you dare just step over those towels. Son: What do you mean? Me: I mean don’t even think about stepping OVER the towels. Son (totally confused) … stands both feet carefully ON the towels. Note to self: Aspergers: very literal. Pedantic. Little understanding of nuances. I...

THE ULTIMATE 7 DAY MEAL PLAN

Written by amanda on 26th May 2015. Posted in Weight to go. No Comments on THE ULTIMATE 7 DAY MEAL PLAN

It’s out. It’s ready and it’s waiting for you. For just £2.99 a complete 7-day ready-made, balanced, fabulously varied weight loss plan can be in your inbox. Then all you have to do is stick to it. IT’S JUST SEVEN DAYS. How hard can it be? Well – not THAT hard. My testers, my husband and myself have all continued with the same plan for several weeks, it’s still working AND it’s getting easier and easier every week. Here’s what one of my testers...

FOUR WEEKS TO IRONMAN …

Written by amanda on 17th May 2015. Posted in The Road to Ironman. No Comments on FOUR WEEKS TO IRONMAN …

Been an interesting three weeks since I last posted. Training building building building – with one or two hiccups, but what would training be without hiccups, right? Weeks 7-to-go and 6-to-go were interesting and devastating at the same time. Basically, … remember when I said that if everything went pear-shaped on race day, that my goal was to know that I could never say ‘It’s all because I missed that one workout’? Well, that little goal went to pot somewhat as I received the most devastating...

SEVEN WEEKS TO GO – EEEEK!

Written by amanda on 27th April 2015. Posted in The Road to Ironman. 2 Comments on SEVEN WEEKS TO GO – EEEEK!

In exactly seven weeks’ time I will be mid cycle, or mid run or even waiting to start the swim (I can’t work out the time difference but you get my drift)! So ….. now that I’m officially into single-figure countdown mode, what are my thoughts on the impending challenge? Training … Wow! I’ve never been so out of my depth. I can honestly say I have no idea what I’m doing. By that I mean that if I was putting together a training plan for a sprint tri, I could probably put it all together pretty well...

I will start my diet when the time is right!

Written by amanda on 9th March 2015. Posted in Weight to go. No Comments on I will start my diet when the time is right!

Ah yes … when the time is right. Tell me, when IS that exactly? Is there a perfect time? Well, perhaps, sometimes, occasionally, just by chance … something happens at ‘the’ perfect time – but meanwhile, just how much time are you wasting while waiting for yours? Read through this little story and you will realise just how pointless it is to sit and wait for that ‘perfect time’. It’s a brilliant eye opener and needs to be shared (all credit to Weight Watchers who use this regularly in meetings). In...