too big for my boots

or to be precise, my boots are too big for me! The new shoes I bought are the same numerical size and the same length as my old ones, but a different brand and a completely differnt shape *sad face* No wonder my feet felt bruised and the whole epically slow schemozzle was so epiqally slow! I was all sad because we're a bit short of the spondooleh at the moment, and running shoes are not cheap. That'll teach me to refuse to buy my normal brand from a frowny lady with prison-wardress social skills and negligible grasp of personal space. But she insisted on putting on my try-on sock for me! I wasn't giving her any money!*
This morning I noticed a  lairy yellow sticker on the shoe box. It offered a 30 day guarantee of satisfaction - I've heard of such things (I read a lot of American blogs) but never seen one. Pretty exciting! Tomorrow I'll pop over and ask if it's really true - can I muck up my shoe sizing and get away with it? Will I be able to return to my tried-and-true brand, chastened but not skint? We shall see....
In other news, did you watch the Ironman yesterday? I am so happy I spent hours wrestling with the stupid internet so we could stream the live feed onto the tv. OMG WHAT FINISHES!!!!!
More anon, strivers!

*LBTEPA would like to assure her five faithful readers that no exclamation marks were harmed in the writing of this post.

toolbox

All endurance sport athletes have a toolbox of strategies they use when things are sub-optimal, to quote the great Chrissie Wellington.
As a public service, I'm going to share the ones I used on yesterday's training walk. As context, the Spousal Unit had been good enough during the week  to share his GI issues, and I'd had two appalling nights' sleep prior to setting out. Here's what I used to get the job done
- gels and water I learn, I learn

- re-tying my shoes
- re-lacing my shoes
- rubbing the inflamed bit on the top of my foot
- realising that the stupid inflamed bit on the top of my foot comes and goes as it pleases so you might as well keep going
- swearing to myself that I would borrow a mobile from the next person I met and get a lift home
- swearing to myself
- swearing out loud
- several jolly good talkings-to
- Rocky's 'it ain't how hard you can hit' speech on my ip0d, that flows into the Rocky theme dah dah dada dah dah dah dada dah.....

- sorting the music on your ip0d alphabetically, and being pleased you're up to R
- working out a loop course, 'cause that out and back and those repeated loops were Not Happening
- thinking about stopping
- realising you've stopped and yelling at yourself (secluded areas of the trail only)
- noticing your achilles only hurts when you're slumping forward, and STANDING THE #### UP STRAIGHT
- imagining this is the last  8-7-6-5 etc km of the marathon
- imagining this is the last  8-7-6-5 etc km of the ironman
- Relentless Forward Motion. Just Keep Moving
- thinking about beer
Hope this helps! 
More anon, legends!

Hoppity

The way to re-learn hopping is to hop. Goodness knows what the people on the ground floor are thinking

more anon, megapods!

Squeeze

Hi Blog!
Here's what the boffins at the LBTEPA Institute for Extreme Braininess learned today.
- Some people's bum muscles work without them making them work. LBTEPA is not yet one of these people. But it is fun to stride along muttering squeeze, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze to oneself. And I can feel the difference in power and (ahem) 'speed'.
- Hydration and fuel make all the difference when one is exercising in warm weather for over two hours, even quite slowly. Or they would have made all the difference if I'd taken any with me. It was a good opportunity to channel my hero Chris McCormack and

I am so getting one of these shirts

- tap (ahem) 'dancing' is fun even when your legs are grizzling. I just channelled another hero, Jens Voigt

-  when did I lose the ability to hop? Another project!
More anon, shufflers!

A, B and C

A) I'd just like to thank the developers and manufacturers of amoxycillan for their fine work. Sleep! Energy! Not wanting to tear off your own head and get it over with! Yay!
B)

Squee!!!! According to The ESM* Schedule, I'll be walking well over 21km by then so this should be a Nice Day Out with a few thousand of my closest friends . The website specifies no cutoff time, but says they'll put you on the footpath if you look like taking more than four hours. a) I plan to finish around then, and b) I've been on the footpath before, so  c) I don't care, so long as they give me a medal at the end. I neeeeeed some bling.
You know what I love about this whole racing bizzo? It's familiar. I know what to do. I know how to do it. I know how to be tired, or discouraged (bloody hell who knew how hard it is to stand on one leg and keep your hips and shoulders level? I'm up to 15 seconds now...can world domination be far off?)  or sick, and yet be aware that this is part of the process. If I keep going I'll get there, and there is somewhere big and cool and amazing. It's such a lovely feeling. If I bang on and on about it, it's becuase I've missed it so much that I get teary thinking about it, and I'm just so bloody grateful to be back doing this thing I love. Slowly and heavily, but out there Dreaming Big again.
C) Noddie is teaching me to tap dance! It's a) very hard on the tragically weak LBTEPA calves, ankles and core b) very good for the tragically poor LBTEPA balance and co-ordination, and c) really good fun!
More anon, step-touchers!
*Extremely Slow Marathon

Thanks, Tea

"Repeated behavior becomes a habit, so natural that we don't even have to think about. It just happens. It's not magic. It's a change of behavior. "

 Wise words from the mighty Tea

Spot on, darl. Now to repeat some behaviour.....

Laid low by lurgi

It's been quite a while since the Bastard Sinuses have struck with such ferocity and I am focusing on appreciating that fact as I drag myself around, sweating gently (initially typed swearing gently, also true) but not in a good way. The new treatment protocol appears to have increased both the time between infections, and the time it takes for an infection to really grab hold. I've even been able to head off a couple before they turn full-blown, which hasn't been possible before. So that's very good!  I'm working, walking, sleeping and drinking water. If the Spousal Unit puts food in front of me I eat it. It's all good. Painful, a bit disappointing, but ok. So how was the physio visit, you ask? I got the impression he's much more interested in getting skinnyfasts around the Ironman than me around a walking marathon - but that thought may have been the infected sinuses talking. I've got power now in my glutes, but they don't fire very well unless provoked, and my balance is still a bit wonky. So it''s the fitball for me, and quite a lot of standing on one leg in front of a mirror. Onward!
More anon, bouncers!

Adding it up

Hi There Blog! Fancy seeing me again! But you see, it's On The Chart that I should blog twice weekly. There's a bit to talk about - and that's what you're here for, Blog. So that my dear Spousal Unit isn't too bored with my everlasting yapping, and becuase writing things down helps me remember them. So. What have I learned from examining the data I have gathered On The Chart so far? Later in the week is a black hole as far as workouts are concerned. Why? Because I'm working a lot, I get very tired and sometimes I deal with that with an extra wine or two. Then it's harder to get up early, and when I do I'm doing the zombie shuffle not hurling myself out the door.
Response: after work each day I'm going to do a 10 minute mindfulness meditation to re-set myself emotionally. I predict that this will change both my eating and drinking, and my sleep. I'll let you know.
I went to a tri club talk on injury prevention on Tuesday. It was very interesting and helpful, although daunting to be around all the happy confident skinnyfasts. I was glad I went. I proved to myself it didn't matter what my feelings were, just that I did what I said I was going to. I am back to the physio this week for a review, though, and some recommendations about core strengthening.
ESM* training update: 10.5km yesterday. I got the Spousal Unit to drop me off at the spot where the railtrail crosses the highway. Back In The Day, that was the point in my long runs where I knew it was in the bag - 10k, I can do that! - so I was very happy to be back there sweating gently in the open air and looking at the cows and listening to the yellow-tailed black cockatoos squawking in the trees. I got a bit sore at times on the walk (see 'epic fail exercise/stretch this week') but never more than about 6/10. I was able to reconnect with the certainty that I could hold that effort for a very long time if I had to. It's a good feeling. I've missed it.

These birds are about a metre long!

More anon, striders!

PS GUESS WHAT NODDIE IS TEACHING ME TO TAP DANCE!!! 
*Extremely Slow Marathon