Thursday, January 31, 2013

A Give Away And My Challenge

It's the start of a new month already! I thought we'd just started a new year but apparently we're now well in to it.

And to celebrate the start of the shortest month of the year I've got a give away. I was contacted by Shervin from Personal Planner with an offer to give away one of their personalised planners to one of my followers. They also gave me one so I could let you know just how easy it was to create. I'm a diary tragic. I HAVE to have a hard copy diary so my life doesn't spiral out of control. I put everything in it - due dates for bills, appointments and birthdays. If I didn't have my diary no one would get cake!

Making the planner was so much fun. It was just a matter of going to the website and then working step by step through the choices and this is what I came up with. It's awesome!


The inside has a full week on the double page spread so I can see what I've got on at a glance and the spiral binding lets it open up flat. I was able to add a training box to put all my training stats for each day and then there was another area where I could put my totals for the week so I can congratulate myself over how amazing I am or have a pity party (by eating copious amounts of chocolate) if my training has been less than stellar. 

I could also put in a 'To Do' area where I can remind myself just who needs cakes that week. And there's an area for 'Ideas' so if I'm feeling flush with ideas for posts I can just jot them down. It's just the perfect diary for me and my forgetful, almost-50-so-there's-no-hope-for-improvement brain.

So if you too LOVE diaries and would like the opportunity to create the mother of all diaries you can enter my give away. All you have to do is 

1. Go to Personal Planner on Facebook and LIKE the page. Then ...
2. Let me know that you've done so in the Comment section here. And ...
3. Be a follower of My Life's a Marathon either here or on Facebook.

Easy!! The give away will run till Valentines Day when I choose the winner.

***

Now back to me. 

I've been on treatment now for eight weeks. And because I've been starting to feel incredibly NORMAL again (I'm not talking mentally because I don't know that I ever want to be totally normal there - slightly crazy is a lot more fun) I've been adding a few things in to my training schedule. 

One of the things that I lost over the last year or so has been strength and that's one of the things that I wanted to work on once I started getting energy back. I used to do a little bit of strength work - and I do emphasize the word 'little' - and I really missed being able to just drop and push out a very wobbly half dozen push ups whenever I wanted to. Impressed? Yes, I know - even at it's best my upper body strength was underwhelming.

One of my squad-mates put me onto an iPhone app - 100 Push Up Challenge so I did the test, huffed, puffed and moaned my way through 15 push ups and that was the start of this week's pain. The app MAKES me do push ups three times a week. And it MAKES me do more than I'd ever do if I had a choice. And it's given me a little abdominal strain because I'm not used to holding my body straight and rigid under pressure. And I still haven't deleted it off my phone. Why? Because I don't give up easily once I start something. And because I'm a masochist!! And soon I'll be a masochist with guns. Not Uzi-style guns - probably more like water pistols. But they still count as guns don't they?!

But the problem with doing push ups after not doing them for the best part of two years is the associated pain and inability to move my shoulder girdle through its normal range. And add to that very sticky weather and the need to wear singlets and you have an issue every single time you want to dress and undress. I wear singlets with a bra shelf as my pyjama top in summer and can I tell you I've almost needed to call the Fire Brigade to bring out the Jaws of Life to get me out of the tangle of sweat, flesh and Lycra  If Iven hadn't have been there to do a little unravelling I swear I'd have made the call. I wonder if they would have sent out the crew from the Fireman's Calendar. These guys look like they could handle any tricky rescue.


But I digress. 

I'm now up to 152 push ups for the week. Incredible, I know. Stunning! Awesome! Mind-blowing! But if the challenge is to get to 100 push ups, then surely I can stop now?!! They don't really mean for my tooth-pick, runner's arms to able to do 100 push ups in a day or anything stupid like that, do they?

I'm thinking I should have read the small print before I started this thing. It may not end well!!



19 comments:

  1. Ha! I love that you are starting to feel normal again! yay! I hate that sore feeling that comes from doing things that we haven't done in awhile. Ouch. I can just feel it. But good for you for being up for the challenge. And I love your planner/diary! Nice picture at the end too. ;)

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  2. Normal, I wish, my knee isn't 100% my achillies on the right leg is bad, the left foot hurts with every step I take, but I could still run a hill session last night and squeezed out 6km this morning before work...

    Now i don't need a planner/diary, just bring cake!!!

    as impresive as your Firemen look, I bet none of them can run a sub 80 half...

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  3. Pushups are definitely my most dreaded strength exercise. You are brave to take them on!

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  4. I'm really happy to hear you are feeling so much better! That is very good news! Can't believe it's Feb already...crazy. I hate push-ups because we had to do so many when I was in the army many years ago. Have a good weekend Char!

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  5. That's a l lot of push ups! I wouldn't be able to do that! I push myself enough by running.

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  6. Awesome that you are feeling good again! Good enough to plow through hundreds of push ups in a week, 'cause surely you're not done, right? Enjoy it!

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  7. Glad to hear you feel better.
    Have a nice weekend!

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  8. Great job on the push-ups this week! Don't they make you feel powerful?!

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  9. That IS a lot of push ups! I'm impressed with what you are doing. And put a cake for me in that planner.

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  10. I need to get that App! My upper body strength is woeful at best and it's something I've had on my 'to-do' list for ages to work on.
    I'm a hard copy diary girl all the way and this would be perfect for keeping a track of all these shifts this new job keep giving me! I have liked Personal Planner on Facebook and I am a follower of your awesome blog already :)

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    1. Your odds to win are looking pretty good at the moment Kristin - first entrant!

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  11. I wear the top with the shelf bra too when I run and hahah I can't get out of that damn thing either. I never thought of calling the fire department, but I think I may have to now :).

    Great job on the pushups, girl. Keep at it and you'll get to that 100 in a day in no time. I did the 100 push-up challenge about a year ago and got up to a whopping 32 one day. And then I quit. Cuz I'm a wuss. :)

    I LOVE the hard copy personal planner...I write down all my workouts so I can glance at them over the years and easily compare. I'd love to win the planner :). I liked on FB and all the other jazz I need to!

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  12. Wow! That's a lot of push-ups. I only do about 60 per week! Glad you are feeling better. Love the journal/planner!

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  13. I love me a good stone tablet diary! I liked on FB and of course you too.
    Well done on the pushups! Looks like the firemen have been doing their as well. :)

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  14. Just in case you go international I have liked their page ... that and all my bladdy BFFs now live in Aus for a local postal address - is that allowed?

    I also stalk on FB & here already!

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  15. I have a love hate relationship with push-ups and Im too scared to stat a push-up challenge, it would just show how weak I really am - you are wonder-woman in my eyes!

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  16. oooh, that's awesome that you're doing the 100 pushup challenge!! i think i downloaded that app two years ago when i frst got my iphone but never used it...lol! good luck!

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  17. I love a good hard copy personal planner. I'm lost without one. Good work on the push-ups!

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  18. Oh yes, I'm a stationery junkie, so went over and "liked" the PP page. So count me in as an entry!
    Love the push up form and the part 2 about the gynae - might be worth dropping you a line indeed (aka fellow Pill hater)

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I love hearing from you.