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The introductions to the Extreme measures, group and trainers was over and , we were told to grab a drink bottle from a box, and fill it, I took the opportunity to duck into the ladies, lol, this 63 year old bladder of mine, could let me down if I’m taken too far away from a toilet for too long. Never been caught out yet in public and sure do not want extreme measures to end with extreme embarrassment. 

I took off after the group who were now all outside in the darkening late twilight.  We all walked a little away from the road until we had reached a sealed trail alongside the Goulburn River,  we are to run from a particular point until we reached a gate at the end, and then to turn and run back and we would be timed. At least I think that is what was said, I part hear, part lip read and part guess and follow what the crowd is doing and lol, look confused and ask people a lot what was being said, and that’s ‘the drift’, I got.

Someone broke from the start  and began running, I almost started with them but saw the others hadn’t so I waited until the group took off and I was right in there behind the first starters, not the first to start, not the last and I held my place for longer than I thought would have been possible.  The trainers had looked at me with concern before I ran, said ‘I could walk’. It was obvious I was the oldest person there. I had already said I has had heart lung problems without elaborating that I had scared lungs, or pulmonary fibrosis, (once), somehow  I have miraculously recovered most of my lung function and I told them I do sprint and alternate short sprints and walking and I would be fine doing this.  Sixty seconds is about the longest I can sprint in one go, I told them then. I’m usually back to 45 seconds then I can manage a few 30 second sprints, all this in a 30 minute walk, and that’s been my best effort so far and as I’ve said, I slacked off, in the last few months, totally, I’ve only been doing my weight work outs and core strengthening exercises.

I was out of breath early in the run but loved that I was keeping up with the group.  I was feeling so proud that I, who had never been able to run as a child and who once had damaged lungs, was not only running but also running with a group, and keeping pace, early into the run. I began to slip behind after a while, it surprised me I even kept pace as long as I did I finally slowed down to a walk and thought, ‘what is the sound’?  Exhilaration, I am feeling as I hear the sound of runners behind me, I cannot believe it, I am ahead of some runners, not last. I kept on walking, still catching my breath, the first runner caught up to me, and I broke into a run with her, advanced on her, slowed down, she caught up, then a man caught up and I stepped up the running pace, ‘don’t tell me I am actually out running a MAN?  Lol. I was exhilarated and I made a real effort to stop him from overtaking me. He did overtake me, then he slowed pace to a walk and I overtook him again, lol, then he overtook me, we had a little friendly battle it out together, well back behind the leaders though and the lady behind me was no more within ear shot and I think from the sound, there were others behind her. 

As I reached the gate, a trainer was there yelling out encouragement and I quicken my pace at what was a walk now. The man was just ahead of me and I maintained my lead over the group behind and there was no way I could catch any leaders so the competition was off now so I fast pace walked, huffing and puffing a bit but remembering to breath properly and I wasn’t over exerting or trying too hard now.  The finish line came into view, I could see someone standing there looking at me with a stop watch in hand so I burst into a run and sprinted as hard as I could to the end.

 

Can I just say, that is the proudest I have felt about my physical performance and the best I have ever performed in a race in my life (OK it was not a race), and to think I not only was not the last one to finish, and I overtook younger women.  I did overhear someone behind me say ‘of course I have an ankle injury’, and I thought to myself, my right ankle hurt the entire duration of the race and both my feet are arthritic from having been smashed in a car crash decades ago, lol, but I did it and never let on I was hurting. I was  proud of myself.

8.35 minutes to run/walk one kilometers, lol, not exactly John Landy’s four minute mile, or a marathon effort but for me, with my past medical history, a stroke at 32 and PE at 44, and all the rest of the health guff, I just ran for longer than I’ve ever done in my life.

We went back to the training room, refilled our water bottles, and paired up.

I teamed up with one of the men, the man I had had the fun of trying to run past. J. In most of the exercises I think I performed well, my weight workouts and core training Spider-man exercises I have been doing for about 6 weeks now helped me perform a lot better at these exercises then the run as they did not require the same amount of lung expansion as running requires.  

Each of our partners was to count how many repetitions we each did in the fitness assessment exercises and how many at what intensity level.  We started with how many push ups we could do in one minute.

I do not recall the full sequence or all the fitness assessment tests, there were step-ups, I performed equally to some of the younger women and out stepped my male partner. There were backward press-ups (not sure the correct name), using your hands to raise and lower your body and I fell in a total heap doing that one.  'Must strengthen those arms more' I am thinking.

Then the final one, an exercise, I think was called, called the hover. We were to take up a push up pose and hold it as long as we could.  I started well but in just a short time, I wanted to drop. We were to call out and say when we ‘dropped’ and how long we had held the position would be written down.  I so wanted to drop but I refused to be the first to drop.  I am thinking lol, ‘this is like on the Biggest Looser challenges’, I think.  I kept holding somehow, someone had to drop before me, I would hang on if pig headed determination would get me there.

Finally one two, then three women in front of me, dropped to the ground and called out, and their times were recorded, and hey, I am still holding my pose. I might as well try to outlast some others, J.  Holding, holding, please let a few more drop, I would love to outlast half of them, J, what a thing of pride, drop, drop, drop, drop, they are gradually going down,  can’t see everyone but I think I’m in the final half of the group, hang on Kathy.  The instructor calls out to me, ‘can you feel it hurting’, and lol, I actually laugh and call back. ‘I sure can’.  Then no one is dropping, I call out, ‘do we get a lollipop if we are the last one holding’, and the instructor calls back, ‘lol, Not in my class you do not’. Still no one goes down. Then one or two, I can’t see to my side, too much effort hanging on,...’I’m down’, getting heaps of praise from the trainer, ‘well done Kathy J’.

I look up, there is only a few young women holding, then only two. The two remaining women holding the hover pose, are young and fit looking they were not giving way. The instructor tells them to both go for an extra degree of difficulty into the move, up onto their toes, they both make the movement change and one drops in 30 seconds the other follows a few seconds later, J, the session is over.  I am feeling EXHILARATED, as I have not felt for ages.  I remember I arrived, barely holding back tears, worried about my man who is sick and chocked up with a lump in my throat, not feeling like I could do a single exercise and here I was, so proud, so very proud of what I had just achieved. J.

The trainer said, you would hurt in the morning after that last one. Lol, I believe her.  I think the push up assessment hurt more than the hover, I tried so hard. Nothing I will not recover in two days.  Oh hang one, lol, tomorrow night is the first exercise session,lol, OMG,” what was it that we did tonight, J, if the exercise session is tomorrow night.”

I was keen to blog this while I remembered it all.

 I made and ate a healthy avocado salad and drank a glass of skim milk for early supper when I arrived home. this was my third meal for the day as we had eaten the meat meal and vegetables meal as a late lunch. I am not going to ruin that effort by overeating on top of it

Day one and I know I can keep up with half the class, I will be on the borderline I suspect of the half who do not make it past half way and those who compete the course.  I know i will try, very hard, as I am very eager to improve my fitness and trim down some more and I know I need the emotional release.

 
 


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    _Happy New year :-)
    I am going to combine several seemingly contradicting eating and exercise programs and put together my own Artslim Naturally slimming and Gray-Nomad fitness program.  I plan to bring these out as a low cost EBook and small paperback. They will suit anyone interested in managing weight with son=me difficult health conditions such as metabolic syndrome and past injuries.

     I'll be showing you some of the books I am reading that have some excellent qualities, although they will not be exactly what I am putting together to suit me and my style of doing things.
    I will be focusing on eating and exercising for wellness, weight loss if obese, weight management and balanced fulfilling lifestyle..

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