Angry Run.

I was driving to the farm from my week at work. I was tired and drained, it hadn't actually been a great week at all. I just wanted to get home, hug my honey, and go to bed.

Well, said honey called to say he was buying a carton of beer and the having a few drinks with neighbors. This is normal for him, but he usually waits until I get back from Perth and usually takes me with him. He called to get me to come over and I just flat said no.

He didn't understand, because he's a dude. I was angry because I just drove two flipping hours to see him. I was exhausted after fighting crowds at the grocery store for the long weekend. I was mad at myself because I had made some very bad choices with my eating... Reeses pieces anyone?

I was at my breaking point. So I fell asleep. For me, everything is much much worse when I am tired. My emotions are intensified and my rational brain switches off. I slept for maybe 40 minutes and woke up feeling okay.

I was still mad that he hadn't come home, but I couldn't control that. The one thing I could control was me. I pulled myself together and put on my running shoes. The sun was setting so I knew I had to make it a short fast run. 4ks would be adequate.

Five minutes in, I couldn't believe my pace. 10 minutes in and I was flying. 20 minutes and I was already well on my way back to the house, my pace had slowed but I was still going. I felt strong. I was running off all the anxiety and tension I had felt building. It was therapeutic in every way. It was the first time I didn't think "I hate running... Why am I doing this?.. I run so slow... People walk as fast as I run."

As my anger died away, I realized I had a rock in my shoe. Normal people would have stopped and removed the rock. No. Not me. Not today. That damn rock was not going to stop be from running the fastest 4ks of my life. Then I became angry at the rock. Really angry.

I ran my fastest paced run ever. Including when I was a teenager and an athlete. Most people probably think (i don't care what most people think) it's slow average, I usually run about 13 min/mile. This run I was hovering between 9-11 minutes a mile. I finished my run. 4kms in 26 minutes. What?! At that pace, had I kept going. I could have done a 5k in 31ish minutes. I usually run one in 40-45 minutes!

Holy crap. I was so excited. So proud. And had realized how trivial I was being earlier when I was upset.

My emotions fueled my run, but once it was over, my emotional chaos had disappeared. Talk about burning off steam. I hope I can learn to channel my emotions rather than just let them build.

Do you ever have an angry run? Do you ever get a blister because you won't stop to remove that damn rock? Because I did.


Love you all! Australia Day recap to come!

Xxx
Tori

Rain Rain Go Away!

It has been raining here non stop! Which is really aggravating for two reasons.
1. I am ready for summer and sick of wearing black tights to work.
2. When it rains Jono can't harvest, and then has to wait an extra few days for the grain to get to an acceptable moisture temperature. I am ready for harvest to be over!!

Anyhow, we had sunshine and a heavy wind. So we went to see how the paddock was. I drove the fire ute, and then frolicked in the sunshine while Jono did other stuff.

Notice my sundress? Probably not farm appropriate, or safeworks approved. BUT! I have this theory I like to call the sundress theory. If you wear a sundress, the sun will come out for you! Not exactly foolproof or is there any hard evidence supporting it.

So everyone cross your fingers and toes and say your prayers that the rain stays away so that work can get done here! I'm ready to spend my weekends at the beach fishing!!

Love you all!

Tori

Hot! Hot! and a Demotion

Not a real demotion, one on the farm. So hold your horses!

Today I completed week 5 day 2 of my C25K. (for those keeping track, yes I'm behind) It nearly killed me. I need to learn to get my butt out of bed earlier, because temperatures were soaring, I got a massive tan in 30 minutes. It was only about 86, but darnit the sun has a bite here like no other!!

I did manage to run the whole time non stop, not fast, just steady. Plus my HR monitor said I was working above my max heart rate limit for the second half of the run. No wonder I felt a little faint!

Some other news. My thanksgiving splurges caused me to gain a kilo. Upon reflection, for 48 hours not once did I think "I'm hungry", only "gosh I am full"... Probably explains the weight gain. Now to explain to my personal trainer this afternoon... Scary. Kidding, she is great! But I am doing two a days to lose the weight :)

So I received a demotion on the farm. Not really sure why (maybe I overused the CB radio and talked a bit too much?). But instead of being the head escort, with yellow flashy lights... I just got to drive the fire ute with no air conditioning and no flashy lights. Sad.

I'm sure I will eventually work my way back up to escort, with the long fancy trailer! For now, I'll stick with sandwich making.

So I realized, I have showcased very little of my corporate life. I'm about to embark on a whirlwind business trip, so will keep you posted on it!

And this weekend is Jono's sisters wedding in Melbourne!! Woo hoo! And guess who doesn't have a plus one! That's right. This girl. I'm going alone to my own boyfriends sisters wedding. So I guess I'll just drink a lot?

Love you everyone!!!

Tori

Where do you run?

Im currently completing couch to 5k. I'm almost done with week 4! It is an 8 week program that gets you running 5km or 30 minutes straight. It is an app on iphone and what I love about it is the audio cues over your playlist that tell you when to walk and run! I included a picture of one of my training days to give you an idea of the program.

When I am in the city I usually go to Pilates, train with my pt at a nearby lake, and do beach walks. I have a really tight IT band and find road running tough on my knee. So my farm days are my running days.

If you look closely in one of the pictures you can see kangaroos! I run on a track right next to a dry creek and a wheat field. Parts of the track are loose sand, parts are mud, parts are covered with weeds, but I love it!

There are a few thousand acres on the home farm, and it is about 3.5kms from the house to the southern boundary. It's a nice change of pace to go through such scenic country. The only thing you can't see in the pictures are the flies!! Arrrrgghhh! Those damn things swarm at you. One run last summer I swallowed 4, ew! I try to make my runs later in the day to avoid the heat and the flies. Maybe today I'll try to take a picture of them all sitting on my arms and back, yuck.

So what do your runs look like? Any perils like fly swallowing?

Xx
Tori