Today: The Lasting Legacy

The end of the Olympics has arrived, have you been inspired? Do you now have a role model worthy of recognition?

I have already spoken out to say that I have been inspired to “Keep calm and carry on”, to keep up with my goal to run 5k in half an hour, to get healthy and fit.

This week has been a continuing progress, Charlie and I have stuck to our running routine, and I have hit 3 days this week where I have had less than 1500 calories in a day.

Next week is the final week before the holiday! Which means I will be away for the next weigh in, but I shall post on Friday evening, and weigh in then to still plot on my graph. Tomorrow is the third weigh in of this dieting attempt. Where there will be another graph to look at.

So as Chariots of fire plays on and on again (as it will be stuck in our heads for months to come) What’s your slow motion moment going to be? Mine will hopefully be me getting to 5km in less than 30 mins….. I hope you all share you slow motion moments as well!

And if further inspiration is needed Here is my inspirational pick,

Rascal Flatts – Stand

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Today: The Comparison

London 2012 has thrown up alot of fantastic role models for the future stars  of GB athletics.

But what of the generation that is ‘past its peak’ as such? I would classify myself (at the ripe old age of 23) in this category.

However just like the younger generation I feel inspired, I have been running now since February and I have decided on a goal, 5k in 30mins or less, this is about 10 min miles or 6min km, which I think is pretty reasonable. Then I saw the Olympic world recird time… UNDER 15 MINS. No joke I actually felt like laughing, I couldn’t comprehend running that fast! Looking at the Likes of Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis (who did the 800m in 2:07 mins)  they just don’t look like they are going fast! I’m sure if they zoomed out on the TV shots a bit they would be going EPICALLY quick.

I feel very motivated to give it ago, not doing 5km in under 15mins, but hitting the 5km distance at least. Something which Charlie and I are training for (ish) Monday is Run 2min Walk 2min repeat 5 times. Which doesn’t sound that bad, but go and try it and NOT be out of breath by the end of it. It’s hard.

It’s weigh in day tomorrow, after the run and before dinner, I’ll try and keep you all posted!

I’m loving the fact that the Olympics bring out all the “Sunday league-ers”, All those who never watch sport normally, but instantly have an opinion and high level of knowledge about everything, I’m not immune, I just find it amusing how everyone seems to give a crap!

What’s even more funny is how people complain about what sports are in the Olympics, Football for example, is it necessary? Why is it different? Why should we let a bunch of whimps represent GB?

I just leave it, people think the same about Rowing, about Hockey, about Handball, about Table Tennis and shooting to name but a few. But this even is where everyone is on that level playing field (football has an age limit on, they are still athletes and more talented than anyone I have seen commenting on their skill or fitness). Everyone is at their peak and the world is watching. They want to impress, and even if they miss a penalty, they will still feel like they have lost it all.

Just remember if you start bad mouthing what someone does, just be prepared for them to say “Well you do it better”, Something that Rebecca Adlington pretty much said when she won Bronze, “I have just won Bronze in one of the hardest sports, I have done very well, Not many people can say that”.

Can you?

 

Today: The Fantastic 4

August 3rd 2012

Calories consumed 1410

Sit ups completed 200

Other toning exercises 200

Blogging on harriparf completed

That is 4 stars earned today on my star chart! My own personal record whilst other world records are being broken at the London 2012 Olympic games.

It was a burst of Energy that inspired me today, I felt I just had to achieve it and so I did!

Tomorrow will be a bit more of a challenge, I’m currently on my best streak for saving calories (2 days…) So I’m hoping tomorrow I will continue my trend!

I’m doing something a bit different to what I previously did, I’m not minusing the calories I use up from exercise, So I’m literally only looking at what I consume. I’m trying to burn between 200 and 500 calories a day from walking and running, I use my ipod as a pedometer and do about 4500 steps a day without running, which is pretty poor! 

I would say I’m aiming for 10000 a day, but I’m not sure how I could manage that. But it could be something I aim to do whilst I’m on holiday!

Monday is the next weigh in day, so I will find out how this week has gone after work, I have been well behaved all week so I’m really hoping for a loss!! 

I’m also trying to do the whole ‘ask yourself if you are really hungry or not’ thing, however I like food to much. But I did resist the second packet of quavers that fell out the macing today, and resisted more fruit just because it was there and healthy. Upward battle, but I’m beginning to push back!

I was back on my tablets today, after having 2 days off. I spent the first half of the day feeling high as a kite, and not really with it, or myself, but I am feeling more normal now. 2 days off again from tomorrow So expect a sad post over the weekend. But an honest one at least! 

Related articles

• Do you know your everyday calorie intake? (weherefitness.wordpress.com)
• Eat Your Calories, Don’t Drink Them (health.usnews.com)
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Today: The Olympic Shame

I hope you read the following letter, and pass it on.

To Whom it may concern,

I was dead excited to receive an Olympic ticket allocation. I was also excited to see that there would be a travel card included to, having just moved out to Cheltenham, this was going to be expensive.

Except that is where my excitement stalls.

The travel card is only valid for London Zones, meaning that I have to pay to get to London either by train or coach. £100 for the train to arrive in time to miss the first hour of event and then walk and queue to get in, or the coach, well I tried to find this out, but apparently the Royal Artillery Barracks isn’t an Olympic Venue that coaches travel to, or at least that is what the useless journey planner with it’s “book now” option won’t let me pick. I can select this venue but the redirect won’t let me do it. Useless.

So I have to sell my tickets. Why? I can’t afford over £100 for travel to the Olympic games. That’s 2 times the cost of the tickets. A cost I doubt I will get back because of the poor organisation with the Olympic ticket allocation. I have to post them back at my own expense, then hope they sell them on and allocate them back out to ensure I get the ticket price refunded. Which doesn’t include the £6 delivery charge.

So I would like to voice my utter disgust at LOCOG, Yes well done you have ripped down peoples homes to create a fantastic Olympic park. A park where everyone is proud. But be damned if anyone can get there who lives outside the Olympic travel zones. 

I hope my frustration has come across, if it hasn’t then rest assured that I will not be the only hacked off one, There are already plenty out there who didn’t get close enough to tickets, even though you said “no tickets have gone to corporate sponsors”, I guess I’ll have to enter a Llyods TSB competition to go instead. O LOOK.

The games will be a success, but your organisational skills will be used as an example on how to royally piss off a nation.

Yours

Harriet

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Thank you LOCOG for being useless. Tickets are now VOID.