Train insane or remain the same!

As most of you will know by now last year was my first proper year of running and I really enjoyed it. I completed 2 marathons, 4 half marathons and a bunch of shorter races. I usually ran about 6 times a week and it took up most of my spare time.

You'll also know that I decided to take some time out from running at the end of the year to focus on other aspects of my life and create a better balance in my daily routine. I feel as though I've had a chance to reassess and have learnt how to better prioritise my time. 

This year I'm going to step things up a bit. Last year I decided to enter in the Tarawera 60km race in Rotorua, NZ this March. This will be a huge step up from anything I've ever done before. 18km further than I've ever run and a very hilly trail race instead of the flat road races I'm used to. I don't have any expectation of running a good time, I just want to finish, and have fun! 

I've also managed to get an entry in the Kep 75km race from Northam to Mundaring in June. It's a relatively flat/undulating trail race on fire trail. 

This will require a huge commitment and a lot of training. The two races are very different in the sense that for Kep I'll need to run as much as possible because the course is all 'runnable' as opposed to Tarawera where I will be walking/power hiking a lot of the hills and running on the flat and downhill sections. Both races will require a lot of specific training.

If everything goes well with those two races I'd like to enter in a 100km race towards the end of the year. Although, at the moment I can't even comprehend what it will be like to train for and complete a 100km race, so let's just get through the first two races and then see where I'm at. 

So, in order to achieve these goals I've decided to seek the help of a professional. And no, I don't mean a shrink. Although the fact that I'm even contemplating these races might be an indication that I need to see one! But in this case I'm referring to a running coach. I don't think the random programs I've previously tried following online are going to cut it this time. 

I've got precisely 6 weeks to train for Tarawera. I'm sure when I approached my coach and said that I've had 2 months off and want to run 60km in 6 weeks time, and that I'd like to only run 5 days a week so that I can still do gym work and bootcamp, he would've thought I was mad! But you know me, I love a challenge. 

I'll receive my first week's program this Friday, 31 Jan to start my training on 1 Feb!

So, wish me luck, I'm going to need it! I'll keep you posted with how my training is going over the next 6 weeks - I hope my coach isn't too hard on me!

'100 Happy Days' Challenge: Days 15 - 21

Wow, I can't believe it's Grati-Tuesday again already! I have so much to be grateful for and have had the best week in Japan experiencing the Japanese culture (a little bit too much at times... chicken brains for dinner anyone...?) and skiing at one of their amazing ski resorts.

Here's a look at just a few of the things that have made me happy this week. 

How's everyone else going with their 100 days of happiness? Are you starting to see a little bit of happiness in every day? 

Day 15 - 'Experiencing Japanese cuisine. When nobody in the restaurant
spoke English it was a case of 'get what you're given'! We ended up with raw fish, prawns
and scallops and they were actually really good! They were served with rice, wasabi and lemon and had a beautiful flavour. The chef was super friendly which made for a great experience.' We were the only ones in the restaurant for most of our meal so the chef was looking up pictures of Australia on his phone to see where we lived. We showed him some of our photos so that he could see how beautiful Perth is.

Day 16 - 'Guess where we're going today...? Purchased our tickets online last night,
picked them up at a local 7/11 this morning and we're off to the...
SUMO WRESTLING! So pumped!' The sumo wrestling was such a fun experience.
I'm so glad we were in Tokyo while there was a tournament on.

Day 17 - 'My life is complete! Special slippers to wear to the toilet at our resort
(everyone has to leave their own shoes at the front door when they arrive).'
This is a typical photo of me being, well... me! I get excited by the strangest things sometimes!

Day 18 - 'By far my favourite thing to do in the snow - making snow angels!'
Really I'm just a child stuck in a grown up's body.

Day 19 - 'Wine tasting on the streets of Nozawa.' I know, me... wine tasting!
Hard to believe I know! But it's the new me. The one that will enjoy everything in moderation.
And by everything I mean alcohol, and by moderation I mean one sip once in a blue moon
if we're in a new place and something looks tasty.

Day 20 - 'It has been snowing all day today, I've never been in anything like it!
We ventured out to check out the town and make this super cool snowman!'
We had so much fun playing in the snow and trying to find
things to use for the face and arms!

Day 21 - 'I love experiencing the local way of living when I'm travelling.
The resort (ryokan - traditional inn with woven straw mats as the flooring in
the rooms and a mattress on the floor to sleep on) we are staying at in Nozawa,
Japan has a public bath (onsen) for the guests to shower/bath in. You sit on
the small stool and wash yourself before getting into the bath to relax. Tonight
I had the onsen all to myself! It's much more relaxing when you're not bathing
with other people. ps the photo isn't blurry, it's all the steam from the super hot onsen.'

December Photo Challenge

I've decided to change things ever so slightly this year and instead of posting each Monday I will just post throughout the week once I've finished working on what I'd like to publish. This will mean I won't have to rush to get posts completed, I can post specific articles on specific dates if they are referring to a certain occasion or anniversary, and if I have more than one idea in a certain week I can post them both. If you're not on my facebook or instagram then please follow my blog so that you can keep track of new posts. 

I'm currently in Japan and having a fantastic holiday but I've got lots of exciting ideas for blog posts so thought I'd make the time to get started. I thought I'd start with something fun I did in December through my Instagram account so that you could see some of my photos and to give you all a bit of insight into my daily life. 

At the beginning of December a friend posted on Instagram about the December Photo Challenge that she was taking part in. It looked like fun so I decided to join in and do the same. 

Each day had a description of a photo that you had to post. You could interpret the description however you liked and post anything you wanted. 

I enjoy taking part in small (or big) challenges. It's a fun way of getting creative or trying new things. I absolutely love photography - not in a professional way because I'm not really interested in how cameras work or what all the fancy functions do (I leave that up to Scotty), but just in the sense that I love taking photos, of anything and everything, and I love sharing my photos with other people. It's such a great way of showing people what you've been doing and where you've been going. 

I love seeing other people's photos too and find that it's a great way of sharing a part of their lives. 

Something else I love doing is looking back through my photos. This is one of the things I love about Facebook and Instagram - they are like photographic diaries and all the photos are sorted into files (unlike our laptop where things are a bit of a mess - this is something we'll be working on in February!).

So, I thought I'd share my December Photo Challenge pictures with you all since the majority of you can't see them on my Instagram. And it seems that photo challenges are all the rage at the moment - well, I love doing them anyway!

As I've been writing this I've also thought that as part of my scrap booking (that I'm determined to start this year) I'm going to start adding my favourite photo from each month for the next twelve months. It will be something fun to look back on at the end of the year to remember what we've been up to. You could all do the same. You might not be interested in scrap booking, but you could print out your favourite picture from each month and stick it on a piece of paper or keep it in a safe place and then look back on them in December. 

I hope you enjoy my photos and my interpretation of the daily descriptions!  

1. 'Selfie - beautiful evening to relax on the grass at work.'
I love that my job allows me the opportunity to spend a lot of time
outside in the afternoons hanging out with the kids. 

2. 'Throwback - My 21st in Fiji - April 2008.
This is one of my favourite photos from that holiday.'
This was taken on a beautiful day where I did a local village tour,
went to a local church and had lunch with a family in the village. Such a special experience!

3. 'Best Friend - Bali Holiday, December 2011.'
This was our first trip as newlyweds to Bali.

4. 'Favourite Quote - The morning of our wedding - 9-10-11.'
Our photographer loved my tattoo so made sure he
got a few shots of it throughout the day.

5. 'Weather - Alaska in May 2013.'
We were really lucky to get so much snow in Alaska due to their late winter. 

6. 'School - I've been to a few schools in my time.'
I moved around quite a lot during my schooling years and looking
back now it was a great experience to see what different schools were like.

7. 'Favourite Colour - There are too many beautiful colours to choose just one.'
I've never really had a favourite colour, I love pretty much all of them. 

8. 'Hoodie - Warm, rainy night in Thailand -
poncho... hoodie... same same but different.'
We got caught out in the rain in Pai so bought these attractive ponchos to stay dry.
The rain only lasted about 20 minutes and you dry off pretty quickly with such warm nights. 

9. 'Siblings - My beautiful family.
Can't wait to all be together again in March this year.'
I'm so blessed to come from such a big family, I love having so many siblings. 

10. 'Pets - Zippy and Mo (Mo being stubborn and not looking at the camera).'
Our incredibly noisy and messy budgies.
Love them to pieces (sometimes Scotty wishes they were in pieces
so that they wouldn't make so much noise!) 

11. 'Addiction - Quite possibly my favourite collage so far.'
I love tattoos! I'm always thinking of ideas for my next one.
I'll stop one day... When I run out of room!

12. 'Handwriting - Love this quote.'
A quote that I live by - making the most of every day and loving every minute of it.

13. 'Someone You Miss - One of my favourite photos of all time.
Grandad and I in Redcliffe, Brisbane.'
Grandad was taken from us far too soon but this is just one of the many photos
I have of the two of us together making beautiful memories. 

14. 'Then and Now - It's amazing how much can change in 3 years.'
From party girl to fitness freak... Who would've thought!

15. 'Black and White Selfie - Struggling to stay awake after a crazy hectic fun weekend.'
This was taken after the 6 Inch Trail Marathon that my husband won in December. 

16. 'Cuddle Buddy - Our first snowfall in Alaska - May 2013.'
Nothing I like more than cuddling my husband - we have so many fantastic photos together!
I think photos are such an important part of cherishing memories. 

17. 'Hair - The day I had all my hair chopped off - March 2009.'
My hair was half way down my back before my haircut.
I was so nervous at the hairdressers this day - she did such a fantastic job!
Now after almost 5 years I'm finally growing my hair long again.

18. 'Favourite Place - This sign represents the start of something amazing.'
Flying out to new countries or cities makes me so happy - I love exploring new places.

19. 'Winter Drink - Uncle Ag keeping his drinks cold in Alaska.'
What better way to keep your drinks cold than in the snow!

20. 'Christmas Tree - Our tree from last year - there's no way
this thing was going to fit in our apartment.'
I loved our huge Christmas tree that we had in our old house.
I couldn't bring myself to throw away the decorations so they are in a box
under our bed ready for when we move into a bigger house again one day.

21. 'Baby Picture - This wee princess is growing up way too fast.
Piper (when she was a baby) having a rest with her Uncle Scott.'
Unfortunately I don't really have any baby photos of myself (long story)
so instead I posted a picture of my gorgeous niece from when she was a baby.

22. 'Something Sweet - My first attempt at a lemon meringue pie at
Nana Shirley's house in Brisbane last September when we surprised
her for her 60th birthday.'
I must say, it turned out quite well and tasted amazing.

23. 'Red and Green - Christmas really is the best time of year.'
Christmas is such a special time - it lights up so many people's lives and brings happiness to people all around the world. Hopefully santa will be able to find us in Canada this Christmas! 

24. 'OOTD - Santa Charity Fun Run 2012.'
This was such a fun event that I ran with friends last year - it was
really cool to see so many 'santas' running around the streets of Fremantle, WA.

25. 'Family - Boxing Day at the beach with this amazing girl (my mumma).'
My mum is the most amazing person I know and I love spending time with her.

26. 'Favourite Gift - Santa has been getting me a Women's Health Diary
for 8 years now and I look forward to it every Christmas.'
This is a Christmas tradition in our family thanks to Mumma and all the girls look
forward to their diaries each year. My younger sister was super excited to
get her first diary this year!

27. 'View Outside - The Lake House Winery, Denmark, WA.'
We spent Christmas down in Denmark and went to this winery
to taste some yummy food and wine.

28. 'Place You Want to Go - South African Safari.'
South Africa has been on my to-do-list for years now, but I haven't made it there yet.
I think it'll end up being something I do when I'm older.

29. 'Collage of 2013 - It was so hard to narrow it down
to just a few photos and memories.'
2013 was an incredible year for me - running, travelling, family and friends!
It doesn't get much better than that!

30. 'Favourite Memory - 2 October 2010 - the day Scotty proposed.'
One of my favourite memories of all time was when Scotty and I
went away tramping/hiking for the weekend and he proposed!

31. 'Last Picture of 2013 - Scotty and I all dressed up and ready to head out in Singapore for NYE.'
The perfect end to an amazing year!

'100 Happy Days' Challenge: Days 8 - 14

Week 2 of embracing and promoting happiness for 100 days. 

The last seven days have been jam packed full of happiness and it was fun sharing some of that with everyone on my Instagram account. 

What brought you happiness last week? 

Day 8 - 'Legitimately thinking that I had a 'pouting unicorn' in my drink
and then Scotty and I laughing until our tummies hurt when he
pointed out that it was in fact a guitar.'
I love that we get each other's craziness and spend a lot of our time together laughing! 

Day 9 - 'A local busker performing on our way home from dinner
in the city tonight - 'I hope my music will add beauty to your day'.'
This made us smile, what a kind soul this guy must have. 

Day 10 - 'This afternoon we arrived at the place we are staying for the
next 4 days and this is the view from our room.' We were staying at a youth camp
for a couple of days leading up to the HK100 and it was in a stunning location.
We were sleeping in single bed bunks and the bathroom was 'interesting' but the view made up for it. And it was all part of the adventure!

Day 11 - 'Just booked flights to Rarotonga for a week in April.
This will be my 8th country (and 6th new country) for the year!
Getting closer to my goal.'
Nothing makes me happier than booking new holidays or trips away.

Day 12 - 'Even though I've already posted this pic on facebook it is
by far the happiest moment of my day so I'm posting it here as well.
My amazing husband just finished 5th in the Vibram HK100 in a
massively stacked international field. Major proud wife moment.'
I was getting pretty choked up at the finish line when Scotty came through which I'm sure was caught on a lot of videos and in lots of photos...
I'm glad someone captured this great shot of Scotty and I. 

Day 13 - 'After a busy day sightseeing with new friends this is what
the birthday boy requested for dinner - Pizza Hut delivered to our hotel room.'
Luckily after this we went out with friends and had some delicious food and drinks
at a bar overlooking the city.

Day 14 - 'My big brother and his beautiful fiance are getting married
in March and have just asked me to do a reading at the ceremony. So
honoured and excited to be part of their special day.' I am a big sook
when it comes to weddings. Actually, I'm a big sook 99% of the time, so I'll
be making sure I read (and re-read) the beautiful piece they have chosen so that
I can try and get my emotions under control. 

'100 Happy Days' Challenge: Days 1 - 7

Last week I came across this fun challenge that my friend is doing and thought it would be great to join in on. 

We are all guilty of letting the days pass us by without stopping to really appreciate what we have, what we're getting to do, and who we are getting to spend our time with. 

This challenge is a fun and easy way of getting you to put some thought each day into what really makes you happy, no matter how big or small the thing may be that brings you happiness and puts a smile on your face.

So, for the next 100 days I'm going to be posting one picture per day on my instagram account (creating_my_best_life) of something that has made me smile that day. See... easy! 

I will then post on here each Tuesday as part of Your Wild Life's 'Grati-Tuesday' (a fun part of her facebook page where she posts something to inspire people to remember to be grateful every Tuesday). 

Positive thoughts lead to a positive life!

I'd love you to join me in this fun challenge - head on over to the website to sign up and get all the details http://100happydays.com/

It's simple and fun! Get involved, be creative, share the happiness!

Well, can you?

'Day 1 - All rugged up and exploring with my bestie in Beijing.'
I love finding buildings like this - the architecture is incredible. 

'Day 2 - Happy that some very clever person invented thermals.
It is only getting to a high of ZERO DEGREES today!'   

'Day 3 - Nothing makes me happier than seeing other people smile.
This was the look on Scotty's face this morning when we got into our private
car to go to the Great Wall of China with a private guide (he didn't know
what I'd booked and thought we were going to be crammed in
with 10 other noisy tourists!)'
This was an incredible day that we'll never forget!!

'Day 4 - Trying something I've never done before and ordered a tea for the
first time ever while we were out meeting some people in Hong Kong tonight. It
actually tasted quite good, which is lucky since I've decided
to become a tea drinker this year.'
I don't drink tea or coffee, but have decided to give tea a try
and my good friend is going to take me on my first trip to T2!

'Day 5 - Afternoon nap at the hotel while Scotty is out
checking out the course for his race this weekend.'
Whenever Scotty is out running I always take the opportunity
to either rest or do something else for 'me'!

'Day 6 - We just decided we'll do a day trip to Macau on Tuesday which
means ticking another country off my list - sightseeing, adventure and gambling...
sounds like the perfect day to me!'
This was today and we had the most amazing time exploring. 

'Day 7 - Just purchased some sweet new kicks for Japan. These will
keep my toes nice and toasty.'
I never spend money on clothes or shoes unless it's something practical
or something I really need, so it was fun buying these shoes and
knowing they will be perfect for our trip to Japan in a few days
(and for Canada later in the year!)