I had a different name though. However, I had the same time it took to finish the Central Coast Half Marathon yesterday morning however: 1:40:05 official time, and 1:39:95 according to the race chip. Same bib number too. It seems my bib, number 9, was not supposed to be mine but was intended for a completely different runner, and I inadvertently ran with his bib on (the bib lady accidentally did the ole bib switcheroo on me). It is all fixed up now though, and I am now once again female, in my 30-39 age category. Apparently I was 8th in my age group, of 113 women, and 86th overall (of 650). Hmm, so, not a competitive race, and was definitely not a pb for me, but was a beautiful, fun race all the same. Despite the crazy heat! Wow, it was excessively hot and sweaty and humid yesterday. Scorchio! I was melting. I was also not used to half marathons either! Having not done a half since January this year in Hanoi, and having favoured an ultra and marathons instead this year. But I miss halves. They are lots of fun. I see a return to half marathons in my future / 2018. Watch this space.
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Here is the before, during, and after:

The Entrance is beautiful too! My first time visiting there yesterday, so was stoked to combine a race with a trip to somewhere new. Now I better get off and continue on with some work shizzle: two programs being launched almost simultaneously (my Eat To Win program and 5 Day Challenge to Ditch Processed Sugar program) may have been a bit ambitious, hmmm, nothing like working towards a deadline.... If you're curious re: either one, here are the details: Eat To Win details here: http://lousweight.com.au/main/page_eat_to_win_challenge.php - this starts on 1st December!  And to sign up to my FREE sugar-free challenge, which starts on 11th December (includes a meal plan, recipes/shopping lists, strategies, info/advice, support etc), click here: http://eepurl.com/c_7d9X

​Also, donning my best teacher voice today, as today I am going back to teaching English again, woohoo! Teacher Lou coming atcha. Well, part-time Teacher Lou, of course... Much love to you all, and have a superb week! xx

Well, what a fun week! What a super fast week too. This past week has flown by all too quickly. Hey-ho. Seems to be a recurrent theme for this year. Last week featured a Glenrock run with an awesome group of humans, plus a return to beach running courtesy of taking part in the Beaches Parkrun on Saturday. This was brilliant! Loved it. It had been far too long since I last ran barefoot on sand. High tide and a bit of a head wind made it all the more fun too (and also, shhhh, I was the first female finisher!):

Seeing as I had run my 'long run' of the week on Friday, and merged a road run into the trail run for a glorious 21km ish (ok, so not very long, but long enough at the moment post marathons) yesterday, the traditional day of the long run, had no long run. Instead, it featured so much fun and a high-intensity sweaty workout courtesy of visiting Revolution in Maryville: an indoors trampoline and inflatables park. I. Had. A. Ball. Definitely a great workout too, what with all the running and jumping and climbing over things. I highly recommend a visit.

​I'm also hugely excited right now because I'm working on two very exciting programs! One is my previously run 30 day program Eat To Win, which starts on December 1st. Yep, right, slap bang in the middle of the 'silly season' (So maybe I am the silly one??). Here's the link if you want to read more and sign up: http://lousweight.com.au/main/page_eat_to_win_challenge.php

​The second one is a shorter, 5 day challenge designed to help you ditch the processed sugar and curb any sugar cravings/addiction. This one (starting on Monday 11th December) is FREE, and features: a meal plan, recipes, daily strategies/info/advice, and a ton of motivation/support. It is completely online, and to join this free challenge, simply sign up here: http://eepurl.com/c_7d9X

​So, come one, come all: join us for the 5 day challenge or commit to the longer 30 day program for amazing results. I have a race in January that I will be preparing for and training for, hence the launch of Eat To Win in December, as this will be perfect timing pre-race.

​So, the rest of this month, and December, will be very busy times for me (as well as everyone else, I'm sure). I am so glad that recently I listened to my gut instinct and intuition re: a certain venture I had undertaken that just didn't feel right. One that was causing me more and more anxiety and stress each week. That just didn't gel with me or feel right. So I made the decision to end it (despite saying goodbye to a lot of potential dollars) and focus 100% on my passions and the reasons I jump out of bed each day: nutrition work, teaching, writing, and alcohol/drugs/addiction work (I have just finished a Masters degree in this: watch this space in the new year for a special nutrition program aimed at those who are overcoming an addiction or who have recently detoxed and are in recovery). Our bodies give us very clear signs when something is not right (or conversely when it is!). It is so important to tune into these and to recognise when something is just not aligning well with us or if something is detrimental to our overall health. Trust your gut.

​Have an amazing week everyone! To all those running the Central Coast half marathon or 10km this Sunday: wishing you all the best and I will see you there!!

So, I recovered well from the Melbourne Marathon, nothing to report there. Then just 3 short weeks later, ran another marathon. Unplanned, untrained for, and with only 1.5 days of carb loading under my belt. And all went well. The power of the mind and motivation hey, and of running for a good cause. (Plus, good nutrition before, during and after the run.) The reason behind the impromptu marathon was the Cancer Council's fundraising Relay For Life, held in Glendale last Saturday, 4th November. I was taking part as part of the Wooters team, however I wasn't quite clear on the rules until the day or so before, when I was informed that I could definitely run as many laps as I wanted, continuously, and that it wasn't a traditional pass-the-baton-relay. Hmm, well of course I wanted to run a full marathon around the track upon hearing this news! Why ever not?! It's the least I could do.

​I was so inspired and motivated by all the legends around the track that day, lots doing the full twelve hours of lapping it up, in the pissing down constant rain too, I might add. An inspiring and emotional day, where many a half marathon and full marathon, and even double-marathons were smashed out by various participants. Everyone who took part, you are all amazing!!! I know we are all affected by cancer or have lost loved ones to it, or are currently battling it, and to witness so many people come together and make a positive difference towards beating this all too prevalent disease, well it was simply so awe-inspiring and beautiful. Special shout-out to our team captain/coordinator/absolute-legend Matt, thanks again for everything you did towards this event and on the day.

​So, after the impromptu/unplanned marathon last Saturday, this past week has seen less running, and more resting / bodypump classes / a multitude of healing/recovery foods. So, my legs were feeling fresh enough for a beautiful and oh-so-much-fun Glenrock trail run on Friday morning with a group of total legends. A couple of whales even graced us with their presence. Unreal, and so beautiful:

Also, was lucky enough to be shown a few brilliant techniques and warm up drills, that some amazing Kenyan Olympic runners use (thanks again Doddy!) before this trail run. Tried to put this into practise on yesterday's long run (the 'long' run being a modified and shortened version of a long run however, and my wheels fell off at the 19.5km mark - the marathon's effects lingering methinks, either that or the heat).

​In other hugely exciting news, I am thrilled to announce that I am now partnering with a very talented personal trainer! We are planning some exciting things for the new year, including a new challenge, so watch this space. If you are looking to take your results to the next level, why not consider personal training? I 100% recommend Josh Day, from Blue Phoenix Health and Fitness, as he is very experienced and has similar values to my own, re: the importance of carbs and of eating 'real' food / the importance of food/nutrition first and foremost. You will be in excellent hands. Here's his info if you're keen: josh@bluephoenixhealth.com; ​http://www.bluephoenixhealth.com/.