First post of 2008!!!!!

Tuesday 15/01/08:

Reading my last post I see I'd vowed to keep my blog up to date and keep up to date with others - well the intention was certainly there, but the new job soon took care of that! I started on 29th Oct and have barely come up for air since! If I was looking for a challenge I certainly got one! It has been a full-on few months with so much to learn and adapt to, but on the whole its been really good. There have been some very long hours involved and a fair amount of stress, but now that I've settled in and learnt my way around their system and procedures, its getting easier. I certainly don't regret making the move, but there have been times when I've wondered if I've bitten off more than I can chew...! Still, its a work in progress and at least now I feel valued and respected in what I do.

Add to that the fact that our wedding is now less than 7 weeks away, so Daryll and I have been busy with plans, making invites, organising our honeymoon, the overseas guests, etc, etc, etc... Sunday 2nd March is the big day, its a Sunday afternoon affair with about 50 guests, all outdoors in the beautiful Auckland Botanic Gardens amongst the Perrenials, followed by champagne and nibbles in the garden. Then a few speeches, toasts, photos and a cake and plenty of mingling and socialising. Then Daryll and I are off to spend the night at the Hilton in the city, before farewelling all of our overseas family the next two days, then heading off to the Whitsundays for 5 days! Can't wait! We're really looking forward to it and have managed to stick to a budget and to our goal of not letting it stress us out! Courtney is so excited about being my bridesmaid and Daryll becoming her Stepdad, so I couldn't have asked for more.

Our Christmas and New Year was really nice, but fairly low-key due to the fact that we are both in new jobs and had to work thru. Courtney has had a nice break and on Sunday she is off to Brisbane on her own for a week, where my sister will meet her and they'll fly to Townsville where she will stay with them on Magnetic Island. She has all sorts of exciting activities planned and because they live at the resort (her partner is the GM) there will be plenty of swimming, etc.

My running has not been plain sailing, but I seem to be back into it ok now. After my last post I continued to build slowly and gently as per the programme from Dale, but despite following all the rules my hip started playing up again and I had to have more time off. Then I was so physically and mentally exhausted from work for a while there, that I found it impossible to get out there. Because I now start at 8am, getting a decent length run in means being out the door by 5.15am, so it can be hard, especially when working late and not getting to bed till after midnight... But with that calming down I've really made an effort over the past month or so and am now back running about 5 times per week. For the first time in months I'm feeling good about my running again. My fitness level still has a way to go, but I'm running off-road as much as poss and have enjoyed some great runs in the Whitford Forest and on the Rotary Track just lately, with Daryll and Courtney walking while I run on ahead. I haven't been keeping a close log of milage, just what the Polar tells me at the end of each run/week, but I'll attempt to update my milage chart anyway.

My goal for 2007 was to run further, faster and complete more events than ever before, but it certainly didn't work out that way and I struggled with injury from April onwards. This year I've vowed just to enjoy my running and not go overboard. Right now my motivation is losing a couple of kgs - I have a wedding dress to fit into shortly after all and we all know what happens when you stop exercising and keep eating like you're still running 80kms a week!! Enjoying life as a whole is something that comes a lot easier these days and 2007 was definately my year for change... now I just need to fine-tune things so that I can fit all of the things into my life that I want to... and yes, that still includes blogging. Its fair to say I've thought about retiring it and hearing that SD was retiring his almost convinced me it would be for the best... But I still think about my 'friends in Blogland' alot, especially when I'm out there pounding the pavements, and blogging is a great motivator... so here I am, lets see how it goes.

Best wishes to all for a fantastic 2008.