The Outback Expat

MS Moonlight Walk

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After the extremely wet Bridge to Brisbane that we did a few weeks ago, seeing the weather forecast of rain on Saturday 6 October 2018 which was also the date of the MS Moonlight Walk did make me think oh no, particularly as I had felt ambitious when I signed me, Naomi and the Aussie up for the walk and had signed us up for the 10km walk rather than our usual 5km.

The walk didn’t start until 6pm so during the day we watched the clouds roll in as well as a touch of rain before heading to the Cultural Centre to meet Naomi.

Upon arrival we picked up our red lanterns and waited for the walk to start whilst feeling the rain get heavier and heavier. Luckily I had bought some rather fetching rain ponchos so we were able to avoid getting quite as drenched as for Bridge to Brisbane.

The event got off to a lovely start with presentations to the top fundraisers as well as listening to people who have MS talk about how they are fighting to beat MS.

With the sun going down we started on our walk along Southbank and the long and windy, sometimes up and sometimes down hill path to the Story Bridge, which if it is possible to have a favourite bridge would 100% be my favourite!

We walked along pathways and roads which we have never been to or along before which was lovely and to be honest the rain didn’t really dampen the experience for me. It was also lovely to see the volunteers along the route, pointing us in the right direction and from time to time handing out things to keep you going like water, bananas, cookies and yoghurt.

As we came back through the botanic gardens at the 9km mark we were dazzled by the beautiful lights which are in the trees all year round. It was “just” a short trek back to the finish line.

I have never walked as much as 10km in one go before. I remember back when I started exercising how walking 3km used to hurt my hips and I would be in pain for a while afterwards. The most I had walked in one go had previously been 5km but recently I have been walking 7 then 8km on the treadmill at the gym and felt comfortable doing so.

The thought of completing 10km still made me nervous though and I won’t lie that I thought, well if it gets tough we can probably just do 5km. Luckily that wasn’t necessary and we did it and it was a really great experience, especially as I was able to raise some money for the MS Society as well and completed it with the Aussie and Naomi.

We have signed up for a 10km walk on the Gold Coast next year already and have a longer walk in mind when the tickets go on sale on New Years Day around Byron Bay as well which makes me quite excited for the fitness goals next year.

How do you do it?

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The title of this post actually refers to the question I now often get asked by people I know or see at the gym which is “how did/do you do it?” I also get asked “how much exercise do you do?” “what do you eat” and told “I couldn’t get up at that time” which refers to my 4.30am start!

I have now lost 48kg which along with the way I now look and feel I still sometimes cannot actually get my head around. My aim is to loose around another 10kg, fingers crossed. Some of that will, I hope, be achieved with cosmetic surgery and the rest via continued healthy eating and exercise. I am currently investigating this as an option.

These questions do sometimes stump me a bit. I have spoken to the Aussie, Naomi and also Felicity Neale who is my food and fitness advisor (she is a bloody god send!) about this and that my reply is as simple as “I have to” when that question is posed to me which seems a bit to simplistic.

The Aussie said to me something along the lines of well you have gone from someone who barely walked any distance to someone who decided you were going to get fit and healthy and you have been bloody minded about it (in a good way) and are doing exactly what you said you would.

The reality for me is that I had to do something about my weight and health. I couldn’t do the things I really wanted like being out walking, being active and doing things which the Aussie enjoys and I now do as well. I couldn’t walk very far without being in pain and I had actually had to cancel plans to visit one of my best friends when I was home in the UK last time because I had hurt my back whilst walking around some shops and that really was the final straw / incentive for me. I was worried about the potential for health complications like diabetes and high blood pressure which seemed to be a real risk.

I would say that I “do it” by working out six to seven days a week and through a healthy eating plan made up of whole and unprocessed foods. I eat regularly (five times a day) so I am never hungry and drink plenty of water. I have to say that I just feel great because I am not eating the high sugar and fatty foods that I used to.

I also get asked about what I actually eat in a day but this is something which I feel is unique to me because my meal plan is put together by Felicity based upon our aims and goals week to week and in the long term so it wouldn’t be helpful to say I eat x, y or z because what I eat may not help someone else achieve what they want.

As I was writing this post I saw this on Facebook and it kind of seemed perfect

Bridge to Brisbane

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Almost this time last week it was drizzling with a threat of heavy rain and Naomi and I were making our way to the start line for Bridge to Brisbane.

Last year I was stuck on a bus with the Aussie on the way to see our friend give a speech for quite some time care of the same event. Even though I had participated in several walk/races at this time I don’t think it occured to me that the following year I would participate in the Bridge to Brisbane.

Twelve months later and I was up almost at the crack of dawn on a Sunday no less, to catch a train into the city, to walk to Eagle Street Pier where I met Naomi to catch a ferry across to Captain Burke Park.

Naomi and I sheltered under a canopy for quite some time whilst waiting for the race to start, chatting to a lovely lady who had had her knees replaced and her goal post surgery was to participate in the 5km Bridge to Brisbane. We shared parkrun stories and laughed waiting to get started.

Then probably about 20 minutes before the race started, so did the heavier rain. We got in line in the pink zone, assuming we would take more than 45 minutes to complete the race when I signed us up.

The race began in waves based on the colour of your bib. We set off heading towards one of my favourite landmarks in Brisbane, The Story Bridge. I have never walked over the bridge and have only driven over it by accident when I missed a turn off when following my Satnav! I have to say I was excited to walk over the bridge at long last and we walked across and back which was great.

Then we began the walk towards Southbank. It was at times up hill making me glad I was walking but yet quite satisfied that I was not out of breath too badly.

The further we got into the race the heavier the rain became. It got to the stage that I had to take my glassess off as we walked around Kangaroo Point because the rain was so heavy. We were literally soaked through but kept on plodding.

We hit the 4km mark and started to run, this hadn’t been our intention or plan but it felt good running, especially the downhill bits! The rain was a motivator I think and lead to some funny moments where whilst wiping my eyes because the rain was so heaving that I almost rain into the back of about 3 people. Hasty “sorry sorry sorry” was shouted as I carried on running.

We crossed the finish line in a very happy for me, 43 minutes and 5 seconds. We were just shy of our personal best which was about 20 seconds faster but frankly I didn’t mind. I had completed the Bridge to Brisbane, my muscles were tired in the best way and I am already plotting the next race!

Bridge to Brisbane before the rain hit

My July Faves Part One

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July was a fantastic month for me. Three weeks with my family, first visit to Sydney and some fitness goals achieved. As a result I took a LOT of photos in July so there are a selection of my July faves below. The rest of my July Faves will follow shortly.

I plan on writing about some of the things I did with my family in the next few weeks so will share some more photos then!

1) Breakfast on my families first morning in Brisbane and cooked by my brother! I didn’t eat any of it as I am on plan but everyone enjoyed it and I loved being able to sit down with everyone.
2) 3) & 4) My first view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House! I was so excited to finally get to Sydney and see these icons in the flesh which I had only seen on tv or in photos. I was not disappointed.
5) The Aussie and I visited the Pylon on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and you can read about our visit here.
6) After our visit to the Pylon the Aussie and I took a walk back through the city to our hotel and we passed the Australian Hotel, which, to me is a traditional Aussie hotel.
7) 8) & 9) Each morning we were in Sydney, the Aussie and I took a walk before breakfast. On our first day we walked around Darlinghurst and Kings Cross where these photos were taken. On our walk we stopped of for a coffee where we met the very cute dog called Samantha! She invited herself to sit on my knee until the need to wander took hold again!

1) On our second day in Sydney we took a tour of the Sydney Opera House which I loved. It really wasn’t what I expected or imagined at all and I am so glad we went.
2) & 3) The Aussie, me and my Mum and Dad took a ferry from Circular Key to Manly. It gave us fantastic views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge and it was lovely to see Manly during our short trip.
4) 5) & 6) On our third day in Sydney it was my Dad’s 70th birthday.We weren’t sure what to do but my brother suggested a trip to the Blue Mountains. After a bit of research (one of my favourite things!) I planned a train trip (one of my dad’s favourite things) and a trip to Scenic World.
7) 8) & 9) These photos were taken on our last morning in Sydney. The Aussie and I started the day with a walk down to Circular Key to catch a last glimpse of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge before breakfast with my family. After that we took a walk down to the Queen Victoria Building which is a shopping centre so that they could visit the Haigh’s shop. I don’t think they were disappointed by Haigh’s!

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