I Did It!!! I Survived My First Duathlon!!!

Yep!! I did it and it feels GOOD!!

The sense of acheivement is amazing.

I was so worried about the cycle section – I hadn’t been able to train for a couple of weeks and I was so worried about falling off or having to get off the bike to get up the hills – BUT I didn’t need to worry. Nope!!

I am so ready to go and enter another one – YAH!! If I can do it – at 37 years old and three kids later – anyone can. I couldn’t believe it but the oldest competitor was – 78 years old — yep 78 YEARS OLD!!!. So age is no barrier.

Once you have cracked something like a Duathlon , you start to believe in yourself and your thinking process changes – instead of the constant negative thoughts – “you can’t do that” ” you’re no good” -you have positive voices egging you on to acomplish other things. Awesome – Bring it on!!!!

Rachel Larkin

Training for my Duathlon

There is only two weeks to go! Yep I have been training for a duathlon. I can hardly believe it myself.

My main motivator was watching my sister train last year and I saw how it changed her outlook and her body. So after the January holidays I started training. I am really proud of how far I have come. It has only been two and half months since I started running and now I can run 3.5km with no stopping! (The duathlon is 3.5km run – 10km bike – 1.5km run)

Now, this is a HUGE change. I was NOT a runner , nope not at all. I tried running and only got to the letter box before my lungs felt like they were exploding. It has really opened my eyes to the possibilities of trying new activities that I had previously written off as NOT ME!

Since learning to run, I have learned to push myself – to reach the next level of fitness. It has given me such motivation to do other things – like being a writer. What is sad is that I have waited until I am 37 years old before I discovered that I had it in me to run. I am starting to discover that there are other things I can do. It’s the old domino effect.

I now encourage others to give something new a go – you never know what you are capable of if you don’t HAVE A GO!

Rachel Larkin

Are You About To Blow?

Something was very wrong, very very wrong. There was steam pouring out of the back deck and a shrill whistling sound. Underneath the wooden deck was our ensuites hot water cylinder (HWC). I didn’t know much about plumbing but I knew enough that steam and whistling was not right. I tried the hot tap in the bathroom and it spluttered out extremely boiling brown water!  The plumber came and went after two or so hours. Apparently the thermostat was broken and if the pressure was not allowed to be released, the cylinder would be like a bomb and the whole room would have blown sky high!!!! Now who would block the pressure release outlet? Don’t laugh but this plumber guy has seen the destruction!!

The funny thing is that I was just like our HWC this week. We struggle and struggle with issues or just daily life and instead of releasing the “steam” (in a useful way) – we plug it up. Everyone’s plug is different. A plug is something that brings relief but only for a moment. It doesn’t deal with the underlying problem (the broken thermostat). Here is some ‘plug’ examples:

•     T.V.  -It sure feels good to watch a few mindless dramas.
•     Food and lots of it – Emotional eating has a lot to answer for!
•     Romance Novels -. A bit of escape into a fantasy world.
•     Exercise –yes this can became an addiction to some people!
•     And my plug ……………………………CHOCOLATE!

These plugs are not bad in themselves – a bit of chocolate now and then is supposed to be good for your heart, so they say. But it is when you can’t go through a day or a week without using these plugs to stop the pressure and steam. I know it from experience – the kids may be giving me a hard day and by the time it reaches 2pm my mind is telling me “you really need some chocolate – you deserve it!!”

Yep I used the chocolate plug this week! And it obviously wasn’t enough because I did blow!! What was broken? Basically I was trying to do too much by myself AND also it doesn’t help that I worried about things that I had no control over. A Big Lesson Week, for sure.

Rachel Larkin

A Secret to Gaining Healthier Kids

Hi there,

Here is a FREE article on gaining healthier kids. Click – A Secret to Gaining Healthier Kids

Don’t forget about the FREE offer to join my mailing list – click the link to join- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BecomingBeautiful/

This is where members are sent articles, tips and hints on Becoming Beautiful. Currently we are dealing with beautifying our words.

Rachel Larkin

Trapped in a Tunnel -Part of my Life Story

Life Stories

The Bible, Gods word is a collection of true life stories and letters since time began. These stories have an incredible impact on peoples hearts. We all have stories to tell, stories of how we found God and how He found us. Some of us have amazing stories how God rescued their lives and transformed them into something beautiful. Others have stories of deliverance from dry desert experiences. Stories are powerful; true stories from peoples lives have extra power and meaning because they are real!