Archives for August 2014

Happy Birthday to us, would you like a present?

OperationMove · August 29, 2014 · 6 Comments

In just a few more days it will be my favourite day of the entire year.

Spring day.

It marks the end of my most personally challenging part of the year as a sufferer of seasonal affective disorder. August itself is a very difficult month for my family, as some months are for some families, and Spring day which has always been about celebrating for me has taken on a whole extra layer of sheen as we leave behind the memories and sadnesses for another year.

But we have something that makes it even more awesome these days.

It is our birthday!!

On Monday, Operation Move will celebrate two years of motivating, inspiring and community building. When I first wrote this blog post, never in a million years would I have imagined that we would be doing what we are now. From a little thing on a personal blog to a rapidly growing business that gives us so much joy we don’t even have big enough words for it.

That was way back near the start, a few months in to Operation Move. I barely recognise that person now, but I know she worked SO HARD to run that far at that pace. It felt like one of the hardest things I had ever done.

In the two years between, aside from mastering the art of the smug post run selfie and utilising that skill many times a week (sorry, not sorry), I’ve gotten a little bit faster and started running a little bit further. I’ve dropped a total of nearly 14kgs. Oh, and I’m going to run a marathon quite soon. As you do, right? Tell that to the woman up there, and she will laugh in your face. But here we are.

And what about Zoey? She’s been by my side from the start, but things have changed a bit for her too.

Way back in November 2012 she shared her month with Operation Move. She’s changed just a little bit too. She’s marathon training, has run a sub 1:50 half marathon (which is a BIG DEAL!) and is half the woman she used to be. But that’s just window dressing. It is the posture of the shoulders that tells you the real story. There is POWER in discovering you are strong and determined.

We’ve had so many wonderful women join us over the past couple of years, and the greatest gift for us has been watching other people grow in confidence and strength. Some have been with us from the start, others we have gathered along the way. All are valued and loved.

When we moved from a blog based community to a business entity it marked a shift that has given us the ability to reach out to more and more women who are looking for the kind of life changing experiences that we have had. I think what makes Operation Move so appealing to so many people is that we get it because WE DID IT too.

I could rave on forever about how proud I am every time one of our Learn to Run women say something like this:

I don’t know if you’ve ever been part of something that helps people rediscover parts of themselves that they thought they had lost forever, but if you have you know how it fills your heart and soul to overflowing with a joy that can’t be described. I wake up every morning and I LOVE what we do.

It is our birthday, and two years ago I couldn’t have imagined where Operation Move would be now. I cannot WAIT to see what the coming years hold for us.

Because it is our birthday, we would like to give someone a very special present.

We are very close to closing registrations for our Spring Learn to Run program, with only a few spaces left.

When we close, be it August 31st or sooner than that, we are going to pay someone back their registration fee.

Yep. $220 straight to the Paypal account of our winner so they can enjoy learning to run on us, and maybe go on a little shopping spree for some gorgeous new gear to celebrate.

The competition applies to those people who have joined our Spring Far & Fast course as well. There will be one winner across both courses, but as you know we like to keep our groups small and cosy.

The winner will be notified by email on Monday September 1st, and must be a fully registered participant in either Learn to Run or Far & Fast for September. This is open to those paying in full OR by payment plan, you just need to be signed up and have accessed your private coaching group to be in with a chance. You are so welcome!

Thankyou for being part of the Operation Move story so far. Now that we are toddlers you can probably expect the odd tantrum, but also some great new experiences as we really find our feet and our voices in the world. We hope you’ll continue to grow with us.

xx Kate

5 things to keep you occupied when you aren’t running

OperationMove · August 27, 2014 · 1 Comment

I know. Not running. What is this madness? But it happens to all of us from time to time. Whether it be the PLAGUE OF DEATH (a cold in laymans terms) or an injury or just needing to recharge the batteries a bit. Sooner or later, the not exercising bit happens. Sometimes you are lucky and you can do other exercise things to fill the hole like crossfit or yoga or RPM but when you have the PLAGUE OF DEATH you can’t. And then you have to get really creative.

1. Shop.

Obvious. Because when you are not running you suddenly have a desperate need for more shoes. Or more crops. Or more calf sleeves. Or more tights. Something to fill the hole in your heart.

2. Create a Wall of Glory

Creating a display of your awesome running adventures is pretty important I think. You can get medal hangers if you want. I don’t have one yet. Should shop for that! But I’ve got an eye on one that says ‘Fear No Distance’. Perfect yes? But in the meantime you could just find some wall and make a collage of running fantasticness with your bibs and sticky tape and/or blue tac. You don’t have to be god’s gift to craft to have fun with it.

3. Organise Your Running Gear

I have all of mine in the garage away from all the other stuff for two reasons. Because it’s my favourite and it deserves its own special place and because it limits the chances of waking teeny children when I am leaving the house at stupid o’clock for a run. Every now and then I re-organise it and see if there’s anything that couldn’t be sent to the Pay It Forward section in our Forums.

4. Plan out my events for next year

This is fun. I can spend a lot of time looking at the running calendar, seeing what events are going to be coming up and which ones are going to be good to focus on in 2015. Next year I’m going to be planning on maybe only three events total, maybe four. So those are prize positions that I can’t just give away to any race that it looks like might be nice. Those things need to be considered.

5. Does that training plan need tweaking?

I thought so. A bit of time to fine tuning your training plan goes a long way.

And after all of that? Still sick/injured/not running? Just go back to number 1. Shopping is a good one.

Meet a Mover Monday – Deana

OperationMove · August 25, 2014 · 4 Comments

Welcome to Meet a Mover Monday! Everyone has a story, and each week we will introduce you to one of our OpMovers so you can learn a little bit about theirs. We are all at different stages of our journeys, but we all started in the same place.

This week, say hi to Deana.

Who are you?

Dee, 34, Brisbane.
Full time student (Bachelor of Education) and mother to two girls.

When did you start running and why?

I started because Kate and Operation Move convinced me that I could. I would never have even tried if it wasn’t for Operation Move, I wouldn’t have gotten out there.

I was sick of not moving, sick of the extra weight, sick of feeling like I couldn’t. So I did.

What is your favourite distance?

At the moment 5km is good for me, but I really loved the first 15km of my half marathon, and I also really enjoyed my 15km training run.

Top 3 must have gear:

1. Nike Lunareclipse 4 shoes
2. Garmin
3. Injinji socks

Fave post run fuel?

Eggs & Bacon and Coffee.. always with the coffee.

What do you listen to when you run?

At the moment I am using a Zombie run app, and I have a variety of music that plays while I do that. 30STM, Katy Perry, Florence and the Machine, Eminem (shh), … Taylor Swift, N.E.R.D are some of them.

Tech lover or naked runner?

Looove my tech. Want more tech.

Words of wisdom to new runners?

Start out slow.

Baby steps so you a) don’t burn out b) don’t end up with an injury.

Celebrate every milestone.

That first 1 minute of running amongst walking for me was a major thing, I was elated!

I wish I could…….

Fly all over Australia to run with all the other Operation Move women.

I am most proud of…

Proving to myself that I CAN run. That first day I decided to run I think it my proudest achievement yet.

WIN a Sports Bra and ‘Rundies’ Kit with She Science!

OperationMove · August 24, 2014 · 26 Comments

You might already know that we are BIG fans of She Science here at Operation Move.

We love their belief that all women have the right to properly fitted, comfortable, supportive undergarments that gives them the freedom to move as much as they want. We feel pretty strongly about fitness being for all women too!

If you’d love the chance to WIN a Sports Bra and ‘Rundies’ pack valued at up to $120 to help you move in freedom and comfort, you can enter in three easy steps:

1. Enter your details in the form below.

2. Leave a comment telling us your funniest, most interesting or weirdest bra related moving story.

Good luck!! Like what you see here? Share the pic up there on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #opmoveftw

* Entering this competition will include you in the newsletter lists from Operation Move and She Science. You are able to unsubscribe from these at any time by following the links at the bottom of the newsletters, although we hope you’ll find them so super interesting and fun that you won’t want to!

* Entry is open to residents of Australia. The competition closes at 5pm Sunday August 31st. Winner will be notified by email within 48 hours of this time.

* This is a game of skill, chance plays no part in determining the winner.

My Learn to Run Journey – by Annaleis

OperationMove · August 20, 2014 · 7 Comments

I never thought I would be a runner. As a teenager I was the one who was involved in everything but. My Exercise Induced Asthma really held me back in terms of sports like cross-country.

As an adult and after three babies I never thought I would because I couldn’t sneeze without wetting myself, let alone run a couple of kilometres up the road.

After surgery and a lot of physio, I told my surgeon of my plans to keep moving: not giving up the Netball I loved and learning to run. She told me that it wasn’t a good idea. I had little core strength and my pelvic floor wouldn’t cope.

So again I gave up that idea. I started walking. Apparently I walk fast – as fast as some people run. I made it to the point that I wasn’t going to get any faster unless I started jogging a little. I gave it a go. February 2013 I could do a 1km time trial in 9.46mins. By June I had it down to 7.14mins. But I had to work on my core a little harder.

I also hit a wall with the fact that I couldn’t sustain any distance – I only wanted to be able to run 5km comfortably. My cardio fitness was non-existent and my head would get in the way.

So over Summer I let it go. I worked on my core in the pool A LOT. Played with my kids and within that year I had lost 15kgs. I really think that this started to help with my ability to start running again. My bottom did not make its own sound when it went up and down anymore (it still goes up and down!) I wasn’t trying to lug all that around.

But I was still struggling with motivation and my head getting in the way of my runs. So when Kate contacted me and told me about the Learn to Run course I knew I had to do it.

Now I am running twice a week (sometimes more), playing netball and golf. I’m smashing our runs for Week 8 of the program and even though I am a couple of weeks behind I’m am ticking off one goal at a time.

I am motivated, thanks to a small bunch of gorgeous women who are doing this with me. We have all had our triumphs; a few injuries to overcome and we have all slowly started putting our health and fitness first.

I should tell you up front that at first I hated the intervals. They were hard. I thought the 3 minute ones were going to kill me. Obviously I survived and I’m running 8-minute intervals at pretty much the same pace. Much more comfortably. In fact I can run a kilometre now at less that 5.45mins. I never thought that was possible!

I really think that the support of Kate and the Operation Move team has been so vital in helping me get in the right headspace. I also hope that I have been a small inspiration to the other women in our group because they have no idea how much they have pushed and inspired me.

I love that I am surprising and making myself proud every single time I am out there having a go. Why don’t you surprise yourself and check out the Operation Move courses today?

If you’d like to learn more about Annaleis’ life in the country, you can follow her blog; Teapots and Tractors.

You can find out more about learning to run with Operation Move and experience for yourself the care, friendship and support that has helped shape Annaleis journey too. Click here for more details.