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You are here: Home / Archives for 2017

Archives for 2017

How do you like being solo?

Zoey · November 25, 2017 · Leave a Comment


For people who are newer to this blog and the operation move community, you might not even know that it used to be a partnership. For others, it only becomes obvious maybe if you are listening to the podcast from the beginning and you are obviously listening to two people instead of one.

The other day a friend of mine asked me how I was adapting to being solo. And the answer is, I’m adapting.

Sometimes I get reminded, like when people send me an email or a facebook message and address it to “Dear Ladies”. Well, there’s just one of me now.

Some weeks I feel like I have it all together, and other weeks it feels like there’s too much to do and I’m barely hanging on. The other day I was going back looking for a particular post I’d written on one of my different websites and I was struck by how many other things I used to do with writing and how they’ve all fallen by the wayside. It’s not that I don’t have time. Everyone has time, you know? But I choose to prioritise my time for Operation Move rather than other projects. But you have more leeway when you aren’t a solo act, and that became obvious looking back through my archives. I’m glad they are still there, though. It’s not a painful reminder so much as a revelation of ‘wow. I used to do that.’

Sometimes it feels like the elephant in the room, that I’m not talking about. But then I’m not sure if I’m the only one who feels that way. The truth is that separating out any partnership is a thousand different things, not just one decision. It’s email addresses and passwords and old blog posts and header photos and covers of e-bboks and administrative remnants and messages about old podcast episodes. It’s a million reminders that pop up in your Timehop. And it’s dates that are no longer recognised. I end up feeling like an adoptive mother because I didn’t create the sisterhood: but I nurtured it, defended it, protected it and advocated for it like no one else would.

I’ve been in a few business partnerships and I always tend to settle into the behind the scenes type role. I do a lot of the grunt work and the technical stuff. And someone else worries about the presentation. So although I was hidden to a certain extent, it also meant I was protected from some of the harder decision making parts and some of the harsher realities of running a business as well. Being on my own, I had to get really good at a whole heap of things that I didn’t know how to do, really fast. And I had to get REALLY good at managing my own stress levels so I didn’t implode.

But now the things I like about it is I get to pursue my own vision, if I make a mistake I’m the only one who suffers for it and it feels more mine now than it did before. In the past when I’d take over for periods, it always felt like limbo, like I was a placeholder. And it feels different now.

In a sense, I think going solo has allowed me to be more unapologetically myself.

My friend said to me she thought that with the logo redesign a website-redesign might be cathartic for me. And I think she is probably right.

 

{Friday Freebie} Beginner Half Marathon Training Plan

Zoey · November 24, 2017 · Leave a Comment

If the response of the last (more advanced) half marathon training plan was anything to go by, what everyone would really like is a beginner plan. Don’t worry I’ve got you covered! And I’ve got options for anywhere from 3-6 days depending on what your preference is for training. Don’t worry, even the more days per week plans are very achievable because the extra days focus on recovery and easy sessions, rather than anything taxing – but you can pick a plan that’s going to work best with your schedule.

Enjoy!

3 Day Plan
4 Day Plan
5 Day Plan
6 Day Plan

Podcast: Episode 64 – Stop Waiting for the 1st of January

Zoey · November 23, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Have you ever said to yourself, “I’ll start Monday”. I have and I bet you have too and you know what happens on Monday? Usually not much. Today I’m talking about what happens when you are getting towards the end of the year and maybe you weren’t where you thought you’d be. How do you get started? How do you get over that beguiling voice that tells you that you’ll just start after Christmas. Today is what you have. Not tomorrow. Not Monday. Not the 1st of January. Today. And I talk through some strategies to get started, keep it simple, create some support structures and set yourself up for success.

Speaking of Christmas you can check out the gift guide here. And you can sign up for Learn to Run and gain early access to the facebook group here. And you can also now register for the Whole Life Challenge at an early bird rate here.

Head over to iTunes to listen (and subscribe! and review!)

You can listen and download episodes in Itunes here.

How to set up your home gym without breaking the bank

Zoey · November 23, 2017 · 1 Comment

The cool thing about a home gym is you can do things in your pyjamas, you can work out even when it is school holidays and you can save time if you are a bit time poor. I also really love having a space to workout on my own and listen to podcasts, rather than having to travel to a gym. Sure, there are things at the gym that you don’t have but the vast majority of things you can do with only a small amount of equipment.

But I’m going to do this in stages, so as you progress you can add to your gym, instead of laying out a whole heap of money at once.

The first thing you are going to need is dumbbells.
These are going to be the most versatile piece of equipment you own. They are more challenging than barbells because of the greater muscle stabilisation required, so you actually need less weights which is a bonus!

Cost: You can pick up a 12kg set for $49, or a $20kg set for $99. If you want to get super fancy, you can get an adjustable dumbbell set which you can set to anywhere in between 2kg to 24kg per dumbbell for $199.

You don’t need a bench just yet, but you could probably use a mat.

A bench is nice, but it’s not necessary for most things – you can do them on the floor – but you might like a yoga mat to make it more comfortable.

Cost: $5 to $49 depending on your level of fancy.

If you’d like to work on your pull ups, but don’t want to invest in a pull up rack, you can get a bar for your door frame.

Don’t worry door frame pull up bars are super safe, and if you can’t do a pull up yet a resistance band will help you while you build strength.

Cost: $29.95 for the pull up bar and $6-15 for a resistance band (you might need to buy more than one depending on the level of assistance required).

So, you want to invest in a bench? Awesome, this is a great opportunity to expand your equipment a bit more.

You could get an incline bench for around $100, but for a bit more you can get one that is going to double as a squat rack (when you get a barbell), is an adjustable bench and includes a leg developer too.

Cost: $100-$199 depending on what is going to best suit your needs.

Some extras that are going to help diversity your workouts

Things that you might like to consider are kettlebells (you can use dumbbells in the meantime, but for some exercises kettlebells will work better), a skipping rope, a medicine ball and a plyo box. It all depends on what kind of sessions you want to do, but those would be good things to consider

Cost: Kettlebells will range from $15-89 depending on weight. You can grab a skipping rope for $5-15. A medicine ball will range from $19-49 depending on weight. And a plyo box will range from $35-$199 depending on what you go for.

A barbell is an investment, but it’s also super versatile too.

Although you can get a standard barbell relatively cheaply, I’d recommend getting an olympic barbell because it’s going to be easier on your wrists and is going to a better investment. Barbells tend to start at around 10kg, but you can get 20kg bars if that is going to suit you better. You are also going to need weight plates. You can get cheaper options, but I’d recommend bumper plates because they are more durable. The great thing about weight plates is that you can use them for a range of exercises, not just on the barbell. So things like russian twists and overhead lunges and squats or even a weighted plank.

Cost: $49 for a standard barbell or from around $129 for an olympic barbell. You can get weight plates from around $35 per 10kg, and bumper weight plates from around $50 per 10kg. Weight plates can be expensive, so it might be a good idea to start with the bar and whatever weight you are at and add to it as you are lifting more weight, rather than buy weights all in one go.

You might want a more permanent pull up bar and a dip station.

If that’s the case, you can upgrade your door frame pull up bar to a rack.

Cost: $120. You’ll still be able to use your resistance bands on the rack too.

Hill Sprint Finisher

Zoey · November 22, 2017 · Leave a Comment

This workout is a great option if you are 5km training or if you want to focus on having a kick at the end of your runs. If you are a person who struggles with a fast finish, then this is a great one to try.

You can do it as a quality session through the week, or in place of your long run.

Run at an easy pace for 50 minutes

Run at your tempo pace for 25 minutes

Then do 4 x 0:30 hill sprints up a steep hill at maximum speed with jogging return recoveries.

Walking or easy run cool down for 10 minutes.

If that’s a longer run than you would normally do, you can shorten it up by doing a 30 minute easy run, 15 minute tempo run, followed by the 4 hill sprints.

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