2015

Merry Fitmas to All, and an Active New Year!

OperationMove · December 19, 2014 · Leave a Comment

With 2014 rapidly coming to a close, we wanted to take the opportunity to say thankyou for sharing your moving journey with us this year.

We’ve seen such amazing growth within Operation Move, and have loved getting to know so many new people in our open Facebook community, in our various programs and of course at our events across the year. 2015 is shaping up to be nothing short of epic and we have a number of new ideas and plans in the works to help you continue enjoying being part of our community and maybe even try some exciting new things as well, so stay tuned!

You’ll still see us around the place over the next fortnight, but we are taking a short break from the blog to cuddle our kids, eat too much pudding and do some hard earned resting in between the running and the lifting. We’ll be back here on Monday January 5, ready to launch into the New Year with you.

In the meantime, we still have a few spots available in our six week body blitz beginning January 1st; Operation MOVE IT. A number of our 2014 participants have joined us again for the next round, and if you’d like to know more about what the experience is actually like you might enjoy Jo’s review of the program.

Our next Learn to Run programs will begin on February 1st, and we are currently taking expressions of interest on that as well. We are thrilled to be graduating our 100th runner next month, and hope you’ll be one of the next hundred to discover how running can reshape your life.

And for anyone setting some target races and making plans for the new year, our Far & Fast coaching programs are available year round. Join at any time, subscribe for a month and see how it can benefit your training. We think you will love it!

On behalf of Zoey and myself, our exec team and our broader community we would love to wish you and your family a happy and healthy Christmas, and a new year that will see you chase your dreams and become the best version of yourself yet. And if you’d like to do that with us, we would love that even more.

Keep Moving!

xx Kate

8 ways to smash out your goals in 2015

OperationMove · December 17, 2014 · 3 Comments

I don’t really do New Year resolutions, but I do goals. As we get to December, I start thinking about 2015. What I want to keep. What I want to discard. What I want to build on. Here are some ideas for setting and meeting some cracking goals in 2015.

1. Decide.

This sounds really simple. But for most of us self-doubt ruins too many goals. You know that voice in your head that says ‘I couldn’t possibly do that . . .’, well you can. If you decide to. Consciously think about what is important to you and what you want and decide that is what you are going to make happen.

2. Write it down.

Things are so much more likely to get done if you commit to them by taking the first step of writing them down. Preferably where you can see them. You could create a vision board, or add it it a noticeboard on the wall or even use a notebook if you prefer, but writing them down makes them solid.

3. Break your goal down into smaller, measurable and achievable steps.

If you have a big goal, break it down into the smallest steps possible so each one doesn’t seem so intimidating. When I was looking at an ambitious half marathon time, I created a plan for consolidating a fast 5k, a fast 10k and then a fast marathon. Starting small really helped.

4. Make sure it is specific enough to be measured.

Being more fit is a great goal but you can’t really measure that. So it can be hard to know if you are improving or not. Something like wanting to go for a run three times a week is far more specific and far more measurable and a whole lot easier to feel great about yourself for getting out there and doing what you set out to do.

5. Give yourself a break

Setting a goal doesn’t mean you are always going to make decisions that are going to move you toward that goal. And that’s ok. You are going to have off days where you might opt for more doona time. The whole thing doesn’t fall apart because you miss one session. Just make sure you make the next one.

6. Find people who support your goals

You would think this would be easy, but sometimes it’s not. Finding people who are going to help you enjoy your successes and push you back out there when you need it are going to make a huge difference to whether you keep going or not.

7. Work out what your biggest obstacles are

Sometimes there is an obstacle and you don’t even recognise it. I signed up for a new Crossfit gym this year and then didn’t go to any classes for two weeks. Lee from Brightside Coaching asked me a simple question: what is the anxiety about?. And the answer was really simple I was anxious about being late because of when I dropped my daughter off at school. Once I worked out I could drop her off early, I happily went along and started. Working out those obstacles is really important because it’s often very easy to come up with a solution. But you have to know what the problem is.

8. Have fun

Let’s face it, you have to enjoy it. If your plan calls for tough workouts, then there has to be some part of you that really loves the hard. Not all of you. But some part. If it’s not fun, it will never stick.

2015 – are you ready to be epic?

OperationMove · November 7, 2014 · 19 Comments

Some people are planners. They need to have a goal in place, a direction to follow, a training plan to work with.

I am one of those people. In the past, I’ve been one of those people almost to the point of it being unhealthy, and I am re-learning that spontaneity can be really fun too at the moment.

But some goals take more planning than others, and when it comes to bringing the team together we know that the more notice we can give you all, the better the chances that we will get to catch up with you at an event!

And so with that in mind, we’d love to share with you the planned team events for 2015.

Of course many OpMovers will be running in many events over the year, but these are the three where we plan on having most if not all of the exec team present, and we will be organising social catch ups and carb loading events the day prior to race day. So even if you are not a runner now, you can pop the dates in your diary and look at joining Learn to Run and taking part in a 5k perhaps? Or set yourself a heftier target then plan to join our Far and Fast monthly subscription for a personalised training plan to help get you there maybe? Or even just make sure you are free to come along and take the opportunity to meet some Movers, and cheerlead those out on the course on event day.

So grab your calendar and make sure to save the following dates!

May 16 – 17 – Great Ocean Road

Yep, we are heading back to the beautiful bay to head up hills and around bends and enjoy the amazing scenery of this run. The weekend includes many various race distance options so there is absolutely something for everyone.

Our exec team have registered for the full marathon, which we intend to treat as a long slow run (because HILLS) so if you see reference to the ‘picnic marathon’ or #phwooar15 then that is what we are talking about. Anyone keen to join us is welcome, we will NOT be racing this one.

The half is a beautiful run as well, and there are 14 and 6km race options available as well as a 1.5km kids run.

July 4 – 5 Gold Coast

The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is known to be one of the fastest and flattest in the country, plus it is on the GOLD COAST so for those of us who are feeling the chill in the southern states by July, a weekend escape to the sun seems like a great idea right?

Offering a marathon, half marathon, 10 an 5.7km races as well as a kids run, this weekend again gives everyone a chance to be involved no matter how new (or not new) a runner they are.

Mid October (dates TBC) – Melbourne

Back to where it all began, the Melbourne Marathon weekend is a key event in the OpMove calendar and we hope next year to see even more of you running across the many distances on offer.

We had SUCH a great time this year, and it is sure to be a fantastic event once again next year. Stay tuned for details as they are released.

Oh and I mentioned during the week that there was one great big audacious thing that Zoey and I are doing too, didn’t I?

Yes. Yes we did.

On May 31st, along with the gorgeous Jo E, Zoey and I will be running 90kms uphill in South Africa. As you do.

Because if you are going to take it to the next level, you may as well do it properly right?

Surprise!

So your turn! What are your goals and dreams for the new year? Will we be catching up with you at any events?