Caroline - Find Your Summer Body Week 8

So, my final blog.  Where to start? The final week of training was fun.  The fitness testing during those sessions proved just how far I’d come, although doing the oval run three times was painful (I had a make-up session so ended up with a bonus run).  The frustrating thing was my time only got slower but how I loved to watch some of you ladies fly.  Wow.

Friday we were under the extra pressured of looking good as well as training hard.  The chap with the video camera was there and that certainly made me think – think about my technique, think about not coming last, think about how I looked in my over-sized gym outfit (yep, I’ve shrunk out of my kit, yipeee)!!  I’ve not yet seen the footage and I don’t think I want to.  Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

The fitness testing on Saturday wasn’t as bad as it was that first time...ohhhh the memory of that turns my tummy.  Yes, I pushed myself as hard as I could as I wanted my results to reflect how hard I’d tried.  On reflection, I was disappointed with how I did.  Surely I could have tried harder but maybe it's just the nature of those tests... you keep going til you fail.

I did surprise myself that I got up to do the stairs on Sunday.  The results were in and this was to be my 5th session of the week but I wanted to put in a strong finish and get on film again (this time hauling my butt up the steps in the blistering heat... please note the sarcasm!!!).  I smashed my previous time, then went for a coffee.  The coffee I had been looking forward to for 8 weeks. Yum.

So after an epic 8 weeks, the challenge was over and we were all sitting tight waiting for the results.  I was so proud when Jen called my name as the overall winner at the challenge party.  I knew my body had changed shape and I knew my strength had improved so I had achieved what I set out to do. Wining the challenge was the cherry on the cake, not that I would ever eat cake.... hehe