Round 1 finale: #cocostyle

I'm writing this post from the clouds.....I'm travelling home from finale. I had a sudden urge to

blog about my weekend so I've pulled out my notebook and pen from my bag and I'm scribbling away on my lap as I soar above NSW.

What a week! My week leading up to finale was hectic and stressful. Planning finale was a last minute thing for me for a few reasons. I wasn't 100% sure I could go until a couple of weeks ago. I had 5 parties on the same night across 3 states.  Each of them were important and it was a hard decision to make.  My heart was split and this delayed decision making and other factors saw me madly trying to locate the perfect dress and do things such as book my flights home on the morning I flew out. You'd think I enjoyed flying by the seat of my pants! Aside from wrapping up Week 12 and finale planning, I've had a few pretty huge things to deal with this week so I've been pretty overwhelmed and stressed.

But I worked it all out,  and on Thursday night I jetted down to Melbourne for my favourite weekends of all, finale weekend :)

The beautiful Kristine (kipwil) is the best and dressed up as a pirate (!) and met Cathy, Sarah, Archie and I at the airport and drove us to our friend Miriam's. The 12WBT generosity and

Pirate dress ups at Avalon Airport!

hospitality never ceases to overwhelm me. We spent the night catching up with Sandra, Andrea (and Bob!) over protein bars and Frangelico. The next morning we went for a walk, had breaky and cruised the shops. It was really nice to have this quiet catch up time before the weekend got hectic with finale events. 

The girls dropped me at the Crown Metropol and then it was on! I met up with my lovely friend Lyndall, met the awesome Al and Jen and settled into our hotel room. We were soon hotel room hopping, running and jumping up and down the halls, excited to see old friends. We got ready and went out for dinner with a stack of the 30+ crew. It was so lovely to put faces to names of people we interact with every day :)

Then it was onto welcome drinks, organised by the awesome Vic Crew. The event was so well put together and I was stoked to catch up and have a laugh with old friends and meet some special new ones like the beautiful Patrick and Catherine.

30+ dinner

Late night hotel room chats and a quick sleep and we were off to the 30+ breakfast at Wood n Chimney. Again, so lovely to see and meet friends. Seriously, 12WBT is the biggest friends hub. The kilos we lose is gained a million fold in the friends we meet along the way.

And then onto my favourite part of each finale weekend, the workout! I am just in love with this event! I took part in the shuttle mini challenge, danced with the gorgeous Rina, cheered on the fitness challengers and fancy dress competitors, met MORE old and new friends (thank you for saying

hello Susanne, Janelle, Katie, Leanne and Katherine and others), and generally just mucked around and soaked up the atmosphere. The reason I love the workout so much is that if you take a moment and allow yourself to take it all in, you realise how amazing it is to be gathered in a group of 1500 people who have all converged to improve their lives.

To be honest though I didn't have the best time at this workout. :( This was nothing to do with the event itself, it was just my personal situation. I'm very disappointed in myself to say that I

Beautiful sisters Susanne and Janelle :)

have lost some of my fitness lately. I have let my training slip for about 3 weeks - and the damage has been done. I can't believe how quickly you can lose fitness! I intend to fix this of course, but that didn't help me on the day. I just felt sluggish, and I couldn't keep up as much as I would have even 3 weeks ago. I was also feeling uncomfortable due to guzzling too much water and needing a toilet, TTOTM had surprised me a few days early :( and in the middle of the workout, I got hit in the head.

We were doing a sit up type activity and a girl who was lying behind me smashed her head onto mine as we came down at the same time. I lay there for a while in a bit of shock and eventually continued but ended up aimlessly in search of water and the First Aid tent

Lyndall and myself

when a headache and dizziness started. I was fine but next workout I intend on being able to smash the workout again, and not my head!

We did the whole finale day "in between workout and party lunch thing", and even managed some shopping and quiet time (which never happens!) before ascending into dress/hair/makeup/accessories/pre-finale central. The party theme was 'old Hollywood glamour" and I had a bit of fun and dressed as Marilyn Monroe. It was then time to party! 

I had a heap of fun. :) The party was amazing. 12WBT did good! The room was gorgeous, there was entertainment, a themed set, plenty of food and drinks, and I felt really excited to be in the same room as where the Logies are held as they are very close to my

professional heart. I always seem to end up doing crazy photo shoots on the white backdrop at each finale and this one was no different. :)

The show bags were fantastic and we carried on in hotel rooms, hallways and a casino bar. I even got to have a quick catch up with one of my friends who was at one of the parties I couldn't make - he was staying in the same hotel!

The next morning I enjoyed a quick breaky with some gorgeous girls and then the lovely Alison drove Lyndall and I to the airport. I hadn't met Alison before this weekend yet she and her hubby Mark took time out of their day like many Vic Crew did and helped us out with

Maz 'n Mish

transport. Thank you Alison and Mark - it's so helpful not having to navigate a different city's public transport system and it was so nice meeting you. 

I went home via Sydney and spent a day visiting some family and now am home tonight. (Well it took me a few days to post this, but I wrote it the other night!)

I am so so so thankful that we have a week off in between rounds this time as I really need this time to settle, reflect, plan, and organise. I was on the back foot last round and didn't recover. 

I haven't talked much about how I have gone this round. I didn't do that well. Officially - from weigh in day to weigh in day, I lost 1.8kg. Not very awesome.

Inconsistent nutrition is an understatement. As I mentioned I have let my training slip. Yes there are financial and circumstantial reasons behind this but the crux of it is, these reasons are actually excuses. There

are always alternatives. Yes I have had medical issues that have stressed me out. I have had pulled focus on some other important stuff. But 'life' happens for all of us, every round. To put it simply, I didn't perform to my potential. At all.

It hasn't been a wasted round. My body has changed, I have been tackling some pretty important personal stuff, I completed two triathlons and multiple other runs and events, I completed most of my goals, I got under 100kg (!) - despite what happened after that, I still made it!

But overall I am not impressed with how I have done. I'm not harping on it at all though.  I have underlying-ly been down on myself but

I accepted it, learnt from it and moved on a few weeks ago.

Next Monday I start a new round and a new job. I feel like this is a big period of change for me and hopefully is the start of the end of the past year and a half. I plan on making the rest of this week my transition week. I'm really busy but I'm going to make sure I still have time to do my pre-season tasks and organise myself in every way so that I set myself up well for the start of the round. I have a lot on my mind at the moment but I will try my hardest to settle and focus.

I read this quote at the airport yesterday and it rung so true so I took this photo.

I need to do this. Time to live the life I imagined - in every way.  To be honest I'm on struggle street this week so I'm not entirely sure how to make this happen, but I will get there

and will of course, let you know how I do so when I figure it out!

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of and supported me through Round 1 and who shared Melbourne finale with me. No round is wasted. We always find out a little bit more about ourselves. Moving forward is 'forward' no matter how big or small the step.

Here's just a random small selection of my 900 photos I took! x

Cathy, Sandra, Sarah, Mim and I

Pre-flight snack - thanks Sarah!

No issues with tray tables for these 2 girls!  Woo!

Selfies for Greg.

I bought this for 50c.  Please don't ask me why.

And I bought this crop top for $2!  I love Melbourne!

With 2 of my favourite bloggers at Friday night welcome drinks: Jules and Carol xo

With the beautiful Jo

Practising for Saturday night?

I think we made a record number of elevator selfies over the weekend

I don't usually make a habit of robed selfies (trust me), BUT the hotel bathrobe AND TOWEL fit - easily!!!!

30+ breakfast

Walking to the workout!

Participating in the shuttle mini challenge!

The awesome Greg xx

With some of the gals x

It's all fun and games until you smash your head :(

So many crew shirts to choose from!  30+?  QLD Crew?  Striders?  And more!

 

With the beautiful Rina

 

I may or may not have done a mock solo photoshoot in the hotel hallway at 3am, trying to match pics of Marilyn...haha so had to share this one...worried look much??  #can'tdosultry

Trying to repack my bags at breakfast...whoops!

With my gorgeous friend Kirsty

 

I ran into my amazing friend Jil on the flight to Sydney!  #sneakyselfie