Pearl Beach: Central Coast

Hi all. Just a quick post to show you these beautiful pictures from my weekend away at Pearl Beach on the Central Coast. Although I’ve been to the Central Coast many times before, this was my first time specifically at Pearl Beach. I love this place and it’s not too far from Sydney. It’s very peaceful and pretty; in its own secluded area which felt like a temporary escape from reality. The purpose of the weekend was to participate in a swimming meet but we made a whole weekend of it. I had the best time ever. 

Outfit

Hi everyone. Today I'm back to another fashion post after the last couple have been sports related. I've worn this outfit a couple of times recently- for Mother's Day on the weekend and to work last week. It's one of my most commented outfits, probably because it's so bright. At the end of last winter/early spring, I got into coloured tights. I didn't like them much before because there wasn't much of a colour range available and they are hard to find over here. However, I came across an amazing range in H & M which were excellent in terms of both quality and price. I quickly purchased red, magenta, cobalt, mustard, green and white. I wore them a few times last year (such as here and here) but unfortunately discovered coloured tights a little late as the warm weather quickly arrived. Now it's getting cold enough to start wearing them again and I know I'll love that. This is my first time wearing coloured tights this year. As for my coat, I cannot believe I've never displayed it on my blog before. I recall taking pictures wearing it once but I don't think they ever made it onto the blog. I've had this coat for a year and half now and it's one of two pieces I purchased when Kitten D'Amour opened its first store in Sydney. It's a very much sought after KDA piece as it sold out quickly. I love how it's bold and makes such a statement. Nautical has always been a favourite trend too. While the coat certainly stands out on its own, I do love pattern mixing so I paired it with my bicycle printed dress (first shown here).




















Kitten D'Amour Hello Sailor Coat
Kitten D'Amour Bicycle Print Dress
Alannah Hill I'm A Little Fuss Pot Cardigan
H & M Red Tights
B.A.I.T Footwear Gloria Flats
Kitten D'Amour Love Me Tender Cameo Comb 

Linking to: Fashion Should Be Fun,

Fitness Goals Update- April

When I look back on my fitness goals post which I wrote at the start of the year (here) they all seem so basic. It's only May and I've achieved all but one goal; I didn't know what to expect at the beginning of the year so I set my goals relatively low. I never thought I'd be where I am now but there is still so much I want to achieve. I like that sports are all about personal bests. There is no better feeling than achieving a new best time and I love that there is almost no limit on the goals which can be set and attained. I also like how sport makes me a stronger person; the 5.30am starts, the cold weather, pushing through difficult sections of training, it all makes for a better person overall. 

114km combined total for swimming and running this month and just over 30 hours spent at sport. I'm very happy with that. This is the most running I've been able to do for a number of months after injury. I'm still struggling a little with plantar fasciitis which is frustrating but able to run through it within guidelines. 

Here are my swimming stats for April: 

...and for running:

As I've mentioned a few times, one of my goals is to achieve the Million Metre award with Masters Swimming Australia. I do A LOT of swimming and even that is only enough to reach about 5% of the total distance per month. However, as I'm now over the 200km mark it feels as though I'm finally getting somewhere. It will be so worth it once I get there.

Here's what else happened for the month:

-attended three Saturday morning Parkruns. This is significant because I'd only been to one this year and had three months off due to injury. 
-achieved a new personal best time at the Parkrun of 26 minutes and 36 seconds. I am so happy because it is my first time under 27 minutes for the 5km. I didn't think I'd reach this goal for a few more months so I can't believe it. 
-participated in another 4 swim club nights (seventeen in a row now. I'm aiming for the 25 consecutive weeks award).
-continued working towards the million metres award with Masters Swimming Australia. I've completed almost 21% of the total distance required so far. 
-bought a Fitbit and having so much fun with it!
-added extra training into my routine with my swimming friends 
-decided to attempt the Endurance Program with Masters Swimming Australia. This involves 62 long distance swims before the end of the year and so far I've completed 8. I've done the 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 400m backstroke, 400m breastroke, 800m breastroke, 400m fly, 400m individual medley and 800m individual medley so far.  
-participated in the Masters Swimming NSW State Long Course Championships at Sydney Olympic Park.I won gold medals in the 50m breastroke, 50m backstroke and 200m breastroke, as well as silver medals in the 50m butterfly and 200m backstroke.

What have you achieved in April?

Outfit: Sportswear

Today I have a different style of "outfit" post which involves some of my favourite sportswear. Since sport is such a significant part of my life at the moment I'd like to represent it more on my blog in addition to just the fashion side. Since my main sport is swimming I've built up quite a swimwear collection but there's still a lot of time spent in gym wear style clothes. I used to not really care what I wore when exercising but since it's become part of my lifestyle now my opinion has changed. I really like sports related products and it's now a competing interest with my love for clothes and shoes. I thought I'd show you a few of my favourite outfits in this category. It's starting to become my weekend wear also.

A standard week generally involves the following:
Monday: 5.30am swimming training, 6.30pm bootcamp style training
Tuesday: 6.00am run, 7.30pm swimming training
Wednesday: 7.30pm swimming club race night
Thursday: sometimes a lunchtime run (dependent on injury)
Friday: 5.30am swimming training
Saturday: 8.00am Parkrun, swimming training sometime in the afternoon
Sunday: 7.00am swimming training    

Outfit 1
The 'Just Keep Swimming' jumper is a recent purchase from JayJays and I thought it was very appropriate given the amount of swimming I'm doing. One of my goals is to achieve an award with Masters Swimming Australia of swimming one million metres so this jumper represents the fact that every small part counts. The leggings are from Kmart which is undoubtedly my favourite location for gym wear. I can't believe the incredible prices and I also like the quality. Money aside, I would still prefer the leggings in Kmart to those in Adidas or Nike, mainly because they are a tighter fit. My shoes are the 'Nike Free Run.' I usually run in my other Nikes (which are pictured in outfit 2) but sometimes use these for other training and if I need a comfortable pair of shoes for walking around on the weekend. I also wear them for runs in wet weather because the knitwear texture of my other running shoes isn't great for the rain.

Outfit 2
This is an outfit I wear to the Parkrun or to bootcamp style training (although I'd lose the jacket fairly soon into it). I love these leggings because they are my only coloured ones. They come in a matching set and I am wearing the top underneath. The brand is Puma and my sister bought it for me last Christmas. I've had so much use from it especially since I didn't own too much good sportswear at the time. The Nike jacket is from one of my many shopping trips to Rebel sport. I'm often not a huge fan of Nike when it comes to clothes (generally favouring Adidas for clothes and Nike for shoes) because they are overpriced and the jackets are not very warm. However, this jacket seems to be an exception. It's fleece inside and I got it in the buy one get one half price sale. The shoes are the 'Nike Flyknit Lunar' which I purchased a few months ago when I became more serious about sports. I wanted to do everything possible to minimise the chance of injury again which was also a good excuse for new shoes. I've been happy with both my pairs of Nikes so far.

 

Outfit 3
I'd typically wear this outfit to and from the pool on a day I have swimming training. Although I have quite a few sports jackets, this Adidas toucan jacket is by far my favourite. It was a gift from my parents for my birthday and I love it. The toucan design is so unique, fun and colourful. I also like the siganture Adidas elements especially since I am a huge fan of jackets by this brand. The Skechers were also a birthday gift intended for use around the pool. It's often hard to know which shoes to wear to swimming since they need to be easy to slip on and off, able to get wet and be warm. This pair certainly fit the criteria and it's a bonus they are pink too. The leggings are another pair from Kmart which also come with a matrching purple and grey top. Finally I only ever wear these sports socks from Reebok. They are very slim lined and don't bulk up the shoe. They come in a few different colours as you can see from all three of my looks here. 


What are your favourite outfits for sports?