Well, it's been well over a month since my last FBG's blog.
But never fear, we have been walking in our droves ( and so much more!)
Many hearts have been shared and inches shed, muscle has massed and some have been missed as issues of life -illnesses and family commitments have intervened for a time.
Resilience and Perseverance are the two words that resonate with us during this wild winter weather.
And yes, you may not know it right now but we have broken through to Spring.
The cherry blossoms, port-wine magnolias, lambs and daffodils are beacons of better things to come, lights at the end of tunnels.
We have well and truly crossed the bridge, through both the high(s) and low(s), and now have a very identifiable purplicious presence on the streets. ( Special thanks to Eden's fantabulous design skills and the friendly, accommodating staff at Image Apparel.)
Our FBD's ( Fat Bottomed Dogs) also now sport beautiful bandannas matching our bright team colours, special thanks to Sian for this wonderful inspiration and making it a reality. ( One of our bandannas was lost this week in a walk down by Mitre Ten, Lake Te Koutu so please contact one of us if you come across it or post on the general Fat Bottomed Girls facebook page).
18 new map sections with names like Pen Pals, Strut Your Stuff, Jungle Fever and Bridging the Gap have been released over several weeks and the FBG's are ripping through them like a ravenous woman in a pie-eating contest.
Besides walking, our 75 strong group, though not all walking at once(!), have experienced many positive interactions with members of public, been first respondents at a car accident, created crazy photo and video shoots ( for our in-house photo competition), sung in the rain, and of course most importantly, under-girded one another through some of life's character-building curve balls, (health challenges, losing loved ones, losing jobs) and together celebrated the good things too, (new jobs, new babies, individual and group achievements to name a few.)
A casual coffee date turned into a rather large turnout as building strong social networks, information sharing and networking continue to be the glue holding many of us to continuous and regular walking.( Many thanks to Absolute Coffee House for doing a fantastic job hosting the hungry hoardes).
We particularly value the many cafe's available to us on our pilgrimage. All who give wonderful service and hot brews and a yummy assortment of fresh muffins and cakes, energy bars and early or late lunches to a crew of talkative, vibrant, and very grateful women. ( Suburban, In-Stone, Cafe 9, Rouge, Columbus, Scotts, Sloth, Absolute - Thank you from the fat bottom of our hearts and apologies if I have missed anyone. I now have so many coffee loyalty cards, the seam of my phone case has expanded! )
Coffee or at least a hot drink of choice is a fantastic motivator to striding to the finish of a map section. In the words of our Great Leader, Robyn, 'You never know who you may meet sitting directly opposite you.' Everyone certainly has a story to tell: How they came to be in Cambridge, their life-experiences, their aspirations, job choices, family pursuits, travel and who knows who (2 degrees), how to buy a decent pair of shoes...
Another big thank you to Fresh Choice for supplying bottled water to our 2D : Feel the Burn walking teams.
For many of us,as first-timers, the task could have seemed as daunting as the grey, misty sky overshadowing the course. A photo shoot just prior to event start spurred us on.
All those weeks of walking double sections ( usually 5 - 6 km each) and gradually increasing pace with improved timings paid off.
The trepidation of being able to complete the 10km in entirety, prior to the 2 hour time cut-off fell away as drizzle around the Aspin foothills gave way to clear sky and all of us finished well in time. A few of us scored some amazing spot prizes too! Thumbs up to Harrier Club and Shoe Clinic.
We were warmed not only physically through exertion but by the camaraderie of the Girls who all slipped through the finish line again with our Leader and our final walkers to the anthem of Fat Bottomed Girls blasting soulfully in the background.
CAPTION THIS :
Part of each walk involves a selfie or group photo ('wefie') as a visual documentation of our FBG's journey.
Photos are becoming more theme related as to the walk's name - usually something to do with the street names or a landmark nearby.
Here are just a few of our interpretations thus far :
But never fear, we have been walking in our droves ( and so much more!)
 |
| 2C : Strut Your Stuff |
Resilience and Perseverance are the two words that resonate with us during this wild winter weather.
And yes, you may not know it right now but we have broken through to Spring.
The cherry blossoms, port-wine magnolias, lambs and daffodils are beacons of better things to come, lights at the end of tunnels.
We have well and truly crossed the bridge, through both the high(s) and low(s), and now have a very identifiable purplicious presence on the streets. ( Special thanks to Eden's fantabulous design skills and the friendly, accommodating staff at Image Apparel.)
 |
| 2D : Feel the Burn |
18 new map sections with names like Pen Pals, Strut Your Stuff, Jungle Fever and Bridging the Gap have been released over several weeks and the FBG's are ripping through them like a ravenous woman in a pie-eating contest.
 |
| Section 2A - The Joy of Writing ( Concept : Celia / Photo : Rachel M) |
A casual coffee date turned into a rather large turnout as building strong social networks, information sharing and networking continue to be the glue holding many of us to continuous and regular walking.( Many thanks to Absolute Coffee House for doing a fantastic job hosting the hungry hoardes).
We particularly value the many cafe's available to us on our pilgrimage. All who give wonderful service and hot brews and a yummy assortment of fresh muffins and cakes, energy bars and early or late lunches to a crew of talkative, vibrant, and very grateful women. ( Suburban, In-Stone, Cafe 9, Rouge, Columbus, Scotts, Sloth, Absolute - Thank you from the fat bottom of our hearts and apologies if I have missed anyone. I now have so many coffee loyalty cards, the seam of my phone case has expanded! )
Coffee or at least a hot drink of choice is a fantastic motivator to striding to the finish of a map section. In the words of our Great Leader, Robyn, 'You never know who you may meet sitting directly opposite you.' Everyone certainly has a story to tell: How they came to be in Cambridge, their life-experiences, their aspirations, job choices, family pursuits, travel and who knows who (2 degrees), how to buy a decent pair of shoes...Another big thank you to Fresh Choice for supplying bottled water to our 2D : Feel the Burn walking teams.
HALF MARATHON - 10 Km Walking Event
On Sunday 27th August, a 25-strong team of Fat Bottomed Girls, decked in all their purple glory, fronted up to walk the 10 km event at the Annual Cambridge Harrier Club Half Marathon.
For many of us,as first-timers, the task could have seemed as daunting as the grey, misty sky overshadowing the course. A photo shoot just prior to event start spurred us on.
The trepidation of being able to complete the 10km in entirety, prior to the 2 hour time cut-off fell away as drizzle around the Aspin foothills gave way to clear sky and all of us finished well in time. A few of us scored some amazing spot prizes too! Thumbs up to Harrier Club and Shoe Clinic.
We were warmed not only physically through exertion but by the camaraderie of the Girls who all slipped through the finish line again with our Leader and our final walkers to the anthem of Fat Bottomed Girls blasting soulfully in the background.
Part of each walk involves a selfie or group photo ('wefie') as a visual documentation of our FBG's journey.
Photos are becoming more theme related as to the walk's name - usually something to do with the street names or a landmark nearby.
Here are just a few of our interpretations thus far :
 |
| Welcome to the School of Hard Knox ( Photo Credit : Debra J) |
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| Let the Good Times Roll ( Photo Credit: Gwen R) |
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| You've Been Framed ( Photo Credit : Sharon J) |
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| Back to the Feeture ( Photo Credit: Monique W) |
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram for more fun photos and to see what we're up to next!
Thanks Deb for setting this up : fatbottomgirls_cambridgenzComing Events :
Tongariro (18 November)
Lugton Around the Bridges 12km and 6 km ( 19 November)
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