Thursday, 30 August 2012

Presents in the post

I never get anything in the mail.  Well, I do, but not very often, and even less often is it something I actually want! So the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a turn-up for me...I've had some presents through the post :)

The most recent is something I bought myself a while back and have been waiting in anticipation to arrive - a little Lego minifig as a memento of my ultra, from Savage Steel's Minifigs website


I've also been sent the awesome Scott Jurek's book "Eat and Run" to review, which I will be starting shortly, and plan to post about in some detail - other reviews I've seen have all said it's really interesting and Jurek is one of my inspirations, so I'm really looking forward to reading it and hopefully learning from it, especially in light of my new focus on my weight and nutrition!

Last, but not least, and in a way related, I've also been sent this amazing set of Hi-5 supplements from SportPursuit that will hopefully get me through my next ultra in even better shape!


I've never used anything like the High-5 products before - I've drunk lucozade or powerade (or just plain water) and as you'll know if you've read this blog for a while, I've also suffered quite badly from hyponatremia after races so am well aware that it's not always enough!  As much races get further and more frequent, it's high time I sorted out my running nutrition and replenishing my electrolytes properly, and so this delivery has come at just the right time.  As well as my haphazard approach to my drinks, I haven't used gels before during training (prefering mars bars) or during races, when up to marathon distance I've only ever had drinks.  In the two ultras, I did eat, and chose flapjack, salted peanuts and Rolos, but again, I need to start trying out some of the more advanced nutritional options that are out there - it might not work for me, but at least for the marathon distances, I need to make sure I'm not missing out on something that could make a real difference to my races, or to my recovery from them.

As I haven't really done any decent long runs recently, I've not tried out any of the gels yet, although when we went out on our 50 mile bike ride the other day Francis had a couple and he was really positive about their effect so, as I'm heading out for a 12 mile run tonight after work, this will be the start of my trials! 


Wednesday, 29 August 2012

A wake-up call

I went to the gym this morning.  I got the personal trainer to weigh me.  It wasn't good news.

I thought I had a rough idea of my weight and body fat percentage from my scales at home (although admittedly I've been putting off weighing myself for the last month or so).  However, the numbers on the scales at the gym were very much worse than what I'd expected.  I'm putting this down to 1) I ate breakfast before going to the gym 2) I was clothed and 3) I've put on some weight over the last few weeks!

But there we go. It doesn't matter about any of those things - the point is I have a starting point, and a benchmark with which to compare my progress over the coming weeks.

On the plus side, I had an incredibly hard but enjoyable session in the gym of 5 minute warm up on the bike, 45 minutes of grueling circuits (burpees, press ups, crunches, dips, boxing, step jumps, and a whole host of other things), and then 10 minutes of stretching.  I'm feeling absolutely "fatigued" (word of the day from my PT) but also very motivated to eat well this week, and get some lower numbers on the scale when I go back for my next session!

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Sabotaging my training

It's been a long time since I've posted...too long really.

When I go an age without posting it's usually because my running has gone to pot and I'm too embarrassed to admit it, but this time it's a bit different.  I've not stopped running by any measure. Although I haven't got back to my pre-ultra mileage levels I've still been clocking up an average of about 20 miles a week (29 miles last week) with a few speedwork sessions thrown in for good measure which I've felt great about, but I haven't managed any particularly long distances - the furthest I've run recently is 13 miles. I feel like I've just been ticking over rather than getting stuck into the heavy marathon training I had planned.  However, I think I'm ok with that. It's been five weeks since the ultra and in that time I've had my birthday celebrations, working at the Olympics, a wonderful break in Paris, a friend's wedding - I've thoroughly enjoyed myself! Taking things a bit easier has probably been a good recovery period for my body (I certainly don't have any aches or pains at the moment) although it does mean that it'll be a miracle if I get a sub-4hr finish in the Kent Coastal Marathon that I'm running on Sunday!  But you know what, I'm ok with that too. I went for a 50 mile bike ride this weekend with Francis instead of the 20 mile run I had planned and I really enjoyed it, whereas there was a time when I'd have beaten myself up about that.

This is a 13 stone burger!!
The thing that I'm not ok with, and that I think has been stopping me from blogging, is my eating.  It has been going from bad to worse. I'm meant to be preparing to get myself in the best shape of my life for the 10in10, and yet I seem to be sabotaging my efforts by throwing grotesque quantities of chocolate, biscuits and crisps down my throat and eating incredibly inappropriate portion sizes.

To refocus on what I have to remember is a key part of getting race fit, I'm going to ask the personal trainer to weigh me and measure my body fat at my gym session tomorrow.  Although he was keen to discuss my nutrition when I started working with him, I completely avoided it, saying I just wanted to do some strength training and didn't want to think about losing weight - I realise now that I just didn't want to face the issues I have with food at the moment.  I think I've come to accept that I absolutely have to deal with them, I can't ignore it (or the unfortunate weight gain I've experienced over the last couple of months). My first step will be a regular weigh-in to keep me accountable and then putting much more effort into just saying no to the junk! As we all know, you can't out-train a bad diet!




Monday, 13 August 2012

Memories & motivation - the best Olympics ever

So, it's over.  The most amazing Olympic Games ever held (I might be biased) have finished, the London 2012 flame has been extinguished, and the flag has been handed to Brazil...but it was a wonderful, emotional, inspiring time and I feel a real sense of loss at its close.

My running has unfortunately taken a back seat during the Olympics (what with being a volunteer Games Maker at the Olympic Park or being unable to tear myself away from watching all the sport on the TV, two laptops & iPad we've simultaneously been using) and I have clocked up just  37 miles since the Opening Ceremony! I think I have to accept it's probably a good thing that the Olympics didn't last any longer, for the sake of my fitness if nothing else.

But now, as I refocus on my both my goals and what I need to do in training to achieve them, this will change and my mileage will get back to normal, and then start to increase as I prepare myself for the 10in10. I'm taking inspiration from the ordinary people that the Olympians were before they committed to put in the relentless "hard work and grafting" (as Mo Farah put it) to become the extraordinary athletes they have proved themselves to be during the Games.  I'll never be as fast or as strong, or able to dedicate my life to sport as they do, but I can certainly be the best that I can be.


I'm not just a marathon runner...I'm a London 2012 Games Maker!

I wrote a "Top Moments" list for the Olympics, but it became ridiculously long, so I've shortened it.  The result is that my list now omits many amazing performances I've seen, and experiences I've had, but I decided for the sake of brevity I had to whittle it down to a Top 10. So in no particular order, here it is:-

 * Attending the rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony. Words can not describe what it was like to be inside the stadium for that show. Danny Boyle is a genius.
 * Seeing just how much competing meant to every athlete, TeamGB or not - whether they won or lost, the emotions for most were etched on their faces, telling us the story of just how much they sacrificed & how hard they'd worked during the last four years.
 * When I started crying with pride, empathy and admiration as the runners came round the corner towards me in the women's marathon.  Although they were not the only tears of pride & admiration I shed during the Games...
 * Watching Mo Farah's 5km and 10km phenomenal, triumphant races, as I screamed encouragement at the TV. He's an absolute hero.
 * The World Record breaking 800m race by David Rudisha.  Lovely man, awesome performance!
 * The elation and the exhaustion of the rowers who gave absolutely every ounce of themselves in their races. 
 * The domination of the fantastic TeamGB cyclists. Bradley Wiggins & Chris Hoy are absolute legends. 
 * Jessica Ennis's gold - mainly because I think there was so much pressure on her, I am amazed at her strength of character and determination to actually achieve what was expected of her.  Also, I really believe that the multi-sport events are the hardest, and those competitors are the very best of the athletes.
 * Flag waving & cheering - at the screen at home, at work, at the Olympic Park and at the women's and men's marathons - any chance I get...give me a flag & I'm happy.  People at work even waved my flag at my desk on my behalf when I was out of the office and TeamGB got a medal  I'm am sure that the waving of the lucky flag has helped many to success!! ;)
 * The atmosphere at the Olympic Park. The place is truly astonishing & beautiful, especially as the sun sets, or at night when it's amazingly illuminated, with everyone happy, all sharing an experience, everyone patriotic but supporting each other.

I'll post some other photos from my Olympic experience, but for now, here's the fab TeamGB "Don't Stop Me Now" video - this song has always been one I love to run to, but now it will be a much greater motivator for me....


Monday, 30 July 2012

Olympic fever


After my 50 miler, I decided to take two weeks off running to really rest-up and make sure my body had a chance to fully recover.  I've had 7 days without doing anything (other than walking and one gym session) and although it's been a bit weird, I've made it through. There have been a couple of frustrated, restless evenings sat on the sofa & there was an extra 2lb showing on the scales this morning, but I do feel pretty good and I don't have any niggles from the ultra, except my very itchy and unattractive peeling sunburn!  But I know I'm not going to be able to make it another week without running, especially with Olympic fever sweeping not only our house, but it seems the whole country! :)


Francis and I were lucky enough to go to the technical rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday in the stadium, which was unbelievably impressive and inevitably much more atmospheric than it seemed when we watched the actual ceremony on TV on Friday night! Still really enjoyed the TV show though and thought the whole event was absolute genius - a fantastic representation of Britishness that I was incredibly proud of, if only through the association of my nationality!

As well as the spectacle that Danny Boyle created, watching the athletes parade was great - naturally, they all looked so enthusiastic and excited to be there - I found it inspiring to see them all.

We were also in London on Saturday for a family lunch to celebrate my 30th Birthday and took a walk along Southbank as my 5 year old 
niece really wanted to see the Olympic Rings hanging off Tower Bridge that she'd seen on TV. The atmosphere in London was fantastic, and everyone seems very excited about having the Olympics here.

To top it all off, I had my first Games Maker shift yesterday, working at the main Olympic Park which despite my nerves and reservations I really enjoyed - it's not about the job itself, it's just being part of it, and helping to create the almost tangible atmosphere that seems to have taken hold at Stratford.

We've also been watching nothing on TV except sport!  The Olympic athletes are all incredibly inspiring and so tonight I'll go out for my first run and although I'll build up slowly this week, I'm going to start preparing for the next race on the calendar, the Kent Coastal Marathon on 2nd September.  It's a race I really enjoyed last year, and it's organised by the Thanet Road Runners...who were manning the fantastic Jelly Bean Corner at the ultra!

There's not much time between now and then - just five weeks - but I've decided to spend it trying to regain some speed, which I've 
undoubtedly lost while I was concentrating on preparing my body to be able to run 50 miles! Of course, I'll still make sure sure I get my long runs in (and longer than I usually would for marathon training because I have the Toad coming up too) but I'm going to really concentrate on making my weekday runs count and speedwork and hill repeats are going to reappear on my schedule after going AWOL for the last four months!  

I'm quite looking forward to the change and the challenge and although I know it'll be difficult to be so much more disciplined during my runs, it's going to be good for me (will help get those scales down to where they should be!) and will hopefully ensure that I can get a decent time in the marathon.


Last year, I ran the Kent Coastal in 4:09:12 and I know I should be able to run faster that this year.  Although I'll do my best to significantly improve my speed over the next five weeks, this isn't a goal race by any stretch of the imagination and I wont be tapering for it so I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I know in my heart that come race day I'll still be going for sub a 3:50 PB. However unlikely it is that I'll achieve it, I'll aim high anyway - let's just call it a little bit of Olympic spirit rubbing off on me ;)