Pre-Race Stress has started already....

This week’s runs have been hard (and I’m only 2 runs in), I’ve had a dramatic turn in events and now hate running again….so I’m giving up, not doing the half marathon and never running again!

Just kidding… I've invested too much time to give up now, plus I can’t give up this easily, and my running trainers are so damn cute I can't not wear them.

I need to carry on plodding (also known as ‘running’) along and get as close to 13.1 miles ready as I can in this time. But I’m absolutely stressing out about it, and it’s pretty much all I think off at the moment, it’s become my new unhealthy obsession. I’m spending more time on the runners world website than I am on BBC news (apparently something is going on in Scotland – or should I say not going on?). I’m going through, writing and re-writing training plans for the next 3 weeks. I’m working out all my potential times (which is complete guess work as who knows what I’ll be like on the day?) and the worse thing about all this stressing is that its interfering with my sleep. I keep dreaming that I can’t make the first mile – wake up at 4:00am, and then can’t get back to sleep. 

ARGHHHHHHHHH – who knew it would be this stressful? I’m a crumbling, sweaty mess – I’m not very good with stress.

So for the moment, I’m going to stop thinking about the end goal – and just focus on training for me, because I want to be able to run these lovely long distances, without the pressure of anyone timing me or watching me; just me in the park with my trainers and ipod, enjoying the fresh air, greenery and thinking off all the calories I’m burning off, so I can eat cheesecake.

This weekend’s runs are looking like this (there has been a slight change due to bad runs this week):

Friday – 10K

Saturday – Gym session; some cross-trainer and treadmill time (90 mins in total)

Sunday – the plan was to get to the pool, but it’s closed for a gala – so I’m going to enjoy the last of the warm weather and head out trekking around Oxford, in order to stretch my legs for a nice long run on Monday.

The Countdown Begins, 4 weeks to go!

Oh my, the real countdown begins! It is just under four weeks till the half marathon, and I’m absolutely bricking it. I have never really run in my life and I’m about to embark on running 13.1 miles…I’m absolutely mental and it's bloody hard work, but I love it.

Due to my training schedule over the next four weeks I will hopefully see myself at the healthiest I have ever been. I’ll be covering between 30 – 40K a week, fine tuning my diet, keeping very hydrated and bouncing around off the endorphin's.

My evenings this week are going to look like this:

Monday – 10K

Tuesday – REST DAY (house cleaning day)

Wednesday – Cross Training for increased stamina / fitness; 2 hours 30 mins on the Cross Trainer

Thursday – REST DAY (hot bath, paint nails)

Friday – 14K

Saturday – 8K

Sunday – 40 minute swim (to stretch out the other muscles)

To fuel those days, and typical ‘eating’ day for me looks like this;

Breakfast – Porridge (made with water) and a yoghurt stirred in.

Lunch – Chunky Chicken and Veggie soup

Snack – 2 boiled eggs & an apple or orange

Dinner – Roasted Chicken with Salad, humus and a whole meal pitta bread

Drinks – 1 coffee, 3-4 herbal teas, 6 pints of water ( lots of trips to the toilets).

I’m also trying to listen to all my favourite albums to work out which tracks I want to accompany me around the route. If you have any song suggestions please let me know.

In addition to this all, I’m fighting off  the sniffles, which is making it a tad harder to breath whilst running when I start, but once I’ve warmed up it tends to settle.

So wish me luck for this week, I’ll be updating the blog a little more frequently as the race gets closer :-). 

Slowly starting to love...

Hello – a little side note before I get into my ramblings. Sorry for the lack of posts, work has been busy and we’ve had a very very busy (& super fun!) summer, which is only just dying down. Now we've reached September and back into the swing of routine that September provides (even though no one in my immediate family runs on an academic calendar, I think it’s just programmed into our head from when we were children).

In a complete contrast to my post on the 7^th August, claiming I AM NOT A RUNNER – the last four weeks has seen a sudden turn of events in my running status. With just under 5 weeks to go to the half marathon I’ve only gone and fallen in love with the sport. My PE teacher would be so proud, gone are the days from ‘forgetting my sports bag’ to get out of exercise, to choosing on my own will to run 3-4 times a week.

I think (though I still don’t quiet feel like it) I AM A RUNNER – I’ve put it in a small font, as I’m just whispering about it at the moment, as some of the ‘real’ runners out may think I don’t quiet qualify.

I’m not a very good “runner”; the runs are slow, sweaty and hard – but I’m enjoying them and as soon as I’m finished with one run I’m planning the next one. I never ever thought I’d see the day that I look forward to exercise and plan my schedule around it, but the time has come. I  am embracing, loving and enjoying running.

I am also immensely enjoying the benefits of running;

• I’ve lost weight pretty effortlessly, which probably makes the runs easier and dieting is one less thing to worry about (unfortunately in today’s society it's every females unwanted hobby). 
• My skin is looking pretty good at the moment because I’m sweating out all the rubbish out of it.
• I’m toning up and finally the ‘blob’ that was my body is producing some kind of shape – though because of the legs tonning up quicker than any other part, it’s a little lollipop-ed shaped at the moment, though any shape is a step up from ‘blob’.
• I CAN EAT CARBS AND NOT FEEL GUILTY – this is probably the BEST benefit ever. I said previously that after the half marathon I’m going to give up running, but now that I’m liking running and I can eat carbs and not feel guilty about it I may just carry on. Life is so much better with pasta and potatoes.
• I feel SO ALIVE at the end of runs, not matter how long or short - I feel like I can face anything and take on the world (this feeling doesn't last too long, as usually when I get home I face a pile of never-ending laundry, that doesn't ever seem to be conquered).
• A combination of all the above and the endorphin's means I'm less stressed. I'm getting my 'me' time whilst running and it gives me times to think about things in life that I don't usually have time too, and also come to peace with a lot of internal conflicts. 

So happy running for now :-)

I AM NOT A RUNNER!

I signed up for this half marathon in hope that it would get me out running frequently, moving more, losing weight, becoming the healthiest version of me. Plus a full marathon was lurking on my bucket list (emphasis on the word was). However last night, whilst running 5K around Florence Park in the sunshine I realised something.

 I AM NOT A RUNNER!

Many people could have told you that, from my PE primary school teacher, to my boyfriend and if you’re reading this and you know me, you probably knew that already.

Now 'rumming' a half marathon
is more my kind of thing

It took me until yesterday to realise this (better late than never), but I don’t particularly enjoy running. I want too, I always thought it would be cool to be a runner – I’ve always admire runners for various reasons. They’ve got a great physique, they can eat loads of carbs, they seem to easily run distances that I struggle to walk, plus they always seem so switched on and determined in life. So being a runner to me seemed to be the ultimate picture of health.  I’m not saying I don’t like exercise, I’m very happy in exercise classes or on the cross-trainer.

However what I do like about running is I am slowly improving and seeing progress, and that I have a challenge to work towards (have I mentioned that I’m running the Oxford half marathon?). I was hoping that along my journey that I would fall in love with running, and that by now I would be at the stage where running was just something I do 3-4 times a week and don’t even think about it, but I’m not there. I'm still pep talking myself into running on my drive home from work, finding excuses of why I shouldn't go, then reasons why I should. So far I've been good with getting out there and putting my left foot in front of my right with a bounce in my step. Though,with less than 10 weeks to go, I feel like I'm never going to get there to the 13.1 mile stage, but I'm determined, even if I have to walk / crawl across the finish line, I'll make it. 

I’m also running for the Williams Syndrome Foundation, a cause that is extremely close to my heart. Williams Syndrome does not get enough exposure or research into it, so the more we can do the better. Yesterday after completing my fourth kilometer and sweating buckets, wanting to give up, this is what got me through; the fact I’m doing this for the Williams Syndrome Foundation and for everyone and their families who are affected by it.

So whilst I’m not a runner, I’ll still keep running for the next 10 weeks and I will  run 13.1miles around Oxford (and collapse in a big heap at the end). If you would like to sponsor me and my team you can do by clicking here. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far.

Family and FitBit

I count myself very lucky, I have a big, wonderfully, loving family – the kind who you would choose to be your friends. There are six  special members, who are outside of my immediate family are one of my biggest supporters in everything I wish to do (except for when I ran away from home when I was younger - they sent me back). They are my beloved Uncle Stephen, Aunt Mariam, Chris, Jess, Mylie and Humphrey (the dog).

The Old Couple

Their little terrors

Uncle Stephen has been spoiling me since I can remember – he’d buy me expensive French dresses, porcelain dolls, sweets, teddy bears, toys etc. there was definitely some favouritism going on (though he still claims to love us all equally).  He has been spoiling me ever since, and my lovely Aunt Mariam carried on the tradition when they met and married, which was a huge relief, as I feared he might forget about me (though now I have to share the ‘spoiling’ with their three apples of their eyes).

My FitBit - and loom band that Mylie
and Jess made me for my birthday

So just like the last 24  years, this year for my birthday I was spoilt by them too; they got me a FitBit Flex. I’ve been wanting one for a while, and suspected that I might open one up on my birthday, but if I didn’t I was going to treat myself to one. The FitBit Flex is a device you wear on your wrist (like a bracelet or watch), which tracks your movement 24 hours a day; including sleep patterns. It has a display of 5 LED lights, each light indicates 20% of a goal you want to reach for the day. The default setting is 10,000 steps a day (which is just under 5 miles), and when gentle tapped the lights indicate how far you’ve got towards your goal for the day e.g. 4,500 steps – 2 lights (and the 3^rd one flashes, to show that you’re working towards lighting up the next 20% of your goal). It’s waterproof; so you can wear it in the shower – so it really doesn’t need to be taken off at all, except for when it needs charging – the battery lasts around 6 days, and takes a couple of hours to charge.

I particularly wanted the Fit Bit as it works with My Fitness Pal – as I;m a Monday – Friday calorie counter,  it helps me work out how many calories have gone in (taking data from MFP), and then works out how many calories have gone out. So each day you are left with your deficit for the day – great if your losing weight, as it keeps you on track. It also syncs with your smart phone via Bluetooth, so at any time of the day or night you can open up the app and see exactly how many steps you’ve taken, how many calories burnt, how many active minutes you’d had etc…

I’ve been wearing the FitBit Flex for just over a week now, and I’ve realised that pre-fitbit I was bloody lazy. I wasn’t lazy when I was running or at the gym obviously, but my day-to-day activities were very sedentary.

Getting the lights to shine adds a sense of game-ification (except you are the only one in the game – though you can challenge other friends who have one - I’m yet to know a friend of mine who has one).  You also earn badges along the way, so you get one for the first 5,000 steps you do (that’s an easy one), then for the first 10,00 steps you do in one day, then for the first time you do 15,000 steps in one day etc. You also get badges for the number of miles you walk in total, and last week I earned my 50 mile badge – yes I walked / jog / ran 50 miles in one week (I’d like to thank a weekend in Paris for that). If you’ve read my earlier post you’ll know I like goals, so these badges work as little goals for me to set for myself. These badges work as a great motivator for me, actually just having the flex on my wrist works as a great motivator; as every time I look at my wrist it’s a little reminder that I need to move some more.

The online dashboard is helpful & fun too – as it tracks you every day, and puts things into nice little pie and bar charts. As I’m a bit of a Geek I love seeing all my stats laid out there.  You can set all sorts of different goals, and check in every day to see how close you are to them, and get a weekly view too (I actually think I walked more on Sunday than any other day, but the battery died half way through the day).

As I was planning on buying one myself, I read a lot of reviews on the FitBit Flex and it’s other competitors that are currently in the market place. Most reviewers complained it wasn’t accurate enough, but that seemed to be their complaint about all of them – complaining that it can be too sensitive and tracks brushing your teeth or typing as steps, (due to the wrist movement). Unless they strap something to your legs, you’re probably not going to get much more accurate that this for now, plus just like the calories I count on My Fitness Pal, it’s a rough estimation, which is fine with me.

If you are using one and want to get become my 'fitbit' friend; let me know so we can challenge each other.