August, 2014 - Maria Runs

Holding back

Hey peeps

A break from the holiday recaps this evening!

I had to re-jig the magnets on our fridge to fit these on!

Since getting back from holiday I have not had a proper routine- after landing Friday morning I was off out on Friday night and then away for a Hen do Saturday-Sunday, getting home at about 9pm on Sunday (after popping in to see Andy’s family).

I was looking forward to a run. I took my running bits with me, just in case I fancied one, and mainly because I used my trail shoes and capris for walks, so I had most of the kit already. But then I usually get annoyed if I pack something and don’t use it, plus when we stayed in Quebec we were right by a beautiful park, so it seemed rude not to.

But the day before we came home I had my little hip niggle again. I think I am going to see another physio because I am not sure why it keeps coming back but I think it is to do with when I get stiff and sit awkwardly- it came on this time after a 3 hour bus journey, and was worse after I got off the plane. So although over the weekend it got better I wanted to be careful.

Anyway, on Monday morning as soon as I woke up I headed out- I only wanted to go for 3 miles and took it really easy. I didn’t look at my Garmin at all (which is lucky because it still takes ages to find the signal these days) and just kept a steady pace. My calves were really stiff, probably due to a long car journey on Sunday, so lots of stretching when I got home.

And then:

Of course it had to be pancakes! I told Andy I was having a Saturday- he had to work but seeing as in the summer I can do my work as and when, I decided to have some “me” time. I used coconut flour, plus a little normal flour, egg and almond milk, but they are still slightly dry in texture, although some maple syrup sorted that out. I think that once this box of coconut flour runs out, I won’t replace it as I am not a huge fan.

I pottered around at home doing some work and some jobs including clearing out the rest of my drawers and our wardrobe- the drawers now shut, amazing!

To help with the jet lag we went on a walk on Monday evening, just a couple of miles after dinner but it was good to have some fresh air.

On Tuesday I had to power-walk to the post office (we were expecting a delivery but Andy had some training at home which meant he couldn’t answer the door at a specific time so I had to be back for that), and I did a massive clean to follow on from the de-cluttering of Monday. Very satisfying. Another walk was needed post-dinner (I feel like I could fall asleep at around 6pm, and then get a second wind and am wide awake at 11) but we had to cut it short as there were huge clouds looming.

Today I saw my parents, met up with some friends, and then went to Sweatshop. I was really pleased because although my hip has been fine (when doing work I have been careful to get up frequently and move about) I don’t want it to go bad again, so I didn’t want to go crazy. The guy made us do some dynamic moves to warm up, which I really should do before every run, but we did all feel like idiots doing it on the lawn in front of the gym. But then we ran along an old railway line (now a cycle/ footpath) and then back through the fields, and it was gorgeous. I sometimes try to keep the speedier runners in sight, but knew it would be no good for me, so I was sensible, controlled, and finished feeling strong.

I got home to find that I had 15 minutes to go before Bake Off, and with Andy out it meant I could have control of the TV. But I just popped on the athletics to see what was going on, and realised that the 10,000m was going on- so in the end I opted to watch the last half of that before my shower (jumping up and down during the final lap!!) – I shall have to watch Bake Off on i-player instead.

Are you good at holding back or do you always get tempted? I was talking to my Dad about this today- he had to stop running in January as he injured his knee, and has only just been able to start again. He loved doing parkruns but was saying he won’t go at the moment as he knows he would get carried away and be too tempted to try and speed up too much.

Montreal parts one and two

So after our whistle-stop tour of Ottawa, we were off to Montreal. Our holiday was a bit of a complicated road trip- we got the train to Montreal, spent the afternoon and evening there, and the next day got a bus down to the US, returning to Montreal for a few days at the end of our trip.

After dropping our bags at our hotel we went for a walk to the old town. We came across Notre Dame (they have loads of churches named this in Canada), and then later on found a street festival for Christmas in July.

There was a live band playing Christmas music (of course) and loads of food trucks. We hadn’t had lunch and were pretty hungry- we found a gourmet grilled cheese van so went for one each, sat on the grass in the evening sunshine. Lovely.

On our walk back we came across a Second Cup (a coffee chain) and they do a London Fog, which is a latte made with Earl Grey tea (they use full leaf tea bags) and vanilla syrup. It is so good, so I had one for dessert.

The next time we were in Montreal was our final few days. Our hotel was close to the main shopping street (like Oxford Street) but we were also near a lovely park. I say near, what I mean is a 30 minute steep uphill walk to the park!

It was worth it for the views of the city, and we even saw baby racoons! So cute, although some people were feeding them, which is banned, and made me a bit annoyed.

The next day we packed loads in. We got a ticket for the underground, and started off going to the Olympic park. There is loads on the park now, including a planetarium, botanical gardens and indoor zoo.We opted for a walk around the botanical park, which was lovely.

I found this giant sunflower plant and took the picture for my Mum as she loves sunflowers.

After walking around for a few hours we got the train out to where the Grand Prix track is, and walked around there for a bit. It was baking.

Looks like a transparent Epcot

There was a park there too so we had another walk around the park. The FINA world masters were being held there (swimming) so there were loads of people walking around with ID tags and we could hear lots of cheering coming from the pools.

Oprah Chai latte- made with rooibos as well as black tea, and extra spices

Then we got the train back to the city centre, did a spot of shopping, bought a cold drink (lunch?) and headed back to the hotel to work out where we should go for dinner. It reminded me of London- especially where we were. Very busy shops, businesses, and nice parks. But also a lot of bars or fast food places- we had to hunt to find places to eat.

Now I have had a bit of an obsession with Hurraw! lipbalm. I ordered some from i-herb, and then found it in Wholefoods in London. But I was running low and thought I would look out for it on holiday, as it was bound to be cheaper. We didn’t see any Wholefoods, and all the health shops that I checked didn’t stock it. In the end I was googling one night and found that it was sold in American Apparel for $4 , so when we walked past one I stocked up. They did an offer where every 3rd one was half price, and it hardly weighs anything so I bought quite a few! I would not have gone in if I had not known though. Thanks google!

One our final day we went out for breakfast (more on that in a minute), but as we were getting the bus to the airport in the afternoon we didn’t have long. We went down to the old town for more of a walk, got caught in a heavy rain shower, and then walked back through the main shops.

We ate at Resto Vego one evening, which was a veggie/ vegan cafe where you served yourself and then your plate was weighed. All the ingredients were listed (in French and English) and they also had symbols for gluten free/ dairy free and a few others. I had a lovely quinoa salad with coconut and different veggies, loads of salad bits, some ginger tofu, and some avocado. They had hot things like bean burritos, pizza, stir fries etc too but I didn’t fancy those. A great place to stop at anyway.

For our final day we had our evening meal at Lola Rosa, which was another veggie cafe and amazing. Usually there are only one or two veggie options on the menu, so I just go with that, but I was spoilt for choice which makes a nice change. Andy had a bean chilli which he loved, and I had a quesadilla with avocado (you could choose avocado, ratatouille or spicy sweet potatoes as the topping)- it was all cooked fresh too, and came with a salad.

Usually for breakfast we would get something from a cafe, like a muffin or scone, but on our final day we fancied a proper big breakfast. We had found somewhere online, but could not find it, but then came across the amazing Eggspectation. Oh my word if you like american breakfasts then this is the place to visit.

I never used to like French toast (too eggy) but we had some lovely breakfasts at a B&B and I found the French toast more filling than pancakes. This was brioche French toast with maple syrup (had to be done- we were in Canada where I think you have to have some every day), a mountain of fresh fruit, and something creamy in the pot (not sure what that was). Amazing. And kept me going for hours- the next thing I had was a hummus and veggie pot thing at the airport at around 6pm!

Montreal was a great city to visit. One of the friendliest I have ever been to. After arriving the first time we were stood looking at a map trying to work out which tube line to get to our hotel, and two people stopped to offer help (and not taxi drivers trying to pick us up, but locals on their way to work). One our second arrival there we came out of the underground station but needed to head north- again we were only standing still for half a minute looking at street signs and someone asked if we needed help (and pointed us in the right direction). Everyone in the shops was so friendly, welcoming us to Montreal/ Canada, seeing if we needed anything else. Genuinely the most friendly people. It was a big city, so we did need the underground to get around some days, but a lot of it could be walked. I do think finding places to eat takes some research, as most of the places we walked past were very touristy burger bars – not places we would choose to go to (like Leicester Square or something)- but plenty of choice once you knew where to look.

How do you go about finding places to eat on holiday? Trip Advisor has been our friend!

Awesome Ottawa

Hey peeps, I hope everyone has been well. For the last two weeks I have been away on holiday- we got home Friday morning, and then I was at a hen weekend (not sure it is the best cure for jet-lag) but now I am home properly so get ready for some long recap posts!

First up was Ottawa, the capital of Canada.

We had an afternoon flight to Montreal and then got the bus to Ottawa the same day, and so had a full day the next day sightseeing. The city was really walkable- everything was so central. The houses of parliament were right by our hotel, and they did free tours (you had to get a timed ticket though so best to get one early).

While we were waiting for our tour time we walked on a little tour (from our guidebook) and at one point could hear a band. Then this came into view! They were accompanied by a couple of police cars, so the roads were just sectioned off as they marched past, then immediately reopened!

The tour was really interesting- I don’t know much at all about Canadian politics (other than they have the “Queen of Canada” as their head of state- I did find it funny to hear her being called that) so the tour guide went into a bit of detail about the two sections of parliament (they are more sensible and have non elected but non inherited positions instead of our House of Lords). The guide also talked about the building- the clock tower was modelled on Big Ben, and there was the mot amazing library- we were not allowed to take photos but it was so ornate with floor to ceiling beautifully carved shelves- apparently like something from Harry Potter.

After that finished we walked around the city some more- there were lots of lovely shops to browse, as well as plenty of memorials – there was one for jazz musician Oscar Peterson (there is a picture here as I didn’t take one)- it was him sat on a bench by a grand piano (with space on the bench for picture posing) and music was being played too which was lovely.

This was the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument which I thought was just stunning and thought-provoking.

We also walked through a park and by a canal and saw loads of black squirrels- I had never seen them (or even heard of them) before. Then we had a little rest in the hotel before heading out for the evening (when we arrived the night before we were lucky to receive an upgrade to our room- probably as it as late so not many rooms left I imagine- and one of the services was a turn-down service; this one was super posh and when we got back they had even put on some jazz music for us- so fancy!), as every night during the summer there is a special light and sound show on the Houses of Parliament, called Mosaika (again, images here as Andy took some with his camera but I didn’t try with my phone). The show is free, you just turn up and sit on the grass and enjoy. Amazing.

For food we ended up in the same diner twice- Zak’s diner made amazing pancakes and French toast for breakfast, and then I had a lovely goats cheese, spinach and strawberry salad for dinner.

Last summer we went to Victoria on Vancouver Island and Ottawa reminded me of that- some of the architecture is very British, and it was nice and compact. The gorgeous weather helped too! There are loads of museums there too, and had the weather been bad we probably would have visited them, but seeing as it was such wonderful weather we made the most of sightseeing outdoors.

It was a great start to the holiday anyway. Have you ever been to Ottawa?

Runners extras

So, the great thing about running is that you don’t need anything except for trainers (and a sports bra). No other equipment, or gym membership is required.

But, of course, there are loads of optional extras. MP3 player, Garmin, water bottle, arm carry things, waist belts, quick draw gel belts, special earphones….

And of course there are loads of products geared at active people.

When ramping up the miles during half or full marathon training I quite like protein cereal bars- I like variety so I go between Clif bars, Bounce Balls, Pulsin’ bars, nakd bars and whatever else I come across. I find them more filling than regular cereal bars, so often on a Wednesday I will have one in the afternoon as otherwise the gap between lunch (generally around 12.30) and dinner (after 8pm) is a bit too long.

The website Probikekit.co.uk recently sent some of these protein Clif bars and some nuun tabs for me to review for my blog- I was very happy to try them out. I love nuun tabs anyway, so it was great to try a new (to me) flavour. I find that after running in the heat I end up with a layer of sweat on my face, and I often used to get headaches after runs so I tend to have one after a long or hot run to help replace the electrolytes. When I was marathon training I used to take a bottle with nuun + water with me, instead of just water.

The nuun tabs are simple- add them to water and they fizz away and dissolve. They contain sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium as well as some natural flavours and ingredient to hold them together/ make them fizz.

I got home from holiday this morning (we flew overnight from Montreal and I think I managed to doze for about 2 hours) so I was feeling pretty ropey today- hungry at weird times, and super thirsty after being on the plane. So although I didn’t run today, I felt I could do with some rehydration. The lemon tea flavour was really nice- I like iced tea anyway, and it was similar. Tropical remains my favourite flavour, followed by the pink lemonade, but they are all quite faint flavours which is good too.

When I remember I like to make up a glass before I run, and leave it in the fridge so it is nice and cold when I get home.

Excuse the blurry photo- I could not get a better one!

The Clif Peanut Butter Chocolate Builders Bar was like a chocolate bar only filled with soya protein. It had a great chewy texture, and was also huge! 68g! The bar had 264 calories and a whopping 20g of protein, as well as a vitamins and minerals (and no trans fat – good for a processed product). Now, I am not saying this is a health food, but for when you are hungry and fancy something sweet it makes a nice change. I also think that I could cut them in half as it did take me ages to eat the entire one.

What little extras do you love? When I was doing yoga more frequently I bought some special grippy socks which were brilliant.

How do you get over jet lag? I tried to sleep on the plane (I have an eye mask which help) and as soon as I got home I was unpacking, putting on washing, going to the shops, but I ended up having a nap at 1pm as I was just so blurry in the head, and am going out tonight (great timing!) so could not even aim for an early night.

* I was sent a voucher for money off these products in exchange for an honest review- all opinions are my own.

The 10% rule

So, when I started running I was reading a lot of forums and magazines and generally trying to find out as much as possible.

One “rule” that was quoted at me time and again was the 10% rule- not to increase the distance of any run by more than 10% per week (or not to increase total distance by 10% per week).

At first, that seemed sensible. Of course you don’t want to increase distance by too much as your body needs to get used to the stresses of running. I was following a beginner running plan anyway, so assumed that the plan had all of this covered.

But then I started to actually work it out. For a beginner starting out, you would probably run about a mile in your first session. So the next time you can add 10%, which would equal 1.1 miles. Then 1.21 miles. Then 1.3 miles or something. Basically, the distance goes up so slowly you would take months to get to a 5K, not the 8 weeks that most plans suggest.

Or start at 2 miles. But then you have 2.2 miles, 2.42 miles, 2.66 miles, 2.92 miles…

It just does not quite work anyway.

Even if the rule applied once you were running further, say, 6 miles, you still would not increase mileage enough to keep up with most training plans.

Apply the rule to weekly mileage and because it is a percentage it still does not go up in line with most training plans. So, if that “rule” does not really work, what others do not work?

Well, the other “rule” of running I get annoyed over is the obsession with fueling runs. Magazine articles bang on about making sure you have a snack before you run, and then eating something when you get home to help replenish your glycogen stores in your muscles. But again when you begin to think about it, it just doesn’t make sense. You have enough energy in your muscles to run for hours (I think it is around 18 miles- hence the marathon “wall” when those supplies run out), so if you are going out for a 3 mile run after work then no, you don’t need a pre-run snack. Of course, if you are hungry and would have one anyway then fine, but it is not dangerous to run without food. I prefer running on an empty stomach, but I remember when I first started running I was scared of running more than a couple of miles before breakfast- I had visions of me fainting mid-run. Ridiculous! Of course everyone is different, but I have run up to 12 miles before breakfast and been fine.

The same with the post run snack. If you are eating normal meals then you don’t need a protein shake or peanut butter on toast (Runners World etc love to mention these snacks)- just have your dinner.

And don’t get me started on the obsession with drinking so much liquid…

What “rules” annoy you? The one that made sense to me was that your long run should not equal more than 50% of your weekly miles (so if you run 10 miles as a long run, the rest of your runs need to total at least 10 miles)- this seemed sensible in limiting your long run but also making sure you were being consistent with training.