Category: Running

(But, no pancakes…..)

So after getting back from holiday I had a bit of trouble getting back into a running routine- going away for the weekend didn’t help things. But on Monday morning I headed out on a gentle 3 miles to try and help re-set my body clock. I had stiff calves, probably from the long car journey the day before, but it was good.

I was so nervous before Sweatshop- each week different people come so I never know if I will be on my own or with someone, and missing a few weeks meant I would struggle with the speed. I ran with other people for about half of it, then I got caught when crossing a road (the others managed it, and I had to wait a bit) so was a bit behind. But all good. The hip (which was niggly after a long bus journey, flight and car rides) had been behaving. Body Pump went well- I was careful during squats and lunges, but I think in a way it helped.

When Saturday rolled around it was time for parkrun- hooray!

I was so excited about the flag that once I had finished and queued up to have my barcode scanned, I went back to the car, got my phone and went back to take a picture.

I was so excited to see that we have a flag! It makes it seem official. Plus it marks the start properly- usually at just before 9 most people have to shuffle back as they are all too far forwards.  I wanted to keep under 10 minute miles. I knew I was not in speedy form, but also knew that I could go faster than my Monday shuffle. But I didn’t want to get a sore hip again, so that felt sensible but also challenging.

I was really pleased with how I managed- I kept glancing at my watch to check my pace. The course is along a path, 3 laps of the lake, and back along the path.. During the second lap of the lake the wind really picked up, and at that time I was creeping towards 9.55 min miles, but of course on the other part of the lake the wind was behind me. For ages I was behind a tall man pushing a buggy, but he seemed to be going a fraction too slowly so at the start of the final I overtook him. I was then regretting it- he was a good windbreaker so I should have waited!

It was my lungs that were struggling more than my legs though! My time was 29.34, so under the 10 min miles I wanted to do. All good.

I had promised Andy I would make us French toast if he waited for me to get home. Yummy. We bought some brioche, so for two of us I whisked up 2 eggs, a little almond milk (maybe 50ml) and some vanilla extract. and soaked the bread for a bit. I put a little coconut oil in the pan and then cooked them one slice at a time, although I am not sure if the coconut oil was actually needed.

Served with fruit, maple syrup and even a little maple butter (my word this is heavenly stuff).

Andy started his while my final one was cooking.

On Sunday I went out for a long run. I could not decide and initially thought I would do about 6, but the weather was cool so I took advantage and did 8.2 miles (but with a lot of stopping, sorting out the podcasts to listen to, and getting some cash out). I went for French toast again after- it’s the new pancakes.

One with nutella (covered up the burnt bit, shhh), one with maple butter

On Monday I went out for breakfast with some friends, and this morphed into brunch and the lunch time! I had to pop to town on the way home so had a nice wander around town in the sunshine, and then after dinner we had a walk- my legs needed something gentle after the weekend.

This Tuesday I did a 5 mile run first thing- I found a new part of the fields to run on, although one part was not really path so I had to slow right down for fear of twisting my ankle! I had a lot of work to do, but again managed to have a walk before dinner for a little extra bit of fresh air.

On Wednesday I was working at home, I walked up to the shops before lunch, did a massive house clean (how does everything get so dusty so quickly? ) and also started doing the Kinetic Revolution 30 day challenge. I have set up a page for me to track how I get on, so pop there if you fancy finding out what I am going on about (this post is already pretty long!). Sweatshop was good- we did the longer fields route that I found on Tuesday, and all my Sweatshop miles began with a 9, which I was pleased with. The lungs are getting it back! Although on a side note my Garmin has been playing up again- those were identical routes but it took so long to find a satellite signal that one run was 5.15 miles, the other 4.65! Quite a difference!

I am really looking forward to parkrun again this Saturday- I am aiming to get half way to 50 (so 25) before the end of the year, which I think should be achievable although we do have a few weekend away/ races, so we shall see. I want to beat my time from last week too- here’s hoping for cool weather but not too much wind.

For more parkrun love, last Saturday I came across this video: which made me more excited too! I think parkrun suits the autumn- the weather is cooler and the air is crisp, so getting out for a brisk 5k is just perfect before heading home to warm up again.

Have you ever had maple butter before? I saw it on Oh She Glows, but have not tried making it myself yet, although after buying some this summer and seeing how wonderful it actually is, I might have to give it a go…

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.

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.

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.

 

It is tough. I run much better when it is cool, but luckily I am running for fun and not training at the moment.

But also the weather forecast has not been that helpful- I went out on Friday night in the sweltering heat, because I thought Saturday would be more storms, but in fact Saturday was overcast and would have been fine. Ah well.

Anyway, Sunday was a lovely 6.5 mile run looping around the fields. Just perfect to be home before most people were awake. Although it was so hot as the sun was blazing down.

Too cool down after that I made a chai latte- I had some coconut tea brewing in my tea jug, and had some of that topped up with almond milk. I have made this with a little splash of cinnamon syrup too, but it is lovely just like that too.

So summery.

As we are off on holiday soon we have been trying to run the freezer down a bit. I found a scone in there so had it for lunch on Sunday with some lemon curd. Delish.

On Monday and Tuesday I had a run after work- both the same out and back route mostly through the fields. On Monday I ran out for 15 minutes, then turned around and headed home- I got back in 14 minutes so I was pretty pleased to manage that in the heat. My Garmin has been playing up a bit though- it finds a satellite, then when I start it, it loses the signal again so often the first half a mile of my run is not on the map, and then it affects the overall speed and distance too. Today was the same route but I didn’t pay attention to the time, I just enjoyed it- on my way back there was a lovely strong breeze so it was more comfortable.

I have been wearing my tennis visor which keeps my face cool, and trying to choose shady routes, but really in this weather I think any run is a bonus so I am just enjoying it.

I made some fudge at the weekend as gifts for colleagues (note to self, boiling up sugar when it is baking hot outside is not the best way to cool down), so I packaged that all up. I got those cute bags and tags from ebay- so pretty. I got some red spotty ones too that remind me of Minnie Mouse, but will be good colours for Christmas.

We have been having some lovely walks after dinner too- I have not been using my hairdryer as it i so hot, so this lunchtime my hair was still wet from last night! This evening we had a walk which started off my hair drying at least.

Any cooling down tips?