Category: Running

This post may not turn out to be that coherent (compared to normal)- we shall see.

I have just had a really busy week and feel like I will need the entire weekend to catch up. Today I got home at 6, had to take Andy to the station and then came home and did a couple more hours of work. Then I did some tidying (our house gets very messy when I run out of time) and have now put on some scented candles to help me relax.

Including this candle, which Airwick have sent to me to for my blog as they have a big range of air freshener products. I can’t take photos of candles burning, it just does not work. There is something calming and cosy about the flame on a candle, and I love scented candles, especially spicy or citrus ones.

Normally if we are both home on a Friday night we listen to the film podcast, Andy cooks dinner (sausage and bean bake for him, and plain bean bake for me with some sourdough) and we watch a film. I had grand plans for dinner- first it was going to be polenta, then I downgraded it to avocado pasta, but then the time came and I was hungry and busy so I went for the easiest option- toast with sundried tomato pesto, avocado and a little basil oil. Oh, and a splodge of hummus. Andy would tell me off for having toast for dinner- shh!

I realised earlier in the week I didn;t even do a Jantastic review of week 2, and now week 3 is nearly over, so I will combine them over the weekend I think.

Last week I raved about my new compression socks (from Running skirts UK if you are interested)- the pink ones are fab- the feet parts are sort of padded and patterned (hopefully you can see that in the photo). The green ones are more like normal socks- they still have the markings on them but not as much detail. So go for pink if you get some.

Check out the grip on these babies!

I have been on the hunt for trail shoes for a while now- I love running across the fields near me but recently they have been a nightmare due to all the mud. Plus when I did the Ware 10 mile race it was great but some of it was so slippery I needed ski poles- my road shoes are not cutting it! I have looked for ages- I had John Lewis vouchers so wanted to use them, but the shoes in the sale were not the right size, and they didn’t have any other trail shoes, so in the end I ordered from Wiggle. I love Wiggle- free postage and good prices, but they always include a packet of haribo in with whatever you order, which annoys me, as for one, they are not vegetarian, but also why not something more sporty? Anyway, this time as well as the obligatory sweetie packet, there was also a High5 energy bar- it looked a bit “fake” but the ingredients are dates, sultanas, cashew nuts, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and a few other bits- not too shabby. I look forward to sampling it.

Finally I have a question. I have signed up to Daily Mile, and now when I plug my Garmin in to my computer it will synch and find new workouts. But even if I have previously uploaded a run to my Garmin dashboard, Dailymile won’t seem to be able to find it (eg if I forget to log it right away). Am I doing it wrong? I don’t normally plug in my Garmin after each time I use it as it is a bit of a faff. Or, can I log something on there that is not from my Garmin?

Plans for the weekend?

I am not going to Parkrun this weekend as I need to run around 8 miles, and should not be running 2 days in a row, plus the weather for Sunday looks pretty bad so I am going to go out tomorrow morning. Other than that I have some work to do but also some relaxing to catch up on. Have a good one!

But first up, the rest of the week. On Wednesday instead of Sweatshop we went to the cinema to see Twelve Years a Slave (well we were going to see Anchorman but it was on too late for a school night). Now, I am not someone into romantic comedies, and I do like films based on true stories. But this film felt exhausting from beginning to end. I hope this is not a spoiler (but if you are worried then skip down to the next paragraph) but when it finished all I wanted to do was watch Django Unchained to see slaves getting some retribution. It was very claustrophobic to watch, and worse as it is all true (and apparently toned down for the film).

On Thursday I went to pump and upped my weights a bit as I have been feeling fine. Oh my word that shoulder track is so tough. I wimped out and kept the lightest weight but have promised next week I will go up one- not sure how I am going to manage that! The lunges were even more painful and I had to stop- I thought it was because I had chosen a heavier weight but then our instructor realised she had swapped legs too late- no wonder the first leg was so tough! When I got home I had a hot chocolate and some mango and papaya.

On Friday after work it was time for run number 2 of the week- I did 3.6 miles in the end, and was pleased as I managed to keep my average pace as 9.58- just sneaking in under the 10 mark! It was so cold and my legs felt like lead (a combination of post pump legs and the cold air I think) so I was even more pleased to have managed it. Then after dinner we watched The Little Mermaid and enjoyed some of this gorgeous vanilla and coconut popcorn.

This morning I was off for my sports massage- I was super nervous but when I got there I explained that the last ones I had were quite painful so he promised to take it easy. As the physio had said that my lower back was tight, he focused on that, and also my left shoulder as I have a problem with that- sometimes I can’t turn my neck to look over my left shoulder as it seems to freeze. Now, I was a bit worried that it would be weird, him being a man and all (last time I had a woman) but it was actually OK and pretty relaxing. There were some tender spots, but generally it felt just like good tension release. I did feel a bit dizzy when I got back up again after, but apparently that is normal. I am going to leave it for a bit before I book my next one (his advice) but I am not dreading it now!

Also, look what came this week in the post! Pretty compression socks! I ordered them after Christmas (from running skirts UK)- going to wear them after my run tomorrow. Well, one pair.

As for the half marathon training, I feel like I have had now nearly 2 weeks of good running (well no pain or soreness in my hip or anything) so I think I can start getting into it properly. My plan says an 8 mile run this weekend, but then next weekend is only 6 (because really I am joining the plan almost half way through- not advised but I know that I can cope with that)- so I am going to swap them over, do the loop tomorrow that is just over 6 miles and see how I get on.

After the sports massage this morning I popped into town- I wanted to look at some trail shoes in John Lewis (I have vouchers and I like to buy big things with vouchers, not lots of little things)- anyway they only had them in the clearance in a size 4- too small for me.  I started to feel quite drained, and saw this chai latte when I was getting some flowers for my mum. We went to my parents to watch the football, and then late afternoon I had it as a rather late pick me up. I think I have had it before, and I really should write it down that I am not a fan of powdery drinks. I even used my little frother to mix it up, but still the texture is grainy, plus I don’t like the idea of powdered milk. This is the perfect example of why I should not go in a shop when I am tired and/or hungry.

Ready for tomorrow I have been baking from my Clandestine Cake club book- this is a spiced cake with a fresh marzipan filling (icing sugar, ground almonds and egg)- smells pretty good.

It was a bit of a faff to do the layers- the cake batter is very thick and you had to put half on the bottom, then the marzipan filling (which was thick and crumbly) and then top with the rest of the cake mixture. I think it will be worth it though. The only trouble with making a big cake is that I can’t try a small bit first (for quality control purposes you understand)…

Would you prefer a male or female sports masseur? When I booked my second physio appointment originally they had swapped me to a male one, but I worried so much about it I ended up changing the appointment. I was a bit apprehensive about it today, but it was fine and I am glad I went.

Hi folks,

I have a post for you today which hopefully you will find interesting, especially if you are considering the crazy leap into triathlons:

When it comes to training towards a triathlon, one of the biggest problems comes with the fact that you will think that there is not enough time to train for all of the disciplines. At first glance, running, cycling and swimming are all very different, which means that you need to focus on all three of the aspects. If you are pushed for time, this can be a difficult process. However, by cycling, you can also improve your running performance, so there is an opportunity to train for two elements at the one time.

One thing to bear in mind apart having more than one form of physical activity to enjoy is that you can be active when recovering. The day after a lengthy run, the thought of doing any walking, never mind jogging or running, can seem very difficult. However, a bike ride can get your legs back into action which helps to get the blood pumping and will flush out the lactate from your legs. Being slightly active with a cycle will certainly help you to get back into action a lot faster than a rest day where you site on the couch.

Cycling will work on different muscles in your legs compared to running. This means that you will build up an overall better level of strength, all the time supporting your core. This also ties in to the benefit of working on alternative days, and while the running muscles are resting, your cycling muscles can be hard at work. Working different muscle groups on different days is the key to success when it comes to making the most of your time. If you find you have limited time to train for your race, spreading your work around more effectively will be a great help. Using a good quality bike, such as one from Eureka Cycle Sports, can help you to look after yourself and train effectively.

You will help your hips, knees and ankles by cycling

Just think about the amount of times your feet and body impact hard on the ground when you are running. It is not fun and you are placing your joints under a great deal of strain. Running great distances will help you build up stamina but you may be wearing away your legs and muscles. This is where using a bike ton train will at least help you to reduce the overall impact on your body. You will need to have some element of running in your training regime for a triathlon but adding a strong element of cycling will give you a boost when it comes to looking after yourself.

Something that an increasing number of runners are doing is classed as a “brick” workout. This is where you carry out two different disciplines back to back. Cycling extremely hard to 10 miles and then following it by a 1 mile run will give you the best of both worlds without pushing yourself to a harder extent. It will also help your body get used to what it will be put through when it is time for the actual triathlon.

I used to cycle a lot when I was younger (before I could drive) but the roads terrify me now! I like using cycle paths but they often end too soon for my liking. I do agree that cross training can be so beneficial- I keep seeing more and more people leap on the spinning bandwagon (saddle?)- getting some cardio going but without the impact from running must be a good thing. 

Do you tend to stick to one type of exercise or are you good at varying things?

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