Running - Maria Runs

Keeping Fit for Free

Hi peeps,

Recently I was sent an email about a blogger competition (UK bloggers only). Legal and General have conducted some research and found out that when budgets at home get tight, the gym membership is one of the first things to cancel. They want to encourage people to get fit without the gym, and want bloggers to post about it. You can see the details here in case you fancy entering.

Years ago I was a member of the gym, but I found that I preferred the classes to the actual gym, and now as I can only get to one a week it is cheaper for me to pay as I go. But I need to focus on the free things. So here are the things I do to keep active:

Walking

Walking is brilliant. It gets you out in the fresh air. It takes you away from the sofa. It can be a lovely gentle activity (when I was recovering from my op I had to walk each day, but just gently), but it can be more of an aerobic workout if you walk fast, or up hills, or do some hiking. You can look at nice scenery while you walk. Or you can multi-task- walk to the shops, or to work (if you are lucky to live close enough). No matter what the weather is like you can walk. If it is raining, put on some boots and put up your hood. If it is cold, wear gloves. Often we used to go on a walk after dinner, just around the fields and housing estate where we live, but recently we have got out of the habit.

Gardening

This is pretty much free, so long as you have a garden and the equipment you need (shears/ trowel etc). When we first moved our little garden was not cared for at all- it was basically an old patio and a little lawn. Through the years we have gradually added more plants (and some of these are cuttings from other people so they have been free), and so this has been a constant source of free activity for us both. Digging up weeds, cutting back plants and carrying all the garden waste around to the green bin all add up. Plus again you are out in the fresh air. We have an allotment, which although isn’t free, is inexpensive (I think our plot is £30 a year, which isn’t much). The weeding alone is a massive strength workout! Often the papers have offers for free seeds, and you can plant seedlings in old egg boxes or cartons, so you can keep costs fairly low. Plus you end up with pretty flowers or tasty home grown produce.

Running

So, of course as with anything, you could spend loads on all the gear, and race entries etc. But if you already have trainers and a sports bra, you are good to go (and I feel that with the theme of “cancelling gym membership”, you would have those things). You can go for a run as soon as you get home from work. You don’t have to wait for the treadmill hogger to get off. You don’t have to book on to the class.You can run on your own, but if you want to run with company then there are free options out there too.

Option 1: Go along to your local Sweatshop running group. They offer free weekly runs, usually with a guide from the shop. It is totally free, and as a bonus you get a technical t-shirt after only a few runs. Amazing! And free.

Option 2: Sign up to your local parkrun. They offer free weekly 5k runs (not races)- they are timed so if you like stats or beating your pb they may appeal. You have to do 50 runs to earn your free t-shirt- this is going to take me years but I will get there!

Both of these options are fantastic for all stages of runner- at parkruns people can walk around in 50 minutes or sprint around in 15, children can join in (they even have some specific,shorter junior events) and every single runner will be encouraged by all the volunteers. At Sweatshop the staff tend to be keen runners, so they will be on hand for advice about stretches, routes, kit and so on. My local one does a beginners group (sort of a couch to 5K) as well as our more varied group. And if you love it then of course you can sign up to both.

Internet

When I was marathon training I took yoga rather more seriously, and I used to use the free yoga for runners podcast from yoga download. I really need to start doing it again, but as you can tell I am not as motivated by this as by running. But anyway, the point is the internet is pretty big, and you can find pretty much anything you want on there. You tube is full of workout videos. But for me it is not as good as the others as it is not outside in the fresh air. Unless you have a tablet or something and can take it out into the garden. (But then if I did that I know I would get distracted and notice weeds and end up gardening with the website playing in the background….)

As you can see there are plenty of ways to keep active without even setting foot in a gym, and I personally feel that getting some fresh air has such huge benefits- it is so important to get some fresh air (and daylight if you can) every day.

How do you keep active? Are you a fan of the gym or do you prefer other ways of exercising?

Ashridge Trail Half- all the superlatives

The prettiest, most hilly, slowest and probably hottest race I have ever done.

The day started with mouldy toast. Only half a slice before I noticed! In my defense the bread was in the freezer, and I didn’t put the light on in the kitchen, and it was seedy bread. But still yuck!

The car park was about a mile walk from the race start, so we got there with enough time for me to collect my number. I met up with a couple of Sweatshop peeps (I had inadvertently persuaded them to sign up when I mentioned it, as they are fans of off-road smaller races too). I do like the smaller low key races- no big bag drop buses or staggered starts, no silly warm up, just someone with a megaphone telling you to watch out for roots, and an inflatable arch to run through.

It was beautiful. So pretty. The prettiest race. The woods were filled with foxgloves, and the shade was lovely on such a warm day, although you had to look so closely as there were so many exposed roots- several people tripped over.

After 2 miles we had to stop and join a queue to climb over a stile- it was that sort of race.

After a few miles in the woods (maybe 4 or 5) we were out into open fields with high grass- again underfoot was tough as you had to lift your feet up so high, plus the sun was beating down. I was glad of my suncream but wishing I had my visor.

As I had decided to just enjoy it and not go for time, I went for a bit of an ultra style plan- walk the steepest hills, and there were plenty. The route was well marked with plenty of marshals, but at one point a group of us were unsure where to go, and luckily one of them whipped out her map (our printer ran out of ink so I couldn’t print one even though we were all instructed to)- I ended up chatting to her for a bit as we walked up a hill- she had signed up to an ultra and had already run 10 miles that morning!

The steep hills were so steep, and as you can see many were un-shaded. This gave beautiful panoramic views of the countryside, so I tried to focus on that and not the miles left to run.

This hill was at about mile 6- but it was deceptive as it curved so you thought you had got to the top, only to curve around the hill and realise you had a little down dip, before carrying on up.

Then you had a really steep downhill that was hard to run, and another really steep up bit to finish mile 8. My toughest half ever for sure.

From the top of one of the hills.

After running downhill through more fields, the route went back into woods for some glorious shade. But then, the worst part. I often struggle around mile 9-10 as I am far enough in to be tired, but not quite close enough to the finish for a final push. Well, then there were stairs. Steps in the woods. Going up. Massive wooden planks with sunken earth steps. A trip hazard if you were running. I was making use of the hand rail and almost hauling my shaky legs upwards. Looking at my Garmin the steps went up for just shy of 200ft. That is a lot of steps.

I had made sure I stopped at the water stations to have a proper drink and not just throw water down my front and perhaps manage accidentally to choke down a few sips (that is what usually happens when I try and drink from cups when I run)- at one of them I had 2 cups of water as I was so thirsty. On a side note the marshals were all fantastic- there were plenty of them, and they were all cheering on every runner. There were also some funny signs, for example half way up some of the tough hills/ stairs there were signs saying “Keep going, you’re nearly at the top”!

Thankfully the last few miles were mainly through woods (at one point I did have to jump over a fallen tree trunk that was blocking the path!), although the 400m to go sign was right at the bottom of a hill. Urgh, hills up to the finish line are just so tough.

Anyway, I got to the end. And wasn’t the last!

Two of the Sweatshop group were there waiting for me, as well as Andy (who had spent the morning sitting in the sun listening to podcasts, although he did say he started to worry about me and had even been to the ambulance station to check I had not been brought in!). I had a banana (hooray, I love a post -race banana but hardly any races seem to do them any more) and some water.

Official time is 2:42.17 (although my gun time is the palindrome of 2:42.42!). My slowest by 10 minutes! To think I ran Bath earlier in the year in 2:06 something! But they were worlds apart, and of course it is my first trail half, so really it’s in a different category. (To give you an idea of how other people fared, the first person finished in 1:29, whereas at Bath they finished in 1:03, and the final person finished in 3:32).

We slowly walked back to the car park, where I had some nuun in my second bottle of water, and changed into my t-shirt. I did bring a whole change of clothes as originally we were going to go out for lunch, but I was exhausted and just wanted to get home for a shower.

That wiped me out!

I had work to do this afternoon but ended up falling asleep on the sofa in front of the athletics- whoops. I may get up the energy to do it later on…

Taper time

Well, sort of.

I have not followed a training plan for this half marathon. I am feeling quite relaxed about it, although I am sure on Sunday morning I will be nervous. Not following a plan has been good- I have roughly worked out the long run distance each week but I have not been obsessive about ticking off the miles. The downside is that I forgot about cutting back a bit. I know that with a half marathon I don’t need a month long taper or anything, but I know I do better if I take it a bit easier the week before.

Anyway, on Monday I remembered and so only did a 3 mile run after work. It was one of those runs that felt so slow (it was windy and my legs were stiff) but actually was not that bad- around 10 minute mile pace which for after work is OK for me.

The Pump instructor is away this week, which again is pretty good timing as my legs take a while to recover from the squats and lunges.

After my Monday run I tried some of this coconut water- lemonade flavour. It is all £1 at Ocado at the moment so I ordered one of them to see. The verdict? I quite liked it. It was sharp and tangy (and not fizzy- phew)- it does have some added fruit sugar but only a small amount (2% I think) and I suppose it would have been too sour otherwise.

Photo: Picked a whole bowl of strawberries (plus a few raspberries) at the allotment on Sunday- have been enjoying them for breakfast this week.

On Sunday we spent time at the allotment and picked a whole load of strawberries and a few raspberries. I have been enjoying them with my breakfast since, and still have some left. I put some chia seeds in a bowl with a little almond milk, then add the berries, some muesli, sometimes a few almonds, and then top with more milk, and let it soak overnight. Delicious.

I am off to Sweatshop tonight and have been told we can choose between a shorter or slightly longer run, but I think I am going to err on the side of caution, especially as my back has been a bit stiff today. Then I can’t decide what to do for the rest of the week. I think I might have a short run after work on Friday, as I have a busy day on Saturday, plus I would rather be a bit rested before Sunday.

Favourite summery drink? I quite like elderflower, but I had some on Friday which turned out to be fizzy so I was not that impressed with it. Peach iced tea or mango coconut water are also on my refreshing list.

Not the best preparation

First up, doughnut peaches are back!

I normally find them in Asda but each time I checked they have not had any (and have not seen the label on the shelf either) but today I saw them in Sainsbury’s, and for only £1.50 for this big punnet! Exciting times folks.

So, next weekend I am doing a trail half marathon. I say trail marathon- it is through some woods, so it’s off road. I think trail makes it sound more hardcore than it probably is. But anyway, it is still a half and they should be taken seriously.

Over the past few months I have been upping my mileage again- I had a bit of a break after the Bath Half as I found that so tough, but I still managed a good amount of miles- in fact 72 miles both in March (Bath was at the start) and April. But since then my mileage has dipped. Partly I think this is because I was managing 4 runs a week, and this has gone down to an average of 3, and also because we went away in May. But life in general has been getting in the way a bit too…

For the last 2 weeks though I have only managed 2 runs per week. I had my lovely 3 run weekend and a sports massage on the Monday, but then when I got home I had the most awful headache- I took painkillers which did nothing, and in the end had to go and lie down and take some more a couple of hours later. This impacted my running in two ways: I didn’t get any work done that evening, so I had twice as much for Tuesday. Plus on Tuesday I felt really delicate, so didn’t think a run was a good idea. Add on to that other meetings, and the need for a rest day after a long run and all I managed was Wednesday and Saturday.

I did manage 11 miles last Saturday, which has given me some confidence. Then spent about 90 minutes at the allotment on Sunday, and on Monday I was still aching. Plus I got home late and had work to do (as it was I worked until 9.15 and then had to get up early the next morning to finish as I needed to unwind a bit). On Tuesday it was baking hot but I managed 5 miles, which I was pleased with as I do want to make my midweek runs a bit longer. I had to stop and cool down for a bit after a few miles as it was so hot.

Then, on Wednesday I was going to have a short run, as we were off out (I knew I had no time for Sweatshop) but I didn’t get away until late so only just had time to mark some work and change before we were out (and then I had more work when we got back). Thursday was pump and then Friday I was out for dinner- again just enough time when I got home to shower and change before rushing out again.

On a side note, I had a delicious salad with lentils, butternut squash and goats cheese, and then we went to the fabulous Pudding Stop for dessert.

So many tempting things on their menu, but in the end I opted for a delicious lemon tart.

When they brought our food over, the guy told me that my slice was too small (something about it being the last ?) so they had given me two small slices instead of one large. Luckily they let me take half home as one slice was plenty!

I was up early on Saturday for a long run. I had mapped out an 11 mile route, but it turned out to be closer to 12 miles. The weather was cooler at least, although my face was still covered in salt after a few miles. Near the end it started raining, and at first it was just wonderful- slightly heavier than a fine mist, and really cooling. But for the final half mile or so it was very heavy, and so all the salt washed off my face into my eyes- I had to finish with just one eye open and when I got home had to stumble up the stairs with both eyes shut as they were stinging so much!

My run was slow (well slower than I would have liked I suppose)- I slowed a lot towards the end and the 11.8 miles took me 2.08. But with the heat, and being so tired, I am OK with that. Next week I am not aiming for a pb, I just want to enjoy the woods, and also raise some money for a local hospice charity. (If you want to help raise money my page is here)

I shall not be stressing anyway. I know by now that I don’t do well in the heat, and I love running though woods so I am looking forward to some pretty scenery.

Are you always after a pb or do you sign up for races for different reasons? I do look for fast and flat courses, but I also like more interesting off road ones, and I am always tempted if a technical t-shirt is on offer!

Laura’s amazing banana bread

So, you guys know that I have bought some coconut flour but have never got on that well with it. I did manage to have it in pancakes, which I quite liked, but I still prefer the buckwheat flour so tend to go to that.

At the weekend (I think) Laura posted a photo of her grain free banana bread, which included coconut flour, and it just so happened that we had 2 bananas rapidly going brown. Of course I had to make it.

Well it turned out so well! Delicious! Because of what I had at home I made a few changes- I only had 3 eggs so used those and a little almond milk, and instead of blueberries I used dark chocolate chips and desiccated coconut.

I bought myself some pretty dessert forks, plus a matching cake slice that I have not used yet.

It has been keeping me going this week! I have been so busy this week- I have only managed one run (sad face) so far this week (I was home too late for Sweatshop on Wednesday)- on Tuesday I was home early (I had a course, and they usually finish early, plus no marking= bonus time) so I went on a 5 mile run, but it was baking- after a couple of miles I had to stop in the shade and cool down as I was so hot. I am not used to this! It was making me worry about my half marathon (next weekend) but I am not going for a fast time there as it is a trail run, I am going to enjoy the experience.

Anyway, when I got home Andy had picked our first garden strawberries! So after dinner I had them with a slice of the banana bread- they were so sweet and juicy- shop bought ones just don’t compare.

I went to pump this evening and managed to up my weights for the chest (10kg on the bar! Which is a lot for me), but now my arms are not liking all this typing!

What are your weekend plans?

I need to get up early for my final long run- I did 11 miles last weekend and want to do a similar distance this week. I need to make a cake as practise for my next cake club meeting (don’t want a repeat of last time!) and also a pile of work which I just won’t think about now!