Running - Maria Runs

Jantastic week 4!

My how time has flown! I can’t believe that 4 weeks of the Jantastic challenge have already been completed.

The first month is all about being consistent, and I am so pleased to have managed 100% of my runs for the entire month.

This week on Monday I headed out after work. I have been keeping those after work runs pretty short, but I have wanted to increase them a bit- I just need to get home a bit earlier! I managed 4.1 miles on Monday, so creeping up slightly. I tried out my new trail shoes by running on the verges a bit- they are weird as the soles are so chunky so my feet feel very high off the ground. Anyway the grip seemed good which is the main thing- hopefully once the evenings get lighter I can use them on the fields a bit.

Tuesday was an evening of work, plus a little bit of baking for some respite:

Mince pie and marzipan slices and peanut butter brownies as alternative birthday cakes

On Wednesday we were going around to see Andy’s family so as soon as I got home I went on a run as I would not have had time for a shower and dinner if I had waited for Sweatshop. This was where Jantastic helped- it was tipping it down with rain and I didn’t really fancy it, but knew that I had to log 3 runs and would fancy it far less on Friday after work. Once I got out there I really enjoyed the majority of it. The first mile was hard as the rain was so cold it was stinging my face, but it then eased off, and I started to warm up and ended up going further than I had planned- 3.7 miles (was going to do 3 miles tops).

Thursday was Pump day- the instructor told us she had to be out on time, whereas usually we finish maybe 5 minutes late (takes a while to pack all the equipment back away) and she had voted to miss out the lunges track. I can’t pretend to be disappointed, but it did then mean we had the shoulder track (which I find the toughest) right after the biceps with no rest for the arms in between, so I really struggled with that this week.

On Friday I went to visit my Nan so was home quite late, and again it was torrential rain so I was very glad of my decision on Wednesday to get the run done.

Then on Saturday I headed out with Andy. I wanted to do 10 miles but he only wanted to do 8, so we did the loop together (eg me running a few metres behind him!) and then he headed home while I added a bit on to the end. My final couple of miles were much slower as by then my legs were getting stiff and I kept getting a stitch, which is unlike me. I used to get them sometimes if I had eaten too close to a run, but that morning all I had were a few dates before I got ready, so not sure what that was about.

Anyway, 10.2 miles done in 1hr 40 (100 mins)- even with the slower 2 miles at the end I was very pleased with my average pace- running with Andy really helps.

I had no eggs so made these pumpkin pancakes with Orgran egg replacer and the lovely buckwheat pancake mix- I think I only have a few servings left so might experiment with plain buckwheat flour as I really like them.

I got quite stiff yesterday but I think that is partly because I had a lot of work to do so spent 3 hours after my run sat at the computer, then I popped to town (had a Starbucks as a treat) and then spent another few hours at the computer.

Today we went out for breakfast.

This was a waffle with a poached pear, chocolate sauce and toasted pecans- delicious. Plus a pot of Earl Grey tea.

Then we walked around the lakes and gazed at all the flooding, and popped to see our families. Then we walked to the allotment (our shed had blown over, no idea how) and looked at yet more flooding- half the beds are underwater- one was about 6 inches deep as I stood in it (with my wellies on) and was amazed at how high the water came up! I think the walks have helped, and later on I shall do the yoga DVD again too.

So, Jantastic has been a success, onto Febulous. I have again decided to go for 3 runs per week, and then my long runs will be 11 miles next week, then 12, then 5, then 13 as that will be the Bath half- it is getting close now!

Also, Thoosa are having a flash sale. They are my favourite ever workout gear brand – I love their tights, their “Swift vests” are the most flattering and also cool (temperature wise as they are not tight) tops I have ever tried, plus they have some fab slogan t’s- I am just trying to decide which one to buy. So take a look!

Jantastic weeks 2 and 3

So I am not sure how it happened, but somehow 3 weeks have gone by already. I realised at some point this week that I had not reviewed Jantastic week 2, so decided to combine it with week 3.

So, let’s see if I can remember.

Week 2 went like this:

Monday it was pouring with rain, I left work late with a pile of marking, so I opted for my yoga DVD to de-stress and stretch before tackling my work.

Also got to wear my new yoga socks- they have grips on the bottom so when you are holding certain poses you don’t slide down the mat.

That meant my first run was on Tuesday- 3.5 miles. I think we went to the cinema on the Wednesday, and then I definitely went to Pump on the Thursday.

So after work Friday I had my second run of the week- 3.65 miles, so slightly longer than the other run but my legs were heavy after pump and the air was cold.

Saturday I had a sports massage on my back and shoulder which felt so good. Then on Sunday I went out with Andy for a 6.8 mile run- as always it felt too fast but I managed to keep up.

So week 2 was successful with 3 runs out of 3 done.

Week 3 started with a run after work on Monday. I prefer to start the week that way, but took it easy due to running the day before. Normally I am fine to run 2 days in a row but that seemed to be what aggravated my hip over Christmas so I want to be cautious. I think I did 3 miles.

Tuesday was a rest day- we went to see Anchorman 2 at the cinema- so much more lighthearted than all the other films we have seen recently!

Then on Wednesday I braved Sweatshop for the first time in months! It was lovely to see everyone again, but there was no way I was keeping up with the main group. One of the girls came back and ran with me for a bit, then ran back to the person behind me, but most of it was on my own. It was dark when we set off and when my Garmin beeped (hold reset to save activity) I pressed the wrong button so ended up adding to my previous run. I never start it at home, but this time I let it carry on for my run home (which is about .75 of a mile) so in total over those 2 runs I did 6.9 miles, plus the run up there (still adding it up…). It was my fastest run to date so that is good.

Thursday was pump again- I had promised my friend last week that I would go a bit heavier on the weights this week- so tough!

Friday was just a rest day- I was going to do yoga but I had so much work I got on with that and then forgot basically.

Yesterday I went out for a long run on my own but decided I would see if I could keep up a similar pace to last weekend. Each time I noticed that my mile time was creeping over 10 I tried to speed up, and I managed to finish the 8.3 miles with an average pace of 9.54 min miles- I will take it!

Today has been a rest day- I woke up and sat on the sofa underneath the blanket and watched the tennis- totally unlike me to sit about like that but I really felt like I needed it. I was going to have a walk this afternoon but the rain stopped and then we had to pop to the hospital so I didn’t- I shall be doing my yoga DVD again later though, I promise.

So, week 3 done, onto week 4 and soon I have to choose the length of my long runs as Febulous will be here! Love it!

Jantastic runners- how is it going so far?

Everyone what are you looking forward to in February?

And relax!

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!

A better sports massage

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.

Jantastic 2014 week 1

Hey peeps

I hope you have all been well. This week I have started Jantastic, hooray! Originally when I signed up I went for 4 runs a week, which I knew would be a challenge to keep going (I do that some weeks, but not consistently), but since my hip niggle I decided to err on the side of caution and go to 3 runs per week. I had rested since last Tuesday- I felt like I could have run at the weekend but wanted to make sure I started off well. So on Monday after work I went out on a cautious 2 miles. Literally out and back. It started raining when I was half a mile from home and usually I would up the pace to get out the rain quicker, but I didn’t. Lots of stretching afterwards too.

I baked some apples and had one with mince pie filling and some rhubarb and strawberry yoghurt (picked it up in Sainsbury’s as the flavour sounded good).

This week I found rather a lot of tins of pumpkin in my cupboard so have been enjoying pumpkin porridge for breakfast this week. I found that Sainsbury’s do their own almond milk so have been using the unsweetened version this week- it is good.

Tuesday was a rest day, and we went to the cinema to see American Hustle. I enjoyed it, but I felt like it didn’t quite live up to the hype- sometimes I wish I didn’t know about films before I see them as then I can be pleasantly surprised if that makes sense. Anyway, it was very long- it kept seeming like it would end and then it would carry on. Luckily even though it was long I didn’t get stiff.

On Wednesday I went out for a little longer- I added a small loop to Monday’s route to make it 2.8 miles. Again, felt good, felt like I could go further but don’t want to push it. I was tempted by Sweatshop but I know that I will run too fast so it was better going on my own.

On Thursday I went to pump. Last week I looked at going but the website said the gym was closing at 4pm. Well apparently it was open- only 3 people turned up to the class though, and one only because she was in the supermarket opposite and noticed the lights on! Dearie me. Anyway, it was a newish release (new to me), and I kept the weights very light. My arms ached so badly!

Friday was another rest day and this morning I was so pleased to see sunshine! I have found a Bupa half marathon training plan that I think I will follow, although I am not quite sure how many weeks I have, so we shall see. Anyway, depending on the week it should have been either 3 or 5 miles, so I went out for just over 2, turned around and came back, for 4.5 miles. Good stuff. I chose a route I don’t do in the dark, variety is always good.

So, 3/3 for this week, a good start.

After I got home I pottered about a bit (needed the hot water on before I could shower) so ate a few dates and got all the bits ready for a brunch of pancakes. I added in some pumpkin to the batter- often that goes wrong for me but it went right today. I used 1 egg, added a tbsp pumpkin purée (70g?), 40g buckwheat pancake mix, and 100ml almond milk. after a shower I cooked it (slowly)- I love the orange colour of the pancakes. Served with apple, mince pie filling, and a little gingerbread syrup (Whittards stuff which is made with fruit extract, flavourings and lemon juice- very different from most syrups but it tastes good), plus Teapigs chocolate flake tea, so good. This ended up not even making brunch, but being actual lunch. Procrastinating so much!!!

Andy is off at football today so I have a day of pottering ahead of me- I need to pop to the shops to get some celery (for a science experiment next week) and some bread for dinner, and I have a bit of work to do, but am also going to try out my new yoga DVD. Fingers crossed I can manage it.

Also, I have signed up to Daily Mile as I wanted to have something to track my miles- I used to love it on Nike+ when it would say “you have run xx miles this month/year) and as far as I can see the Garmin dashboard doesn’t do that. I have tried synching it with my Garmin but now it is showing all the runs I have done (181 apparently) which is a bit annoying. Plus even though I have given it my Garmin details it only finds the workouts when the Garmin is plugged in to the computer. Any tips? I think I am doing it wrong!

Have a fab weekend 🙂