Maria Runs

I was looking through my google photos the other day, and it appears I have a lot of photos of the following: Breakfasts, various running clothes and drinks.

I have lost track of why I took the photos, so they are all going to appear here.

Breakfasts:

Muesli and yoghurt I think.

Who doesn’t love pancakes?

Muesli with a sprinkling of Graze granola.

Drinks:

Iced Earl Grey.

Tastes like a melted bounty bar.

Post-race treat.

This is what happens when you don’t take a proper lunch with you to work.

Free! With my www.Bounts.it points I got a Caffe Nero gift card, and this week it was so chilly that for the walk back to my car I bought a chai latte. Not bad in exchange for a bit of running.

Running things:

After Anna posted a photo of her bargains from SportsShoes.com, I had a little mosey and bought several pairs of capris. I was very pleased to spot that one pair matched (well, nearly) my trainers. Those pink ones looked pink on the website, but are really high viz/ luminous! I have not been brave enough to wear them yet! The navy are my favourite as they have two pockets- one nice deep one without a zip, but long enough for my phone I think, and another zipped one, big enough for tissues and car keys. Plus they are not too long- so often capris come down to my ankles- these are all closer to my knees which I much prefer.

Buzzing:

Years ago I signed up to the Buzz agent website, and every now and then I still get an email inviting me to a campaign. Basically, they send you free things in exchange for a review on their site.

 

This one was about Jacob’s cracker crisps, which are like thin cream crackers, and I was sent one bag of each flavour. The salt and vinegar ones are lovely- I love that flavour but so often the vinegar is not tangy enough. These are very moorish indeed- I tried them after getting home late and being so hungry, and I am sure I ate a lot more than the serving size.

 

The thai sweet chilli ones were a bit too spicy for me on their own, but I had the brilliant idea (even if I do say so myself) of dipping them in hummus- that was a great match. The only thing was that the cracker crisps didn’t hold up too well to dipping, and kept breaking in the tub. So spreading might be more sensible.

What do you take the most pictures of? I have made my own parkrun album because I have taken so many there!

 

 

 

I tend to either run with nothing, or listen to podcasts. But when I first started running I loved to have music playing (mainly to drown out the sound of my alarming heavy breathing). I even ran my first couple of races with a headphone in one ear. Pure Gym are running a competition to find out about dream playlists.

I do love going to Body Pump, and one of the reasons is the music. There are usually lots of tracks that I don’t like (I’m talking to you, All About the Base abs track) but there are also plenty that I like- these often end up being the biceps track. So, the songs I like are usually more like rock music- a faster paced song with lyrics I can sing along to (the weird bottle-filling-up track of the current release is so annoying). And yes, I do sing along- the volume is up high during the class!

So, here are a few that I would be having if Les Mills ever phones me (unlikely, but best to be prepared):

Ash were a band that got me through many runs- I had their Supersonic 7’s on my little mp3 player- it got me through my first 10K and first half marathon, and there are so many great songs to choose from, but I think I will go for Burn Baby Burn to get me in the mood for working out (because my muscles are gonna Burn baby).

The Killers- Somebody Told Me – I can sing along to the high bits before I get too out of breath!

Muse- Uprising or Knights of Cydonia (it builds like the pain of lactic acid!)

Hard Fi- Hard to Beat (Just like this playlist eh?)

Kasabian- Club Foot (to remind me not to drop a weight on my foot?)

Bryan Adams (I always think this is Bon Jovi for some reason)- Summer of 69. This was a Body Pump track, and our instructor used to sing “ain’t no use in complaining, when you’ve got some squats to do”- it was the squats track. That amused me. Plus, I like a bit of cheese every now and then.

I am having another Ash track in there- the genius of Kung Fu. This was near the end of the album, and gave me a big boost to keep on running (and pick up the pace a bit).

You have to have a bit of The Foo Fighters in there somewhere, so All My Life gets in.

For the cool down, one of my favourite tracks from Body Pump was another version of Careless Whisper, apparently by Badlands. So often the cool down tracks are some sort of annoying ballad that gets stuck in my head. So this one was great

When writing this post, I have been most amused by the crazy You-Tube comments- anyone who has seen Bug by Adam Buxton would be familiar with them already, but seriously this could amuse me for hours on end.

This is an entry to the Pure Gym Playlist competition- Terms and Conditions are here.

I love running gear, that is no secret. So when I was offered the chance to sample a pair of running tights from Ginger Orange, of course I agreed.

They are a start up company, based in London, that specialise in women’s active wear. Taken from their website:

At Ginger Orange we provide immaculate activewear which is manufactured to the highest quality standards, using premium performance fabrics which flatter your figure. We design sportswear for all women who enjoy the active life and engage in various workouts ranging from yoga, pilates to spinning, running and everything in between. Our carefully selected fabrics provide excellent moisture management, shape retention and anti-pilling qualities that increase the durability and comfort of the clothing.

Their leggings include plain ones, and some very funky patterns (that look like tattoos- Laura and Tamzin the sailor ones reminded me of you girls!). Check out here for the designs.

I chose some plain purple ones, as I thought I would wear them more often. They have a lovely thick waistband which is really comfy (and the orange pattern is a lovely change to most plain ones). I have not worn them running yet, as it is too warm for long tights, but I have worn them for squats, calf raises and other bits like that at home and they have been lovely and comfortable. The fabric is nice and soft. I chose the medium size, and I think the guide is pretty accurate (the size guide says 10-12). It is a shame that at the moment they only go up to a large, which is size 14 according to their chart. But perhaps once they have been going for a bit longer they might expand the size range. They were nice and long- way too long for me, but the fabric was easy to pull up so that they didn’t cover my feet.

I tried to show in the photo that I could have them at their full length, or shorter to suit me when I run.

As with all workout leggings, I would always favour a zipped pocket that could fit my front door key in, but I do carry a little waist pack for my phone, so I would still wear them outside.

They have created a discount code: runningcupcake10off if you fancy ordering a pair for yourself.

* I was sent the tights in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.