Good Friday Hill Race 2011

I took my camera and took some pictures during the race.. such a relief to stop and take a few snaps haha, those hills were soo tough.. I must have blocked the memory of how painful it was from last years race haha. I've tried to arrange the pictures into some form of order, it was pretty much an out and back course with a loop at the furthest point and the finish was slightly different to the start... Anyway, most of the hills pictured I went up and down at some point during the race.. Not sure how much speed I picked up on some of the downhills, one of them was so steep I was so scared of falling!

Before the race

This was the second or third hill, I kept the guy in yellow in my sights for a lot of the race but eventually he pulled away and I couldn't keep up

I saw the lead runner on this hill last year so this year I was pleased not to see anyone on it as it gave me hope that I was doing better than last year!

This hill was easily the worst going up and down. The pictures don't do it justice, it is SO steep! I took a few of this one to try and give some perspective..

The view from the top!

Then you turn the corner and your heart breaks a bit 'cause you see this hill, this is one of those evil ones with a fake summit too, ouch!

This one felt a lot steeper in real life too! There was a little boy cheering at the top of this one with his mum and dad and he shouted to me 'I can see you sweating'.. thanks little boy haha

And then we were done!

7.3 miles of hills in 1:14:29 44/49 I was the last woman but I beat a few men. It was a very male dominated race only 6 women ran! Also got 6 minutes off last years time! No splits 'cause Mike wore the garmin though... I need my own, I would have loved to know my splits!

Sweaty tomato

Got home for some Roxie cuddles in the garden

I'll hopefully have some photos from the race organisers website soon, I'm pretty sure some people snapped some of me though god knows what they will look like... I tried a few self portrait style ones but they were really too bad to post. I wish I didn't look such a state when I run, one of the volunteers even asked me if I was ok to finish, I was thinking yeah fine I always look this awful lol... Oh well!

A Little Update

Well I've been a bit rubbish at posting lately.. I've been working a lot and working on another little project which will be lifechangingly exciting if it all works out which has left a slightly tired Laura! I have managed a few runs though, one pretty awesome and one pretty awful...

First, the awesome! I went out with Mike on my day off. We weren't sure what to do so we set off to jog and decided once we got onto the humber bridge we would mark out a mile and both run it as fast as we could. One major downside of this run, we both completely under-dressed I was freezing. I almost pursuaded Mike to do a half mile time trial instead of a mile because I felt like I couldn't bare to be out there on the windy bridge much longer but I changed my mind before he made his up so we did the full mile as planned. I'm so glad we did as we both got new PBs! Mike is down to 5.23, speed demon! I hope one day I can run a mile which begins with a 5, that would be sooooooo good!

2.5 miles at around 9.10 pace
1 mile time trial 6.35!!!
1 mile jog/walk home

Thats 8 seconds off my last mile time which was on a track... and a bit closer to my sub 6.30 goal.. I think I could have probably made that goal on a track with less wind but time will tell! It was a gruelling mile, I swear the pillar which was our end post kept moving further away haha

I went out two days after this run intending on running 10 miles and stopped after 4. Cue sad face! My right shin and left thigh have been bothering me and they were bad for the full 4 miles so 3 miles in I decided to give up and go home. I hate doing that but in reality I'd rather cut a run short now than take weeks off later so I'm not too upset. I've rested well this week and it's the Good Friday hill race tomorrow so hopefully my legs will be feeling fresh and the race will be good. Fingers crossed!

We went to Manchester over the weekend, we loved the city, it seems so much more vibrant than Hull and there was loads of choice of things to do. I ate out for pretty much the entire weekend so I felt pretty sluggish when I got home, despite trying to make mostly healthy choices most of the time.. and a sneaky veggie burger and chips... Well worth it though it was delicious! I unfortunately didn't really take any food pics... Still a bit of a wimp taking them in public hah I was going to leave you with some pictures but I can't find the camera or the camera lead dohh! Maybe I'll add them in later or do another post...

Hope you all have brilliant long weekends!

A New PDR

Well on Tuesday a few things happened and I felt like I couldn't face 14 miles anymore.. Plus by the time I got myself out of the door it was over an hour later than I had intended to set off and breakfast was well and truly digested. I was a bit upset too, and you all know, when I'm upset I like to run fast. So tempo it was!

My tempo for this week was 5 miles at mid tempo pace, 7.59. I actually didn't think that was possible, especially after my last failed attempt at that run.. It started off really well but my last 2.5 miles were plagued by a nasty stitch so I did have to stop 3 times to keel over for about 30s a go... Running is so glamorous! I paused the watch while I was stopped so this time is not totally accurate.. I'll just have to hope next time I can pull it off no stops... I guess I wouldn't discount a run if I had to stop for traffic so maybe it's not so bad... hmmm... rambling now! Splits!

5 miles in 39.22 average pace 7.53
4 miles in 31.17

Mile 1 - 7.47
Mile 2 - 7.37
Mile 3 - 7.51
Mile 4 - 8.03
Mile 5 - 8.04

No negative splits but I did set off a bit fast, oddly I spent the second mile trying to slow down to no avail, I guess my legs had other plans.. I'm loving that my average pace came out at 7.53... My old fastest mile time keeps showing up in this training, it felt amazing to do 5 miles at a pace where a year and half ago I could only do one mile at that pace. It reminds me why I love running, you can make big improvements and you're only really competing against yourself if that's the way you want it to be so you can always strive to better yourself... Hope that made sense...

I did my 14 miles yesterday :-) 14.3 miles before work, that felt pretty good - and also pretty horrible when I was hobbling around work haha that continued today! Also I did 13.1 in 1:59:40 woop wooop :-)

14.3 miles in 2:10:13 average pace 9.07
14 miles in 2:07:48

Mile 1 - 9.16
Mile 2 - 9.10
Mile 3 - 9.18
Mile 4 - 8.56
Mile 5 - 9.08
Mile 6 - 9.02
Mile 7 - 9.05
Mile 8 - 9.10
Mile 9 - 9.14
Mile 10 - 9.08
Mile 11 - 9.07
Mile 12 - 9.40 (I think I had a mini wall here.. everything just hurt!)
Mile 13 - 8.44
Mile 14 - 8.51
Mile 0.3 - 2.25 (8.34 pace)

I'm really pleased with my pacing for this run. All apart from mile 12 were pretty consistent and the run included a few hills, though really overall it was flat. I drunk a bottle of lucazade and a bottle of water on the way round, I couldn't get enough fluid, it was so hot and I was dripping with sweat... told you I'm glamorous when I run!! My sense of direction or lack thereof let me down half way through when I realised I wasn't quite sure I knew which way I was going back... despite doing an out and back route... It turned out absolutely fine and I did know where I was going.... I do wonder about myself sometimes!! I suppose it's just 'cause I'm running in new areas since I haven't done any runs this long before.

I think I'm going to have a few days rest from running after this run, my muscles are so sore! What are your plans for the weekend? I think we'll be BBQing if the weather stays as gorgeous as it has been today. I spent the afternoon in shorts! Amazing :-)

SEED

I just want to take a break from my usual blog posts. I've mentioned the charity SEED a few times before but for those of you who might not be familiar with it it is a local charity dedicated to supporting people recovering from an eating disorder and supporting families and carers of those with an eating disorder. They played a huge role in my recovery from my eating disorder and I would just like to take this opportunity to tell you about some of their services, in case I have any local readers I don't know about and also to ask for your support as they have a runner in the London Marathon and any sponsorship for him would be very gratefully received and would be put to great use.

Youth Self Help United
A group I will be co-facilitating. It is for eating disorder sufferers aged 10-17 and it meets the first Monday of every month at the Endsleigh Centre from 6-7.30. We meet in the Garden Room entry via the side staff entrance and there is provision for carers to stop and have a coffee or just relax for an hour or so. Emily, who is in recovery from anorexia and saw the gap for people under 18. is keen to support young people and dispel the isolation she felt when she was affectedby this devastating illness.. It is a great addition to the SEED services.

Support Group
For sufferers and carers, it is held every first Wednesday of the month also at the Endsleigh Centre from 7-9. We meet in the Garden Room – entry via the side staff entrance. This was the first group I ever went to with Mike and they were so welcoming.

Self Help Group
Taken from the website... This group is for sufferers only and we concentrate on motivational work, confidence building and problem solving, giving you the tools to deal with everyday problems and difficult situations you may be experiencing in a way that is not through the 'control' of an Eating Disorder. We encourage that you make small changes that are realistic and achievable so that you regain 'management' over your illness. A warm welcome guaranteed! They have a rolling program so you can start at any time. This group is held from 7-9 also at the Endsleigh centre on the 2nd Tuesday of every month and again we meet in the Garden Room – entry via the side staff entrance.

Email and Telephone buddies.
Eating disorder sufferers can be paired up with either an email or telephone buddy who they can talk to about their eating disorder. They offer support on a weekly basis and it is particularly useful to those facing long waiting lists for NHS services.

Walking on Eggshells
A workshop for carers which Mike is involved with. This isn't a monthly group but a structured day long workshop, information about when the next one is running can be found on the SEED website. It is based on the Maudsley Method.

They also offer an eating disorder helpline, nutritional helpline and monthly one off workshops which include a wide variety of topics from CBT work to laughter workshops.

So you can see why I want to support them! Any local person (Hull and East Riding) interested in any of the above services do not hesitate to get in touch with me at box-run-eat@live.co.uk or go direct to SEED info@seedeatingdisorders.co.uk or telephone 01482 718130.

Also, last but not least, the cheeky part! Please go here and support Chris, he is running the London Marathon for SEED and any amount you can donate would be so glady received! You can donate via paypal on the top left hand corner. Thanks so much for reading my little plug! All in a good cause :-)

Tempo Tuesday

And some other bits.. since Tuesday is now long gone (yes I'm on about last Tuesday, not today! Oops)!

I set out for my tempo run on Tuesday morning, the plan was actually 1 mile warm up, 2 miles at mid tempo (7.58 pace), 1 mile easy, 2 miles at mid tempo and 1 mile cool down... What I actually did was..

0.5 miles warm up
2 @ 7.32 pace
7.31 & 7.33 = 15.04
1 mile easy
2 @ 7.49 pace,
7.58 & 7.40 = 15.36
0.5 miles cool down

I was really happy with those paces, the first tempo portion was tough though but I set off at that pace by accident really and when I'd got into it I really didn't want to slow down. I think I slightly scared a woman when I stopped near her as she carried on walking a bit then turned round and looked at me and said, I just wanted to check you hadn't passed out... Guess I looked as rough as I felt then ha! I walked a little bit then jogged most of the easy mile before carrying on with the next tempo part.. To be honest I was hoping for times similar to the first but I was too tired. Happy with what I did though as it's still faster than I should have been.. I know sometimes I should probably ease off a bit but I just love going as fast as I can and seeing how much I'm actually capable of.

At some point I did some pushups... 11-15-9-9-15... I'm due to do some more but after rather a lot of Mothers Day excess today I think they will be done tomorrow!

8 miles in 1:07:19 ave pace 8.25
Mile 1 - 8.53
Mile 2 - 8.30
Mile 3 - 8.28
Mile 4 - 8.25
Mile 5 - 8.14
Mile 6 - 8.19
Mile 7 - 8.20
Mile 8 - 8.13

I was so happy with those 8 miles. It felt like such a strong run! I feel like my cardio system is really improving at the moment.. I just hope I feel as good after the 14 I'm setting out to do today! Eeeek, that will be a new PDR! That is assuming I finish! Wish me luch haha!

Plus some more push-ups last night... 14-14-10-10-15... only just managed the 15 at the end... These feel so much harder than the last time I attempted the push-up program! Oh well... At least my numbers are on the up.. slowly but surely!


Also last but certainly not least, Jess @ Almost Over Now gave me this lovely award. Thanks Jess :-) I love the amazing blogging community there is so much eoncouragement and motivation from you guys! I think this has already been passed on to most people since I'm a bit slow on the uptake so I want this to go to anyone who hasn't had it, consider yourself nominated!

March Recap

Better late than never...

March goals
Start that blasted push-up challenge - no more putting it off!! Tick
Run 3 x weekly Almost tick!
Would love to do 50 miles in March, I think that's possible.. Tick

March totals
Push-ups 172
Miles - 59.4

April goals
Continue doing the push-up program
Run 3 x weekly
At least maintain March mileage, would love to increase it a bit.. lets say 65!
Beat last years time in the Good Friday Hill Race, the very first race I ever ran. Race recap. That means running 7.3 miles of steep hilly trails in under 1.20... I think that's possible.. I hope that's possible anyway! I ran 7 flat miles in under 1 hour today so I think I should be able to shave some time off that, depends how my legs cope I guess!

And off topic... I just wanted to say thanks for all the comments on my last post, you guys think I'm way speedier than I feel so I'm well chuffed! Thanks for the huge vote of confidence!

Loving the Long Run

I had a great run yesterday! Despite feeling really tired and mentally thinking of every excuse in the book why I should stay at home I knew I'd feel better once I'd got out there and done it and I was right! The only way mentally I could get out for the run was to not worry about pace and just go on feel. That ended up being absolutely the right tactic and I actually pulled out an awesome run! I was so pleased with myself, poor Mike never heard the end of how wonderful my run was all day! I've only done one 12 mile training run before and that was 3 mins slower than this one, good result! I feel fitter and stronger than I did this time last year anyway! Plus, this time would put me right on target for a sub 2hr half marathon! I know I have it in me it's just whether I can pull it off on the day!

12 miles 1:50:04 average pace 9.10
Mile 1 - 9.45
Mile 2 - 9.34
Mile 3 - 9.41
Mile 4 - 9.29
Mile 5 - 9.41
Mile 6 - 9.39
Mile 7 - 9.26
Mile 8 - 9.11
Mile 9 - 8.52
Mile 10 - 8.32
Mile 11 - 8.23
Mile 12 - 7.54

I went easy for the first 2 thirds of the run and then started to pick up the pace for the last 4-5 miles, somehow pulling out a last mile which begun with a 7! Very exciting, about 1.5 years ago my fastest ever mile time was 7.53 so it felt amazing to be running that pace at the end of a 12 mile run. As you can see I'm buzzing a bit off this run!

I also tried out using gatorade on this run... good news is it didn't give me tummy ache, bad news is, not keen on the taste. It's a fair bit cheaper than coconut water and provides electrolytes and more calories during a run but coconut water tastes better and is all natural.. I felt good drinking it too although I'm not sure if the effects were physiological or psychological hah! I'll have to keep experimenting! I actually ran holding the bottle which I always thought would be really annoying but I think it might have helped me a bit as I often clench my fists when I run which I think is putting a lot of tension in my shoulders and holding the bottle seemed to alleviate this. Maybe I didn't need to buy the fancy camelbak afterall!

How do you like to fuel your long runs - gatorade or coconut water? Do you think electrolytes are important or all psychological? - even if the positive effects are just psychological I'll take it!

Pushing out the Push-ups

How's everyone's week going? I bet you're all glad it's the weekend tomorrow. I'm working Saturday but I can't wait for my day off on Sunday! So ready for it!

Thanks everyone for the input on my half marathon query. I got the advice I was hoping to hear, I'm going for both of them.. Just need to convince my dad he wants to be my taxi/cheerleader for the first one as it's a little far away!

We went to do intervals after I finished work on Weds and I wore a tank top and shorts, yes shorts! We've been having a mini heatwave. Unfortunately I think the lovely weather is about over :-(

I realised while I was at work that I'd forgotten to check my plan to see what I was meant to be running... duhhhh As Mike was out at uni and meeting me at the track I couldn't get him to check either so I had a bit of guess work and decided to go for 10 x 400m 60-90s rest, all the first 5 were 60 and almost all the rest were under 70. My pace according to my new times was 1.42 and I accidentally smashed that. It was tough though and I'm still feeling the effects of such a kick ass workout today!

1 - 1.24
2 - 1.35
3 - 1.35
4 - 1.36
5 - 1.42
6 - 1.42
7 - 1.36
8 - 1.39
9 - 1.41
10 - 1.35

Who am I? I had no idea I had those times in me. Especially as it was so hot, I hadn't had a sip of water all day, not at home or at work and it had been rather a long time since my last meal. Just proves how much a good mental attitude can help you push through.. Sometimes that just doesn't work though, not sure why! I did feel the effects of poor fuelling though, round about halfway I was balking as I was running. That coffee I had at the end of my shift was not happy in my tummy... Should have known though, why I thought drinking coffee at 2.15pm then running intervals just before 3 was a good idea I'm not sure... Why didn't I go to the water cooler?? Really no excuses haha

Good news, no shin pain during the run, my left knee felt tight on the walk home but I often have tightness in my knees so I don't think it's much to worry about, just need to be careful!

And loooooooook I finally started my push-ups! I did these on Wednesday too, now I just need to keep up with them!

10-12-7-7-max(12)

Today
10-12-8-8-max (12)

The push-ups hurt so much today! My body feels really achey lately! Still, glad I bashed them out, I feel better for doing them.

Inevitibility

I wrote this a few days ago now but instead of editing it all I'm just gonna tell you all it's old writing!

After all my recent fab runs it was inevitible that I would at some point have a bad one.. That bad one came today! I planned to do 5 miles at mid tempo pace which was a terrifying 7.59 per mile.. My plan was to use the first mile as a warm up and average 8.30 for that mile.. Started off as per plan. The second mile I could not get my legs to pick up. They just weren't listening to my brain! My breathing was laboured and it just didn't feel good. Then my right shin started hurting.. ironically my left leg was causing me bother on Monday, maybe I overcompensated and put too much on my right leg... I dunno.. I ran another half mile and decided I should probably stop. It just felt bad and I was limping a bit so I thought even if it isn't an injury I might cause one by having odd running form... I stopped at just after 2.5 miles walked about half a mile and then decided to try jogging again.. I jogged to top it up to 3 miles and then decided it was best to call it a day... I iced it when I got home.. I hope I haven't done any real damage!

Ok, back in the present.. I haven't run since but I think I will be ok to run again tomorrow. I think I might have been showing the beginning signs of being overtrained too. I was getting really overtired and rundown. Of course I could just be being a drama queen! Who knows?

Question for runners: I have my eye on two half marathons I want to do, one on June 5th and one on June 26th... Are they too close together? Will I have time to recover? Am I crazy?... I believe Mike thinks the answer to that last question is yes which is why I'd like some more opinions! Also doing the half on the 5th would mean my training plan would be cut short... bad idea? Overthinking it? I feel like such an inexperienced runner sometimes!

Right, I'm keeping it short and sweet, I'm off to watch Supersize vs Superskinny kids... I'm not sure whether I think this show is a good idea, I loved the adult version but is it a good idea to do it on children? I guess I'll have a better opinion after the show! Anyone else watching?

Intervals

Well I successfully completed my new speedy interval times!

1200m - 5.02 (5.18)
1000m - 4.19 (4.22)
800m - 3.23 (3.28)
600m - 2.37 (2.35)
400m - 1.36 (1.42)
200m - 0.41

= 3.6 miles in total

And.... I tested my push-ups!! Finally... My max has halved doh! But it's a starting point.. now I've finally got round to testing them I can start the program. I think I'd partially been putting it off 'cause I knew my numbers would be down but partially because of the other stresses which have been going on in my life recently. Sadly they're still a problem but I think I've got my eating more under control.. I almost skipped breakfast today but I thought about going for a run and went to the kitchen and made my porridge. I'm going to head out for 5 miles soon.... Mid tempo pace... absolutely terrified haha! Wish me luck :-)

Half marathon training just got so much harder...

How is everyone? I've had this post in draft for almost a week now! Dear me!

I ran intervals last Sunday, they ended up being a bit rushed as I had to do them and fit in a shower and a food shop before work! I was supposed to be doing 800m intervals but decided to do 1600m intervals to lessen the rest time! I also kept the warm up and cool down short to save time. It's better than not doing anything right?

400m warm up
1600m - 6.59 (7.47)
1600m - 7.13 (7.47)
800m - 3.28 (3.44)
400m cool down

1.30 RI

3.5 miles in total

Now, pretty much same thing happened with my tempo run.. It was supposed to be 2M warm up, 3M short tempo and 1M cool down. Well I totally ran out of time before work to fit all of that in and get a shower... Much as I'd love to skip the shower it would be unkind to my colleagues so I decided to do a 5k time trial instead. I was feeling stressed out and I knew a good fast run would make me feel a bit better!

0.5 mile warm-up (a little fast at 9.03 pace!)

5k time trial
Mile 1 - 7.18
Mile 2 - 7.39
Mile 3 - 7.28
0.1 - 0.42 (7.13 pace)
=5k in 23.08!! 7.28 pace :D
Also 2 miles along the way came in 14.57 so that's another goal ticked off! woop woop!

Funnily one of my colleagues said to me the day after 'I think I saw you running near my daughter's school' which was right near the end of my run.. I said did I look like I was dying and she said yes! Haha I always think I must look awful at the end of a really tough run and now I've been spotted!

Now, whilst I'm ecstatic to have shaved 1.43 off my previous 5k time I am now dreading the rest of my half training plan. The times of my long runs, tempo runs and intervals are based on my 5k time and I'm not sure I can acheive them anymore. I'll try though :-) And if it gives me a super speedy half it will be so worth it!

New interval paces
400m - 1.42
600m - 2.35
800m - 3.28
1000m - 4.22
1200m - 5.18
1600m - 7.11
2000m - 9.04

ok, they're probably just doable....

Tempo paces
Short tempo - 7.44
Mid tempo - 7.59
Long tempo - 8.14
Easy - 9.19

ummmm.... help?! Even my easy pace is scary haha! Time will tell, I'll give it a good go! Maybe I'm faster than I realise... I suspect that's wishful thinking, I think I'm just faster over shorter distances..

This plan puts my MP at 8.36.... My HMP which is what I'll be using for long runs as it stands and plus 20-30s per mile depending on the week is 8.16. I would love to run a half at that pace but I don't feel like it's possible at the moment. We'll see. I'd still be ecstatic to break 2hrs and that remains my main goal I doubt whether that's possible on the course I'm doing!

After all that speed work recently intervals x 2 and my fastest yet 5k being my last three runs I was somewhat relieved that my next run was 10 miles, easy, at no specific pace. I did my best to include hills, ignore the pace on the watch and run slowly. I even stopped a few times to pet some horses. I wish I'd had my camera there was a very cute black foal and a really loving black and white horse who snuggled her nose right into me ahhhhh very happy pit stops!

I structured my run in a way to include a long hill twice - basically I ran up and down one side then I ran up and down the other side to try and make it slightly more interesting!! This took me almost 5 miles. Then I ran another 5 mile loop which was flat. Surprisingly it felt ten times harder but I think this was due to the wind becoming strong towards the end of my run.

10 miles in 1:36:09 average pace 9.37
Mile 1 - 9.17
Mile 2 - 9.38
Mile 3 - 9.17
Mile 4 - 9.53
Mile 5 - 9.22
Mile 6 - 9.51
Mile 7 - 9.56
Mile 8 - 9.27
Mile 9 - 9.53
Mile 10 - 9.35

All in all this slow run felt so much harder than my 9.7 mile run of last week where my average pace was 8.57.. It wasn't my lungs as it usually is that lets me down it was my body. I just felt achey the whole way, my shoulder was stiff and sore every time I moved it and my lower back begun to ache in the latter half. I'm guessing those few recent speedy sessions have caught up with me. I almost waited until today to run but I changed my mind. I was feeling low yesterday and I thought a run would boost my spirits a bit. I'm still glad I did it yesterday. The weather is grey and drizzly today! I also might have been a bit overdressed for the run as it was lovely and sunny yesterday. I wore a jumper which was quite obviously a mistake from 0.5 miles in! Oh well, I told myself it would be good practice for coping with the almost inevitible heat of the half I'm doing!

Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend I'm doing as little as possible today after tidying the whole house, sorting out a mountain of washing and running 10 miles yesterday, what are Sundays for!

A Day in the Life...

Work day edition...

0800 - breakfast porridge with PB&honey, glass of water, large black coffee
0845 - walk Roxie
0915 - sit down with laptop and green tea and Roxie
1100 - tweet my lack of motivation to go run... get some positive responses, thanks Jo!
1105 - get ready to run
1115 - off I goooooooooooo

Before the intervals....



800m warm up
400m - 1.46 (7.10 pace) (1.51)
600m - 2.45 (7.28 pace) (2.48)
800m - 3.43 (7.27 pace) (3.45)
1200m - 5.33 (7.25 pace) (5.44)
800m - 3.48 (7.38 pace) (3.45) - I spent most of this interval scoping out places to puke.. not good!
600m - 2.40 (7.16 pace) (2.48) - back in the game!
400m - 1.40 (6.41 pace) (1.51)
800m cool down

400 RI

Total distance covered = 5.5 miles

Sporting the sweaty tomato look.. complete with steamed up glasses... Oh dear.. This is my new neighbours first impression of me? Unfortunate haha!

I folded down my intervals after I'd completed each one, it was a good way of visualising how much or how little I had left to do!

1200 - get home, meet new neighbour for the first time looking like a sweaty tomato.. doh!! Run bath, drink green tea and eat nakd bar in bath. Ahhhhhhhh relax for 20 mins before work. There is nothing better than a red hot bath after a run... Don't think I'll ever be one for ice baths!

The nakd bar was taken from our rather awesome nakd bar stash... They had a great offer on last week, all of that cost us twenty pounds! Bargain!! I was gonna link it but sadly I think it's finished.. I was going to get some more too.. Oh well, knew I should have bought two lots of it, they've gone down fast!

1230 - make lunch to take to work, snack for before work, put on some mascara - I'm not a big makeup person but I like a bit of mascara!
1320 - sit down with snack and more green tea and type up some of this whilst eating snack... work days call for multi tasking! Upload pictures taken earlier on...
1355 - Set off for work, I walk there today but sometimes I bike. It's probably just under a mile.
1415 - Arrive at work have handover then start my shift. Unfortunately do not arrive in time for a coffee before the start of the shift :-( Oh well!
1550 - First break at work, 10 mins for a coffee.
1750 - Second break, 30 mins have all my food. I took the pictures before I went to work as I didn't want to explain why I was photographing all my food to my colleagues!

I've photographed both the tupperware boxes next to the teapot so you can see how mega my salad and fruit boxes were!

I started with one of my favourite salads, it's kind of a cross between a nicoise and a greek salad, more info if you click salad!


gratuitous close up shot!

Finished off with an entire small melon

And I couldn't resist packing my fave sneaky treat. Twirl chocolate, so bad but so good!
2200 - Finished work and went home, I got a lift home. My dad's been picking me up since the attacks, usually I bike. Also usually I have something to eat when I get home but today I had a glass of wine instead (or 3...ooops!)... probably not the best decision but I couldn't quite bring myself to eat anymore.. I want to add a disclaimer to this post - I think I probably usually eat a bit more than this. I'm doing a lot better but looking at it I'm not totally there yet.. So maybe I'll do another day in the life post when my eating is a bit better.. actually I kind of enjoy doing these posts but I couldn't do it every day! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

February Recap

Well February is over and we're already into the third month of the year, how on earth did that happen??

February goals
Push-up challenge
Run 3 x weekly
Start half training plan
Would love to do 45 miles in Feb

February Acheivments
Miles - 33.1
Push-ups = fail I didn't do much other than run in Feb...
Tried Body Pump

Not a great month but as you all know I've been struggling with my eating so I'm not too disappointed with my month. I'm disappointed I was struggling again but I think I coped fairly well. I would like to say I'm past the worst but I don't want to jinx it!! Lets just say I hope March is a much better month!

March goals
Start that blasted push-up challenge - no more putting it off!!
Run 3 x weekly
Would love to do 50 miles in March, I think that's possible..

I've seen this around on a few blogs now so I'm gonna hop on the bandwagon! If you're not interested in the ABC's then feel free to skip the rest as there isn't anything else on this post :-)

A. age: 26... Feels the same as 21 tbh.. not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing!

B. bed size: King, it sleeps me, Mike and Tia

C. chore you hate: I don't really, really hate any of them, I just wish I had a bit more time for them! I hate the fact they take up valuable time haha

D. dogs: I loooooooove dogs! I love my Roxie dog! In fact, I think it's been too long since she made a blog appearance!


E. essential start to your day: Coffee. Don't try and get me to do anything until I've had my large black coffee. A bowl of porridge wouldn't go amiss either... only if it's got PB in though ;-)

F. favorite color: probably purple, or lilac, or pink...

G. gold or silver: Can I say white gold? My engagement ring is white gold and I'd like my wedding ring to be too.

H. height: 5’8" getting up to 6' in my highest heels!

I. instruments you play(ed): Clarinet, saxaphone, I used to sing a lot too but not anymore.. I'm going to learn the piano... I just need to get one first!

J. job title: personal carer, music teacher and loads of other stuff.. always driving Mike nuts by signing up for too many different things..

K. kids: not for me, at least not now.

L. live: life to the full.

M. mom’s name: Susan

N. nicknames: don't really have any..

O. overnight hospital stays: I had my adenoids out when I was teeny tiny and had one or too stays in A&E when I was younger due to ED complications but nothing really major.

P. pet peeve: People who are lazy and avoid doing work. There are some people at my place of work like this and when you work a shift with them you are constantly having to pick up their slacking. I also hate it when people leave work early, you have to wait for the other shift to arrive before you leave but some people b*gger off as soon as it hits 2.30/10.00 and leave you hanging for the others. It's just inconsiderate. I don't mind it when they ask or say do you mind if I get off but just leaving without any regard for the other people really bugs me. Okk rant over! I'm sure I could think of a few more though.. I must be a closet grump!

Q. quote from a movie: I wouldn't say it's my favourite quote but this did make me laugh today!


R. right or left handed: right

S. siblings: A little brother who's not so little, Jonathan 23

T. time you wake up: 5.30 on early shift days, 7-8ish on days off or late shift days.

U. underwear: Bhs cleavage enhancer bras to help my rather inadequate bust! Incidentally one of the residents at work has taken to calling me tiny tits... wonderful!!... (She has dementia, she's not just rude!)

V. vegetables you dislike: I can't really think of any, I'm not a huge fan of rocket though..

W. what makes you run late: Not realising how much time I've spent doing something.. Like writing this or faffing about tidying or cleaning when I should be getting ready.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: dental is all I can think of

Y. yummy food you make: I make rather yummy brownies, homemade nachos, healthy baking...

Z. zoo- favorite animal: All of them!! I'd love to cuddle a monkey though!


Here's to a good March!

A Few Long Runs

Well my eating has been a bit better these past few days and that has resulted in some pretty strong runs! I'm feeling much better about my half marathon training right now. And my eating but I don't want to jinx myself, last time I said I thought I'd sorted things out I lost it again so now I'll be careful what I say!

I ran 8 miles about a week ago now, or just under a week probably.. I was really surprised to see I'd completed it with an average pace of under 9 minute miles. It felt really good, my breathing was controlled, my legs felt good until the last mile when they got a bit tired and I felt like I could have pushed through more. Yippeeeeeeee!

8 miles in 1:11:39 8.58 pace

Mile 1 - 9.33
Mile 2 - 8.55
Mile 3 - 9.08
Mile 4 - 8.52
Mile 5 - 9.03
Mile 6 - 9.02
Mile 7 - 8.46
Mile 8 -8.21

plus a little bit to get home 0.2 (8.35 pace)

On Monday I took Roxie out on an attempted 5 mile mid tempo run, proposed time per mile of 8.35-8.45... Ohhhhhh no. This was just not going to happen. I just can't run fast with Roxie. She pulls me, she trips me up, she generally drives me batty. I almost took her home but decided to carry on as she hadn't had a walk and I didn't have time to run and walk her before work. I decided to cut a mile off as I was not enjoying it and just getting really frustrated. I don't think I'll take Roxie out on any proper training runs only recovery runs now. It just doesn't work! Overall we covered 4 miles in 37:28, average pace 9.31.. I won't bore you with the splits on this one!

Now on to yesterdays rather awesome long run!

9.7 miles 1:26:31 8.57 pace
9 miles in 1:20:55

Mile 1 - 9.26
Mile 2 - 9.07
Mile 3 - 9.01
Mile 4 - 9.06
Mile 5 - 9.11
Mile 6 - 9.09
Mile 7 - 8.43
Mile 8 -8.37
Mile 9 - 8.37
Mile 0.7 - 5.35 (8.25 pace)

If I'd realised how close I was to 10 I would have probably finished. Especially since I would have got 10 miles done in under 1:30 something I tried to do for ages last year! Oh well, next time! I actually ran this rather a lot faster than I should have been doing.. It was supposed to be HMP+20s which would be around 9.20 per mile but I just felt really good. My legs were ok and my breathing was really controlled. It was tough to slow down. If I can run my half marathon like this I will be so happy. I don't know if I can though, it's a hilly course and it will most likely be red hot! I can dream! I should be practicing more hilly routes at the moment but the hilly route I like to run is a bit secluded and there have been 3 sex attacks on women very close to my house and this route over the past month so I decided sticking to a crowded but flat route was definitely my safest option. You can't be too careful can you there are some awful people in our world. We're considering buying a treadmill so we can run when it's dark and for hill work... I'm not sure how I feel about long runs on a treadmill but it's better than not at all I guess.

Are you a treadmill lover or a treadmill hater?

An Accidental Tempo

Eight miles turned into a short tempo run when I realised I couldn't find my Mp3 player and Mike's ipod was out of battery... Music fail!

Tempo run 4.5 miles in total
average pace 9 min/mile
1 mile warm up 10.20
3 miles at short tempo (8.20-8.30) 8.28
0.5 mile cool down 4.13

Tempo portion ave pace - 8.28
Mile 1 - 8.38
Mile 2 - 8.34
Mile 3 - 8.11

It took me so long to warm up into this run. I don't know if it was the lack of music or if my legs were a bit tired but it was just one of those runs which felt really laborious. It didn't help that I had a pesky stitch for the first 2+ miles. Oh well... I got into it eventually and somehow came out with a tempo portion which was actually as it should be, I honestly thought as I was running it that there was no way I was getting my planned time. That faster last tempo mile paid off!

I was supposed to be attempting my 8 mile long run today. It didn't happen. I had another eating slip up yesterday and didn't manage to sleep til 4am which meant I just couldn't bring myself to run 8 miles before work today. It means I won't hit my February target mileage but I guess I'm ok with that. Well I kind of have to be hehe!

I'm not sure what to do about everything at the moment. I wish I was writing a positive post about the wonders of eating disorder recovery for NEDAW (national eating disorders awareness week) but I'm just not in the right place at the moment. It's really frustrating! Sorry for all the downer posts lately but thanks for sticking with me. I will get out of this!

Back on Track

I'm feeling good... my eating is working it's way back on track and I've been eating pretty much back to normal the past few days. I'm so glad that blip didn't last too long. I know it could easily drop back to bad eating habits but hopefully I can keep a hold of things.. The other issues that were affecting my eating haven't been completely sorted but they're getting much better. Hopefully they will stay that way so I don't take another knock! Sorry for still being so cryptic by the way it's just things I don't really feel too comfortable discussing on the blog plus they affect other people and it's not really my place to write about them on here!

Ok. Onwards and upwards!

My first workout back was just a quick one. I was struggling having only just started eating more again with major bloatedness and that feeling of lead in your tummy... I was going to run but Mike was doing this so I just joined in with him instead. Since my first week of half training was such a major flop half training is beginning again this week.. I had a few spare weeks in case of injury or tiredness I just wasn't intending on using one of them up so soon.. Oh well, that's life isn't it!

Anyway - here's Saturdays workout.

5 x 3 min rounds containing

30s burpees
30s constant punching 1-2
30s screw shots
30s burpees
30s constant punching 1-2
30s shadow boxing

30s rest, repeat until flopped in a sweaty heap on the floor... or 5 rounds...

Now, on to yesterdays run. It was exactly what I needed. Good fuelling and better sleep meant I was able to run double the miles I ran on my last run at over a minute per mile faster than last time.

6 miles in 50.44
ave pace 8.27
Mile 1 - 9.01
Mile 2 - 8.35
Mile 3 - 8.32
Mile 4 - 8.26
Mile 5 - 8.23
Mile 6 - 7.48

Score!

I really needed a confidence building run after my last flopped run and just after having a rough couple of weeks. This run didn't even feel too hard except for the last mile when I really just took off I was breathing fairly heavy for the rest of it but it was reasonably comfortable.. Yay! I real ready to take on my half training and rock it :D I totally gave it my all in that last mile and couldn't speak when I got in I just sat on the floor for about 5 minutes trying to catch my breath I love that feeling where you've left it all out there. I know you can't run like that all the time but it feels great to do it once in a while!

What races are you training for at the moment? Got anything exciting fitness-wise on the cards? Tell me, tell me!

Half Training Begins..

...badly... but it begins nonetheless!

My eating is still pretty iffy but I decided I had eaten enough to go for a run... this was supposed to be a tempo run at about 8.20-8.30 pace... Total run fail. I skipped the warm up and cool down miles and just went for it as I didn't have my headphones and I'm not good running without headphones, I also took Roxie who puked at the top of the hill... poor Roxie.. I think it was just that she'd eaten something funny off the floor.. I hope I didn't work her too hard anyway! I managed just over my planned 3 miles... only 'cause I was a little bit further than home and figured I might aswell jog it!

3.3 miles 31.31 - I seem to have an odd habit of getting numbers like this.. spooky!
Average pace 9.33
Mile 1 - 9.03
Mile 2 - 10.18 (uphill mile - in case you couldn't guess haha)
Mile 3 - 9.13
0.3 - 2.57 (9.52 pace)

So lack of sleep and poor fuelling = poor run. I knew it was coming so I'm not really disappointed I just hope I can get myself back to normal soon. I'm hoping to run again tomorrow but I'm not sure if I'll be able to as I may have to work late... Wasn't thinking about my run when I agreed to that one!

Anyways, I'm going to keep it short as I'm really tired and not sure I'm making much sense!

Thank you all so much for the supportive comments on my last post, I really appreciated every single one.

Windy Intervals

Sorry I've been a bit MIA, again.. I've had a really rough week..

I did do some fab intervals at the beginning of last week though. They were TOUGH!! You know that really strong wind we've been having, well nutso over here decided it would be a great idea to run intervals in it. They were immensly hard. Mike was running too and we both almost gave up more than once. I literally felt like I was running on the spot at times. I was amazed I finished them in times close to my goal times though, that felt gooood! I had 400m RI in between intervals...

200 - 0.40
400 - 1.48
600 - 2.46
800 - 3.52
800 - 4.04
600 - 2.58
400 - 1.58
200 - 0.43

I felt pretty hardcore after finishing them! Especially since I struggled to walk accross the field back to the start line hehe

Anyway I've had a pretty awful week. I don't want to get into details on the blog but it's affected my eating.. I'm trying hard not to relapse at the moment but I'm struggling.. I just have no appetite when I'm feeling like I am at the moment so.. I dunno! It's hard to explain being so cryptic.. Anyway I'm not sure when I'll be back with another workout post... I've not really been eating enough to exercise if I'm honest and I'm trying to stay as sensible as possible and not make things too bad. I'm supposed to be starting my half program on Monday so hopefully I'll be back on track by then but I honestly don't know if I will. Hopefully this is just a blip.. I considered myself to be fully recovered so to be struggling like I am at the moment has come as a bit of a surprise..

Hope you're all good and hope I'm back soon :-) I'm still reading blogs I'm just not feeling much like writing! Plus, the way I'm feeling = depressive posts which aren't much fun to read!

Homemade Sugar Free Granola

2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup applesauce
4 TBS oil
4 cups oats
1 cup chopped nuts/seeds
1 cup cranberries/raisins
4 TBS xylitol
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

• preheat oven to 160c
• mix the honey, applesauce and oil in one bowl (or jug)

• mix the dry ingredients except for the dried fruit

• mix the wet with the dry
• spread thinly onto two baking sheets

• bake for 45-60 minutes until golden brown (I stirred mine several times during the baking too)
• break up and add the dried fruit

• Try not to eat it all at once ;-)

Body Pump and Hill Sprints

I went!! Woohoo! All on my lonesome, thanks for all the encouragement, it was worth it, I went on Wednesday morning and it still hurts to sit down/raise my arms/move, but especially my triceps. man they're painful, I must have overdone the weight on something.. maybe the bench press that one seemed the one I was closest to failure on! yowza! I was quite pleased with how I estimated the weights choices though as I could finish each track but it certainly didn't feel too easy either.

Yesterday after work Mike and I went and did our favourite horrible running workout... hill sprints! We did 20 x 50m with 50m RI going back down.. Including the warm up and cool down we covered about 3 miles. Not bad since we were both so close to talking each other out of it. It was really, really windy and we went at 4.30pm after being up since 5.30am and all I'd had to eat was a bowl of porridge and a slice of toast. Not good and I really felt the lack of fuelling as I got a stitch as soon as I started the warm up. It was just one of those things though, I'd intended to go right after work but I'd got home and Mike had moved my only clean sports bra so instead of drying whilst I was at work it was still soaking. Could have been worse though as since he'd moved it we ended up running together! I was really pleased as I only ended up 1 rep behind him and he is a speed demon!

I wish I could have bottled how I felt after I finished. I love the runners high! It's even better when you almost don't run and then end up going as you feel doubly awesome for persuading yourself to go hehe. I need to remember this feeling next time I'm feeling a bit crappy and not like running!

I'm taking a rest day today, and probably tomorrow too. My arms are so painful and I'm really tired. Definitely ready for some rest!

Have a great weekend everyone!