weight loss – Page 2 – Project Healthy Fit Me

Are you giving anything up for Lent?

10/02/201630/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in General, Weight Loss

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I have never followed the practise of giving anything up for Lent before, mainly because I am not religious and also because as soon as I deprive myself of anything I want it more

Instead I have often committed to something i.e. one year I committed to be a better Weight Watcher and track my meals for the next 40 days, another year I committed to being more active and walk/run 100 miles over the 40 days of Lent

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But with the London Marathon fast approaching (74 sleeps) and my weight yo-yoing the same few lbs I have decided things need a shake up, and while I really do not like the idea of giving things up, I actually think it will do me good, I seem to be very all or nothing where food is concerned recently, eat like an angel for 6 days then eat my body weight in chocolate on the 7th

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So this year I have decided to commit to giving up 3 things

Alcohol – I can hear many people gasping but for me this will be the easier of the 3 as I rarely drink and my friends know I am on a mad night out ban until after the marathon
Chocolate – I can’t believe I am even considering this, I have decided its just chocolate I can’t have i.e. a Galaxy or Dairy Milk, chocolate biscuits and cake, I am still allowed things like protein bars, protein mug cakes etc, chocolate mousse as I would never usually accept these as a good enough substitute for chocolate
Fizzy drinks – I am a diet pepsi addict, but need to replace my addiction with water as I am still struggling to drink even a litre of water a day

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I hate sharing pictures like this one but I really wanted to record my current shape somewhere & I know a lot less people read my blog than will see my Instagram page, hopefully at the end of Lent there will be a dramatic change (like the BodyCoach before and after pics) and I will be a bit less aprehensive about posting the pictures, although I can’t see me ever wanting to post a photo of me in a bikini or in underwear anytime soon

Have you ever given up anything for Lent, how did you get on, or are you giving up something this year

Marathon Watch – 84 Days to go

31/01/201630/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in General, Weight Loss

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Only two runs this week but thats only because I have runs planned for Saturday & Sunday, Tuesday & Friday this week, the miles have been increased and last Saturdays run was 5 miles & the miles will steadily progress from hereon.. eek, its getting serious

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Meals have been ok ish, I ate out a few times and had friends over one night & we ordered a pizza, something I realised on my 5 mile run last Saturday is it takes me much longer to feel energised when I run these days, I feel sluggish & its problem because I am 2st heavier than when I ran my first half marathon 2 years ago and because where I am working long hours at the moment I am not eating as well and that has to change.

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So for the next few days I am making a conscience effort to fuel my body better in the run up to this weekends London Winter Run, I am hoping it will help me feel a lot more energised and shock me to make some changes that can stay in place for the marathon

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One of the plus sides of the longer runs is taking in some different routes and last weekend saw me running laps of Fairlop Waters Country Park, there is something so peaceful & calm about being near water

& the scales, well the scales went down 1lb, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have liked more but if I can average a lb a week until the marathon I’ll be happy

Does Sugar Make Us Fat

13/11/201530/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in General

Every where you look at the moment someone is talking about how sugar is bad for us

So you can imagine my distress when me the worlds biggest chocoholic started studying nutrition and even my text books were pointing the finger at my sweet best friend

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/30/jamie-oliver-fizzy-drinks-sugar-rush-campaign-welcome

The article above talks about Jamie Olivers #SugarRush campaign & as with all the other articles I have read makes a good argument as to why even at my 9st 7 & running half marathons slimmest self I was still able to pinch a lot more than an inch around my waistline

A few weeks ago my Sky+ was tuned to record Jaime on C4, & I wondered if the cute cockney could convince me to tackle my sugar addiction & dramatically reduce my often 2 bar a day chocolate habit

Unfortunately for me, the program didn’t quite hit the mark, there was no new news, I already knew about the risks of diabetes and the effect sugar can have on your teeth (can you believe at 42yrs old I have never even had a filing) & while I do not proclaim to be an expert in the ‘sugar’ field, I am an expert in my own weight over the years, my body & my chocolate addiction

So here are my insights into the ‘does sugar make us fat’ debate

Ultimately I do not think any food is bad for you, nor do I think any food or food group for should be banned from our diets, but I have always believed that moderation is the key for certain foods, I now accept that my beloved chocolate falls into this bracket, I found out many years ago that I have a wheat intollerance & for around a year I was made to eat wheat and gluten free (this was years before wheat & gluten free substitutes where readily available in the shops) thankfully I do not really like bread which is the biggest hurdle for many when being told to go wheat &/or gluten free but I do love pasta, I think my problem arose because I was often eating pasta for lunch and dinner so could end up eating pasta at least 8x a week now I limit it to once a week and touch wood I do not have the same issues I had in the past.

If I could just adopt the same approach to sugar, as I did to pasta, then maybe my pinch around my waist will reduce.

I am not prepared to give up chocolate, I personally do not believe it is necessary nor realistic but I do understand it would be better for me if I could reduce my sugar consumption, and something that has surprised me over the past few months is the hidden sugars in foods, even some foods that are considered healthy come very close to being labelled High Sugar, so this is an area I know definitely focus on to try and make savings in my daily sugar intake

I have slowly been trying to reduce my sugar intake for the last 2 months and have managed to reduce my body fat by 2% not a lot I know but its the first time I have seen my body fat go below 40% in around 10yrs, so I am going to continue trying to make small changes and continue to monitor my body fat %, I would love to see it below 37% before Christmas which would require a reduction of around 1% a month

If you missed Jamie’s SugarRush you can catch it HERE

Shine Half Marathon

30/10/201530/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in Races & Race Reviews

Sometimes I wonder why I sign up to events, who wants to walk 13 miles around London on a Saturday night?

You’d have to be crazy right? Plus all the weeks of training, getting up early on a Saturday morning to walk 6+ miles, and signing up when you are recovering from a serious injury and struggling to walk a couple of miles or when you have never even attempted a 5k before, well you wouldn’t would you?..

Well actually that exactly what my friend Mandy & I did a few weeks ago

I think it was May time Mandy & I decided to sign up to the walk, I was recovering from a calf rupture and it was suggested I find a challenge to help with my rehabilitation & Mandy was soon to be returning to work after having a baby and thought committing to a challenge like Shine would help her weight loss

When we signed the walk seemed months away but quickly those 3 training walks a week brought us around to 26th September and SHINE night, our walk was due to stat at 7.30pm so we decided to meet up a little early and head to Zizzi for a spot of carb loading, before we knew it we were in Southwark Park and heading for the start line

The first mile felt very familar to me, we were in Bermondsey and walking along the route of the London Marathon, the next two miles were a little dull, passing industrial units around London Bridge until we reached Tower Bridge, there is something about Tower Bridge and the Tower of London that I find magical, they were both lit up beautifully, add to that the thousands of Shine Walkers & their flashing accessories & signs on their back saying why they were walking it was impossible to not have a tear in your eye, the pride at being part of something so amazing

Soon after Tower Bridge we were at St Pauls & the 4 mile point, water and yogurt coated fruit snacks were being handed out, I had a quick look at my watch at this point and was shocked to discover we had been walking 2 minutes a mile quicker than we had trained at, it had felt quick but not that quick & we made a conscience effort to slow a little not wanting to burn ourselves out

Before we had set off we had agreed we would love to finish in around 4hrs that being said ultimately we just wanted to finish and had agreed any finish time would be something to be proud of

Next we were walking through Holborn, Theatreland & along Whitehall before reaching the half way point

The next few miles were a little boring, around Victoria and onto the Embankment passing Battersea and Albert Bridges & I was so grateful to the volunteers along this part of the route, they had already been standing around for 2+ hours and quite possibly had another 10+ hours ahead of them while waiting for the Full Marathon walkers who were setting off in two waves between 9.30 & 10.30pm, the volunteers were full of smiles, encouraging words and most importantly chocolates

Next up was Westminster and the 10 mile point, for Mandy this was a huge mile stone as the furthest we had walked in training had been 9 miles.

I had done events like this a few years ago but even I was starting to feel the effects of those fast early miles and almost 3hrs on my feet, but knowing we were on the final straight gave me the energy to carry on, without having to indulge in any of the treats on offer at the pitstops

Next was Big Ben & the London Eye, I am not sure what was going on in London that night but as we passed over Westminster Bridge fireworks were lighting up the sky, the next few miles were again very familiar to me, when I worked in the city I would often go for a walk at lunchtime and a circular route from Tower Bridge to Westminster was a regular walk, although even at night its an area heavily populated with tourists its a walk I find very peaceful

Finally we were at London Bridge & the finish line at Billingsgate Market was in sight

We had done it!! 13.1 miles in under 4hrs!!

As well as feeling proud of myself, there were times this year when I would never have dreamt that completing a half marathon would be possible but more so I was proud of Mandy, to sign up to something like this is a huge commitment especially when you have to juggle training with work and a young baby & did I mention Mandy had never even taken part in a Race for Life before, as I said at the start, totally crazy & incredibly inspiring

So whats next, well I think its safe to say we both have the bug & Mandy uttered those words that I know are addictive ‘I love the medal’ I predict at least the Half again next year maybe with a few of our members or possibly even the Full Marathon, who knows you will have to watch this space

If you would like to know more about the Shine Walk or are interested in taking part next year please click HERE for further details

I have some exciting news!!

14/10/201530/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in Races & Race Reviews

I have accepted a place with Diabetes UK to run next years London Marathon, I have spent a week umming & ahhing, the main thing worrying me being the fundraising but after speaking to my physio who has advised that after completing two 10+ mile walks in the last few weeks with no major issues that I should be ok & that I am no more at risk of injury than anyone else & my issues are now more of fear rather than mechanical

I managed a nice 30 minute run yesterday and plan to start training properly this weekend, there will no doubt be lots of races being booked as race prep & I have 4 Virtual Races planned as part of my fundraising (more to follow on these but if you are in the UK & would like to join my Halloween race entry is only £7.50 & a minimum of £5 will go to Diabetes UK & you will receive a pretty cool bling, please leave a comment below & I will be in touch)

My Weekend at GI Jane Bootcamp

19/08/201531/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in General

Have you ever spent the weekend at a bootcamp or wondered what one would be like?

A few years ago now I was lucky enough to spend a weekend at GI Jane Bootcamp in Sittingbourne, Kent, even though I was very nervous about my first residential bootcamp, I had a fabulous time & would love to go again.

While I was there I kept a journal & I posted this on a blog I was keeping on the Weight Watchers website, as I still have very fond memories of my weekend at GI Jane & am hoping to visit again soon I thought I would share my experience with you here as well

My GI Jane Bootcamp Diary

Friday

I got up in the morning and made myself an omelette with bacon medallions mushrooms, 10gs of LF cheese and onions and 100gs of baked beans then headed into London to meet my friends for the train to bootcamp, I bought a M&S Count on Us Tuna Sandwich to eat on the train which I shared with my friend, I think the realisation was starting to set in that we may not get fed very much this weekend

When we arrived we were shown to our rooms then asked to return to our rooms in our gym kits while we waited for the other attendees to arrive.

There were 10 of us there that weekend, ages ranging from early 20s to late 50s, some had been before, others were Bootcamp virgins like us, some had several stone & wanted this experience to kick start their journey, others looked very fit and athletic already and saw the experience as a challenge as to how far could they push themselves, some like us where there for the weekend others were there for a week, the girls that had been before took pleasure in telling us how tough things would be & how hungry we would be, I have kept a food journal below and while the portions weren’t large I can honestly say I wasn’t hungry once.

After a quick chat with the PTs asking about any injuries etc & our expectations for the weekend they threw us straight into our fitness test a 1.3mile run, followed by 60 seconds of sit ups, press ups and squats

For dinner we had a small Jacket Potato with homemade quorn chilli and a side salad which I have guesstimated to be 10pp, but my WW friends I went with think that’s probably to many PP

I finished Friday on 21/26pp & my Pedometer said 10,437 steps so only 2APs today, bit disappointed we didn’t do more activities

Saturday

We had to be up and on parade for 6.30am for another 1.3 mile lap of the triangle, after some stretches we went back to the house for breakfast.

After breakfast we were back for another run, 3 miles followed by circuits, crunches, squats, press ups, wide arm press ups, squat thrusts, leg kicks, star jumps, tricep dips between each set, doing rounds starting at 10reps per round then 8, 6, 4, 2

Then we had snack time, followed by more circuits, this time we had one person running a lap pulling a set of tires while the rest of us were doing different exercises with weights bars, kettle bells, dumb bells, and medicine balls, I was really impressed with the PTs for this activity, there were a few exercises that they thought I would struggle with due to a rotator cuff injury so they showed me alternative exercises for the same muscle groups

After lunch we went out for a 4 mile walk carrying a stretcher which was laden with guns (wooden imitation not the real thing) & water bottles, the day finished with a Pilates class to stretch those tired muscles & boy was it needed

Saturday we ate

B Porridge made with water, raspberries and blueberries and a 1/2 teaspoon of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon – 4pp

S – Crisp Bread topped with Houmous – 2pp

L – homemade lentil soup with 2 oat biscuits & a tangerine – 4pp

S – Activia Fat Free Yogurt with a teaspoon of Pumkin Seeds and 2 Brazil Nuts – 5pp

D – Salmon with Green Beans and Carrots, with a drizzle of fat free mint sauce and yogurt dressing – 6pp (my first time trying salmon)

I finished Saturday on 21/26pp & I clocked up 27,288 steps on my pedometer so 11APSs not including all the weights work we did

Sunday

We had another early start and again done 1.3 mile triangle run again (I was starting to hate that triangle, especially as I remember a little incline at the start), then we headed for breakfast, followed by boxercise, a snack break then another 1.3mile run this time in reverse, followed by a 7mile walk/run carrying a 5kg weights bar.

After lunch we done something called Iron Soldier which involved running up a hill, picking up various army equipment, first supply boxes, then 2 supply boxes filled with sand, next a Jerrycan filled with water, and finally a large munitions box, all weekend we had heard horror stories about the Irom Soldier from some of the other girls who had attended before & it was tough but in a short and sweet kind of way, if you have coped with everything else the guys had thrown at you you have nothing to worry about with Iron Soldier.

After Iron Soldier we had another snack, Netball and then more circuits, this time a combinations of sit ups, press ups, squats, get ups, half crunches, plank, kettlebells, arm curls and shoulder presses with the weights bars etc, doing these while our partner ran laps around the house and you couldn’t finish each set until they returned

We finished Sunday with a nutrition class with the camp nutritionist, we had been asked to take a food diary from the week prior to our visit so they could give us pointers so we could make better choices once we left

Sunday we ate

B – Same as Saturday – 4pp (we had a choice of Museli which unfortunately I don’t like)

S – 1 Ryvita topped with a thin spread of philly extra light – 1pp

L – Mixed leaf & Beetroot salad topped with tuna and sweetcorn mixed with some fat free mayo – 3pp

S – Pumkin Seeds, Brazil Nuts & a 1/4 of an Orange – 2pp

D – Chicken Casserole, one whole chicken breast cooked in stock with veggies – 5pp

I finished on 15/26pp & clocked up 33,502 steps on my pedometer so 15aps again not including the weights work we did

Monday

We had our final early start for our fitness test to be redone, we were slightly slower but that was to be expected apparently with our sore legs, then we jumped in a bucket of ice cold water to help our achy muscles.. Ouch but sooo good!

& the result, I lost 3lbs & 4.5inches since Friday

The trainers advised we could lose another couple of lbs this week due to our bodies still being in the fat burning zone so I have my fingers crossed for 1.75lbs to get me into the 9s and my Weight Watchers GOAL!!

I can not recommend the GI Jane boot camp enough, its amazing what our bodies can achieve when we break the physical and mental barriers

I attended the bootcamp with a couple of girls I met via the Weight Watchers website, between us we lost 11.5lbs and 18.5 inches & I’m so proud of each and every one of us

I am very pleased to advise that when I weighed in the Friday after my visit to GI Jane Bootcamp so a week after I had arrived, I lost another 3lbs taking my weight loss to 6lbs over the week, I continued to eat well snacking on nuts and seeds, I bought houmous for the first time ever & I continued with my 1.3 mile daily run and ensured I also walked 3 miles each day

As you can see, I loved my time at GI Jane and would go back in a heartbeat, unfortunately finances will not permit it at the moment, but if you would like to find out more about their week, midweek, weekend, one day or even their new Thailand bootcamps please click the link here

Not letting the train strikes beat me

29/07/201531/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in General

A couple of week ago, London commuters had to endure a complete shutdown of the underground system due to the biggest strike action by Transport For London staff in over a decade,

While most saw this as a reason to moan & arrive at work late, I saw it as an opportunity to do something I had wanted to do since my accident in February, go for a run around London, sure it meant getting up a few hours earlier than usual but it was definitely worth it for what I think will always be my favourite commute to work

When talking about weight loss and introducing a little activity, jumping off the train a few stops early and walking is often something that is spoken about, but something I have never done simply because I love my bed to much to get up earlier to give me time for the walk, preferring to head out at lunch time instead, but on Thursday 9th July I decided to get up at 4.30 in the morning so I could catch an overhead train to Fenchurch Street and then use my C210k plan to get me the 3.5 miles to work at Oxford Circus

I have always loved walking along the river, but have only ran along the Thames a few times & the thought of having the pavements to myself at 6.30am was just to appealing.

For weeks I had been putting off my C210k runs, partially because of the heat we have been having and partially because I was really struggling with the 2.5 min run / 2.5 min walks, because I had work after this run I didn’t want to push myself to much, I just wanted to enjoy the route, so I stopped & took photos of the landmarks whenever I wanted to and added on 30 seconds to every run to make up for the photo stops

Passing Tower Bridge, St Pauls, HMS Belfast, The Shard, Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, Whitehall, it really was a beautiful morning, I got to Trafalgar Square about 7.10am, I didn’t need to be at work until 8am, I had time for a little detour, but that would take me well over my c210k miles and baring how much I had hated the last couple of runs for a split second I wondered if I had the extra running in my legs, but today hadn’t felt like a run, it had been a pleasure and my legs were feeling ok, so a quick left turn and I was heading through Admiralty Arch & down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace, injury may have prevented me taking part in the London Marathon and running those last few 100 meters of the course but that day I got my chance, to say it was emotional was an understatement, the tears had started crossing the road at Westminster, I passed tthe spot where I had stood and saw many friends race past me at this years London Marathon & when I say race past me I really mean it, I spotted Jason, Leah & Lois and each of them were so in the zone despite me waving my hands about & screaming like a crazy person each of them missed me, but that didn’t matter the pride I had felt at knowing how amazing they had done was still as strong 3 months later & now added to that was the pride in how far I had come since my accident, I remember trying to take my first steps without my cast and I had literally forgotten how to walk, I wanted to move but my brain just didn’t seem to be able to send a message to my ankle and knee to move, they were just rigid, but a little bit of perseverance and a lot of nervous giggles I was soon taking those first shaky steps,

Next week TFL employees are holding another 24hrs strike, how are you going to get to work, why not try a ‘Runcommute’ like I did

Race Recap – Brighton Half Marathon – Am I a better spectator than a runner

25/02/201520/05/2015 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in Races & Race Reviews

Sunday 22nd February, should have seen be standing on the start line of a very cold Brighton Half Marathon

I was really shocked when we woke up that morning to see thick ice on the windscreen of our car, as I runner I find I overheat quite easily so dress quite lightly but today I was spectating and I really wasn’t dressed appropriately.

We left the hotel and drove towards the seafront, even thou I wan’t running I was nervous about today I was going to be standing and walking a lot more than I had over the last few weeks, I had looked online and there appeared to be a car park around 1/2 mile from the start, and I had discussed with Jason that as soon as we got across the road and onto the Seafront he should head off to the start line and I would take my time to find the Diabetes UK Cheer Station, sit down etc where necessary.

Getting to the start line was a nightmare and possibly one of the most chaotic starts/race villages I have ever seen, for those of you that know Brighton the race village (actually was there even a race village? If there was I never saw it) and the start were on Maderia Drive, a long straight road that was closed off for the start pens leaving all 15,000 runners trying to walk along a slim pavement that also homed the charity tents, race registration & radio station, this also meant that spectators then were crossing the race pens to get onto Marine Parade to go and cheer on their friends and family, really as there was no actual Race Village that I could see there should have been Marshalls at the start of Maderia Drive stopping spectators going down the road thus easing the congestion and probably preventing a few of the slip and falls I saw as people went over on black ice

As a spectator I didn’t see any toilets either although I presumed there had to be some somewhere on the course, but my husband said he didn’t notice any and I’ve seen a few runners comment that throughout the whole course there was less than a dozen portaloos. Really Brighton Half Marathon on a chilly February morning you are gonna need a lot more than that, people pay a lot of money for these races and train hard for them, if you are caught short and need a loo you’d expect to see some every 3-4 miles & having so few on the course leads to queues which in this weather can cause injuries, it’s no wonder runners squat behind bushes

Enough of the complaints & onto the race, Diabetes UK had a spot just overlooking the start/finish and which also put us at the 2 & 6 mile point, the confetti at the start looked amazing from my viewing point high up on Marine Parade.

I love cheering at races & If you have recently started running I would always recommend getting your name printed on your vest as everyone will call your name & it really will give you a lift and keep you going when your legs maybe saying stop

I managed to Jason at 2 & 6 miles along with many running & Instagram friends I have made over the last few months including Beki aka Miss Wheezy who bagged herself a PB by an amazing 18 mins

After I’d seen Beki at mile 6 I decided to try and get back to the finish line, the problem is Marine Parade is much higher up than Maderia Drive meaning you either have to go down around 50 steps or down a very large slope and around a final few steps, neither of these are easy options on crutches, I decided to take the slope very slowly, then a very kind lady helped me down the steps

I was very lucky and managed to find myself a spot along the the last 500ms of the course, and finally after 3 weeks I found probably the only positive for being in a cast, no one wanted to stand to close, they wanted to leave me room to stretch my leg and balance my crutches meaning I had plenty of room to spot friends coming along the course and in those last 500ms I managed to spot almost everyone I knew who was running

If I was a runner if have a final gripe at the 200m point they were letting spectators cross the race to get back over to the ‘race village’ REALLY, there was no reason for spectators to be allowed to cross the course and be on that slim bit of pavement again causing more congestion. In those last few hundred meters you’ll have runners going for a sprint finish, others (like me when I am able to run) who are just concentrating on continuing to put one foot in front of the other, I have one pace from start to finish, I can’t go quicker I can’t go slower, and more importantly I can’t stop when someone suddenly walks out in front of me

That said everyone I spoke to loved the race, the bling is gorgeous and the course beautiful, was I jealous of all my friends running…… Erm no, I think I make a much better spectator than I do a runner but I still hope to be back out running soon

Adidas Boost Bootcamp

03/01/201531/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in General

Race No 25 – Adidas Boost Bootcamp – London Marathon Training Day

Ok so I am getting a bit desperate so I am claiming this as a race, this chest infection has floored me and ruled out my final 2 runs (Regents Park 10k & a Christmas Day Parkrun) but when you are told by an Olympic Marathon runner that you shouldn’t be running you listen right!

I was lucky enough to win one of 100 places at an Adidas Bootcamp held at the London Marathon store in London, I had been looking forward to this for weeks and as my cough was only in its early stages I was determined to attend, after all with Olympic Athletes Liz Yelling, Scott Overall and Ultra Distance Runner and Super Slimmer Steve Way all their to offer advice and support who wouldn’t want to be there

The day started with with a 5k run & we were given a shiny new pair of Adidas Boosts to try out (sadly these had to be given back after our run), the run was mile out and back to a local park and a miles worth of tempo running led by Liz, unfortunately due to my chest infection I really struggled with the tempo running as at the best of times I only have one pace (slow) and today I even that was a struggle, when we got back to the store Liz, Scott and Steve all done a short talk about their own marathon experiences and shared their top pieces of advice, their were also brief talks from representatives from Adidas and Lucozade, as well as a physio and a sports nutritionist

The 3 biggest piece of advice I took from the day were

1) Listen to your body, someone asked with cold & flu season approaching when should you run, both Steve and Liz answered this by saying if it is a head cold you should be ok for sort slow runs but if its in your chest its a no, apparently Steve had recently gotten over a chest infection so had been out of running for 2 weeks, as they knew I had struggled during the tempo run, I was used as an example of when you shouldn’t have run :o(

2) The most important run is your long run, not that anyone would recommend only running once a week we were told that if that’s all we could squeeze in then make it a long run, and to increase distance gently

3) I am not sure this is a great piece of advice but its something thats certainly stuck with me the 7p’s ‘Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance’

At the end we were also given the opportunity for one of one chats with any of the experts and were invited up for photos, I couldn’t resist a quick pic with Steve Way, as someone wanting to lose some weigh myself and interested in everyone’s weight loss journeys plus attempting to run myself Steve is one of my biggest Runspirations

Finally we were all given the opportunity to have a free gait analysis and offered a 20% discount on any purchases we chose to make & finally if we did make a purchase we were very kindly all given an Adidas Goody Bag worth £130, well it would be rude not to make a purchase wouldn’t it

In the Goody Bags there was a foam roller and physio ball, an adidas phone holder, running cap & gloves, a bag for life and a gym bag, a sports towel, energy gels, lucozades, deoderant, shower gel, aftershave and a few other bits, unfortunately I didn’t buy my boosts, these Mizuno Wave Inspire 10’s fitted me like a glove and while I usually go for something brighter I decided to be sensible as I was now training for a marathon and listen to the experts and make my purchase based on fit and comfort rather than colour and style.

While the day was hosted by Adidas we did have some contact with the staff from the London Marathon Store and if you ever find yourself in London I would definitely recommend paying them a visit (I am taking my husband there next week for a gait analysis and to get him some new shoes for the marathon) I had my gait analysis done by Jason the store manager who couldn’t have been more helpful especially when he tried to accommodate my need for pretty coloured shoes rather than boring blue & even if you don’t have a need for shoes or new kit the store is still worth a visit just to check out the London Marathon memorabilia, I loved the route map & the wall of medals and my friend and I took cheeky photos, her pointing at the medal she received for completing the 2014 Virgin London Marathon & me pointing at the gap for the 2015 medal

The London Marathon Store also host their own running club the 26rs that meet several times a week, more details of the 26rs and when they run can be found here

Weekly Recap : Week 2/30 of my London Marathon Training

15/10/201431/10/2019 by ProjectHealthyFitMe, posted in General

Week 2, didn’t really go to plan, I only managed 2 out of my 3 runs, partly down to laziness and partly down to fear of injury.

Ever since the Spitfire Scramble I have been suffering from shin pain, I don’t think I have full on shin splints but within 1k things don’t feel normal and even after the shorter 3.5km runs I have been doing recently, I am very aware of shin pain the following day, so as I knew I had the Royal Parks Half Marathon coming up I didn’t want to aggravate things so I stuck with 2 short 3.5km runs again this week

Even though I didn’t manage the miles I had hoped for my friends did, I had friends running in both the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow and the Cardiff Half Marathon, both races I would like to do in the future, I spent the morning watching the Great Scottish Run on TV, cheering on my friends that were running in the torrential rain, I literally leapt from my seat screaming when I spotted my friend Linda who power walks these events for the charity Walk the Walk, despite the pouring rain I was so jealous of my friends running, both routes looked amazing & made me really excited about next weekends Royal Parks Half Marathon, I think it will be tough, but I am secretly hoping for a PB and to finally crack the elusive 2.26 I dreamed of before my first half

On the weight loss front, I lost another 1.5lbs, so 6lbs off in 2 weeks and 14lbs off since I rejoined Weight Watchers as a member.. Yay!!