tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34588001039112880312024-03-13T09:47:00.851-07:00Running Like a Womanfifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-48210655214308477722012-09-01T08:41:00.001-07:002012-09-01T08:41:16.784-07:00Further<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
I have always liked September. Like many people, the start of the new school year has come to signify a new beginning in general. Now my school days are some years behind me, September is a time to look back at the last six months and review what I have achieved, and make plans for the next six months.<br />
<br />
I have achieved one goal: losing weight. This time last year I was a shade under 10 stone and 6 pounds, and today I am 10 stone and 9 pounds.<br />
<br />
My plans for the next six months are to lose the next 9 pounds, complete Newcastle Stampede, then start working on getting my 5k time down to under 24 minutes.<br />
<br />
<u>August</u><br />
Miles run: 24</div>
fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-36683759947493058962012-08-26T11:55:00.003-07:002012-08-26T11:55:35.371-07:00The Sea <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
<br />
There are some activities that you try out one day because you've always kind of wanted to do it but just never got round to it. So you go down for a taster session, hand over a bit of cash, and discover a new love.<br />
<br />
I tried surfing today for the first time ever. I wanted to treat myself at the end because I have now completed the two-week Phase 1 stage of the Low Carb Vegetarian Diet. I grew up by the sea near a surfing hotspot but I have never tried surfing when I was younger because I always felt too fat to get in a wetsuit. Somehow a wearing wetsuit makes me feel more self-conscious than wearing a swimming costume or even a bikini. I am still fat, but now I am less self-conscious.<br />
<br />
We had a brief lesson on how to get on the surfboard and safety in the water (STAY AWAY FROM THE RIPTIDES), then walked our boards down to the sea. And the first time I walked into the sea the waves looked a hell of a lot bigger than they did from the shore. The North Sea was icy cold around my feet and I swear I felt ice-cubes swirling around my feet. The thought of jumping on the board and trying to catch a wave was daunting.<br />
<br />
I took a few goes to drum up the courage, then spotted a good-looking wave, turned the board around so I was facing the beach, waited until the wave was 3 metres away from me, then clambered on with no grace whatsoever. The first time the wave propelled me towards the beach was exhilarating. I'm hooked.<br />
<br />
I'm also exhausted.<br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>This week</u><br />
Running 5m<br />
Workouts: 2 workouts and one body pump session<br />
Surfing: 2 hours<br />
<br />
<u>Next week's exercise</u><br />
Monday: Workout and 30 min swim<br />
Tuesday: Workout and 4x400m IW<br />
Wednesday: 3 mile run<br />
Thursday: Workout and 30 min tempo<br />
Friday: Rest<br />
Saturday: 4m run (and surfing if there's a class on)<br />
Sunday: 30 min easy, body pump. (if there's a surf class on I'll skip the body pump and head to the beach instead)</div>
fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-54310640161451311092012-08-15T14:49:00.001-07:002012-08-15T14:49:18.909-07:00The Micro Disneycal World Tour<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This song feels a lot more upbeat than me. Has summer just given up and slunk straight into autumn with an embarrassed shrug of its shoulders and an apologetic smile?<br />
<br />
I made it to the gym for the first time this week. On Monday I felt too lethargic to go, and on Tuesday I was too busy attending a training session for a charity I volunteer with. I went because I had a free evening and I have been feeling more energetic than when I started the low-carb diet, but not as energetic as I feel normally. I've noticed I walk slower on the way to work, for example.<br />
<br />
This does make me wonder of the point of low-carb diets if the early phases make me feel so damn awful. I did Weightwatchers a long time ago and felt great from the word go. I was, however, often very hungry and unable to make my points work out so I felt sated. I don't think I work with the mentality that you can eat what you want (within moderation) on Weightwatchers, because I have kept that mentality, and end up eating what I want but too much of it.<br />
<br />
So the very rigid rules of a low-carb diet are working for me in the short term, but I am unsure if I can keep it up long term. Hopefully when I get to my goal weight I can maintain and still have a few treats every now and again. At least whiskey has zero carbs.<br />
<br />
The weightloss is also working - I've lost 3.4lb since starting the diet. I'm not sure how much is water weight and blah blah blah, but seeing lower numbers on the dial of my scales is encouraging. I hope I can keep it off long term, however, and that a minor slipup (because I will have them) won't cause me to pile the weight back on...<br />
<br />
------<br />
My workout was quick, and my 2 mile run was very, very slow - I blame the low carb diet, not the fact that I haven't run properly since May.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-35243858042600909082012-08-12T14:20:00.002-07:002012-08-12T14:20:15.870-07:00Patience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
I started <a href="http://www.roseelliot.com/catalogue_item.php?catID=2030&prodID=10978">Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet</a> today. In the book you're made aware that some people feel lethargic and suffer from headaches during the first few days. Boy do I feel lethargic, and boy do I have a headache. It could be due to what I have(n't) eaten today, or it could be due to the fact that I haven't had any coffee or diet coke at all today because caffeine is banned during Phase 1. <br />
<br />
I usually drink a fair amount of coffee, as I start the day with a cup of black coffee and sometimes grab a soy latte on my commute. Then it's a cup before I start work and a cup around 3pm. On a bad day, when I'm stressed (or bored) at work I have a few more cups, and a 500ml bottle of diet coke at lunchtime. So to go without caffeine for me is a novel experience, and I felt very sleepy and tired during my run this morning. It felt like I was running through mud, and I wasn't even out of breath. I just need to go slow, take my time and let my body adjust. Tomorrow I hope to do a 2-mile run.<br />
<br />
Thank god I can fill the coffee gap with Rooibos and Choco Aztec Yogi Tea. I'm not going to lie and say it tastes great and is totally a replacement for hot chocolate, because it's not, it has a mild sweet/bitter taste of chocolate that is quite 'thin' with a hint of spice, but it's gentle and a great way to round off a meal. <br />
<br />
And I hate it when people say 'X is totally like Y only healthier/without the fat/half the calories'. It's really not!<br />
<br />
<u>Exercise</u><br />
Body Balance class<br />
1.5 mile run (which was tough)<br />
<br />
<u>Food</u><br />
<br />
Breakfast<br />
3 eggs, butter and a tablespoon of cream (no seriously)<br />
1 vegetarian sausage<br />
1/2 tomato<br />
<br />
Lunch<br />
Goats cheese, chicory and pecan salad with home-made vinaigrette<br />
<br />
Dinner<br />
Asparagus Quiche (which had no pastry. See rant above)<br />
Cooked Spinach<br />
<br />
Snack<br />
1/2 avocado with vinaigrette<br />
<br />
Approx total carbs: 15.9<br />
<br />
<u>Weight</u><br />
Never you mind<br />
<br /></div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-9210663292320288032012-08-11T13:56:00.003-07:002012-08-11T13:56:56.852-07:00Get What You Give<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Did I mention I'm doing <a href="http://www.newcastlestampede.com/">Newcastle Stampede</a> on October 14th? I don't think I did. It's a cross-country run with obstacles, which mainly involve lots of mud, in aid of British Heart Foundation. The obstacles involve jumping muddy ditches, crawling under wires (in the mud), muddy tunnels. You get the picture - mud.<br />
<br />
There is some doubt as to whether or not the length of the course has actually been 10k, and some people I know who've done it have found themselves able to complete it quicker (with obstacles, remember) than they can run a 10k race (sans obstacles). I hope they sort the course out this year. <br />
<br />
I'm going to train as if I were training for a 10k race using a training plan for an intermediate runner (even though I haven't run since early May. Ahem) and add in some strength work which will improve my core and upper body strength.<br />
<br />
Carbs: about 200<br />
Exercise: 4 hours gardening (yes it IS exercise)<br />
30 minutes at gym doing new workout</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-36719709487197464242012-08-09T13:15:00.001-07:002012-08-09T13:15:31.125-07:00Times Like These<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<br />
<br />
I am a new day rising<br />
I'm a brand new sky<br />
<br />
30 minutes swimming. I should have gone for a run, but I'm feeling achey from Body Pump yesterday. I had 10lb for my squats and my right knee feels a little loose and clicky, so it must have aggravated my old runner's knee injury.<br />
<br />
Approx total carbs: 95<br />
<br />
<br /></div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-61810681437351412542012-08-08T14:15:00.002-07:002012-08-08T14:15:29.563-07:00Back to Reality<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Remember me?<br />
<br />
I was supposed to run a marathon.<br />
<br />
Well, I didn't run a marathon. I got runner's knee in both knees, then I got plantar fasciitis in both feet and it was too painful to run for even 5 minutes. Then I gave up on the marathon because I realised I didn't actually enjoy running 19 miles on a Sunday, and a couple of 6-9 mile runs on a weeknight.<br />
<br />
I one thing I didn't give up on was eating like I was still training for a marathon. <br />
<br />
I also got a rice cooker for Christmas and discovered my new favourite comfort food was a bowl (or two) of sushi rice smothered in Sriracha sauce, soy sauce and sesame seed oil. And I was drinking more than usual, and eating more junk food at work.<br />
<br />
I put weight on.<br />
<br />
I'm going to lose it doing a low-carb vegetarian diet. Why low carb? I want to stop my dependancy on refined carbs, which is contributing to my problems with binging. I also want to stop feeling bloated, and hopefully a low-carb diet will contribute to this without leaving me starving and prone to binging.<br />
<br />
After the weekend (ie after I go food shopping) I will be following a proper low carb diet, until then I'm going to reduce my carb intake.<br />
<br />
I'm going to miss the sushi rice-Sriracha-soy sauce-sesame combos. :(<br />
<br />
<u>Breakfast</u><br />
Black coffee 0.8g carbs<br />
Cornflakes 24g carbs<br />
Soya milk 0.1 carbs<br />
Almonds 3.6g carbs<br />
<br />
<u>Mid-morning</u><br />
White coffee 2.4g carbs<br />
<br />
<u>Lunch</u><br />
Rocket/Lettuce/Spinach salad 3g carbs<br />
Home-made dressing made with olive oil, mustard, vinegar 0g carbs<br />
Adzuki beans 28.5 carbs<br />
Red pepper 2.7g carbs<br />
<br />
<u>Dinner</u><br />
1/2 Tesco Meat free Garlic Kiev 7.8g carbs<br />
Quinoa 12.8<br />
Salad 0<br />
Broad beans 21.4<br />
1/2 Tesco meat free barbecue fillet 6g carbs<br />
<br />
<u>Evening</u><br />
Whiskey 0g carbs (WAHEY!)<br />
<br />
Approximate total carbs: <b>107g</b><br />
<br />
<u>Exercise</u><br />
1 mile walk<br />
15 mins jog<br />
60 mins Body Pump<br />
<br />
<br /></div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-8659982322109210952012-03-06T14:53:00.000-08:002012-03-06T14:53:32.459-08:00Gypsy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<br />
I'm having a real Fleetwood Mac fest at the moment and I can't get enough of my favourite tunes. Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits was one of the first CDs my dad bought when he first got a CD player and I made him play it over and over again. <i>Gypsy</i> has some of my favourite opening lines for a song. The sense of bittersweet nostalgia and sadness hits home at the moment for me, because several months ago I ceased a nomadic job and came back to the home and man I love. Lightnin strikes, maybe once, mabye twice.<br />
<br />
1 mile warm up, 3 x 1 mile fast with 0.25 mile recovery in between and a 1 mile cooldown. In the cold rain and it felt great, like I was only just warming up by the end.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-58873542093266671992012-03-04T14:31:00.000-08:002012-03-04T14:31:43.671-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UBhdIcb84Hw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Today was one of the days when I really wonder why I run. Sundays are the day I do my long run, and today was going to be the longest one I have ever attempted: 15 miles. I woke up and it was grey and cold. No hint of the spring I'd seen over the past few days. Plus it was drizzling. Then it began to sleet. Then it began to snow and I really, really didn't want to run in the snow. Not one mile, let along 15. Finally the weather cleared and wrapped two date-lemon peel-walnut-cardamon balls in clingfilm, popped them in my running pouch, taped up my right knee to alleviate any possible aggravation of my kneecap, and headed out.<br />
<br />
It was tough. It was still drizzling when I started. The first 5 miles involved a loop through the next village, unfortunately I had to run a mile along a country road to get there. A country road which was covered in puddles but due to luck and considerate driving from passing cars I avoided being splashed.<br />
<br />
The next five miles took me in the other direction toward town. It was still tough even though the route was mostly down hill and I chugged slower and slower. The next five miles were running through town before heading back up the long slow hill to home. It was incredibly tough and by this time my legs and back were aching. I felt like I was trying to run through mud and had to walk up the steepest sections of the hills.<br />
<br />
Ugh. I ran 13.1 miles last week and flew round. I think I found this run so hard because I did a hills session yesterday and I was more tired than I realised. Either way, I found the date balls more palatable than the gels I'd used on previous runs. The burst of sweet-salty body-temperature goo always makes me want to gag and some gels taste positively <i>vile</i>. Plus they're never easy to open or drink and I spend the rest of the run thinking, "I have sticky fingers. Really sticky fingers. I wish I could wash them. I hate having sticky fingers. Sticky sticky fingers."<br />
<br />
I was incredibly thirsty by mile 10. I'm going to be drinking water from stations during the marathon so I need to get my body used to that. At the moment I don't carry water. I can't stand holding anything in my hands so a bottle of any shape or form is out of the question. My running pouch can just about take my ID and keys and a gel pack if I liked them so I can't stash one in there. I could carry cash and buy something, but I abhor the idea of going into a shop all sweaty and out of breath. I need to find a good belt with water bottles, I think.<br />
<br />
Miles this week: 36<br />
Runs: 5<br />
Feeling: Achey<br />
Knee-strengthening stretches: Lots.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-10200874425966631732012-03-01T12:10:00.000-08:002012-03-01T12:10:52.210-08:00February Round-Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bag1gUxuU0g?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Crikey-bob I'm glad it's March. The cold weather of winter is mostly behind me, as are the dark nights and mornings. I'd gotten to the point where I was always surprised I could see my watch during long runs at the weekend because it was the only time I ran in the daylight.<br />
<br />
I've mostly stuck to my marathon training plan. I've done the distance if not the speed in the hope that getting the miles in my legs will increase my endurance and fitness and not sweated the petty things. It's mostly worked and I've noticed a marked improvement in my running. I've overcome the lethargy of January and am feeling comfortable and happy.<br />
<br />
Last Sunday I ran 13.1 miles, the first time I ran in double figures and the longest I'd ever run before. It took me 1:10:40 and I averaged out a 9:59 minute mile, which I was very, very pleased with. Unfortunately my knees have been less pleased by the increased mileage I've put them through and began to protest with stiffens and aching, especially after long runs and walking down stairs. A quick trip to the physio and I was diagnosed with Runner's Knee in the right kneecap.<br />
<br />
It's not acute enough to need immediate rest but ideally I know I should stop, rest and slowly build the mileage up again. Unfortunately with the marathon on 6th May I don't have the time to do this. The physio taped my kneecap to pull it back in the correct position and advised me to keep it on for three days to cease aggravating the joint and give it some time to heal. I've been told to ice it immediately after I finish exercise, and also do strengthening stretches 3 times a day to strengthen the muscles around my knee and prevent it from worsening. I'm doing them twice a day because I'm too chicken to do them at work...<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-36865690134511176982012-02-12T13:42:00.000-08:002012-02-12T13:42:46.148-08:00Missing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eT2fJxebIRw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
This week has been awful. My eating has been all over the place, and I've missed half my runs. I've been very self-indulgent in more ways than one.<br />
Tomorrow, as ever, is another day.<br />
<br />
</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-28264727242048544822012-02-08T14:34:00.000-08:002012-02-08T14:35:15.534-08:00DJ, Ease My Mind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VnexkG4RrtA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
I'm still here. I'm still running. 82.33 miles in January, and 30.39 miles so far this month.<br />
<br />
For most of January I felt miserable and demoralised as I was struggling to manage 10 min/miles and my marathon target is 9 min/miles. I was always last at running club, tagging minutes behind everyone else unable to summon the energy to keep up. I stuck to the mileage I'd planned for myself and tried not to worry about not being as quick as planned, and a weekend away forced me to re-arrange my runs so I had 3 days without running from last Saturday to Monday.<br />
<br />
This week I'm knocking out 8:30 miles easily and am beginning to feel like I can regain the fitness I lost over the holiday season.<br />
<br />
KBO should be my motto.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-29712199902670008712012-01-22T13:21:00.000-08:002012-01-22T13:21:56.890-08:00The Abbasi Brothers - Mr Boe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lpN-EpWIPhA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<br />
A slow 7 miles and I got to that zen place where you're first concentrating on breathing in over four steps then out over four more then your mind begins to wander and before you know it you've forgotten you're running.<br />
<br />
I also managed to run the whole way up a half-mile long hill without stopping to walk for the first time today.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-47501790149465665892012-01-18T14:56:00.000-08:002012-01-18T14:56:00.726-08:00Just A Girl<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PHzOOQfhPFg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
I'm just a girl<br />
Guess I'm some kind of freak<br />
'Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes.<br />
<br />
A funny thing happened during my Sunday run. As I was running on the pavement next to a busy road near where I live a man in a car drove past me and beeped me several times in quick succession. He made a few gestures but he was going to quick for me to see what they were.<br />
<br />
I was too busy on Sunday to blog about it. So I thought to myself, 'The next time this happens I can blog about it and use 'Just a Girl' by No Doubt as the song for the post.'<br />
<br />
Now isn't that a fucking depressing state of affairs?<br />
<br />
The next time<br />
<br />
<i>The next time</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i><b>The next time</b></i><br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
<i><b>THE NEXT TIME</b></i><br />
<i><b><br />
</b></i><br />
Turns out I didn't have to wait long.<br />
<br />
I went for a run this afternoon at around 4pm because I'm off work and able to take advantage of running when it's light so I can see where I'm going and take a few traffic-free paths that aren't lit at night. As I was running down the high street, listening to music and enjoying myself I got beeped by two men in an orange transit-style van. The one nearest to me had his window wound down and he yelled something but I couldn't hear him over the sound of the music playing on my iPod. I didn't react and continued running, like I do every time this happens.<br />
<br />
I already have another song lined up for the next time this occurs.<br />
<br />
-----<br />
Today's run: Slow 4 miles in 39:20</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-2874565588988121672012-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:002012-01-16T14:42:27.695-08:00Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://vimeo.com/11552948">Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun</a><br />
<br />
The day was icy, the sky was blue, the sun pale.<br />
<br />
I started my first day of my first week of marathon training today with a slow 3 mile.<br />
<br />
It felt much like the above song.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Mr Scientist admonished me for not running far enough because the marathon will be 26 miles.<br />
<br />
Heh.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-38571240741431210562012-01-11T12:16:00.000-08:002012-01-11T12:16:20.330-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eVLJ4HOzi1c?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Today was a very slow 8 miles in 1:21:07.<br />
<br />
It went better. It was also the farthest I've run in a long while.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-33591239351630947472012-01-10T16:36:00.000-08:002012-01-10T16:36:16.450-08:00Enta Eih<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bjx55OC48y4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
At first I didn't want to run today, then I felt so miserable I wanted to run for miles until my body gave out. Then I went to my running club and was so crap I was asked if I was feeling unwell and did I want to go home.<br />
<br />
No, sorry, I'm just rubbish.<br />
<br />
<br />
---<br />
Enta Eih is a sad song, but it reminded me of my time in Syria. I loved the song, however my housemate had an irritating speed-up electronic version on her phone and it used to drive me mental.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-74701024671281699282012-01-06T14:57:00.000-08:002012-01-06T14:57:39.421-08:00Limit to your love<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oOT2-OTebx0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Running: Monday 6 miles<br />
Thursday 2 miles<br />
Feelings: Chilled.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-91772353525728771142012-01-01T06:10:00.000-08:002012-01-01T06:10:31.868-08:00New Year's Resolutions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Fitness related New Year's Resolutions<br />
<br />
Get down to 10 stones<br />
No alcohol in January<br />
Run a marathon on 6th May.<br />
<br />
A happy New Year to everyone!</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-91226511457197383402011-11-27T15:02:00.000-08:002011-11-27T15:02:44.165-08:00In light of not much running nor blogging...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> In light of not much running nor blogging I thought I'd share some blogs I enjoy that aren't related to running, exercise or healthy eating. I'm going to do it once a month till I run out of interesting blogs that I like to read. Some will have an extensive readership with individual hits into the millions. Most won't. Some you may know already, some you may not.<br />
<br />
I hope you will also take part in the monthly sharing of interesting blogs that go beyond the remit of the blog you write.<br />
<br />
This month's blog is <a href="http://thelawwestofealingbroadway.blogspot.com/">The Magistrate's Blog</a>. It's written by a long-serving magistrate who sits somewhere in London. He comments on how his area of law is reported in the media and also about the sort of cases he sees. He's erudite, accessible and always very humane,<br />
<br />
<br />
P.S.<br />
Dear Mr Scientist,<br />
<i>Moves like Jagger </i>will NEVER have a place on my blog.<br />
Much love,<br />
Fifi.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-28233049563269015702011-11-15T13:48:00.000-08:002011-11-15T13:48:14.293-08:00Wake Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9zdNdjF-htY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Quite often by the end of the day I'm tired and hungry. I feel lethargic and exhausted and by the time I've taken a train and a bus home and I'm through the door my motivation to go out running is at zero. Sometimes I even tell myself I don't want to run as soon as I wake up.<br />
<br />
Ugh.<br />
<br />
It's worse now it's dark and cold.<br />
<br />
So i had to <i>force</i> myself to go to running club tonight. I had two slices of toast with honey and a mug of coffee and dragged myself out of the door.<br />
<br />
A warm up run then 4 x 600 metres efforts later I feel a lot better for it<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
I've a question for cookers of unusual food out there: What do I do with soya flour? I bought some to make pancakes but aside from making pancakes every day for the next month I'm not sure how to use the rest of it. Anyone got any ideas?</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-76497972415990698362011-11-08T15:24:00.000-08:002011-11-08T15:24:10.806-08:00Yorkshire Coast 10k Recap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">On Sunday 30th October I got up, had a pre-race breakfast of two slices of brown bread covered in peanut butter and topped with sliced banana.<br />
<br />
After that I sat around for a few hours chilling out before heading to Scarborough Spa Complex on the South Beach. The Complex was busy but well signposted and it was easy to pick up my timing chip.<br />
<br />
After that we lined up on the road outside the complex. Looking north along the Marine Drive which snakes around the coast and forms the majority of the race route, I could see Scarborough seafront with its arcades, cafes and fish and chip shops, the harbour, and the ruins of Scarborough Castle perched high on the cliffs. It was sunny but a touch hazy and a naval ship was anchored in the South Bay. It felt good to be out there at 10am on a sunny Sunday morning waiting to start a 10k race.<br />
<br />
The race was very flat but I allowed myself to be pulled along at the start by the people around me, something I paid for later on in the race. Running along the seafront was easy but we encountered a slight headwind once we rounded the headland. However it was a gentle breeze. After running along the Marine Drive we headed into a park then back out on to the shore promenade for a few hundred metres before turning around at the Sealife Centre and heading back toward the Spa Complex.<br />
<br />
Chip Time: 51:03<br />
Gun Time: 51:37<br />
Garmin Time: 51:04<br />
Split 1: 7:53.8<br />
Split 2: 7:53.5<br />
Split 3: 8:06.0 (This is when I began to pay for starting too fast)<br />
Split 4: 8:13.2 <br />
Split 5: 8:08.7<br />
Split 6: 8:25.7<br />
Split 7: (300 m) 2:23.0<br />
<br />
So I've got a new PB - frustrating just out of the 50s but I've proved to myself that a sub-50 10k is there for the taking provided I keep training and shift the 5lb that have glued themselves to my hips over the last few weeks.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
So what next? I don't have another 10k planned but I've decided to continue following training plans as if I were. I'm continuing to go to the running club and have signed up for a winter cross country league. This and parkrun should keep me ticking over throughout the winter.<br />
<br />
I've decided to declare a temporary truce on weightloss. I don't discuss this much on my blog but I'm at the high end of a healthy BMI and body fat percentage for my height and would like to lose about a stone by cutting my fat percentage further. I'm not going to try to do this over the holiday period, though, because I've got a couple of birthdays, work parties and weekend away visiting my best friend between here and January which I know will stymie any weightloss. So I'm declaring a temporary truce and I'm going to lose 3lb to get to 10.5 stones then seek to maintain until January. In addition to this I'm tired of constantly dieting and getting nowhere, so I'm going to take control and decide to go nowhere.<br />
<br />
So there.<br />
<br />
And now I'm going to bed!<br />
</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-48527285636125085512011-10-29T02:31:00.000-07:002011-10-29T02:31:53.221-07:00Lots and Little<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Yorkshire Coast 10k is tomorrow.<br />
<br />
I've checked out the weather and it will be sunny/overcast with a 12-13mph SW wind. Hopefully the cliffs will shelter us from most of it and I'm very very grateful it's not a NE wind howling straight off the North Sea! The <a href="http://www.yorkshirecoast10k.co.uk/maps/10km_course.jpg">course</a> is along the seafront in Scarborough and makes a small detour into a park on the return leg, so it should be incredibly flat and could be a good candidate for a PB. <br />
<br />
I don't feel particularly well prepared as I only decided to do the race 5 or so weeks ago and had to take a week off due to unhappy knees and a stomach bug. Since then I've been mostly sticking to the plan.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to getting this race out of the way because I've been finding it hard to run after work. I don't usually get back till 6. While I'm not afraid for my personal safety bombing around the streets because it seems less likely you'll be attacked in the cold dark nights of late autumn than any other time, I am a little concerned for my <i>physical</i> safety because the other night I was running along a street and almost tripped over a discarded hubcap. So after this race I'm going to reduce my running to club runs and Saturday and Sunday.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Aside from running lots I've been cooking lots. I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-ebook/dp/B0047T86EM/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM"><i>Appetite for Reduction</i></a> a few weeks ago and it's quickly become my go-to book for quick and healthy meals. So far I've made Chickpea Piccatta, Ginger Bok Choi with Soba Noodles, Garlicky Mushrooms and Kale, and Pasta e Fagioli with Spinach. All of the recipes are quick and tasty and more importantly they work. The only change I'd make to any of them is to reduce the amount of water required for the Chickpea Piccatta because there was a bit too much sauce.<br />
<br />
Brilliant book.<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
I've been very busy at my new temporary job and have an hour's commute each way which is why I haven't been commenting as much as usual. I'm still reading!</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-55951841528204307062011-10-17T14:49:00.000-07:002011-10-17T14:49:07.585-07:00Harder Better Faster Stronger<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/K2cYWfq--Nw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Last week was an awful week concerning running. I was resting on Monday due to achey kneecaps from the weekend before. Then I eased back into exercise with a gentle 30 minute cross training session on Tuesday... Then I got a stomach bug and couldn't run until Sunday.<br />
<br />
On Sunday I decided to do a tentative 6 mile run instead of the 7.5 miles on my 10k training plan. I didn't want to strain my knees again, and I wasn't sure if I were totally over the stomach bug. It was a beautiful late autumn day with a gentle wind, bright sunlight and blue skies overhead. I found a long, straight run along a disused railway line near my parent's home with a gentle ascent for the whole length of it. I planned a basic 3 miles out-and-back. <br />
<br />
I passed dog walkers, walking walkers going down the track as it stretched out through the village where I grew up and beyond. I passed where my friend used to live and the farm where another friend used to keep her horses. I passed the lane you take down to a rocky inlet which has the best rockpools in the north of England, although not the best fossil-hunting - that honour belongs to another rocky cove further north of where my parents live. I passed a cafe where my mother and I once waited an hour for sandwiches and never went back again. I passed new houses creeping into the fields as the village has slowly expanded. I caught my first glimpse of the North Sea, blue-grey in the autumn sun. I passed one of my favourite pubs, which is conveniently located 100m from the track. I passed wooded valleys and rolling green fields.<br />
<br />
At 3 miles - the point where I should have turned back - I felt great and decided to go the extra 0.75 of a mile that would expand the run into 7.5 miles. I stopped at 3.75 miles next to a house that was directly adjacent to the track. It was a former railway station. This was the end point of the bi-annual sponsored walk my secondary school used to do. Every other year the <i>whole school</i> would walk along the railway track from the town the school was in to this station. I stopped in the sunshine to catch my breath then turned back for my parents house.<br />
<br />
I felt wonderful.</div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3458800103911288031.post-70704498527254859162011-10-11T09:16:00.000-07:002011-10-11T09:16:51.740-07:00Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sTJ7AzBIJoI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Be kind to you knees - you'll miss them when they're gone.<br />
<br />
I went for a gentle 30 minutes on the elliptical this afternoon and my knees still feel stiff. I'm going to try a gentle job tomorrow.<br />
<br />
I love this song. Full lyrics after the jump.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '99: <br />
<br />
Wear sunscreen. <br />
<br />
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. <br />
<br />
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. <br />
<br />
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blind sides you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday. <br />
<br />
Do one thing every day that scares you. <br />
<br />
Sing. <br />
<br />
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. <br />
<br />
Floss. <br />
<br />
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. <br />
<br />
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. <br />
<br />
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.<br />
<br />
Stretch. <br />
<br />
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. <br />
<br />
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. <br />
<br />
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's. <br />
<br />
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. <br />
<br />
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. <br />
<br />
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. <br />
<br />
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. <br />
<br />
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. <br />
<br />
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. <br />
<br />
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. <br />
<br />
Travel. <br />
<br />
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. <br />
<br />
Respect your elders. <br />
<br />
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. <br />
<br />
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. <br />
<br />
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. <br />
<br />
But trust me on the sunscreen. </div>fifihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11997575604784518407noreply@blogger.com2