I ran my first 10k!

 

 

On Saturday I managed to run my first 10km and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. I know 10k isn’t a lot to many runners, but considering 6 months ago I couldn’t run for a minute without getting out of breath and feeling like I had to collapse, 10km is a big achievement for me.

As mentioned in my Zombie 5K training app review, by the end of that I was able to do 7km, so since then on my long weekend runs I have just been adding a km at a week until I reached 10km.

For the actual run itself, I started in the forest that is quite close to my house. I did the first 3km in the forest, including running up a giant hill, and then the rest of the run was done on the streets, on  relatively flat pavement, all whilst listening to a pretty intense mission of the Zombies, Run! app, which I do think helped keep me going because I was dying to know what happened in the story next.

I really enjoyed the run, and found the first 8km where easy, but after that things got a bit harder. I was still running comfortably but my mind just wanted to reach the 10km. Normally when ever I run I fantasise about what life would be like if I was rich, or switch off and listen to my music, but in those last 2km all I could think about was completing the 10km, wondering how much further it was and how much longer it was going to take me. After the 9km mark I started to feel a bit tired, and my feet where a bit sore, but I kept on going knowing I was so close. At the last half km I ended up pulling off my armband and watching the distance clock up because I was pretty darn tired and just wanted to stop. And then it happened, after a hour and 8 minutes I hit the 10km mark and it was over!

I genuinely never thought I would be able to handle this sort of distance, and I must admit I felt pretty epic afterwards. I have the Spooky Sprint coming up in three weeks time, which is a 10km race for Parkinsons. It will be my first proper timed race so that will be my next challenge!

I hate running in the morning/tips for running in the morning

I absolutely detest early morning runs. I know some people love the whole getting up at 5:30am and working out thing, running off endorphine highs for the rest of the day and feeling smug about being up and done before most people wake up, but no, that is not me.
If I run in the morning I struggle to get out of bed, I struggle to put my clothes on the right way round, I struggle through the run and then I struggle through the rest of the day in a zombie like state. I much prefer my evening runs which I use to chill out after a hard days at work, or if I’m running at the weekend I like to go out about 9:30am, after my body has had a chance to wake up and I’ve had a chance to drink some coffee.

Despite everything I have just said though, I had to get up today to go for a early morning run before work, and if I am going to take running for a half marathon seriously (not that I’ve signed up to one yet....) I realise I will occasionally have to do the odd early morning run to fit in with my schedule, so I’ve decided to share my top tips for help getting you out of bed in the morning and pounding the pavement before breakfast!

1.       Go to bed slightly earlier. The extra sleep helps and TV is normally pretty dull after 10pm anyway.

2.       Prepare your gear and clothes out the night before. A pretty obvious one but very handy for being able to get yourself out the door quicker in the morning. Make sure you have everything, from sports bra and socks to GPS watch and hairbrush to scrape back that bed hair.

3.       Set 12 alarms one minute after the other. Sounds a bit extreme but if you end up hitting snooze once you will just be woken up again a moment later, and after 12 alarms you will more than likely be awake so excuse to still be in bed!
You can also put your alarm out of reach of your bed, seeing as you have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm you may as well get up and go running.

4.       Don’t bother washing your face or brushing your teeth. This sounds pretty gross, but you will more than likely be having a shower when you get back, so to save yourself a few extra minutes before going out just do it when you get back, there isn’t that many people roaming around at that time in the morning to notice your morning breath.

5.       If I am running in the morning I can’t eat, it makes me feel sick on the run, but if you don’t want to run on a empty stomach try half a banana, something that is easy to grab and quick to eat.

6.       If you can't function without coffee, maybe consider investing in a coffee maker with a timer, that way it's ready for you when you wake up.

7.       Get a running partner. Having someone else to run with will make you less likely to skip the run as you don’t want to let your partner down and making running into a social event may encourage you to get out of bed more.

8.       Have a nice breakfast prepared for when you get back. I really like to make up batches of the Tone It Up protein pancakes the night before, all I have to do when I get back is pop them in the toaster to warm them up and add some fresh fruit and honey. It feels like a nice reward and is something to look forward to after the run; it’s also great recovery food.

9.       Remember that you love running and that once you get going you will feel a lot better than you do now.

10.       Not so much a tip, but just reminding you to wear your reflective gear! The roads may be quieter than they are at night but there are still cars and they need to be able to see you!

These are all the tips I have managed to pick up. Do you have any others that can help me love my morning runs? And are you a morning person, or like me prefer evenings?

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Virtual Coffee Date

I originally saw the virtual coffee date done on Run Eat Repeat and thought it was very sweet, so I’ve decided to give it a go for myself, this is what it would be like if we where to go for a coffee today.

I will most likely arrive extremely early or extremely late depending on how the public transport wants to behave on the day.

We’ll go to Costa because their coffee is far superior to Starbucks and I will get a small skinny iced hazelnut latte, my favourite. You will think I’m weird because it’s England and we are wearing winter coats already so why the hell am I ordering a iced drink?
I’ll try and keep a eye on the barista to make sure they are using skimmed milk, but then I’ll get distracted and forget to see what milk is used and obsess about how my coffee taste better than normal and I’m sure they’ve used full fat milk.

We’ll talk  meaningless chat for a bit, such as how Dunkin Doughnuts do the best coffee and I can’t wait for them to come back to the UK, then of course because I’m British some comment will be made about the weather.

After nipping to the toilet the conversation will get a bit jucier, talking about the downsides of our awesome jobs and gossiping about mutual friends.

I’ll comment on how I only drink coffee if I’m going running, which I will be after this and then tell you about how I want to enter the Brighton half marathon but I’m worried I’m taking on too much too soon in which you will reply with words of encouragement telling me to go for it but we both know I will probably fail.

Before we know it a hour would’ve passed since our drinks had been finished and we will be going our separate ways, you will drive back, I’ll wait for a bus and when it’s inevitably delayed I will regret not having gone to the toilet before leaving, especially when we go over the new pothole in the road.

My Favourite Cook Book

If you follow me on Instagram you probably would've seen a lot of posts on the food I've made using the recipes from The Hairy Dieters Eat For Life cookbook. To say I'm obsessed is bit of a understatement and I would recommend to anyone to pick up the book.



This is one of the first healthy eating cookbooks I have picked up where I have actually wanted to make about 80% of the recipes, normally I get a recipe book and although I like most of the recipes I don't actually want to cook them.

[caption id="attachment_205" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Easy Chicken Bake[/caption]

The recipes themselves, judging from the ones I've cooked myself are all so simple, quick and easy to make, and they have been absolutely delicious.
The recipes actually follow a lot of the rules of 'clean eating' using lots of herbs to flavour food and creating everything from scratch, although this isn't marketed as a clean eating cookbook so if you are looking for a book that isn't 100% clean then this is not for you.

[caption id="attachment_206" align="aligncenter" width="223"] All - In - One Spicy Pork and Rice[/caption]

My favourite recipe I've made so far has to be the spiced lamb and tabbouleh, it's simple, delicious and full of flavour. I've also tried the chicken cordon bleu, spicy pork rice bowl and easy chicken bake, all have been delicious, oh and how can I forget the chorizo crusted cod, that recipe is pure genius!

[caption id="attachment_207" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Baked Fish With Chorizo Crust[/caption]

I picked this cook book up for £7.49 when I was at Sainsbury's on a whim, but I think it is excellent value for money because it is full of loads of great recipes, each one has a lovely colour photo of how it is meant to look too, although mine often never turn out like the pictures...
Amazon currently have the book on sale for £6.49 at the moment so I suggest you pick it up!

[caption id="attachment_208" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Spicy Lamb Steaks With Tabbouleh[/caption]

 

 

Running Wish List

Like most people, I like to fantasise once in a while about all the things I could buy if I won the lottery, so I thought I would make a little wish list and share it with everyone in the hopes that someone will like me enough to buy me everything (kidding!) maybe someone will find it interesting, or maybe it will just be something pretty for me to look at and dream about.

1. Sweatty Betty Zero Gravity Run Tights  - Sweaty Betty is a brand I always find performs well, and I absolutely love anything galaxy print so these running tights are a no brainer for me, unfortunately the £85 price tag stops me from snapping them up straight away, fingers crossed they go into the next sale!

2. Pro Compression Marathon Pink Argyle Socks - Pro Compression are a US site and have some of the cutest compression socks. It seems we don't get much selection over here in the UK, I would love these pink argyle ones to help me look cute when recovering from long runs.

3. SPI HiViz Running Belt - I don't own any running belts, and seeing as my plan is to run a half marathon next year I've been advised to get one to put gels in, and this one is pink, what more can I ask for! It looks quite small but apparently it can fit a phone and up to 5 gels in it, it's also Hi Viz which is useful for me because I run after work, often in the dark.

4. A BIC Band - I'm a massive fan of Skinny Runner and she always posts about her cute bands from BIC bands, a non slip headband designed by athletes for athletes and now I am seriously lusting after one, in particular the pink glittery one, and maybe a chevron one too. I always run with a headband, but if I can co ordinate it with my outfit that would be even better!

5. Asics GT - 2000 - I currently run in a pair of Asics GT 2000 and I love them so will definitely consider getting them again after my current ones wear out. I love the black and pink colour scheme, it's very me and would fit in with the rest of my accessories.

6. Garmin Forerunner 10 - Sometimes the GPS on my phone isn't all that reliable, plus when you are abroad it would cost a fortune to use a app to track my run, so the Garmin Forerunner 10 seems like a great entry level GPS watch perfect for my current needs.

So that is everything! Can you tell I like pink much? Such a stereotype... Anyway, what is on your current money is no object wish list?

50 pounds lost

Like I do every year, I made the new year’s resolution to lose some weight, but unlike most other years I have managed to actually stick to it and I’m still going strong today for a total loss of 50 pounds.

I've gone from a dress size 14-16 (UK) to a 10, losing 6 inches on my waist, 8 inches on my hips, 6 inches off my chest (which is the only downside!) 5.5 inches from each leg and 1.5 inches from my arms.

I originally started by joining Weight Watchers, then over the months after reading lots of different sites I educated myself and started cooking all my own meals and trying out lots of different workouts until I had found the ones I am happiest with.

After lots of trial and error I pretty much just follow the clean eating lifestyle, with a few naughty treats thrown in there as I find this the most sustainable and successful. The weight loss has been slow but it’s been consistent, I have lots of friends who have tried fad diets with great success at the start, but they just aren’t easy to keep up and the weight is put straight back on again.

I now feel a lot healthier and confident in my own skin, although I have to admit I don’t think I will ever be completely happy with the way I look, and I’m sure most girls can relate.
I’m also so happy that I’ve learnt how to cook myself delicious and nutritious food, I could cook before but wasn’t particularly good or creative and quite often resorted to ready meals.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Left, taken in January, Right, taken at the end of August[/caption]

I’m also incredibly happy I have found workouts that I love, and genuinely can’t imagine my life without running or pole dancing in it. Both have made me great new friends, and running especially has really helped with my mental state. If I have a bad day at work all I need to do is go for a nice run and I feel like I’m stomping out all my pent up rage and by the end of it I’m happy and relaxed with a clear mind.
It’s also nice to have something to focus on outside of work, I’m sure a lot of people can relate, in a typical job you don’t get promoted every day so it’s often quite hard to feel a sense of achievement, but getting a new PB at running or nailing a move you have been working on for ages makes me feel like a superstar and happens a lot more regularly than a promotion.
Let’s not forget about the races and the shows, you spend weeks training for them, get incredibly nervous beforehand, have a fabulous time during and feel such a sense of accomplishment afterwards, not to mention the admiration from others, that never fails to boost my ego a bit.

My aim is to lose another 7 pounds (the goal I set at the start of the year) and see where I want to go from there. I will probably want to be slimmer but I think it will definitely be time to give my body a bit of a break, maybe I’ll even start eating at a calories surplus for a while in a attempt to build muscle, but I will do more research into this before starting anything.

I know this post is quite narcasstic, but 50 pounds is a lot (to me) and I have worked so hard to lose the weight that I just want to share it with people and hopefully encourage people who think they can’t do it. You can, I promise you just need to make slow gradual changes, don’t just starve yourself, cut out carbs, live off liquids or whatever other faddy diet is in. Also take it slow with the workouts too, you may have the best of intentions running 5 times a week or going to the gym every day but chances are you will either get a injury from doing to much too soon or get bored very quickly and give it all up.
Try out loads of classes and activities and decide which one you like best, you may find you are a gym bunny, or you prefer running outdoors, or you’re even an adventurer who gets into hiking and rock climbing, you will never know unless you give it a go!

Please feel free to ask me any questions, if I get enough I might actually do a blog post on them, although chances are I won’t so I’ll just reply individually....

My first run in the rain

I started running in May, and because of poor shoe choices leading to constant injuries I was only running once a week, generally at the weekend and was lucky enough to avoid the worst of the rain. Fast forward to today and I am running 3-4 times a week, it's turning dark and miserable and unfortunately we are having a very wet Autumn, but I had managed to avoid the most of the rain, until Friday.

On Fridays I love going to Costa, grabbing a coffee and celebrating the end of the week with a nice relaxing run. The skies had been lovely and clear all day until the moment I stepped out of Costa with my skinny iced hazelnut latte when the downpour started.
It started off light so I was hopeful that by the time I got off the tube the rain would've stopped, but of course that wasn't the case. Walking up from the underground all I could see was dark grey skies and rain. Not just any rain, but huge great big drops and I knew that it wasn't going to let up any time soon, but I had already had my coffee (I only treat myself to coffee if I'm going to run) so I was committed to this run, that and I knew I had to get used to running in the rain as the weather is only going to get worse from now, no fair weather runner here!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="650"] A bit damp after the run...[/caption]

I went home, got changed, had bit of a panic over what to wear as I don't actually have any water resistant clothes, settled on a pair of long tights and a long sleeve top, grabbed the dog and was out the door before I had a chance to talk myself out of it.

I'm using the Zombies, Run! app still and it informed me after 4 minutes that I had done my first km, seems the rain completely threw off the GPS! Apart from that hiccup at the start the rest of the run was actually pretty easy going at a leisurely pace and managed 7.91km in 48 minutes according to zombies, but I think it was more around the 7km mark.

The rain definitely adds to the zombie apocalypse atmosphere of the app, but it also made me feel a bit epic and Rocky-esque. It also helped keep me cool and I'm very glad I didn't accept the offer of borrowing my mums waterproof jacket because it was heavy and I would've been drenched not just with the rain but with sweat.

The downsides to running in the rain is stepping in the massive ankle deep that made my last 1/4 of the run a bit uncomfortable, being cold when you get in from the run, soggy knickers and of course having to wash my hair! I also had a lot of issues with my glasses fogging up and having to wipe the rain off them every so often, so if any other glasses wearers out there have any tips for me they would be hugely appreciated.

The first run in the rain is done, I have a water resistant running jacket on it's way in the post to me so bring on all the bad weather! Let me know about your first run in the rain experiences and if you enjoyed it.

Getting back on the pole!

Besides running, my favourite form of exercise is one that can be seen as quite controversial, it is pole dancing.

I started pole dancing in February of this year with a 6 week beginner course and fell in love. After that I continued on to level 2, which was once again a 6 week course.
My instructor doesn’t run courses over the summer holidays, probably due to the fact that so many people go away and would miss lessons, which is a smart idea but meant over the course of the summer holidays I didn’t have a pole course to attend.
I had the occasional private lesson and did a aerial hoop course to keep me going but it just wasn’t the same.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Gemini[/caption]

Last night was the first lesson of my new course, level 3, and it was absolutely amazing.
I managed to nail every move and even got a move that I have been struggling with (the Teddy) for 3 months on the first attempt last night which left me feeling awesome.

I think the break definitely helped because everything just seemed to click and I felt a lot more comfortable in the moves.
It was also lovely seeing my friends from the previous course, I love running by myself but sometimes it is great to work out with others, not to mention more motivating!

For anyone who is thinking of trying pole dancing as a workout I would definitely encourage you to try out. It is great for women and men, of all shapes and sizes, I hear all the time about women wanting to get a bit stronger/slimmer before they go, there is no need for that, you will get strong through pole and will have a great time doing it. It has also given me a ton of confidence, before pole I don’t think I would have ever been comfortable prancing around in a sports bra and hot pants, now it doesn’t faze me in the slightest because no one is judgemental and it’s such a supportive group of people.

I might do weekly posts on my classes if people are interested about hearing them? Such as what moves I’ve struggled with and which ones I’ve mastered, after all, sharing is caring!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="650"] Cocoon[/caption]

Review - Zombies, Run! 5K Training

On Sunday the 8^th of September I did it, I finished the last mission on the Zombies, Run! 5K training app, and I know a 5K to most is not a huge distance, but I couldn’t be prouder of myself.

For those of you who don’ know what the Zombie 5K training app, it is like a typical 8 week couch to 5k training style app, but with the addition of a zombie story line.

You take the role of runner number 5, who is training to be a runner (someone who fetches supplies from the fields) for Abel, one of the surviving towns of the zombie apocalypse, but things aren’t always as smooth as they seem, not only are you up against the zombies, it seems that there is a bit of foul play within the camp.

The story is told to you through a variety of different characters, all with great voice actors, played at regular intervals over your music, but it’s not constant throughout the whole run. The story definitely adds more interest to the run and I found it quite motivating at getting me out the house as I wanted to hear the next part of the story.

As for the training itself, I much prefer it to the very popular C25K app I have tried previously. C25k has you go from running 8 minutes nonstop one week, to 20 minutes nonstop the next week. I know a lot of people have had a huge success with C25K but I found that jump very difficult, I couldn’t do it and was very discouraged from running again, where as the progression in Zombie 5K felt very natural and although each week was a challenge, I didn’t ever feel like I couldn’t do it.
The training is also a little more varied and will have you doing squats, heel raises and skipping halfway through the runs to help strengthen your legs, I may have felt a bit like a idiot squatting in the middle of the forest hoping no dog walkers passed by, but I definitely felt the benefits and it kept me on my toes!

I could not recommend this app more to new runners. It is fun, the progress feels natural and it is rewarding. After seeing me come home so happy after running my mum has actually downloaded the app and started it without telling me and is also enjoying it, my mum who is a bit overweight and hasn’t done any exercise since she was 21 is up and out running with our dog! If that doesn’t show that it’s for everyone, including complete beginners I don’t know what else will.

One tiny niggle is that the final mission, where you run 5k doesn’t actually tell you when you have run the 5k, it’s just a timed mission so I ended up running 7.5km in 51 minutes, which I was quite happy with, but I would’ve liked to have prompts letting me know the distance I had run/had left.

You can also track your progress via Zombie Link on your computer. It is a site that stores all your runs, including pace, time and distance, as well as a map of your run.

All of this for £1.99 making this, in my opinion, the perfect beginners running training app.

Review - Yurbuds

Yurbuds are ear buds designed specifically for the athletic market and with their unique twist lock method, they claim to ‘never fall out’ which is a pretty bold statement to make. 
I have quite large ears (thanks dad) so find that most headphones fall out on me even if I am just sitting, so trying to find a pair of headphones for running was a nightmare, I used to have to use overhead ones for working out which are horrible and make you sweat, until I got myself a pair of Yurbuds!

 

 

 

I went for the pink (obviously) Inspire for Women model. They also do the inspire range for men, as well as some behind the ear models, but I find them quite uncomfortable.

 

I have been using my pair for about a month now and thought I should share with you what I think because I have been so impressed.
So do they never fall out? Well yes and no. On my right ear it works amazingly well, but I will admit on my left ear it does fall out. This is down to the fact that I have a rook piercing which when I run moves around and knocks out the ear bud, very annoying. If I take my piercing out though it works fine, I just thought it would be worthwhile to share that with you in case you have any piercings too. On my right ear I have a tragus piercing and it isn’t irritated at all by the ear bud.

 

The sound, to my unprofessional ears, is of great quality, and yurbuds have been designed so that you can still hear environmental noises around you. This is great for me and any other runner who runs outside to still be able to hear any traffic, or as I run in the forest, if my dog is trying to call for me.

 

The headphones are also sweat and water resistant, another huge plus for anyone who is using them to work out. They are definitely a lot more comfortable then any other ear buds I have tried and I really like my yurbuds. If you are a very active person you should definitely check these out, best of all, they come in a great variety of colours too.

Workout Clothing Haul

Today I went to Westfield Stratford with my mum for a spot of shopping.

Our first stop was SweatShop, a specialist running shop.

My mum got fitted for a pair of running shoes as she has recently started running after seeing the positive effect it has had on me, I'm so proud of her for starting!

She is fairly neutral so settled for some Asics Cumulus which I think are very cute and I'm so jealous that they are purple, they make my running shoes look so ugly in comparison! 
Whilst being fitted for shoes the sales assistant also custom made my mum some insoles, this is something they obviously have to push on every customer who is fitted for shoes, but my mum actually really liked the insoles and purchased them too.
The selection of running shoes in SweatShop is amazing, and I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't go there for my first pair of running shoes as they had a great variety of brands and a lot of very pretty shoes (pink and purple)! My current shoes I got in the Asics sale and they are white, yellow and blue. Not very me but I really should stop complaining about them because they fit and perform so well for me.

Obviously I had to get myself something, and what with the weather starting to turn cold I decided to pick up some running tights because I don't actually own any that fit (the downside to loosing weight). 
These are Adidas and they are incredibly comfortable. They have zips at the bottom near the ankle and a small pocket at the back. They where £35 which I think is a decent price as they seem great quality and are very comfortable. 

The last item I got in SweatShop was a Shock Absorber sports bra. Sports bras are pretty much a necessity and are self explanatory, but as I mentioned earlier I have lost a bit of weight so my bra size has changed which means I have to buy new ones.
I've heard great things about Shock Absorber bras so can't wait to try it out!

Next up we went to Forever 21 who have recently added a active wear range that is very cute and affordable so I decided to check out.

I picked up these leggings which I am absolutely in love with and think they look so cute.
I am a huge mint fan so the colour really appeals to me. They had plenty of other colours too such as coral and blue, but the size selection in the shop wasn't amazing.
Once again they has a small zip pocket on the back, but the quality of the material is not as high as the Adidas ones I purchased, but I really can't complain for £18.75.
One thing that does slightly concern me about these leggings is that I am worried the seams might rub, especially seeing as the coloured stripe goes across my knee, but we will see after my first run in them!
Another word of warning, these run quite small. I'm a size 10-12 (the Adidas ones are a size 10) and these are a medium and feel smaller and tighter than the Adidas pair.

My mum picked up these pair for herself. They are the same material as my pair but have a nice thick waist band and pockets at the side and where £18.75, not a bad price and the quality seems decent.

So overall quite a successful shopping trip. I regret not picking up a waterproof jacket whilst I was out but hey, you live and you learn!

Speaking of living and learning, apologies for the pictures, I promise next time I will actually put on shoes, maybe some make up, learn how to pose and not take them next to the clothes horse which makes my garden look like a junk yard, it's not I promise! 

Welcome to my blog.

 

Hello, my name is Kelsey and this is my blog.

I previously had a blog called Burnt Cookie, but that was my blog when I was 22, and I’m 23 now and have become much more sophisticated and have outgrown Burnt Cookie.

That’s bit of a lie, but I do feel my direction in life has changed recently, so I decided to start fresh with a new blog.

Running on coffee might sound like this blog will be about someone who is very busy and run down who has to survive on coffee to make it through the day, well that is kind of the case, but what I really mean by the title Running on Coffee is that my favourite types of runs are the ones I’ve had after a lovely coffee. That’s right; this is going to be yet another running/fitness blog with the occasional coffee post thrown in for fun.

Me in my finest running gear. Can you tell I like pink?

I’m still quite new to fitness; I started getting into it more seriously in January as one of my new year’s resolutions. Unlike all the other years I have made resolutions, I have managed to stick to mine this year and have so far lost over 47 pounds, ran/jogged/crawled my first 5k, tried a million exercise classes and learnt how to cook.

I’ll be sharing my journey with you as a fitness n00b and my success, and more often my failures.

Oh, and I don’t really drink that much coffee, maybe one cup a week to keep it a naughty treat.