Half Marathon Training - Week 3

Another week where I aim for four runs and only end up with three. I had a run planned for Sunday, but by the end of my show rehearsals I felt way too exhausted to even get dressed for the run. I've been light headed all day so I'm very glad I listened to my body and didn't go for a run!
I've also been trying commuter running of sorts. To get home from work I have to get a underground train and a overground train. I often have to wait 15 minutes for the overground train so I decided instead of waiting for the train, a few times a week I will just run from the station. So far so good, but expect a more detailed post on it soon!

Monday - Run 1. Distance - 4.31km Time - 28.53 Pace - 6:41
This was my first run home from the station. Despite the hordes of people on the high street it went quite quickly and I was home before I even knew it so I added on another KM.

Tuesday - Crossfit. Strength training was push press, max weight for 3 reps, skill was pistol squats and WOD was a ladder of pull ups and kettle bell lunges.

Wednesday - Run 2. Distance - 5.35km Time - 36:18 Pace - 6:47
Second run commute. Got stuck at more traffic lights than my first run so it didn't flow as nicely. My quads where also in agony after Tuesday's cross fit class, I probably should've taken this day as a rest day.

Thursday - Pole dancing class.

Friday - Rest day.

Saturday - Run 3. Distance - 10km Time - 1:08:36 Pace - 6:52
This was the Spooky Sprint, my first 10k race! Expect a full race report soon.

Sunday - Show rehearsals.

Week total distance - 19.66km
Weeks until half marathon - 17

Next week is my show as well and I am working at comic con on Sunday so running is having to take a back seat next week which sucks.

If you didn't know, I am training for the Brighton half marathon in February and I am running it on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Support. If you would like to sponsor me you can do so here, it would mean the world to me!

Review - BIC Bands

If you saw my through the postbox post you may have seen that I finally got myself some very gorgeous BIC bands.

For those of you who haven't heard of BIC Bands, they are very cute and fashionable non-slip headbands designed by runners for runners. BIC actually stands for because I can, which I think straight away gives away the companies ethos.

I picked up the pink sparkle, the purple sparkle and the pink chevron. The purple sparkle was actually a present for my mum and she loves it.
Personally I think the sparkle headbands are BIC Bands best product. It sounds silly but I just feel like they add a little touch of glamour to a running outfit, and it's a great way to add a bit of personality to a running outfit which can be a bit on the boring side. The printed BIC Bands are lovely too, and they have so many fun designs but it is the sparkle ones that really stand out to me and I'm looking to purchase more of the different colours in the future.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Pink Chevron BIC Band[/caption]

Performance wise, they do everything they say on the tin. Before BIC bands I used a Sweaty Betty Band that had a rubberised part on the inside and thought that worked well enough, despite the fact that I would have to re arrange it every 20 minutes or so. With BIC Bands they have a velveteen inside part and I find these bands do not budge AT ALL during a run which is great because I am a tad uncoordinated so trying to run and adjust a hairband at the same time isn't always the easiest task...
The bands also come in three different sizes, so if you have ever had problems with headbands being too tight or loose BIC Bands will have a size to fit you.

If you aren't completely sold yet on BIC Bands, then here are a couple more points.
The bands are made in America so you know the workers are being paid a fair wage and every month BIC Bands choose a different charity and part of every sale gets donated to that charity, lovely.

The bands range in cost from around £5.50 to £10 which is a fair price, my Sweaty Betty rubberised headband cost £8 but doesn't perform as well. One thing to note though is shipping is from America, so if you are UK based like me this will bump up the costs, and be warned, I got stung with customs charges making each of the band I ordered around the £15 mark, which is a fair bit so if you have quite a few runner friends consider doing a group order so you can split the cost of customs and postage.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Matching my fuchsia pink BIC Band to my top![/caption]

This probably sounds like a gushing love letter to BIC Bands, which I apologise for, but I just love it when a product performs so well and looks so cute! I am waiting to see what they have in store with Christmas designs and then I will definitely be looking to make my next purchase... ALL THE SPARKLES!

Half Marathon Training - Week 2

Here we have it, week two of my half marathon training! I've decided to add in what other workouts I do in the week as well as an attempt to look less lazy...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Trying to show off my sparkly BIC Band, it matches my top![/caption]

Monday - Rest day. I had originally planned to go for a run on this day, but my boyfriend called me up at 4pm and asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner in the city, we never go for dinner together so I jumped on the offer!

Tuesday - Crossfit. We practised the olympic lift, clean and snatch, as well as the usual squats etc.

Wednesday - Run 1. Distance - 6.28km Time - 46:36 Pace - 7:25
I ran this with Phoebe. This is one of those runs that feel slow and sluggish. My music playlist wasn't working well for me either, it kept throwing up slow pop song after pop song. I love a bit of pop but it just wasn't motivating me today.

Thursday - Rest day

Friday - Private aerial hoop/pole lesson. Lovely lesson, just me and my instructor. Haven't done hoop for about a month, nice to see how much stronger I've got. Attempted the front drop for the first time, that was nerves wrecking!

Saturday - Run 2. Distance - 7.46km Time - 50.68 Pace - 6.51
This was meant to be my long run, I was aiming for 12km. It started off really well, the weather was great and I felt relatively at ease. I managed to do my first 5k in 32:40 which I was so happy with, it's my fastest 5k to date.
The first 5k was run all in the forest, most of which was lovely. There is a nice flat field in which you see a lot of dog walkers and I like to do a couple of laps around before heading to the streets. I'm not the only runner who seems to like that spot it seems, I ended up behind a slightly older man, he was going slow so I overtook him, only for him to decide to sprint past me then slow back down in front of me, he also shouted at a dog walker for letting the dog get in his way so I didn't fancy trying to overtake him again, some people seriously! Anyway, the 5k was completed, I was feeling great, then all of a sudden I got the worst pain in the right side of my stomach. The pain was so bad I thought I was going to be sick. I slowed down to a walk but I could feel that I was staggering, I must've look like I was drunk. It hurt so much I actually had to call my mum and ask her to pick me up because I couldn't physically move for the pain. It lasted for a couple of hours and then went. Has anyone experienced anything like that before? It sucks I couldn't get my distance, but at least my 5k time made me feel better.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Finally got to try out my new water resistant running jacket![/caption]

Sunday - Pole show rehearsals. Run 3. Distance 5.01km Time 33:00 Pace 6.35
It was absolutely pouring down with rain but Phoebe dog needed to be walked so we went for a run. I got to the 2km mark and realised my timing was as good as my previous run, despite all the hills I was running which made me feel awesome. This run was lovely, it felt easy and I felt strong when running despite the rain and all the good tracks on my playlist got played. Felt great afterwards, albeit a bit soggy. Does anyone else like running in the rain as much as I do?

Week total distance - 18.75
Weeks until half marathon - 18

So another week over, another week of not meeting goals which is annoying, but you can't help injury I suppose! I have a new plan for next week, I am going to try running home from the overground station after work so I will let you know how that goes and whether or not I can stand a backpack slamming up and down against my back....

Music Monday's - Dirty Grunger Edition

I have seen this type of post on a lot of different blogs, so like the lemming I am, I thought it would be fun to give it a go.

Each Monday I will bring you a selection of songs that are on my running playlist right now. This week I will be starting with what I like to call the dirty granger edition.

Originally I couldn’t workout to anything other than screaming men with lots of guitar and drums in my ears. Luckily I have moved past that, but I still like a good bit of rock for running, and here are three of my favourites that bring me right back to the teenage angst I felt at 15:

Disturbed – Down with the Sickness

Disturbed is actually a band my boyfriend introduced me to at 16, and this is the song that always played on metal nights at the uni club we went to.
The opening to the Miss Pole Australia 2012 was performed to this song, and it was such a sexy, kick arse routine that whenever I hear this track when I’m running I get really pumped up and think of all the awesome pole routines I can create. This song just get's me pumped every time I hear it, I love it, come on get down with the sickness! 

System of a Down – Chop Suey

This song is more from when I was a 14 year old emo, I remember thinking S.O.A.D wern’t dark enough, what a twat I was! Now I’m a bit older I love them. The reason I chose this track from my running playlist is because I love the changing tempos in this song, it definitely keeps me on my toes. It's also a song I really enjoy singing along to, no idea why. 

Slipknot – People = Shit

Sorry for the explicitness of this track, but it just had to feature.
This is the perfect song for when you have had a really terrible day at work. It’s a very angry song, but very therapeutic. I must look like a lunatic when I run to this because I nod along, agreeing that yes, people equal shit and fist pumping the air as I feel all my trouble escape. 
Once the track is finished I often feel a lot better as I’ve worked out all my anger issues and I’m fresh and ready to tackle whatever tomorrow brings. Make sure to follow this song with some cheesy pop though, too much rage can leave you feeling more angry than when you started.

That’s this week’s picks! Is anyone else a big metal/rock fan? Let’s hope that tonight’s run isn’t one that needs lots of Slipknot, if you know what I mean...

Half Marathon Training - Week 1

I'm going to post weekly my half marathon training progress. I think it will be lovely to read back in future years when I've got 600 marathons under my belt (yeah right!) to see where it all began, and hopefully someone will find it interesting to read!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="536"] My dog Phoebe![/caption]

So this week the aim was to run 3-4 times with one of those runs being a long run of 11km. This is how it panned out:

Run 1, Tuesday - Distance: 4.83km Time: 34:27 Pace: 7:08
I didn't intend for this to be a long run as I had to go to my nans house afterwards to sort out my car insurance, but I would've liked to have kept going for a couple of km.
I was out running with my dog on the streets, she had a poo at the beginning of the run, fine it was expected, I had a baggie so I picked it up and binned it, but towards the end of the run I could see her circling the grass verges. I didn't have another baggie though, but luckily I was pretty close to my house so I sprinted back and dragged her into my garden for her to do her business, cutting my run short in the process which is a shame because the run felt quite easy and it was going well.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Wearing my pink chevron BIC band, it makes me quicker![/caption]

Run 2, Saturday - Distance: 10.19km Time: 1:11 Pace: 7:00
This was my long run that I planned to do, but I didn't reach the 11km I wanted.
The run itself I really enjoyed. I did 5km in the forest and the rest on the streets. This was one of those runs where I was really able to switch off and get in the zone, and after the first 15 minutes I really relaxed into and it felt easy.
I was a little bit slower than my previous 10km, which is fine because I had to stop and tie a shoe laces, wait ages to cross some roads and all that usual malarky. It was also the first run I tried a gel on, which took me forever to open. I tried a black current Sis gel because they can supposedly be taken without water as they're a bit thinner. Why did no one warn me how disgusting these things are? I really wish I did have some water to wash the bad taste out.
I only started to get tired after 9km, it hit me really suddenly and I think I could've kept going to my 11km goal if I pushed myself, but I made the mistake of passing my house on my route so I just gave up which I'm very annoyed at myself about. Other than that it was a very enjoyable run.

Run 3, Sunday - Distance: 2km Time: 15:04 Pace: 7:32
This run was pathetic really. It was supposed to be a gentle 5km with my dog in the forest. My dog kept stoping to sniff things which meant me constantly stopping, back tracking and calling my dog which was just throwing me completely off, it's so much harder to keep stopping and starting than it is to be consistent!
I had also done a hour pole show rehearsals before going on this run so I think I was just generally tired anyway, it just definitely wasn't my day so I called it quits and slowed to a walk. I continued to walk for another 3km in the forest with my dog letting her sniff things to her hearts content.

So there we have it, overall a pretty awful week. I will just have to brush it off and try harder next week. I'm quite disappointed in myself, but as someone on twitter said to me, I'm still doing a lot more than most people, so I shouldn't be so hard on myself.

Week total distance: 17.02km
Weeks until half marathon: 19

I'm running the Brighton half marathon on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Support. If you would like to sponsor me you can do so here.

Through the Postbox

One thing I really enjoy seeing on other blogs is what they have purchased or received in the post, although it normally ends up making me want to purchase stuff I don't need... Anyway, I enjoy other peoples posts so much I've decided to do my own! So here is what has come through my postbox in the past month or so.

First up is some running gels. If you read my blog regularly you may have seen that I've signed up for my first half marathon. Lots of reading has shown me that I need some sort of fuel for my longer runs and that these should be tested out in advance to avoid getting the runs on your run (sorry poor taste I know!) so I opted for a selection of flavours and brands to see which ones work for me.

 

Next up is some BIC Bands. BIC Bands are non slip headbands designed by runners for runners. I originally saw these on Skinny Runner's blog and thought they looked amazing. I love the selection they have and it definitely adds a feminine touch to my running outfit.
The purple one is a gift for my mum who recently started running so I can show her how proud I am of her. Her trainers are purple so I got the purple band to match and hopefully encourage her to keep it up.

 

A few weeks ago I had my first run in heavy rain. As much as I found it fun, I got soaked and definitely wasn't prepared so I ordered this Nike Cyclone water resistant jacket. When it arrived I was so impressed at how stylish it looks on, the middle panel is actually see through and it's pink! Although obviously since I got it it hasn't rained since...

 

 

Chobani where kind enough to send me a box of their yoghurt to try in their new 4 packs. Chobani is massive on the health/fitness blogging scene at the moment, but in case you haven't come across it before, it's Greek yoghurt. They have a original plain flavour, and also flavoured varieties, the majority of which are fat free The strawberry one was my favourite by far, but they where all delicious too. I've seen in the US they have a coconut flavour, I can't wait for that one to make it's way over here!

 Lastly we have some protein from MyProtein. They had a offer on (they always run offers so you are best off waiting for a good one before ordering) so I placed a large order for my boyfriend and I. 
The very large bag at the back is 5kg of unflavoured protein for my boyfriend, then the three bags at the front are mine. I got the 250g pouches in strawberry, chocolate mint and cookie dough. I prefer the smaller size pouches because they are cheap and I prefer to have a variety of flavours rather than having to stick to one and getting bored to death of it.

So there we have it, the first through the postbox post. Let me know what you think and if you like these types of posts, and if like me they encourage you to spend money when you really shouldn't!

I've Entered My First Half Marathon!

Having barely conquered the 10km distance (I’ve run it once), I thought it would be a brilliant idea to sign up for a half marathon.

I did a little bit of research over which one to go for, my requirements being a relatively flat course, nice scenery and at a location where I wanted to visit, which has led me to the Brighton half marathon in February!

I am running on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Support (you can sponsor me here if you would like :) ) and I’m really happy that my first half marathon is for charity. There is very little I can do in my day to day job to help people, so if I can train myself to run and get people to sponsor me for it, than that’s even better!

I have roughly 19 weeks to go from running 10km to running 21km, which I am hoping is enough time. My little cobbled together plan is to have one long run on the weekend, adding a km to my distance each week, with 3 shorter (4-10km) in the week. One of the shorter runs I will be using the Zombie chases on the Zombies, Run! App, my version of speed work. Basically in the app it will tell you at random points that zombies are chasing you and you will need to increase your speed by 20% to get away from them. The other two runs in the week will either be hard or easy, depending on how I feel. Hopefully this will get me to my target!

I’ve already booked my hotel, planned what restaurants I want to go for my post race lunch, post race dessert and post race dinner, can you tell I’m more than a bit excited?

Next up is to try and figure out this whole fuelling thing, with the gels and the chews etc. This should be interesting to say the least...

I’ll be blogging about my half marathon training, so if you’re after laughing at someone’s failures, because I’m sure there will be many of them, then stay tuned!

And if you have any hints/tips they would be very welcome, thank you!

Oh and one last not, my goal is to be able to run it in 2 hours and 40 minutes!