Archives for April 2019

Category: Events

Volunteering at the VLM

I wrote a blog post previously about he job of an event marshall, which you can read here. This post is not too dissimilar but focuses on the Virgin London Marathon in particular, though applies in the same context to any event. So many people say they’d love to volunteer and you can and should!

There are a total of approximately 6,000 volunteers at the marathon including the start, finish and on course with varying responsibilities. Events like these rely on volunteers.

So at the weekend the Virgin London Marathon took place. Where you there? Did you run? Where you a volunteer? Where you on the streets somewhere cheering for the participants? Even watching from home I personally find this event such an emotional one.

I have volunteered for four years now on the water station at mile 23. This water station is managed by one of my best friends Laura and is the best one (I am biased but it really is). I should also point out Laura has done this for around 15 years! So it was a bit of a surprise this year when we found that they had removed it from the course. We were offered to volunteer at the Lucozade gel/jelly bean station, which is a dual hub and runners pass it at both mile 14 and mile 22.

It was sticky!

I have described the experience to many as bipolar. I do not mean any offence by this and I am aware this is probably a terrible way to explain it but those that have taken part get what I am trying to explain. So what do I mean by that? Well it is a complete roller coaster of emotions. You will be inspired, elated for people, happy, want and do hug people, offer help to those who might be in a worse state than they had planned and want to cry at those who go past in floods of tears.

BUT…

It is an experience I would recommend to everyone. The atmosphere is second to none!

So what does the typical volunteer day look like? Well you get the option of two different shifts being an early 9am-3pm shift or a late 12pm to 5pm shift (though this may vary on other volunteer spots). I go in early to help Laura so we were on the train heading into London just after 6am. To the volunteer spot and help set up. This involves opening crates of boxes filled with gels and jelly beans, setting up tables with a mix of each and taking you position to hand out to the runners as they pass.

The day starts with the wheelchair participants, participants with disabilities, elite women, elite men and then the masses. The wheelchair participants never take anything though you do have to be ready just in case. The same can be said for the elites. When the first runners come through they are rapid! So rapid that they can take a gel/water etc from you and you feel like you’ve been pushed as they go past at such pace! This does mean, however, that some don’t get taken quite right and end up on the floor instead.

Once the masses start coming through the hours fly! You are so focused on getting the gels etc to them as they hold their hands out that you are none stop, cheering as you go, shouting out encouragement and calling names of those who have them on their tops.

You will also see people you know and that is amazing especially if you get to hand them a gel or water.

As the day goes on you move from those who complete the event in spectacular times to those who are struggling. This is not a surprise – 26.2 miles is a bloody long way! Then the sweeper vans come and then the roads open and participants who wish to finish are asked to move to the pavements to do so. These are the people who are hurting. They are doing it for lost loved ones. They might be injured. But they are determined. And they are the ones who really need the encouragement and it is heart breaking as the crowds that were hard to move through slowly disappear. This is when you need to go home but you can’t because someone needs to cheer them on!

There is of course the clear up operation but that is fine and once the road closures open the tidy up job is actually an impressive precision operation!

The day is, as I said, a complete roller coaster of emotions. It is an early start. It is hard work, really hard work. Don’t turn up if you are not willing to put in some hard graft for the day. You really earn your beer! But as I said it is an amazing experience and I will be back for more next year!

Category: Fitness

You Can Do It – Put Your Back In To It

They say you can do it if you put your back in to it but at the moment I am having issues with my back so that saying is not for me right now, but what can I do to change that?

I have had a bike fit but recently I have been having real issues with my lower back when cycling. Tingling even to the point of numbness. Not a terrible pain to stop me in my tracks but more of a dull ache that is uncomfortable and causes me to shift around in the saddle hoping the change in position helps.

So what could be causing it? According to British Cycling there is no one issue but it could be related to poor mobility, conditioning or bike set up. They have some great routines I have started doing for both:

Both of the above take just over 15 minutes in total so should be easy for me to include in my training and hopefully see some good benefits.

I have also found some great cycling specific yoga sessions online, including this one from GCN.

As I said I have had a bike fit and the set up on my bike is comfortable so I have spoken to some people around me who are more knowledgeable on the subject.

I have changed my training schedule and replaced my previous gym sessions with CrossFit, which I love and is great but I perhaps need to focus more on my core. A physio I know suggested that the tingling and numbness would indicate it could be nerve related so I will be investigating that further with them.

Back issues on the bike are often related to a weak core and therefore improving core strength can see massive benefits. So what sort of exercises does that include? Things like:

glute bridges
planking – all variations including forearm, straight arm, with a leg lift, side plank and adapting to include the thread the needle exercise too
tabletop leg press
lying lateral leg lifts
cat/cow
supermans
scissor kicks
boat pose
single leg crunches
kettlebell swings
deadlifts
bent over rows

Back pain when cycling is also the biggest issue for most cyclists and according to Cycling Weekly:

‘Given how hard your legs work on the bike, it’s natural to assume that when an overuse injury strikes, it’s your knees that will be most vulnerable. Surprisingly however, the research says otherwise. It seems the biggest culprit is not knee pain in cyclists – it’s lower back pain.’

It can also arise from pushing big gears, especially when climbing, and anyone who has cycled with me knows that I am guilty of this and it is a running joke to shout cadence as my husband does to remind me of this very fact!

Cycling Tips have an article on lower back pain when cycling and their finishing quote just about sums me up. So many people say will you stop cycling after an accident or injury – absolutely not!

‘Unless you want to swap your road bike for something with a bell and a basket, you need to be able to tolerate a forward-flexed position. The exercises described above are designed to help you achieve that position for longer and with less discomfort. They’ll also help you improve your performance on the bike. Outstanding.’

So watch this space and I will let you know how I get on and if you’ve experienced something similar get in touch and share your tips please and thank you!

Category: Product Reviews

Hello Fresh

Back in June last year I completed a trial of Hello Fresh for Healthy Living London. You can read the review here.

I was sceptical. If I am honest I was thinking it would take some convincing for me to be converted. Why was I sceptical? I am a self confessed food snob and I was worried the food would not be fresh and it would be boring recipes that I would soon get bored of. But I was happy to be proved wrong

Following the two week trial I was really impressed! I even purchased the cookbook for my grandparents. I then signed up to continue with the meals and over eight months later I am still a fan.

I like being able to choose in advance what I want to have for upcoming weeks and that I can put on hold if I am on holiday and resume once back.

I found I got stuck in a rut before using Hello Fresh where I would be so busy with full time work and training alongside a family including a dog and often settle for a bagel for dinner and wonder why I woke the following morning wanting to eat everything in sight.

I genuinely haven’t had a bad meal since subscribing to Hello Fresh. I have had an item missing and phoned and the customer service was great – very apologetic, credit added to my account that is then taken off future orders and sorted quickly. For a period I did notice the portion size of the fish and sweet potatoes seemed to be getting smaller plus carrots seemed to be quite bendy but I provided some feedback and haven’t had a problem since.

It works perfectly for me and my family. I have a husband, son, dog, full time job and train at least four times per week. Being able to open the fridge and simply pull out a bag with everything I need and follow a clearly laid out recipe card step by step is a saving grace. My husband and son also don’t eat meat and that has not caused a problem either – we always ate more fish than meat anyway but found the recipes easy to adapt and if I picked a meat one could almost always divide and do him a portion with some fish I would buy or vice versa.

All of the meals are created by the Hello Fresh chefs and nutritionists so I know what I am eating is good for me. I don’t need to worry about portion size as you pre determine how many people you are cooking for. It also keeps it interesting – in the time I have been having these meals I have not yet had the same one twice.

And all the packaging is recyclable and the bags and boxes come with cute little messages encouraging you to do just that and recycle them.

If you are tempted check out the website here and if you use the code LISATHA you get £20 off your first box too!

The only person I couldn’t convince was my step dad. He said he is not keen on all that origami they sprinkle over everything – I think he meant oregano ha ha!

Category: Cycling

Sore downstairs? Yep I am going there!

Sensitive subject I know and a real pain in the arse (excuse the bad uncle jokes) but yes I am really going there. It is a cycling truth for many so lets talk about saddle sore!

I can’t talk on behalf of the men out there (though my husband assures me this is an issue for men also – sorry husband) but will be coming at this from a woman’s perspective (and I should note that this is based on my cycling experience and as with most things others may identify and some may not) and I think those reading this will probably fall into the following three camps:

don’t cycle and are thinking seriously she is actually talking about this, what is wrong with her?
totally get it and are thinking please let me in on the secret of never getting saddle sore again (spoiler alert is that I don’t have this and am looking for it myself)!
cycle and have no issue (b*stards the lot of you – spoken with pure jealousy as I do not fall into this camp but wish I did)

So what is saddle sore? Well basically it is what it says on the tin, a sore undercarriage which is an uncomfortable by-product of cycling in different areas for most but from where your body comes into contact, or consistent pressure, with the saddle when riding.

There was an article in much of the news last week about para-cyclist, Hannah Dines, who revealed that she had undergone surgery after years of cycling caused swelling to her vulva.

I realise this is an extreme and the example is not in any way intended to scare monger but shows that this issue can range from slight soreness to much more serious consequences.

So what can be done to help? There are several things actually:

saddles – a good saddle can make all the difference and a good supplier will also offer a saddle fit as part of the service to ensure you are getting a saddle that will suit you. I recently purchased the Specialized Mimic saddle following a recommendation from a friend and the concept store in Chelmsford offer a fit as part of the service and you can use the saddle for 30 days to make sure it suits you.
go commando – this was one when I was first told that I wondered if I was being wound up but it is true with padded shorts there is no need for underwear so take those knickers off as it can cause friction and chaffing.
padded shorts – I don’t cycle without these, for comfort more than any other reason, and again personal preference comes into play here – some people don’t like the chamois pad, some prefer a thicker or thinner pad and so you need to find those that suit your needs. Also wash them after every use – again yes I am going there, you are not wearing underwear, you are working up a sweat so lets keep it clean people and avoid any further causes for soreness.
chamois cream – again personal preference and some people don’t like using it but I personally find it helps to stop chaffing. I found once I started I couldn’t stop. Many friends from my tri club use sudo cream as it doesn’t wear off in the water, however, I have heard other opinions that thick creams like this can clog pores. I was recommended using doublebase cream/gel by the lovely Lucy from Paddle Pedal Pace and it is fab – not a cycling specific product but the best I have used so far!
bike fit – I am an advocate of a good bike fit and some minor adjustments to your saddle position and height can make all the difference! If you suffer with loss of sensation or numbness it may be that your position is not right.
core strength – this one is so important for cycling and think about it in relation to soreness, the more stable you are on the bike will have a huge impact on your cycling experience.
rest – if you have sores or swelling then rest and let it improve before you continue on the bike and potentially make it worse.

At the weekend I attended the London Bike Show with the amazing Lucy from Paddle Pedal Pace and our other halves, and Casquette had a stage with a number of talks over the three days including one that covered this very issue. When I saw the description how could I not attend?

Want to know what’s really behind saddle sore? Well, it’s probably a clit or labia thing, but no one seems comfortable saying it out loud. Until now. We bring Maria Olsson (Rapha chamois designer); Doctor Jane Sterling (consultant dermatologist at a vulval clinic practice); Jasmijn Muller (endurance cyclist and saddle sore sufferer) and Jenni Gwiadowski (Saddle Library curator and founder of the London Bike Kitchen) together to talk candidly about saddle sore – what it is and how you can deal with it.

Dr Jane Sterling is a vulva specialist and for the Rio Olympics worked with the ladies GB cycling team and spoke about changes they made to see improvements for the ladies on the team. Aside from right size kit, what padding can be improved ie the chamois, avoiding excess friction, she also worked with them on how to look after skin during and after cycling. These are simple things everyone can look into. She also touched on how pubic hair is important as it creates a layer of air and reduces the friction on the skin. She noted how all hair removal causes some damage to the skin and that combined with hours of cycling is not the best combination with ingrown hairs being an issue for many. Damp friction makes the downstairs environment post ride necessary for cleaning but the advice was to use a mild moisturiser perhaps with an antiseptic to maintain a barrier function and if issues arise then allow time to recover. Interestingly Dr Jane also spoke of how the menopause can affect all of this and how estrogen treatments can help.

Jasmijn Muller is an all round awesome lady who currently holds the record for 1,828km on her turbo trainer on Zwift in 62 hours, 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I cannot even comprehend being on a static bike for that long! She also recently took part in BikingMan Oman, an unassisted ultra cycling race, and finished the 1,050km in 45 hours 37 minutes as 1st woman and 9th overall. Jasmijn is also very open about the troubles she has had with getting sore and the operations she has had on both her right, and then later, left labia. She noted that most of her riding is done in the time trial position and this did not help. She also touched on the cleaning aspect, like Dr Jane, and explained that a lot of soaps remove the natural anti bacteria that are there to protect us. So what has she found that made such a huge difference? Saddle mapping testing, which she got done at Sigma Sports and highly recommends. She has also worked with an osteopath who is also a pilates instructor for exercises to help with movements to isolate glute functionality, such as shoulder bridges, which she demonstrated.

Maria Olsson is the design manager for Rapha and explained how they spent 3 years researching, alongside Nicola Roberts, a physiologist who works with pro athletes, to perfect the chamois used in the Rapha kit and set themselves a huge challenge to make the best chamois for women. Maria spoke about how a bike fit and saddle is key but just as important is the position of the chamois being in the right place in the bibs, and they prototyped and wear tested over 15,000 miles in the saddle.

I was also listening to the talk with the lovely Tarsh, also known as Iron Tarsh, and the lady behind the brand Stomp The Pedal. Tarsh also spends hours on the turbo trainer and I asked her what her secret was and she said it is her bib shorts. Tarsh meticulously researches and spends a lot of time ensuring the products she adds to her brand are products she would purchase herself and is proud to bring to market. If she is not happy with it, you won’t be seeing it being sold by Stomp The Pedal! I will be trying these and let you know if these are the key to my comfort.

And just to lighten the mood and not quite saddle sore but related and applicable to my fellow female cyclists – after a long ride when you reach for that mint tea tree shower gel – don’t! (those that know will know why).