As you know I did Brentwood half marathon on Sunday, my first half marathon, and if you read my previous blog post you will know it was not my best moment.

Since then I’ve had loads of comments, messages and support from people telling me how well I did and how I should be chuffed with myself. I am my biggest critic and so since Sunday have spent most of my time either feeling sorry for myself, sulking, beating myself up or having a bit of a cry.

I will explain why.

All of my training runs went better than that one event I was actually training for. My pacing was better in my training runs.   My hill running was better in my training runs.  My breathing was better in my training runs. I didn’t feel as down on myself in my training runs. It was like all the advice I’d been given and everything I’d learned just went out of the window and I fell apart.

My original goal when signing up for my first half marathon was to complete it in under 3 hours.  As my training continued and went well I then realised my goal should be to complete it in under 2.5 hours. Now I had received a lot of advice telling me that for my first half marathon I should just be aiming to complete it.

Before the event I wanted to complete the actual distance and did so with the help of my husband.  We completed it in 2 hours 21 minutes and so I think, rightly or wrongly, in my head I had this time that I was centred around and was secretly hoping I would better that. 

The week before I spent most of it in bed with laryngitis and a fever that completely wiped me out and despite lots of advice that I should pull out I decided to do the event regardless. Anyone who knows me will know I am way too stubborn and not doing it was not an option.

I was disappointed that I had several stops for water as my throat was on fire.  I was disappointed I overheated pretty quickly into the run.  I was disappointed the hills and inclines beat me.  I was disappointed I felt like I let down the two lovely friends who ran with me (who both could have smashed that but ran with me instead). I was disappointed that I found it such a struggle.  I was disappointed in how I felt and had to keep apologising to my friends running with me. I was disappointed my time was 8 minutes slower than my training run of the same distance. I was disappointed my husband would have been patiently waiting for me at the finish.

But you know what?

I did complete a half marathon. I did complete a half marathon when I wasn’t well.  I did complete a half marathon in under 2.5 hours, which was the original goal. So I didn’t do too bad I guess?

  
As a treat my husband has now entered the both of us into the Hackney half marathon and we will run together and I will not let this beat me!

This Girl Can!

As yesterday was Mothers Day it was my choice what we did in the day and so I started the day with another session of hot yoga.  Some of the people in the session amaze me!  We had a move called the crow and it is basically balancing on your hands with your legs off the floor – yeah not happening for me I would have face planted for sure!  The squatting I was fine with down to the floor and back up again but my weight on my hands and just my hands – will be a long time before I master that I fear!

And so what to do after?  Well it was a simple – a visit to a new trampoline park near us called Base Jump.

Base Jump is the biggest trampoline park in the South East spread over 35,000 square feet. It includes:

• two launch areas each with four trampolines and a higher level to jump from into either a foam pit or onto a giant air bag
• basketball slam dunk
• three dodgeball courts
• a trampoline halfpipe
• a huge freestyle jump area with 75 interlinked trampolines
• a battle beam with giant joust poles
• a soft play area for younger children
• and my favourite – a ninja challenge area that included a climbing wall, monkey bars, ropes to swing across, metal swings with a beam to work your way across, all of which are above a foam pit.

Of course there are a lot of children there though we were a group of four adults.  With no shame.  This is the sort of place anyone can have fun!  And we did!

Now I am partial to an obstacle and so it surprised me that when I got to the top of the 2 metre high platform it took me a while to jump off (into a foam pit).  I couldn’t not do it with 3 friends waiting and several children aged anywhere from I guess age 4 upwards successfully launching themselves off it!  I managed it 3 times though not gracefully and not landing how I wanted to either but still.

The ninja challenge I loved!  And I successfully got across the climbing wall twice, which pleased me as I know there is something similar at a Spartan race I have next month and also because I had fallen off something similar at Nuclear – nailed it!

Of course they cater for children and parties but also offer teen sessions on Fridays from 8-10pm and adult sessions on Fridays from 10-12pm.  Coming soon they will also be offering fitness classes.

If you’ve not been then you should get down there as you will have an amazing time!  I will be going back some time very very soon!

Fun little fact I learned from their website too:

‘you burn more calories bouncing for 10 minutes than you do jogging for 30.  Studies show that just one hour of jumping on a trampoline burns over 1000 calories.  It’s the best cardio you will ever enjoy!’  

Who can argue with that?  What are you waiting for?

 

 

I’ve done yoga before and heard people talk about hot yoga and I will admit I was intrigued and so when my friend and PT, Emma, mentioned that there was a studio near us that held these classes I signed up with her straight away, I mean it is literally 5 minutes from me so would be rude not to!

Yesterday we headed down to 121 Urban Hot Yoga with our bags including towels as we assumed we would be dripping in sweat, deodorant because well the whole sweating part and lots of water.  I was nervous – I always am when trying new things like this – the thought of entering a class full of people that can contort their bodies in weird and wonderful ways as I stand rigid like the tin man wondering why I cannot get my left and my right foot behind my ears whilst balancing perfectly.

I needn’t have worried!

The minute we walked in we were welcomed by a lovely man named Dean (who was actually lighting some candles and burning some incense – perfect timing or what?).  We went down to the basement studio and got ourselves signed in and was made to feel perfectly at ease immediately.  There was no stuffiness that I was worried I would find – an assumption that some yoga people take this very seriously with no talking or joking but serious intense yoga sessions but more hardcore in the heat.  We were introduced to our instructor, Maggie, and completely reassured that this caters for all levels and is a personal journey so not to worry what those around us are doing but to do as much as we comfortable with.

Yoga is a form of exercise that focuses on a series of movements designed to increase strength, flexibility and breathing to boost physical and mental wellbeing.   Hot yoga is all of the aforementioned but with heat put in for good measure.  The heat helps you to stretch more and it also helps you sweat.  The moves themselves are detoxifying for your muscles, organs and glands and sweating furthers that.

As the hour and a half class began we started with breathing and then moved onto some of the movements.  There were 3 levels the first for either those who were new, had an injury or had recently given birth and then 2 further options increasing slightly in difficulty each time.

To my surprise i was able to do most even if a tad wobbly and not looking as elegant as some in the class who were clearly practised in these moves.  There were some I just couldn’t do – one in particular where your hands clasped each other behind your back but going under your bent leg and round the back of your knee.  There was a name for this but I cannot remember it though I was hugely impressed with those in the class that completed this with what looked like relative ease.

Emma and I had a few giggles as we battled to get the moves right and wobbled around but on the whole i think we did well and the instructor seemed to think so too.  One day I will be the one on the left and not the one on the right:

 

I sweated so much I looked like I had been swimming and drank so much too but we had a great time and signed up immediately for next week.

If you are thinking of hot yoga I would recommend and if you are local I would definitely recommend checking this studio out and if you are going next Sunday morning you get the added bonus of witnessing my attempts in the process!

 

I have been busy over the past week (and now need a nap)!

My training last week consisted of the following:

• a cycling masterclass with team GB Olympian Dani King then took full use of the fancy gym and took part in a circuit class and then a swim
• a very early morning training session with my hubby and PT (and friend) Emma
• spin class
• spin circuits class
• running the long way round to my mums (usually 2 miles but the long way round is 7 miles)
• 4.5 muddy hilly trail run with the dog and my friend Laura

My main concentration is training for my half marathon at the moment, which includes short runs, long runs, hill training, faster runs and slower runs.  But I am aware I also need to work on my core which I will feel the benefits of when running and cycling so I include the row machine and the cross training when I can.  Having an amazing personal trainer (Emma) is so much of a help to guide me in the right direction.

Usually I complain a bit in spin circuits as a lot of the ab work I am not amazing at.  Engage my abs Emma says.  What abs? is my usual response.  I have no abs!  But I am getting there. By getting there I mean with the exercises – the abs are, I am afraid, a long way off and still covered in a good layer of meat and gravy.  But I am doing it!

On Friday my husband and I went to the bike show at Excel and I had a lovely experience!  I was looking at the Fat Lad At The Back stand when one of the lovely ladies who work there came over to tell me she knew me.  At first I was a little confused as I didn’t recognise her immediately but then she said she knew me from my blog and once she said her name I remembered her from my Instagram account.  It was a little surreal but not the first time I have been recognised – it is lovely but still an odd feeling that people are reading me going on and on about how I am slower than a herd of turtles wading through peanut butter etc etc.  These ladies are super nice and I am chuffed with my new cycling jersey!  Their clothing is so nice and caters for sizes larger than most cycle clothing companies and also women with boobs.  I was going to try and tart that up a bit with some nice wording but it is what it is – some of us have boobs (big ones at that) and lycra is not your friend when you are cycling up a steep hill, zipped to within an inch of your life in a jersey that is making your boobs sit under your chin and cut off your windpipe!

Trying to fit the running in around other training can be hard but where there’s a will there’s a way.  At the weekend I ran the long way round to my mums to get a 7 miler in before I headed off to watch my niece/goddaughter smash her netball match 35 to 2.  I did this whilst still in my sweaty running gear (yep I know classy hey?) and also sporting my Dry Robe.  Everyone mocked the Dry Robe wondering what it was but who was warm?  Oh yes I was mwahahahaha!

On Sunday (Valentines Day) I didn’t know what to do whether to run or hit the gym or swim and then spoke with my friend Laura and we decided that seeing as our other halves were out cycling we would hit a local park in our trail shoes and go for an easy run in the mud with the dog and that we did.  4.5 miles up and down hills in the wood through the park.  I am not entirely sure who had more fun us or the dog?

 

The downside of all the exercise is that I want to eat.  After all the workouts.  I seem to get home and I could eat literally all the food.  If I were left alone I reckon I could consume the majority of the fridge.  That switch people have to say they are full?  Not me!  I can just keep going.  I joked to my husband yesterday that it was a good job he was at home or I may have eaten everything!  He could well have got home and the furniture could be missing – I may have eaten that.  Can you imagine reading the headlines – lady on a fitness and weight loss mission caught gnawing on the leg of her dining room table?  That would be me.  My husband might ask me where the sofa is and if after one of my long runs – my response might be that I ate it.  I would leave the other sofa though – I am not totally selfish.

This last week has not been amazing for me.  I’ve been asked by a few how come I’ve not been updating my weight loss plaque and the answer is that it has not changed!  My weight loss plateau is sticking around, despite all the exercise and being good with my food, and it is taking it’s toll on my positivity or lack thereof.  So come Thursday I thought I would look back a year and see if I could tell the difference and I could.  There was never a doubt that I would not continue on this journey but a plateau that lasts for two months (yes two months!) is a stubborn b*tch and makes it hard so seeing in a picture made it a little better.  (Excuse the miserable face but it had put me in a somewhat tetchy mood.)

Anyway…….now to run!