Lisa - Fat Girl Fit

Riding stage 8 of the Tour of Britain

The Aviva Tour of Britain has been taking place for a week and I had the opportunity thanks to a lovely friend, Laura, to be able to ride the final stage, stage 8, before the pros hit the course.

I have a new gadget, the Garmin Edge 1000, and so yesterday me and him indoors got our bike stuff ready and drove into London with this little gadget ready to record my ride.

We both work in London and don’t live that far away and so the fact that it took us 6.5 miles to make the 2 mile journey from where we parked, and even when we reached St James’s park we couldn’t find the start, was the not the best beginning but we got there in the end and queued with 498 other people who were also riding the stage before the pros.

It was a slow start, as is to be expected when you have 500 people starting together, but once people found a space and everyone could ride at their pace it soon spaced out and we were able to enjoy the fact that the roads we are used to seeing full of cars were empty aside from the cyclists.

The streets were lined with people who had come to watch us ride. They had all come out to see me, Lisa aka Fat Girl Fit, cycle around the streets of London!! Ok so they were not really there for me they were there for the pros but as we cycled past they were cheering and banging the advertising boards that lined the route and it is an amazing feeling.

As usual our club kit being bright yellow and pink attracted attention immediately and within metres of the start line we already had two groups shouting ‘come on Romford’, which continued as we cycled laps around the route.

The start was on a gradual incline and so every time we passed it (and our speed went down) we passed the same group who carried on cheering ‘Romford’ – thank you to whoever you were it was much appreciated! On our third lap him indoors wanted to take advantage and went for it up the hill and as I trailed behind the same group cheered again but this time were saying ‘go on girl catch him up’. I can’t catch him up without him slowing but it still made me smile.

We were allowed to ride the route for 45 minutes and we managed four laps in total and thoroughly enjoyed every minute! Every minute on the closed road course that is – the ride there on the open, and busy, London roads was not something that I can say I enjoyed and it was definitely a squeaky bum moment for me!

When we finished we took a walk around the pro team vans to see if we could catch a glimpse of some of the riders and although we hung around unfortunately we didn’t manage to see anyone.

It wasn’t the longest ride and it was laps, which is generally not my favourite though the experience was amazing and if i could have the chance again I would jump (on my bike) at it!

Weigh in this week saw a 1lb gain but thats ok I shall try my best to get that of for next week – onwards and upwards!

Category: Events, OCR

Who am I to pass up spending a day with some Royal Marines?

I was invited by the lovely people at The Earned Agency to attend a media preview day for a new obstacle run at Hever Castle.

The obstacle run is part of the Commando Series and the man who runs these events, Brian Adcock, is an ex-Royal marine. The obstacles on this course are designed to be exact replicas of what marines would do in training.

It is a 6k course, includes 15 obstacles set in the beautiful grounds of Hever Castle and is endorsed by the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

After a warm up with 3 (easy on the eyes) marines we had a gentle jog over to the lake where we had a briefing by Brian. We were shown a map of the course and we were told what the Commando series spirit is, which include things like unselfishness, cheerfulness (I think we all smiled the whole way round), determination and unity to name a few.

We set off as a group and were going to be staying as a group for the whole course. This included the 3 marine instructors, Brian, some photographers (kudos to them for getting around the course and some of the obstacles and taking pics of us along the way!), and Brian’s daughter, Esther. Before I go on let me tell you about Esther, she is 10 years old and I think it is fair to say she put us all to shame. She was the coolest child I think I have ever met; fearless and quite simply amazing. Her parents must be so proud and in reverse how lucky is she to have such cool parents to put on events like this!

So off we set on the course and the marines ensured we slowed when necessary to regroup and we manoeuvred every obstacle cheering each other on and helping when needed. For the actual event you can opt to do the family course, go round at your own pace or to be treated like a commando.

Some of the names of the obstacles were as follows:

Smarty tubes – 8m long drainage pipes sunk in the ground (there are two tunnels on each side one with water and the other dry – I opted straight for the water pipe)

The wires – 40m long in the woods where you have to work your way over/under/through metres of elastic cord whilst smoke bombs are being thrown in
Monkey bars – 5m long with some differing bars and hoops (I wont lie I managed two monkey bars and fell into the arms of a marine, which made it slightly worth the embarrassment)
Doom drop – 30m steep slippery slide (so much fun!)
Catacombs of doom – 30m long cave (not made for this course but an original part of the estate, which is pretty cool)
Peter’s pool – 30m of chest-deep muddy water to navigate across using the laid out rope

River cross – crossing of a river using suspended and tensioned ropes (there was a lone fisherman on this river as we descended upon it – he was such a good sport and not his every day fishing to have us lot appear from nowhere)

The chasm – 20m crossing over a lake (which is more mud and clay than water) either crossing on the ropes by crawling across a single rope or the double rope for the Tyrollean Traverse where you stand on one and hold the other above your head (I chose this one, was talked through it by Brian and had words of encouragement from the marines and other members of the group as I was so nervous I would end up in the swamp but I managed to not fall in!)

Sheep dip – where you completely submerge yourself and go through a tunnel of water (there was a nice marine to push us through and another to pull us out)

The obstacles all have an easier option as this is an event that is not only aimed at adults but children (for ages 8 and over) and families alike so all can take part.

We were all soaked through and covered in mud and it was awesome.

The event takes place on 14 November at Hever Castle and you can buy your tickets here (and I recommend you do so you don’t miss out!):

The Commando Series is partnered with Six Physio, who will be there to offer massages after you cross the finish line, and KitBrix. Have you heard of KitBrix before? They make kit bags that can be used individually or can zip together so for triathlons and multi events are perfect to keep kit separate and easy to use. Also perfect for the Commando Series as you will have some very wet and muddy clothes at the end. I have met Rob from KitBrix before at triathlon events that my husband has taken part in and these bags, from me and my husband, are highly recommended and you will notice them more and more at events as I have found and for one reason and one reason only, which is that they are brilliant.

Category: Fitness

Blog post for Urban Energie

Here is a post I wrote for Jack over at Urban Energie for his new online fitness magazine.

My name is Lisa Thake and I am FatGirlFit.

I have been on my journey since the start of last year to get fit and lose weight and its been tough but I am still here and still going strong and if I can do it then I figure anyone can and I mean that I truly do.

Never been into fitness in any way. I was the girl at school that would go to every PE lesson with a letter I had written on behalf of my mum to get me out of doing any of the exercises! Hated all of it – always had, but food, well where do I start. I love food and everything about it, which is probably why for as long as I can remember I have always been on some sort of diet, yo yo-ing up and down or trying the latest fad. I would watch the tv advert with the latest exercise equipment that would promise me a body similar to a supermodel and within days it would be delivered…………..and was rubbish.

After illness my husband got into cycling and running and swimming and lost a huge amount of weight and I found him inspirational and loved going to the various events he was taking part in to cheer him, and other club members and friends, along. I would wonder about getting involved but felt stupid. I couldn’t imagine getting on a bike where the size of my backside would probably hide the saddle, running down the road or in the park and having other people see me jiggling and dripping with sweat. Then one day I decided I was too miserable with my weight and had to begin somewhere so asked my husband to take me out for a run. Now given that I did not do any exercise I imagined going for a run to be just that so as we set off I sprinted to the end of the road and almost collapsed feeling like I was having a heart attack, my husband asked me what on earth I was doing and I merely replied ‘going for a run’ and he suggested we jog and that going for a run didn’t mean sprinting – thank god I’d only got to the end of the road and was done!

Anyway long and short of it is that I kept it up and would tell friends and family different stories as they commented that I looked like I was losing a bit of weight and a few people suggested I start a blog and at first I was petrified and thought it was very public to make it so visible that I was on this journey and that people may judge me and think ah poor chubby love bless her, but from a selfish perspective I knew if I started a blog I would have to keep up with the fitness and weight loss and so it began.

I wanted a name that was a little funny as the blog is largely me making fun of myself, its not a serious account of events as that’s just not me. I am also an official partner of the campaign This Girl Can.

So just got out there an started running and cycling. Since last year I have joined both a cycling club and a running club and it’s scary as hell I won’t lie! You join and you pretty much know you will be the least experienced and the slowest and you might not even enjoy it at the beginning. I didn’t as I was always so conscious I was detracting from someone else’s training if they were waiting for me. But you know what? Most people who are into the same thing are only more than happy to help and love to see others embrace it too! I have even found that I can now help people too.

Every now and then I treat myself (you have to) but my eating is so much better and by using My Fitness Pal I quickly found that things I thought were ok were really not and so substitutions were quickly made and my knowledge of such things built up. I will pass on the chocolate biscuits thanks (it still kills me a little but I want this too much).

I am not scared now to go to the gym because all the super fit people will judge me, instead I scrape my hair into a ponytail (then you know a girl at the gym means business) and get down to it and I don’t care what I look like I’m there to work out. I actually find I look at the guys who check out their hair and the girls with a full face of make up and who look exactly the same when they leave as when they entered whereas I look like a sweaty tomato and I think oh come on!

So you can now find me on WordPress, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram too! I love the people I have met through this too and so when one of them, Jack from Urban Energie, who I know from Instagram mentioned about doing a guest blog I jumped at the chance. I love following Jack on Instagram and would recommend downloading his Free Lean Body Blueprint and also highly recommend his Get Lean Recipe E-book its a must especially if you follow him on Instagram and see all the tasty meals he has!

I am an ordinary girl on a journey and as I said earlier if I can do it then anyone can. I am not done either I am only mid way through and still have two stone to lose but I am 55.5lbs down and determined – This Girl Can!

Category: Product Reviews

Ufit Protein Drink review

The lovely people at The Protein Drinks Company were looking for people to review some of their product and it fit quite nicely for me to do with my new active lifestyle.

I am surrounded by cyclists, runners and generally super fit and healthy people and as I currently only have 1 or 2 rest days most weeks I am conscious that my nutrition is something that cannot slip in order to get the best results from my training.

Protein put simply is important for the growth and development of muscles. Protein assists with the development and maintenance of lean muscle mass and can benefit overall health, also increasing metabolism and acting as an aid in weight loss.

Protein is of course not the only element for nutrition during training and should be taking into consideration along with carbohydrates and fat.

There are different ways to incorporate protein into your diet;

Lean meat (chicken, pork, turkey, some cuts of beef)
Fish (tuna, halibut, salmon, tilapia, sardines)
Eggs
Dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt – greek yoghurt is a good source and Skyr is a good high protein yoghurt)
Beans, pulses, nuts and seeds (lentils, peas and also nut butters – we are a fan of cashew butter in our house)
Veggies and fruits
Quinoa
Soy products (tofu, edamame – if you like tofu that is – its not for me!)
Protein powders
Protein shakes

Homemade protein drinks are the preference in our house and my husband loves to experiment with our Nutri Bullet though there is an increase in ready made protein drinks that you can buy from most supermarkets now for ease.

U Fit drinks are pre mixed protein drinks that are quick and easy to have ensuring you get your protein fix. I was sent the strawberry and chocolate U Fit milk with added oomph. They are 310ml bottles and contain:

22g protein
No added sugar
Low in fat
Rich in calcium
Vitamins and fibre

I was also sent the strawberry and chocolate U Fit Pro 50 supersize protein shakes, which can be used as a single serving or split between two servings in between meals. They are 500ml bottles and contain:

50g protein
Low in fat
Rich in calcium
Vitamins and fibre
Rich in amino acids

The drinks were delivered just in time for our annual cycling club BBQ and so I was able to hand out to members of the club in order to get more feedback than just mine!

So here are the pros:

Most thought it was easy to drink.
Most thought the U Fit Milk with added oomph was a good consistency; I agreed – I’m not a fan of thick shakes or smoothies and so would have been put off it if were an overly thick consistency.
Low fat – however, compared to other shakes on the market it is a little on the high side by comparison but just a little.
Favourite flavour seemed to be hands down strawberry over the chocolate.
Handy as a pre made protein fix and to drink on the go without having to mix.
The U Fit Milk with added oomph is priced at £2.00 per bottle in Tesco and currently half price so you may want to stock up while it is only £1.00 per bottle (until mid-September)!

And here are the cons:

A couple of people did think the consistency was a little too thick and heavy for their tastes. The Pro 50 seems to be a lot thicker and would be better split over two servings rather than just the one. The benefit of mixing from powder does mean you can determine the consistency better.
The bottle says to ‘serve chilled and shake up your health’ – do shake the drink otherwise there is a slightly oily taste to it.
There was a general consensus that although it was fine whilst drinking there was a slightly artificial aftertaste.
The chocolate flavour tasted a little on the tinny/metallic side.
The Pro 50 is priced at £3.75 per bottle in Tesco and so slightly on the expensive side compared to other brands marketing similar products so maybe not an everyday purchase.

Considering the pros and cons lists above seem heavier on the cons most people said that they would buy and use again. I would say if you like a thick shake you will love the Pro 50 but if you don’t then, like me, this one will probably not be a hit with you. It does say they are for ‘use between meals as a nutritious snack or on the go when you’re pushed for time’ and that sums it up for me; for me they would be post workout rather than just through the day and more of a quick fix if I were out and about and wanted to buy something like this without having prepared my own rather than part of my weekly shopping list or my regular diet, I am afraid. A good product, and one of the better tasting protein shakes out there, and I would drink again though for me only as an emergency quick fix.

Category: Fitness, Running

I took the plunge and joined a running club!

I have been toying with idea for a while of joining a running club but was a tad bit scared to do so. I imagined everyone would be very serious, very speedy and then there would be me.

I have been running regularly since January and although my times are much improved and I can now do up to 10k I still haven’t found that love for running that other runners have. I want to, I really do, but I just don’t like it that much. This is pretty much how I feel about running:

But it is part of my fitness and weight loss journey so I do it. Also I run because punching people is frowned upon. Mostly because I really like food.

I still puff and pant like an asthmatic dog with one lung.

I still go bright red almost instantly.

I still sweat like a beast.

I still wear my sunglasses no matter what the weather as they have become some sort of security blanket as I run so people cannot see my entire face!

There is a running club that leaves from my gym, Havering ’90 Joggers, and I have seen them regularly running out and then returning and so yesterday I joined their facebook page and asked the question of what I should do to join? I got quite a few replies and everyone seemed very friendly so I headed there last night and wandered in on my own and found a lovely lady called Liz who was talking to another newbie. We were given some forms to fill out regarding our health and for insurance and then she asked both of us if we could run, which we both said we could, what our times were for 5k and 10k, which we told her. The new guy said he could do a half marathon in an hour and a half so I announced that I would not be running with him! We all laughed but I was serious I couldn’t keep with him!

I was buddied up with some runners who were at about the same pace and others grouped in the same way and off we set.

It is so near to my home that it was nice to be running on roads that I knew. The loop we took was just under 5k, we stayed together and it took 30 mins. This is a little slower than I usually run but we managed to chat the whole way round and I actually enjoyed it.

So I am now a member of a running club. Who would have thought it?!

Category: Cycling, Events

Newcastle to London bike ride

Ride UK 24 host a whole range of challenge events whereby you are given 24 hours to complete the event.

My friend Helen had signed up for the Newcastle to London bike event. Did you see the title of this post and think it was me?! Are you mad it’s 308 miles! In one go! Having to complete it within 24 hours!

I did, however, offer to ride a stage or two with her as support as she had signed up for this on her own. She’s a bit mental you see.

My brother in law lives in Leeds and so we travelled up on the Friday and decided we would head to the second stage starting in Darlington and I would jump in there.

Technically not breaking any rules as its open roads, I’m using all my own food and drink and my husband is in the support car with everything we could need. Literally everything – bike pump, inner tubes, tyres, spare everything and the list goes on.

All events I have done have a rest stop, or multiple, but they are completely optional. As this is a 24 hour challenge it is mandatory to stop at every rest stop and the lead pace group always leaves first. As you enter your number is scanned so they keep a track of everyone on the ride and no one is left behind. Kit bags move from rest stop to rest stop. Food and drink was in abundance. The team who staffed were amazing. These events are not cheap to enter and you can see exactly where every penny goes. Kudos to this company both my husband and I were so impressed.

Darlington to York was less than 1,000 feet of climbing over 47 miles so pretty flat. Helen had met a girl called Heather on the event Facebook page and rode some of the first stage with her so she joined us for the second stage. It was quick. We averaged approx 19 mph apparently. I’ve never average 19 mph! I was pretty pleased though knew it was unlikely I would be able to maintain that pace for a second stage and didn’t want to hold up Helen on her event – I was supposed to be there as support!

We hit the third stage and again was pretty flat. The group we headed out with got split pretty quickly coming out of York (which is beautiful by the way and I will definitely be going back for a visit!). There were traffic lights, of which we hit reds at most, traffic congested as you would expect in a busy town and roundabouts. Soon Helen and I were on our own. It was fine and we took it in turns on the front.

The weather forecast for this ride was pretty horrendous with a promise of rain, a thunderstorm and the Daily Mail even reported a tornado?! The rain did start and we pulled over to put on waterproofs though it was so hot we felt like boil in the bag something or other, so after ten minutes when the rain had stopped we did and took them off again! Then we had a thunderstorm though again for only ten minutes. And then came the wind! The wind this year seems relentless and it’s rare to have a ride where you are not battling against it. We caught up with two other guys and between us we took it in turns on the front gaining another member of our team and then another again.

We had completed just under 95 miles in less than five and a half hours so an average of 17.5mph. I was so happy with that!

Time to switch and so I came off the bike and the husband got on his to be support for Helen.

I’ve mentioned before about my husband and his kebab leg. Well after completing his Olympic distance triathlon and smashing his three hour time he wanted and completing the Prudential Ride London 100 mile cycle ride he was hoping to do a long stint if not complete the ride with Helen.

T’was not to be! After the first stage for him of just under 50 miles he could not feel his left leg and his sock and show had dug in so badly from the swelling he couldn’t feel his left leg it was numb. I had made him promise that if his leg was bad he wouldn’t continue and so that was it for him!

Helen had her own entourage at the event and so her friend Abbie, who she had cycled to Paris with in 24 hours, hopped on a spare bike and took a turn. I have never cycled at night and the thought petrified me plus I’d cooled down from my two stages so probably wouldn’t have been much help! After Abbie then another friend, Alain, jumped on for the final two stages.

The two support cars, one was us, drove from rest stop to rest stop to see them. At the penultimate rest stop I will admit I was slightly worried about Helen and Heather. It was now 3am and both just wanted to be done. It was pitch black outside. Helen referred to Heathers helmet as her hat ha ha and both forced down food to keep them fuelled for the final two stages. The feeling at this rest stop was sombre to say the least. Lots of people in various mental states of their own, not much laughing and joking, lots of stretching and more staring into space. The 24 hour pace maker came in and the mood changed. Everyone was there with the sole purpose of completing this ride within 24 hours. This poor guy sat on his own and Heather referred to him as the grim reaper ha ha (nothing personal of course).

The final rest stop everyone coming in was done and just wanted it to be over though it was light again and made such a difference. This was a quick pit stop and back on the road. They had just over four hours to complete the final 41 miles. They headed off and we got back in the cars, drove home spare bikes and kit and made our way to the finish. Waiting for people on events is nerve wracking, every time someone comes in you cheer (it can be quite emotional) and keep checking the tracking app to see where your friends are. The last stage was hilly and came in through Chigwell and then into Smithfields market in London.

They finished at 23 hours and 20 minutes so well under the 24 hours and it was smiles all round. What an achievement! They could get off their bikes (or remove their bikes from their person as it would feel after that long in the saddle), not have to worry about applying any more chamois cream (would be like an old leather handbag by now anyhow), save the Garmin rides to store the ride data and take their well earned medal and glass of bubbly.

Although I was tired from my stint and more from being up all night I had an absolute blast and would happily be support for a ride like that for someone (may even think about taking part – depending on how hilly the course is) it was so much fun and a huge team effort.

Job well done – well done Helen!!

And i lost 1 lb too this week ha ha!

Category: Cycling, Events

Wiggle’s The Only Way sportive with Lucy and Helen

On Sunday I was, yet again, up at the crack of dawn for another event. I was unsure how I would be following the longest run I had done the day before though I had seen a number of amazing people when I got back from Hyde Park who were in our local park (the one that I run in) completing a 24 hour race called Spitfire Scramble. That’s right 24 hours! You could do it in a team or individually and we had popped over to show some support to some people we knew that were taking part (local triathlon club team from Havering Tri came 10th overall – massive well done!). I figured if these guys were camping out and taking it in turns to run 10k laps for 24 hours I am sure I can manage a 51 mile bike ride after my 10 mile run.

So off to Colchester I headed with two lovely ladies Lucy from Paddle Pedal Pace and Helen for a new event ran by Wiggle very aptly, for where we live, called The Only Way. (Everything in our area seems to have latched onto this and following The Only Way Is Essex TV show we have bike shops, animal groomers, beauty salons and tanning salons all with similar names!)

It was a tour of Essex and Suffolk in rolling countryside. I should know by now that rolling countryside means hill after hill after hill after drag after incline after slope. These are not my favourite sort of rides. I like flat. Flat and no hills. Especially after running so much the day before.

There were three distances for this event short (51 miles), standard (74 miles) and epic (98 miles). We were doing the short at 51 miles.

The three of us set off and it worked out great as we were able to ride closely together for pretty much all of it as we found we cycled at about the same level though in the second half I could feel every hill in my heavy legs but could redeem myself on the descent or the flat.

I try not to look at my Garmin as I go up a hill as I would rather not know the gradient though there were a few that snuck up on us today that kicked up to 14% and 15% – these were not my friends.

The event was run in conjunction with PowerBar so at the feed stop there was nutrition and refreshments – bars, energy drinks, water and all free. We had all come prepared so didn’t need to stop for this but was great for those that wanted it.

It was £23 for the 51 mile route and you got a lot for your money! Not only did you get all the PowerBar nutrition at the feed stops but you also had support vehicles dotted along the route should you need them (thankfully we didn’t). When you finished you got a medal, finishers t-shirt, PowerBar and packet of the official snack of Mark Cavendish – pistachios! I’m not making that up it was actually on the packet.

You are allocated times for Wiggle events based on when you finish and you can either get Gold, Silver or Bronze – obviously the quicker you are the better you get and we managed to get a Gold award for our ride so I was pretty chuffed especially with the elevation.

Another lovely event completed with two lovely ladies – and another medal for the collection!

Category: Fitness, Running

Half Marathon training – eeeeekkkkkk!!

It is of course Monday which is weigh in day and so after a busy week and weekend I was looking for a loss but I got nothing so stayed the same again but onwards and upwards and all that!

So I am managing to get a sub 30 minute 5k on pretty much all of my runs now (I am not talking minutes off but below the 30 minute mark) and the 10k is always around the 1 hour mark but I have managed once to get a sub 1 hour 10k run in. I run with my dog and the loop from mine to the park sees me having to stop at a set of traffic lights, then again briefly to take the dog off and put her back on her lead and of course if she goes to the toilet I have to stop to clear it up so it is very rarely a run where there are no stops unless it is an event but I do keep them to literally just this – it is not stopping to walk because I can’t do it but if I did have to stop to walk a bit then who cares at least I am doing it right?

On the 5k can do this without stopping with no problem and on the 10k I have not yet done this without stopping though it is for literally 40 seconds on average of stopping on the events I have done so almost there but every time I set off for this distance it is in my head not to stop not to stop.

The next distance is a half marathon. Not that I want to complete a half marathon and nor have I signed up for one but in terms of events it pretty much goes 5k, 10k, half marathon and marathon. To put it into perspective a half marathon is 22k so the leap from 10k to 22k to me is daunting and would actually encourage me to run……..in the opposite direction.

On facebook I follow a page run by the lovely Julie Creffield called The Fat Girl’s Guide to Running. You may have heard of her or seen her on the TV or her website www.toofattorun.co.uk. I had the pleasure of meeting her briefly when I was in Hackney’s Victoria Park earlier in the year supporting my husband in the Hackney half marathon that Julie was also taking part in and she was lovely. I did that awkward ‘excuse me I read your blog and love it’ introduction but thankfully she was gracious about it and stopped to say hi and talk to me before heading off to the start.

I instantly liked Julie when I first started reading about her and found her website as she is a normal woman. Too often do you see adverts for diets, gyms, exercising etc and the people in them look like their body fat percentage is probably 1! You know the ones I am referring to where they are trying to sign you up by showing you an amazing lady who is a size 8 to incentivise you and you think good for her she looks amazing but really?! Julie describes herself as not your typical runner because she is fat (her words not mine). She is an inspiration and like me blogs when she runs. I blog when I have done a run or bike ride and as I have said before if I am honest my blog was a selfish way to keep me on track. Julie is similar as I read on her website – no running then no blogging.

Recently it came up on my newsfeed that Julie was hosting a half day workshop in London for half marathon training. To take part you must have completed a 10k, which I have done. I quickly sent a message off to Julie telling her how nervous I was and that I could do a 10k and wanted to up the distance and the workshop sounded like a good way to do so. She replied very quickly and was lovely assuring me that I would be fine and that there are a range of pace groups so nobody is left behind. Before I could change my mind I signed up. Then panicked…….a lot.

We would be running 10 miles over the course of the morning and as my furthest is 10k which is just over 6 miles I was getting more jittery as the day got nearer. Before I left the house I went to the loo about 4 times and then again when I got to Hyde Park and then again before we set off into the park to begin. I don’t know what I was worried about!

The workshop was amazing and talking to like minded ladies was such an inspiration especially to know that all the worries and insecurities I had most of the other ladies shared. I am always worried about being heckled, laughed at, being last, having to walk and the list goes on but as we were all talking about what we worried about it turned out the list was the same for most! Julie put it simply – who cares? Why would you care what someone else thinks? Ignore them! And in a bid to put us at ease more we partnered up and simply laughed at each other and did we die? Of course not! Though I am now sporting some rather ridiculous looking tan lines.

To begin we stretched and I must admit I never stretch before a run, which I know is bad but bike or run there is no stretching for me and in future I will make sure that there is! Then we spoke about paces. I always assume I have one pace and that is it but Julie was teaching us the difference, and importance, of race pace, your normal pace and recovery pace. I’ve been told by so many people that essentially you need to go slower to go faster so to mix up my runs with slower paced runs and also interval or speed work. Again my reply is usually I only have one speed.

Julie also ran through the drop back technique with us and as a cyclist I am aware of cycling in a group and taking it in turns on the front and essentially it is the same with running so no one person is left at the back – it is never fun to be the one stuck at the back!

We then set off for our first lap of the park (which is 8k) and we had to do so as a group ensuring we dropped back when necessary and checking our pace as we went. It was a slower pace than I am used to but with my nerves I was pleased not to be running at full gas for the whole session and it gave everyone a chance to chat with each other as we ran. At the Prudential ride we rode as a group and again it made the whole experience so much more enjoyable.

We got to a point in the park where we split into two groups and had to run around an oversized pond/small lake in our groups and the first group back won. One group headed off anti clockwise and the other clockwise and as we passed we hi-fived each other. It was to be run at race pace. Race pace is where you give that final sprint at the end of a run and this was about 800 metres and race pace for that made us all puff! Was great fun! Never thought I would hear myself saying that!

Once we had done a full lap we got split into groups based on ability and we then ran our second lap staying with our group. This was at my usual speed of about 9-9.5 minute miles. We were all aching a bit more on the second lap! But we completed it and when everyone returned we had a group pic:

Then we headed off for some lunch. We ended up falling into natural conversation about events we have done and those we have coming up. How much we had all enjoyed the day and Julie found that she had been tweeted by someone in the park who was behind us as we ran saying how lovely it was to see us all – amazing!

I found I was the only one who had not yet taken the plunge and booked up for a half marathon – they are all much braver than me! I am tempted now though – if I crawl over the finish line that still counts right? And i still get a medal right?

If anyone is, like me, on some sort of fitness journey or starting running and is thinking of getting some advice on running or techniques or increasing your distance I cannot recommend Julie enough!!

You can find her website here: http://toofattorun.co.uk/

You can find her facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/TheFatGirlsGuidetoRunning

Category: Fitness

Homemade energy bars anyone?

Before I start let me say how amazing some people are! In my last post I said I really wished someone got a pic of us finishing in The Mall at the ride on Sunday and a lovely man did and tweeted our cycling club with it! Best photo ever!

For the Prudential Ride London 100 mile bike ride I wanted to make my own energy bars. I had tried a recipe before and although they were tasty they were not portable and fell apart so could have made a good granola but not quite what I wanted. I also purchased the Davina sugar free book and she has some chocolate energy balls that my friend Sophie made and they are good though are about 200 calories per small ball!

A friend of ours was down for both the London to Southend ride and also the Prudential ride and he had some energy bars he let me try and they were really tasty and he makes them regular so I figured I would give them a go so he sent me the recipe.

I am not good at recipes and like to add extras but you get the gist.

I gave these to a few people and they were a hit and I will be making them again for sure!

Ingredients:

120ml Sunflower oil (I used olive oil)
200g Soft dark brown sugar
2 tbsp Golden syrup
1tbsp Peanut butter (I used cashew nut butter)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
25g Sesame seeds
25g Sunflower seeds
50g Flaked almonds
50g Sultanas
50g Chopped dates
225g Porridge oats

Method:

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees.
Melt the oil, sugar, syrup, peanut butter and vanilla in a medium saucepan over a low heat.
Add the seeds, almonds, sultanas and dates to the mixture and stir well.
Gradually stir in the porridge oats to the saucepan with the other ingredients.
Make sure the mixture is combined completely to ensure it binds together well.
Transfer the mixture into a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper approximately 10 x 6 inches and press down firmly with a fork.
Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Leave to cool completely then cut up (I cut as is shown in the pic then cut each square into four.
Take on your ride, stuff in mouth and enjoy (I got some small sandwich bags to fit in my bike bag!

I added in 50g chopped glace cherries and the packet of seeds I bought contained sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds so I had some extras in here and I think you can mix it up as much as you want – with these sort of recipes you can add whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit you want though be mindful that the more dry ingredients you add the more flaky it will be and as you want it to hold once cooled try and keep the weights of dry ingredients roughly the same.