Weekly weight loss report - week 15 - Virgin London Marathon inspired blog post

Weight wise I'm still the same weight as I was 3 weeks ago. When I stepped on the scales yesterday (Saturday is my weigh in day) I must admit to being a bit annoyed. With the scales, not myself. Or maybe it's displacement annoyance lol. Anyway, I got over that pretty quickly. I'm still doing all the right things and doing lots of exercise too. And the annoyance quickly disappeared when I tried this dress on and found it to be a perfect fit!

I bought this dress for my trip to NYC last October. It was definitely a tight fit then and I actually never wore it. When I was searching for something to wear today I pulled it out and was so pleased to see how good it looks on me now compared to when I bought it!

Weight loss wise I'm just going to keep on doing what I'm doing. Eating right and exercising.

I'm SO close to my 50lb weight loss goal, it's hard to not get a little impatient I guess, but I know it WILL happen.

These are some weight loss charts from this last month.......

From this year....A few ups and downs!

And from last August when I started trying to lose weight.

I'm getting there!

As if you could miss it, it was the Virgin London Marathon today (What happened to Flora?!). I attempted the London Marathon in 2007, and then never ran another step until this year. Now I have my running groove back!

I love watching the London Marathon on tv, and finally thought it was time to treat myself to some new running shoes.

The shoes I have been using date back to my pre marathon training days - YEARS AGO! Even though I'm pretty sure I haven't done 500 miles in them, they started to feel like they weren't as cushioned as before. Plus due to losing weight, my feet have got narrower! AND my old ones were causing blisters. It was high time I invested in myself and my running with a new pair.

I was going to wait until I had got to my goal of losing 50lbs, but inspired by watching the London marathoners, I decided that today was the day.

It's funny how a company's use of social media can be such an influencer. I found I definitely give more business to company's that are on twitter for example...well, those that are responsive anyway. Not only were Up & Running on twitter, and responsive, but they were giving me some running tips too! So a few tweets with Up & Running and I was set to go!

I spent about an hour, maybe less, in the shop with Dom who went through my gait analysis, and about 6 pairs of running shoes to find the right fit for me. And I've come home with these babies! Asics GT-2160 in Deep Purple.

You can't underestimate the importance of getting the right running shoe! I've made a video of some of the process involved, from using the treadmill and computer to analyise the fit and the gait of my foot, to trying on lots of different pairs and Dom gives some great tips along the way!

If you have been inspired by the London Marathoners today, if you only invest in one running item.....make it your running shoes!

A few new-to-running tips

• DO get fitted properly in a running shop for your running shoes.


• DO get some proper running socks.


• DON'T run in cotton socks.


• DO start with a walk/run programme.


• DON'T worry about your time


• DO carry some ID with you....just in case.


• DO schedule your runs into your week as you would anything else.


• DO build up a running base before you start sprinting!


• DON'T be afraid of hills. Much ;)


• DON'T put on too many layers


• DO wear sun screen


• DO keep hydrated


• DON'T tell yourself you can't!

I did my second 5 mile run yesterday! I had my friend Ben as my running buddy and we hit Cannon Hill Park. It was a really great run. It was also a little too hot (and I think I'm going to struggle running in the heat), and I did get blisters (in my old trainers) BUT I did feel that if it wasn't for the heat and the blisters, I could have kept going for 6 miles - which is my next goal.

Here's a map of our route.

If you click on the image, you can see all the data in a large picture.

And the GREAT news about this run is I knocked SIX MINUTES off my last 5 mile time!!

I haven't been blogging my weekly runs as I started out doing this year (time!), but I'm still doing it. I've changed things up a little and instead of doing all my runs at the same pace/distance, I've introduced hill reps and intervals. These are shorter periods of activity, but very intense compared to slower steady runs. I'm still hula hooping and I even did some stair climbing last week!

I was curious to put all the running data I have together to see how often I had run in Cannon Hill Park. This is an image of all the times I've run on a certain path in the park - quite a lot!

A brilliant running themed weekend overall! Well done to all the London Marathon runners too. Truly inspiring!

Weekly running round up - 3 runs 10 miles - tempo runs and intervals

Last weeks runs were quite varied.



10 miles in total.



I introduced a tempo running for the first time. More on that in a moment.



Tuesday Run - 2.05 miles.



Quick lunch time run. It was a bit of a weird one in that it felt like a bit more effort. I kept looking at my watch and it seemed I was going a minute mile faster than normal, and I kept trying to slow down, but couldn't! The result is I knocked a minute of my usual mile time on this run.









Thursday 2.35 miles - TEMPO RUN!



I really enjoyed this one!



Tempo runs are where you vary the running pace.



The benefits of tempo running, as with intervals, is that it will improve your running pace.



So I thought I would experiment. I didn't follow any particular formula, though I am sure there are lots of detailed tempo run guides that you can follow if you like something more structured.



I started off with my normal (slow) pace and warmed up. When I felt I was ready I picked up the pace. Not a full speed sprint but a good effort at about 6/10. When I felt I had enough of that, I slowed down to a walk to catch my breath. Then it was run, fast run and walk repeated over 2.35 miles.



What did I enjoy about the tempo run?



I liked the variety of paces. Allowing myself to pick up speed and also slow down when I wanted to. Even though I took walk breaks whilst I recovered from the harder pace, I still covered the distance in my usual time.



I liked picking up my feet higher and the fuller range of moment, even if it was for a short time that energy burst is quite reviving!



It gave me something else to think about. Checking on how I was feeling and breathing, recovering and planning when I was going to pick things up again.



I'll definitely do more tempo runs. Not for every run, but maybe once a week or so.

Sunday 6.6miles - though I didn't clock it all on my watch.

Another great run with my friend Ben.

We agreed to do some intervals this time. Now my last experience with interval running wasn't the best one. I loved it so much I tried to do 3 in a week and ended up with a sore muscle. It was too much too soon.

We did a warm up walk, a slow run down to Cannon Hill Park, a loop around the park and then selected a nice stretch of path to aim for - about 100 metres long or so.

Then it was Ready, Steady, GO! And off we sprinted!

Again, what I love about this type of running is that it is short and intense and there's the full range of movement, really picking my legs and feet up and powering my arms!

We did that about 4 times and then ran a loop around the park again. My legs were telling me that they had a really good work out and I had to slow down and walk (and pop a jelly baby!) at times. When we reached the interval path again, off we went, another 4 times.

Ben is good to run with. Even though he has a lot of running experience and is much faster than me, he keeps to my pace, which I am really grateful for. There is nothing more disheartening than running with someone who shoots off ahead of you and leaves you behind! I've also discovered that I can kind of maintain a conversation whilst running, even if it's short burst of words and not full sentences!

I was so pleased with this run! It was hard in places, and I pushed myself on the sprints. And I well and truly earned my hearty roast dinner later in the day!

Thanks for a great run Ben!

AND I've been totting up the miles this year so far.

63 miles so far! They add up fast. And I've spent about 14 hours on my feet, OUTSIDE! That's more than I did for the whole of last year. And the year before come to that!

Here's my GPS map of the miles so far! Go me!

Hula Hooping! I can't forget the hula hooping! I spent 90 mins in total this week practicing my hula. Unfortunately I had to miss my hula class on Wednesday as I've got quite a lot on at the moment, but did a 30 min session at home instead to make up for it.

I'm feeling and seeing all sorts of benefits since I started exercising this year. I lost 30lbs without any exercise, but have lost another 10lbs this year so far and I've reached the goal I set myself last August of losing 40lbs!

Now this running 'bug' seems to be sticking I'm going to treat myself to some new trainers soon. Trainers have a life span of about 500 miles and although I haven't run that far in my current trainers, they do cause me blisters - I have to tape my feet up before each run, not ideal! And although I'm looking forward to purchasing some new shoes(!), it's with some intrepidation as I have such sensitive blister prone feet, I hope that the new trainers don't just cause blisters somewhere else!

That's me over and out for this weeks running report :)

Weekly running report - some company and new challenges

9.84 miles this week! Just a touch short of 10 miles, but who's is going to quibble about that? Sometimes I still think it's a miracle that I am going out there and hitting the streets at all lol.

Each of my three runs this week were excellent for different reasons.

Tuesday 2.23 miles

This was only a short run, but there was something about it. It felt like the easiest run I've had so far, I didn't even feel the 'toxic ten' minutes that I usually go through at the beginning of a run. I had put new music on my mp3, and this is the first tune that played. T.Rex, Cosmic Dancer. It's a slow track, but I'm a slow runner! I just felt like I was floating along the streets when I listened to this. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze and I felt like I could have run for miles and miles...











Friday 3 miles

On Friday I had some company! My friend Libby and I arranged to meet at Canon Hill park for a gentle run. Well, all my runs are gentle at the mo! We set a goal of 1.5 miles which is a bit further than Libby has run before, and we met that goal too! It was great to have some company and we chatted along the way. Thanks Libby!







Today 4.5 miles.

I had company on this run too! My friend Ben is a more experienced runner than me and I was a little worried I would slow him down, and I probably did, but he was great to run the 4.5 miles with and ran with me at my pace.

This run also took me on a brand new route....WITH HILLS! I have been pretty much avoiding hills since I started running and when Ben told me we would encounter some I can't say I was looking forward to them. At all.

However, I surprised myself and when we reached the inclines I started seeing them as more of a challenge to beat. I would not be defeated by an incline! And I pretty much did them all. We stopped half way up one hill to view an old painted sign that was fading away on the end of a shop, a piece of advertising history. And then we were forced to stop at the top of a hill to cross a busy road. And I must admit to giving the next hill a wide birth at this point and suggested another route than I knew would have a nice decline, only to be met with a very slight but long incline near the end. Anyway, hill challenge met, so that's a great result. Thanks for a great run Ben!

In addition to running I've done about 2 hours of hula hooping! Now I've got my own hoop there is no stopping me lol.

I had a twitter question this week: Has the diet and exercise made a difference mentally & emotionally as well?

Mentally I'd say I'm even more positive if that's possible! I get a sense of pride from my achievements however big or small, so that acts as a boost.

For the last few years I didn't make time for exercise as I had such a hectic workload. My workload hasn't changed, and I look at my to-do list and gasp and wonder how I will get everything done sometimes, but I am now scheduling exercise time into my diary as I would any appointment or commitment.

I'm starting to feel the benefits of having a mental break from work. That change of scene and being active really does help. When I'm exercising I take on another train of thought and let my mind wander. Sometimes I think about work, but I get a different perspective on it. Sometimes all I can do is concentrate on how I'm running or I tune into my music. Sometimes mastering a new hula hooping move requires all my attention.

There are not only physical benefits to exercise and moving more, there are mental benefits too. I guess you get the best of both worlds! :)

Weekly running round up - 10 miles reviewed

Well, I met this weeks goal of matching the 10 miles I ran last week!

I've had to break up the 10 miles into 4 runs. Ideally I'd like to keep to 3 runs per week. There's a couple of reasons for this.

I get more satisfaction out of 3 mile runs than 2 milers or 1.5 as I did today. With the shorter runs it feels like I've just got going and it's time to stop. It seems to take me .5 miles to get into the run. It's like I've shocked my body into moving and it has to catch up with the change!

Secondly, time. It's simply more time efficient to fit in 3 runs as opposed to four when you take into account the getting ready for a run bit and recovering afterwards.

So this week, I'm going to do my best to complete 10 miles in 3 runs instead of 4. And I also have a big preference to running earlier in the day rather than the evening when I'm usually getting a bit tired. More on that later.

I think you may need to click on image to see it bigger

Monday - 2 miles

A wee bit of a struggle. Body & legs felt heavy and like I had never run before! If you want to interpret the chart, the higher spikes are where I have slowed down and/or taken a walk break.

Although I try to avoid hills or rather inclines, it's a bit impossible around some streets where I live. However I am pleased that I talked myself into powering up an incline that moments before I was going to walk. There's a lot of self talk and encouragement that goes on at times!







Weds - 2 miles

In the rain! I actually love running in the rain. It didn't bother me one bit when rush hour evening traffic ran into puddles and splash me! This was a better run and body and mind were with me on this one. "Bring it on!" I was thinking as I deliberately splashed into puddles in the street.

It was a little bit of a rush though as I had to get home, shower, change and shoot off to hula hoop class.









Friday 4.5 miles!

.5 mile warm up walk THEN 4 miles WITHOUT STOPPING!!

I only slowed down for a minute to change the battery in my mp3.

I LOVED this run. It felt really good. Nice and easy. It was quite windy, but the rain stayed away and the sun even came out for a little while.

The only downer about this run was that at the last .5 mile I developed a blister. This was despite taping up my blister prone areas - the tape has slipped out of place. Ouch.

And it was only when I got home that I discovered I need to get a new sports bra! The ones I have were when I was 30+ lbs heavier, and although they felt fine and seemed to do their job, they were obviously not the right fit. So I am now a proud owner of a Shock Absorber!




I decided to get arty again with my warm up walk. It kinda worked. Sort of. It's a running man!

To keep things varied and not just run around in circles I though I would try and run on all the paths in Cannon Hill park. I actually went over the sames paths more than once due to the mileage I wanted to do. A loop around Cannon Hill on the outside paths is almost a mile.

Sunday 1.5miles

This was just a quick run to bring my total up to 10 miles. I wish it had been a bit longer, but I really don't want to over do it. I had also put a special blister plaster on my blister before my run, but like the tape, it has shifted out of place by the time I had finished.




And this is a map that combines all the runs I have completed this week.

So! Another week, another 10 miles. I'm happy with that! In fact, it's quite hard to believe at times.

Another lovely benefit I'm discovering after a run is a runners high! All those endorphines I didn't know I had are springing into life lol. Also, and it comes as no surprise, I find myself going to bed a bit earlier. It's strange to actually listen to my body these days. Resting is just as important as exercise and I need to allow myself the time to recover from these runs.

My goals for this week are:

Complete 10 miles (maybe 11) in 3 runs.


Make my weekly long run 5 miles *gulp!*


Address my blister issue - more plasters or new trainers?


Run earlier in the day, and not the evenings.

I've had some great responses from my twitter friends. Lots of encouragement and advice. And even had a few tweets from twitter friends, like this one from David Webb saying I've inspired them to get their trainers on and go out for a run!



Good luck with the running guys and girls - we can do it! :)

2011 gets off to a running start! 10 miles under this week's belt

This year has started with me picking up my feet and picking up the running bug!

I'm not a complete novice to running, but it's been over 3 years since I ran. I've blogged a little about my running history and mulled over whether attempting the London Marathon (in 2007)was the worse thing I could have done for my running as I didn't take another step after that, until last November/December.

I did a few tentative runs around November/December time and made an audio boo after my first 1 mile run in November.

One week into the new year, and I've got 10 miles under my running belt! Which seems a bit hard to believe. I mean, that's quite far really isn't it?

This has been over 3 runs. The first two I teamed up with my friend Rachel Simmo who lives nearby and who also has caught the running bug!

We ran when we felt like it and walked when we were tired, and then picked up the pace again.

I've been wearing my Garmin GPS watch thingy which tracks all the data and maps the route, so I've been downloading this information. It's really good to have actually. Before I had my Garmin I had to plot my route and distance online first and more or less stick to that route. Now, I can go in any direction I want which gives much more freedom to running. And I think it can even take you back to where you started your run from should you get lost! Clever eh!

So, here are the stats for my first two runs with Rachel.





I had planned a run for today and had marked it in my diary. When I plan a run a few days in advance I look forward to it, but come the time to actually get out of the door, well that's another matter! I kind of start thinking, "Have I got to go out? What will happen if I give it a miss today? Hmm, looks a bit cold out there. Yeah, but you'll feel ok once you get going. And you never regret it. And you'll enjoy it. Okay, well I'll get my running gear on then. Come on, stop tweeting and get out of the door. Now get going!"

This morning I woke up with my body feeling really sloth-like, it didn't really want to move. And my brain didn't help. It seemed a bit foggy.





I had some breakfast and waited for some energy to kick in. Hmm, that helped. A bit. But I still wasn't rushing to get ready for my run.








Dressed for my run at last, I started feeling a bit more positive about it.



And then.....runners high!!



4 miles. FOUR MILES!

With running, as with a lot of things, you celebrate the small and the big things and this was a biggy for me, especially as I had run 3.3 miles WITHOUT STOPPING! I was not expecting that to happen!

Before I went for my run I thought it might be a good idea to amuse myself on my warm up walk and try and write something using my Garmin GPS thingy. There's a nice big open space in Cannon Hill park, so I thought I would make use of it. There was a thin layer of snow covering the grass, which proved quite useful in trying to keep track of my steps. After a wobbly start, I kinda got the hang of it. What do you think?



So that took .7 miles and then I couldn't put it off any longer, it was time to run. I got myself off the grass and onto a path and off I went. I have some new music that I LOVE to listen to. I can't stay still when I hear it and it's perfect for running to. I love the pace, and the attitude. It's by Girl Talk and it's called Allday and you can download it FREE! I defy you to be able to sit still ;)




Luckily Cannon Hill park is practically flat, but for the novice runner even a slight incline can feel like a challenge. I had only just started running and I began planning my next walk break...

And then somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered a running tip from years ago! Slow down, take smaller strides. So I adjusted my running and that simple bit of advice worked. I actually didn't feel like stopping now and my breathing was ok, I could keep going for a bit longer before I took my walk break. This was working!

I carried on and to my surprise I didn't feel like I needed a walk break. My pace was slow, but what's the rush? This is my own little race, no one elses. I've got nothing to prove to anyone. I'll just do what feels right, listen to my body and just enjoy this run.

I began thinking about the 3 miles I had set myself and re-set the challenge to 4 miles. It just felt achievable today. I was in the mood for it now. I practically had the park to myself and it was looking pretty with a bit of snow and fog, even the rain was welcome on this run. I passed a handful of people, some walkers and folks out with their dogs, another runner over took me and gave me a friendly wave. After my first mile without stopping I punched the air and if I could have I would have given myself a high five too!

It felt great realising that I could run longer just by slowing down my pace. It seems to obvious, but it was like a light bulb moment. And so I continued running until I had completed exactly 4 miles. I still can't quite believe I've run 3.3 miles without stopping, I really didn't think I was capable of that.



And I feel great for it. My mind is more alert compared to the groggy start it had in the morning and I'm on a bit of a natural high. My body knows it's moved and is feeling relaxed.

I've marked my diary with 3 more runs for next week. I've got to be careful not to over do it and proceed to quickly, as there lies the road to injury. Which reminds me, I have got 3 blisters from today's run. I'd forgotten how blister prone my delicate feet are and remembered that I used to have to tape up the sensitive areas when I used to run, so I'll be putting tape and blister plasters on my shopping list this weekend.

If you are thinking about taking your first steps towards running here are my top tips:

Ladies - don't even think about it without a sports bra!! You don't want any distractions when running and you need to keep those beauties under control! Any sports shop, or big department store should be able to kit out you including Marks & Spencer. Make sure you try it on before you buy and even do a little run on the spot to assess things.

Shoes - Get yourself fitted for some proper running shoes. There are shops that are dedicated to running and sports and they offer an assessment service. They will measure your gait and how you run and suggest the best shoe for you. For example, I'm an overpronator.



Running shoes will be one of the best investments you can make and will help you to avoid injury too.

Starting out - take it easy. Walk when you feel like it, run when you want to. I really recommend Runners World. It's got TONS of advice for beginners as well as more advanced runners and there is a very active forum there where you can chat with other runners at all levels, ask for help and tips, and make some running buddies too.

Right! I've promised myself a nice hearty spag bol for dinner! Oh and tomorrow I'll be weighing myself to see what the scales say this week. Fingers crossed they will go in the right direction (especially after a big bowl of spag bol!), but I think 10 miles should help things along in that area :)