Pretty much as soon as I got interested in running, I got interested in 'Running People' - no, not just the Tarahumara, I mean all running people. People who run back to back marathons simply for the 'fun' (?!? When will I get to this point!!)) of it, or who run to overcome serious illness, grief, or addiction to smoking, drugs and an unhealthy lifestyle. These people were - and still are - a huge source of inspiration to me, and I like nothing better than to settle down with a good running magazine, a cup of tea and the latest article on the life of an extra-ordinary runner.
Recently, however, I have started to notice similar themes running through each article, and it began to ring a bell - bringing up distant memories of Sport Psychology lectures and discussions of exercise addiction. People who are elite athletes, or those who perform the amazing runner feats I admire so much, show (in the articles at least!) a true commitment to their running, covering a huge weekly mileage and dedicating large percentage of their time to the sport. They have strict exercise regimes, matched by strict diets for optimum performance. Many people who have talked about using running to overcome an unhealthy habit or lifestyle, claim to have changed their social life dramatically - swopping nights out with friends for an early morning distance run. All good and healthy, right?
Or is it. People diagnosed with an exercise addiction, spend large amounts of time exercising, sticking to strict exercise regimes and diets, and will choose the exercise before a social life - friends and family being firmly on the back burner. Sound similar? There is, in fact, a thin line between a positive, committed attitude to exercise such as running, and an unhealthy addiction, with the main difference simply being the runners attitude to their regime, and I started to wonder which side the runners I knew were on. And not just the famous ones mentioned in magazines - the more I read around the subject, the more I started to draw links to my marathon running friends - and myself!
Aside from the diet and exercise, addicted runners can become anxious and irritable if they are unable to complete a scheduled run, with the added feeling of guilt at missing training. Having had occasions when work has meant I haven't got home in time for a run, I (and my long-suffering boyfriend...!) can definitely relate to this. Missing a run makes me cranky and restless until I can next get out and get my 'runners high' to de-stress! Another symptom is constantly thinking about your sport (um, yep...!), buying lots of clothes/ trainers/ sports equipment related to running (again... yep...!!). So, do I have an unhealthy addiction? There is a way to test!
The Running Addiction Scale is a set of 18 questions which you score on a 5-point scale, from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree'. Of these questions, 11 have been considered to be the strongest indicators of addiction: Where do you lie?
1. I run on a regular basis
2. If the weather is too hot, too cold or too windy, I will not run that day
3. I would not reschedule activities with my friends in order to run
4. I have stopped running for a period of at least 1 week for a reason other than injury
5.I would run with intense pain
6. I have not spent much money on running literature, equipment or accessories
7. If there were another way to maintain my present fitness, I would not run anymore
8. After I run, I feel better
9. I would continue to run while an injury healed
10. On some days, even though I do not feel like running, I do anyway
11. I feel that I need to run at least once every day
Another test which you can do on a regular basis can be found here - I scored 82, so I think I'm safe.. for now :-)
Scored higher and think you may need help? Cognitive therapy, switching to alternative exercise (e.g.swimming) to give your body a break and taking up yoga have all been shown to help - or speak to your doctor or running coach for advise.
Wednesday 8 May 2013
Wednesday 13 March 2013
The Zest Bootcamp Diet - a party-dress plan without running!
Going back to being a 'non-runner', or rather, a runner who doesn't actually do any running (despite having not run for over 5 weeks now, I still think of myself as a 'runner' - but then, I also still think I can play the violin and I haven't picked up one of those for at least 10 years....!) has caused me a LOT of problems. Which is surprising, to some extent, given that when I was in training, I thought running had caused problems too (the main one being breaking me - or at least, a small part of me!). Whilst I had - and still do - absolutely love running, I found myself having to overcome things like my hopeless time management/ organisation skills (once running hit the half hour mark and beyond, both the running part and the before, after and, on the longest runs, during eating needed organising in advance!). Social events, and even basic 'friendship commitments' were a struggle as the miles clocked up, to the point that one of my best friends resorted to writing me an actual letter, photo attached, to remind me that she, and life outside of running, still existed! And then there was the problem of correct nutrition (quick takeaways when I was feeling lazy were no longer an option if I wanted to perform my best the next day) - and extra cooking meant extra washing up (or rather, extra piles of dishes waiting to be washed up, since house work is not my strongest point..!).
These running-related problems however were all easily overcome, simply because it was something I wanted to be doing - and besides, there were many more advantages than perceived issues - not least the ability to eat more than I have ever eaten in my life, call it carb-loading and then still slip into dresses that are 2 sizes smaller than when training started. Bliss :-)
However, spending the last few months scoffing as much pasta as I can possibly can, followed by constant pre-and post-run snacks, is a habit hard to give up. In fact, it was something I hadn't even considered giving up until 2 weeks ago when, whilst happily chowing down on a big bowl of spaghetti, my friend (looking slightly amazed, or possibly a little appalled?! - at the amount I was eating) asked, bluntly, 'how on earth do you manage to eat all that!'. Quickly followed, after my automatic reply of 'carb-loading...' by an even more blunt 'For what?? You're not doing any exercise!'.
Cue me putting down my fork and checking my waistline as that fact sinks in. Followed by a sneaky weigh-in the next morning. Yep, 3 weeks of zero cardio work plus carb (over) loading does not make me a size 8! It also, more distressingly, does not make me fit into the size 8 dress which I had brought ready for my birthday celebrations next month.. drastic action was needed!
Remembering my success with the Zest Super Cleanse, I decided to opt for another Zest diet - this time, the Boot Camp diet - something I hadn't attempted whilst running because I a) didn't need to lose weight as I was burning it all off on the trails, and b) I was running - and needed to eat lots! which this diet definitely doesn't allow! The diet basically consists of 3 meals a day, with very low carbs (forget pasta, bread, rice, potatoes..), protein at every meal and more vegetables than on a 2 acre allotment! The first week, I found this TOUGH! Used to eating a lot, and regularly, I was starving for the first 3 days. By the end of the first week, I had adjusted slightly however, and cravings for chocolate and pasta had started to subside. I had also lost 3.6llbs - which was massive motivation to stick to it for the second week! When I say stick to it.. I have to admit I found myself cheating here! The diet involves 2 'fast' days, which I just couldn't do! So, small meals substituted the zero dinner and a low fat yogurt substituted breakfast. Given that I wasn't 100% true to the plan (hats off to anyone who is, I just didn't have will power...!) and that I couldn't follow the exercise plan which works alongside the diet due to my knee, the fact that I lost the weight was, in my opinion, pretty impressive!
The second week (minus a 'day off' at the weekend, when I annoyingly put a pound back on by scoffing cream teas...!) was much, much easier. My tastebuds had adjusted to the meals, which were a little more plain than I was used to - and the attempt at cooking the grainless pizza was much more successful (I found cooking for an extra 10 mins made the base much less soggy and it held together this time - also used a smaller aubergine, which could have helped..). This week I only lost 1.2llbs - but again, I didn't do the fasting or the exercise... and, for motivation, I could get into the dress and I still have 3 weeks before the party to actually make it look good (yes I got into it.. but breathing was not an option..!). And so, at the start of my 3rd week of Boot Camp, I am feeling optimistic :-)
So, my summary of the diet:
1. It's Tough! Well, come on... it IS called a Boot Camp after all, so it was hardly going to be a walk in the park! Expect (unless you are superhuman, unlike me!) to feel hungry, and to have some difficult sugar cravings during the first week. Stick with it though as once this passes, it will feel like a breeze!
2. It WORKS! As evidenced by my losing much more than expected. Well worth the effort in will power - and, because all of the meals include good quality nutrition, you know you are doing your body good, unlike other 'crash diets' which can have the same weight loss but not the same benefits!
3. It's affordable.. I don't know about you, but I usually find diets hideously expensive! Mainly because of the weird and wonderful, super-food type ingredients. Not so with the Zest Bootcamp - just normal salad, veg and lean meat and fish. The only slightly expensive meal is the pizza, which needs almond flour (harder to get hold of... and - sneaky truth - I used plain flour the first week as couldn't find it!).
4. The meals are OK... Actually I am probably being harsh here - most dishes taste nice. I didn't, however, find any tasted 'wow' - and as a food-lover, I missed this! But for 4 weeks, which is how long I am doing this for, the food is fine - and there was nothing I found I didn't want to eat, which again has happened on some other attempts at diets!
Anyway, I am off to happily tuck into my apple of the day...bring on the return of running so I can get back to carb-loading with a passion... ;-)
These running-related problems however were all easily overcome, simply because it was something I wanted to be doing - and besides, there were many more advantages than perceived issues - not least the ability to eat more than I have ever eaten in my life, call it carb-loading and then still slip into dresses that are 2 sizes smaller than when training started. Bliss :-)
However, spending the last few months scoffing as much pasta as I can possibly can, followed by constant pre-and post-run snacks, is a habit hard to give up. In fact, it was something I hadn't even considered giving up until 2 weeks ago when, whilst happily chowing down on a big bowl of spaghetti, my friend (looking slightly amazed, or possibly a little appalled?! - at the amount I was eating) asked, bluntly, 'how on earth do you manage to eat all that!'. Quickly followed, after my automatic reply of 'carb-loading...' by an even more blunt 'For what?? You're not doing any exercise!'.
Cue me putting down my fork and checking my waistline as that fact sinks in. Followed by a sneaky weigh-in the next morning. Yep, 3 weeks of zero cardio work plus carb (over) loading does not make me a size 8! It also, more distressingly, does not make me fit into the size 8 dress which I had brought ready for my birthday celebrations next month.. drastic action was needed!
Remembering my success with the Zest Super Cleanse, I decided to opt for another Zest diet - this time, the Boot Camp diet - something I hadn't attempted whilst running because I a) didn't need to lose weight as I was burning it all off on the trails, and b) I was running - and needed to eat lots! which this diet definitely doesn't allow! The diet basically consists of 3 meals a day, with very low carbs (forget pasta, bread, rice, potatoes..), protein at every meal and more vegetables than on a 2 acre allotment! The first week, I found this TOUGH! Used to eating a lot, and regularly, I was starving for the first 3 days. By the end of the first week, I had adjusted slightly however, and cravings for chocolate and pasta had started to subside. I had also lost 3.6llbs - which was massive motivation to stick to it for the second week! When I say stick to it.. I have to admit I found myself cheating here! The diet involves 2 'fast' days, which I just couldn't do! So, small meals substituted the zero dinner and a low fat yogurt substituted breakfast. Given that I wasn't 100% true to the plan (hats off to anyone who is, I just didn't have will power...!) and that I couldn't follow the exercise plan which works alongside the diet due to my knee, the fact that I lost the weight was, in my opinion, pretty impressive!
The second week (minus a 'day off' at the weekend, when I annoyingly put a pound back on by scoffing cream teas...!) was much, much easier. My tastebuds had adjusted to the meals, which were a little more plain than I was used to - and the attempt at cooking the grainless pizza was much more successful (I found cooking for an extra 10 mins made the base much less soggy and it held together this time - also used a smaller aubergine, which could have helped..). This week I only lost 1.2llbs - but again, I didn't do the fasting or the exercise... and, for motivation, I could get into the dress and I still have 3 weeks before the party to actually make it look good (yes I got into it.. but breathing was not an option..!). And so, at the start of my 3rd week of Boot Camp, I am feeling optimistic :-)
So, my summary of the diet:
1. It's Tough! Well, come on... it IS called a Boot Camp after all, so it was hardly going to be a walk in the park! Expect (unless you are superhuman, unlike me!) to feel hungry, and to have some difficult sugar cravings during the first week. Stick with it though as once this passes, it will feel like a breeze!
2. It WORKS! As evidenced by my losing much more than expected. Well worth the effort in will power - and, because all of the meals include good quality nutrition, you know you are doing your body good, unlike other 'crash diets' which can have the same weight loss but not the same benefits!
3. It's affordable.. I don't know about you, but I usually find diets hideously expensive! Mainly because of the weird and wonderful, super-food type ingredients. Not so with the Zest Bootcamp - just normal salad, veg and lean meat and fish. The only slightly expensive meal is the pizza, which needs almond flour (harder to get hold of... and - sneaky truth - I used plain flour the first week as couldn't find it!).
4. The meals are OK... Actually I am probably being harsh here - most dishes taste nice. I didn't, however, find any tasted 'wow' - and as a food-lover, I missed this! But for 4 weeks, which is how long I am doing this for, the food is fine - and there was nothing I found I didn't want to eat, which again has happened on some other attempts at diets!
Anyway, I am off to happily tuck into my apple of the day...bring on the return of running so I can get back to carb-loading with a passion... ;-)
Monday 11 March 2013
The Brighton Chocolate Festival - a non-running blog post!
As you will have gathered from some of my food-orientated blog posts, I like food :-) Love it, in fact.. and, right at the top of my food- favourites list is ... Chocolate! Chocolate, in my eyes, is simply the stuff of gods. Or goddesses maybe... I always feel it is somewhat wasted on men as they never seem to appreciate it quite as much as the female sex!! Or as much as me anyway ;-) Many people have tried to wean me off the stuff - some say that it is fattening, some say it will give me sugar crashes (well, yes... it would. If I stopped eating it. So why would I stop??). Others simply say that it is bad for me... but, as of this weekend, I am pleased to say that they are officially, totally Wrong!
The reason I can now say this as fact is that I spent a very happy few hours on Sunday browsing the stalls at the Chocolate Festival in Brighton - a fantastic event for all chocolate lovers, and something I can't quite believe I hadn't been to before! The day had been planned as part of a Mothers Day outing - chocolate festival followed by a champagne afternoon tea at Bohemia - Yum! It had also been carefully considered in terms of my lack of activity over the last few weeks - going from running 5 days a week to nothing was having a knock-on effect on my waistline, so I was determined to watch, listen and treat my well-deserving mum... but NOT to sample.
Well... my determination to stick to the diet and avoid the chocolate testing was unwavering. For a full 2 minutes - which was about the smae amount of time it took for me to get to the front of the first stall, and for the very lovely man behind it to produced a large plate of gorgous dark chocolate buttons. Dark chocolate, I persuaded myself, does not count. Being packed full of minerals and anti-oxidants, it can, really, be considered as more of a health supplement. A bit like the pills I stock up on in Boots and occasionally remember to take in the mornings - onlyslightly much more moreish!! And so, venturing further down the line of exhibitors, I found myself taking a wide variety of 'supplements' of delicious chocolates, made from a range of cocoa beans and of varying strengths - and handed out by people truely passionate about their craft! I found myself learning about the different beans and new techniques for intensifying flavours (the Damien Allsop water ganache chocolates were just amaaaazing.. cannot rave about them enough!), testing new award winning chocolates from Sloe Seduction (a stall I found myself sneaking back to time and time again...) and warming up (it was seriously cold I have to say..) with proper, homemade hot chocolate with a spicy shot of vanilla - heaven in a cup!
Overall, if you are a fan of chocolate - or you know someone who is! - I would highly recommend going next year! As well as all the 'freebies' (also known as tasters....), there were some fantastic, beautifully presented products for sale which will make gorgeous presents for birthdays or Easter - one stall had some really pretty, hand decorated easter eggs for less than you would buy a basic cadbury's version in the local supermarket, with the added benefit of knowing all about where the individual beans came from which went into the chocolate (which tasted richly intense.. I know, as I tasted it :-) !
If you can't wait until next year, venture to London or Bristol and you can still have a chocolate filled day out - whilst educating yourself on all the health benefits to ease the scoffing-induced guilt!! Click here for more information - happy tasting!!
The reason I can now say this as fact is that I spent a very happy few hours on Sunday browsing the stalls at the Chocolate Festival in Brighton - a fantastic event for all chocolate lovers, and something I can't quite believe I hadn't been to before! The day had been planned as part of a Mothers Day outing - chocolate festival followed by a champagne afternoon tea at Bohemia - Yum! It had also been carefully considered in terms of my lack of activity over the last few weeks - going from running 5 days a week to nothing was having a knock-on effect on my waistline, so I was determined to watch, listen and treat my well-deserving mum... but NOT to sample.
Well... my determination to stick to the diet and avoid the chocolate testing was unwavering. For a full 2 minutes - which was about the smae amount of time it took for me to get to the front of the first stall, and for the very lovely man behind it to produced a large plate of gorgous dark chocolate buttons. Dark chocolate, I persuaded myself, does not count. Being packed full of minerals and anti-oxidants, it can, really, be considered as more of a health supplement. A bit like the pills I stock up on in Boots and occasionally remember to take in the mornings - only
Overall, if you are a fan of chocolate - or you know someone who is! - I would highly recommend going next year! As well as all the 'freebies' (also known as tasters....), there were some fantastic, beautifully presented products for sale which will make gorgeous presents for birthdays or Easter - one stall had some really pretty, hand decorated easter eggs for less than you would buy a basic cadbury's version in the local supermarket, with the added benefit of knowing all about where the individual beans came from which went into the chocolate (which tasted richly intense.. I know, as I tasted it :-) !
If you can't wait until next year, venture to London or Bristol and you can still have a chocolate filled day out - whilst educating yourself on all the health benefits to ease the scoffing-induced guilt!! Click here for more information - happy tasting!!
Changing Plans - a Landmark weekend.
This weekend marked the start of my changing plans for running in 2013. In fact, it has probably altered my running full stop - but its this year that I have my mind on. It all started with my trip to the Physio on Saturday morning. Now, I already knew this was a 'make or break' visit in terms of my Brighton Marathon plans - at my last visit, my very nice physio had, rather firmly, given me two options on this front: 1) she could try to get my knee 'Ok' enough to walk-run the 26.2 miles in April, provided I was prepared to not run/ swim/ cycle/ ride or basically MOVE in any way shape or form for 6 months after, or 2) she could fix my knee. Having my heart set on the marathon - and desperately not wanting to let down either the charity I was running for or the people who had sponsored me, I barely let the poor women finish speaking before grabbing the walk-run option! And so, armed with some carefully planned exercises, a rather large ice pack and some words of caution from the physio, we started trialling the new, take-it-slow marathon plan.
It's at this point that I should probably admit that the plan was just a 'maybe' chance, and that I was meant to be spending the week assessing how my knee was coping with the exercise. In which case, when I woke up on Saturday morning with a knee twice the size that it had been the week before, or even the night before for that matter, I probably should have accepted that the 'maybe' was rapidly becoming an 'unlikely'... but no. As I hopped unsteadily into the treatment room that day, not quite able to weight bear on my left leg, I was mentally calculating just how many 'hops' I could fit into 26.2 miles - and whether a hop-walk plan would be slower or faster than the walk-run one that we had previously discussed. In fact, it took a full 45 minutes for my brain to cotton on to what I was being (repeatedly!) told.. that the Brighton marathon was out.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I did not take this news well - in fact, I spent the majority of the remaining day sulking and grumbling to anyone who would listen (as none of my friends paid any attention to my grumbles at all, that was basically just me...!).But, Sunday brought around Mothers Day - and you can't grumble and sulk whilst trying to make a special day for your mum! So, giving myself a rather stern talking to, I decided to 'Get Over It'! In fact, I was not only going to get over it, but, I decided as I nibbled on some rather amazing chocolate at the Brighton Chocolate Festival (will write about that in the next post as it was far too good not to be told!) that it was going to be a positive!
All well and good.. but how do I turn being injured, unable to do ANYTHING even remotely active and missing out on the one event I had set my heart on... into a good thing?! Well, I made a list! Admittedly, it is currently quite a short list - but I am working on it :-) feel free to add anything ...
So, my list so far:
1. I have a tailored plan to address all of my imbalances, tight muscles, areas of weakness, potential posture problems, which even my mix of pilates/ yoga/ body pump and conditioning gym workouts didn't pick up or correct! I may be broken now, but when I do get back to running, I will be better than I was before. And you never know - a better posture may just make me faster - bring on the soon-to-be supercharged me!! (well... maybe not soon.. or that super... but you know what I mean!!).
2. I have an opportunity to be involved in running - from the other side of the fence! I may not be able to run in events for the next few months, but that doesn't mean I can't take part at all! All races require marshalls and volunteers to help on the day - so I have now applyed to volunteer at the marathon, and will be looking to get involved in anyway I can at events in my local area. A good way to put something back into the sport, and meet new people - never a bad thing :-)
3. .... oh OK so I only have 2 things on my list so far - I did say it was short! Give me time though as I'm sure there are more...
If anyone else has had to pull out of a race - let me know how you are getting on with NOT running! and good luck to the rest of you still racing and running injury free... I am only mildly envious.. honest..!!
It's at this point that I should probably admit that the plan was just a 'maybe' chance, and that I was meant to be spending the week assessing how my knee was coping with the exercise. In which case, when I woke up on Saturday morning with a knee twice the size that it had been the week before, or even the night before for that matter, I probably should have accepted that the 'maybe' was rapidly becoming an 'unlikely'... but no. As I hopped unsteadily into the treatment room that day, not quite able to weight bear on my left leg, I was mentally calculating just how many 'hops' I could fit into 26.2 miles - and whether a hop-walk plan would be slower or faster than the walk-run one that we had previously discussed. In fact, it took a full 45 minutes for my brain to cotton on to what I was being (repeatedly!) told.. that the Brighton marathon was out.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I did not take this news well - in fact, I spent the majority of the remaining day sulking and grumbling to anyone who would listen (as none of my friends paid any attention to my grumbles at all, that was basically just me...!).But, Sunday brought around Mothers Day - and you can't grumble and sulk whilst trying to make a special day for your mum! So, giving myself a rather stern talking to, I decided to 'Get Over It'! In fact, I was not only going to get over it, but, I decided as I nibbled on some rather amazing chocolate at the Brighton Chocolate Festival (will write about that in the next post as it was far too good not to be told!) that it was going to be a positive!
All well and good.. but how do I turn being injured, unable to do ANYTHING even remotely active and missing out on the one event I had set my heart on... into a good thing?! Well, I made a list! Admittedly, it is currently quite a short list - but I am working on it :-) feel free to add anything ...
So, my list so far:
1. I have a tailored plan to address all of my imbalances, tight muscles, areas of weakness, potential posture problems, which even my mix of pilates/ yoga/ body pump and conditioning gym workouts didn't pick up or correct! I may be broken now, but when I do get back to running, I will be better than I was before. And you never know - a better posture may just make me faster - bring on the soon-to-be supercharged me!! (well... maybe not soon.. or that super... but you know what I mean!!).
2. I have an opportunity to be involved in running - from the other side of the fence! I may not be able to run in events for the next few months, but that doesn't mean I can't take part at all! All races require marshalls and volunteers to help on the day - so I have now applyed to volunteer at the marathon, and will be looking to get involved in anyway I can at events in my local area. A good way to put something back into the sport, and meet new people - never a bad thing :-)
3. .... oh OK so I only have 2 things on my list so far - I did say it was short! Give me time though as I'm sure there are more...
If anyone else has had to pull out of a race - let me know how you are getting on with NOT running! and good luck to the rest of you still racing and running injury free... I am only mildly envious.. honest..!!
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Checking performance - fitness tests for runners
As much as I am usually motivated and positive towards my running, there are days (or even weeks, sometimes!) when I just don't feel like I am getting anywhere - in fact, some days (like last Sunday's long run!) I almost feel like I'm going backwards! Each run will feel just as hard, my speed will feel slow.. and upping the distance just seems unnecessarily torturous! It's at times like these when I find the need to start checking - and recording - my fitness. Yes, the last run may have felt just as excruciatingly painful as the first time I ran the same route, but does that really mean that I am just as unfit as I was a month ago? Well, no. It doesn't. The last time I ran, its more than possible that the wind was behind me, pushing me along rather than battling against me as it did this week. Or I could have been running across dry, firm ground rather than a treacherous bog - there are many factors influencing each run, and without an accurate, repeatable measurement to use to track my progress, it's impossible to truely see how far I have come.
Of course, if I was more organised (or just slightly more inclined to...), I would keep an accurate record of each run - time, distance, route, pace, weather and ground conditions - all very valid and useful factors which would allow me to compare the terrible run to the great. Now, I can truely see the benefit of this, and when I first started running I had every intention of doing just that - I even brought a brand new, smart notebook to record it all in (inner geek emerging again...!). Trouble is, when it comes to it... I can always think ofbetter more interesting other things to do!! And if you don't record ALL of the runs, somehow it all seems a little pointless. And then I find that none of the training gets recorded.. and I have no comparisons to make!
Not feeling inclined to carry on with a 'training diary', despite its obvious benefits, I turned instead to fitness testing. Now, early on, this 'fitness test' was such a vague indication of how I was doing that I didn't really even acknowledge that that was what I was doing! The basis of this 'indicator' was a long hill which, when first attempted, I couldn't run up. At all! I would literally get about 3 strides in and just have to give up (Like I said in my previous post, hills were never my favourite...!!). So, each week as I re-attempted the hill, I would make a vague note of how much further I could run. Them, when I could run the whole way, how long it would take me (the first time was nearly 13 minutes...!!). Seeing the steady progress as I reached the top in less and less time was great motivation and a good feeling of satisfaction! All well and good, but these days I can get up the hill in my average running pace, without too much difficulty - great to compare to the early days, but look at the more recent weeks and they are all they same, simply as that is the pace I want to be going at!
So, having 'lost' my usual indicator of fitness, I needed to think of some others. The first, and easiest one to go for was my resting heart rate. Easy to take, and no need for any equipment - simply count your pulse for 30 seconds before you get up in the morning (lie resting for 5 - 10 mins first), multiply it by 2, and write it down. Quite simply, as your cardiovascular system gets fitter, your resting pulse will get slower, as your heart is more efficient at pumping blood around your body (and therefore needs to pump less often). Do this everyday, and as an added bonus you can detect early signs of overtraining - if your resting heart rate increases, it can be a sign you are over doing it, and you need to decrease the workload for a few days.
Still using heart rate, you can also measure your recovery rate - simply do a set amount of exercise, and then time how long it takes your heart rate to drop back to a pre-decided level (e.g reduce by 50%). Again, the fitter you are, the quicker the recovery time!
The above 2 methods are quick and easy, and will show you an improvement in general fitness. I, however, wanted more detail! Specifically, I like to know that I am getting faster, stronger, and that I can go further... so, more tests needed! these are the ones I now use on a monthly basis:
1. Measuring speed - For this, I use the Coopers 12 minute test. Again, straight forward - warm up with a gentle jog, then run as far as you can in 12 minutes! You need to be able to accurately measure the distance, and you need a stop watch... and thats it! Obviously, as you run faster, you will go further :-)
This test has the added bonus of also allowing you to work out your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake and use - so important for runners!). The formula for this is:
VO2 max = (22.351 x km) - 11.288
or VO2 max = (35.97 x miles) - 11.29
You can compare both your distance covered and VO2 max score with published data on athletes... I don't, simply as I find I am better when just concentrating on improving myself - but simple to find on Google if you want!
2. Timed lap - Again, measuring speed. Simply mark out the distance you want to use (400m, 800m or 1 mile - anything is fine as long as you keep it the same each time!), warm up with a 10 minute jog again, then run the distance as fast as you can!
3. Core Strength - Good core strength is essential to keep running without injury. For this, use the 'dreaded' (I hate it!) plank. Just time how long you you can maintain it for - the longer the better!!
4. Distance - This is one that I use the treadmill for. I start with a 10 minute jog, the reset the treadmill and start the test by running at an easy pace (I start at 8.5km/hr). Increase gradient and speed every minute by a set amount (you choose but keep it the same for each time you repeat the test!) - until you can't keep up! (take care here and don't overdo it - don't go falling off the back!!!). I then note down distance covered, and use this as a guide to my fitness levels and endurance!
So, all tests which I can do easily and without any additional cost (if you don't have a stopwatch, you may find one on your phone!). Obviously, if you can do these on a treadmill, you eliminate weather and ground conditions which can influence results - but do them outside and it more closely resembles your race. So, choose either - but make sure if you do one test one month on the road outside, don't then compare to the treadmill the following month - consistency will make each test more accurate!
Of course, if I was more organised (or just slightly more inclined to...), I would keep an accurate record of each run - time, distance, route, pace, weather and ground conditions - all very valid and useful factors which would allow me to compare the terrible run to the great. Now, I can truely see the benefit of this, and when I first started running I had every intention of doing just that - I even brought a brand new, smart notebook to record it all in (inner geek emerging again...!). Trouble is, when it comes to it... I can always think of
Not feeling inclined to carry on with a 'training diary', despite its obvious benefits, I turned instead to fitness testing. Now, early on, this 'fitness test' was such a vague indication of how I was doing that I didn't really even acknowledge that that was what I was doing! The basis of this 'indicator' was a long hill which, when first attempted, I couldn't run up. At all! I would literally get about 3 strides in and just have to give up (Like I said in my previous post, hills were never my favourite...!!). So, each week as I re-attempted the hill, I would make a vague note of how much further I could run. Them, when I could run the whole way, how long it would take me (the first time was nearly 13 minutes...!!). Seeing the steady progress as I reached the top in less and less time was great motivation and a good feeling of satisfaction! All well and good, but these days I can get up the hill in my average running pace, without too much difficulty - great to compare to the early days, but look at the more recent weeks and they are all they same, simply as that is the pace I want to be going at!
So, having 'lost' my usual indicator of fitness, I needed to think of some others. The first, and easiest one to go for was my resting heart rate. Easy to take, and no need for any equipment - simply count your pulse for 30 seconds before you get up in the morning (lie resting for 5 - 10 mins first), multiply it by 2, and write it down. Quite simply, as your cardiovascular system gets fitter, your resting pulse will get slower, as your heart is more efficient at pumping blood around your body (and therefore needs to pump less often). Do this everyday, and as an added bonus you can detect early signs of overtraining - if your resting heart rate increases, it can be a sign you are over doing it, and you need to decrease the workload for a few days.
Still using heart rate, you can also measure your recovery rate - simply do a set amount of exercise, and then time how long it takes your heart rate to drop back to a pre-decided level (e.g reduce by 50%). Again, the fitter you are, the quicker the recovery time!
The above 2 methods are quick and easy, and will show you an improvement in general fitness. I, however, wanted more detail! Specifically, I like to know that I am getting faster, stronger, and that I can go further... so, more tests needed! these are the ones I now use on a monthly basis:
1. Measuring speed - For this, I use the Coopers 12 minute test. Again, straight forward - warm up with a gentle jog, then run as far as you can in 12 minutes! You need to be able to accurately measure the distance, and you need a stop watch... and thats it! Obviously, as you run faster, you will go further :-)
This test has the added bonus of also allowing you to work out your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen you can uptake and use - so important for runners!). The formula for this is:
VO2 max = (22.351 x km) - 11.288
or VO2 max = (35.97 x miles) - 11.29
You can compare both your distance covered and VO2 max score with published data on athletes... I don't, simply as I find I am better when just concentrating on improving myself - but simple to find on Google if you want!
2. Timed lap - Again, measuring speed. Simply mark out the distance you want to use (400m, 800m or 1 mile - anything is fine as long as you keep it the same each time!), warm up with a 10 minute jog again, then run the distance as fast as you can!
3. Core Strength - Good core strength is essential to keep running without injury. For this, use the 'dreaded' (I hate it!) plank. Just time how long you you can maintain it for - the longer the better!!
4. Distance - This is one that I use the treadmill for. I start with a 10 minute jog, the reset the treadmill and start the test by running at an easy pace (I start at 8.5km/hr). Increase gradient and speed every minute by a set amount (you choose but keep it the same for each time you repeat the test!) - until you can't keep up! (take care here and don't overdo it - don't go falling off the back!!!). I then note down distance covered, and use this as a guide to my fitness levels and endurance!
So, all tests which I can do easily and without any additional cost (if you don't have a stopwatch, you may find one on your phone!). Obviously, if you can do these on a treadmill, you eliminate weather and ground conditions which can influence results - but do them outside and it more closely resembles your race. So, choose either - but make sure if you do one test one month on the road outside, don't then compare to the treadmill the following month - consistency will make each test more accurate!
Saturday 23 February 2013
Spicy, warming soups for snowy days
Having had a few weeks of warmer weather recently, I felt distinctly unprepared when the temperature suddenly dropped back to sub-zero. Not only had I somewhat prematurely removed all ice/ snow scraping equipment out of my car (optimistic I know but I had made the decision that it was now spring, and we all know there is no ice at springtime....??!), but I had also made myself a nice, healthy salad for lunch. Appetising when the sun is out or you are toasty warm already... less so when you are hunched up, shivering and surrounded by people wafting past with freshly microwaved steaming bowls of soup or delicious smelling HOT curry from the canteen. Which I couldn't go and buy because, in the absence of a proper ice scraper, I had used my bank card to enable me to see out of my windscreen that morning, and it hadn't survived (it also hadn't cleared much of the ice off my car, so a universally stupid choice of equipment - teach me to make decisions before my morning coffee!).
Inspired by the spicy smells of curry, I have therefore spent the best part of my Saturday morning cooking up a weeks worth of warming soups for the days ahead, along with some delicious homemade bread to serve it with - proper 'comfort' food with a healthy, runner friendly kick! The soup which I sampled today - and which definitely smells the best! - is my Spiced Pumpkin soup. This is a recipe my mum gave me last time that it snowed, and its the first time I have actually tried to make it - I would call it a success :-)
Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Peel, de-seed and chop 750g of butternut squash or pumpkin and add to a lightly oiled (I use the spray oil) large saucepan with a bunch of chopped spring onions. Place over a low heat and cook with the lid on for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Grate or chop a 5cm piece of ginger and add to another saucepan with 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 de-seeded chopped red chillies, 2 lemongrass stalks, split lengthways and a handful of chopped coriander stalks. Pour 1.2 litres of vegetable stock into the saucepan and simmer gently, with a lid on, for 20 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool before blending, then sieve into the saucepan with the pumpkin/ squash and blend again until smooth.
Return the blended mixture to the saucepan and add 400ml coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and the juice of 1 lime. Reheat and stir in a small handful of chopped coriander leaves before serving. If you like it extra hot and spicy, you can add some thin slices of red chilli as well!
I usually find if I make this quantity, I can make it last the week on it's own, or freeze if you want to keep it longer.
And now I have finished both cooking, eating and writing.. I'm going to have to brave the cold and get out for some training!!
Inspired by the spicy smells of curry, I have therefore spent the best part of my Saturday morning cooking up a weeks worth of warming soups for the days ahead, along with some delicious homemade bread to serve it with - proper 'comfort' food with a healthy, runner friendly kick! The soup which I sampled today - and which definitely smells the best! - is my Spiced Pumpkin soup. This is a recipe my mum gave me last time that it snowed, and its the first time I have actually tried to make it - I would call it a success :-)
Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Peel, de-seed and chop 750g of butternut squash or pumpkin and add to a lightly oiled (I use the spray oil) large saucepan with a bunch of chopped spring onions. Place over a low heat and cook with the lid on for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Grate or chop a 5cm piece of ginger and add to another saucepan with 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 de-seeded chopped red chillies, 2 lemongrass stalks, split lengthways and a handful of chopped coriander stalks. Pour 1.2 litres of vegetable stock into the saucepan and simmer gently, with a lid on, for 20 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool before blending, then sieve into the saucepan with the pumpkin/ squash and blend again until smooth.
Return the blended mixture to the saucepan and add 400ml coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and the juice of 1 lime. Reheat and stir in a small handful of chopped coriander leaves before serving. If you like it extra hot and spicy, you can add some thin slices of red chilli as well!
I usually find if I make this quantity, I can make it last the week on it's own, or freeze if you want to keep it longer.
And now I have finished both cooking, eating and writing.. I'm going to have to brave the cold and get out for some training!!
Friday 15 February 2013
Making friends with the physio - Essential injury prevention for runners!
When I first started running, or rather, when I first started admitting that I was running, I was instantly flooded with a barrage of well-intended advice. Most of it useful, and pretty much all of it geared towards preventing me getting injured (I clearly look like I break easily..!!). The advice which was flung my way with varying degrees of force included:
1. Give up...! The most common piece of advice from those closest to me...! Reasons varied from the fact that I already spent of my time running around like a headless chicken trying to fit a million things into each day (and therefore constantly being late for EVERYTHING, something that drives my boyfriend slightly mad...) and had no time for new hobbies, to the fact that it would cripple my knees/ back/ feet.. and potentially all other body parts which could be broken as I trip over my completely unco-ordinated limbs.
Each of these points I can argue against (with the exception of my co-ordination, or lack of it!). Running, clearly, will make me faster. I get around faster, I can do more stuff! Plus running helps me think, so my days will be more planned, structured and organised (or at least, they would be if I actually thought about that kind of stuff when I run rather than my usual daydreams..). As for the crippling effects, they can easily be prevented with the correct shoes/ running form/ cross training/ conditioning/ stretching... etc etc, as per advice given within the lists below! In fact, reading the latest Womens Running magazine, I actually found evidence that running can protect your joints - perfect :-)
So, that piece of advice I could happily ignore without any regrets. The rest of it? Well, that can be divided into:
a) Advice I took and appreciated.
b) Advice I thought was good, but still ignored - and then regretted not taking.
c) Advice I genuinely intended to take.. but just never got around to. Until it was too late...
Now, seeing a physiotherapist for an injury assessment fell very firmly into the last of those categories. I could very clearly see why this was a good idea - in fact, it was something that I was keen to do, thinking it would be interesting to see which bits of my body 'worked' and which bits didn't, and have a detailed, effective plan of injury prevention personally (and professionally!) tailored to me.
'Keen to do' and 'will do', however, are two very different things, and the 'book an appointment with a physio' remained sitting quietly at the bottom of my 'To Do' list. I will be honest here and admit the main reason for this was money - an appointment may not be expensive (the ones I looked at ranged from £25 to £40 for an initial consultation), but it did involve spending cash.. and somehow other things always seemed to crop up first! New shoes (category A, along with some gait analysis, and best buy ever!), new running jacket, new running socks, energy bars and gels to try.. the list of things a runner can spend money on is surprisingly endless!
That was, however, until I had an email (via Twitter) from Velocity Physio in Brighton. I had won a free appointment! Perfect timing, I thought - my weekly mileage was now the highest it had ever been and I had been starting to become slightly more concerned about whether my legs would be able to keep up with the pace. Not that concerned, obviously, as it took me 2 weeks to get around to organising the appointment. Which was booked for 3 days after I broke. Yes, thats right.. After! Having made the appointment, I headed off down to the gym, spent 45 minutes doing some intervals on the treadmill... and got off unable to use my left knee!
So, injury prevention turned into injury treatment... with an assessment of how and why my knee ended up dysfunctional thrown in for good luck. And I have to say, the assessment was great - probably more so if I had booked this a few weeks previously and therefore avoided the knee problem (I had inflamed the tendon attaching my quads to just below my knee apparently!), but still, useful for future reference.
The reason for my 'broken' knee? Well, it was largely down to my left hip - which was apparently more than a little stiff, in fact, it wasn't moving at all..! - and my left foot, which had a collapsed arch (yep, half of me is flat-footed, great!). My knee just got caught in the middle - and with the large amount of work it was having to do, it couldn't cope!
I also found out that my left leg was basically lazy. Possibly partly because half of it appeared to be dysfunctional, but it was definitely letting my right leg do all the hard work while it just flopped along beside. Not that it looked like that when I ran (I hope??!!), but as it pumped up and down in imitation of effective running, it was clearly just having a laugh. Put it through a strength test however (not a very hard one - I simply had to try and hold my leg in position while the physio applied pressure), and the weaknesses start to show! And there were quite a few - and a large difference between limbs!
Now that I know my areas of weakness, I know what to do once I am back running. Unfortunately, this is not yet and I am once again resigned to the pool while I panic about getting fit enough in time for the marathon. So, my biggest piece of advice to runners who have not yet had an injury? MAKE FRIENDS WITH A PHYSIO!! It may cost... but its cheaper, and certainly less frustrating, than getting 'fixed' once things do go wrong!!
For those runners who have had an injury whilst working up to a race, how did you get on with cross-training to fitness - anyone have advice on this for me?? :-)
1. Give up...! The most common piece of advice from those closest to me...! Reasons varied from the fact that I already spent of my time running around like a headless chicken trying to fit a million things into each day (and therefore constantly being late for EVERYTHING, something that drives my boyfriend slightly mad...) and had no time for new hobbies, to the fact that it would cripple my knees/ back/ feet.. and potentially all other body parts which could be broken as I trip over my completely unco-ordinated limbs.
Each of these points I can argue against (with the exception of my co-ordination, or lack of it!). Running, clearly, will make me faster. I get around faster, I can do more stuff! Plus running helps me think, so my days will be more planned, structured and organised (or at least, they would be if I actually thought about that kind of stuff when I run rather than my usual daydreams..). As for the crippling effects, they can easily be prevented with the correct shoes/ running form/ cross training/ conditioning/ stretching... etc etc, as per advice given within the lists below! In fact, reading the latest Womens Running magazine, I actually found evidence that running can protect your joints - perfect :-)
So, that piece of advice I could happily ignore without any regrets. The rest of it? Well, that can be divided into:
a) Advice I took and appreciated.
b) Advice I thought was good, but still ignored - and then regretted not taking.
c) Advice I genuinely intended to take.. but just never got around to. Until it was too late...
Now, seeing a physiotherapist for an injury assessment fell very firmly into the last of those categories. I could very clearly see why this was a good idea - in fact, it was something that I was keen to do, thinking it would be interesting to see which bits of my body 'worked' and which bits didn't, and have a detailed, effective plan of injury prevention personally (and professionally!) tailored to me.
'Keen to do' and 'will do', however, are two very different things, and the 'book an appointment with a physio' remained sitting quietly at the bottom of my 'To Do' list. I will be honest here and admit the main reason for this was money - an appointment may not be expensive (the ones I looked at ranged from £25 to £40 for an initial consultation), but it did involve spending cash.. and somehow other things always seemed to crop up first! New shoes (category A, along with some gait analysis, and best buy ever!), new running jacket, new running socks, energy bars and gels to try.. the list of things a runner can spend money on is surprisingly endless!
That was, however, until I had an email (via Twitter) from Velocity Physio in Brighton. I had won a free appointment! Perfect timing, I thought - my weekly mileage was now the highest it had ever been and I had been starting to become slightly more concerned about whether my legs would be able to keep up with the pace. Not that concerned, obviously, as it took me 2 weeks to get around to organising the appointment. Which was booked for 3 days after I broke. Yes, thats right.. After! Having made the appointment, I headed off down to the gym, spent 45 minutes doing some intervals on the treadmill... and got off unable to use my left knee!
So, injury prevention turned into injury treatment... with an assessment of how and why my knee ended up dysfunctional thrown in for good luck. And I have to say, the assessment was great - probably more so if I had booked this a few weeks previously and therefore avoided the knee problem (I had inflamed the tendon attaching my quads to just below my knee apparently!), but still, useful for future reference.
The reason for my 'broken' knee? Well, it was largely down to my left hip - which was apparently more than a little stiff, in fact, it wasn't moving at all..! - and my left foot, which had a collapsed arch (yep, half of me is flat-footed, great!). My knee just got caught in the middle - and with the large amount of work it was having to do, it couldn't cope!
I also found out that my left leg was basically lazy. Possibly partly because half of it appeared to be dysfunctional, but it was definitely letting my right leg do all the hard work while it just flopped along beside. Not that it looked like that when I ran (I hope??!!), but as it pumped up and down in imitation of effective running, it was clearly just having a laugh. Put it through a strength test however (not a very hard one - I simply had to try and hold my leg in position while the physio applied pressure), and the weaknesses start to show! And there were quite a few - and a large difference between limbs!
Now that I know my areas of weakness, I know what to do once I am back running. Unfortunately, this is not yet and I am once again resigned to the pool while I panic about getting fit enough in time for the marathon. So, my biggest piece of advice to runners who have not yet had an injury? MAKE FRIENDS WITH A PHYSIO!! It may cost... but its cheaper, and certainly less frustrating, than getting 'fixed' once things do go wrong!!
For those runners who have had an injury whilst working up to a race, how did you get on with cross-training to fitness - anyone have advice on this for me?? :-)
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