Category: Random

Right this moment, I should be slogging my way along the coastal road in sunny California, heading towards Monterey to collect a marathon medal.  Instead, I’m sitting in my flat in Southampton, nursing a G&T while the rain lashes outside (April showers, who knew!).  I was prompted to write this post because a) I’ve not written anything for a while; b) it is nearly the end of the month, so I’m due to report on how this month’s challenge has gone and c) I’m listening to John Mayer on my Sonos (oooooh, get me!), and his tune “Your Body is a Wonderland” came on.  So what has that got to do with the price of fish? Well, I first heard his song while I was driving up the Big Sur highway in California in 2002, and I’ve loved his music ever since.  That trip was the reason I always fancied trying the marathon one day.  So hearing that track brought to mind that lovely state, and a sudden recollection that right now I should be coughing up a lung (or two) in a bid to get a medal, when instead I’m sitting on my arse, drinking a Hendricks with loads of cucumber (1 of my 5-a-day) and reading a book (living the high life, I’m sure you’ll agree!).

After a momentary feeling of “Oh. I should be running 😦 “, a much greater feeling of relief quickly swept over me, and a realisation that I made the right decision.  I had a quick flick through my earlier posts, and had to laugh that nearly all the grand plans I had at the start of this blog have well and truly fallen by the wayside.  Well, the sport-related ones at least.  The best laid plans and all that……

However, all is not lost.  Honestly.  No, really……

Since the decision not to run, I’ve felt like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  It is like the feeling of finally admitting to yourself something you’ve known all along, but been too afraid to say out loud.  I’m not a marathon runner.  To be fair, one look at me would tell anyone that, and when I step on the scales and they scream back “ONE AT A TIME!!!!!”, even I can tell I don’t have the lithe body of a runner.  I can run a bit, knock out a 10K and even manage a half marathon, but at the moment, anything more is just torture.  So have I given up dreams of being the new Paula Radcliffe (well, maybe not Paula – I’m not one to shit in the street mid-race) in order to become a full-time gin drinker?  No, but that does sound quite appealing having typed it (the gin part)…  Anyway, I digress.  Plan B, is just to hit the gym, eat better and shift the excess poundage.  Clearly Plan B hasn’t quite started, but tomorrow is looking like a contender.  I’ve even signed up for classes at the gym to whip me into shape, so I’m having a last G&T to say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new.  Or something like that.  Actually, barring the last two wagon-falling-off weeks, I’ve been doing a lot better on the overall health front, in no small part due to the wonderful folks at http://fitterlondon.co.uk/, but that’s for the next post.

I did mention that it is nearly the end of month, as I’m sure you’re all aware, so I reckon I will report now on how April’s challenge has gone.  Amazingly, it has been REALLY easy!!!  No TV was the challenge, and other that watching a bit when I was at my sister’s for the weekend (I’m not counting it as it wasn’t at my house, and I didn’t switch it on 😉 ) I’ve not had the telly on once.  Haven’t even missed it at all.  So I’m chalking that up as a RESOUNDING SUCCESS, so resounding it is worthy of caps lock.  Next month is to cycle to work every day, so I’m crossing everything physically possible that the beginning of May does not herald the start of a new climate-change-induced monsoon season in the south of England.  If it does, I can only apologise.

Chin chin folks, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

p.s. thanks to http://www.hendricksgin.com for the picture above. They have the copyright, so don’t steal it and pretend you drew it. THEY WILL KNOW!!!

Two posts in one week!  Will wonders never cease…..

Although one of my goals for this year is pretty much dead in the water (my sub-5:30 marathon), I’ve still got a few to go.  I set myself some mini-challenges too, something to aspire to each month, just to keep things interesting.

January was running 4 times a week, and that went well. I could say now that I might as well not have bothered, but of course that isn’t true; it was worth it at the time.

February’s challenge was no iPad after 9pm.  I changed that slightly when the challenge started, and said no iPad after 8pm.  On the whole I managed it, the only times I ‘cheated’ were either when I forgot, or if I’d been out all evening then had a quick peek when I got in.  So maybe an 85% success rate?  Something like that.

This month it was ‘No games on the iPad’ and so far I’ve had 100% success rate.  I have played Scrabble a few times recently on Facebook, but to be pedantic, it doesn’t work on my iPad and I can only play it on my computer, so I’m taking that as a win.  Very tenuous I know, but I’m claiming it!

However, April’s challenge is now looming large – no TV.  When I decided on this, I was being a bit of a smart arse because I was supposed to be in California for a lot of April, and wouldn’t have been watching TV then anyway.  Of course now that I’m not going, this challenge seems harder.  To be honest I quite often switch the telly off because most of the programmes on there are utter shite, so hopefully it won’t feel like too much of a strain.  I only really follow about 1 programme at the moment, and it is one once a week for an hour, so I can just tape it.

When I first moved down here, I was considering not getting a TV at all.  In my mind (i.e. Lee as I wish I was, not actually as I am), I don’t spend much time watching TV because I’m too busy doing other things; spending time with people, going out and about and enjoying myself, or maybe just having a quiet night in reading a book.  The reality, more often than not, however, is that I sit on my fat arse in front of the TV when I get in from work, and don’t move for the rest of the night.  So part of the reason for this challenge is just so that I don’t do that.  The clocks have just gone forward, so all the more reason to go out and do something in the fresh air, rather than being stuck indoors all the time.  Although if it pisses down for the whole of April, I’m really going to wish I’d picked something else not to do……Anyway, I’m sure I’ll survive, and I’ll report back on this at the end of the month 🙂

It is safe to say I’ve been rather remiss with the blog posts lately.  I keep planning to write something then think ‘meh, I’ll just not bother’.  It is so much easier to write something when everything is just ticking along nicely and working out as planned.  So that’ll give you a clue as to why I’ve not written anything of late….

Running was going pretty well in January and February.  I did two 10K races which I really enjoyed, and I was pretty pleased with my times.  I had a bit of a hamstring niggle, but it wasn’t too bad.  I also had a great weekend back in Scotland, catching up with pals and generally just relaxing and enjoying myself.  I had a good PT sesh when I got back, and managed to lift 80KG deadlift, my best to date, so I was over the moon with that.  However, the shit hit the fan the day after when I started to come down with a cold.  Long story short, I seemed to pick up chest infection and for about three weeks was hacking up loads of gunk in good fashion (you’re welcome.  I like to share).  So that put the kibosh on the running.  I got back into it on the third week, but was struggling with only 2.5 mile runs, so opted for a couple of 4 miles walks that week instead of running.  The following week I was getting up to 5 miles, and managed a three runs, but I was supposed to be doing midweek runs of up to 9 miles, and 16 on the weekend – I was nowhere near this.  I don’t know what it is about marathon training – I can manage the half marathon distance okay (I was up to 12 miles pre-infection, slow but steady), but anything over 15ish fills me with dread at the best of times, and more so when I seem to be struggling with 5 miles.

Last year’s shocking marathon as part of The Outlaw triathlon had been praying on my mind a lot.  I totally died on my arse that day, and I cringe to think of how awful i was.  Yeah, it was a hot day, but every other person faced exactly the same conditions, so that is really no excuse.  I have to admit my training for that race wasn’t as consistent as this year’s training, but still.  So when I woke up at 2am last Saturday courtesy of a slamming door in the block of flats I live in, then spent the next 4 hours wide awake stressing about Big Sur, I knew I had a tough decision to make, because (sadly), the marathon just isn’t going to run itself (goddamnit!)

I really want to be this idealised marathon runner I picture in my head.  I want to feel the glory of reaching the end of a 26.2 mile race, and feeling really proud of what I’ve achieved.  I completed two marathons so far, but I can’t honestly say I am particularly proud of either of them, because I could have done so much better.  So the thought of travelling half way round the world to maybe not make the cut-off for this race was weighing heavily on my mind.  For most people, 6 hours to run a marathon is MORE than enough, but I’ve yet to break that time barrier.  So (cue drum roll….you know what is coming)…… I’ve decided to pull out.  I know I’m giving up without trying, but quite honestly, I can live with that.  What I can’t live with is going on an expensive holiday, that I can’t actually afford at the moment, and maybe not achieving my goal.  I’m paying off debts, and don’t want to add to them, so I’ve cancelled my flight, got the tax back, and cancelled my annual leave.  I’ve lost some flight money that I paid for last year, but I’ll not be adding to my credit card, so I can live with that.

While I was trying to decide what to do, I was wondering ‘what will everyone think if I just give up?!’, but then I realised that actually, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.  I know some folk will think I should have just ‘manned up’ and kept going, but honestly I just didn’t want to, and truth be told, I feel like this is such a massive weight off my mind.  When I’ve been doing my gym sessions lately, I have really, really loved them.  I’ve seen good progress there, and I don’t dread the sessions that are planned.  In fact now I can’t wait to be able to get back to my three sessions a week, which I often sacrificed in lieu of getting the desired runs in.  I’m still running, but without any pressure.  I’ve lost some weight this year, and I’m looking forward to losing more, through eating better, but also through my gym work. I could beat myself up about not trying, but I’m not going to.  I’m feeling pretty happy, and looking forward to lifting heavier weights and feeling the burn from a good gym sesh.

I’m pretty bad for making decisions based on what I WISH I could do, rather than what I actually CAN do.  That’s not to say I don’t want to push myself, but I need to make sure I push myself in the right direction.  I have a habit of thinking about some amazing end goal, like running across the finish line of a marathon, arms in the air, triumphant and victorious.  The problem is I sort of ignore the path that will take me to that goal (i.e all the endless hours of training), just thinking I’ll figure it out as I go, because I’m bound to get there in the end, right?  Well, maybe.  Until I got that chest infection, training was going okay, but I would be lying if I said I was enjoying it.  In truth, being ill gave me to reason to be more honest with myself that I may not have otherwise have been.  I was sick of the training about 6 weeks ago, but felt as though I had no feasible reason to stop.  I’m surrounded by fit friends who run marathons every weekend, bash out a few Ironman races here and there, and just generally get on with it.  I would love to be like that, but I’m not.  Not at the moment anyway.  Weight loss is happening, if slowly, and who knows what I’ll want to do (or what I will be capable of) when I reach my goal weight, but right now I’m more suited to lifting heavy stuff, so I’m going to stick with it.  My sub-5:30 marathon goal for this year might be out the window, but my 100kg deadlift and weight loss goals are still well within reach, so I’m going to focus on those 🙂

Happy days.

Well, here we are.  The end of January.  Already.  How did that happen?  Time flies when you’re having fun I guess!

So in my last post I was having a totally manic sugar crash, and would have eaten a mangy dog if it was dusted in sugar.  Unfortunately I lost the ‘no sugar’ battle and succumbed, though not by licking a sugar-coated dog, I hasten to add.  Anyway, I’m not beating myself up about it (too much).  I’ve enjoyed the ‘detox’ plan that I was following (well, still following until Sunday).  I put detox in inverted commas because only the first 5 days felt like a detox, the rest of the month has been about eating lots of good, fresh proteins and vegetables, getting to bed early (10pm at the latest) for a good night’s sleep, drinking water and just trying to make better food choices.  Essentially though, I think for me, trying to sort out my sugar issues at the same time as trying to get everything else right just didn’t work. Or rather I couldn’t hack it.

It isn’t all doom and gloom though.  I’ve lost a few centimetres from my waist, 2.7kg in weight, and I’m pretty happy with the way my running is going too.  I’d set myself a monthly challenge at the start of the year, and January’s challenge was to run 4 times a week.  Did I do it? Weeeeeeeell, not quite.  I’ve run 3 times a week, so technically a fail, but that’s okay.  I was struggling with energy for the first half of the month, so quite frankly I was chuffed to be getting 75% of the runs in.  I ran a local 10K on the 19th, and beat my Christmas 10K time by 23s, on a slightly more undulating course, so I take that as a win.  I ran 10 miles last Saturday – my longest run since July – and enjoyed it.  I ran 5 miles on Wednesday and really enjoyed it.  This week I’ve also managed to increase my dead lift PB from 62.5kg (which I’ve struggled to increase for ages), to 70kg, after feeling really comfortable doing multiple reps at 50kg, 60kg and 65kg, so I’m VERY happy with that.

All in all, this month has taught me that I can make improvements to my diet and wellbeing, and recognise what effect these improvements have, but trying to do too many things at once doesn’t work for me.  I’ve also learned that it is okay to ‘fail’ and to learn from these situations and use it to do better next time.  Finally, I’ve realised that when you run 10 miles, the thought of running 26.2 feels like an impossibility, but I also know that if I just stick to the plan and keep plugging away, i’ll reach my goal in the end.

So what’s next?  February’s challenge is ‘No iPad after 9pm’, but I’m going to change it – no iPad (or computer or titting about on my phone) after 8pm.  I totally exceeded my broadband limit this month (I’ve no idea how, but before anyone asks, no, i’ve not been downloading porn.  Honest), so I think this challenge is well-timed!!

Next weekend I’m running another 10K race, then I’ve got a half marathon on the 23rd February, and in between those races I’m taking a trip back to Bonnie Scotland to see my pals.  Can’t wait.  Bring on Feb!

Have a great weekend folks 🙂

On the 6th of January I started a ’28 Day Fat Loss Kick Start’ – essentially a month-long detox from all things evil, but with good, fresh, delicious food thrown in.  The plan is run by http://www.fitterlondon.co.uk, a great little company based in London and run by two fitness professionals with nutritional interests and knowledge too.  Essentially, they follow the ‘paleo-ish’ lifestyle.  There are many variations of the paleo ‘diet’ that can be found, but essentially it is all about eating fresh, meat/fish and veggie, a little bit of dairy (normally a ‘no-no’ in ‘proper’ paleo, if there is such a thing), but no wheat or gluten, nothing processed / chemically saturated.

For the past year or so I’ve been trying to follow these principles, but would have gluten ‘every now and then’, and far too much sugary processed crap.  At the end of September last year, however, I managed to stop eating gluten completely, and I’ve been off it ever since.  I’ve eaten it a couple of times by mistake, and suffered stomach craps and digestive issues (to put it nicely) as a result.  So that’s fine, I can live with no gluten.  There are gluten-free replacements for a lot of foods, so if I really want pasta or bread, I can have it.  Sugar is another matter though.

Anyway, fast forward to January 2014.  New year, new focus on food and health.  I thought the 28 day detox would be a good start to the year, and set me off on the right path.  Essentially the plan follows the ‘paleo-ish’ lifestyle, but the detox element comes from a few banned items that carry on through the month.  The idea is to ‘re-set’ the body and try to change some bad habits into good.  So the banned stuff includes: booze, caffeine, dairy, and sugar.  The first three are fine – a dull headache greeted me on the evening of Day 1, and hung around until Day 3, but nothing major, and I don’t miss them at all.  The first 5 days are the hardest – lots of soups and salads and veggies, but not as much protein as I’m used to eating, so I’ve been a bit peckish at time, but the upside of that is it has made me realise it is actually okay to feel hungry sometimes.  From tomorrow the protein content kicks up a notch, so I envisage any hunger pangs pretty much disappearing.

What I’m struggling with – and so far managing to keep on top of – are the sugar cravings.  They kicked in on Day 2, and have been my constant, yet unwanted companion ever since.  I’ve suddenly got this sugar person living in my brain, waving its arms frantically to get my attention and tell me just how good it would be to have that one little sugary treat.  Sometimes he crawls down to my stomach and jumps about shouting ‘why have you abandoned me?  I thought you loved me!!! You do know that life will be MISERABLE without me??’.  I ignore this mad sugar demon, but the over-excited little fucker just will NOT go away.

I know sugar isn’t good for me. I know my mind is just playing tricks on me. I absolutely know that it is a craving that is driving me insane, and not some nutritional deficiency.  This week I’ve eaten a wide variety of salad leaves, tomatoes, butternut squash, spinach, celery, cucumber, carrots, peas, herbs & spices, onions, leeks, broccoli, sweet potatoes, different nuts, avocado, peppers, beef broth, salmon, cod, chicken, and probably a few other things I can’t remember.  So I’ve hardly been depriving myself of nutrition or vitamins.  But I cannot shift these cravings.

I’ve never smoked, so I don’t know what it is like to quit, but I would challenge anyone to tell me that giving up sugar is easier, that it is not an addiction.  The thought of having something sweet and sugary makes me feel warm and comforted.  It makes me feel as though anxieties and tension will just melt away, that the constant pressure to resist it is the WRONG thing, and if I just relent, the pain will slowly ebb away, to be replaced by an almost meditative calm.   I can imagine some people will read that and thing ‘Oh just get a fucking grip!’, and I can’t blame them to a degree, it does sound utterly mental.  Today I’ve mostly spent the day feeling anxious about the fact that what if I never have sugar again?  What kind of life will I have if I can’t join my pals in having a dessert with dinner, or a biscuit with a cuppa, or a tiny little chocolate from a box?  If meals are generally three courses, then I’d effectively be cutting out a third of my life, and the pleasure that goes with it, not to mention all the non-meal sweet treats.  These thoughts are nonsensical, but they’re very real.  While I’m not saying that I’ll cut sugar out forever – it isn’t realistic, and life really wouldn’t be worth living, I’m genuinely worried, because in my 38 years on this earth I’ve NEVER, not once, managed to have a healthy relationship with sugar, so who is to say I will now?

I’ve not figured out the answer to that – I’ve got 23 days to work it out before this plan finishes and I’m ‘released’ back into the wild to fend for myself.  In the meantime though, I’m just gritting my teeth and soaking up the support from the other people i’m going this plan with (we have a group online that we can all access – it makes the WORLD of difference).  We’re all suffering at the moment, but we’re keeping going, knowing it is making a difference.

So on to the good bits – well, the healthy food is already a good bit – in the last week I’ve lost a few pounds, bringing my total weight loss since I started this blog to 16.8lb, and total from my heaviest ever (last April) to 18lb.  I’ve lost a couple of cm from my waist too, so that is something to be happy with.  Part of the reason for writing this particular post was to make myself accountable again.  I’ve been so close to going out and buying a massive bag of chocolate and bingeing on the lot that I needed to write this to say ‘make sure you don’t do that!’.  I needed to go to the supermarket tonight, but I didn’t go because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist buying sweets.  Pathetic but true.

So I’ve survived another day, and can go to bed happy that I didn’t ruin it all by succumbing to my sugar addiction.

Phew.

Onwards and upwards.

Well, it is nearly the time to say goodbye to 2013, and welcome in a new year.  I still can’t believe how quickly this year has gone. Or how many times I’ve said that.  Nevertheless, time waits for no man (or woman), so I thought I’d better get a shift on and decide what I wanted to do next year.  I’ve already got my ‘A’ race all planned – the Big Sur Marathon – and I have some weight loss goals too (more about that in a second), but I thought it would be fun to try one new thing every month.  Well, maybe not something brand new, but something that will be a challenge for me.  So I’ve made a little list (it is at the end).  The only problem is, I can’t think of anything to do for December, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know and I’ll pick the best idea!!!

January is always the time for resolutions, which probably means that February is the time for binning them because a) you forgot what you’d resolved to do, b) you remembered but just couldn’t be arsed.  I’m no stranger to such annual failures, but at the same time I still love the whole ‘fresh start’ feeling that a new year brings.  To be honest, if New Year’s Day was on a Monday, that would be even better, but you can’t have everything.  I’m always a bit reticent to put forth some resolutions, because of the pressure of sticking to often unrealistic expectations.  But you know what?  I’m sick of keeping my goals small on the premise that by not trying, you can’t fail at it.

So in 2014 I’m going for glory.  I’ve had a good year in 2013, and it has seen the start of more consistent behaviour to tackle my biggest issues – weight loss and regular exercise.  I can do better though.  I’ll be perfectly honest and say that virtually every year of my life I think “this is the year I’ll lose loads of weight”, though there is always the voice at the back of my head shouting “yeah right…”.  So I don’t ever really believe I can do it.  I feel differently now though.  I’m not sure why, but I’m tired of repeatedly failing.  To take the positives from failure, however, I’ve done it so many times at least I have a good idea of where I’ve gone wrong, so I’m using this to spur me on to greatness next year.  Sooooooo, having waffled enough, here are my three main goals for next year:

1. Lose 4 stone.  This really only equates to 1lb per week which is achievable.  I’m tired of waiting to reach my goal, so I’m going for it next year.  Writing down means no backing out either!!!
2. Run the Big Sur Marathon in 5:30 or less. To be honest, this is the goal that scares me most, and I even hate typing it for fear of jinxing my training and pre-empting a broken leg on my next long run.  However, if I’m going to challenge myself, I might as well go for gold.  Now I know for many of you, 5:30 is reeeeeeally slow, but it is speedy for me, so that’ll do!  It would be a massive PB too, mortifyingly!
3. Successfully dead lift 100kg. Currently I can lift 62.5kg, but I reckon I can get to 100kg.

So there we have it.  Next year I’m going for it.  As I mentioned earlier though, I’ve also set myself little monthly challenges, some of which are related to the three goals above, but mostly just things I know will be a bit of a challenge.  Some are targets I’ve set before and not met, and a couple are just for the hell of it.  I still need a December challenge, so ideas on a postcard, or I’ll aim for something random!!

So all that remains is to wish everyone a very happy New Year when it comes, and best of luck with any challenges you set for yourself 🙂

See you in 2014, ready and raring to go 😀

Well it is nearly that time of year.  The tree is up, the presents are wrapped and I have a mahoosive mug of mulled wine in front of me.  It must be Christmas time!  Where on earth has this year gone?  Frankly, I’ve got no idea; time definitely speeds up as you get older!

I’ve been a bit remiss on the old blog-posting of late.  I think the Christmas excess started a bit early this year (i.e. November), and while I’ve still been running and trying to focus on my goals for next year, the consistency has waned a little in favour of cosy nights in drinking tea and watching crap telly while the wind howls outside.  So I’ve not had much impetus to write a post, as I’ve not felt as though I’ve done anything particularly ‘noteworthy’.

However, as the end of the year creeps ever closer, the desire to reflect on the previous months is always strong, and is met by an equal desire to look forward to what is yet to come.  All in all, this has been a great year for me, with lots of positives to take away and build on next year.   I don’t plan to talk about all that now though – i’m mulling it over and thinking of some concrete goals for 2014 (over and above the Big Sur marathon, which is still my main focus), so I’ll write a proper post about that in the New Year.

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a happy and prosperous New Year though.  I hope Santa is good to you, and may all your dreams come true in 2014.

Happy holidays everyone 😀

Since I’ve been posting my running distance stats every week, I thought I ought to do the same today, having just come back from my long run.  The distances are still fairly light, but to be honest I’m happy with that, as it has made it a little easier to be consistent.

Today’s 3 miler took about 4 mins longer than the last few I’ve done, but to be honest I’m pretty tired (as per yesterday’s post), so my walk breaks were a little longer.  Anyway, I’m not too worried about time at the moment.  Oh, and I have to ask, is it just me that feels sort of fragile when starting a run?  Today especially, I felt really stiff at first, and a bit delicate (not I word I’d usually ascribe to myself!!), as my ankles, knees and hips felt as though they were not going to be able to withstand the punishment of continuous running on a pavement.  This all wore off after about 1/4 mile, but still.  I think the fact I’ve been eating loads of carbs this week has something to do with it, even though they’ve all been gluten-free versions.  I just don’t think carbs do me a lot of good (oh and I don’t mean veggies, I love my veggies and will never stop eating them).

Gym wise I’m down a session this week, as I was up north overnight with work and missed the Group Exercise session on Wednesday.  Two of the nine sessions below were on a Monday, when I attend Fat Club, but don’t do any exercise, as technically Monday is my rest day.  So I’m a slightly behind on gym sessions, but seeing as this week was a cut-back week running wise, and I’m also feeling a bit sapped of energy, I’m not worrying about it too much. Normal service resumes this coming week.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend folks.  I’m going to get showered, get my compression gear on, then chill out.  Bliss!