Setting aside the small issue of lack of training, the thing I'm most worried about for next week's Nokia Coast to Coast is what I'm going to eat. I've been doing well over the past couple of weeks on my mini cave girl experiment, avoiding sugar and refined grains and trying to stick to Primal Fitness workouts. In retrospect, a month with two races isn't the best month to have decided to experiment with a different nutrition and fitness programme, and I'm lifting the sugar ban for the race weekends. I also found it difficult to fit in my sprints and resistance training this week, on account of my legs being so stiff and tired from the half marathon last week. I'm still committed to giving primal living a go, so plan to get properly into it after next weekend's race. Speaking of which...
What do you eat during a multi-day adventure race? Despite my love of sugary things, I'm really not a fan of energy drinks and gels. I tend to stick to water on most of my runs because they're rarely longer than an hour, and eating or drinking anything else makes me feel queasy. Even on longer mountain bike rides, I find it a struggle to eat. That's clearly not going to work on a 2-day event, where maintaining a steady supply of glucose to my muscles and brain will be crucial. I was hoping to avoid the refined stuff by stocking up on natural Honey Stinger gels, but discovered they're no longer available in the U.K. because of import restrictions on honey. So during last week's Glasgow Half Marathon I took the opportunity to practise fuelling up on Gu gel. They tasted okay and didn't seem to affect my digestive system as badly as energy drinks usually do. So I'm planning to stock my backpack with a mixture of Gu gels, Pack Tunch bars, bananas, oatcakes, dried fruit and nuts, all washed down with plain water. Luckily the run is first on day one, so I should be able to get through that on gel alone and fuel up on the solid stuff on the bike leg, where I'm less likely to feel sick. In the evening, I'll eat and eat and eat, then eat some more in the morning and during the first couple of hours of the second day's bike leg. The second day ends with a 14-mile run, which is the scariest bit. It's going to be really important to refuel as much as possible before I hit that, then I'll go back to the gels and water and hope my poor tummy can cope.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Monday, 6 September 2010
How not to prepare for a half marathon
There are a few key things to bear in mind when preparing for a half marathon. Firstly, you need to train. I knew I'd failed on that one when I logged my miles for August and realised I'd clocked up a grand total of 40. I considered pulling out of the Glasgow Half Marathon but decided that, with the scarier challenge of the Nokia Coast to Coast just around the corner, it might be a good idea to fit in another 13.1 miles in preparation.
This blog is littered with the mistakes I've made in my own training - as I've said before, I know what to do but sometimes find it difficult to put into practice. And I'm no natural athlete. Here are a few of the principles I follow when constructing a training plan, and where I went wrong:
This blog is littered with the mistakes I've made in my own training - as I've said before, I know what to do but sometimes find it difficult to put into practice. And I'm no natural athlete. Here are a few of the principles I follow when constructing a training plan, and where I went wrong:
- Specificity - whatever event you're planning for, the training needs to be specific to the demands of your chosen sport. Cross training is brilliant for building general fitness and preventing injury, but if you don't run in your training, you're unlikely to fare well in a race. Your body gets stronger through repeated overload followed by periods of adequate recovery and appropriate nutrition. This leads to 'adaptation', i.e. your body gets used to working harder. I had hoped my regular 2 hour+ bike rides would see me through a similar length of run. But while cycling works your heart and lungs in a similar way to running, the strain it places on your leg muscles is different. Not to mention the fact that I didn't prepare to run on the road at all. I spent almost all of those 40 miles running on trail, which didn't get my poor legs ready for the mean streets of Glasgow at all. No wonder I can't walk down the stairs today!
- Volume - the frequency and duration of your training also need to be appropriate. Obviously if you're running a marathon, you'll need to log more miles than if you're training for a 5k. Most marathon and half-marathon plans involve 5 days running each week. However, I really like the 3-day plans from FIRST, which are easier to fit into a busy schedule and allow a bit more variety if you have time to train on another couple of days. But less than 3 runs a week really isn't enough to prepare for a race above 10k, and an average of 10 miles a week certainly isn't far enough, no matter how much other activity you do.
- Intensity and progression - to avoid putting too much stress on your body, which will hinder your recovery and thus your adaptation, it's important that most of your training is at at an easy pace, slower than you plan to run the race. But a couple of times a week, harder efforts will really help you to get stronger and faster. During rest periods, your body repairs itself and gets stronger, so hard days should be followed by an easy day or day off. A weekly tempo run, at around your half marathon pace, is important to prepare your body for the pace you'll be running at in the race. And another session of short, intense intervals will help you to get progressively faster. If you increase the intensity and/or volume a little bit every week, you'll see results in no time. Well, maybe not no time, but over a 12-week period, you'll have plenty of time to get ready to run your best half. I didn't give myself 12 weeks to train properly, and what I did do was sporadic - a long run here, a tempo session there - so I had to stick to easy run pace to get myself through the race.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Can cake girl go cavegirl?
Just a short post this week, seeing as I wrote so much last time. I'm still pondering over the possible advantages of switching to a diet that is lower in refined grains and contains more of the stuff we used to eat when humans lived in caves and hunted down their dinner. It contrasts so much with the conventional diet wisdom I learnt in my nutrition degree and my natural preference to be vegetarian, but the primal lifestyle still really intrigues me. After a year of feeling burnt out and not making much progress in my training goals, I'm especially drawn to Mark Sissons' idea of combining lots of moving around slowly with short bursts of intense activity and resistance training.
Although the peer-reviewed studies on eating like a caveman still seem to be sparse, more and more research is showing us that refined carbohydrate may be a bigger health villain than saturated fat. Frank Hu, of the Harvard School of Public Health, provided a useful overview in a recent editorial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Numerous studies on obesity treatment have shown that carbohydrate-restricted diets can be effective for weight loss and can reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. While it's clear that we need plenty of carbohydrate to fuel optimal athletic performance, over reliance on post-ride cakes, sugary drinks and chewy sweets may not be doing our health any good at all. Even in vegetarians, it's looking more and more likely that a diet low in processed carbohydrate may be even more heart-healthy than standard high-carb, low fat veggie fayre.
So what does this mean for me? Do I get hypnosis to like meat, try to up my vegetarian protein intake, or simply ignore my curiosity and relax with a cup of tea and slice of cake? In the interests of science, and in the spirit of the old saying "don't knock it until you've tried it", I've decided to conduct a wee experiment in September. It's not very scientific (n=1, possibly 2 if I can rope my husband in; no control), but it should help me to work out what works best for me.
Starting tomorrow, my plan is to try following Mark's primal fitness blueprint and to minimise refined grains and sugar (what, no cake?!?). I'll keep it as simple as that to start with, then review how I feel at the end of the month, and maybe take it a step further, or maybe try something else.
Although the peer-reviewed studies on eating like a caveman still seem to be sparse, more and more research is showing us that refined carbohydrate may be a bigger health villain than saturated fat. Frank Hu, of the Harvard School of Public Health, provided a useful overview in a recent editorial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Numerous studies on obesity treatment have shown that carbohydrate-restricted diets can be effective for weight loss and can reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. While it's clear that we need plenty of carbohydrate to fuel optimal athletic performance, over reliance on post-ride cakes, sugary drinks and chewy sweets may not be doing our health any good at all. Even in vegetarians, it's looking more and more likely that a diet low in processed carbohydrate may be even more heart-healthy than standard high-carb, low fat veggie fayre.
So what does this mean for me? Do I get hypnosis to like meat, try to up my vegetarian protein intake, or simply ignore my curiosity and relax with a cup of tea and slice of cake? In the interests of science, and in the spirit of the old saying "don't knock it until you've tried it", I've decided to conduct a wee experiment in September. It's not very scientific (n=1, possibly 2 if I can rope my husband in; no control), but it should help me to work out what works best for me.
Starting tomorrow, my plan is to try following Mark's primal fitness blueprint and to minimise refined grains and sugar (what, no cake?!?). I'll keep it as simple as that to start with, then review how I feel at the end of the month, and maybe take it a step further, or maybe try something else.
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Do you live in a cave?
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm slightly obsessed with reading. I can spend hours and hours researching random topics, and especially love delving into theories that challenge conventional nutrition and fitness wisdom. An ongoing fascination is low-fat versus low-carbohydrate diets. Initially popularised by the Atkins Diet, a low-carbohydrate diet can be very effective for weight loss, but the vast majority of sports nutrition advice and research concentrates on the importance of a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet for optimal performance. However, this has recently been challenged through, for example, Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet for Athletes and blogs such as Mark's Daily Apple, which advocate a 'primal' way of living.
I've been vegetarian for over 20 years now with no major health effects, but I do sometimes worry that I'm not getting enough protein, or missing out on key nutrients from meat like iron and zinc. I came across another book by Brendan Brazier, a professional Ironman triathlete who is also a vegan, and decided to compare his Thrive Fitness plan to Mark Sisson's meat-heavy primal blueprint.
Interestingly, there are a lot of similarities between the two plans, once the presence or absence of animal products is set aside. These are the key principles, along with my thoughts:
Thrive Fitness
4 components of vitality:
High return exercise
Brazier seems to focus on quality of training rather than quantity, emphasizing the need to ensure that your programme is effective and that any weaknesses are addressed. He speaks about needing to strip his own swimming training right back to the basics after realising that his technique was inefficient. The book includes a fitness programme based on suspension training and free weights. So far, so sensible.
High net-gain nutrition
The nutrition advice is based on a diet high in nutrient-dense whole foods, which is music to my ears. Brazier's rationale for avoiding animal products is that they are acid-forming. He suggests that the process of buffering to balance the pH of the blood after eating acid-forming foods places undue stress on the body, which leads to inflammation. I wouldn't say that this in itself is enough of a reason to give up meat - eating a range of acid and alkaline-forming foods (vegetables) should balance things out overall. Brazier also advocates eating foods raw as much as possible. This is based on the theory that raw foods contain live enzymes, which are destroyed by cooking. My understanding is that enzymes in food are denatured by stomach acid anyway, and that our bodies can produce all the enzymes we need if we eat a balanced diet. I've hunted for research that supports or refutes the raw food enzyme theory but haven't been able to find anything in a peer-reviewed scientific journal - I would love to learn more about this if anyone has any references or links. My opinion is that the benefits of a diet high in fruit and vegetables come from the vitamins and phytonutrients (many of which can also be reduced by cooking) and their fibre content. I also think that the recipes in the book are a wee bit aspirational - I don't suppose you can get Maca, Salba or Dulse Flakes in Tesco?! Nevertheless, I'm definitely keen to give the recipe for Banana Fig Cinnamon Energy Bar a go.
Efficient sleep
I agree that this is hugely important in terms of both recovery from exercise and weight management.
Uncomplementary stress reduction
Brazier recommends that we avoid low-nutrition foods, breathing polluted air and worrying. Some of these are obviously unavoidable, but the principle does make sense.
Primal blueprint
10 rules:
Eat lots of animals, insects and plants
Hang on a minute... insects? Mind you, I think I've ingested a fair few insects myself this summer through open mouthed bike rides and runs. Glad to know they might be good for my health. Alongside a diet based around meat and fish, Sisson recommends that we eliminate grains, sugars, trans- and hydrogenated fats. On closer inspection, the diet isn't as wildly different to standard healthy eating recommendations as I initially thought. Around 1.1-2.2g of protein per kg body weight per day is similar to standard recommendations for athletes. This is attainable for most people, including vegetarians, without having to go out and hunt down a buffalo. The main difference between the two plans is the proportions of carbohydrate and fat in the diets. The primal plan is based on how our caveman ancestors ate, before processed grains were available. Naturally their diets were higher in saturated fat and vegetables, but contained much less carbohydrate overall. Sisson suggests that we should consume a maximum of around 150g carbohydrate per day, from fruit and vegetables, which is considerably lower than the approx 250g in current UK recommendations. The remainder of the diet is made up of fat, which we're used to being told to avoid. The underlying principle is that carbohydrate causes our bodies to release insulin, encouraging fat synthesis, while eating a high fat diet encourages our bodies to become more efficient at burning fat for fuel and conserving our glycogen stores. I agree that a diet high in refined and processed carbohydrates isn't optimal, but so far the balance of research suggests that high fat diets are detrimental to sports performance.
Move around a lot at a slow pace
Sisson seems to be quite anti-running and recommends that the bulk of our physical activity is low-level hiking, cycling and such like. He suggests 2-5 hours per week at a heart rate of 55-75% of our maximum. While this is more than the majority of the population currently do, it pretty much rules out spin classes and tempo runs for people like me who enjoy working hard. Hmm.
Lift heavy things
Like the Thrive plan, resistance training is an important component. This involves 2-3 circuit sessions a week, focused on body weight exercises like push ups and pull ups. I can handle that. And I definitely want to give the shoulder press push up a try.
Run really fast once in a while
A weekly session of very short sprints, e.g. 6 x 50m. This doesn't seem like very much compared to most training plans that are running or triathlon focused. According to Sisson, you can do this little training and still be ready to run a marathon at a day or two's notice. This contrasts markedly with the balance of evidence, which seems to suggest that more training is generally better, especially where distance running and cycling are concerned. But, in the interests of science, I'm willing to give it a go and see if it works.
Get lots of sleep
Again, I can't argue with that.
Play
And who doesn't like to have fun?
Get some sunlight every day
I wholeheartedly agree that getting out and about in the fresh air is vital, not just for your Vitamin D levels, but your whole sense of well-being.
Avoid trauma
I'll try.
Avoid poisonous things
Like Brazier's stresses, this includes environmental pollutants, but Sisson also includes sugar and processed foods. I wouldn't go as far as to describe them as poison, but yes they're worth cutting down on.
Use your mind
I think this can apply to learning new things, but also being conscious of your mind and body, looking after them and resting when you need to.
Overall, although I would say that I was initially sceptical of both these plans, they both contain some really useful advice and are definitely worth a read. Just follow some of the advice with a pinch of (low sodium?) salt, especially the bits where both authors plug their own expensive supplements.
My own opinion is that we can get everything we need by eating a wide range of foods - focusing on fruit, vegetables, good quality protein (whether veggie or meat) and whole grains. There's no compelling evidence that grains are bad for us and, in fact, some of them (wheat and quinoa being good examples) contain high levels of protein. My diet downfall has to be my love of sugary things, rather than the fact that I'm a vegetarian. And as for the iron, I know I can get enough from veggie sources if I plan my diet properly. So I won't be scoffing steak any time soon, but I will keep trying to go easy on the iron inhibiters. I'm still managing to avoid my favourite drink, but there have been one or two tea-lapses.
I've been vegetarian for over 20 years now with no major health effects, but I do sometimes worry that I'm not getting enough protein, or missing out on key nutrients from meat like iron and zinc. I came across another book by Brendan Brazier, a professional Ironman triathlete who is also a vegan, and decided to compare his Thrive Fitness plan to Mark Sisson's meat-heavy primal blueprint.
Interestingly, there are a lot of similarities between the two plans, once the presence or absence of animal products is set aside. These are the key principles, along with my thoughts:
Thrive Fitness
4 components of vitality:
High return exercise
Brazier seems to focus on quality of training rather than quantity, emphasizing the need to ensure that your programme is effective and that any weaknesses are addressed. He speaks about needing to strip his own swimming training right back to the basics after realising that his technique was inefficient. The book includes a fitness programme based on suspension training and free weights. So far, so sensible.
High net-gain nutrition
The nutrition advice is based on a diet high in nutrient-dense whole foods, which is music to my ears. Brazier's rationale for avoiding animal products is that they are acid-forming. He suggests that the process of buffering to balance the pH of the blood after eating acid-forming foods places undue stress on the body, which leads to inflammation. I wouldn't say that this in itself is enough of a reason to give up meat - eating a range of acid and alkaline-forming foods (vegetables) should balance things out overall. Brazier also advocates eating foods raw as much as possible. This is based on the theory that raw foods contain live enzymes, which are destroyed by cooking. My understanding is that enzymes in food are denatured by stomach acid anyway, and that our bodies can produce all the enzymes we need if we eat a balanced diet. I've hunted for research that supports or refutes the raw food enzyme theory but haven't been able to find anything in a peer-reviewed scientific journal - I would love to learn more about this if anyone has any references or links. My opinion is that the benefits of a diet high in fruit and vegetables come from the vitamins and phytonutrients (many of which can also be reduced by cooking) and their fibre content. I also think that the recipes in the book are a wee bit aspirational - I don't suppose you can get Maca, Salba or Dulse Flakes in Tesco?! Nevertheless, I'm definitely keen to give the recipe for Banana Fig Cinnamon Energy Bar a go.
Efficient sleep
I agree that this is hugely important in terms of both recovery from exercise and weight management.
Uncomplementary stress reduction
Brazier recommends that we avoid low-nutrition foods, breathing polluted air and worrying. Some of these are obviously unavoidable, but the principle does make sense.
Primal blueprint
10 rules:
Eat lots of animals, insects and plants
Hang on a minute... insects? Mind you, I think I've ingested a fair few insects myself this summer through open mouthed bike rides and runs. Glad to know they might be good for my health. Alongside a diet based around meat and fish, Sisson recommends that we eliminate grains, sugars, trans- and hydrogenated fats. On closer inspection, the diet isn't as wildly different to standard healthy eating recommendations as I initially thought. Around 1.1-2.2g of protein per kg body weight per day is similar to standard recommendations for athletes. This is attainable for most people, including vegetarians, without having to go out and hunt down a buffalo. The main difference between the two plans is the proportions of carbohydrate and fat in the diets. The primal plan is based on how our caveman ancestors ate, before processed grains were available. Naturally their diets were higher in saturated fat and vegetables, but contained much less carbohydrate overall. Sisson suggests that we should consume a maximum of around 150g carbohydrate per day, from fruit and vegetables, which is considerably lower than the approx 250g in current UK recommendations. The remainder of the diet is made up of fat, which we're used to being told to avoid. The underlying principle is that carbohydrate causes our bodies to release insulin, encouraging fat synthesis, while eating a high fat diet encourages our bodies to become more efficient at burning fat for fuel and conserving our glycogen stores. I agree that a diet high in refined and processed carbohydrates isn't optimal, but so far the balance of research suggests that high fat diets are detrimental to sports performance.
Move around a lot at a slow pace
Sisson seems to be quite anti-running and recommends that the bulk of our physical activity is low-level hiking, cycling and such like. He suggests 2-5 hours per week at a heart rate of 55-75% of our maximum. While this is more than the majority of the population currently do, it pretty much rules out spin classes and tempo runs for people like me who enjoy working hard. Hmm.
Lift heavy things
Like the Thrive plan, resistance training is an important component. This involves 2-3 circuit sessions a week, focused on body weight exercises like push ups and pull ups. I can handle that. And I definitely want to give the shoulder press push up a try.
Run really fast once in a while
A weekly session of very short sprints, e.g. 6 x 50m. This doesn't seem like very much compared to most training plans that are running or triathlon focused. According to Sisson, you can do this little training and still be ready to run a marathon at a day or two's notice. This contrasts markedly with the balance of evidence, which seems to suggest that more training is generally better, especially where distance running and cycling are concerned. But, in the interests of science, I'm willing to give it a go and see if it works.
Get lots of sleep
Again, I can't argue with that.
Play
And who doesn't like to have fun?
Get some sunlight every day
I wholeheartedly agree that getting out and about in the fresh air is vital, not just for your Vitamin D levels, but your whole sense of well-being.
Avoid trauma
I'll try.
Avoid poisonous things
Like Brazier's stresses, this includes environmental pollutants, but Sisson also includes sugar and processed foods. I wouldn't go as far as to describe them as poison, but yes they're worth cutting down on.
Use your mind
I think this can apply to learning new things, but also being conscious of your mind and body, looking after them and resting when you need to.
Overall, although I would say that I was initially sceptical of both these plans, they both contain some really useful advice and are definitely worth a read. Just follow some of the advice with a pinch of (low sodium?) salt, especially the bits where both authors plug their own expensive supplements.
My own opinion is that we can get everything we need by eating a wide range of foods - focusing on fruit, vegetables, good quality protein (whether veggie or meat) and whole grains. There's no compelling evidence that grains are bad for us and, in fact, some of them (wheat and quinoa being good examples) contain high levels of protein. My diet downfall has to be my love of sugary things, rather than the fact that I'm a vegetarian. And as for the iron, I know I can get enough from veggie sources if I plan my diet properly. So I won't be scoffing steak any time soon, but I will keep trying to go easy on the iron inhibiters. I'm still managing to avoid my favourite drink, but there have been one or two tea-lapses.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
My other addiction
Alongside tea, I have another minor obsession. My name is Sarah and I'm an Amazon addict. It is four days since my last package arrived, and already I'm hungry for more. I just cannot get enough of reading, especially shiny new books about all things healthy.
This week's delivery included Thrive Fitness, a book by vegan professional Ironman triathlete, Brendan Brazier. I've been reading a lot recently about the purported benefits of a paleo / primal lifestyle for optimum health and sports performance. A meat-based diet and 'grok' way of living certainly seems to be the trendy lifestyle choice, and blogs such as Mark's Daily Apple are hugely popular. This troubles me because it goes against most of what I learnt in my nutrition degree, and sits uncomfortably with my own veggie preferences. Luckily Thrive tells me I can, well, thrive on a meat-free diet. I hope so. And, according to the U.N., reducing our consumption of animal products might be better for the planet too.
This week I'm planning to compare the benefits of these two ways of living and see which comes out on top. It's easy to be swayed by the hype so, to keep the science foremost in my mind, I also invested in an up-to-date exercise physiology textbook. But top of my to-do list... making space on my bookshelves for my ever expanding library. Maybe I'll plan it over a nice cup of (herbal) tea.
This week's delivery included Thrive Fitness, a book by vegan professional Ironman triathlete, Brendan Brazier. I've been reading a lot recently about the purported benefits of a paleo / primal lifestyle for optimum health and sports performance. A meat-based diet and 'grok' way of living certainly seems to be the trendy lifestyle choice, and blogs such as Mark's Daily Apple are hugely popular. This troubles me because it goes against most of what I learnt in my nutrition degree, and sits uncomfortably with my own veggie preferences. Luckily Thrive tells me I can, well, thrive on a meat-free diet. I hope so. And, according to the U.N., reducing our consumption of animal products might be better for the planet too.
This week I'm planning to compare the benefits of these two ways of living and see which comes out on top. It's easy to be swayed by the hype so, to keep the science foremost in my mind, I also invested in an up-to-date exercise physiology textbook. But top of my to-do list... making space on my bookshelves for my ever expanding library. Maybe I'll plan it over a nice cup of (herbal) tea.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Tea-tox
If there's one thing I'm addicted to it's definitely tea. I can't get enough of it. A cup in the morning before I leave the house, one as soon as I get to work, one with every meeting, one any time I'm stressed. And if I'm working at the computer for any length of time my favourite way to break things up is regular trips to the kettle to refill my cup.
But I've noticed recently that I'm feeling very, very tired. Too drained sometimes to even get out for a run. Being vegetarian, it can be difficult to get enough iron, because the (non-haem) version found in plant foods isn't as easily absorbed by the body as the (haem) version found in meat. This is compounded by the fact that tea is high in tannin, which binds to non-haem iron and further reduces the amount you absorb. In contrast, Vitamin C helps your body to absorb non-haem iron, which means that a glass of orange juice or some strawberries are a much better accompaniment to your breakfast than a cup of tea. But tea tastes so good. And my cold hands like nothing better than cradling a warm mug.
Buoyed by the fact that I got through a two-week holiday on 3 cups of tea and only suffered one headache as a result (yes, it really does give me withdrawal symptoms), I've made the radical decision to cut it out completely. My tea-tox begins today. The teabags have been removed from the tea cupboard and hidden, replaced by iron-friendly peppermint, rose & chamomile and ginger versions. I might be a bit grumpy for the next couple of days, but at least I can still have warm hands! Time will tell if this change is enough to give me back my energy.
But I've noticed recently that I'm feeling very, very tired. Too drained sometimes to even get out for a run. Being vegetarian, it can be difficult to get enough iron, because the (non-haem) version found in plant foods isn't as easily absorbed by the body as the (haem) version found in meat. This is compounded by the fact that tea is high in tannin, which binds to non-haem iron and further reduces the amount you absorb. In contrast, Vitamin C helps your body to absorb non-haem iron, which means that a glass of orange juice or some strawberries are a much better accompaniment to your breakfast than a cup of tea. But tea tastes so good. And my cold hands like nothing better than cradling a warm mug.
Buoyed by the fact that I got through a two-week holiday on 3 cups of tea and only suffered one headache as a result (yes, it really does give me withdrawal symptoms), I've made the radical decision to cut it out completely. My tea-tox begins today. The teabags have been removed from the tea cupboard and hidden, replaced by iron-friendly peppermint, rose & chamomile and ginger versions. I might be a bit grumpy for the next couple of days, but at least I can still have warm hands! Time will tell if this change is enough to give me back my energy.
Saturday, 24 July 2010
Another six months bites the dust
I can't believe it's been six months since I last posted. I don't know where the time has gone! Lots of things have happened... I pulled out of running the Edinburgh Marathon because I just didn't have time to train properly. It was a bit ambitious to think that I could fit in a full time job, 70 mile daily commute, studying for a Masters, cracking 4 hours in a marathon and writing a blog. Something had to give and, sadly, it was the marathon training (and the blog!).
I've still been keeping up a base level of training - going out for short runs when I feel like it, the occasional spin class or bike ride, and a sporadic yoga practice. I also completed the Mighty Deerstalker again in March and, although I did beat last year's time by about 10 minutes, it hurt! But by the time I finished my uni assignments in June, I was feeling less fit and healthy than ever before.
But finally I'm starting to feel strong again, thanks to a lovely 2-week active holiday with Neilson in Greece. It's the second time I've been on holiday with them and it was exactly what I needed after a difficult six months. There was plenty of time to relax, read books and eat fresh, healthy food (and the occasional ice cream) but the best bit was all the activities that were included. I managed to clock up at least 3 or 4 hours of physical activity a day. By the second week, my days consisted of a 30 minute early morning hill run, a quick breakfast, and then a tough 2-4 hour mountain bike ride. The only way to go from the hotel was up, up, up. The first Monday I felt like my heart and lungs may explode and had to stop or get off and push several times. But by the end of week two, I'd tackled the first hill climb in 25 min without stopping once.
After a hearty lunch, I then got stuck into some water-based activities, learning to waterski and wakeboard and almost mastering the basics of windsurfing. My days ended with a 45 minute yoga session, or a dip in the pool, before more yummy food. Although I didn't lose any weight, I came back feeling much more toned, relaxed and definitely fitter. My motivation had dipped but it is back with a vengeance and I'm definitely ready to get a late summer training plan on the go and to give it my all with a couple of autumn events. First up, the Glasgow half marathon and then, in eight weeks time, the big one, the Nokia Coast to Coast.
Added to this, I've re-evaluated where I'm at in life and want to get back to enjoying the things I'm passionate about (eating, running and being happy!). So work and commuting is the thing that's going to give this time. I've changed my working hours to part-time and my other main focus for the autumn is setting up my own freelance nutrition and fitness business, which I hope to launch in September.
I've still been keeping up a base level of training - going out for short runs when I feel like it, the occasional spin class or bike ride, and a sporadic yoga practice. I also completed the Mighty Deerstalker again in March and, although I did beat last year's time by about 10 minutes, it hurt! But by the time I finished my uni assignments in June, I was feeling less fit and healthy than ever before.
But finally I'm starting to feel strong again, thanks to a lovely 2-week active holiday with Neilson in Greece. It's the second time I've been on holiday with them and it was exactly what I needed after a difficult six months. There was plenty of time to relax, read books and eat fresh, healthy food (and the occasional ice cream) but the best bit was all the activities that were included. I managed to clock up at least 3 or 4 hours of physical activity a day. By the second week, my days consisted of a 30 minute early morning hill run, a quick breakfast, and then a tough 2-4 hour mountain bike ride. The only way to go from the hotel was up, up, up. The first Monday I felt like my heart and lungs may explode and had to stop or get off and push several times. But by the end of week two, I'd tackled the first hill climb in 25 min without stopping once.
After a hearty lunch, I then got stuck into some water-based activities, learning to waterski and wakeboard and almost mastering the basics of windsurfing. My days ended with a 45 minute yoga session, or a dip in the pool, before more yummy food. Although I didn't lose any weight, I came back feeling much more toned, relaxed and definitely fitter. My motivation had dipped but it is back with a vengeance and I'm definitely ready to get a late summer training plan on the go and to give it my all with a couple of autumn events. First up, the Glasgow half marathon and then, in eight weeks time, the big one, the Nokia Coast to Coast.
Added to this, I've re-evaluated where I'm at in life and want to get back to enjoying the things I'm passionate about (eating, running and being happy!). So work and commuting is the thing that's going to give this time. I've changed my working hours to part-time and my other main focus for the autumn is setting up my own freelance nutrition and fitness business, which I hope to launch in September.
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