I am new to the blogging world... very new. Although the process of writing my blog began primarily for myself, a way to chart my journey into the world of running and share the things that inspire me it would sometimes be nice to feel like someone out there was reading it.
And that is where I hit a snag... what is the point of writing if no one is reading? It is like shouting at the top of your voice into an empty room... pointless... or is it? Sometimes it is really refreshing just to shout about something, to get it out there so it is no longer circulating unspoken in your head... and this is how, on a good day, I view my blog.
So, as soon as I saw that Rosalilium had a Blog Every Day in May challenge with topics provided I jumped on board - I am hoping it will be a great opportunity to think about something specific every day, to share those musings and, hopefully, discover something about myself and the other bloggers along the way.
Roll on May!
Tuesday 30 April 2013
Sunday 28 April 2013
"I run to breathe the fresh air... I run to savour the trip along the way" Dean Karnazes
Sunday sunshine and a rare weekend in Surrey meant only one thing... an off road trail run on the heathland.
I decided to leave my headphones behind and joined by my brother on his bike I set off to explore the heathland running through woods, down dirt tracks and up hills with a view all the way to London.
Although my running app accompanied me this was a run for the sake of running, to get out in the fresh air and to just enjoy being there.
And, for the first time ever... I loved every minute of it!
Tuesday 23 April 2013
Review: Missguided Disco Pants
I have always admired those girls who wear leggings as trousers in the "real world". And as much as I have lusted after disco pants and wet look leggings I have always been terrified at the thought of wearing them in public myself.
That was until wearing lycra running leggings most evenings in a variety of public situations taught me that there is more to life than worrying about that little bit of thigh wobble or the fact that my bum doesn't look like "that girl from the tele's".
So... I plucked up the courage, ordered this pair of Missguided Disco Pants... and I LOVE THEM! Not only did Missguided take my order late on a Saturday night and deliver them first thing on Monday morning but they were also one of the most affordable pairs I have found.
I wore them out in West London on Saturday night teamed with a Vintage silk shirt and studded ankle boots and, I have to admit, I felt good! Unlike most complaints I have heard from many who have ventured into the world of Disco Pants this pair didn't go baggy or fall down.
Have you ventured into the world of Disco Pants or confronted a similar fashion fear?
That was until wearing lycra running leggings most evenings in a variety of public situations taught me that there is more to life than worrying about that little bit of thigh wobble or the fact that my bum doesn't look like "that girl from the tele's".
So... I plucked up the courage, ordered this pair of Missguided Disco Pants... and I LOVE THEM! Not only did Missguided take my order late on a Saturday night and deliver them first thing on Monday morning but they were also one of the most affordable pairs I have found.
I wore them out in West London on Saturday night teamed with a Vintage silk shirt and studded ankle boots and, I have to admit, I felt good! Unlike most complaints I have heard from many who have ventured into the world of Disco Pants this pair didn't go baggy or fall down.
Have you ventured into the world of Disco Pants or confronted a similar fashion fear?
Sunday 21 April 2013
"Some things are easier said than run"
Today was the iconic London Marathon and I couldn't help but get out there to cheer on the runners.
The perk of living in London means that the route passed directly by my flat with mile 20 (notoriously short of spectators) being just a minutes walk away.
It was amazing to be able to see, in person, the elite runners pass by but as always with these races my favourite bit was the arrival of the "normal" runners. As the "normal" runners start to pass by this is when you are reminded of the amazing things people are capable of.
It really is humbling to see people of all different shapes, sizes and ages taking on a challenge together. Everyone joined together in a unified goal... not competing against each other but instead fighting their own demons and working to their own PB. It is also overwhelming to see the amount of runners taking part for charity - the range of charities is amazing and a reminder of the lengths some people will go to for a cause close to their heart.
Runner's sense of humour and creativity was on display as people donned fancy dress outfits such as the Hulk and a Gingerbread man but my favourite was the lady running with a balloon reading: "Some things are easier said than run"... ain't that the truth!
But it isn't just the runners who leave me swollen with pride at my fellow man but also the spectators. Today I saw families stop and cheer together, shouting the names and words of support for people they have never met before and are unlikely to ever see again. But the most touching sight? A group of children with bags of jelly babies handing them to runners as they struggled on the approach to mile 20.
There really is nothing like the race day feeling whether you are a runner or spectator... roll on Brighton Marathon 2014 so that I can see it from the other side!
The perk of living in London means that the route passed directly by my flat with mile 20 (notoriously short of spectators) being just a minutes walk away.
It was amazing to be able to see, in person, the elite runners pass by but as always with these races my favourite bit was the arrival of the "normal" runners. As the "normal" runners start to pass by this is when you are reminded of the amazing things people are capable of.
It really is humbling to see people of all different shapes, sizes and ages taking on a challenge together. Everyone joined together in a unified goal... not competing against each other but instead fighting their own demons and working to their own PB. It is also overwhelming to see the amount of runners taking part for charity - the range of charities is amazing and a reminder of the lengths some people will go to for a cause close to their heart.
Runner's sense of humour and creativity was on display as people donned fancy dress outfits such as the Hulk and a Gingerbread man but my favourite was the lady running with a balloon reading: "Some things are easier said than run"... ain't that the truth!
But it isn't just the runners who leave me swollen with pride at my fellow man but also the spectators. Today I saw families stop and cheer together, shouting the names and words of support for people they have never met before and are unlikely to ever see again. But the most touching sight? A group of children with bags of jelly babies handing them to runners as they struggled on the approach to mile 20.
There really is nothing like the race day feeling whether you are a runner or spectator... roll on Brighton Marathon 2014 so that I can see it from the other side!
Friday 19 April 2013
Love Live Life
I am in love with my new Urban Revival London necklace - it makes me smile every time I wear it with it's positivity!
A string of wooden beads completed with a large wooden heart reading: "Love Live Life" it goes with pretty much every outfit and brightens any mood! Today I am wearing it with slouchy oversized grey jumper, jeggings and cream brogues.
And Usain Bolt was spotted wearing an Urban Revival bracelet at a recent press conference so, you know, maybe it will make me run faster??
A string of wooden beads completed with a large wooden heart reading: "Love Live Life" it goes with pretty much every outfit and brightens any mood! Today I am wearing it with slouchy oversized grey jumper, jeggings and cream brogues.
And Usain Bolt was spotted wearing an Urban Revival bracelet at a recent press conference so, you know, maybe it will make me run faster??
Thursday 18 April 2013
Brighton Marathon 2014
So last night I had a moment of madness... or was it a moment of bravery? Whatever it was, it is certainly the biggest challenge I have ever set myself...
Last night I signed up to take part in the 2014 Brighton Marathon!
Have you run a marathon for the first time? What are your top tips?
Tuesday 16 April 2013
Review - 2013 East London Half Marathon
Sunday 14th April saw many a runner gather in West Ham Park on the first warm sunny day of the year to tackle the East London Half Marathon... and I was one of these runners.
Having only run one other half marathon I must admit I don't have much to compare this one to but I thought I would share my experiences and opinions anyway!!
The Good:
Camaraderie
Running can be lonely especially when you are training long distances on your own in winter with limited daylight hours... however, I have been lucky enough to train on a Monday with the wonderful GoodGym (more on them soon but do visit their website!) and on a Wednesday with Fit City (again more on this to come but check it out!!). However, my long weekend runs have been by myself and a hard mental slog as I run better with a partner. With all this in mind, stood in the starting blocks on Sunday by myself I was feeling extremely nervous and lonely as my fellow GoodGymers were in different starting groups. The course (more below!) for all of its bad points did enable me to keep spotting my fellow GoodGym runners in their red tops leading to many a high five, shouts of encouragement and (as the miles ticked by) the shared grimace of pain. I honestly don't think I would have been able to remain positive if it hadn't been for these glimpses of friendly faces!
Also a huge thank you to my family who came all the way from Surrey for the 8:44am start (!) just to cheer me on!
The Finish
Now I don't do these races just for the goodie bag at the end however, it does make a huge difference to how valued you feel when you get a good one! The Nike Run To The Beat (which I did in 2012) was extremely disappointing - I was given a medal in a little plastic baggie and ushered quickly away left feeling dejected, confused and hungry. The East London Half Marathon had some amazingly positive volunteers at the end congratulating us all as we came through, handing us bunches of bananas, goodie bags, t-shirts and put our medals on us. I even received the compliment of: "You don't even look like you have broken a sweat!" despite being an obvious lie it did put a smile on my face!
The Bad:
The route
Now as soon as the route was released I knew it wasn't going to be the prettiest of routes or the easiest of routes to get through mentally. The route didn't take in the best sites of east London instead we ran down to the Bow Flyover and back...twice! The route was also two laps of a 10k route... which would have been fine a part from the fact that it also included lots of doubling back within those laps. For example we ran along the Greenway four times in total, with very few spectators and no shade... NOT a highlight of the race and extremely difficult to keep going mentally and physically.
Transport
Typically TFL let me down on Sunday. Despite West Ham Park being approx 20mins from my flat on public transport it ended up taking me over an hour. The DLR was down, the replacement bus didn't start that early (7:30am) and once I finally got to Stratford all buses were stopped from going to West Ham Park and so it was a frantic jog/walk to get to the starting blocks in time! The walk was fine... if you knew the area but some signage wouldn't have gone amiss! Also... walking back to Stratford following the race was painful to say the least!
The Downright Miserable:
I have been suffering with a painful calf muscle for the past two weeks so training has been limited. My life has been filled with stretching and resting which has been extremely frustrating. I was feeling positive and hitting PB's for each mile... until mile 8 when everything started to go downhill. From mile 8 onwards my calf pain returned... double fold! It was a battle of wills to keep going and it was only the thought that the miles would take longer if I walked that kept me running. Although this meant that I finished slower than intended it does mean that I now know I can overcome physical pain through sheer determination...!
Having only run one other half marathon I must admit I don't have much to compare this one to but I thought I would share my experiences and opinions anyway!!
The Good:
Camaraderie
Running can be lonely especially when you are training long distances on your own in winter with limited daylight hours... however, I have been lucky enough to train on a Monday with the wonderful GoodGym (more on them soon but do visit their website!) and on a Wednesday with Fit City (again more on this to come but check it out!!). However, my long weekend runs have been by myself and a hard mental slog as I run better with a partner. With all this in mind, stood in the starting blocks on Sunday by myself I was feeling extremely nervous and lonely as my fellow GoodGymers were in different starting groups. The course (more below!) for all of its bad points did enable me to keep spotting my fellow GoodGym runners in their red tops leading to many a high five, shouts of encouragement and (as the miles ticked by) the shared grimace of pain. I honestly don't think I would have been able to remain positive if it hadn't been for these glimpses of friendly faces!
Also a huge thank you to my family who came all the way from Surrey for the 8:44am start (!) just to cheer me on!
The Finish
Now I don't do these races just for the goodie bag at the end however, it does make a huge difference to how valued you feel when you get a good one! The Nike Run To The Beat (which I did in 2012) was extremely disappointing - I was given a medal in a little plastic baggie and ushered quickly away left feeling dejected, confused and hungry. The East London Half Marathon had some amazingly positive volunteers at the end congratulating us all as we came through, handing us bunches of bananas, goodie bags, t-shirts and put our medals on us. I even received the compliment of: "You don't even look like you have broken a sweat!" despite being an obvious lie it did put a smile on my face!
The Bad:
The route
Now as soon as the route was released I knew it wasn't going to be the prettiest of routes or the easiest of routes to get through mentally. The route didn't take in the best sites of east London instead we ran down to the Bow Flyover and back...twice! The route was also two laps of a 10k route... which would have been fine a part from the fact that it also included lots of doubling back within those laps. For example we ran along the Greenway four times in total, with very few spectators and no shade... NOT a highlight of the race and extremely difficult to keep going mentally and physically.
Transport
Typically TFL let me down on Sunday. Despite West Ham Park being approx 20mins from my flat on public transport it ended up taking me over an hour. The DLR was down, the replacement bus didn't start that early (7:30am) and once I finally got to Stratford all buses were stopped from going to West Ham Park and so it was a frantic jog/walk to get to the starting blocks in time! The walk was fine... if you knew the area but some signage wouldn't have gone amiss! Also... walking back to Stratford following the race was painful to say the least!
The Downright Miserable:
I have been suffering with a painful calf muscle for the past two weeks so training has been limited. My life has been filled with stretching and resting which has been extremely frustrating. I was feeling positive and hitting PB's for each mile... until mile 8 when everything started to go downhill. From mile 8 onwards my calf pain returned... double fold! It was a battle of wills to keep going and it was only the thought that the miles would take longer if I walked that kept me running. Although this meant that I finished slower than intended it does mean that I now know I can overcome physical pain through sheer determination...!
Monday 15 April 2013
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do"
There are lots of things I never thought I could do and running was always up there on the top of the list. But, like many things, with a bit of dedication and people there to support me not only did I begin running but now (a year later) I am proud to have completed two half marathons and a 10k race.
Not only do I now love (most of the time!!) running but I also love talking about it and the way it impacts a lot of different aspects of my life. It can be hard to fit running in and it took me awhile to see how I could combine my passion for running with my love of baking and being feminine... fortunately there are lots of great products and inspiring ladies out there who show you that it can be done!
Hopefully this blog will inspire some more ladies to add a pair of running trainers to their shoe rack and a sports bra to their lingerie drawer but most importantly hopefully it will show that just because you don't think you can do it doesn't mean that you can't.
Not only do I now love (most of the time!!) running but I also love talking about it and the way it impacts a lot of different aspects of my life. It can be hard to fit running in and it took me awhile to see how I could combine my passion for running with my love of baking and being feminine... fortunately there are lots of great products and inspiring ladies out there who show you that it can be done!
Hopefully this blog will inspire some more ladies to add a pair of running trainers to their shoe rack and a sports bra to their lingerie drawer but most importantly hopefully it will show that just because you don't think you can do it doesn't mean that you can't.
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