How *not* to keep fit on holiday

This was supposed to be an enlightening blog post on how it is easy to go away on holiday and keep fit whilst still enjoying your time away. Unfortunately, I didn't succeed in keeping fit and healthy on holiday... in fact, quite the opposite.

To put this post into context - It has been a busy year at work and at home with a lot of changes and challenges. For the first time in my life I decided to book a week away at an all inclusive hotel by the seaside for some much needed chill out time. The Mr and I decided on Tunisia and I have literally been counting down the days until we flew away.

I packed my trainers and running kit with visions of running along the beach and saw that the hotel offered free exercise classes including yoga at sunset... and, honestly, I had every intention of making the most of these. And then I arrived there... and the non stop FREE food and booze happened, and the sun was shining, and there were sun loungers on the beach and an excursion to the Sahara Desert... and, most importantly, I realised I was exhausted.

By the second day away I made the conscious decision to keep my trainers in my suitcase unless I genuinely wanted to go for a run not because I felt guilty that I hadn't. I decided I would join in the exercise classes only if I wanted to because it looked fun not because I felt I should. As it happens, in the end, I didn't do any sport (unless you count Aqua Gym following one too many G&Ts...) and I am ok with that.

I have returned to London refreshed, feeling more positive, ache free and genuinely excited about embarking on my marathon training.

Pppush it real good!

Just in case you hadn't noticed it is HOT. It is also muggy. This is great of a weekend laying in a bikini at the Serpentine Lido but not so great for running.

Although I am not training for anything at the moment I am starting to get frustrated at my inability to deal with this heat on my runs. I haven't managed to go further than 4miles for a couple of weeks now. My pace is a minute slower per mile than it has been for a long time and I don't know what to do...

But what I do know is that I have to just keep trying to push through it. I have to acknowledge that I won't be breaking any records for the next few weeks. I have to come to terms with 5am runs to avoid the heat. I have to drink lots of water instead of tea.

Most of all I have to learn to push harder, both mentally and physically.

What are you doing to combat the heat and keep your running on track?

Who wears short shorts...

It's official, summer has hit.

I feel like I have spent months running through rain, snow and hail stones dreaming of summer evening runs. But now it is here, and a few sweaty runs later I have found myself dreaming of the colder months.

I love my Sweaty Betty black running tights - I have come round to wearing lycra in public, in fact it has become second nature. But the past two weeks the temperatures have been so high there was no choice but to crack out the shorts.

A few weeks back I bought some Nike tight little black shorts thinking that I would look like all of the hot runner babes in their promotional materials. Unfortunately, I was blessed (or cursed depending on the way you look at it) with big thighs and a bum to match. My first run in my Nike shorts left half of east London reeling from my constant wedgie as the shorts rode up to places no shorts should go.

Which left me back in my running tights sweating like nobody's business... that is until I indulged in my other love... Vintage Shopping.

At the wonderful To Be Worn Again Kilo sale I found myself with arms full of dresses and jumpsuits but still under a kilo so, to get my money's worth, I ventured to the vintage sports gear and picked out these shorts...

They are probably men's shorts but I couldn't care less. They are flattering, brightly coloured and baggy enough that they don't ride up but still short enough to feel feminine. I am in love. Better yet they probably cost me less than £1!

So... do you brave shorts on your runs? Are there any you recommend?