Wednesday Inspiration - Just Do It!

This video is all the inspiration I need at the moment to get out there - if you beat one goal reach for the next one.

I love the emphasis on competition in this and I have started to try and add this competitive element to my runs whether it is beating my own time or overtaking THAT runner at Parkrun who is always in front of me.

Review: Shock Absorber Active Zipped Plunge Bra

I have been a huge fan of Shock Absorber sports bras for quite awhile now and have two of their running bras which I swear by. You can read my thoughts on these here.

I am also consistently appalled by the amount of women who don't wear a sports bra - there really is no excuse. Shock Absorber are doing a lot to make women realise that wearing a sports bra is important as well as making them sexy.

Recently I was sent the Active Zipped Plunge Bra to try. This is a gym bra and as someone who gave up her gym membership when she started running I wasn't sure when I would get the chance to wear it. However, I have recently started Pilates and it seemed the best time to give it a whirl - here are my thoughts:

Appearance

I love the look of this bra. It is sporty, it isn't overly girly, and most of all it is sexy. I LOVE the plunge neckline and the zip, front opening is a great touch. I think it looks great under a baggy vest with leggings but also worn on its own.

Comfort

This bra is really comfortable and easy to put on. Even after the sweatiest work out I wasn't left struggling to break free as with my running bras. I was worried about the zip and thought that it might rub but there is a piece of fabric under it which stops this.

I have worn it for Pilates every week now for the past 6 weeks. On the most part it was super comfortable but I have experienced some rubbing under the arms but nothing too bad.

On the whole I would encourage anyone who regularly uses the gym or attends work out classes to invest in this bra - nothing better than being supported and feeling sexy at the same time.

And if you aren't sold on the benefits of sports bras then have a go at Shock Absorber's Bounce O Meter - I guarantee you will be shocked!

My evening with Scott Jurek

For anyone who has read Born to Run the name Scott Jurek will mean something to you. Scott is one of ultra running's elites having victories in the historic 153mile Spartathlon, the Hardrock 100, the Badwater 135mile Ultra and the Western States 100mile Endurance Run.

Having read Born to Run (see my review here) and being completely inspired by it I was excited to read Scott Jurek's Eat and Run which didn't disappoint. I will write a review of this at another time.

When I saw that Scott was due to be speaking at the Bloomsbury Institute I jumped at the chance - it is one thing reading an inspirational story and another meeting a real life legend in the flesh.

Scott was charming, funny, open and honest. He answered questions, which undoubtedly he had been asked a million times before, as though he were answering them for the first time. What I found most striking was the way he looked back on all of his victories and what he hoped he would be remembered for:

"I want to be remembered as somebody who has been true... true to the sport... to being real and who hopefully inspires other people to find their own path"

He openly admitted that he was competitive and winning was important but that now he feels that he may have lost the ego to be so focused on winning. Scott definitely seemed keen to inspire other runners something that kept coming through when talking about his career now, the purpose for his book and his legacy:

"I'm doing my thing and maybe it will inspire someone to do their thing"

And that is exactly what Scott is doing. Hearing him talk didn't make me want to go out and run ultras but it did make me want to go out and run, get out into nature, explore, have my own adventures and find friends a long the way just as he did. The way he talks about his journey into running and the impact this had on his life is eye opening and many runners can relate to these sentiments:

"I was running toward something. It was helping me to sort out my life. You get those moments where you just have to survive on the trails just like life. Racing helped me push through the boundaries that I thought were there"

It truly was a privilege to hear Scott speak and he took the time to talk to and sign everyone's copies of Eat and Run. The message he wrote means a lot to me and he wished me good luck with my first ever marathon in April 2014. With Scott's blessing the only option is to do well, surely?

Track Night

I am still now haunted by memories of school sports days and the expectation that everyone in a form group should take on an athletic challenge. One year I was off ill on the day the different challenges were assigned and my wonderful peers opted to put me down for the 1,500m running event.

On my worst runs now I get flash backs to how I felt struggling round and round and round the running track whilst my entire year looked on... it was awful. I hated every second of it, I thought I was going to die and ended up faking an asthma attack just to make the humiliation and pain end.

Which is why when GoodGym advertised that they were holding a track night I surprised myself by not only signing up but also being really excited at the prospect.

A small enthusiastic group of us turned up at Mile End Stadium ready to try and do our fastest mile and then a fun relay race.

In true GoodGym spirit there was a great atmosphere within the group, an emphasis on pushing yourself and doing your best but a focus on having fun and enjoying it. After a great dynamic warm up and slow jog to get used to the track we lined up ready to take on a speedy mile.

It felt like the longest mile of my life.

As one of only two ladies in the group I was prepared for the boys to dash off ahead of me but it acted as a fantastic incentive to keep pushing myself... and I am chuffed to say I hit a new PB... 7 minutes and 6 seconds... with a sprint finish!

With a fun relay race to finish with each of us sprinting 100m the only logical end to a Friday night track night was the pub.

Unfortunately, I was too excited about running to remember to take any photos but I will definitely be frequenting Mile End Stadium track again - at £3 entrance it is a bargain! The track was quiet, beautiful condition and as the evening got darker Canary Wharf lit up in the background.

Thank you GoodGym for a wonderful experience and putting my track fears to rest.

Couples that run together, stay together

I love my boyfriend, he is my best friend in the whole entire world. We hang out with each other A LOT and so it was only natural that when we started running we took it up together. But I have a confession...

I HATE MY BOYFRIEND WHEN WE ARE RUNNING! (Phew it feels good to get that off my chest.)

When we signed up to the 2012 Run to the Beat neither of us had any experience of running and we were excited to start our journey together. As the months ticked by our lovely evenings and afternoons of running became full of arguments and silence. As his fitness improved and his focused shifted from completing the half marathon to completing it in under 2hrs he became more interested in running quicker and further than me.

We did the Run to the Beat and when we were waiting at the start line I would not have wanted anyone else next to me... and then we crossed the start line and he raced off into the sea of yellow running tops as I plodded on behind.

Fast forward to now and we have done a 10k and the National Lottery Run together and still do our regular runs with each other. And even though we are more evenly matched in pace and I have even beaten his times in races we still spend the whole run hating each other.

I run behind him staring at the back of his head raging over him trying to beat me, seething about the dishes he hasn't washed or the mess he made in the lounge. He runs behind me snapping at me for going too fast or too slow, for taking up all the room on the canal path.

But after all that, we get to share the highs of getting a PB together, the post run endorphins hit us both when we finish a run and all the stresses we were feeling disappear as we talk through the run and celebrate how far we ran or commiserate together when its been a tough one. We push each other to achieve more.

And THAT is why I think that couples who run together, stay together.

"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness" Joseph Pilates

For months I have had my Brighton Marathon training plan ready but have been waiting for cooler temperatures and the start of September before I really took a good hard look at it.

The other week I did just that and was surprised to see it wasn’t as full of the long, mile pounding runs I thought it would be. In fact, up until Christmas there is much more of a focus on building strength than there is on racking up the miles!

A new thing for me, which brought more fear than miles and miles of running, was the introduction of weekly Stretching/Yoga/Pilates sessions. I was afraid of this for two reasons:

1. Yoga Bunnies – my visions of yoga classes are lots of beautifully toned and flexible ladies cracking out wonderful shapes and being able to hold them FOREVER!

2. Price – a quick internet search resulted in lots of fun and exciting looking classes but with a price that made my eyes water. The thought of spending £10+ a week is an impossibility on my wage.

Fortunately, the charity I work for was just beginning a 10 week Pilates course… for FREE and for beginners. Without a moment’s hesitation I was signed up and looking forward to my first class.

For someone who has little to no core strength I pleasantly surprised myself with my ability to keep up and even cracked out a 1min plank – it has been awhile since I have even attempted a plank after taking on the Shock Absorber Ab Challenge earlier this summer!

I found the focus on breathing really beneficial and the hamstring stretches were like a gift from the heavens for my poor tight legs. Earlier this summer I saw how much strengthening my core helped my running and I am looking forward to seeing the benefits of the Pilates. I am already enjoying a more ache free existence.

What other training do you do to complement your running? Have you tried Pilates?

Baked: XXL Jammie Dodgers

The Great British Bake Off is back and the nights are drawing in, This can mean only one thing - my baking addiction is back in full force.

This Friday night I opted to stay in and get my bake on for my friend's charity fair on the Saturday. I usually opt to bake cupcakes for special occasions but inspired by the biscuit towers on The Great British Bake Off I decided to give Jammie Dodgers a go but with a twist... they were to contain custard and be bigger than your average biscuit.

How I did it:

I decided to use Edd Kimber's Custard Cream recipe which makes very short biscuits with custard powder in the biscuit mix. These are very tasty biscuits but not overly sweet which can be an issue when you then layer custard buttercream and jam inside.

Due to the size I was making my biscuits I had to make a couple of batches of these custard creams but it is quite an easy recipe to follow so this wasn't a hardship.

I then cut small heart shapes into half the biscuits so that the jam could poke through typical of a Jammie Dodger. For the jam I just used a homemade raspberry jam but you could use any jam depending on your preference.

These biscuits are very crumbly so a steady hand is key and so is patience. A couple of my early tries went wrong because I didn't let them cool completely and was heavy handed with the pallette knife when spreading the custard buttercream on. I opted to do a thin layer of custard buttercream topped with a generous layer of jam.

Unfortunately, due to a continued bug since my trip to Tunisia I didn't get the chance to try the biscuits once assembled just tasted the mix as I went along. However, judging by people's faces during the charity fair I think they were a huge success (no pun intended!)

The only downside to these biscuits is that they are just too big to dunk in your cup of tea!

What biscuits would you like to see made bigger?