The Importance of Carbs and Pacing

Yesterday I learned a very valuable lesson on the importance of Carbs and Pacing.

Last weekend I ran a surprisingly easy 10 miles by slitting it into 30 minute(3 mile) chunks - running for 30 mins, walking for a couple mins, running for 30 mins, and so on. In fact I managed to knock 5 minutes off of my time for the same distance from 2 weeks previously.

So this weekend I set off with a lot of enthusiasm to tackle my first 12 mile run.

I was careful to pace myself and run nice and slow and steady and found a fantastic stride and was able to just keep going. The first couple miles were tough as I was stiff from my Saturday hills session but once I'd run off the stiffness I felt great. At the three mile mark instead of stopping to walk I pushed right on and aimed for the 6 mile mark. I reached the 6 mile mark and I still felt good, so I carried right on.

Before I knew it I'd managed to cover 8 miles running steady the whole time. I surprised even myself - I didn't think it was possible! I felt invincible! .... That is until I reached the 9 mile mark....

The last 3 miles were torture. Without thinking, the night before I'd eaten a dinner fairly high in protein and low in carbs and my body was screaming at me now for being so stupid. I'd run out of energy and my legs were KILLING me. I was slowed down to a walk for a large proportion of the remaining distance and the only thing keeping me going was the knowledge that I had to finish the 12 miles simply to get home! I couldn't quit.

When I finally limped through my front door the first thing I did was scoff down a peanut butter and honey sandwich and then collapse in the bath. About an hour later I woke up to discover the water had gone cold. I was trembling for most of the rest of the day and was TOTALLY drained of energy.

Today I discussed my run with a fellow runner at work and she gave me the valuable advice that when it comes to pacing you often don't realise you've overdone it on a run until it's too late - until you've already used up all of your energy. Even if it feels like you're going nice and slow and you feel fine you have to remember to save something for the rest of the run.

So what will I do next time? Well I'll forget about healthy eating on a Saturday night and next time I'll pile on the chips and the bread and the cake and as much carbs as I can get. And next Sunday I'll stop and walk every 3 miles for a few minutes - even if I feel fine.

Weight Loss Update

This month for the first time in years my scales tell me I am now under 70kg (154 pounds) - a major milestone for me. Down 6 kg from my heaviest point last year (14 pounds/1stone).

But more significant are the changes to my body that I can now see and appreciate. Today, for the first time in years I went trouser shopping and didn't end up feeling fat.

I've been vaguely aware of my waist shrinking but didn't want to go to the shops in hope that I'd dropped a dress size just to be disappointed, so I held off. But last week I caught sight of myself in a mirror and realised my waist high trousers had become hipsters with the crotch almost down to my knees!!

So today after work I nipped to the shops and treated myself to some new work trousers and was delighted to discover I have most certainly dropped a dress size. Most of my size 14 trousers are now waiting to go the charity shop as I will NOT be needing those again!!

It's such an encouraging boost to see the changes and to begin to reap the benefits of all of my hard work. Next milestone - Size 10 and under 65kg (approx. 10 stone)

***UPDATE***

I apologise for the lack of updates on this blog at the moment.

Due to demands on my time I’ve not had a chance to post in quite some time, however I have still been training hard for the marathon.
I’ll be putting up posts over the next few weeks to fill you all in on the main events from the past few months.

Coming soon will be race results and pictures, weigh in results and the highlights of my training to date.

Week 11 update - Progress!

It's almost 3 months since I started training and I'm starting to really see the progress I'm making. My ankle has thankfully made a full recovery and I was back out again running last weekend.

This week I got out Tuesday and Thursday mornings before work. It's getting darker but there's still enough light in the mornings for me to go for my run. And thankfully there's still other people out and about running and walking their dogs for me to still feel safe.

Today my target was to do 6 miles. I looked up a route online based around the local parks and went for it this morning. However I forgot to account for the distance between my flat and the park and I ended up doing 6.7 miles instead - a bit further than I was planning but it was all good. It was hard work today, so I walked at 2 mile intervals, taking full advantage of where I had to cross roads to recover, but I managed to finish strong which is encouraging.

I'm really impressed with the discipline I've been showing so far. There are days when I really don't want to go running, but I've been good at getting out regularly and pushing through the lethargy and I'm still getting a kick out of going the distance.

I've also given myself an extra helping hand by investing in a Dawn Simulator Lamp to help my body wake up in those dark winter mornings. It gradually turns a lamp on, stimulating the production of those morning hormones which help your body wake up naturally. So far I've only used it one morning and it really made a difference, we'll see how it goes over the next few weeks and months.

Week 10 update - My first injury

After my no-go last Thursday I didn't have another chance to go running again until Wednesday. I spent the bank holiday weekend in Wales on a friend's hen-do where we did horse riding, rock climbing, abseiling and an obstacle course up a stream. My whole body hurt - it was quite a workout!

Wednesday was my first time out running in exactly a week, and although my whole body ached my legs were happy to be out running again. When I first started out I felt full of energy and it felt good.

About 2/3rds of the way round however I HURT! My back and ribs were killing me from where they'd been bashed about doing the obstacle course and I was in a fair amount of pain. I ploughed on as I had to get home anyway and it was just bruised and not a serious injury. However the pain of my back and ribs was masking something a bit more serious and more relevant to my running.

I'd gone over on my ankle on my way home from work and although when I started running my ankle was fine by the time I finished the route it was pretty sore. Thankfully it didn't swell up, but it's been aching ever since.

I called my dad (a qualified medic) and he told me R.I.C.E - Rest, Ice, Compression bandage and Elevation. Since it wasn't swelling I skipped the ice and tried to do the other three as much as possible on Wednesday evening and I've been trying to keep off of it since. It's doing much better so I'm hoping to get back out again this weekend.

Week 9 update

Tuesday morning I was up bright and (very) early and impressed even myself by managing to fit a 3.4 mile run in before work. It was a gorgeous morning with the sun rising over the park and it was lovely and quiet with just the crazy people of the world out and about (some woman feeding the squirrels and us runners). I also managed to do it in under 10minutes/mile which made me really happy.

Wednesday was another beautiful morning in the park and for change of scenery I did the 2.8 mile route - again putting in a sub 10 minute/mile time. I felt really good after the race - ready for the day. And thankfully the rain had the courtesy to wait till after I was done running before arriving. :)

Sadly on Thursday the public transport let me down. To compete in the 5k race I had to get to the venue by 7:20pm at the latest, meaning I had to arrive home from work at 6pm. Due to heavy traffic and then train cancellations I didn't get home till 6:30pm. And by then I was utterly exhausted so decided to get an early night and catch up on some much needed sleep - I'll need all of my energy for this weekend! It'll be action packed so hopefully that'll make up for the lack of running.

As I'm now managing to run my current routes with relative ease I'll be looking to increase my max distance to 6 miles by the 11th of September, even if to start with I have to walk parts. That'll hopefully take my running route past Buckingham palace - what a great place to live!!

Week 8 update

On Tuesday I chose to take it easy after my dodgy run on Sunday so I did a short 2 mile run which went well. On Thursday I picked up the pace and did the 3.4 mile route in a reasonable 35 mins despite the rain.

Saturday I just couldn't be bothered, but on Sunday I pushed myself out and managed to do the complete 2 parks (5.4 miles) in a good 55 mins, running the whole way and only stopping to cross roads safely. It felt good to get such a good run in and it was a good end to the week.

My plan for this next week is to run Tuesday, Wednesday and then run a 5k race on Thursday as I'll have to take next weekend off as I'm away for a friend's hen-do. I'm really excited about the 5k race as it'll be exactly 2 months after my first one and it'll be a good comparison.

Week 7 update

This past week I've been pretty busy so didn't have time to go travelling across London to compete in races, but I made up for it by making sure I did the equivalent distance in Hyde Park instead as I could be out and back in under an hour.

Thursday night I did the full top of both Hyde Park and Kensington Park Gardens and back - a route of 3.4 miles in a reasonable 35 mins.

Saturday I decided not to run as I wasn't feeling too great - generally pretty exhausted.

On Sunday instead of the 5 mile race I did the complete 5.4 mile circuit around both parks. However half way round I had to stop and walk for a while as I wasn't feeling well - which was really frustrating as I knew I had it in me to run the full thing.

Despite the week starting well it's ended on a bit of a bum note but I'm hoping it'll pick up this next week. I'll wait and see how I'm doing this next week before I make any further plans.

Weekly Weigh-in - 15/08/10

My weekly weigh-in sessions will be suspended until further notice as my bathroom scales are proving to be both inconsistent and inaccurate. I'm going to try and find some form of work around, but for now I'll not be posting my weigh-ins.

This morning my weight was somewhere between 72.7 and 74.2 - so I've either gained weight or lost it....not the most useful information.

At the end of the day I'm not so concerned about actual weight as I am about body shape - but it would be useful to be able to track my weightloss, especially when it's gradual.

First Work Handicap Race

Today I ran my first handicap race at work. I was really nervous about it before hand but it went really well.

I was the first person to start which A) was nerve wracking as I didn't know the route very well, and B) made me think everyone would fly past me. But another woman joined at the last minute and ran with me which meant I had someone to talk to on the way round (I know, I know, no talking when racing - but hey, it was the first one!)

The good news is that nobody caught us up and at despite having to walk up the hill that's at the halfway point I managed to finish strong with a good sprint across the finish line leaving the other lady behind.

With a finish time of 30mins 40secs I was pretty pleased as I beat my projected time but set a nice reasonable time to beat in the future.

I'll need to do some work on my hills in future so that that darn hill doesn't slow me down, but apart from that it's all going good. Of course the builders wolf whistling at me half way round just left me confused - I mean REALLY? I was bright red, sweaty and gross - do they have no standards?!