Mania, Anaemia and Academia

Aaaaand relax…. phew what a week it's been. I knew last week that I'd be up to my eyes in it so I'd managed to get a few blog posts written and scheduled in advance, hope you don't mind, so it feels as though I've been a bit quiet around here lately. I've certainly been quiet on twitter… what's everyone been up to?

Although last weekend felt fairly quiet I took the opportunity to catch up on some study. I'm in the middle of the Advanced Resistance Training e-learning course for my diploma and just about up to date, but I'm also studying another course through FutureLearn which is a great, free resource for short courses run by actual Universities, a bit like studying with the OU but free. You can pay to take exams and get credit and certificates but I don't think I'll be doing that at this stage. I did one before called The Mind Is Flat run by the University of Warwick and I'm now doing one called The Secret Power of Brands run by the University of East Anglia which I thought would be compliment my PT studies. The e-learning part of my Level 3 Exercise Programming and Coaching course opened up on Monday but I've not had a chance to look at it yet. I'm just glad I'm ahead with the Advance Anatomy & Physiology module! To further boost me I found out this week that I'd passed my Nutrition for Weight Management module so yay! 

My work week has been mental; early starts, late finishes and no time to think in-between. I've been at an office 45 minutes away rather than my usual 10 minute commute so it's meant I've had less time in the evening to do all my usual stuff and I've been a lot more tired. More of the same next week but it's only short term.

Speaking of tiredness, I had a review with the doctor this week regarding my recent blood tests and it turns out I'm not longer technically anaemic. That's sort of good but none of the symptoms I've had have abated so I'm still going to take the iron tablets and I've had ANOTHER round of blood tests this week to look at other indicating factors for other illnesses. However, he finally relented and gave me a B12 injection. I was prescribed these about a decade ago and a lot of my symptoms came on when I was denied them after a blood test showed a spike in my levels. I only had it this morning so it'll be interesting to see if it helps my energy levels and recover rate after the Surrey half marathon on Sunday.

Evidence of my B12 injection

I forced myself down the gym twice this week, which did seem to help pep me up and clear my mind a bit. I have to confess I threw a bit of a hissy fit on Monday. In the studio we have two types of weights and bars for Body Pump. One set of weights fits both bars and by the time I got to Body Pump there weren't any bars left to fit the weights that were left so I wasn't able to do the class. I wrote a comment about "educating people" on a feedback form and flounced off to the gym to glower at people whilst doing pull ups. My Body Combat class got cancelled too which was a really pity so another gym session it was. Hey ho.

What's REALLY cheering my up this week is that I suddenly find myself with a housemate! Anita-the-Crazy has moved in for the month and I'm so thrilled. She's super gym-crazy at the moment but also has a penchant for wine and chocolate so time will tell if she'll be a bad influence or not. We're breaking open a bottle of fizz later though so I guess that might be my answer…

So that's me… how's life treating you at the moment?

Berkshire Fitness Scene

I’m feeling a bit left out. It’s not my normal FOMO though. It’s been brought on by my twitter and RSS feeds being made up of a large proportion of London-based people. Specifically London-based people who are into fitness. As such I hear LOADS about lots of fancy-sounding London-based studios and classes. Now being based in Berkshire and able to get into Waterloo in around an hour means I’m quite happy to head into “town” for an evening’s theatre, social event or somesuch, but classes… not so much, especially with the train fares as they are.

It seems as though Londoners have all the fun when it comes to funky classes… BOOM, Sweaty Betty, Fitness Playground for a while… all these things I am unlikely to ever get a chance to do properly. Even getting to class seems easier when you’re in London; just a short hop on the tube or a bus journey, or even a bike ride or a run and you’re at your class. Unless you live in a largish town it’s unlikely to be quite as easy. Or at least on the face of it.

I belong to a gym. It’s in a neighbouring town and takes about 8 minutes in the car down some dark and windy roads. I chose it because of their facilities, price and proximity (there’s a closer one but it’s not quite as nice). I tried to find a circuits class once but got lost on a new housing estate. My nearest parkrun is 10 miles or 20 minutes drive away.

My point is that there *appears* to be a dearth of exciting classes near to me. My gym offers the standard Les Mills selection, Pilates, Zumba and Spin but I’m curious about other activities. So I’ve decided to do a bit of research and try to uncover the lesser-known fitness scene where I live. I figure spending more time travelling than exercising is a waste of time, money and fuel so I’m looking in a 20 minute-ish radius. This includes Wokingham, Bracknell, some of Reading… that sort of area. I’ve already found a crossfit box I didn’t know about and some kettlebell and pole dancing classes, all available on a PAYG basis. I might uncover a parkour training group, some HIIT classes perhaps. Who knows!

I’d like to try a couple of new classes or activities a month and hopefully uncover a thriving and interesting fitness scene just to prove that it isn’t all London centric. I’m taking my initial leads from internet searches but hope to find out more via word of mouth, posters, fliers and from you, if you have local knowledge. Maybe I can build up a little resource in the process. So here’s to a new ongoing project, wish me luck!

Sleek Technique: Bringing Ballet To Your Workout

The day before a 10k PB attempt probably isn't the best time to try out a new class but I'm not known for being sensible… Some time ago I happened upon an offer to try an online Sleek Technique class for free. I kept this in the back pocket and finally found an opportunity to "cash it in". Sleek Technique, for the uninitiated, was founded by Victoria and Flik, professional dancers and firm friends who have devised a set of fitness classes heavily influenced by ballet that you can take in the comfort of your own home, either via live classes over the internet or by following streaming videos. No ballet or dance experience necessary!

Image © Sleek Technique

I chose a live 30 minute Sprint class with Bonnie, sent off my email request and got my confirmation and  instructions in return. You need to download a piece of software to take part in the class but there are full instructions in the email and I found it very quick and easy to do and Bonnie helped me to make sure my laptop was set up properly before class started for real, making sure it was at the correct height and I was happy with the privacy settings. I chose to be able to see and be seen by all the participants so I could check I was doing the right thing but you can choose for only the instructor to see you.

There were four of us taking part in the class, all in our living rooms (including Bonnie). All we needed was a mat or towel and a bit of space. Some classes involve a little "barre" work and a chair comes in handy but we kept it basic on this occasion. Bonnie was really encouraging and gently pointed out when corrections should be made. She led us through a warm up, a more strenuous cardio section and some floor work concentrating on the abs. Some ballet terminology was used and it was all explained and easy to follow. The class was fun yet challenging and the time flew by. It was great to try something a bit different and I could see how this would benefit and compliment any training I do as a runner. Do not underestimate the power of the plie… my legs ached for four days!!

Sleek Technique have lots of different types of classes so there's bound to be something to suit you, whether you want a quick workout, a boot camp style session, something to help with flexibility or a full on ballet workout. You can pay as you go, for a month at a time or get unlimited access to all live and streaming classes. You can even get private classes if you want.

Image © Sweaty Betty

There's currently a great offer of £10 for 10 days unlimited access which I would definitely suggest you take up if this has whetted your appetite. However if you want to try before you buy the Sleek Technique ladies are running free ballet bootcamp classes at Sweaty Betty boutiques across the UK and there's also a free online ballet bootcamp class on the Sweaty Betty website as part of their Get Fit For Free campaign.

Windsor & Eton Winter Fun Run

Dorney lake is starting to feel like a second home. In the past year I've taken part in three events there and last weekend was my fourth. The site lends itself well to open water swims, duathlon and triathlon but this was the first time I'd taken part in a plain ol' running race; one of the Windsor and Eton Winter Fun Run series organised by F3. I'd chosen the 10k distance. Unusually for a race, the start time was at 12:30 and we were under strict instruction that we would not be allowed on site until 11:30 at the earliest as there was a duathlon taking place in the morning.

Dorney Lake is not a complex site. However it turns out that what a marshal who's been there since some ungodly hour that morning means by the instruction "follow the road" is in fact "bear right where the road splits". This slight misinterpretation meant that I spent the first 10 minutes on site driving up and down the outer road trying to find somewhere to park that wasn't a kilometre from the start. Never mind.

The registration and start area, though tiny compare to all the other events I'd attended here, was perfectly formed. I was in, out, branded (with felt tip), goody bagged up, ankle tag in hand and waving the smell of the catering table out of my hair in around 5 minutes. My warm up took the form of walking backwards and forwards to the car twice to drop of my bag and then retrieve the ankle tag I'd left in my fleece pocket and then doing some stretches in the toilet queue.

The small number of entrants meant that the race briefing cold be given without the need for a megaphone and soon we were all marched across to the start line. No timing mat, no inflatable start, just a virtual line and an air horn. Simple but it seemed to work. It didn't take long for me to realise I was seriously overdressed for the occasion. I'd left home early to volunteer at parkrun and hadn't anticipated how warm it would get later in the day. Thermal leggings and a long sleeved merino top were a bit over the top on what was a sunny and warm, all be it breezy, day although I was glad of the sleeves… if there was no breath of air in the rest of the country I reckon it would still be windy across the lake.

The course was wonderfully flat, with the only inclines being over the bridges on the path that runs down the interior spur of the lake. It's the kind of course you could well expect to run a PB on and that's what I was aiming for. Despite my lack of training I was psyched up to give it a shot. Running the 10k distance involved running 2 laps which meant 5k of sheltered running and 5k of running into a headwind. I paced myself against other people, picked a few people off, thought it wise to take a short walk break to drink at the halfway mark and was focusing and so hard on the finish line in the last 2k, pushing my legs to keep on going, that my vision went a bit funny. A recovery shake never disappeared so fast nor tasted so good as after that.

Toffee Fudge… my new favourite flavour. I'd keep racing just to have these.

It was all worth it though. I knew I couldn't have run much harder without doing myself a damage and I am in love with my wonderful chunky medal. It wasn't until two days later that I realised I'd exactly equalled my PB, something I'm incredibly happy about, all things considered, and I'm not disappointed to have come 48th out of 77 ladies running the 10k.

Bling bling!

A phenomenal number of events are held at Dorney Lake every year there on top of providing a training ground. Human Race organise a lot as do F3 so if you're keen to try something new or aim for a PB any event here would be ideal. Check out the organiser sites for upcoming races. My event was the second of a series of four, the next ones being on Sunday 23rd March and Saturday 19th April with the choice of running 5, 10, 15 or even 20km so you still have a chance to enter one if it takes your fancy.

I got my race place thanks to the wonderful Write This Run team. My result here gave me so much reassurance and confidence. Thank you.

Healthy Hydration

It's easy to remember to drink the Government recommendation of eight glasses of water a day in the summer when it's sunny and warm, but it can be tricky to remember to do the same in these cool and dark months. Even more so when you want hot drinks to warm up. But it's easier than you think to get your fluid levels up.

Water accounts for about 60% of an adult’s body weight and is crucial in helping to carry nutrients to cells, helping to remove waste products from our major organs and helping to regulate our body’s temperature. It is constantly being lost from our body, even through our skin and when we breathe. Our brain is 73% water, so poor hydration can also affect how it functions. We don’t have a real water storage in our body, so it must be replaced regularly by water from our diet.

The National Hydration Council, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to researching the science and
communicating the facts about healthy hydration, have produced this handy infographic to help you understand your choices when it comes to hydration. Water is clearly the best options but I was surprised that tea and coffee ranked so high. Remember you can always supplement your water with something like nuun to make it a bit more interesting!

Renegading on Promises

I swore I’d never do anything like this ever again. I promised myself, as I plunged through icy water, crawled through pipes on bruised knees, heaved logs around and ran through torrential hail, that I would never, ever do anything that even remotely resembled an obstacle/adventure race as long as my legs could move.

And yet, here I am, having parted with £50 that could have been happily spent on books, theatre tickets… food! Anything more enjoyable than what I’ve actually just spent it on, which is an entry to Tough Guy in January 2015. January! 2015! That’s a very cold month a year away. What on EARTH am I thinking? You saw my review of Tough Mudder last year right? Don’t be fooled, the smiles are merely a reflection of how happy I am to still be alive.

Happy it's over

It turns out that I’m an easily influenced and suggestible soul when it comes to running and events. Even more so now I’ve got a couple of marathons and some back-to-back triathlons under my belt. My brain takes one of two routes; either “I’ve done those”, I say to myself, “I can easily do this” or “oh sod it, what’s the worst that can happen?” The latter usually when someone else is suggesting the event. I’ve got a reputation to maintain as “the crazy one” you know.

Part of the Tough Guy course. Photo by Tough Guy.

I actually entered Tough Guy a few years back, in its Nettle Warrior incarnation. However I didn't go through with it because I had to go to a wedding in the States. And this isn’t the first time I’ve been swayed back into entering something like this. Last autumn I was entered into The Major Series with Anita but she got ill and I was damned if I was going to do another event like that alone so I bailed.

This time it’s Alex who’s suggested the event. Soon-to-be-running-her-second-marathon Alex. Fire-walking, 10-miles-carnival-du-Nice Alex. Do I have any sane friends? The night before we flew to Nice we went online and entered the Fresher Mudder, a paired down version of the Full Brutal Jacket that fits 180 obstacles into about 12km. You miss out some of the biggies that the full course has but still get some kudos. In return she’s entered the Equinox24 event with me. I think she gets the better deal.

We have a whole year to pretend we’re not doing it, which is some comfort. Now I just need to quiet the voice in my head that’s saying “You should have entered the full event… how much more pain can an extra 3km and 20 obstacles really be..?” At least this time I won’t be alone.

Hermit Essentials : Food, Books & New Kit

As any of you who follow me on twitter will know, I’m still managing to keep up with the 100 Happy Days challenge. This week I’ve been really grateful for it as it’s helped me not to go into a complete fug of gloom. My outlook has been less than positive since mid-morning Tuesday. The possibility it’s anaemia related is at the back of my mind (next round of blood tests next week) and so maybe physically over stretching myself and less than optimal diet over the weekend may have contributed, not to mention being plunged back into rain after a vitamin D surge.

Despite falling into one of my exhausted hermit moods, I can’t deny that the positives have vastly outweighed the negatives. I was saved from post-holiday food shopping by a well-timed Hello Fresh delivery, I won a three month subscription to Saviour Snacks and discovered a new favourite protein shake so my foodie side has been satisfied.

I met a friend for a drink, was reminded of how wonderful my friends are when I missed a train connection by a minute and another friend dropped everything to save me from a 90 minute wait. Plus the train travel gave me the opportunity to devour the Brownlee’s Swim, Bike, Run book in a day. Social and cultural ticks!

I need to make the effort to walk here more often

I got a Body Pump session in and the girl who runs Body Combat is also doing a Massage therapy NVQ and needs to practice so I’m having a girls massage night next week. I’m opting for a hot stones massage! Also I got to work from home today and it was sunny so I spent the morning watching the squirrels in the trees and the woodpecker and finches on the feeder and then went for a walk around the nature reserve at the back of the house. Wellbeing, check.

Can you spot the grippy strip?

On top of all that I received some brand new kit thanks to Women’s Running magazine; a pair of Infiniti Capris and Love To Run EZ Tee by Brooks. I wear Brooks trainers but have never tried their gear. That said I’m loving the new Equilibrium SS II t-shirt… 

The t-shirt isn’t in a colour I would normally choose but I actually rather like it. The material is really soft and comfy and the fit feels good; it doesn’t pull anywhere, is long enough on me and skims in the right places.

I’m dead impressed with the capris though. I’m fairly tall and sometimes capris stop in the wrong place i.e. on the knee joint but these end a comfortable few inches below the knee. The wide waistband hides a drawstring and a large zipped pocket at the back. I have no time for teeny pockets or pouches on the inside of waistbands. There’s some nice reflective detailing on the leg and a patterned grippy strip on the inside of each hem so they stay in place. Most importantly, the fabric is substantial enough not to embarrass you if you need to bend down to retie a shoelace (why aren’t you using elastic laces yet?)

Both pieces are wicking… obviously. So I’m really chuffed. Even though I have no need for new kit whatsoever it doesn’t make me less happy to have it.

What’s made you happy this week and what gets you out of a funk?