A Less Nutritious Future?

I recently read an article in the Soil Association magazine about the affect excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is having on the nutritional content of our food.

It's something I'd not really considered before. I have a half plot allotment and patio garden that I tend to haphazardly so grow and eat a fair amount of my own fruit and vegetables. I get a great deal of satisfaction from this and some peace of mind knowing that it's not been sprayed with anything. However it seems that is only partially improving the quality of my food.

There is more CO2 in the air than ever before, in our lifetimes. This is due in part to our ongoing mistreatment of the soil. As the proportion of organic matter in our soil drops due to intense agriculture, so does it's ability to absorb CO2. A new study has found that crops grown in higher concentrations of CO2 have reduced levels of essential nutrients such as zinc, iron and protein by 9%, 5% and 6% respectively.

As some one who is deficient in iron and is on a constant mission to improve the protein content of her diet, this concerns me. This affects us all and as I am part of a wider community of people who care about their health, it felt appropriate to write about it here.

What can we do? A small step would be to support organic farming, grow a little of your own food, and generally take more of an interest.

You can read a version of the article here.

A Well-deserved Break

This week's training:
Saturday: 18 miles
Sunday: 12 miles
Monday: 30 mins yoga
Tuesday: Rest day
Wednesday: Pilates
Thursday: 8 mile walk
Friday: Rest day

This week I have mostly been in Cornwall, pottering around the coastal paths, messing about in the sea, enjoying some lovely relaxing yoga and pilates classes and indulging with delicious food.

My ultra marathon training plan says I should be running 50 miles but instead I'm enjoying a well earned break after Equinox24, resting my body and mind ready to come back to the second half of my training plan with renewed enthusiasm.

That is if I decide to come back at all. I'm especially fond of Cornwall. I'm not generally one to talk of souls and spirits but I don't feel such a deep sense of calm and well-being anywhere else; it feels like my spiritual home.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. If you need me I'll be on the beach looking out to sea with a bag of chips and a glass of wine.

Review : Equinox24

It's one in the afternoon and I can barely keep my eyes open as I make my way southward on the M1. I'm tired but elated. I've just spent the weekend with a wonderful group of girls, acquaintances and new friends, in a field, eating odd food at odd times, running laps and getting very little sleep. It's been truly wonderful. It's been Equinox24.

As you'll know if you've been following my blog, this was the first of my new set of challenges to raise money for Hospiscare and I took great pride in wearing my charity vest on my first lap.

Excited and rocking my Hospiscare vest

The aim of the game is to complete as many 10k laps in the grounds of Belvoir Castle Estate as possible in 24 hours, alone or in a group with as many as 8 people. I took part in a team of five, which made it no less challenging I can tell you. For a long time I only had Alex and myself in the team.. plus three empty spaces. Gradually I managed to find three other equally crazy ladies who were prepared to join The Dynamos. None of us had met each other before the event.

What should have been a 3 hours journey ended up taking 5 hours and I finally arrived in the dark and the drizzle, nose pressed against the windscreen. having spent the last 30 minutes convinced I was lost in a maze of country lanes. Cheryl and Michelle had already scored a camping spot so I quickly threw my tent up and tried to orientate myself in the huge field that didn't really seem to contain very many campers at all. Raven arrived even later than I did having had an even worse journey but many hands made light work of getting her pitched and we all turned in for an attempt at a good nights sleep.

Belvoir castle on the morning of the event 

We woke to a foggy but dry morning and the sounds of campers making breakfast. Conversations with strangers were struck up over bacon and egg sandwiches and mugs of tea and acquaintances were made whilst brushing teeth. It's one of the things I adore about camping, everyone's really friendly and no one thinks anything of wandering around in wellies, PJs and sweatshirts. Alex arrived about two hours before race briefing, in time for us to decorate our campsite, dish out race packs, get into our running kit and apply face paint. It was nearly time!

I knew that a large contingent of RMR ladies, Team Bear members and other assorted twitter personalities were taking part and I managed to meet up with a few at the race briefing, which was just as well because there wasn't much opportunity to socialise afterwards. The brief was short but informative, covering a few things that hadn't been in the comprehensive info pack, and then it was time to join the start line. As team leader of sorts I was running first whilst everyone else had to hang around in camp getting nervous.

Team in camp

And we were off! The course is approximately 50% tarmac and 50% grass/trail around the estate. It was well signed with markers every kilometer, well marshaled and really pretty. There's a lake with some very loud geese and gorgeous views of the castle. There was talk of a hill, a long steady hill between kilometers 3 and 4. What we hadn't been expecting was the B*****d hill at kilometer 6... After the 5km point you turn to run through a field. The path starts going downhill quite steeply and the thought occurs that what goes down might have to come back up again... and there it was, a hill that brought all but the truly hardcore to a walking pace. I decided to see it as an enforced rest point. It was certainly a talking point. In fact it was where, on one of my later laps, I got talking to a chap in a green kilt who made me laugh by laying on the ground in front of me. I later found out this was @MarathonMan_UK. I may have a bit of a crush...

Before I knew it I was rounding the corner for the last kilometer around the camp site, waving to a few people who kindly cheered me on and pushing for the change over point. Garmin stopped, slap band passed over to Alex and a sigh of relief. One lap done - and seemingly a PB to boot! The four hours between laps went surprisingly quickly. By the time I'd got back to camp, freshened up, and had something to eat it was time to look out for Alex coming back. Three hours to go. Merchandise purchased at race HQ and cheer Cheryl back in. Two hours to go. Another cup of tea and cheer Michelle in. One hour to go. Fresh kit found and changed into, over to transition to warm up and look out for Raven coming in... lap two is go!

On the start line

And so it continued, into the evening and through the night. Being organised with wet-wipe showers and putting on clean kit to sleep in meant I could get almost 3 hours rest and not have to get into cold kit. Taking a proper airbed to sleep on was probably the best thing I could have done; comfort is key! During the night when people started to suffer we all pulled together and changed the running order slightly so as to always have someone out on the course. I won't forget Raven, without hesitation, offering to go back out just an hour after she'd run, to cover one of Alex's night laps.

Running in such darkness was a new experience for me. I've run in the dark before but it was "urban dark" with the ambient orange glow of street lights. Running in almost pitch black was thrilling and beautiful. The course was marked with glowsticks, the castle lit in spooky orange, stars and a sliver of moon were bright in the sky and there were times where I was almost totally alone, the only sign of life a sparse line of bobbing head torches in the distance. The course was only slightly slippy but the B*****d Hill was even more treacherous and the pot holes seemed to suddenly open in front of me. It was during the night that the marshals really came into their own; still there, still cheery. The halfway water point had a stock of gels and oat bars and one lovely lady who was waving an LED stick around as if it was a rave. It occurred to me, at 4am, that I was still really enjoying myself. Sure it was a completely bizarre situation and the bobbing of my head torch was making me feel slightly queasy but I was having a fantastic time. Running. In the dark. And the fog. And the cold. At 4am. Mad.

Race HQ at night was also something else. During the day there was music, a bouncy castle and a lot of buzz. After dark it became more subdued but the sense of camaraderie was far stronger. Organisers Johnny and Laura were still very much present (I don't think they sleep for over 48 hours) as was the massage guy, who apparently hadn't stopped since noon. The pizza van eventually closed and the cafe stand also finally admitted defeat, leaving out pasta pots, snack bars and drinks with an honesty box. Someone appeared with a box of beers. Solo participants still got a smattering of applause each time they crossed the finish line and there were tentative questions asked about how many laps had been completed so far.

Fuelling was a constant battle. It's hard to know what you'll want to eat and rather than rely on the on-site catering I took my own food; a huge stash of all sort of things. There comes a point though when you're just not hungry for anything, let alone another chocolate recovery shake. I made a point of having a shake and something solid after each lap even though my stomach felt really unsettled but it was worth it for the stable energy reserves.

Cake!

Cheese and onion pasty for breakfast... such is the diet of the 24hour runner!

We were generally blessed with the weather. I think there was an hour or two of rain during the early hours and of course fog but otherwise we were lucky. Sunday morning was bright and sunny and it felt like a joy to be running. Still. Again.

The castle on Sunday morning

It was over all too soon. At 11am, as Cheryl completed her last lap, we decided to call it quits. I toyed with the idea of doing one more lap but I could tell everyone was about done in and my knees probably needed more than an hour before taking another B*****d Hill battering. Besides, I'd done 5 laps/30 miles which was what I'd set out to do. Timing chips were swapped for medals and the obligatory group photo taken. Cars were packed, goodbyes said and we went our separate ways. The hot bath and cosy-ness of my Equinox hoody when I got home were bliss.

Team Dymanos with our well earned medals

I'm still on a high, and ravenous, three days later. I've barely left the comfort of my hoody and my stomach is still not quite back to normal but DOMS seems to have passed me by. Would I do it again? Yes! Would I do anything differently? Maybe take slightly less food, slightly more sports bras and many more photos. I'd run that extra lap too. Or maybe I'd attempt it solo... Question is now am I an endurance runner or an ultra runner?

Thank you so much to Johnny and Laura, to my team mates, to all my RMR and twitter friends, to anyone who talked to me on the course and to everyone who has donated so far. It's been brilliant. It's been Equinox24.

Best bits of Equinox24
The organisation
The marshals
The race t-shirts
The loos and showers being kept in such good nick (all things considered)
The camaraderie

The worst bits of Equinox24
The B*****d Hill
Trying to find the site in the dark
The laps coming up as 5.9miles on my Garmin

My Equinox24 in stats

Lap	Start time	Duration	Post run fuel
1	12 noon	56:40	FGS Chocolate shake, pasta, cake
2	5pm ish	55:58	Chai Latte, quorn pasty, protein flapjack
3	10pm ish	01:03:11	FGS Chocolate shake,  pasta
4	3:40am ish	01:06:30	FGS Chocolate shake, jack oat bar
5	08:45 ish	01:01:09	Apres hot chocolate, cheese & onion pasty

The "Best Day Ever" t-shirt just *had* to be worn

What Is : Creatine?

I've written on this blog a lot over the years about protein as a supplement but very little about other supplements that claim to enhance performance. One of these, which is often mentioned alongside protein, is creatine. I would often see it advertised alongside the protein powders on websites and disregarded it, not knowing what it was or what it was supposed to do for me, but thought it about time to do some research. I reasoned that if I was hazy on it, others might be too so I hope you find this a useful beginner guide.

So what is creatine? Well it's an organic substance that occurs naturally in the body and helps to supply energy to all cells in the body, particularly muscle. Prepare for a little bit of science. The body uses phosphocreatine (PCr) in the production of ATP, a substance which supplies the muscles with energy and in particular powers the short bursts of energy required for high intensity activities such as running. The body usually has a limited supply of PCr but increasing the amount of creatine in the body by taking a supplement increases the stores of  amount available to combine with phosphorous in the muscle cells to produce PCr. This is then is broken down into ATP during the first few seconds of exercise. So... more creatine means potentially more PCr which can make more ATP and therefore increase the amount of energy available to use. So far so good? OK.

This increase in available energy can improve performance in sports and exercise that require muscular strength and short burst of power such as:

• strength training
• sprinting
• long distance running
• long distance swimming

But does it actually work? Studies have shown that taking creatine as a supplement can improve performance and recovery and could help to build muscle directly by increasing protein synthesis or indirectly by increasing capacity for exercise.

So if you want to try it for yourself, how do you take it? There are two generally recognised "creatine loading strategies". The first is known as rapid loading. Start by taking 20-25g of creatine daily for 5-7 days then 2-5g creatine daily for up to 28 days. Alternatively a steady intake of 3g per day over 28 days will yield the same benefits. There seems to be no significant benefit to using one method over the other.

A few points of note... There's no benefit to consuming more than 20-25g of creatine per day as higher doses are just flushed from the body in your urine. Taking creatine with a carbohydrate drink helps to stimulate the release of insulin, which increases absorption by the muscle cells. However caffeine cancels out the effect of creatine and so should be avoided when taking this supplement, in order to gain the most benefit. You should also be aware that long-term use could affect kidney function.

EDIT: There are a host of benefits from creatine but also a number of potentially undesirable side effects. I'd encourage you to take a look at the article Does Creatine Cause Acne? from Balance Me Beautiful for more information.

If you want to try using this supplement then it's readily available from most stockists of protein supplements. I'd be very interested to know if you already use it and whether it's made a difference.

Weekend Of Reckoning

Saturday: Cycle training & 30 mins online cardio class

Sunday: Bacchus half marathon

Monday: Wall sit challenge & HIIT
Tuesday: 4 mile run

Wednesday: 4.5 mile run

Thursday: Jump & yoga challenge

Friday: Rest day

By the time you read this I will be on my way to Belvoir Castle and embarking on one of the most nerve wracking things I've ever signed up to; Equinox24. I'd been feeling pretty calm about it all until about three weeks ago, even with several changes to the team that require last minute recruiting, but in the last week the terror really kicked in.

In reality, for this event, I've got it relatively easy. I'm in a team of five rather than running solo so although the event lasts for 24 hours I will likely only be running 4-5 laps and having 4 hours rest between each one. I can do this. I've trained. I'm fit and well. It's the logistics that are freaking me out a bit; wondering if I've packed enough kit or too much, have I got the right sort of food (again I've undoubtedly got too much), will the weather hold or will it be miserable. And will the team manage to find each other? Only two of us have ever met in real life before! In the last week we've all been a bit more vocal on email and hopefully making a team banner, adorning the camp with balloons and ourselves with glowsticks and face paints will help with the bonding process. I've never had such a lengthy packing list for anything, even a 2 week holiday to the states!

You wouldn't think I was only going away for a weekend...

All along I've been telling myself that this is meant to be a fun thing. I've no aims for time or numbers of laps, but I want to do my best and it's a complete unknown, completely different to anything I've attempted before. I've been trying to bury my fears in order to quell those of others but they've manifested themselves in my dreams almost every night since Monday so I'm hoping that my honesty here will help.

The temptation has been to go all out with training in the last few days but instead I've held back a bit in order to conserve energy. Held back on the exercise at least... food has been another matter entirely...

Cake to feed hungry runners

I did a couple of hours of cycle training on Saturday morning. Put me on a track in a race situation without junctions, stopping, gears and traffic to think about and I'm fine... put me on the road and it's another thing entirely! So it was off to a free council-led thingy to practice and learn how to ride properly. I'm getting used to pedals with toe clips and so promptly fell off my bike about 10 minutes after I arrived, earning myself some pretty nasty cuts and bruises in the process. But I got up and back on to build my confidence again. By the end of the session I was feeling so much better about it all and I'll be going back for another session in a few weeks time. Best use of 2 hours ever.

The knees worked well enough to get me around Bacchus half marathon on Sunday, even if they were very sore and they've held out and started to heal up over the course of the rest of the week. Only doing a couple of shorter runs and a little HIIT has left me feeling restless but I'm feeling in decent shape for tomorrow.

Happy times at Bacchus

I'm just trying to keep in mind that I'm doing this for the experience and to raise money for a wonderful charity. When I feel overwhelmed I will turn to my team and my friends knowing that they will understand and put aside their fears to encourage me, just as I put aside mine to encourage them. And I will also think of my Aunt, who would have been #VirtualTraining with me, and cheering me on from afar. And I'll know that I can push a tiny bit more.

It all starts at midday on Saturday. Phone battery permitting I'll be posting pictures and updates to twitter throughout. Texts and tweets of encouragement will be most appreciated and if you can spare a couple of quid Hospiscare would benefit greatly. You can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/VikkiRunning/

Good luck to everyone else taking part in Equinox24 or indeed any other event this weekend. The TeamBear motto is "Suffer But Never Surrender" but the most important thing is to remember to have fun :)

Race Review : Bacchus Half Marathon

I am running through a vineyard in a sarong with grapes draped about my person, quietly shedding leaves and looking out for an escaped sheep. As I pause to consume wine and jaffa cakes a Roman taps me on the shoulder and hands me some grapes with the words "I think these are yours".

If I said that this was a rather odd dream I had, you'd be forgiven for thinking that were true, but in actual fact I was taking part in the Bacchus half marathon, an annual event held at Denbies Wine estate where fancy dress is nigh on compulsory and there is wine tasting en route. It was, without doubt, the most enjoyable half marathon I have ever done, worth every penny of the £45 entry fee and an event I'd do again in a heart beat. This is not en event for PBs; if you run for a time you'll likely miss out on all the fun parts. This is most definitely an event to do for the experience, for the fun, for the wine and with friends. The more the better. 

My race posse consisted of my parents, who, to my delight, decided that spending a day in a vineyard wasn't a bad way to spend a Sunday. Although the half marathon didn't start until 11am we were still up early-ish as it was a 50 minute drive away and with the marathon distance event starting at 10 we weren't sure how far away we'd have to park. We needn't have worried, parking was plentiful, free and easy allowing plenty of time for me to register, get kitted up and explore the race HQ. The best part of this is eyeing up everyone's costumes. I decided, after much deliberation, to go as an approximation of Bacchus or "Grape-Lady" as I got referred to more than once. It's the first time I've run in proper fancy dress and despite shedding leaves and grapes around the course I survived without chafing or costume-related injury, possibly as my costume felt a little tame compared with some.

I hadn't arranged to meet friends at the race, although I knew a lot of the twitter gang were taking part so I was pleased to find Lucy at the bag check on my way to the start line and even more so when it turned out we were both planning to take it steady. I was glad of the company. We set off through the vineyard, and out into the town where we met our first water/wine station. These appear approximately every two miles, loaded with biscuits, fruit, chocolates, crisps and sweets as well as water, squash and most importantly WINE! Stopping for a swig, a scoff and a natter so often makes this feel more like a party than a race. 

Enjoying a wine stop with Lucy and Laura

We found existing friends and made a few new ones on the way round. I have never been so well-fueled, and it was an interesting experiment in how well my system reacts to solid food on the go... all good practice for the forth-coming weekend...

Most of the route is on the estate and on trail. There are some long gentle climbs, fields and tracks affording some spectacular views. It also means that you may encounter escaped sheep, mountain bikers and horse riders. Quite how the horses didn't get spooked by us all I've no idea. Also dotted on the course was entertainment in the form of steel bands and bagpipers. This event has it all folks!

My parents managed to get to a couple of points in the second half of the race to cheer me on. In fact they were cheering everyone on... they're getting very well practiced at this, although dad's announcements of "just one more lap to go!" may have been less than well-received... They are on the verge of becoming minor celebrities; I've had comments from friends who recognised them from other events, who appreciate their enthusiasm and encouragement. To all you spectators out there, never under-estimate what a difference your support can make to anyone taking part.  

In reality the route isn't especially spectator friendly; if you want to meet your runner at the start or finish then there are only a few points in walking distance that allow you to also catch them on the course. Mum and dad got a fair few miles under their belts in the name of spectating! As such a lot of people choose to remain in the race village which offers retail therapy, space hopper time trials, food, drink and even spin classes. 

Tucking in to yet MORE food!

The last mile and a half of the course is all downhill, giving us the chance to really stretch our legs and push for a sprint finish. Tumbling over the finish line we were greeted with a handshake from the race director himself who had run as Wonder Woman then presented with a wonderful medal designed by Laurie King, who also designed the finishers technical t-shirts and the water bottles available to anyone who presented their medal at her stand in the race village. Tables laden with cakes and fruit distracted us on our way to the post-event hog roast, free to runners and including a glass of wine. 

Showing off my t-shirt and medal, post clean up

The party atmosphere continued well into the afternoon as runners and their friends and families relaxed with food and wine in the sun. My dad commented that I looked the freshest I'd ever looked after a half marathon, and I certainly felt the best I'd ever felt. I can't really find fault with this event. A huge thank you to the organisers, to Denbies and every single marshal. I hope you got to enjoy some of the wine as well.

This is post-race, in case you can't tell from the look of me... oh and best race number this year... 2014!

Finally a mention for my wonderful mum who was designated tweeter and photographer for the day. She did a sterling job, winning a selection of wine in the DenbiesBigTwit competition for best photo of the day! Truly well-deserved.

The winning photo - well done mum :)

Were you there? What was your highlight? Fancy taking part next year? 

Nutrition : What To Eat Post Exercise

The aspect of sports nutrition that most people have the best understanding of is re-fueling after their workouts. The benefits of replacing the energy you've used as soon as possible are much written about, and in particular the benefits of consuming the "right" balance of proteins and carbohydrates to give the muscles the best opportunity to repair themselves. But what about the amount of food and fluid and when should we be consuming it?

The text books tell us that we should be consuming 1g per kilo body weight of high GI foods up to 2 hours post exercise then 1g per kilo body weight of low GI foods every 2 hours after that. For example, if weigh 60kg so I should be eating 60g of high GI food, such as half a nutella sandwich, after exercise and then another 60g of something such as a cereal bar around 2 hours after that.

The reasoning behind taking on high GI foods first is that these are more readily absorbed by the body, so the nutrients and glucose get into your system quickly. This means that you are less likely to suffer a crash immediately after periods of exertion. This is something I've experienced myself after my longer runs in the past, to the point I would get faint and dizzy. Scary for me and those around me. High GI foods cause a spike and consequent crash in your blood sugar levels so it's important to follow up with the low GI foods to stabilise them out.

So the theory is all well and good but what does this mean in practical terms? Well examples of good post-exercise foods are:

• Fresh fruit smoothie made with yoghurt and milk
• Cereal bar 
• Slice of malt loaf
• A handful of nuts and dried fruit
• A sandwich/wrap or roll filled with lean meat such as tuna, turkey, chicken, cottage cheese 
• Rice cakes or oatcakes with jam/peanut butter or low fat cream cheese 
• Bowl of cereal and milk

If you can't stomach solid foods immediately after exercise then the smoothie, chocolate milk (not milkshake), specially designed sports recovery drink or a protein shake are all good options, not least because they will help replace fluids you'll have lost as well.

Which leads me nicely onto a final word on hydration. After any activity you should aim to replace any outstanding fluid loss (bodyweight loss) by about 150% as soon as possible. So if you're a kilo lighter after exercise than when you started, you should aim to consume 1.5 litres over the course of the next few hours. Any recovery drinks you take will contribute to this, as will rehydration drinks, tea, coffee, squash... it doesn't have to be water! Obviously it's not realistic to be weighting ourselves before and after every session but you'll have a sense of whether you sweat a lot and you can judge accordingly.

I'm going to be trying to apply this theory to myself for real after Equinox24 at the weekend... I suspect eating 60g of anything will not be a problem!