Yep, I'll sign up! Just don't make me say no!

I've been meaning to write this post for sometime, but I felt that I had to get it right in my head first. This post may seem a bit moany and negative, but that's only because I have to write about my gym!

A few weeks ago I was approached by a PT at my gym. I go to LA Fitness in Warwick, I make no secret of the fact that I hate it there, the staff turnover is too quick, there is never anyone around to help you, the range of equipment is very poor (no kettlebells, TRX, resistance bands?!?) and the Manager is so rude I can't bear to look at her! There is only one member of staff, Louise, who has been consistent, she does most of the classes and the classes of hers I have done are excellent. I stay simply because of the cost, other gyms in my area are twice as expensive and I just haven't the money, so I have to put up and shut up! What I'd actually like to do is start a one women campaign about how shit the club is, but I manage to adapt my training session for the equipment that they do actually have there so I guess as long as I don't want to do anything interesting or different, it'll do. (It won't, I really hate it!) As I have started swimming at the pool roughly 4 minutes walk from my house, I'm going to have a mooch around their gym facilities over the weekend and see the equipment they have, so a change maybe on the cards, but for now, better the devil you know!!

Ok, so what was my point? Ah yes, the PT that approached me. He just so happened to catch me on the day that I was feeling a bit shit about my weightloss, as it had plateaued. I also hadn't seen Oli for 3 weeks, so usually at this point of the month I have a wobble that everything I am doing is wrong (it isn't, I just worry about everything). Basically he caught me on the right day, for him, and after a 10 minute chat he had convinced me that he was the only person in the world that could help me, along with the fact that I hate confrontation so I generally end up saying yes to everything! Before I knew it, I had booked in for a free session and had all these fandangled ideas that I was going to be a size 10 in 3 months, because John said! He didn't, I just got well carried away.

I then spent the next few days stressing out about what I was going to tell Oli. I was adamant that I was changing and that it was a good decision, but like I said earlier, I hate confrontation. Anyway, I got hold of Oli and he said to go and have the free session, so all was good, phew! I then had a conversation with my sister H who basically told me to stop being so stupid. She reminded me that Oli and I had started this journey together and I had had excellent results, so why change? She also said something that really struck home, Oli doesn't care about the money or tying me into contracts, he has a vested interest in my progress, he doesn't just tell me what I need to do to get results, he makes sure I understand why, basically, he is giving me the tools to do this with or without his support, and finally, he believes in me, he truely believes that I will do this and that belief shows in every minute of our sessions together. Although we only have one session a month, he never pushes me and tells me I need more (even though really I do) he just adapts the session so he is teaching me as much as he can in that hour, and makes it clear that he is around for support if I need it in between sessions.

After this conversation, I was so confused. I went to the free session anyway and I did enjoy it. Lots of kettlebell circuits and core work, which was different and tough. I certainly felt I was working through the session and John was good at explaining the exercises and encouraging me, but I just didn't get there was that same belief. This could be down to it being the first session, and comparing it to Oli, who I have known for years but it just didn't sit right with me. After the session we went through my goals for this year and John said he didn't see any reason why I couldn't meet them and that they look realistic which was pleasing, but then he got out all these forms I needed to sign and wanted a decision straight away and to set a date for another session. Again, I hate confrontation so immediately agreed, shit! It's a shame because this really put me off, but I figured this was another ploy from LA Fitness to tie people in so I'm not blaming him!

I knew that I needed to speak to Oli about my fitness and these triathlons I've decided to do, so I contacted him to book a session later the same week. He didn't disappoint, and I spent the session completing different exercises Tabata style. It was the hardest hour I have ever spent with Oli (until the next time no doubt) but again it has given me something different to do in my sessions on my own if I get bored of the gazillion walking lunges I like to do! One thing that I have taken out of the session I had with John is the core work, I know that even though my core has really improved over the past year, it is still pretty weak, so I have incorporated some work with the stability ball into my sessions. Also, the walking lunges have become a little easier, so I'm using the medicine ball side to side as I go to make them tougher, which I have been told by @TheIron_Bear is good for core, along with static long jumps for power (apparently), considering he likes to call himself The King of Core I guess I should listen to him! My first attempt at this was a bit of a joke, the lunges were a bit (a lot) wobbly, ok, I did fall over, but there was no one there to see so technically you can't prove it! I also fell off the stability ball, I guess this will be a regular occurance over the next few weeks! I have to say I really noticed the difference doing these exercises, my whole middle was screaming at me for the next couple of days, which is always a pleasing feeling!

Nearly an actual Mermaid

In my last post I talked about my first swimming session where I am going to learn how to swim properly and start competing in triathlons. This is a real challenge for me, as water is not somewhere that I feel comfortable and I've not ridden a bike since I was 12 and failed my cycling proficiency test (yes, it is bloody possible!)

On Sunday I sat down and worked out a training plan for this week also I worked out my meals based on what my training is on that day, I've just read that back, I really am THAT boring! And how lucky you are, you get to hear all about it.

Ok so I won't make you hear all about it, but I will tell you about my swim session last night. I was pleased that the lovely @jlcurrie came with me, I'm really hoping that she will enter the triathlon too as I'm shitting myself thinking about going alone! 

The start of the session wasn't that great, I warmed up with a few lengths of Nan swimming, while Jo whizzed off showing off with her grown up swimming. I then grabbed a float and started to practice some of the breathing drills that Rachel advised me to practice, I found them so hard, I just couldn't get it, three breaths and I was coughing and spluttering, then not wanting to put my head in the water. Not what I was hoping for.

I realised, as did Jo, that I needed to get my head underwater. So, as she went off to do another couple of lengths, I practiced another one of Rachels drills. This felt much better, as I was fully underwater so had no time to panic. The first few times I pushed off I didn't breathe out quite right and I came up spluttering, but I carried on and after twenty or so push offs I felt really comfortable so carried on and tried swimming a length, of grown up swimming.

Instead of panicking and spluttering, I tried to keep calm and concentrate on the breathing, and for the next couple of lengths I managed three strokes on and one stroke off, then four on one off, etc. By the end of the session I was swimming full lengths with only 3-4 single stroke breaks per length. Considering how the start of the session went I wasn't expecting progress so quickly! But like Jo said, it's similar to running, takes a while to warm up then it just clicks, so am now close to Mermaid status.

So, with two strength sessions, an interval run, a swim session and a couple of core sessions, I'm looking forward to my active recovery day tomorrow, where I'll be helping with Regency Runners 5k course.

Planning the year ahead

I have been quiet over the last few weeks I know, this is because I have been coming up with a master plan. You see, I get so obsessed with losing weight, only ever seeing the numbers, that I get so stressed I can't think of anything else. And what does stress do? It prevents you from losing weight. Not losing weight despite my efforts has been stressing me out even more, so it's a vicious circle, and I needed a plan, and I think I might just have one.

Back in August last year I toyed with the idea of a 70.3 triathlon this summer, I think I even wrote a blog about it, but decided it wasn't for me at the time. If I did it, I wanted to do it properly, I didn't want another performance like London Marathon. So I will do it properly, next year, and I have a plan to get me there. I'm lucky that I have so much support from friends, family, Oli and through Twitter, and my best friend will be completing an Ironman this summer, so I don't have to look far get help and advice on training.

The 70.3 will be next year, so this year is where I will be getting ready for it. During the last 9 months I've worked hard to get a good base for training, although my core strength isn't brilliant it has vastly improved, and it is something that I want to concentration on to base my training around in the gym. I really am starting from the beginning with this, I'm not a great swimmer and I don't own a bike (having not ridden one since I was 12) but hey, at least I can run.

Tuesday saw my first swimming session with Rachel. Rachel is a good friend and sports coach who I met through Regency Runners and was also my mentor during training for London Marathon, after I told her what I was planning she instantly offered a swim session. I was a little nervous beforehand as I'm not comfortable in water. When I was two I had Meningitis and lost my hearing, so through my early years had countless operations to correct this, it affected my balance and for a long time I wasn't aloud to get water in my ears. When I was given the all clear I had a few close calls in school swimming lessons and I lost all confidence, so this is why I swim off of Nans, a member of the dry hair brigade!
Rachel was a little dubious when I told her all this, but after seeing what I could do during the session she has confidence that I will pick it up quickly, apparently I have a very good leg kick for crawl so that's something to be pleased about! I enjoyed the session, and was pleased with what I achieved. It may seem silly to some but learning how to put my head in the water and breathe out was a massive breakthrough, now I just need to learn to control the breathing as I'm swimming. Rachel has given me some drills to practise so I plan to swim twice a week, as I have an event that I am hoping to enter in May. I also received a great message from Rachel after the session, showing her belief in me. This really meant a lot as I look up to Rachel, and as a sports coach, she really knows her stuff!

This years goals:

• 2lb weight loss per week for 15 weeks
• Sub 29 5k March
• Regency 10k April
• Super sprint triathlon May
• Sub 28 5k July
• 25% body fat August
• Sprint triathlon September
• Sub 25 5k November

And this years races:

• Spring Shakespeare 5k - 9/3/2013
• Resolution Run 5k Warwick - 24/3/2013
• Leamington Regency 10k - 7/4/2013
• Stratford 220 Super Sprint Triathlon - 12/05/2013
• Warwickshire Sprint Triathlon - 29/9/2013
• Autumn Shakespeare 5k 16/11/2013

So, I have a plan, now to break the news to Oli tomorrow!

Worth the Weight?

I had a very lazy moment last night, yeah ok nothing new I guess! I knew that I needed to update this blog but I really was far too lazy to, so I asked Twitter, not expecting a response but I did, from a "twitter bezza" Dan, or @DanRunning . When I read this post this morning, I totally got it, I have made similar changes to Dan over the last few months and have seen similar results so I was quite excited to share his thoughts with all of you. So, over to Dan.....

I, like so many of you reading this, am a runner.

I run. Sometimes for fun, sometimes competing, always for good health and in my case for weight maintenance.

When I started running it was after a period of being sedentary in my work and home life. My diet wasn't great but I wasn't a walking advert for shopping at Iceland either. Running had the immediate effect of helping me lose weight. My diet didn't change but the running created a calorie deficit and I started to lose weight. Slowly at first and then progressively quicker. The same thing happened with my running too. I started slowly and injury prone, but I got progressively quicker and stronger.

Running, like all other forms of exercise, places stress on the body.

And the body is a clever thing.

When placed under repeated stress the body adapts to better deal with that stress. It's two principles known as overload and adaptation. The body gets placed under more stress than it's used to (overload) and it changes to meet the new needs (adaptation).

This kept me in good check for years. I kept the weight off and got better and more efficient at running. I assumed that I would continue to improve if I continued to run.

But here is the catch. The overload that you place the body under needs to be progressively increased. This is what causes the body to continually adapt.

It's what sees performance continue to improve, and other goals to be reached too, be they fat reduction, muscle increase, PB's etc. I found that my running performance had levelled out. I had reached a plateau and the benefits had stopped coming. My body had adapted to the stress and done no more. After all why would it, like I said, the body is a clever thing.

So after years of running I found myself in the gym. Faced with machines and weights that I hadn't seen in years, because as a runner I didn't think I needed them.

I was wrong.

Running is a full body exercise. When you've run as far and as fast as you can, you need to change your training to continue to adapt so that your performance can improve further. Cross train to reduce the stress on your knees and use compound weight exercises to build strength. Squats and lunges incorporate all the running muscles and more importantly the muscles used to support these to allow them to do their job longer and better.

Running uses the quads and hamstrings as well as calf muscles, but to keep you upright and your form good, the core muscles, hip flexors and glutes are engaged and training these using resistance techniques will see an improvement in running form and efficiency.

You don't need a gym membership. Many of us run because its (relatively) cheap. Squats and lunges can be done at home using body weight as resistance, results come within weeks, not months and unlike running the performance is more visible and quickly achieved.

It may well be that to improve your running, you need to stop running so much and grab some weights. It might just be worth it.....