Back in the Game

As I posted a few months back, the hours and hours of relentless pounding away while training for this year’s London Marathon took its toll on my body and I had the joys of suffering with shin splints, although I really do like my physio Cathy, having my shins 'ironed out' is not something I enjoy at all!

Strangely think this injury came at the right time for me, I had really had enough of running and I was struggling to enjoy running with Regency Runners, so I decided to concentrate on losing weight and come back to the running at a later date. Unfortunately this meant dropping out of the Great North Run and Great Birmingham Run, it was no easy decision to pull out but sometimes you just have to make these sacrifices. I really didn't want was to injure myself to the point where I couldn't do anything at all!

As I posted last week, I've now lost a stone. It's not a great deal as ideally I need to lose another four but it's a great start. A lot of the training I have been doing recently has been focused around spin/RPM classes so I have been working on my level of aerobic level of fitness. These classes are great fun, and really push you to your limit. I do moan a lot about my gym (pretty much endlessly), it's one of those chains that only seem to care about the money and don't value their members, but what they do very well is the range of classes they do and the instructors they have are excellent. I had started to look around for a new gym to attend but I just can't find one in the area that run a spin/RPM programme that is anywhere near as good, so I shall stay put, for now.

Last week I started to notice a real change in my fitness levels during classes, after the sprints when I slowed my legs, I was surprised with the resistance that I had on, whereas not so long ago I was 'free-wheeling'. I also started to notice that during the climbs I couldn't get my resistance right, I thought the bike had broken at first, but soon realised that I'm getting stronger, so I need to find the next level to challenge me again. I have since made sure that I turn the resistance up even more so I get the most out of each track and I have really been feeling it!

This past weekend was spent getting frustrated as I had a stinking cold. I had convinced myself last week that it was hay fever and that it would soon pass but as it got worse I realised that it wasn't going anywhere. I trained really hard last week, so by Saturday I was done, I woke Saturday morning and couldn't breathe, so I forfeited my training session and rested, thinking I would be ok to train the following day, I was wrong! I was so determined to go but after a conversation and a good telling off from my friend Paul and a big strop from myself I decided to go back to bed. I didn’t wake up after midday, so I really must have needed it! I hate it when Paul is right!
I felt loads better that evening so decided that I'd set my alarm for the next morning and try a little run. The park behind the house is roughly a mile and as I didn't want to go too far I thought once round would be just right. I woke up and it was chucking it down, this is my favourite running weather so off I went after a fair bit of whining to anyone who would listen.
I only had to run to the end of the road to remember why I love running so much, I felt great! I was wearing my Garmin but made a point not to check it, I didn't want to chase a time just see how I got on and if I would get any pain. Before I stopped running a few months ago, my pace was a very slow about 12 minute miles, on a good day.  Today’s run, short as it was, was at a much improved 10:24min mile pace, and it didn't really feel like I was pushing it so when I got home and looked at my watch I was chuffed.

I have always run because I love it, and although at times I would get frustrated with my slow pace I was just happy to get out there and do it. Paul has always called me a proper runner; to be honest I don't know why as he thinks that a 2 hour half marathon is slow! But anyway, recently I have started thinking about my pace and realised that this is now really important to me, I want to become that 'proper runner' that Paul seems to think that I am, and of course to beat him in the 2014 Regency 10k, yes, that is how long I will need to get the pace!

So, in every session I will be channelling Jilian Michaels to myself!

 

Building the base

Again, I seem to have left it way too long since my last post but rather than excuse myself I thought I'd just get on with it!

So, since my mental decision to compete in a 70.3 triathlon next year, the realities of that challenge have started to sink in, along with how much this thing is going to cost! As I am neither made of money or have a money tree in my back garden (actually I haven't even got a garden so that doesnt really work) I am really having to think about where the money to pay for it is going to come from, so, while I think about that I am using my time wisely and kicking my own arse at the gym, building the base for the training that will no doubt take over my life!

Since I started this blog, the weight hasn't come off as quickly as I may have liked, in fact I think it has come off rather slowly considering how hard I am working and the changes that I have made to my diet (just 14lb, and that has been a little up and down with a recent holiday to Sicily) But hey, they do say the longer it takes to come off the more likey it is to stay off, apparently. I also think that I am still building muscle as the majority of my workouts are resistance based. My sessions with Oli and Phil at Peak Fitness have come to an end (see above for my lack of cash flow!) so I am now doing it alone, which was ok at first but I am now finding it quite difficult to keep focused during sessions. My friend Paul seems to think that I find my focus easily when I am in the gym, but its not doing the exercise that I lose focus on, I just get on with that, it's the variation and lack of knowledge to think of new and effective things to do that I find difficult. So, basically, tell me to do something and I will do it, and I will try my hardest, but thinking of new things, I'm just shit!

My focus on diet is pretty good. I'm still doing self hypnosis every night and now I am into a routine I know where I am and am finding the choice of food when eating clean is actually really varied, you just have to be a little creative! I am finding it amazing how much better I feel, none of that bloating that I always got before, my skin, hair and nails are in really good condition and I have so much more energy! And they say that energy comes from carbs? Rubbish! I'm also enjoying learning about this choice of diet and it completely makes sense to me now, I'm starting to understand what the food that you put inside you does to your body. I tried to explain to some work colleagues who were eating 'low fat' yoghurt and checking the calories on their every bite that the body needs fat and its the sugar content that they need to be concerned with. They looked at me like I was an alien, well, they are on this Slimming World diet, enough said!

When it comes to working out, I am in the gym five days out of seven, minimum (I even took my small weights and Davina DVD with me on a works overnight stay).

div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I am still doing plenty of spin classes and do my weights sessions beforehand so I can get the best out of it and burn more fat. I have continued to follow Oli's plan and do lowerbody straight into upperbody, 30 seconds rest and repeat x 4 before moving onto the next two exercises, so some examples being walking lunges (my nemises) straight into pressups, squats straight into shoulder press with 8kg dumbells, single leg squats straight into lat pull down, I think you get the picture! I am able to mix these up and add in new ones as long as it is lowerbody going into upperbody. I think for a girl I am doing pretty well with the weights, I am now able to chest press 40kg (although I think I did way more weight with Oli but like I said the focus is hard when there is noone stood next to you pushing you on) and I am getting 45kg on the lat pull down.

I'm starting to get more interested in the reasons behind each workout and as I need to be tailoring my own workouts now I don't have a PT, I am doing lots of reading and research on this. I am even tampering with the idea of training to become a PT and completing a Level 3 Diploma, using myself as a project but again, this again will all boil down to money! I really want to do it though and I think I will be pretty good at it so I will keep persuing this, so hopefully come January I will be able to enrol.

70.3, can I drive it?

I know that I haven't written a post for some time, but to be honest I have been pretty busy concentrating on getting rid of the weight rather than writing about it! This is mainly as I'm panicking, because I now have a target. I thought I had a target with London Marathon, but as I have admitted before, I didn't take London Marathon as seriously as I should have and although I did the training and worked hard, I didn't drop any weight. Not good enough.

So, my new target. I'm entering the world of triathlons. Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to dive straight into Ironman distance, I'll leave that to my friend Paul (you can read his mental blog here!) but I have had my arm twisted into a half iron (70.3) distance triathlon, and I have given myself a year to get ready for it. So, next summer, I will be swimming 1.2 miles, riding 56 miles and then running 13.1 miles. Apart from the obvious issue of I'm still carrying way too much weight; there are a couple more factors that I need to address to prepare for the race. 

Firstly, I swim off of Nans. I am as I have been called before, part of the "dry hair brigade" so this needs to change pretty sharpish. I have however been working on this over the last few weeks in the pool at my gym, the process I fear is going to be a long one! I have mentioned before that I have a fear of water, which is why I'm a bit (a lot) shit at swimming. I am trying to get over this by just getting on with it and so far it seems to be working, I'm now confident to go swimming on my own and I am forcing myself to go for it and get under water. Luckily I have a friend, Tracey that I met at Regency Runners who has competed in triathlons who has offered to give me some help with my swimming technique, and how to breathe properly, as this is what I am finding really difficult at the moment.

Tracey has also come up trumps just as I was looking to buy a bike. As she is looking to buy a road bike, she is selling her old bike, to moi! Bonus! Now, the next factor I need to address, I haven't ridden a bike since I was 12 and I failed my cycling proficiency test (they tricked me into failing!) so I might need to fix stabilizers to the bike for the time being! I am hoping that I pick this up quickly as I think the stabilizers may slow me down on the day, although I have to admit I am a bit apprehensive about riding on the roads but I have plenty of friends in Warwick who ride so I won't have to go out on these rides alone. I can also gain some confidence with them before I have to start the really long rides early next year.

I'm not too concerned about the run; I know I can run that distance so I can train for it again. I am having a bit of a break from running at the moment, which has forced me to drop out of the Great North Run, something that was a really tough decision but I think for the best. My legs aren't enjoying running at the moment and I am still getting awful pains in my shins after runs. I figured that I would concentrate on gym work for the next few months and give them a proper break, then start up again once it has cooled down and once I had dropped some weight, as I am aware that my weight isn't helping the situation.

So that's the challenge, I'm sure many of you are reading this and thinking "is she stupid? Of course she's not going to do it" and to be honest, I can see your point, but you really don't want to bet against me, I can be a stubborn cow when I want to be (all the time) and I have never felt so focused as I do now.

The next thing I need to do is book my place. I have kind of decided which event I want to do, so the 70.3 Galway, Ireland is a hot favorite. This is mainly as both the ride and run are on a flat course, and I hate hills, although, the swim is in the sea.......and I think this is why I am hesitating to get my name down. Swimming in the nice safe pool is one thing, but swimming in the sea is one hell of a different ball game! I'm hoping that my friend Paul will help me a bit with this, well, seeing as this was all kind of his fault, I will make him!

So lastly, a quick update on how my training is going. I have spent the last few weeks trying to work out a schedule that suits. I have got back into spin class which I love, as there are a few different spin instructors and I have now tested most of the classes and worked out which ones are more challenging so will be more beneficial to me, my weight and my fitness, so now I attend 3-4 spin classes a week. I have also started Zumba, something that I thought I would try out for the hell of it and actually, I really enjoy it, so have decided to keep it in my programme for the time being.  

I am still seeing Oli at Peak Fitness for personal training sessions; he is still working me really hard and now has an accomplice in Phil. During my last session which I had with Phil, after killing me with 250m rowing sprints he bought out a mat and a 7.5kg kettle bell, and I was told to do 15 swings then straight into a plank. A plank? I can't do a plank (well I couldn't a few months ago!) I heard laughter from the other side of the gym as Oli told Phil to expect some Angry Planks! I think this proves how well Oli knows me, knowing that when I can't do something I get angry and act just like a child; I throw a bit of a tantrum! But, I knew I had to try it, and all three attempts were over 30 seconds. Not great, but certainly better than the 5-10 seconds I was expecting, and much better than Phil was expecting, as I think after my initial reaction he thought/hoping he was going to see me face plant the mat!

I am also carrying on with the programme that Oli and Phil have set for me in my gym, and I am really pleased with the results. I can see myself getting stronger, and I am able to do things now that I just could not have done a few months ago. I tend to have quite a good attitude when I am working on my own in the gym; I decide what I am going to do before I get there and make sure I follow it through. It's really hard work but such a satisfying feeling when I have finished!

I have also got my diet sorted. Switching to "clean eating" is really hard and I have had to do it gradually, so although it has taken some time I now find it really easy. It may not suit everybody and there are a million and one opinions about what’s healthy and what’s not, but this suits me  I am now another 8lbs down and I am starting to notice some clothes becoming a little looser which is a start.

Things are feeling really good at the moment, being focused feels great and I feel I have the tools to keep me there, I continue with self hypnosis every night, I notice such a difference if I miss a night, the next day being such a struggle. I also wake up with this every morning, and if I get any thoughts on missing a gym session or eating something I should, I repeat to myself:

The decisions you make today change the shape of the person you become tomorrow

Proof in Numbers

I am now over two weeks into Operation shed 5 stone and I'm feeling pretty good and still really motivated. Although I have been training for a few weeks now it has only been the last couple of weeks that I have really nailed the diet that Oli at Peak Fitness had advised me to follow to get the best results.

So, after bounding into the gym on Thursday very smug and pleased with myself with my training and diet, Oli decided to spring a weigh in on me. Crap, this wasn't what I wanted and felt it was too early, my last weigh in was only 7 weeks ago and it had take 5 weeks to get my head around this diet, but Oli was insistent that I needed to see my progress so I could carry on knowing that I was doing well. I thought I would mention quickly that I work in lbs, whereas Oli works in kg, another thing that I will need to get my head around at some point!

So, apprehensively I stepped onto Oli's fancy scales and looked dead ahead, waiting what seemed an age for the beep so I could step off and hear the results. Immediately I saw that I had lost 2kg, just 2?? My scales at home had told me that I had lost 7lbs, but, as I had admitted to Oli, the first 4-5 weeks were really tough and although I had been working really hard, I had only been following bits of the diet and had found it a real struggle. I imagine that I may have put on weight during this time, so my 7lbs weight loss sounds about right.

Oli then explained the results to me, handing me a 6kg weight he said that is the amount of body fat that I have lost, which he then worked out to be an approximate loss of 4.5% body fat, music to my ears! He then worked out that I had gained 4kg in muscle mass, which I am really pleased with and Oli very impressed with. All the other numbers were also going in the right direction, my bones are getting stronger, I am better hydrated, my resting metabolic rate has gone up and visceral fat has gone down.

So, I think that is proof in numbers that the diet, as hard as it was to get my head around, and focusing on weight training and intervals is obviously working for me. This week I plan to commit a cardinal sin (sorry Oli) and start some training again with Regency Runners. I need to see how the shins are going to hold up and, I have just realised that I have less than three months to get ready for the Great North Run. Off the back of London Marathon I shouldn't have too many problems preparing for the race so I'm hoping that running this week will be a bit of a boost in confidence.

So how do you feel about your gym???

So since I've been put out from running with the shin splints, the good thing is that I have still been able to get to the gym and continue with the weight training that Oli has set out for me. I had no PT session last week as Oli was away on a training course in Denmark, but I managed 3 sessions in the gym and a swim. I feel quite good about the stuff that I do in the gym, I am reasonably strong so I enjoy weight training, the only problem that I have found is finding the right time of day to go and train. As much of the stuff that I do is in the weights room, which is quite small so gets really busy, usually with men. Personally I find this quite an intimidating environment.

This has got me thinking about gyms in general and wondering how other people feel about the time of day that they train and if the gym being busy makes a difference to how they feel about the gym.

So firstly, as a woman I feel you have to be quite brave to go into this male environment, as soon as you walk up the stairs to the weights room you can get the glares, you can see them thinking, what are they doing in here, this man’s room! Speaking to a few female friends, it isn't just me that feels like this, especially when they are hanging around in groups or congregating around a machine that we may want to use. The general feeling from my friends has been to go to the mats area or free weights/kettle bells area to do their workout, and then queue/wait around for machines, but all for the same reason, because they feel a little intimidated.

Thinking about this a bit more and after discussing with a male friend of mine, I don't think it is just us girls that can feel intimidated in the gym. The gym that I attend runs a lot of classes, as do most gyms I imagine, I have joined in on a few and I have to say they have been really enjoyable. A lot of this might have something to do with the fact that it is mostly ladies in these classes, so I feel much more comfortable, and also that I "belong". But, how do men feel about joining in these classes? I think we tend to think that they won't be bothered, but it seems not. Apparently, men feel exactly the same walking into say, a spin class as we do walking into the weights room, they see us as we see them, and lets face it, thinking about it, walking into a room of 20 odd women to join them in exercise must be pretty damn scary!

So, I thought I would share my not very nice and I'm sure very isolated experience at the gym last week. Friday night I decided to head to the gym about 8pm, I thought that it would be reasonably quiet so I could get my workout done and go as soon as possible, but was surprised to see that it was quite busy, mainly in the weights room where there seemed to be pairs of men hanging around and generally getting in the way. I decided to grab some free weights and go around to the mats and carry on with some of the stuff that Oli had set me to do, mixing up some walking lunges, press ups, squats and shoulder press. After I had finished with the free weights I put them away (something that everyone else in the gym seems to be allergic to, annoying) then moved on to leg press and lat pull down, I set up both machines as I needed them and started with legs. As I was walking over to the lat pull down one of the rude men in the gym nudge his mate, actually pointed at me and said "I bet you'd love a girl that looked like that" which was met by not just a snigger, but a full on belly laugh.

Now, I know men seem to think that us girls are a bit stupid, but are we now seen as being deaf and blind too? He knew damn well that I would have been able to see him and hear him as I was literally stood 10 feet away from him, so I can only assume he was just being downright nasty. Had I been sat on my sofa stuffing my face with a pizza and drinking full fat coke, then I would have taken that and said, you know what, you might have a point there, but I'm sure the fact that I was in the gym, and by this time dripping with sweat, was a clue that I don't plan on looking like this for long?! Now this could have gone one of three ways, I could have got upset and left, I could have confronted them and caused a scene, which probably could have then ended with me getting upset and leaving, or, I could have put the weight up and banged out another set. I chose the latter, and when getting up I turned and looked at them as their jaws hit the floor at what I, a girl, a foreigner in their gym, had managed to lift.

Satisfying doesn't even come close!

I imagine many of the guys feel like this when they are smashing it through a spin or combat class whilst some of the girls are dying on their arse!

Oh and quickly, a 5lb loss on week 1 of Operation lose 5 stone!

Shin splints, booooo!

In the last post I mentioned that I had to pull out of the Two Castles 10k yesterday. I only got the place two weeks ago and was really looking forward to the event. Two Castles is my local 10k race, it starts at Warwick Castle, and finishes at Kenilworth Castle. This would have been my first Two Castles 10k Race.  Being the Regency Runners local event, the Regency Runners are always out in full force. This I think always makes it extra special. In fact, a twitter friend of mine @russw ran the race yesterday and said that Regency Runner shirts were everywhere, I won't of course mention that he was pipped on the line at our local parkrun Saturday by one of the new members to the club, Samantha!

So the reason for me pulling out is? Probably every runner’s worst nightmare shin splints.
Since the marathon, my primary running goal has been to improve my pace. As I have mentioned before I have joined the 5k 10 week course at running group, this involves lots of interval work, just what I need. Or so I thought!

The problem with changing your pace up after a marathon is your muscles are still healing, not just from the 26.2 miles but also the months of training that you have put in, so when you start to have a go at sprint sessions your muscles are all sticky and can't move properly, causing more damage. I thought that the 4 weeks I took off from running after the marathon would have been enough, but it appears I was wrong yet again!

I have only been running once a week, with the PT sessions at Peak Fitness and my own sessions in the gym I have been able to keep myself busy enough. As I have been having the pain for a few weeks, I thought the rest in between runs would do me some good.

Thursday I decided to go down to meet with running group for a relays session, pretty stupid idea I know, but in my defence my legs felt surprisingly good. I got through the first drill with no real pain, but during the second drill I started to feel sharp pains in my shins during the sprints, this was then quickly followed by quite heavy pain in between the sprints so I quickly dropped out quite miserably half way through.

I had a physio appointment with Cathy booked for today as I knew the shine splints were quickly becoming an issue. After lots of pain, prodding, poking, ice and tape, this is the result:

I think secretly Cathy was very pleased with the pretty patterns that she made on my legs with her tape, however I don't quite know how I can hide this when I am in the office tomorrow!

Finally, I am in control

Well it has been just five days since Operation lose 5 stone began and I have mixed feelings today. This may have something to do with having to pull out of the 2 Castles 10k this morning at the last minute, so to say I am disappointed and frustrated is an understatement! 

Since I came clean with myself, and all of you, that I have had difficulty controlling my diet things have been getting easier. I think the most important thing that I say there is control; I need to remember that it is solely up to me what I buy in the Supermarket, what I cook and what goes in my mouth. I know this may sound really easy to those of you that don't have an unhealthy relationship with food. To me it’s not just a simple case of buying, cooking and eating that I have to think about. It’s also ignoring the marketing that is used to get you to buy the products; reading past the "low fat/ half fat /0% fat /low calorie/ good for you" rubbish that is all over the packaging and pretty much every food advert anywhere, and educating myself on the actual ingredients. 

I believe that control is the most important thing that I personally need to think about. It is really important that I and I alone control what goes in my mouth. 

An easy way if doing this is by preparing all my meals and snacks myself, rather than letting others plate it up or buying pre-packed sandwiches from the Supermarket. This is especially important when going out to eat! It is a sure fire way of having that control taken away from you with the portion sizes, that they will pile on your plate for you! I'm quite worried about this as I much prefer having a nice meal out as opposed to a night in the pub! In fact I'm due to go out this Friday, for an Indian so this will be my first test! 

I refuse to stay in and not socialise so controlling my own portion sizes and making sensible choices when I am eating out is something that I need to get used to!

My PT Oli has given me lots of advice as regards to my diet, the main things being eat lots of protein, about 150g per day, keep well hydrated and also cut the carbs. Now, I know many of you will question this, but to be honest, carbs don't really agree with me anyway and also, I'm not cutting them completely; I'm just not eating them after lunch and making sure that what I do eat is whole grain. As diet is the most important thing that I need to concentrate on, I found that I had a lot of brain clutter, being told one thing then another by somebody else. Everybody having their own opinion and ideas was confusing so I decided to buy Bob Harpers "The Skinny Rules." 

Now, I have to admit, I don't like the title, the word skinny does not say healthy to me (obviously a marketing thing) but I trust Bob, who doesn't?! The book basically gives you 20 rules to follow and gives you explanation as to why. When I read the book everything completely made sense, for example, Oli had told me to drink water and ignore the flavoured waters or squash, no added sugar or not! Apparently your body isn't clever enough to know that the squash is no added sugar, so your pancreas releases insulin, and you stop burning fat, and it makes you hungry, Bob agrees, he wasn't making it up - hooray! (I bet I'll pay for that comment tomorrow!) Now, the problem here is that I hate water, you can say that it doesn't taste of anything as much as you want, as far as I am concerned, it tastes like swamp. I guess this is something that I need to get used to! 

So some of the rules in the book:

• Drink a large glass of water before every meal
• Eat protein at every meal
• No carbs after lunch
• Learn to read food labels
• Get your portion sizes right
• Go to bed hungry
• Eat your vegetables
• Sleep well
• Plan one splurge meal a week

Obviously, he doesn't just list the rules and expect you to get on with it. Each rule is explained in detail and backed up with research and facts which make you understand the reasons why you should follow them. After reading this, everything makes sense, I now have zero brain clutter and everything is so much clearer. Brain clutter by the way causes anxiety, which can lead to depression and binge eating.

 As well as the set of rules, Bob has included a 4 weekly plan in the book, which I have decided not to follow (what was I saying about control earlier? No thanks, I'll read the rules and decide on my own meals!). Also there is a really good section with recipes which I have found particularly helpful for the variety of food that I can chose from whilst keeping my protein and vegetable intake up and carbs low.

 I'm not going to say that I have found the last few days easy with my diet, but I have felt very satisfied that I have been in control and there have been no temptations, secret trips to the shop for sweets or raiding the cupboards gone 9pm. 

 So, so far so good, I am finally in control!