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October 20, 2016October 20, 2016

Riverside parkrun Review

I have another parkrun review for you today. It’s not one I’ve been to and, if I’m honest, I didn’t really know where it was! Being the Southerner I am I guess this isn’t too surprising as it’s all the way up North near Sunderland in County Durham. The review is brought to you by my lovely Twitter and running friend, Anji, AKA @EngimaGirl81.

[Psst! If you’d like to write me a review of your local parkrun or one you’ve been too, please email me at annatheapple@gmail.com – I’d love to hear from you!]

Over to Anji…

Stats: average finishers 161, 14:43/16:43 M/F, average time 26:48, number of runs 220

OK so I am biased. I met my fiance at Riverside parkrun so for me it will always be very special, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a whole bunch of other reasons to LOVE Riverside.Location: The North East is blessed with a number of parkruns in a very small area, Riverside often known as one of the fastest and flattest courses around. Riverside parkrun takes place in the beautiful Riverside park Chester Le Street, County Durham, just a stone’s throw from the famous Riverside Cricket ground home of Durham CCC.

Parking: Parking at the event is paid but a small fee which doesn’t kick in until 9am means you won’t have to break the bank. Make sure you arrive early and it really is hassle free.

Amenities: There are free toilets on site too situated right next to the start line. The cafe in the park is only just starting to open in time for parkrun day and despite the changing weather several parkrunners and beginning to take advantage. Before this and traditionally, runners often made the short drive up to Olivers Garden centre for a post run cuppa, bacon sandwich and a catch-up. They usually even put the log burners on for us meaning it’s super-cosy!

Course: Riverside parkrun can be affected by the levels of the river meaning there are a few variations of the course (I think I have done three!) but all of them can allow a fast time on a lap course. The current and most popular course begins in the centre of the park, runs one small lap to the river and back then two large laps taking in the whole of the park across a short grass section.

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Riverside is always brilliantly marshalled and well-marked out meaning even at the front of the field you won’t go wrong. Part of the riverside section can get a little crowded on your final lap but runners are always reminded to keep right to allow the faster runners through. The courses are all pretty at all times of the year, and the swans often come up to the paths to say hello making your parkrun photos quite striking! The finish is maybe the best part, the open flat stretch giving a great setting to a sprint finish.

Riverside has a real “family” feel to it with many of the marshal spots taken up by familiar faces. The run is well-managed by a great team of directors and as a volunteer you find yourself wanting to come back again and again.One of the marshal points on all three laps of the course “Bills bend” is so named as the same volunteer (Bill, obviously!) mans this station every week.

There’s also a pacing event once a month usually.

I have recently made the ultimate parkrun commitment by changing my Home Run to Riverside from Newcastle. I always feel like Riverside is like being with family, and I know it will be one of my favourite places for a very long time.

Thank you, Anji 🙂 You can follow Riverside parkrun on Twitter or Facebook for more information and updates.

What Northern parkruns have you done?

Do you have a regular set of marshals at your parkrun or is it always changing?

If you go to a cafe afterwards, what do you normally get?

April 5, 2016

The 5 Best Cars for Fitness Enthusiasts

Today I have a guest post regarding on the subject of cars (ooh er, bit different for me!) and the best one for your personality and needs.

You cycle to work, take the stairs instead of the lift, drink plenty of water, hit the gym five times a week, and always get your five-a-day – or at least you try to. If this sounds like you, you’re a bona fide fitness fanatic and a new car is never likely to be top of your list of priorities.

The trouble is, when it comes to cars, your needs are very specific – not only do you need something big enough to fit all of your weekend sports equipment into, it could do with being good on the gas for those trips to the coast and probably have four-wheel drive for when you venture out into the wilderness.

So here are the five best cars for all you fitness enthusiasts out there…

Nissan Qashqai

This is the model that has arguably come to define the crossover and SUV class and is an outstanding all-rounder with an excellent driving position, great handling, and surprisingly low running costs.

Inside, it has enough room for a full five-a-side team (including subs if you opt for the +2 version) a versatile boot with a fully adjustable shelf and a reversible floor with a wipe clean surface that’s perfect for muddy boots or sandy wetsuits.

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Skoda Yeti

The Skoda Yeti is a firm favourite among families and outdoor types alike as it is as adept at the school run as it is a cross-country run, particularly if you plump for the four-wheel-drive model.

And despite being one of the few crossovers that looks more like a good, old-fashioned estate car than a scaled down traditional 4X4, it handles the great outdoors better than most and is equally at home in a muddy field as on a motorway.

It has a versatile interior in which the rear seats create extra load space by moving independently or coming out completely.

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Citroen C4 Cactus

If the Qashqai and the Yeti look a little too run-of-the-mill, then look no further than the Citroen C4 Cactus – although it has no 4X4 option, it is chunky, has a relatively high wheel clearance and ‘Airbump’ panels on the sides that protect the body work from all sorts of scrapes.

It’s economical – some models promise up to 90mpg – and has a spacious interior and a good-sized boot. Not one for the off-roaders, but certainly a great option for those who like to stay on the beaten track.

Range Rover Evoque SUV

If you’re looking at the higher end of the SUV market then you need look no further than the Range Rover Evoque – it has all the handling and power you’d expect from a Range Rover, but with some seriously good looks and luxury interior.

In short, you can take this car absolutely anywhere – it’s just as at home tearing across an open field as it is pulling up outside an expensive restaurant.

And although they don’t come cheap, they do hold their value remarkably well.

Audi Q3 SUV

If you want a crossover with a little more refinement than a Nissan, a Citroen or a Skoda can offer, but can’t stretch as far as an Evoque – then the Q3 SUV is the car you’re looking for.

It re-houses the best of the A3 hatchback in a study SUV shell with an elevated driving position and a plush interior. And although it’s not as fuel-efficient as the others on the list, it’s great to drive and has bucket loads of space.

There’s even an RS model if you prefer your ride to have a bit more power and excitement.

Whether you prefer the down to earth ruggedness of the Yeti, or the refined thrills of the Evoque, the crossover you drive says a lot about your personality – find out exactly what your car says about you in the We Buy Any Car Personality Quiz.

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What car do you drive?

What do you look for in a good car?

January 25, 2016

Lots of running and a little bit of mud

From -5 degrees Celsius to the positively balmy 11 degrees today…what is going on? And the crazy snow in the US, this doesn’t bode well for us I don’t think for the future!

But anyway, I did quite enjoy going to parkrun on Saturday morning and not a) freezing or b) getting soaked. It was misty, a bit chilly but otherwise perfect weather. No wind!

My friend, Kelly, from my running club, and I joke every week about how we’re neck and neck in the Netley Abbey points table. She’s number one and I’m number two. To be fair, she’s quite a distance from me and it would take her not to turn up to parkrun quite a few times for me to catch up but it’s nice banter anyway. There’s more chance of the number three lady overtaking me at the moment! I’d love it if Kelly and I both got podium places for the leadership board this year. I think there’s only about eight weeks or so left.

The parkrun itself felt really good. There was no wind, which definitely helped, but I felt speedier running. It was still tough going and the effort level was high but I was running a faster pace. And Royal flush negative splits! For so long I’ve had trouble with getting negative splits for 5ks but now I seem to have found the magic. Holding back a little at the start really does help.

My time was 22:31 which is my fastest parkrun since August (and that includes the Southampton parkrun at the start of the year which is so much more flat) and my fastest ever on the winter course. I’ll take that! Turns out hill training and my long runs seem to be working 🙂

Saturday evening I went round my friend’s house for a girlie evening with some other friends. We had takeaway and lots of moreish crisps (cheesy Doritos, why do you taste so damn good??). It was such a relaxed evening. Before we met up one of my friend’s messaged saying she just fancied wearing some comfy jeggings and a large jumper, and I said my hair would be scraped back into a pony tail and I’d be wearing my glasses and my other friends agreed on making zero effort – because that’s what friends are about: comfort and no judgement! Love evenings like that.

The next morning I got a nice lie-in as I’d planned to do the local cross country race which started at 11am and I was going to run there to make it into a long run. This meant I could set of after 9am. I ran 10 miles from Stubbington to Hedge End, which is actually quite an undulating route! I’d planned the route the night before and tried to remember the different road names I needed to take, but still somehow I got it wrong. It blew my mind when I popped out of a junction and found myself in a familiar area but of which I had never intended to get to. Thankfully and amazingly my route came to an almost perfect 10 miles (8.07min/mile ave).

I arrived at the cross country race location, in Manor Farm, a bit earlier than anticipated (better to have had more time than be late though!). I found some of my Hedgie team mates and also the lovely couple who had looked after my bag as I needed to change into my Hedge End vest and my trail trainers.

It was chilly but not that cold and thankfully not raining. It was definitely squidgy and muddy underfoot though. The race started in a bit of a kerfuffle unfortunately as the path up to the start line was basically the same path we’d have to run down. This meant that trying to get past the start line to line-up (and past the speedies at the front) was quite tricky, especially as people weren’t keen to go all the way to the back. So in the end you just have a wall of people not moving, but facing directly at you ready to start – despite 1/3 of people still not actually behind the start yet!

The race itself was good fun. I definitely felt the previous miles on my legs at the beginning though. I’d already decided to continue with the same effort as before (long run speed) – though this would obviously mean slower in general as the terrain was so up and down and very muddy and technical underfoot. I wasn’t racing or pushing it as this would have been silly for me.

Photo credit: Becky Woollard

Despite this it was still really hard going. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it though. The mud and windy paths were fun to run and it was always interesting. I did get mud splashed in my eye though my an over-zealous puddle splasher. It actually burned!

Photo credit: Becky Woollard

I knew that the race would end on a rather awful hill and when I got to it and checked with my team mate, Keith, running beside me that this was the end. It was. Otherwise I would have walked it if I still had a distance to go, but as I knew this was it I desperately tried to plough up it. Keith was amazing next to me keeping me going and encouraging me on.

Photo credit: Alan

The above photo is literally on the hill. I was fully aware of the camera but it was far more important to push up the hill and not die than try and smile and look relatively OK! Some of my team mates (and friends from other clubs) were at the top and shouted encouragement as well which was much appreciated!

I’m really pleased with the splits and how I got on. I think I came 36th female overall? I can’t remember as I was in that much of a daze after the hill and possibly fourth in my club out of the ladies. Not too shabby!

I was covered in mud but chuffed. I’m so glad I didn’t bother cleaning my trail shoes beforehand either!

It was quite amusing putting my really muddy trail shoes on before the race as my socks were so clean in comparison!

Some of the Hedgie gang (Photo credit: Kate Maslin)

I had planned to stick around for cake (obviously) but my dad was picking me up and the refreshments area was apparently a long way a way. With a heavy and sad heart I headed to meet my dad. No cake for me 🙁

My dad had brought a number of bin bags for me to sit on, get into and generally keep the car clean as I’d pre-warned him about the mud. It worked quite well!

A terrible photo but basically me sitting inside a bin bag in the car

When I got home he suggested I wash the trainers…good idea! I don’t have an outdoors area or hose to do it at my flat or anywhere to keep them drying so I could utilise my parent’s facilities.

It worked quite well. I didn’t actually realise my dad was taking a photo of me at the time… I was trying not to splash myself which really was pointless considering how muddy I was anyway!

Ahh, look how shiny and clean they look! I don’t plan on doing any more cross country races in the future so hopefully these will stay relatively clean now (which I realise is kind of silly considering they’re trail shoes…). They’re now drying off in my parent’s garage – stuck on two poles to air properly.

The rest of the day I spent at my flat, chilling out and just resting. I was very tried from the long run and cross country but it was one of those satisfied feeling of tiredness. I watched random TV, read my book (Station Eleven – very good) and went on some nice walks with Alfie. I even treated myself to a cheeky Starbucks.

What did you get up to this weekend?

Do you combine long runs with other events to make them a bit more interesting?

What do you prefer: starting a race on a hill or ending a race on a hill? I prefer starting on a hill as the entire cross country race I was just dreading that hill.

January 20, 2016

Rants and Raves #26

Every time I write a Rants and Raves post I have to go to my blog and see what number I’m on. Kind of shot myself in the foot with this putting numbers on them… Oh well, nice to see how many I’ve done though.

Rant: Sometimes I’ll have a little look at my blog stats and how people have found their way to my blog. Sometimes it’s from Twitter, Bloglovin‘ or other blogs. But it’s always interesting when people have Googled something and come to my blog that way. Some of the search terms make sense (like a product review) but others are bizarre.

“Jamie Oliver and his sister Anna” came up a lot in different variations. Yes I love Jamie and yes he has a sister called Anna-Marie (I had to Google that, I’m not that obsessed I assure you) but how this is relevant to my blog I don’t know. Probably because I go to his restaurants every other week I suppose.

And some search terms are just plain WEIRD.

There’s an Anna naughty pudding? It must be really naughty if it’s especially for me – I’m the cake monster after all and am rarely defeated.

This one really concerned me though:

No, that is not OK. And the fact it was used FOUR times to get to my blog is really worrying.

Rave: A recently opened trampoline centre in Southampton. This is so much fun. I used to do trampolining back in the day at school and loved it, so when some girls at the running club suggested going last Monday evening I was totally up for it.

The place is basically full of trampolines and there’s also an area where you can do monkey bars, swinging ropes, tight-rope walking and flips into a pit of foamy cubes. We spent an hour bouncing around, larking about and just generally acting like kids. It was brilliant.

We were hot sweaty messes afterwards. I was really proud of myself for doing the monkey (ladder?) bars several times without falling. My upper body strength has improved so much! Some of the girls said they ached a bit the next day but I was fine, which really shows how far I’ve come and my gym sessions aren’t a waste of time. Because hello how important is it to be successful at monkey bars?? 😉Shame my flips were far less than stellar…I think I managed two (into the foamy cubes) and that was it. Graceful I am not.

Rave: I still love colouring. My mum got me a really cool colouring book (it even says it on the book, haha!). It’s a cake colouring book!!

Clearly my kinda thing!

Rant: Oh hi winter, decided to turn up did you? Though saying that I’m far happier it to be freezing than wet and windy. Let’s not have a combination of all three though please! I’ve been getting so fed up of cleaning Alfie’s paws and giving him baths after walks, it’s ridiculous. I cringe when I hear him shoot off across the local field and all I hear is the squidge of the grass and see the mud flick up. To try and combat this cyclical pattern, I got him a lovely little coat.

A bargain £12 from Pets At Home

It partially covers his undercarriage as well which is very helpful. I think the word used to describe Alfie’s opinion of his new garment is “indifference” so that’s good I suppose…

Rant: And to continue that theme of ranting, this is becoming a regular occurrence…Disgusting soggy trainers after wet runs. I’m not tempted to put them on radiators as Martin Yelling suggested in MarathonTalk because my flat is tiny and the smell of wet trainers would just overcome the place. So sat outside my flat with newspaper in is the next best thing. It works nicely but makes me look a little mad to my neighbours. I have no fear that they’ll be nicked either – who on earth would want them??

Rave: Nike Pro Shorts. I think I have four pairs now. I love them. The colours are so funky!This week it’s been far too cold to wear them though of course which is a shame. But when the weather gets warmer they’ll be back again. The good thing about the gym is you’re shielded from the elements. The only thing is I walk Alfie before and after the gym so it’s very nippy in just shorts!

Rave: I’m still loving MuscleFood.com (<– referral link – you get freebies, I get money off). I can really bulk buy on meat like turkey steaks, chicken sausages, steaks, bacon and burgers. I had one box delivered to my parent’s house as it was easier than my flat and my dad kindly agreed to store some of it in their giant freezer. Unfortunately I forgot to ask him to separate the chicken breasts…Twelve chicken breasts all frozen together! There was no way to separate them individually. So over the weekend I defrosted them then cooked all 12 breasts. I re-froze a fair number of them and then kept the others in the fridge for meals in the week and random chicken snacks at work (is it weird I snack on chicken at work??).

I’m also currently obsessed with cheese. Instead of buying my usual Laughing Cow processed cheese and Babybels I’m now buying the proper stuff as I got a bit addicted over Christmas. I’ve been getting through Stilton, goat’s cheese, Brie, Camebert and Taleggio (Italian Brie basically). I just throw it onto my salads or grate it onto meals. So tasty and so much better for me than the processed junk.

Have you ever been trampolining?

What’s your favourite way to relax?

What’s your favourite cheese?

January 14, 2016

Fear of being an adult

This is a random post but something that struck me the other day.

When I was at school I was confident and self-assured. I knew what I was good at and I focused on those areas (who needs science anyway, right…?). I loved English Literature and English Language, I loved drama (I even did a Speech and Drama course outside of school which involved competitions and exams in reading prose, poetry and general acting) and loads of sports. I won’t lie, I was a proper boffin and proud of it.

Wow, found this photo of me probably aged 15

I didn’t care if I wasn’t in the ‘popular’ groups or if the cool guys didn’t fancy me. I was never more happy than getting good marks which I worked hard for. It didn’t come naturally but I enjoyed putting the work in to get the good stuff out.

I got good grades through school, applied for a good university and then, BAM, hit an ocean full of similar hard-working high achievers. All my self-confidence disappeared as I was no longer the top in anything anymore. In fact, I was pretty average at best. Despite that, I did achieve a good degree and applied left, right and centre for all the graduate jobs. Then when I had no luck there, all other good but non-graduate jobs. Then ANYTHING. 2009 was a rubbish time to come out of university with a Psychology degree that didn’t really qualify you for anything specific. My confidence was royally destroyed.

My first job was in a call centre for an insurance company reading a script about 150 times a day. I lasted two months before getting the hell out of there and into a basic admin job. To save you the boring details, a year and half later I finally hit gold with the job I’m in at the moment. I enjoy it and it pays well. OK it has nothing to do with my degree and it wasn’t what I always dreamed of doing when I was younger, but it’s a career I’m happy to continue with and progress.

But something happened to me after finishing school. I lost all my self-confidence in my intelligence and my abilities. I literally spend every single day convinced that someone will turn around and say to me, “Err, Anna, why are you here?”. I’m convinced they’ll realise I’m no good and fire me. I’m not saying I don’t do a good job or that I shirk work… It’s just I don’t have the same confidence I had when I was at school when I knew exactly where I was in the world.

I see everybody else around me as more competent and more worthy to be where they are. I think they look at me and wonder how I’m still here. I work hard, don’t get me wrong, but I sometimes feel out of my depth and lost. I’m often asking lots of questions and feeling stupid.

And it’s not just work. Despite being a fairly experienced runner, being generally quite fit and healthy and knowing pretty much what I’m doing, I still think that everyone else at the gym or at races are far more experienced than me. At the gym I think people look at me doing my squats and judge me on my form, my depth and the weight I’m using. Or they look at me in the race line-up and wonder why I’m not further back. I’m pretty sure no one cares but the irrational part of my brain truly believes that everyone thinks I’m clueless. This is despite the fact that I’ve been going to that gym and running for over three years now.

To be honest, it’s a general feeling of “am I really an adult?”. Leaving the bubble of academia and entering the Big Wide World is scary. Dealing with bills, moving house, thinking about divorce… it feels like I shouldn’t be dealing with this. I thought at some point a switch would be flicked on and I’d be an Adult. I’m still 15 in my head, wishing for someone else to show me what to do.

Will I ever feel like I’ve “got this” and I’m in the driver’s seat knowing exactly where I’m going and what I’ll find along the way? I don’t know. Maybe everyone feels this way but we’re all so good at faking it and acting confident when really we’re just all 15 year olds playing at life…

Do you feel like you’re an adult?

What’s the most scary ‘adult-like’ thing you’ve had to do?

Do you feel confident in the different areas of your life?