long run - AnnaTheApple

February 23, 2015February 23, 2015

A little bit of the good stuff

And there goes another weekend! I feel recharged and ready to do another week. I know recent research says you can’t catch up on sleep you’ve missed in the week by sleeping more at the weekend but it just feels so good to get those extra hours!

I really do try and stay up later at the weekend but by 9pm my body is fully shutting down into sleep mode. I’m not ashamed to say I do love a good early night! I got up at 7am on Saturday to get to parkrun for 8am to help set up the course. I really enjoy doing this as there’s a usual crew of people who I get on really well with and have a natter with. And parkrun itself is always good fun. Ben didn’t join this week as he’s being sensible with his leg. A good plan but I missed his company.

Netley Abbey has been getting quite popular (over 240 people this week) so it’s a bit crowded at the start. I wanted to push it so found a nice spot near the front so I wouldn’t get absorbed into the crush at the beginning. I was pleased to have taken about 30 seconds off of last week’s time so I feel I’m making progress (22:02 – cool time!). I’m not sure how much faster I’ll get on the current course though (two hills you do three times) as my 5k times will never be that speedy (for me) as I don’t really care to focus on short-distance speed. I just use them as a faster run.

After getting home, showered and breakfasted the usual Saturday chores ensued. Then after lunch we met up with our friend Nathan to go for a little walk around a lovely area called Forest Bere.

I love going for walks at the weekend. I find it can be very easy to get stuck inside when the weather isn’t that warm and just watch TV or mope about. It was lovely and fresh. We walked 2.5 miles but had to get back relatively soon as the car park closed at 4.30pm which was a bit annoying. Obviously we took Alfie too.

I how the photo captures Ben mid-stride

We treated ourselves to an Indian take away that evening, which I was really looking forward to, but it was really disappointing. It tasted really nice but the portion sizes were really small. My tandorri chicken starter was pretty much just a drumstick and everything else just kind of looked a bit stingy, you know? And one onion salad when we ordered two (I love me some onion salad). Bit of a let down for a Saturday treat!

Sunday morning I went for my long run. I suppose you could say that my ‘long’ runs at the moment aren’t really that long (especially comparing them to you lot training for impending marathons!) but I’m tying to build things up gradually as I have a while yet until my marathon. While it’s great to have so much time, I’m also terrified it’s too much time to play with and that I’ll injure myself somewhere along the line!

Injury paranoia aside, I got a good seven mile run in (average pace 8:11min/mile).

At first I felt sluggish but then I got really into it and found it really hard to make myself go slower (like I said I would) but I just found myself feeling strong, not out of breath or feeling like it was an effort. My justification is that when I start getting to 10 miles and over then I’ll force myself to take it easier and use it for time on my feet. When I’m around distances that used to be very comfortable for me as a normal run I’m happy to be a bit quicker (let’s remember these fatal words if weeks from now I’m injured…).

The rest of Sunday was fairly miserable with just continuous rain (of which I missed on my run thankfully). This meant a rather unpleasant walk with Alfie.

That face: “Why are we out here??”

I had my wellies on and umbrella and at first Alfie was happy to smell bushes and do his thing, but then he would walk as close to me as possible to get sheltered from the rain. I felt mean being out in the rain with him but he had to go!

I will do a proper post on this but I just have to mention how much I’m absolutely loving this recipe box delivery service called Hello Fresh (I’ve not been contacted to do a review by them, I’m just a very happy paying customer – though I do have a discount code if anyone’s interested!). They deliver a box to your house with three recipes (though you can do five) with all the ingredients you need to make the meals. It’s amazing.

Sunday night’s dinner was sizzling sesame beef. The recipes are very easy to follow and taste SO good. Yes there’s prep and cooking involved, but I love it and I’m learning so much about ‘proper’ cooking. The meals are nutritionally balanced which is a bonus as well. And most importantly, Ben likes it too!

And that’s a wrap. OK not a hugely exciting weekend but it ticked the necessary boxes required 😉 Except cake. There was a distinct lack of cake.

How was your weekend?

Do you like to get outside during the colder months? Or do you snuggle indoors and hibernate?

Have you ever tried Hello Fresh or something similar?

November 17, 2014November 17, 2014

What did you expect?

So Ben left for Hong Kong on Friday. It’s very strange without him. Mind you, it’s very tidy though 😉 He spent the weekend in Hong Kong and today he goes to China (actually he’s just arrived as I’m posting this!). I am beyond jealous and hope to be able to go out with him next time – or for us to continue a holiday on after he does his work stuff. We’ll see!

On Friday I worked from home which is always nice – especially as I got to spend the last few hours with Ben before he left. OK we were both working away on laptops but it was nice to be there with him anyway. Then I had a meeting with Kyle my running coach to discuss my training plan for London, my current running and good advice on running in general. All good stuff. And then Nando’s in the evening with some guys from the running club. I know, I know. I’m fully addicted. Anyway, it kept my mind off the fact I was now Ben-less.

Saturday morning was all the usual stuff of helping set up and doing parkrun. It was all very squelchy and wet so very tricky to get round corners. Again I wasn’t blasting it, just ‘plodding’ it. Though saying that I ran with a lovely girl from the running club whose first parkrun it was and we had decided beforehand on a pace 8-8.30mins/mile which was nice and comfortable. However on the third lap I felt us speeding up and we did the last mile in 7.20!!! I haven’t run a 7.20 in sooo long. I just don’t do any speed work or races at the moment and before Berlin I was trying to be really cautious. Needless to say it was tough. I’m very much out of racing shape at the moment, but that’s OK because I’m just base building. I want to do well at London (OK, I want to not get injured first and foremost) so taking things easy at the moment is paramount. There’s no point burning out before I’ve even got into my training.

After clearing down the parkrun bits and pieces I headed to the cafe where lots of the guys from the club were. They were doing the ballot selection for the London marathon places we’ve been allocated as a running club. I already have my place but I was there representing Ben. In the end Ben got a reserve place, which means if someone gets injured or doesn’t fancy it anymore he gets the place. He has a places at Brighton anyway so it’s not catastrophic, but it would be nice to run Lodnon together (providing Ben isn’t still injured…).

On the way back to the car I saw this little bird having a bath in a puddle which I thought was quite sweet.

One good thing about puddles I suppose!

Later on after all the usual guff of showering and housework I headed to my parent’s for a spot of afternoon tea down the beach. We’ve been to this cafe before and it’s lovely (the Tea Room in Lee-on-Solent) and very good value.

The sandwiches are delicious (I had roast chicken on granary) and the scones are the best I’ve ever had. They’re GINORMOUS and lovely and warm. Deliciously soft in the middle with good chunky raisins (sultanas?) in. And a pot of clotted cream and strawberry jam.

I immediately knew which cake I wanted as it just looked fantastic. I am a small child at heart 😉 I went for the angel cake which is a vanilla sponge with jam and butter cream and butter cream icing with hundreds and thousands all over it. I mean come on, it looks amazing, right? My parents sensibly got their cakes to take home (a slice of chocolate orange and a slice of lemon cake). But I was not to be defeated. I did however find myself in quite an intoxicating sugar coma afterwards. It was a good job we’d parked the car so far away that it meant I could have a decent walk in the fresh air to help digest!

I soon went back home to my quiet house and watched lots of easy trashy telly. I also started watching the OC again. I will happily admit I love that programme. No judgement please 😉

Sunday morning, after walking Alfie, I headed out into the lovely rain and ran 10 miles.

Happily I feel my easy pace is getting faster naturally which is always nice. My week this week was exactly the same as last week in terms of running:

Monday: 30 mins easy (3.8 miles) and strength training in gym
Tuesday: 30 mins easy (3.8 miles)
Wednesday: 30 mins easy (3.8 miles) and strength training in gym
Thursday: 30 mins easy (3.8 miles)
Friday: Off
Saturday: parkrun (3.1 miles)
Sunday: 10 miles

A total of just over 28 miles. However I do get worried when I hover around this level of mileage (I know it’s not high in comparison to a lot of other runners). I’m always terrified of injuries. So far things are OK and I think the consistency is helping rather than pushing up higher just yet. And also all my miles are easy paced which, depending how I feel that day in terms of tiredness etc., means a pace of 7.50-8.30mins/miles. My shin is still a bit grumpy from time to time but I’m hoping I’m managing it with some extra strength training, stretching, foam rolling and being sensible. FINGERS CROSSED.

So with Ben being away it was basically chicken, cake and running – what else did you expect? 😉

What do you do when your partner or family goes away?

What mileage do you think your body is naturally comfortable with?

What programmes do you love to watch?

November 10, 2014November 10, 2014

parkrun, Jamie’s and lots of sleep

I do love weekends. Extra sleep, nice food, bit of running and hanging out with good friends and family. What more could you want?

On Friday night Ben, Alfie and me headed to my parent’s for an Indian takeaway. I had had such a rubbish commute home and was feeling so stressed out and tired so this was a perfect evening. I ate lots of chicken and was a happy Anna.

Saturday I was up early to go set-up for parkrun. I tried to be quiet but did manage to wake up Ben accidentally who was feeling slightly hung over after having a few beers and wine with my dad. He managed to get cajoled into going by a few friendly Tweets from the parkrun guys as they needed some more volunteers. Ben’s just too nice to say no, bless him.

I took it fairly easy as I’m still just base building at the moment – no speed work or heavy-going sessions for now, which I’m quite happy about to be honest! So I chatted to one of my friends from the running club. Always nice to have an easy social parkrun 🙂 I’m also highly conscious that I’m out of shape and nowhere near hitting PBs any time soon. But that’s actually OK because I need to look at the bigger picture of what I’m training for, i.e. London.

Ben marshalled like a rock star and saved the day when a lady fainted mid-run (she’s OK, she just had a moment of dizziness and Ben looked after her in the cafe with a hot mug of sugary coffee).

After parkrun we did the boring household chores, got ready and headed out with our friend Nathan to enjoy a bit of Jamie’s Italian and do some shopping.

As you’re probably already aware, when I like a restaurant we tend to do it to death (Nando’s & Zippers for example). And Jamie’s is no different. I’ve been sooo many times, whether for lunch or breakfast before going on holiday. When we go for lunch I always have the same meal. It’s probably my favourite meal at any restaurant. It’s consistently good.

For starters I had the vegetable plank which was really good. Loads of random bits and pieces, like roasted veg, mozzarella, bruschetta with salsa. Very nice. And then my standard Turkey Milanese (turkey and mozzarella with a breadcrumb coating) and a fried egg. Oh my life it was still just as good as always.

For pudding the boys went for lemon meringue whereas I went for a a chocolate brownie, caramelised popcorn and vanilla ice cream.

Seriously one of the best brownies I’ve ever had. Crispy on the outside, soft and squidgy in the middle. I could have left the popcorn if I’m honest. It didn’t add much. But the sauce and ice cream complimented it perfectly. I’m already working out when we can next go back…

Suitably brimming with food, we did a bit of shopping.

We had a little fun with some furry hats in Mountain Warehouse and I picked up a couple of items from O’Neil and Nike. but we were put off by the rubbish weather and how busy it was so we left. The boys went to the pub and I went home. I watched the brilliant film The Blind Side (so so good) and fell asleep at 9pm. I’m not even joking. I had every ambition to stay up late (like 10pm…) but it didn’t happen. I woke up just before 8am the next morning – 11 hours sleep! Bliss.

I was raring to go for my 10 mile run. It went really well. The weather was beautiful: cold, crispy and sunny. Perfect for running! Unfortunately it rained later on and I got soaked walking Alfie… Anyway I think I’ve pretty much decided to not run the half marathon next weekend. There’s really no point. I wouldn’t be aiming for a time, there’s no medal (yes I’m that materialistic) and it’s all a bit of a faff. My coach said it’s better I remain consistent and run 10 miles instead rather than trying to push things too soon. Sensible words – especially as no doubt though I’ll aim for an easy pace it’ll be faster than what I’d run on my own. Plus it means I get another lovely lie-in…maybe aim for a PB of 12 hours? 😉

Is there a meal at a particular restaurant that you will always order? I once ordered something different at Jamie’s and though it was nice I just missed the turkey the whole time!

What shops do you usually go to? I have such a range: New Look, Dorothy Perkins, Fat Face and more sporty ones.

How many hours sleep do you work best on? I think 7-8 hours are good for me, though I can do 6 without much issue. But I do like a good stretch at the weekend just because I can!

November 3, 2014

Blisters suck (don’t worry, no photos!)

My post title’s rather grim sorry but I thought I’d give a good warning that I wasn’t going to have any actual blister photos.. I hate it when people upload war wounds on Facebook or social media without warnings.I’m quite squeamish.

Anyway before the blister talk…this weekend started off with some fun shenanigans with a bunch of friends for one of their birthdays. We started off in Pizza Express and despite my very best intentions the pudding menu lured me in…chocolate fudge cake again. Not nearly as good as Zippers I must say but I persevered. Tough times 😉

One of the guys that came out had just had DOUBLE knee surgery a couple of days ago and was walking on crutches (though he said he had been told to be in a wheelchair!) and our table was downstairs which was just ridiculous. But like a soldier he got down (and later, up) those stairs! Incredible. I couldn’t even imagine getting off the sofa let alone going on a night out.

Lots of drinking (well, a little bit of drinking for me being the biggest lightweight in the world) and dancing and I was ready for bed. It’s been quite a while since I last saw 2am! Having been up since 5.20am I was absolutely pooped.

The 5.20am wake-ups have been due to getting in my runs before work. I don’t actually mind it – I much prefer waking up early and getting it done than having it hanging over me all day. But all this running is making me tired! I was supposed to run parkrun on Saturday but that was never going to happen after a 2am night out and feeling slightly delicate meant running was totally off the agenda. Wise decision I think!

So I’ve been acquiring some rather horrendous blisters due to buying slightly more firm insoles for my trainers. They’ve absolutely savaged my feet. The problem is I keep running on them which doesn’t really help heal them…Compeed blister plasters have been a lifesaver (though ridiculously expensive!!) and I’ve even gone so far as to tape my feet up using zinc oxide tape (which I got from Amazon if you’re interested).

Lifesavers

The problem is I really need those insoles because I’m so flat footed, but getting used to them is just hell. But they are getting better thankfully.

Compeed plaster on the right, and taped up on the left

Tape does help, but honest to God it is an absolute bitch to remove afterwards, as you can imagine.

I had planned to do a local 10 mile race on the Sunday and was all but raring to go on Saturday but with my blisters still not feeling amazing and having not run further than 6 miles since the marathon I thought it would be best to give it a miss (incidentally my coach had said this to me but I had chosen to ignore him…whoops). Sensibly instead I ran 7 miles at home, knowing that if I had any issues I could get Ben to pick me up rather than embarrassingly DNFing in a race with the lame excuse of bad blisters.

The 7 miles went well, nice and relaxed running and no blister issues, but it was tough. My endurance has just plummeted. I think it was a good shout about not doing the 10 miler but I did miss the fun.

Later in the afternoon we went to Nando’s and ate lots of chicken which is always good. After getting home and walking Alfie, I was absolutely pooped. Really makes me concerned about a half marathon I’m meant to be running (not racing) in a couple of weeks. Not really sure about that anymore! If 7 miles is tough 13.1 miles isn’t going to be a walk in the park. Need to mull this over…

How was your weekend?

Have you ever had issues with blisters? What are you failsafe ways to recover from them?

Is it silly for me to do the half marathon? It’s usually a distance I’m OK with and I could get a 10 miler in this weekend…

September 22, 2014

Drowning iPhones, beetroot and chocolate fudge cake

One week, one week, one week…before the Berlin marathon. To say I’m terrified is something of an understatement.

The weekend was nice and relaxed though thankfully. Friday night we went out to Nando’s again with friends. Nando’s is becoming dangerously addictive! On Saturday morning I was tempted to go to parkrun to do an easy gentle 5k but after running 10k on Thursday night and cross-training Friday I decided to be super sensible and go pool running instead.

Float time in the swimming pool…

Like last time I took my waterproof iPhone cover and Bluetooth headphones so I could listen to music and keep myself entertained. I was just doing my thing when suddenly my music stopped. I looked over to the side where I left my iPhone and saw it had vanished. Uh oh. I looked down in the water to see it glowing at the bottom of the pool. A small child had managed to knock it in accidentally. He stood there looking all guilty and said “Shall I dive down to fetch it?”… “err yeah” I said, trying my best not to panic. Luckily it was fine and the child lived on for another day. Whew. So 35 minutes of pool running went OK other than that incident.

The rest of the day was non-descript but in a lovely “got no plans” kind of way. Lots of walks with Alfie and watching Kings of Summer (which I highly recommend).

Sunday morning was long run time. I set my alarm for 8am and decided to test out a possible pre-marathon breakfast. My plan is to have two of the Beet It flapjacks before the race. They’re 235 calories each so my thinking was two would be perfect for a good breakfast and I get the whole beetroot benefits (boosting endurance).

Alfie was very interested

I’ve tried the bars before but just at work when I fancy a snack. They’re so tasty – kind of earthy but sweet and crumbly. Anyway I had two and then got myself ready and took Alfie for a longer walk than I usually would before a run, just to give myself a good amount of digestion time.

My tummy felt a bit strange after eating two bars. Not like I was sick or anything would happen, but just not completely right. I instantly regretted eating the bars and decided there and then to stick to my usual porridge before the marathon. I was sad about the bars but it was worth a shot.

On the actual run though my stomach was fine and I just got on with, well, running. I aimed to stay at around 8.30mins/mile as this is nice and easy. I felt quite slow if I’m honest but on my second mile I looked at my watch and found I was storming along 7.30-45mins/mile! I immediately slowed down. I continued letting my mind drift and listen to my podcast and realised I had sped up again.

But it didn’t feel tough at all. This was dangerous territory to be on and I snapped myself out of it and forced myself to slow down. This is not the time I want to have the best run of the month – that’s next week I hope! I need to save it for then, not on a training run.

Anyway the run went fine. No shin discomfort. Just a normal run – woooohooooo! And afterwards I just felt normal aches and tiredness like I would after a long run. And even today I feel fine! I can hardly believe it.

Now this might be completely coincidental but I could it have been the beetroot bars that helped? I felt so fresh and good on the run and even when I was running faster I felt like I was running a minute slower. Now I’m confused. But I do still have the Beet It shots which give the same amount of beetroot power as the bars and then I can still have my porridge. So I need to trial a shot before a morning run this week…

After the run I got showered and we headed to a local pub to have lunch with my parents and Ben’s mum.

Family lunch

I realise my choice of food is odd but hey ho. I had a mango chicken salad to start and, er, a chicken, beetroot and goat’s cheese salad for main…with sweet potato fries 😉 You might have thought I’d have had enough beetroot at this point. You would be wrong.

And pudding…oh pudding, how I do love you. I had a hot chocolate fudge cake with ice cream. Need I say it was to die for?

It was such a lovely lunch.

And cheers to my dad for the lovely ski whiffed photo!

After walking Alfie when I got back, this is pretty much what I felt like for the rest of the afternoon:

Knackered

What did you get up to this weekend?

Are you good with small children? Or children in general really? I am not.

Are you a starter or a pudding person? It really depends for me, usually I will only go for one but I was quite hungry. Normally it’s pudding if they have something good.