Guess who's back, back again...

It’s safe to say, it’s been a while.. Nearly two months to be exact! Training has been HARD, mentally and physically.

I started training in October as per all the training plans but sticking to a plan around the Christmas/new year season was tough! Not that I want to make excuses, I made it tough on myself thinking I could do too much and it turned into a downhill mud slide, I still trained but nothing like I was meant too.

Now on to the positives, although I haven’t put much into training I have achieved A LOT in the last 4 weeks, where I knuckled down and got myself back on track!

I have been eating well, thinking well, stretching well! I have changed my plan a lot, I don’t run like it all the plans say… I have been doing around 3 weight sessions and 2 mid-week runs around 5/6k and my long staple run every weekend. It works for me so I will keep going as long as it still works!

Weights have made my legs and body feel so strong, I definitely think it’s making my posture in running stronger meaning there is less of struggle physically.

Mileage
I am now up to 8 miles and feeling confident – that’s a quarter of the way with 14 weeks to go! Now it’s the hard part, this weekend I will be taking on the 10 mile which I know some people will think is not that much after 8 but for me it really is! It’s only going to get harder and harder, mentally it takes so much to keep going over 6 miles.

Pace
I have finally broke the 10 minute barrier per mile, I am down to 9.30 per mile! Although I am always over 10 minutes for the first 3 miles? The last leg is ALWAYS my quickest. I wish I could pace myself better but I can’t especially when it’s so cold out at the moment in London. Any faster and I can’t breathe and feels like the wind is in my chest. Am I alone in this?

So that’s my update, not a lot but it’s all in motion.. Until next Tuesday – the 10 mile update!! Brace yourselves.

Jenna X

All I want to do is.... RUN!

I am finally starting to love running, to the point of I don't really want a day off? I know, weird!

I never thought I would actually feel this way, but it has been a hard week in my office job and I have felt the need to just go and RUN.

I must admit I have lowered my mileage and the maximum I have run for the past week has been 3 miles, just as I have had little to no time for anything longer. BUT guess what? I have been running the fastest since my triathlons which considering I have actually just wanted to run to clear my head, well, is just amazing. I am under that 10 minute per mile comfortably and don’t feel like I am going to pass out at the end! Finally! On top of that I could probably just keep going at the same pace for another mile or two (my plan now for the weekend).

Tonight I am doing what I never do and I am running in the evening, I just want to get out there and run! I should be going Yoga as a part of my cross training but I think I will do it at home with Adrian (YouTube) for a nice flow after and stretch out.

One thing I am thankful for is… Foam rollers, I had a niggle for a few days in my calves that was constantly on my mind and I just happened to pick a mat in the gym with one on and within a few minutes of a good roll it’s been cured! I have learnt I need to really warm my muscles up in the colder weather.

I can feel my whole body changing before me, I have lost 5lb in the last 2 weeks since I started and I have really felt good for it! Nothing really jiggles anymore and well I just feel amazing regardless of the weather and my motivation is probably the highest it's ever been. Just to note, I never signed up to loose weight, I am happy but I guess if a few more pounds drop off I won't be complaining!

Unfortunatly Christmas is just around the corner, and it is going to get harder to get out there but hopefully my motivation continues.. Here’s some views from my 3 mile runs around the Shadwell Basin route this week, as you can see it’s very easy on the eye and makes running in the City a dream!

Thinking of getting Fit & Healthy?.... Here are my Top 6 Tips!

Thinking of getting healthy and fit? Still putting it off? Here are my top 5 tips on where to start!

1. Don't think about it, just do it.
I really mean this, February 2010 I was really unhappy. My body was changing, I had no energy or life anymore which is not something you expect from a 21 year old so that next morning I joined the nearest gym to my work place and never looked back. If someone invites you along to a class, then just say yes and go! Everyone starts somewhere, always remember anyone who goes to these classes/gyms was once new and felt just like you! If you think about something too much then you will find excuses!

2. You don't have to spend money to get healthy.
Being healthy is definitely becoming a trend, everyone is doing it which means there are so many ways to get fit and healthy without spending any money. Make the most of YouTube and all the FREE workouts you can do in the comfort of your own home! Two of my favourites are The Body Coach and of course the original Blogilates!. They Body Coach focuses on HIT Workouts that is excellent for burning that unwanted fat along with his Lean in 15 recipes that really do only take 15 minutes! No excuses. If you’re a woman who wants a womanly figure and workouts to target them areas then Blogilates is your girl, she makes them nice and easy to do as well as fun.. I am still trying to conquer the 1,000 Squat Challenge!!
They also both do amazing recipes and ideas for healthy snacks you should check out!

3. You don't have to join a gym.
Gone are the days you have to join the gym to get fit, some of the best ways I have enjoyed the getting fit have been at boxing classes and Boot Camps with no commercial gym PT's in sight!
You only have to type into Google "Boot Camp" and I am pretty sure you can find lots in your area but there is a new breed of Boot Camps that are not only in a park on a Saturday morning but most nights and mornings of the week. My favourite was in my area, it had the facilities of a gym i.e. all those lovely heavy weights and squat racks and equipment but NO joining fee and NO Monthly payment just turn up, get fit and enjoy being a part of a community with all the same goal but on a pay as you go. I attended Raw Inc. Check out there Facebook Page for pictures every day of their classes and motivational quotes!
BUT my all-time favourite class away from the commercial gyms was a local Boxing Class for women at a boxing/martial arts gym known as LDG Gym. I can honestly say this class put my fitness level to a whole another level that was 100% fun, unfortunately my coach moved away and the class was changed to include Men which was still good but I was training for my first triathlon at the time so spent more time in the pool. (I am still gutted that this class ended to this day).
These types of classes are excellent for motivation, everyone really does work together and become a team and made some great friends through them as well as having kick ass Coaches who love their jobs and will give you the results you are looking for!

4. You don't need lots of expensive gym clothing.
You only have to walk into my new and very expensive gym to find the latest Nike Winter Drop being put through your paces, but do you need it? Like really need? NO YOU DON'T!
This is one thing that really frustrates me with Gyms and the fashion parade it has become, you do not need the latest free runs to do those 50 squats! In fact you don't even need a pair of trainers for Yoga, Pilates and home workouts.
Of course you do need some gym clothes but they definitely do not need to be the latest brand. Some of my favourite running gear has been from a make called Karrimor that I will always grab before my Nikes and Adidas clothing they just fit perfect for me. I highly recommend the famous Sports Direct but also specialist shops like Sweat Shop who give you basic to high end brands at fantastic prices. If you are a brand lover though, check out their basic ranges! Nearly all makes/brands do them now and normally a lot more affordable.

5. Take it one step at a time!
It’s easy to throw yourself full throttle at something, is it always realistic? No. Probably not!
Don't worry if you’re only going to a class twice a week, that's still twice more than before. If you ache, it’s a good ache! Take the next day off, do some stretches, take the dog out for a brisk walk, just relax and get your mind set ready for the next workout. You don't have to set yourself high targets to hit, you can just enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
Always remember everyone starts somewhere, its oh so easy to do something a lot until you hate it, don't make it like the latest song on the radio and replay it too much. You will know when you need to do a little more. Take it easy and enjoy that high feeling at the end of the workout of conquering something you couldn't before!

6. Do what you enjoy!
Lastly and mostly, make sure you enjoy what you do and you will get the most out of it and be less likely to drop it after the initial health kick has gone.
If you want to do spinning every day, do it. If you want to do 5 different classes a week, do it. You don't have to be like everyone else, you are you own person! I have tried everything from Personal Training to the Boot Camps and my favourite things to do have been the less expensive more fun options!

I could go on and list so many more, but that's for a Blog another day!

Already hitting the gym or getting fit? What have you learnt?..

See you Thursday.. Jenna x

Those early mornings...

The nights are now creeping in far too early for my liking, as I type its pitch black out at five thirty in the evening which makes me yawn, ready for bed. Luckily for me I have done my run at lunch, a nice 3 mile run around the Shadwell Basin (a city runners paradise route next to St Katherine's Dock) but I know that come January I will be running longer on the weekdays which means unless I knock a good few minutes off my 10 minute miles in the next 8 weeks (I know, I will need a miracle) I will be getting up at 5.30am to jump on the tube with all the construction workers to make sure I get that long run in before work.

So my theory is, get up early now a couple days a week and it won’t be so bad come January? I know, I am a GENESIS!

So whats my Plan within my Plan?
Firstly. I recently upgraded my gym membership to their rather new swanky gym LAX St Botolph’s. It is a gym-junkies heaven, everything you could possibly need under one roof, which to be honest after a month, I am still completely and utterly in love with regardless that it costs me a small fortune! Sad but true. It adds a good deal of motivation, trust me if you are in The City - enquire and see for yourselves! You will know exactly what I mean.

Secondly. Enlist the help of my fellow colleagues/friends who also love the gym/running! I have three wonderful ladies who have the same love/hate relationship with exercise who happen to run around the same pace! Which normally results in a good old natter that leaves you breathless anything over 3 words but we still do it every time!! And then there is my work Running Club every Wednesday lunch, who run like they have missed their calling as pro-athletes and make 4 miles look like the 400m sprint. BUT I cannot begin to explain how much it helps to run with others of all different abilities, I run faster and at an even pace without even knowing it! Hallelujahhh!

So to clarify I plan on encouraging my lovely friends get up at ridiculous hours of the morning to get a nice long run in knowing if it pees down with rain (I do after all live in England) we can still run and watch Good Morning Britain on the swanky new treadmills to then stretch to our hearts delight in the Yoga Studio (just at the thought my tired and achy legs with fill with pure happiness) which will hopefully get my little feet out of the cosy warm bed. We all know that's the real hard part of running, just getting up and going!

And for when they are too busy having a lovely fulfilled social life...

PLAN B -I am going to plan things to do (with others) for that lunch/evening/weekend afternoon so I HAVE to get up. This really helps, I don’t like evening runs, as per my Blog name I like to run before I eat which may sound crazy but I am a bloater and running full of food just isn't going to happen for me, which is the same at lunch after a small breakfast I do not snack.. If I do and then run, I feel like crying the whole way round and I have, at the beginning before I learn't from my rookie mistake.

They say it takes 3 weeks to make it a habit?!...Only time will tell!

What do you do to get up on those early morning runs?

Until Sunday... Jenna x

The Plan..

You need a plan, without a doubt this is the most fundamental aspect to run a marathon. Where do you start? - Yeah, I didn't really know either!

First you need an aim - under 4hrs 30minutes - Realistic and Doable!

I read endless Blog Posts, signed up to running forums and read all the guides I could find on Google and they all said different things to train in different ways, which meant I was back to square one again. With a seriously frazzled brain!
Some said to run 5 times a week, others said twice a week with weight training. And then there was people saying start at 16 weeks while others said 24?!
I figured that I should probably get going sooner than later, so set up to start 24 weeks before and then set up the runs around some of the schedules I had seen - all said long runs on the weekend. Easy.

The hard part was the rest, there are recovery, mid-week long and warm-up runs and then cross training to put into order around my social life.

The two most useful plans/programmes I found were the Nike Training App and the forum - The Running Bug. I had used the Nike Training App for all my training previous to the marathon to just track my runs and mileage. They recently (I think!) added the Nike Coach with allows you to pick a distance and a date and they will give you a step by step run guide on a weekly basis with what you should be running in miles with different training plans for each run. Excellent I thought, until I realised I only had one rest day a week and a run every Saturday.

So, on to the Running Bug, they have an excellent Beginners plan that did not state what mileage but a specific time to keep run for and an idea of how you should run them, for the longer runs this was exactly what I wanted/needed.

The reason I did not dedicate myself to one? Neither was right for me.
So this is my 8 week starting plan..

One Cross Training Class a week - Yoga. Which I have read is excellent for stretching out my achy muscles and adding much needed flexibility (more on that later).
Three mid-week runs from 3 miles to 5 miles at the beginning slowly increasing over the next 2 months.
One Long Weekend Run at least 5 miles slowly moving up to 8 miles by the second weekend in Jan. (It is Christmas soon you know!)

Hopefully I will have some idea of what I am capable of in December, to set up the second part of my plan.

Well now you know my starting plan, I can't wait to give you weekly updates! This will be a lifestyle blog and include training updates to products I use and anything I find along the way.

Jenna x

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And so it begins....

Hello, and well welcome I guess? This is my first time ever blogging, so please bear with me! I am running a marathon, yes you heard it right.. A MARATHON! The 2015 Virgin London Marathon to be precise!

It was one of those silly ideas you have after going up London and watching thousands of people looking tired but so inspirational. First thing Monday morning I ticked a few boxes and sent off a form not thinking too much of it around 30mins later I had confirmation - I was IN!

And so on the 10th November I started, previous to this I should tell you I have dabbled in the London Super Sprint and Sprint Triathlons which I didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would which lead me to running, just one sport to concentrate on. Before I go on, I am NOT a runner, I was a swimmer for a number of years but grown out of! I actually see a post on Instagram that stated..

"Slow runners make fast runners look good. Your Welcome"

...and I then knew I had a place in the running community and not to feel silly when men zoomed past me at a hundred miles an hour every lunch.

My current pace varies between 10minute - 11minute miles and everything in between, which in all honestly I am over the moon with as it can only get better!

I work in the City of London, which does make running easier than at home, I think I have the Tower of London and St Pauls to thank for my new love of the sport!

So if you want to continue on my Marathon Journey with me, continue reading!

I will be updating on everything that I come across over the next 23 weeks!.

I am actually quite excited about it all and everything in between then and now.

Lot of running love

Jenna