Half Marathon Heartache

It was the Hastings Half Marathon yesterday, but I came to the difficult decision a couple of weeks ago that I wasn't ready, and in fact would probably end up doing myself some serious damage, if I tried. I can't say I wasn't disappointed, but at the same time as soon as I decided not to do it I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted. I hadn't realised how stressed I was getting about it, I know a lot of that was probably nerves, but deep down I also know that I had done nowhere near enough training. The final straw came when after a 3 mile, I was in so much pain with my hip that I couldn't sleep properly, (it's still not right now).

I think maybe I should stick to 5k-10k runs and keep that as my limit, I don't want to stop running but I really do need to work out what I was doing to make my hip hurt like that. 

Any ideas? Maybe some new sneaks are in order...

Congratulations to all those who did take part, I hope you all had a great day :o)

My Numbers Up

The Hastings Half is creeping up, and it wasn't until my race number was popped through the letter box that how close was really hammered home. Freaking out now!!! I have been going on a few more runs and extending my distance little by little, but I am nowhere near the 13.5 mile mark.

The 5 mile runs are becoming a bit more comfortable, and hills are less of a struggle but I am still really worried. I am just hoping that I manage to keep my pace and don't get carried away with all the other people there. I'm not good at judging my own pace all that well and find it very easy to get caught up in a crowd, so I must practice zoning out into my own little world.

Thankfully all the major hills are in the first 5 miles so if I can manage to get over them I should be ok (eek, fingers crossed). At least going up hills means that you must come down, hopefully gravity will get me some of the way round.

Have you ever signed up for something on a whim only to think that maybe you had been a little hasty. I mean breezing through a 5k run is not a good reference for a 13.5 mile run, especially as I made the mistake of driving the route the other day, it is a very long way.

Oh well, I guess if you don't challenge yourself how do you expect to move forward in life, who know I might actually enjoy it. Just hope I'll still be able to walk afterwards.

Right, best lace up my trainers and get out there. Need to stay focused, just need to be able to get to the finish line.

Running to Work

I have decided that seeing as I have already signed up for the half marathon I need to get a few more runs in. Unfortunately I wasn't finding it all that easy, so I have decided to run to and from work a few days a week. So far I have only done it twice, but so far so good, I just have to make sure I leave all my stuff at work the day before, oh and baby wipes.

As you can see from todays run to work I am really not that quick, which is fine I'm ok with that, plenty of time for improvement during the rest of my life. I am just starting to really freak out about the half marathon. I really think I have made a bit of a mistake signing up, as I am sooo not ready. I have less than 2 months left ahhhh.

Think I am going to have to just try my best, run as much as I possibly can so I can get a time, any time. Then put all my efforts into smashing that awful time next time around.

Have you ever got a bit ahead of yourself with what you think you can achieve.   

2014 Already?

I can't believe we are1 week into 2014 already! Time is just whizzing by.

I've got my new diary, and as always I am going to attempt to be more organised this year. I always have the best of intentions. I don't tend to make resolutions just little deals with myself and targets. This year I am more determined than ever when it come to fitness goals. I do not want to be a fat bride, and I am getting married this year!!

Last year I gave up smoking, I stopped in February and haven't touched one since, which is pretty cool I don't usually have that much resolve so I'm quite proud of myself. Especially as my other half is was a smoker. (He is attempting to give up)

This year I would like to give up take aways. We have been quite bad in the past and anytime we can't be bothered to cook we turn to Just Eat, which shamefully wasn't all that rare. So we have made a pact to resit and for each month we manage it we will treat ourselves to a fancy dinner out. 

I also need to focus on my fitness, start taking my half marathon training seriously and keep signing up to organised runs so I can stay focused. Hopefully combined with eating better this will have the desired results when it comes to slimming down.

I would like to set small yoga targets too like nailing a specific pose, working my way up to a headstand by the end of the year. I know that doesn't sound particularly spectacular but I am no where near at the moment so it would be quite an achievement for me.

Sewing is also on my list, it's something I've had an interest in for a couple of years but never really done anything about, so inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee I am going to give it a go this year, first project to be some pyjama bottoms for Adam. I'll let you know how I get on.

Do you make targets and fresh starts at the start of a new year?

Christmas Catch Up

I pretty much gave the computer a wide birth over Christmas, it wasn't intentional just got caught up in other things I guess. So here is a quick round up of what I got up to.

Christmas Pudding Dash, a 5 mile run around an estate in Battle. 5 miles is the furthest I've run to date so I was a bit nervous. It didn't help that there was constant rain, mud and winds but I did it. I was so proud of myself, i may have been slow and steady, but I finished and that's the main thing surely. My time was 1 hour and 1 min, and I got a Christmas pud, medal and soaked to the bone for my trouble, half marathon next...

I revamped an old cookbook stand that I bought at a boot sale for 50p about 5 years ago. 3 coats of enamel paint later, I'm really chuffed with how it's come out, can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

Freestyled some legwarmers, well I only did one in the end. I loved how the pattern panned out though. I may well do the other one soon, but I got distracted by Mr. Fox (more on him another time).

Finally managed to chalkboard paint my larder unit. Not as easy as you may think with a curious white cat trying to stick her nose into everything so it did take a few days, thankfully we are pleased with it, just need some chalk now!

Other than that my break was filled with food, films and friends. What more could you ask for?

Hope you had a great Christmas, even though it seems an age ago already.

December Fitness Goals

Quick recap on my November goals:

• One session of yoga a week

• 2 - 3 runs a week, pushing my distance/speed on one of the runs
  
• At least one other random workout per week, magazine, TRX or lucky dip challenge

I managed to do 2 yoga sessions a week, and my 2 PT sessions that was it. November was pretty much a write off when it came to exercise. There was nothing wrong with me, apart from a complete lack of motivation. So the only exercise I managed to do was the sessions I was paying for. That really says something doesn't it. I only have a valid excuse for a couple of days when we didn't have a bath, shower, or sink in the bathroom because of a re-vamp. The prospect of washing with a bucket of water after a sweat fest didn't really appeal.

So goals are going to be a the same as for November, got a feeling I might struggle past the 20th seeing as I won't have much time in between stuffing my face with festive treats. I do have a reason to stick to my goals up to then though as I have entered myself in to a 5 mile Christmas Pudding Dash on the 21st December.... Only 2 and half weeks to go and I don't think I've ever run more than 5k so it really will be a challenge. Wish me luck.

November Fitness Goals

Ok so first off I should probably do a quick round up of how I got on last month.

October Goals:

• To do at least 3 runs a week

• One session of yoga a week

• One/two body weight sessions per week

Well I started with the best of intentions as always, I was pumped and raring to go the first couple of weeks, I managed everything plus an Insanity workout each day, intense but I was on a roll. Then I started to flag, the runs dropped of and by the end of week 3 I had completely lost focus, I was still going to my yoga class but that was it apart from the Zombie Run. Thankfully I still think I managed to shift a few pounds so all was not lost.

I have decided to scrap Insanity again it is just not my thing 2 - 3 weeks seems to be my limit then I get bored, so the thought of doing it for 2 months, 6 days a week really does not inspire. I will get back into the swing of running seeing as I have now committed to the half marathon eek!

Which brings me to....

November Goals:

• One session of yoga a week

• 2 - 3 runs a week, pushing my distance/speed on one of the runs

• At least one other random workout per week, magazine, TRX or lucky dip challenge*

So lets see how I go.

*Lucky dip challenge is something that has just come to me in a flash of inspiration, I will write down a number of challenges i.e 100 push ups, 10 handstands etc to be completed during that particular day. I will put them all in a box/bag and pick one whenever I feel the need. What do you think? Good idea, bad idea?

Zombie Weekend

Not really for Halloween, just incidental but this weekend has been a bit of a zombie fest for Adam and me.
Saturday we had a Walking Dead Season 4 catch up, soo good love Walking Dead. Then we watched World War Z, I'm in the process of reading the book but it's taking a while because I'm a wuss and can't handle reading it at bedtime. I know the movie had mixed reviews but we both thought it was great.

Then on Sunday we did the Zombie Evacuation run with my bezzie mate Sarah. It's a 5k obstacle run with a few zombies thrown in the mix, but due to the bad weather I think some of the obstacles had to be adapted. (I left me phone at home so Sarah took the pictures, hence why she is in the middle.)

Luckily you can't see in the picture but I had to write my bib number on my forehead with a sharpie, thankfully it didn't take too much scrubbing to come off.

We were given these belts with 3 velcro tags on, they represented our lives, bit like in a video game I guess, if all 3 were taken by the zombies we were classed as "Infected", which happened to us all, I was the last of us to lose all 3, right near the end as well, typical.

Because of all the rain over the past couple of days the course was pretty much just mud, and we were in the last group so it really was quite churned up, but on the plus side the rain held off until we finished, and a lot of the zombies were quite weary by that point. They still did a great job, I think I am right in saying that they were all volunteers too. All were superbly made up, there was a ballerina, police, and a clown to name a few, some were fast and would chase you, others were slow and moany. One in particular made me scream, she was dressed as a police woman and hiding in a ditch, so as I jumped over the ditch she jumped out, freaked me right out and many others behind me.

At the finish we all got a dog tag and a t-shirt, it was great fun and we were discussing maybe volunteering to be zombies next year.

If you fancy having a go next year these are the guys we used Zombie Evacuation I'm pretty sure there are a few others around, so give it a go, great fun and a bit of exercise too.

Hastings Half

Right well I did it.

I thought since I had written my big list of things I wanted to do I should make a start, so I signed up for the Hastings Half Marathon in March 2014!! Scary stuff. I'm not going to expect a great time just to complete it, I think that's all I should aim for really. Seeing as I have never run more than 5k before this really will be a challenge.

So I need to pull up my big girl pants, and tap my personal trainer for some half marathon training tips.

Have you ever done a half marathon? Any advice?

October Fitness Goals

Right here we go, it's October already, time to knuckle down. I am running a Zombie Evacuation obstacle run at the end of the month, as part of a team with 3 others. It's only 5k but it involves running away from Zombies and tackling a number of obstacles. Which means I need to improve my running/fitness and fast, I don't want to let my team down do I.

I am not great at sticking to goals but hopefully if I just plan for October, it will help me stay focused.

So here they are my fitness goals for October. 

• To do at least 3 runs a week

• One session of yoga a week

• One/two body weight sessions per week

I'll let you know how I got on at the end of the month.

Have you got any fitness goals for October?