The weekday grind

To get the most from your day you need to be smart - by making small changes to your routine you can free up time you never knew you had leading to a better tomorrow.

Marathon training is pretty full on both physically but also in terms of time. My schedule sees me run five times per a week, the shortest of those being 40 minutes, right up to the three hour mark for longer runs at the weekends. In addition to running, I also do three HIIT sessions per week which is complementary to improving cardiovascular fitness, plus is a great fat burner which helps to maintain the super lean physique I am after for race day.

I should caveat here that this leaness is only temporary and post marathon I will be back in the gym, lifting heavy, in order to build muscle again. Unfortunately you cannot maintain muscle mass whilst doing so much cardio, plus carrying extra muscle bulk makes you less economical as a runner. As much as I love running, I cant wait to get back to lifting! I will of course still be running and have more races later in the year, but in the weeks after I will be cutting the distance and frequency.



Make the most of the outdoors - this was the backdrop
to a puppy walk last week - you never know
what you'll find. 

I am 100% a morning person which means I do most of my training before work. As I have a long commute to work, I get up at 5.45am and am in the car by 6 (with my travel mug of tea and rice cake). I get to the office just after 7, where I do a five mile run around the ever so glamorous Bracknell. Leaving home at this time means I reduce my journey time by half and allows me to fit in a run rather than sitting idly in traffic.

Post run, I head into the office for my transformation from sweaty runner to respectable professional, ready to work by 8.15. I have my breakfast at my desk along with my protein shake whilst catching up on email so by 9am when everyone else arrives, i'm ready for the day ahead!

You can catch me like this post run in the office...

I always bring my food with me to work as it saves money and means I am in control of what i'm eating - no cheeky trips to the canteen for me! I eat every three hours or so which means i'm laden with food and Tupperware every day but prepping in this way means my blood sugar levels remain constistent and I feel good throughout the day. This is especially important if you train twice a day like I do.

I normally get home just after 7 which is when I fit my HIIT session in. Post HIIT, I have dinner which is usually high protein, low fat and balance of carbs depends whether i'm running the next day or not. From there, its on to prepping for the next day. This includes getting my bags packed for the following day and meal prep.

Once this is done I spend the last hour of my day relaxing with a Peppermint tea and my PJ's! My days are pretty full on but by prepping and planning I am able to achieve everything I need too. I change up my weeks and days depending on what else is going on - for example if I have meetings in London i'm not able to train in the mornings so I move my schedule around. If I have plans in the evening then I will move a HIIT day to another.

R&R is a big a part of training as the exercise.

Here are my top tips for maximizing your time;

1. Reduce your commute and idle time by leaving early and training at or near the office.
2. Train smart - if you're tight on time do HIIT as it takes less time but yields great results
3. Plan and prep your meals the evening before
4. Plan your week as a whole - daily routine is great but there are always anomalies that can cause disruption which means you can come unstuck

Health and fitness is a lifestyle and shouldn't be looked at as quick fix - don't make too many drastic changes at once but rather find small ways to compliment your days.

The best flapjacks yet

Words cannot describe how good my latest creations are - packed with protein, layered with peanut butter and topped with a totally clean chocolate spread, I urge you to get these in your life! What's more they are 100% vegan with no refined sugars so anyone can enjoy these beauties.

What are you waiting for? Time to get your bake on.

To get started, combine 200g oats with 2 scoops of your chosen Protien powder then add Almond milk until the mixture comes together. The amount of Almond milk you need will depend on what type of Protien power you use, but start with around 50ml then keep going until you're happy with the consistency. Next pop a selection of nuts into the food processor and blitz until they start to break down. I like the nuts to be quite chunky so this takes me about 30 seconds, but if you prefer a finer mix then keep going for longer. I used cashews, almonds and pecans. Add the nuts to the Oat mixture then transfer the lot to a lined tin, pushing it all down to the bottom.

Next comes the peanut butter layer - I use PB2 but you can you use any nut butter you like - spread a layer over the oats then transfer to the freezer and leave to set for about an hour.

Then comes the good bit - the chocolate layer! Put around 10 pitted dates into a saucepan with enough water to cover the dates. Heat until a syrup is formed, you will need to keep topping up with water and stirring - this took me around 20 mins all together. Next add two tablespoons of Cacao power and stir until combined. I also added a splash of Dark Chocolate Almond milk to intensify the flavor then left to thicken for about 10 more mins, stirring occasionally.

I then took this off the heat to cool down and once the oat/peanut butter layer had frozen, poured the chocolate layer over the to, then put the whole thing back in the freezer for another hour or so to set. Remove from the freezer and allow to defrost then chop into bars or squares and try not to eat the whole thing in one go!

These are great pre or post workout or simply when your chocolate/sweet cravings come around - enjoy as they are completely clean but taste entirely naughty.

6 weeks to go!

Today was my penultimate 20+ training run and it felt great! It really does wonders for your motivation to feel progress over such a short period of time - each week I can feel that i'm getting fitter and stronger.

From first stepping out this morning, I felt pretty good as I had rested all day Friday. The first 4 miles breezed as I then reached the new section I have added to my route which is pretty hilly. Last week one of the hills left me feeling completely out of breath but this week I felt noticeably stronger going up (this is what i'm talking about regarding progress!). I kept going to mile 10 where I stopped for my first Gel - although I didn't feel as I particularly needed it, I had been running for almost 80 mins so didn't want to risk my supplies getting too low.

On average your muscles can store enough Glycogen to keep you fuelled for 90 mins - you do not want to get to empty as this is what we call hitting the wall and means you don't have the energy to move. Once you reach empty it takes considerably longer to refuel than it does to refuel with a little left in the tank so always stay on the side of caution.

I kept moving onto the next section of hills by which time the sun had come out, giving me a little extra push. From mile 15, the route flattens back out which is great for increasing pace. I stopped for my second Gel then pushed on to the end, arriving home in 2:34:15 and clocking up just over 20 miles. Today was the first day during my cool down walk I didn't have shaky legs which is another sign of how far I've come!

My boyfriend, or Delia as i'm now calling him, spent his morning baking homemade jam tarts which after running 20 miles and being in a major calorie deficit, I was only happy to indulge in! Check them out -

The weeks are absolutely flying by at the moment - I cannot believe there is only 6 weeks to go until i'll be lining up on the London Marathon start line! The week ahead is a low mileage one as I have the Reading half on Sunday. I will be aiming to beat my PB that  I set at Brighton 3 weeks ago but it's going to be tough as Brighton was a really strong run. From there, I have one last big of miles then start to taper ahead of the big day. With the mileage falling, I will be focused on increasing intensity as much as possible to ensure I'm in the best possible shape for the 26th April.

6 weeks and counting guys...

Happy feet - the Lacing techniques you need to know

We all know how important it is to get the right pair of trainers but how many of you have given any thought to the way in which you lace them up? I'll be honest, until yesterday I didn't - I went with what came out the box without a second thought.

However after having experienced some discomfort on the top of my right foot for a couple of weeks now, I decided to look into this a little further. I quickly discovered the pain I was experiencing is called extensor tendonitis which is inflammation of  the extensor tendons (these run across the top of your feet and are used to straighten your toes) - one of the causes being lacing your shoes too tightly. I have high arched feet which makes me a classic case for this type of pain but after some further research I found an easy solution - Lacing techniques!

For me, I needed to reduce the pressure on the top of my arch by removing the laces from the middle of my shoe. This technique is called laddering;

I ran like this for the first time today and felt no discomfort what-so-ever (yay!). The plan is to stick with this style until the swelling and tenderness has gone entirely, then I will revisit laces thereafter.

Turns out there are a number of lacing styles depending on your foot type and symptoms - I found this great overview of the different styles available;

 

Source - http://www.fshn.hs.iastate.edu/necp/WebContent/Exercise%20Cancer%20Handout.pdf

I hope this helps you on your way to Happy Feet x

You know you're a distance runner when...

...13 miles is a short 'long' run.

I felt like i'd cheated when I got back this morning having only done a half marathon, yet 4 months ago, I felt like this was my threshold and I couldn't possibly do more!

Can't beat the feeling of taking your trainers off post run
(don't mind my sweat marks!)

I've really grown to love my longer runs and I actually perform better over longer distance. More often than not I run a negative split (meaning my second half is faster than the first) and I just feel more comfortable going into the second half of a long run. Today for example, I felt like I found my stride at around mile 9. The first few miles I always question why i'm doing this and have really push to get started but the I longer go on, the less I have to push myself - my body just seems to take over.

Today was a beautiful for a run - its really starting to feel like Spring which I am loving. I was lucky enough to have blue skies and sunshine the entire way around which makes a welcome changed from wind, rain and sleet. It was the mildest temperature I have run in for a long time and I really noticed this in terms of the amount of sweat I was producing. I sweat a lot anyway when training, but the warmer it gets the worse this is. I noticed that I felt much thirstier during my run and afterwards - I've been home a couple of hours and have put away a couple of litres of water but still feeling dehydrated. I also increased the amount of milk in post run Protien shake to 400ml since Milk has been proven to increase your ability to refuel and rehydrate.

Making the most of the sunshine (in clean dry clothes!) -
I added a little Cacao to my usual shake today

Being dehydrated by just 2% of your body weight can impact performance by up to 7% so staying hydrated during exercise is key to being at your best. As the Marathon is in April, temperatures will be much warmer than now and what I am used to training in so I will have to ensure I utilize drinks stations as much as possible on the day.

Marathon training is as much about learning about your bodies requirements for race day as it is building fitness. Awareness of things like hydration and energy levels are key to making your day as successful as possible, and avoiding the infamous 'wall' (which by the way, I haven't hit yet so my fueling strategy would appear to be on point!)

With the big day now only 7 weeks away, I have a big week of miles ahead this week with a 20 miler next weekend. The following week is lighter as i'm running the Reading half marathon which then takes me to me last high mileage week before I start dropping the distance (or Tapering to use the correct terminology).

Hope everyone else's training is going to plan - cant wait to see some of you on the start line!

The Domestic Godess

Following my resolve on Saturday that I need to eat more, I got to work this weekend on a number of meals and snacks to keep me feeling my best throughout training.

First on the list was something snackable, that was nutritious enough to help maintain blood sugar levels but also yummy. So I settled upon these little beauties, what I am calling Carb-Tien Bites (name probably needs some work, suggestions welcome!)

The perfect in between meal snack

Super simple to make, they combine Oats for a hit of complex carbs, Soy Protein Powder for muscle repair, Three-Nut butter for more protein and all round yumminess, a splash of Almond Milk to help bind the whole lot together and some chunks of Dark Chocolate (because Dark Chocolate). Made in under 5 minutes, I store these in the freezer and help myself as and when.

Next I moved on to developing something that can be easily adapted depending on how hungry/in need of carbs I am - doesn't it look beautiful?

You can get just the Pomegranate seeds from M&S which
are a real time saver.

Essentially, this is just my favourite greens in a creamy yet low fat sauce that here is served on courgette noodles but could easily be replaced with Pasta, Quinoa, Rice or anything else depending on your fancy. I baked some broccoli, then added this to a saucepan in which I had melted the 'Lightest' Philadelphia cream cheese and skimmed milk, then added Peas and Spinach. Served and topped with Pine Nuts and Pomegranate seeds, finished with a sprinkle of Parmesan. With lots of Fibre and Iron this one is a winner, and looks amazing, which I always finds seems to make it taste even better!

Then it only seemed right to make something sweet - I don't have a huge sweet tooth but I do find myself looking forwards to a dessert following a long run. So this on is adapted from 'Deliciously Ella' (link in previous post) and is a take on a classic Apple and Blackberry Crumble. Again, super easy to prepare, just pop a chopped apple and a handful of blackberries in a saucepan with a little water and top with Cinnamon, then simmer until soft. I then drained 90% of the remaining liquid, put in a bowl and topped with some homemade granola I had left (recipe in 'I heart breakfast' post), and that's it! So yummy and comforting, but no added sugar, just what I was after!

All the flavor without the refined sugar!

Not bad for a weekends work hey! The best thing about all the above is that you can make them as individual portions or prepare in a mega batch then freeze and simply defrost and go.
 

Into the unknown - my first 17 miler

17 miles done! When you think about 17 miles in terms of distance from A to B, it's a really long way i.e. my house to Guildford so i'm really pleased that I've checked that milestone off the list. Time wise, I managed 2:07:50 meaning i'm on track for my target Marathon time of 3:30 and there's now only another 9 miles to cover, so i'm feeling really motivated right now.

Ready to run

This week had been a challenging one for me - i'd been really struggling with fatigue, making my training (and day job) really tough. Not only did the intensity of my runs take a step up, so did the distance - including today, I've clocked up a total of 45 miles! But thankfully today went absolutely brilliantly, my legs felt great, my head was in the right place and I even had some sunshine (only a glimpse mind you). It's also helped me with my fueling and hydration strategy as I could feel the first signs of muscle fatigue setting in during the last mile so for my next big run (20 miles) I will up my Gel intake to two, one at mile 8 and one at mile 16.

 

My Garmin Forerunner 220 is great for keeping pace

 

Post run refueling and hydration is as important as pre and during - I think possibly my issues with fatigue this week stemmed from not eating enough (something I will be all to happy to address this week!). The best time to start refueling is as soon as possible after a run, as glycogen storage is faster during the 'post exercise window' than at any other time, the first two hours being most rapid at approximately 150% the normal rate (Ivy et al). During the next 4 hours, the rate remains higher than normal and normal rate resumes 6 hours post run.

So here's what my post run routine looks like;

My recovery essentials

I start with my Foam Roller as muscles respond best straight after training whilst they're still warm. I focus on hamstrings and glutes and that's where my stiffness tends to occur and spend about 10 minutes working on them. Then its all about rehydrating and refueling. I sip water constantly throughout the day to replenish all the electrolytes lost from sweat, plus I've read that Oranges (this is actually a Mandarin) are a great way to rehydrate and supply an extra boost of carbs. My go-to post run recovery snack is always a shake because it allows me to combine everything I need to refuel most efficiently. This one contains
Skimmed milk - Great for glycogen replenishment and hydration
Half a banana -  (left over from my pre run breakfast) Good source of carbs
One scoop of Soy Protein Powder - (I use Soy as my stomach doesn't get along with Whey) Combining protein with Carbs has shown to be more effective for refueling glycogen than carbs alone thanks to its ability to stimulate insulin, in turn speeding up the intake of glycogen
2 spoonful's of Oats - Moderately rated on the Glycemic Index, means they enter the bloodstream nice and quickly
Handful of Blueberries, Almonds & Cashews - Adding flavour, a little healthy fat and final boost of protein

And so, with my muscles taken care of and refueling under way i'm planning to spend the rest of the afternoon resting and relaxing. I've just received my 'Deliciously Ella' book which I have been so excited about after following her blog for a while (check her out if you haven't already), so i'll no doubt be getting stuck into that along with Yoga this afternoon as there is no better way to fully relax!

If you are interested to find out more about any of my the products/ingredients I have talked about today then leave me a comment and i'll be only too happy to give more info.

Happy Saturday guys x