Missed Opportunities

I am really frustrated with myself right now. I should be out running 7.5miles, instead I am sat in my PJs writing this. The past week has been a week of missed opportunities. For various reasons, which I won't go into, I haven't exercised since Tuesday and have eaten a lot of rubbish. At times like this you have to just draw a line under it and move on so this morning was meant to be the moving on bit but instead I hit snooze 6 times.

I think I feel particularly disappointed in myself as everyone else around me is doing so well. My brother is sticking to his training plan with gusto, and Teresa ran 8 miles yesterday. So for a start I feel like I'm letting both of them down. But now my fear of 'failure' is starting to creep in as well. I've always been quite harsh on myself and tend to measure my 'success' compared to other people or what I feel I 'should' be achieving. This is a state of mind that needs to be altered for sure. But I was actually quite nervous about potentially doing 7.5miles this morning. I know I physically I've done it before, but I haven't trained for a week. And what if I had to walk for a little bit? To me, that would have meant I'd failed. Which is completely wrong.

In reality we do need to start stepping it up now though. We've got just under 8 weeks until the half marathon but I go skiing 4 weeks Wednesday, during which time I won't be doing any running, just falling over. Then when I come back we've got a week of training before we'll do a longer run, then taper it down for a week until the half. So we need to step it up. And Teresa is doing her part so I need to step up to the plate.

So, the week ahead. I will have to go to the gym tonight now, grrr! But the longer I leave it before I get back to it, the more lazy I become! Tomorrow I am thinking of going to the running shop after work and getting some new trainers, then a gym class in the evening as there's no football to tempt me away from exercise. Wednesday I am having my gym review at last so then I'll get a new and exciting programme, probably have a little play there but, in essence, it'll be a rest day. Hopefully minus the mini eggs. Thursday, hmm, circuits and gym. Friday, running with Teresa.

Today is Teresa's last day at work before she moves onto pastures new. We're going to continue to aim to do one run together a week after our respective working days but the challenge for me now is to go it alone against the biscuits monsters at work and without my 'conscience' there to encourage me along the way. Bring it on!! :S

Mini-Egg Wednesday

I have officially decided to rename the middle of the week Mini-Egg Wednesday. Don't worry, I have checked with Cadbury's, the Government and the Queen and it's fine with all of them. Today has been another day of being really hungry (and again, not just me, but the rest of the office too) although I've been a bit more restrained than last week. So either it's another downturn in the weather or we just need a mid-week pick me up every week. But whatever the reason I have enjoyed some more mini eggs today and am really glad that Easter is late this year. By my calculations there's officially still twelve mini-egg Wednesdays left until Easter weekend, and I'm sure they'll be back in the shops again by August :)

So, last night. Yes, is the answer. I did go for a run. It was a particularly momentous occasion because my running partner was feeling a bit under the weather and so we have postponed our joint run until tomorrow. But, I still went home and dragged myself out and around 5 miles in a respectable (for me) fifty minutes. It was really hard going for the first half a mile so I decided to smile like an idiot through the tiredness and convince my body it was just being silly and it seemed to work. Once I got onto the muddy (disused) railway track for 3 miles I was so preoccupied with not slipping over and trying to get off the trail before it got dark that I seemed to forget about being tired. So it was a double victory- mentally I didn't want to go, physically I was pretty tired- but willpower prevailed. It seems to have taken a leave of absence right now but hey-ho. Now where did I put those mini-eggs...?

Wherefore Art Thou, Motivation?

Today is one of those days. Both Teresa and I are seriously struggling to get enthusiastic about running this afternoon. Tree, because she's been overdosing slightly on exercise and is shattered, and me, because I am also shattered but I am all snuggly and warm indoors and the thought of venturing out into the cold and, what will probably be, wet, is not appealing. However, if every time I didn't feel like exercising in the past I had given in to that I certainly wouldn't be where I am now.

So I hope that the next time I blog I will report that despite our tiredness we ran anyway and felt much better for it. But I can't promise anything...

Fighting Spirit

Hello Monday, how lovely to see you again so soon :S The weekend has disappeared in a blur of exercise, food, socialising and tissues, and it seems I have emerged the other side with my fighting spirit in tact. 'Why the tissues?' I hear you ask. Well firstly I had a bit of a romantic setback, initially sending me into the arms of Ben and Jerry, but once I had finished the half-eaten tub left in the freezer from Christmas and discovered the answer wasn't actually at the bottom of it, I got off my backside and decided to channel my energies more constructively. And secondly, the lurgy has caught up with me. Thanks to all my close friends and family for sharing your germs so generously, much appreciated!

It can be difficult to know the best thing to do with regards to training when you're under the weather. I have to clarify, it is just a cold, and just a female cold at that, so I am up and about. But when I woke up this morning, with a sandpaper-like throat and unable to breathe through my nose, the thought of jumping around in the living room to an exercise DVD didn't appeal. However, the fighting spirit won through and I did manage the aerobics and pump sections (with heavier weights than normal might I add!).  It turns out exercise is actually quite a good decongestant :D

Teresa and I did run on Friday night and we did decide to tack on the extra mile so it was about 6.7ish miles and felt pretty good again. Half way round I became a little bit overwhelmed at the thought of having to add another 20 miles to that but managed to reign the panic in and remind myself that we're on track and, although it's helpful to bear in the mind the bigger picture for motivational purposes, actually setting realistic goals in the short term is more helpful right now! With that in mind I also dug out some of my sport psychology work at the weekend from my degree and started refreshing my memory. I had forgotten how interesting it all is and have already found a couple of strategies to use that should help us in training and in the race. When I have done a bit more revision I'll blog about some of the techniques we'll be attempting to use.

The other challenge of the weekend was I went to my new and 'improved' gym now they've got their all singing all dancing machines in place. I decided I am actually a grumpy old woman who doesn't like change. Or, more accurately, I was getting really frustrated at not knowing how to use the new equipment and the lack of anyone to show me. Which just meant I felt like a numpty (a feeling I have experienced before and I'm sure will again!) and didn't have a particularly satisfying workout. But I will admit that once they re-design my programme I think it will be brilliant and I'll see lots more improvement. I did have a play on one new piece of kit which can only be described as the Hitler of gym equipment. It's a slidey abs machine thingy (yes, that is the technical term) and I think I managed 8 on my front abs and 6 on each side before I admitted defeat. However, I can tell from how much it hurts to cough/ move today that I worked muscles that have been dormant for far too long. I'm quite sadistic though and seem to enjoy that next-day muscle burn so it's safe to say I'll be using that bit of kit again!

So, the week ahead. A tricky one for planning. I've ticked the box for today already so that's one down. And Teresa and I will be running after work tomorrow. Two down. I've earmarked Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon or evening for something but that is TBC depending on other things. Friday I will be enjoying Chinese and cinema (jealous? thought so!) so I think I'll have that as my rest day, and Saturday will be tricky but I'll aim to salsacise it or run in the morning. Sunday, run/ gym and before you know it that's another week closer to the marathon. Eek!

Run Like the Wind

So I guess you're all due an update on my training progress this week! I have been mysteriously quiet for a reason- the lack of training. So Tuesday was my designated rest day, which is all well and good. However, my old nemisis Bad Sue was back in the building and my eating went to pot as per usual. I'm going to attribute this to the excellent hospitality on offer in the board room at the football which I felt it was rude not to take advantage of ;-) So about 20 biscuits, half a box of chocolates and some chicken and chips later, Bad Sue was enjoying a bit of a sugar rush.

Unfortunately one rest day turned into two. On Wednesday I had pretty much eaten my entire lunch by mid morning (strangely enough I wasn't the only one, so we in the office blamed the sudden return of the cold snap for our increased appetites) and lunch ended up being a bag of mini eggs. Mmmm, chocolatey goodness. I skipped swimming in the afternoon because quite frankly I felt like a beached whale.

So, onto Thursday. I woke up feeling focused again and ate healthily which was good. So a minor victory to celebrate in that I only fell off the wagon for 2 days whereas that has been known to go on for weeks! Teresa and I planned to run last night but personal circumstances arose that meant that has been postponed to tonight. However, I had quite a lot of pent up energy last night so I went for a very short but pretty quick run. Was probably just under 2 miles with hills but I pushed it all the way and have genuinely never run that fast for that distance before, hooray! The running felt really good and I had a bit of fun by running like Phoebe from friends for a short while. Simple things amuse me! But if you are driving through Sudbury and see a girl in pink running and grinning like a maniac, give me a toot! You may just get a wave back!

So the plans for the weekend. Running after work tonight, probably about 6.5-7 miles. Maybe a run with my brother in the morning, if not gym, and some kind of activity Sunday, run/ swim/ aerobics/ gym. Ooh, what to choose?!

Still on track, still feeling good and still looking forward to the challenge ahead. Happy days!

The Charity

So I thought perhaps now is a good time to tell you a bit about the charity that Teresa and I will be raising funds for. They are called Ormiston Children and Families Trust (registered charity 1015716) and are the biggest children's charity in the East of England. That may surprise some of you who perhaps haven't come across them.

Ormiston's strapline is 'making a difference to young lives'.  Particularly they help and support children and young people who are experiencing prejudice and discrimination, those at risk of or experiencing physical harm, emotional or mental health problems, those who are displaying challenging or harmful behaviours, those who are the main carer for a parent or sibling and those who are affected by the imprisonment of a close family member. They work with the whole family to address the difficult situations they face and help them to make positive changes to their lives.

Ormiston currently have 39 services across seven counties and currently there are four main areas of work.

• Children's Centres, where Teresa and I work, which help support parents and carers from all backgrounds, with issues of child development, behaviour support and providing a safe space for children and carers to engage with each other. Children's Centres also work in partnership with health, education and social care to ensure children have the best start in life. 
• Families affected by imprisonment- Ormiston currently work in 11 prisons across the region. Children and families affected by imprisonment may need help in lots of ways, visiting their loved ones in prison, or maintaining contacts. Very often children and young people are upset and have difficulty coping with a range of emotions about their imprisoned relative. Research has shown that prisoners who maintain strong family links while serving their sentence are less likely to reoffend on release.
•  Traveller Initiatives- Ormiston supports families from Gypsy and Travelling communities with a range of issues such as housing and health. Their direct contact has a particular impact on the young people, improving their self-esteem, aiding practical skills such as numeracy and literacy and building their confidence to access services available to them or attend job interviews without the fear of discrimination that is so prevalent in our society. In turn this helps the families as a whole and has gone some way to reducing barriers and misconceptions, although it is hoped this work can continue with increased community cohesion.
• Young carers-Ormiston supports young carers across the Fenland and East Cambs area. Young carers are children or young people who are caring for a parent or sibling for some of the time. They provide a mix of fun activities to give the young carers some free time to enjoy themselves with other young carers who will understand the worries they have, and support through group activities or one to one work which will give them a chance to share concerns about their family or to find extra help with their schooling or home life.
  
  Like all charities at the moment Ormiston are feeling the pinch of funding cuts across the board. As well as continuing the services already on offer, Ormiston would like to increase fundraising to be able to start new projects for which funding or grants are not currently available but are much needed.
  
  I get genuinely excited by the work that Ormiston does and the difference I see it having on individual lives. For more information about them or their work please visit www.ormiston.org

Proud!

Me again :) (Stating the obvious there, what with it being my blog and all). So I've just had a phone call from my oldest brother to say he has signed up for a half marathon in March and I thought this needs to be blogged straight away! I am extremely proud and looking forward to training with him and passing on my 'wealth' of experience from the one half marathon I have completed.

Go Steve :D

A Tale of Two Sues

Well, this weekend has been the battle of the two Sues- Good Sue and Bad Sue.

Good Sue went for a run on Saturday morning (fairly comfortable again, excellent!), and did lots of walking (too cheap to drive anywhere still), went to the gym yesterday and did some aerobics and boxercise before work this morning. Bad Sue skipped the gym on Friday afternoon and instead chose to go home and gorge on chocolate and biscuits. Bad Sue also went out to Pizza Hut Saturday night (although Good Sue made her choose something relatively healthy) and then returned home from said pizza restaurant to consume some lovely Ben & Jerry's (the two favourite men in my life!).

So I guess I'm still, after 18 months of hard graft, struggling for balance in my life. I need to reach a point where if I decide not to exercise for whatever reason (and let's face it, it happens) then that doesn't automatically mean I hit the self-destruct button instead and eat rubbish instead!

Anyway, enough of them. Exercise wise I did pretty well last week and hit my targets, albeit with some session swaps, but then you need to be flexible if you're fitting this in around daily life as well.  This week I am taking my rest day tomorrow (once again the lure of football wins out over evil gym instructor) but aiming for swimming Wednesday, running with Teresa Thursday, gym on Friday and maybe a run on Saturday morning depending on weather. If not I will substitute an appropriate alternative!

And finally some words of wisdom from Sheriff Woody- 'Reach for the sky!'. Have a good week :)

Slow and Steady...

So Teresa and I went out for our first run together in weeks last night and I think it was pretty successful. We did our tried and tested route of about 5.7 miles and physically I felt pretty good. Lungs and breathing were fine, legs were a little tired but I think the leg work I've been doing with the stability ball at the gym have really strengthened them. So I was encouraged physically that although I've not been doing a huge amount of running, the other fitness work at least seems to be helping rather than hindering.

Mentally I struggled a bit but that is why Teresa and I make such a good running team. She's ace at pacing and keeping going even when it would be easy to give up. When I run on my own I tend to start out a bit fast, impatient to get home and finished, but last night we ran at a steady pace all the way. And we all know the story of the proverbial tortoise and hare. As with the half marathon, we will run the marathon as tortoises, slow and steady. Perhaps not winning the race but definitely finishing.

We could have gone further last night. And we did toy with the idea of extending the route near to the end. However, one lesson we have learned from doing the half is that we stepped up the training too quickly, daunted by the task ahead of us, and peaked too soon, losing interest in training the nearer we got to the event. So this time we're about where we need to be at the moment and we will steadily increase the distance. Our current focus is a half marathon at the end of March as a training event and we're certainly on track for that. That will hopefully be a good measure of our progress and just what we need to do to step it up again for the full distance.

One things I do need to do is buy a new pair of trainers, from a specialist running shop, sooner rather than later! Either that or buy shares in Compeed :S

Pressing On

So today I am absolutely shattered. I've heard it said that exercise makes you sleep better. I think that is a big fib myself. The last two nights have been full of dreams and devoid of quality sleep so that I have suitcase-sized bags under my eyes. However, the training must continue and so we will drag ourselves out for a run after work regardless and hope that auto-pilot kicks in once we get going.

This week has gone to plan so far :) Gymmed it on Tuesday night and actually quite enjoyed it. Surprisingly I wasn't that sore yesterday so perhaps if you just keep exercising when it hurts your body eventually concedes defeat and gets on with it?!

I was a bit naughty yesterday though. I know it was supposed to be my rest day but I did go for a fairly lengthy swim after work. I hadn't swum for weeks so it felt good to get back in the pool but I do know the importance of resting, and particularly at this early stage of training. I don't want to go at it like a bull in a china shop and lose interest/ not allow proper recovery time, so I may rest tomorrow instead. Who'd have thought two weeks ago that I'd be struggling to schedule a rest day?! I'm hopeful that I can keep the momentum of training going, at least until I go skiing (48 days to go, whoop whoop!). Then the challenge will be learning how to glide gracefully down a hill without breaking or spraining anything. Ha! We'll see!

Biggest Loser

I love that show and will hold my hands up to being a bit of a Biggest Loser junkie (UK, Australia, USA, I don't mind!). The last British series aired nearly two years ago now just before I started my 'journey' (my brother loathes the use of that word in any reality show so that's just for you Steve!) and I take my hat off to anyone who goes on there. You hear people say that because a lot of the contestants have so much weight to lose it's 'easy' for them, but to have such a radical change of lifestyle in such a short period of time can't be easy. Especially when many of them go from leading completely sedentary lives to doing 5-6 hours of exercise a day on a calorie restricted diet.

However, the frustrating thing with this series is we get one hour of coverage a week rather than highlights of every day like it used to be. Which means for prime time viewing it becomes all about the results on the scales and very little about the process, the hard work that goes in, the individual mental and physical battle in their quest to change their lives. And personally I find that quite frustrating. So many people who want to lose weight/ get fit want a quick fix. The BL contestants do lose weight so quickly because it is such an intense environment (with medical crew and experts on standby 24/7). But without showing the sweat and tears that goes in to get those results I think the viewer is left feeling resentful of these people who seem to lose a stone in a week with comparative ease, rather than admiring them and being inspired by their courage to make such a lifestyle change.

Anyway, enough of my analysis of prime time TV. I'm pleased to be able to report that I'm on track. Ok, so it's only 36 hours since I blogged but one step at a time! Following a rather harsh frost Sunday night and very slippery paths on Monday morning I swapped my run for Davina McCall. Not the real Davina McCall obviously, but a DVD of her being put through her paces.  And judging by how much I ache today I definitely had a worthwhile workout. I kept my eating in check yesterday, just about, and am actually looking forward to going to the gym today after work (another swap, my venture into the world of boxercise will have to wait another week).

It's incredible how much more positive I feel having just been disciplined for a couple of days and I can definitely testify to the mental and physical health benefits of being active. Thanks to everyone who has been in touch to encourage me thus far, it definitely helps knowing that if I eat my weight in chocolate (mmmm) instead of going for a run then I'll jolly well have to own up to that on here.

In turn I'd like to encourage anyone who is thinking of making a change to go for it. This time of year we're bombarded with get thin/ fit quick schemes, but just small changes in diet or a brisk walk when you get in from work can make a big difference. It's like that saying, 'what's the best way to eat an elephant?'- one bite at a time :)

[NB- I'm not actually advocating the eating of elephants, they just wouldn't fit in the oven for a start.]

Small victories

Hmm, like most things last week didn't go entirely to plan. The run on Thursday morning completely messed me up to the extent that I went home early from work with a splitting headache and feeling sick, ibuprofen having done absolutely nothing to help. I say it quite often but no good can come from exercise! Ok, that's not medically true but clearly it was too much too soon for my lazy body. I used my illness of the previous day, and the fact that it was raining, not to run on Friday and on Saturday I decided that going to watch football was in fact infinitely more appealing than going to the gym.

But, as inidicated in the title, small victories are to be celebrated. I have been to the gym this lunchtime and had a good session, and last night I managed to resist an entire buffet and three trays of cake. Get in! So this week I have plotted my exercise already and have hopefully been a little more realistic. And I reckon if I achieve an 80% success rate of training I plan to do and what I actually execute then that'll be pretty good.

The schedule for this week- Monday am run before work, Tuesday eve- body combat (I've wanted to try this for ages, a boxercise type class, but fear of not being able to do it all has stopped me. But if I were already fit enough to do it all I wouldn't need to train so much and I figure I need to toughen up and get used to pain!), Wednesday- rest day at the moment, Thursday pm- run with Teresa, Friday pm- gym, Saturday am- maybe swim/ walk.

I'm also returning to writing down my food. Something I did religiously when signed up to Wibbly Wobblies but have slacked on the last few weeks. I don't know that I will count points again but it does make me think twice about what I'm eating and give me a better awareness of just how often I snack and the difference between eating what I want and eating what I actually need. I had considered rejoining WW in the new year but the fact that it takes up a whole evening and costs money has put me off. I will see though. I certainly benefited from being accountable to Marjorie Doors every week but I also know that if I just eat less and exercise more it'll have the same outcome for cheaper!

At least one good thing to come out of the recent hike in petrol prices is that I'm walking more! I could claim that my new years' resolution was to be more eco-friendly but in truth I'm just miserly. And every little helps right?!

So, this week. I'm going to take it a bit more steady, have realistic expectations of myself and celeberate the small victories. And it'll start with a run in the morning. Unless it's raining.

Battle of the Bulge

Hmm, I know everyone puts on weight over Christmas but when your Christmas eating starts around the 20th December and continues until the 5th January, that's a lot of bad (but goooood) food consumed. Therefore I am declaring war on the bulge this morning. Goodbye lazy Sue, hellooooooooo Marathon Woman!

So my attempts at getting fit were derailed yesterday by a) my horrible car being in the garage yet again and messing up my plans and b) my lovely dad took me out for food and pool after work. Now, unless you count pool as a sport and therefore practice as 'training' (fair play if you do), I didn't train yesterday. However, hold the press, I did go for a run this morning for the first time in a couple of weeks. Hurrah!

5 miles, about 55mins, walked once for about 30 seconds. Fairly happy with that. The last time I went I walked three or four times which is ridiculous. I have plenty of reserves about my person to run the whole way, I am just lazy! Or, more accurately, I give up too easily and need to become mentally stronger. Time to dig out those sport psychology books methinks.

I can't say I enjoyed the run this morning but I'm glad I went. It would also be a lie to say it energised me for the rest of the day because quite frankly I'm tired now and grateful to have 6 hours sitting at a desk! But, I know it has gotten me back on track and I will eat more healthily today as a result. We have another run planned for tomorrow afternoon, then gym on Saturday, maybe a swim on Sunday and then a cheeky afternoon nap :)

The other thing that struck me this morning is how fortunate I am to be physically able to run. There are many who I'm sure would love to have a young, healthy, and quite frankly rather attractive body ;-) to take out running so this morning I was counting my blessings. As well as counting down the steps until I finished.

Oh, and one last thing. During a period of insomnia in the night (obviously too excited by the prospect of running this morning to sleep properly) I came up with all sorts of exciting ideas for our fundraising event on the 25th March. It's going to be ace, put it in your diaries now.

I mean it. Diaries. Now. :D

The story so far...

If you don't know anything about me, here's what you've missed! A year and a half ago I was inspired by a friend and colleague Teresa to start losing weight. I am now 3 and a half stone lighter (still room for improvement but happy with the progress so far) and fitter and healthier.

8 months ago that same friend and I signed up for the Bristol half marathon which we ran in September in a fairly respectable time of 2:24:39. When I crossed the finish line, feeling prouder of myself than ever, I swore I would never run another half marathon let alone a marathon.

Just before Christmas my friend and I applied for a London marathon place with the charity we work for. To my great relief we were unsuccessful but were instead offered a place in the Edinburgh marathon on 22nd May 2011. For some crazy reason we accepted and for about one day in the run up to Christmas I was motivated, self disciplined and focused! Then the chocolate biscuit monster got hold of me and it all went wrong.

So here we are, less than 20 weeks to go. We are not starting from scratch this time but are only running about 5 miles at the moment, along with gymming and other exercise but to keep me motivated and accountable I have decided to blog. I may be the only person that reads this but it will still be good to have a record of our progress. You know, to show the grandchildren. Obviously not my grandchildren as I am only 26 and that would be weird, but someone's grandchildren.

Next run scheduled for tomorrow morning, approximately 8am. Goody.