Sunday 27 February 2011

A Fudgey Fantastic Week

Hello Fudgey Friends,

How is everyone? Did you do anything nice this weekend? I've sat down to write this post & was running through a few things in my head & I'm blown away by how much I've packed in this week - it's been a pretty good one.

First Overnight House Guest
On Monday my sister came to stay with us as she was attending a seminar for work in Falkirk. I was so so excited to see her as I've not seen her since last August and loads of stuff has naturally happened since then, not least that she's expecting again. It was brilliant to catch up and I haven't laughed so much in a long time.
As I knew I was leaving work early on Monday to meet my wee sis I fitted in my recovery run at lunchtime (run 1 of week done 5.2km) It was a very rare treat in the evening as we ordered from the fish & chip shop & I think we all thoroughly enjoyed it as it's something we rarely do....you have to have treats sometimes though. My little sis brought us a gorgeous apron from our little niece Margaret's nursery which had Margaret's foot print on it. (Amy I was wearing it yesterday!) She also brought these cute little plants in tins - sunflower, lavender & morning glory...we'll see how they develop



Run 2 of week
Tuesday is usually the busiest day of my week and is always packed with meetings - this week was no different and I found myself getting quite stressed out - but I skipped off at lunchtime to squeeze in a very short run - only managed 4.45km but my theory is it was better than no km. Left sharp again to meet my little sister after her seminar & we headed back to the house - no takeaway tonight I cooked. More chatter & laughter.

PT - Ouch!
On Wednesday I had my PT session and it was really really tough, by the end of it my hands felt numb & I couldn't even text hubby to tell him I was on the bus. The DOMS started to kick in on the bus home & I knew that on Thursday my upper body was going to hurt.
The session involved:
warm up set of 10 jumping pull ups with squat thrust
4 supersets of 10 lat pull down 40kg with 10 bent over dead rows with flat bar & 10lb each side
4 supersets of 10 cable pull downs superset with 12 reverse flyes
3 supersets of cable hamstring curls 12 each leg think I'm now at 27.5kg & cable crunches.
By the time I went to bed my upper body was protesting loudly at what had been done to it.

Upper Body out of order - but legs are good to go
As I suspected my upper body was a little sore on Thursday I couldn't get my arms above elbow height, so I knew it would have to be a run at the gym. Managed to squeeze in another quick 5.15km at lunchtime and was pleased with how well my legs are doing. My pace at the moment just isn't there but I've decided to focus on simply completing the marathon - as it's my first one I'm guaranteed a PB anyway :-) After the marathon I can then think about breaking 2 hours for the half marathon and new PB's at 5k & 10k if that's what I want - but one thing at at time. My running at the moment is consistent & strong and bizarrely the upper body training is really helping - this is because my posture is much better & I think that it's helping with my breathing as I'm more upright & open - I hope that makes some sort of sense.
Thursday night saw the roof climbing antics of Indiana Beau - see my last post.

Thank Fudgey it's Friday
Friday came round before I knew it & saw me fit in yet another run. 10.1km this time. Yet again it felt strong and steady and I think I'm ready for next weekend's half marathon.

A lazy Saturday
On Saturday it was great to get a lie in and then I toddled down to the hairdressers to get my hair cut & coloured. I did giggle to myself on the way as the weather was gorgeous - blue sky, sunshine and mild and the first thought that entered my head was what a perfect day for running....yes I admit I am addicted. I didn't run though it was a well earned rest day. As I sat in the hairdressers I read March's edition of running fitness that I had been saving :-)
Mr Fudgey had been busy doing various diy & household tasks while I was out & we now have a nice new bedside cabinet for the spare room. I did some laundry but other than that generally had a lazy day but I think it was just what I needed.

Honeymoon
Exciting news - we've booked our honeymoon finally. Yes we've been married 18 months & by the time we go on honeymoon we'll have celebrated our 2nd anniversary, but it'll be worth the wait. We are off to Italy & Switzerland.
For those who don't know we did have a minimoon just after the wedding to York which was really lovely but we opted to wait for a honeymoon as we wanted to sell the flat & move on and also due to various work commitments etc. I'm am so excited. I've been practising my yodelling for the alps :-)

Long Sunday Run
My longest run this year to date 13.8 miles (22.08km) and as usual certainly wasn't boring. I'd decide my rough route & was all geared up and ready to go. At about 2km I started to feel a little discomfort in my right calf - very unusual as my legs have been really strong recently. I always find it takes me a good 3km to settle into a rhythm so carried on - by 3km it was getting tighter & tighter & I was starting to worry - I knew it was idiotic to continue if something was wrong so I stopped to see if I could pinpoint the problem.....zipped bottoms of running trousers had risen up my leg & was digging into calf - minor adjustment and all happy again & off I went. Got to about 9km and found my £1 asda bargain cap that had blown away 2 weeks previously so I rescued it & brought home to clean up. The pictures don't do justice to just how filthy it was.

From around 10km my tummy decided to play up, I never ate or drank anything I don't usually but did eat closer to leaving the house than I usually would. I'd only taken on one gel & a little water as I sensed my tum wasn't entirely happy and from 11km onwards till the emergency stop at home to use the facilities was not pleasant. I was determined though this was not halting my run and after a brief stop in at the house I was back out feeling a lot better and running better than I had for the 14km up to that point to crack out another 8km. I could have so easily just used it as an excuse to stop after all 14km isn't a bad effort but it was too far short of where I wanted to be today which was at least around 20km....so I did myself proud.
Have to confess now the legs are hurting - especially my right shin again but other than that I'm a happy Fudgey.

Springtime is upon us
With the lighter evening and the last 2 bright and mild days I really feel like it's springtime and the beautiful hyacinth my Gran brought us has really blossomed - I thought this was a really pretty image to complete this post with. Thank you Gran x


Take care all
lots of love
Fudgey
xxxx

Saturday 26 February 2011

Adventures of Indiana Beau

Hello Fudgey Friends,

This post is nothing to do with running or training but is about the escapades of a certain little cat called Beau.


He's had a ball this week, he thinks the spare bed we built in the guest room is just for him but happily shared it with my little sis when she visited for 2 nights.

We've not been letting the fellas out in the evenings since we moved house, mainly due to it being so cold and dark, but also as we wanted to get them used to the surroundings first during the day - so they normally get out on a Saturday & Sunday. As the weather has been turning milder and the evenings getting lighter there have been a few after work outings too recently.

So Thursday evening I decided I'd let them all out for a bit and off they went. Mr Fudgey had a nightmare journey home as his bus broke down so he got in late & was cold, hungry & a little grumpy. I was going to get some food sorted but decided to check on the whereabouts of the fellas. All accounted for except Mr Beau.....

so I'm out in the garden calling him......

and hear a faint mewing......

go round to the front of the house calling his name & the mewing gets louder & higher pitched.....

and then I see him on next door's roof!!!!!
(should add at this point the neighbours were not at home)

I ran back in & shouted Mr Fudgey & we spent the next hour trying to get the wee bugger down. Our step ladder only allowed us to peer just over the top of the garage roof & we tried putting the cat carrier up to him to see if he'd crawl in & come down - no luck. I tried tempting him with slices of ham & Mr Fudgey tried cat treats - no luck. And instead of coming down the roof Beau decided to go further up.
Dad Smith to the rescue with a taller ladder which meant we could get further up, but we didn't want to damage the neighbours roof or risk injury by climbing up & even though we could reach out to Beau he was beyond arms reach & wouldn't come down. I must have looked lovely up a ladder in a short woollen dress & knee high suede boots! I hate to imagine what the rest of the neighbours thought!

Eventually we decided that we would have to leave him and see if he could figure out how to get back down himself onto the lower portion of the roof at the garage & then onto the fence which must have been how he got up in the first place.

Mr Fudgey cam up with a cunning plan of getting a plank of wood from our garage & laying it from the garage roof to the fence that would mean the wee fella could use it to get down......

so sitting watching TV & who strolls in..........Beau..........nonchalant as you like
........looks at me as if to say what's your problem & strolls upstairs to the feeding station to refuel.

He was very affectionate later on though curling up on our knees and being all cute.

I've let him out this morning & he hasn't ventured too far at all

So there you have an update on the adventures of the legend that is Mr Beau.

Will be back later with a training blog - it's been a good week so far :-)

Take Care all
love
Fudgey
xxxx

Sunday 20 February 2011

Time Vampires

Hello Fudgey Friends,

Well that's another week been & gone & I feel like I've never stopped. 21.09 on Sunday night & I'm just sitting down to write a very quick post so you don't think I've abandoned you but I'll need to keep it short & sweet as still have a zillion things to do before bedtime. The time vampires have well & truly got Mr & Mrs Fudgey this weekend....

Fudgey Fundraising
Got my fundraising off to a good start by sending out my virign money giving page, but am planning to hold a bake sale, a grand national sweep stake, a race time predictor and some kind of social event - any excuse for a party so watch this space....
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ClaireSmith13

Fudgey Training
I managed to run on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday & also had a brilliant PT session on Wednesday too - I'm getting stronger with each week :-)I planned rest days Thursday & Saturday, but had hoped to fit in a workout on Friday but was too busy at work so it wasn't till today that I was back training & a cheeky 11.2miles done. Slow but consistent and I felt physically strong but mentally challenged - body was willing mind was not today - so I'm pleased that I managed to battle through & get the job done. Meadows Marathon (Half marathon) 2 weeks today!

Fudgey Homemakers
Mr Fudgey & I have been incredibly busy bees this weekend getting our guest room ready for the visit of my little sister tomorrow. Bed built, furniture moved, curtains hung & pictures put up. Thanks to Mum Smith for the curtains & her seamstress skills & to Dad Smith for taking away all the packaging. We've also been busy today doing general housework and getting the place nice for our first ever overnight guest. I'm so excited to see my sis as I've not seen her since last August...only 1 more sleep

Fudgey Night Out
Last night Mr Fudgey took me for a fabulous meal at McKirdy's steakhouse & then to see Anton & Erin (from Strictly come Dancing) 'Puttin on the Ritz' at the Usher hall. It was a brilliant show and I absolutely loved it. Thank you to Mr Fudgey as he bought the tickets for my birthday. Love you lots babe - you are the best.

Well folks going to leave you there - I haven't forgotten I said I'd update you on the Lucozade products & I will do as soon as I have a little more time.

Take Care all
lots of love
Fudgey
xxxx

Sunday 13 February 2011

Consistency, Control & Confidence

Hello Fudgey Friends,

Sorry I've been awol a while it occurred to me I hadn't posted since last Thursday (3rd Feb) & the reason being that there was no training whatsoever between Thursday 3 rd & Monday 7th - I was still feeling pretty yuck with the sinus infection & there was no running at all all of that week :-( I'm pleased to say I'm back into the swing of things now though & though not 100% I'd say I'm 99% better.

Catch Up
Last Sunday I made really yummy toffee blueberry pancakes - they were meant to be post run but the run never happened but I made them anyway. , just the kind of comfort food you need when you feel poorly.

Monday saw me feeling quite a bit better though Mr Fudgey felt worse than ever & ended up at home and with a doctor's appointment too. Thankfully he's much better now too. I decided on Monday after over a week's decline in training that I'd try to get back into it & see if I could sweat out the last of my illness - kill or cure! Well it certainly worked for me. I managed to do my assisted chin ups (not as good as usual - but better than not at all) superset with hammer curls, lat pull downs superset with upright rows & 50 compound crunches. I also squeezed in a 10.62km run - it certainly did the trick as by Tuesday I felt great - better than I have in weeks.

Tuesday I managed to fit in the other half of my resistance work, squats with calf raises, leg press with medicine ball lunges & jack knifes & hanging leg raises and then later on a cheeky 9.38km run.

Wednesday was a well earned rest day & a long day at the office.

Thursday - back to PT & really starting to feel myself again. Tough tough session....
4 supersets of 10 assisted pull ups with 12 standing press
4 supersets of 10 lat pull downs 35kg with 12 alternate bicep curls 8kg
3 supersets of heavy squats (about 70lb I think) with 10 weighted step ups each leg.
3 supersets of 15 leg press (65kg, 75kg & 85kg) with 10 single legged dead lifts each leg with 25lb weight.

Friday I had planned to run, but work kind of got in the way which was probably no bad thing.

Saturday my Gran came to see our new house & I made afternoon tea. It was great to catch up.

Today - the long run returned. A cold, windy & hilly 16.26km (10.1) miles which saw me lose my Asda £1 pink cap in the wind - but I had a fab run.
It wasn't fast, but it was consistently paced and I felt at the end I could have pushed on a little further. I feel a little less worried now about the half marathon in 3 weeks.
After the run I 'enjoyed' my now routine ice bath! I can't believe those are my legs by the way!!


Consistency, Control & Confidence
So finally I reveal the reason for the title of this post - I received on Friday a weekly marathon newsletter from my charity Bliss which had an article from LGN about the 3 c's philosophy - I found a link to this on the anthony nolan site. Anyway as I was running today and seeing the times for each km I realised that though my pace wasn't fast it was consistent which made me think of the article & about those 3 words which I've decided to adopt not just for my running but for work too. Over the next 3 - 4 months I want to be consistent & in control of my training, my nutrition, my work & my stress levels & I want to be more confident in my ability. There are different kinds of confidence & I'm not talking about becoming cocky, boastful & over confident but a little self belief goes a long way - if I set out with the attitude of 'I'll never manage the whole 26.2 miles of the marathon' then it's not a good place to start really & how will anyone else believe in me or want to sponsor me if I start out with a defeatist attitude? Likewise if I don't get more confident in my role at work - how can I can gain trust & confidence from others? see you can tell I'm feeling better as the determined positive me is bursting back out :-)

Lucozade Sport - Product reviews
I've been using my Lucozade products this week & some I totally love & others I'm not so fussed for - I hope to write a post on this specifically during the week, but on the whole I'd highly recommend you get on over to their online shop & see what they have to offer. It's not just the shop though, they have loads of really good articles, advice, training tools & much more on their website, and not just for runners. So go & take a look. I don't get anything in return for promoting their products - I'm doing this because I like them - however if you are interested in ordering from them let me know & send me your email address & I can refer you as a friend & you'll get 20% of your first order.

Well I better go & get my kit ready for tomorrow I'm hoping for a run & body pump after work :-)
I've also made some courgette, feta & mint soup that I need to go blend - will let you know how that turns out.

Take care all
lots of love
Fudgey xxx

Thursday 3 February 2011

On the mend: Rest & Recovery

Hello Fudgey Friends,

Sorry no posts since Sunday, it turned out the sore throat was in fact a very nasty sinus infection. I was at the doctor on Monday & got some really strong antibiotics & instructions to take it easy, so that's meant very little in the way of training this week - but as I'm determined to get back to full health & fitness as quickly as possible for once did mostly as I was told.

Tuesday I was at home all day, mostly in bed reading running magazines & sleeping. Poor Mr Fudgey also had flu like symptoms and felt rubbish so he was off too. I felt a lot brighter on Wednesday so went back to work - it only felt like I was swallowing a pea rather than a golf ball! Poor Mr Fudgey was still off - but he went back today though I think he still feels a little yuck.

Wednesday I decided to go to circuits class but with the caveat that if I didn't feel well I'd just leave - but I managed through the 45 minutes though wasn't as strong as normal but still worked up a sweat. Other than that I haven't trained at all this week, but this has probably done me no harm as rest & recovery were exactly what I needed.

However this evening I am feeling fab so I'm hoping to either fit in my strength training or a run tomorrow - work permitting. I was very good on Wednesday & managed to leave by 5.20pm when I said I was going at 4.30pm & today I was determined to leave at 5pm but ended up rushing out at 6.25pm! I do love that still time after 5pm though when there are no meetings, phone calls, no more emails or interruptions - I get so much done in that time.

All being well I'll be back on the Marathon training plan on Sunday & I'm fully stocked up & prepared as this arrived today:
I was so excited but I couldn't open till I got home, as the packing straps made the 2kg easy to carry.
So I got home & got all my Lucozade Sport goodies out. They have some brilliant deals online & delivery is free over £15 - so go visit them @ lucozadeshop
I'll let you know how I get on with all my products. I've always been a Science in Sport girl but can't wait to try out what Lucozade sport have on offer.


Will be back soon hopefully with a training update!

Take Care all
love
Fudgey
xxx