The Lost Blog Post

Hello

Well it is a total mystery, I have no idea what happened to my blog post last night. I really struggled to get writing & spent about 20 minutes just getting started. An hour later I had a decent post, pressed publish.....& it vanished. Looking at the blogger dashboard the save button is beside publish so even if I clicked the wrong button it would be in drafts - but no not there. Now blogger used to auto save as you worked, I'm guessing the new version no longer does?  Anyway here I am back again with my update from last week. My wee assistant is lying beside me to keep me right......

RUNNING UPDATE
Last weeks sessions: Planned to run Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday.....

TUESDAY: No run - my own fault really, had planned to run when the little one went to bed, but hubby also wanted to workout, I could have gone for my run as soon as he came in from work but I hadn't eaten enough to allow me to do that & then by the time I prepared food & we ate it was almost 8pm, meaning I wouldn't be able to run until closer to 10pm - far too late for me. Already running at 9pm is a new challenge as I am so energised it's hard to sleep. Hey ho it's all a learning curve balancing being a wife, mum & home maker & just when I think I have things sussed it all changes again - keeps us all on our toes!

WEDNESDAY:  Session 1: 20 minutes, walk 1 min, run 6 min. Managed this quite easily on the treadmill even though I wasn't really in the mood

THURSDAY: Session 2: Run 24 minutes. My first proper run with Bug & the Viper (model name of our travel system) Picked the travel system for it's size, ease of use, weight & being an all terrain sports model. Well running coach Bug wasn't very motivational - she slept the whole way! What a totally different experience running with the pram - hard workout......alters your stride if you run with it directly in front of you, makes you hold your body much more upright & you can't swing your arms if your hands are on the handle, also for that reason couldn't carry a water bottle but put one in the basket underneath & got a drink at the traffic lights when we waited to cross. Managed to run for 28 minutes.

SATURDAY: Far far to tired to run, actually went to bed right after the little one did.

SUNDAY: Run 26 minutes. Even though quite humid it was also pretty windy out. Managed a 30 minute run. It also occurred to me that regardless of where I head off to (unless its the treadmill) my homeward run is always going to be uphill!

So the 3 planned sessions done, not when planned but done & that is what is important :-)

 

This weeks planned sessions: Plan to run Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday

Session 1: Run 28 minutes
Session 2: Run 30 minutes
Session 3: Run 20 minutes

Session 4: Run 5K

 

THE ZOMBIE APOCALPYSE IS COMING.......

 

Very excited to have signed up with 6 other lovely but crazy ladies to take part in The Zombie Evacuation Race in October. Mind you I will probably pee myself when the first realistic zombie jumps out on me from behind a tree. If anyone else is interested in joining our team it's not too late so please get in touch with me, or get your own team together, & they are also looking for zombies.

 

 

30 DAY SQUAT CHALLENGE

 

I completed this last Tuesday :-)

Restarted it on 1st July adding in weights & bicep curls to make it harder.

 

30 DAY AB CHALLENGE

 

Also started this on 1st July but fear it may have killed me by the end of the first week. Leg raises are agony on my sacro iliac, ok if I lift one leg at a time but not both together so I shall find an alternative to the leg raises. I really need to get something done about this problem with my back but massage hasn't helped & my GP was useless telling me it was because I'd had a baby & to take paracetamol. This doesn't bother me on a day to day basis or stop me doing anything other than being able to lie flat on the floor & raise both legs at the same time.

 

MUMMY & BUG NEWS

 

Monday morning - our usual swimming lesson

 

Tuesday - a very busy day, trip into Edinburgh, lots of people to see, deliveries to make & things to do.

 

Wednesday - Bookbug session at the library then lunch with Gran, Grandpa & Father Tabone

 

 

Thursday - Bug had a total pyjama day, I only got dressed for us to go for our run, think we both needed a day like this.

 

Friday - West Lothian Birth & After Birth group in the morning, followed by lunch with some of the ladies & babes. Great to see Elaine & Max back after their holiday & really nice for Renee to join us for lunch too. in the afternoon I went & had my hair chopped.

 



 

Saturday & Sunday - nothing much to report - nice quiet weekend but we did manage to Skype my sister & the 3 pink princesses :-)

 

 

GOAL UPDATE

The below goals were set on 16th June........so 2 weeks in

 

Short Term Goals

 

Running:

• In 4 weeks I want to be able to comfortably run 5k......managing 4k near to comfortable at the moment & if I can stick to my training this should be achievable.
• In 10 weeks I want to be able to run 10k.......lets get the 5k nailed first.....

 

Diet:

I need to get my diet back on track, I was doing really well, but increased activity = increased appetite & I haven't made the right choices in the last week. I'm reassured though as I know exactly where mistakes have been made & how to address them. The aim is to lose a stone over the next 14 weeks -  a pound a week should be easily achievable if I keep focused. I'm like a yo yo at the moment 3 pounds on, 2 pounds off, 2 pounds on.....aaaarrgh....I know what I need to do though & I need to get more prepared, when I was doing well I was taking my snacks, lunch etc out & about with me. I also need to ditch my bread head - just seem addicted to bread just now. However it is very deceiving to be ruled by the scales as I have actually lost 2 inches off my hips & 1 off my waist. I am therefore taking a slightly different approach & have weighed & measured on 1st July & won't again till 1st August so will update you then.

 

 

 

Well I think that is everything from last week....time for a quick cuppa before I feed a wee Bug - she actually fell asleep while I wrote this, I knew she would as she hasn't slept much today....

 

 

Take Care everyone

 

love

Fudgey x x x x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaaargh

I have just spent an hour writing a post.......
hit publish........
and it's disappeared :-(

Have several things still to do tonight before getting to bed so will need to start again tomorrow

love Fudgey xxxx

A week of firsts

Hello Fudgey Friends,

How are you all?

I'm good but incredibly tired - so time to blog & then off to bed for me.

Last week was an incredibly busy week - in fact most weeks are pretty busy these days for us.

RUNNING UPDATE

Last weeks sessions:
MONDAY: Session 1: Almost 6 months ago I gave birth to my beautiful girl, 6 weeks ago I was seriously ill in hospital TODAY I ran for 40 minutes non stop - hard work and determination paying off :-D

THURSDAY: Session 2: Run 15 minutes walk 1 minute repeat twice. This should have been done on Wednesday but I didn't feel up to it by the time the wee one went down to bed but was determined I would stick to the plan & run 4 times.

 

FRIDAY: Session 3: Run 17 minutes walk 1 minute run 7 minutes

 

SUNDAY: Session 4: Run 19 minutes walk 1 minute run 7 minutes. Feeling a lot of tightness in the right hand side, glute, hamstring, knee & ankle all needing a good stretch out & unwind.

 

This weeks planned sessions:

Session 1: 20 minutes, walk 1 min, run 6 min
Session 2: Run 24 minutes
Session 3: Run 26 minutes

 

All dependent on how these aches & pains feel as it's taken me so long to get back to here I don't want to jeopardise what I've already accomplished & set myself back again.

 

30 DAY SQUAT CHALLENGE

Many of you will have seen or heard about the 30 day squat challenge on Facebook. Tomorrow is my day 30 - have stuck to it religiously with my new PT cheering me on or giggling from her bouncing seat.

 

MUMMY & BUG NEWS

 

Monday morning - our usual swimming lesson

 

On Tuesday I had a fantastic day at The Edinburgh School of Food & Wine with some of my work colleagues. This was our annual away day & as always didn't fail to disappoint, we had cookery demos, then we cooked & then we ate. We made our own fresh pasta - spinach & ricotta ravioli, chicken stuffed with red pesto, mozzarella & wrapped in Parma ham with a herb risotto & Tiramisu. Thank you to Granny &Grandpa for looking after Buggy for the day.

 

On Wednesday we headed into town & met Ann & Jane from my gym for coffee.

 

Thursday - West Lothian Birth & After Birth support group - lovely sitting outside in the sunshine.

 

Friday - West Lothian Birth & After Birth support group followed by lunch with Kat & Graeme.

 

Saturday - a big adventure - first excursion to Glasgow on the train.

and met Great Great Aunt Rose & wee Rose for the first time.

And met Skylo the doggie for the first time - was mesmerised by his tail!

Thank you Auntie Biff for hosting us all & for the lift back through.

Sunday - first ever 'meal' Organix banana porridge, sat up in the high chair & took a wee bit....no drama or fuss so we shall continue on with the weaning & see how it goes.


and that is a whistle stop rundown of our week.

I've managed to finish this post & it is 9.55pm - with a little luck I might get close to 8 hours sleep tonight.

Take Care everyone
love Fudgey x x x

 

 

The road back to fitness

Hello Fudgey Followers,

Yes I really am back, & blogger has changed a lot - going to take me some time to get to grips with it all again.

Where have I been?
The day after running The Edinburgh Rock & Roll half marathon in 2012 I found out that I was pregnant due boxing day, as my blog was mainly about my running it sadly became abandoned. I had hoped once I was once the 12 week stage to share my news & continue running - but running also had to take a back seat for over a year - it just didn't feel comfortable at all. I did keep up my general fitness though & was still a regular at the gym & had PT once a week right up to 37 weeks.

Christmas came & went & no sign of the new arrival, but at the start of 2013 our daughter was born

 

 

I'll spare you the details but even though she was a tiny wee girl she still managed to cause physical trauma on her arrival which meant her first hour of life spent with Daddy, surgery for me & a 12 week ban from exercise.

 

At first this wasn't an issue - with a newborn baby around I didn't feel much like exercising.

However by 8 weeks we had a pretty good routine & I was anxious to start back running but physio & consultant said no.

 

I waited for the 12 weeks to be over & at about 13 weeks I attempted my first run on the treadmill, it felt OK but my breathing wasn't great & I was wheezing & coughing afterwards. The next day I woke up choked with the cold. So running on hold again

 

At 15 weeks I tried again - a few hours after running I was being sick - turned out to be norovirus & I was ill for 48 hours. Mr Fudgey also became victim to the sickness bug but thankfully our wee princess never caught it.

 

At 17 weeks I was thinking of trying again but developed severe abdominal pain & I could hardly walk never mind contemplating running. I ended up admitted to hospital with acute diverticulitis.

A few days in hospital & I was back home, but back doing everything I'd been doing before - you don't get much rest with a 4 month old baby. Though the good news was that she was sleeping through the night from 9pm till at least 6am every day.

 

At 21 weeks I started the 30 day squat challenge on 27th May & on 29th May I finally started my running comeback & it continues well.

For 2 weeks I just did my own thing & ran / walked every other day mainly when the little one went to sleep at 9pm, but now I am following a more structured plan.

 

Where am I now?

 

Week 1: Last week

Session 1: Run 10 minutes walk 1 minute repeat twice

Session 2: Run 12 minutes walk 1 minute repeat twice

Session 3: Run 13 minutes walk 1 minute repeat twice

 

Week 2: This week

Session 1: Monday Long run as the little one is at her Granny & Grandpa in the afternoon. Walked for 2 minutes & decided to see how long I could run for - blown away that I managed 40 minutes, I then walked for 3 minutes to cool down. A couple of months ago I never thought this would happen, but hard work, determination & sheer bloody mindedness are paying off! I also couldn't do this without the support from my fantastic Mr Fudgey & a very very good little girl who sleeps so well to allow me the time to commit to my love of running.

 

Planned sessions:

Session 2: Run 15 minutes walk 1 minute repeat twice

Session 3: Run 17 minutes walk 1 minute run 7 minutes

Session 4: Run 19 minutes walk 1 minute run 7 minutes

 

Short Term Goals

 

Running:

• In 4 weeks I want to be able to comfortably run 5k
• In 10 weeks I want to be able to run 10k

 

Diet:

I need to get my diet back on track, I was doing really well, but increased activity = increased appetite & I haven't made the right choices in the last week. I'm reassured though as I know exactly where mistakes have been made & how to address them. The aim is to lose a stone over the next 14 weeks -  a pound a week should be easily achievable if I keep focused.

 

Long Term Goals

 

Running:

• VLM in 2014 if I get a ballot place
• Edinburgh Marathon in 2014 & already have a guaranteed place if I don't get into VLM

Hopefully I'll be able to update my blog once a week to let you know how I am getting on, but everything dependent on my number 1 priority.....

 

Great to be a Mummy & great to be back running.

Take care all

love
Fudgey

 



 

 



 

 

I'm Back

Hello Fudgey followers,
Well it has been over a year since I last blogged.
 My last post was The Edinburgh rock and roll half marathon race report.....
The day after the race I found out I was pregnant.......
And at the start of this year my beautiful daughter arrived....
I have started back running in the last 10 days & boring my Facebook friends with running updates......
so I think it is time for the blog to return.....
watch this space

 Love Fudgey x

Edinburgh Rock & Roll Half Marathon Race Report

Hello Fudgey Friends,

How is everyone? I'm good taking a few days to rest & recover from all my recent running & various aches & pains.

Half Marathon Expo
On Saturday afternoon Mr Fudgey & I had to head into Edinburgh to collect my race number for Sunday. For us this was a bit of a pain in the backside as we live a 45 minute bus journey from the centre of town but as the organisers wanted an extra £5 to post race packs out I opted to make the 25 mile round trip to collect!

I have to say I was a little disappointed with what was on offer at the expo - compared to the amazing Expo we'd been at in Dublin.


I received a tiny envelope with my race number & chip, then to another tent to collect my tshirt & gear bag which simply contained several leaflets that will all end up in my recycling bucket.

There were a few stalls & I loved the Bond Band stall though & fabby hubby got me a pink ponytail hat, a band for my good friend smurfy & this band for me.

I also got a couple of energy bars at the Run for it stand but other than that there wasn't much for me & very little in the way of give aways, competitions etc.

I know that all sounds quite negative but it's not meant to be I'm just being honest. On a positive note it did psych me up for the run on Sunday - seeing everyone collecting their numbers & walking about with their gear bags started to get me in the mood.


Race Day

It wasn't as early a start as my 2 other recent events - a start time of 9am meant I was able to get up at 6.45am.
My usual pre race breakfast of Marks & Spencer Apple & Sultana Instant porridge - I think if they ever discontinue this I will cry - it's now seen me through 2 marathons & 4 halfs :-)
Plenty of water to drink to hydrate. Feet taped up - though touch wood I've not had any foot / blister issues in a long long time. Kitted up & ready to go at 7.45am.
Massive Thank you again for Dad Smith for running us into Edinburgh - very very much appreciated - it really took the stress out of getting there on time.

As usual first stop was the queue for the portaloos. Sorry another criticism but for the number of runners there were not enough toilets especially compared to other events I've taken part in with both a lot more & a lot less runners. By the time I finally made it to the front of the queue & went to the loo & came out they were announcing that there were 15 minutes till the start of the race & could all runners make their way to the starting areas.
At this point I said goodbye Mr Fudgey as he headed off to find a good photo spot & I went to my start area. The 8th section back from the start.
It was fantastic to bump into Jonathan Sherman also making his way to his start area & to say hello & then to find the lovely Sarah Burgon - so we had a good old natter while we waited the 11 minutes it took us to get over the start line from the gun. Though there was quite a wait it was good as they were waiting a minute or so between each corral so there was no problem with congestion on the course which can be frustrating.
The Red Hot Chilli Pipers played Flower of Scotland at the start but as we were so far back we couldn't see anything.

Once across the line I settled in a nice steady pace - I knew this wasn't going to a PB in fact I expected a personal worse with all the aches, pains, niggles, moans & groans I've had recently. 4 races in 4 weeks certainly took their toll & I know that since the start of the year I have overtrained & not rested as much as I should have. I should practice what I preach on to others about all the time!

Saw fantastic Mr Fudgey so gave him my customary wave & focused on what lay ahead. I was running really great for the first 5k better than I've run in a wee while but it started to get warm as we passed along portobello & I could feel my pace slowing. I still felt OK though & kept going. The music at each mile was really good especially if you missed the mile marker you knew from the entertainment you'd passed another mile :-) I kept drinking enough to keep me hydrated & took on an energy gel after each 6k.

The pace really started to drop a lot after 10k especially climbing some of the hills & a few times I had to slow to a walk. Though I have to admit the downhills were more painful that the uphills. They really made me grimace at some points, especially coming down the mound. My right leg & groin wanted to divorce me & find a new body At around 11 miles I was finding it really tough going it was so hard as the mind was willing but my body just wasn't so I decided on a tactic of allowing myself to walk for 1 minutes & then run for 3 minutes - this got me through miles 11 & 12 & then I knew I was nearly at the finish. Checking Mr Garmin I knew I could make the finish under 2 hours 30 which though a personal worst for me was the pace I had hoped I could manage & I didn't want to be over 2hrs 30. Practically cried up the last incline of Jeffrey Street, but when I got to the Ragamuffin shop at St Mary Street & the Royal mile I knew it was all downhill & I was adamant & sheer bloody minded that I was running all the way to the finish........Which I did:-) I've never been so glad for a race to be over. 2 hours 28 minutes a personal worst but I'm so incredibly proud of myself for sticking with it & finishing.

Other than my Lockie sheer bloody mindedness & stubbornness, these last few runs have been to raise funds for The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice for my Gran Margaret Lockie who they took such great care of. I know I've said this before & my regular followers will remember but my Gran was the most amazing, strong, & dignified lady I know & seeing the way she dealt with her terminal Cancer will inspire me for the rest of my life. If you can spare a couple of quid please please please donate here

At the finish area I got water, a powerade, a banana, a pack of crisps, a frusli bar & a mini bag of haribo - which I think Mr Fudgey has eaten or are still in his bag. There was no race goody bag but there was a pretty awesome medal.

So would I recommend this race, for the route, the on course entertainment, marshalling, the medal & the tshirt absolutely. A bit pricey, & next year they need to revisit the packet pick up & the number of loos. Also disappointingly the results in the Edinburgh evening news are gun time not chip time so a good 10 minutes slower than actual time.

So what's next?
I'm signed up for a 10k in 4 weeks but at the moment my main focus is on getting all my wee niggles recovered & my body properly rested.

I'll be back soon with an update on how I'm getting on

Take Care all
love
Fudgey xxxx

Kilomathon Scotland - Race Report

Hello Fudgey Friends,

Well it was another early Sunday morning start in the Fudgey household today - though not quite as early as last week. Massive Thank you to hubby for his constant support & for not moaning about having his Sunday lie in stolen 2 weeks in a row. Thank you also to Dad Smith for the lift to the start at Ocean Terminal.

My running hasn't been great recently. My pace just isn't there & I'm struggling a little with a niggle in my groin & have had some heel pain the last couple of weeks but I'm determined to make it through to the Rock & Roll Half marathon in 2 weeks time & hopefully raise funds for The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow - you took such amazing care of my Gran in the last weeks.

Please sponsor me here if you can - every penny very very very much appreciated.

So it was up at 6.30am on fuel with my usual pre race porridge. I really struggled to eat it this morning but forced myself & the 2 wee kitties Beau & Dora enjoyed the last wee traces in the bowl.

Out of the house at 7.35am and off to Ocean terminal for an 8.30am start.

We arrived at Ocean terminal & I had to make my last pre race visit to the toilets. What a nice change to have real toilets instead of portaloos. With proper running water & hand dryers. I never even had to queue this morning.

At about 8.20am everyone started to make their way to the starting area. I've taken part in the last 2 kilomathons & whilst they haven't been massive there were certainly a lot less people today. I was worried about being left behind as everyone else looked so fit & like real runners!

It was pretty cold first thing even though it was really bright - I'm really glad I had my trusty bruised & battered £1 baseball cap.

8.30am and we were off. I was really pleased to see that it was a nice steady start and I must have placed myself just in the right area as no one was flying past me - in fact I was doing all the passing.

The route was pretty much all on cycle paths & was really lovely. The only thing was that as there were not so many runners I felt I didn't push myself as hard as I could have, but this is a good thing as I needed to treat today as a regular Sunday training run and not overdo it before the half marathon.

By the time I got to the water station at about 5.5km I was pretty glad as it was getting very warm in the sun.

I struggled a little between 7 & 10km to keep up my consistent pace, but found it again for the last 3km & sprinted into Murrayfield Stadium. What an amazing place to finish and as the runners by this point were pretty spaced out - every runner was getting their own cheer as they crossed the line.


Through the finish area to receive my medal & goody bag & 2 bottles of water.

The goody bag contained: an eat natural bar, , lo salt, raisins, sample of biofreeze, sweets, mini deodorant, spatone liquid iron supplement, high 5 sports drinks tablets & a sports watch.

My official time 1 hour 26 minutes 35 seconds.
Delighted with this given my time for the full kilomathon last April was just under 2 hours 50 minutes & I'm not in the shape or fitness I was then.
I now have something to work on & will be going & signing up for the September event.

I actually really enjoyed the smaller race today & the fact that it was on the cycle paths rather than roads. It was also really good value for money at only £15 for the 13.1k distance. There was also 6.55km & 2.62km races. I'd really recommend this to anyone who fancies giving it a go on 30th September.
I'd love it though if the full Kilomathon was reintroduced at some point too though.

I'll be back soon to catch up on the last few weeks including Sports relief.

Til then Take Care everyone

lots of love
Fudgey
xxxxx