Running going well...been getting out onto the roads more out here in KL and legs getting used to the concrete...!!

Must just be careful not to increase too many factors at once and timetable for speed, distance and hill sessions with enough recovery between each. I still advocate at least one or two sessions per week on the cross trainer to support the running, especially for those with any alignment issues, knee or groin pain... Great for leg strengthening without the impact and for cardiovascular intervals as you can maintain correct foot and leg alignment more easily if you keep a check on it!!!

So, after building up strength again and getting through a rough personal patch I am up for a half and full marathon this year and hoping to maintain the upper body mass I have gained... This means paying attention to my diet which had gone off the boil whilst stressed... With the support of some great friends I am eating better again, much happier and nearly back on track... I find it difficult to eat properly with too many worries on my mind but am beginning to enjoy my food again.. Top faves at the moment are iced milk and milo combo, HL drink, 'Camel' trail mix (loving the almonds and figs!!) and papaya!! 

Time to finish on the laptop and get in the gym...will be out dancing tonight tho!! Yeahy  

Well, the New Year has arrived and what will it bring??

On my wish list this year is an improvement in my 10k and or half marathon times and a little more upper body strength since I lost a lot last year training for the marathon and stress. Strength first, running second I think...I do it for the goals and I enjoy the events but I am not a serious runner and my training is always a little haphazard...!!

So...after getting over the over-training and illness and a couple of good runs I entered a time of many personal changes in my life and I have to admit that my training has suffered greatly as a result! NEVER underestimate the effects of stress on the body. 

Stress affects everyone in different ways and although the hormone cortisol is essential to us, continual high levels in the bloodstream due to stress can have a very detrimental effect on physical health causing:

-Impaired cognitive performance

-Suppressed thyroid function

-Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia

-Decreased bone density

-Decrease in muscle tissue

-Higher blood pressure

-Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences

-Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of metabolic syndrome, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!

Add to this other factors such as not eating well due to loss of appetite, insomnia or disturbed sleep and the body will not be able to repair itself properly after exercise. Muscle can begin to break down and performance will definitely decrease.

In my case I have found it difficult to motivate myself mentally for the long runs due to worry or preoccupation with the things that I have been dealing with. I haven't been good at sticking to an appropriate diet for marathon training and therefore have been lacking in energy and enthusiasm. I have also had trouble sleeping which means that my recovery has been slow and performance poor.

However... Now that things have settled down I have six weeks in which to turn this around and get myself across that fininshing line... Somehow!!

A couple of days rest will be my starting point and after the long holiday weekend I will attempt what will have to be the last long, distance increasing run. After that I will have to devise a new strategy for the race and work out a realistic plan. I have not felt so unprepared for a race before and it is more than a little bit scary. Still, I am doing this for sponsorship for the charity Club Rainbow and therefore cannot let them down.

I need all the support I can get now so please make a donation and help get me motivated to get through this!!  

 https://scms2010.clubrainbow.org/Run-for-good/Catherine_Rose/20/

So...

It was all going so well... Five weeks after starting back again from illness I ran a comfortable hilly twelve miler. I was fine the next week and then bam...

My legs just seemed to pack up!

Now this could have been over training so I cut right back...but the aching was still severe and then randomly my wisdom tooth became inflamed followed swiftly by my throat. I suspected a combination of travel, training and infection was getting the better of me and so on return out came the tooth and in went antibiotics... Lots of very strong ones which due to the nature of the infection and a further complication I am still on!

I really felt like dropping out the other day. 20 minute jogs were a struggle... Then we went on the Club Rainbow treasure hunt and picnic.

Russel the boy in our group who has cerebral palsy never stopped smiling. During the morning he was helped out of his wheelchair for some walking therapy. He managed about 100m before he needed a rest but that was good enough for him and everyone cheered him on. He doesn't give up and stop enjoying life as much as possible every morning when he wakes up with his own personal challenges ahead of him just to get through the day. He certainly doesn't feel sorry for himself or resign to indifference. He wants to get on and do as much as he can despite how frustrating it must be.

So, Russel thank you for your inspiration and your smiles. Today I managed a very steady 45mins and tomorrow we will see. I am lucky, I won't be stuck on this medication forever. It doesn't matter that I might not make my goal time...it matters that I finish it. If I skip the SAFRA half next month it won't matter if I can still raise some money in December for these kids and their families. They NEVER give up and they are my inspiration!  

So...the long runs are under way! My poor legs really wish they were living in a flatter county today...This area being an old coal mining district is fairly hilly, so that added to the simple fact that I haven't been doing my longer runs solely on the road back home means extra, extra stress for them!! On the plus side, when I return there should be some payoff...the difficulty acclimatising to the heat again will hopefully be eased by the fact that the terrain is much flatter...well that is my positive outlook anyway! 

As for eating right...well I am still adjusting to the extra training and also trying to keep up at least three strength sessions a week. I find that some days I am ravenous from morning to night no matter what I eat but I suspect that I could benefit more from extra sleep and that it is tiredness that makes me so hungry. I am trying to stick to whole grains and non processed foods but wholemeal bread has become necessary...something I used not to eat much of. I would still like to loose more weight but not try to do it too quickly and end up falling back in training. 

Well, it finally appears to have stopped raining so that is my cue to get outside and get some fresh air with Jack! The air here is nice and fresh but still, it has to be said, as full if not fuller with pollen than back home... Still, the rain today should help but I was certainly suffering this morning having been out in it all day yesterday! 

Off we go...

Yippee... I hit my target today, almost four weeks back into training and no more nasty bugs!! Thank you Simon for accompanying me today and ensuring that I really did give it everything I had...there is more to come but I am happy with this for now!

I have learned to listen to my body a little more lately and by not rushing things and over training, due to panic and disgust at the state of my fitness after a couple of months of on-off illness, I have reached the first goal I set myself and my body is beginning to feel more like my own again. It is amazing how stiff and out of sorts I felt during the first two weeks with niggles and aches all over...I really felt old and heavy and it wasn't pleasant but I still craved carbs, carbs, carbs and I thought I would never get my old eating habits back...

However, by plodding on day by day, focusing on the goal and the training and getting plenty of early nights, my weight has gradually dropped as my appetite has slowly changed and all those aches and pains are pretty well history. It may take a bit longer these days than it used to but I refuse to give in to my age! 

The oldest man to run his first marathon was 86! 

I am also going to start gymnastics at home in the UK...I may have the fear these days but they have plenty of crash mats and there are a couple of things I really wish I could do... We will see!! 

I was thinking about all this earlier and three things struck me.

1) 'I'm too old now'... The thinking that some people seem to have whilst others just keep on going. When we are younger we are keen to try new things and take up new activities. Then for some, work or family life takes over and exercise is forgotten or avoided. When it is started up again often for health or body issues it is done in a gym or class situation and some seriously positive results can be seen. However, at this point many people get stuck in a rut. They get bored, go off the boil and three months later are back at square 1. I try to encourage clients and friends to enjoy their training and think about secondary goals that could help them to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle into old age. We are all hopefully going to get old eventually and quality of life will be greatly affected by health and not least mobility. Having to rely on others is depressing and whilst in cases it may be unavoidable I think we should all take as much responsibility for our health as possible. Let's keep up with our kids!!

2) 'I just don't have time...' How many times have I heard this?! At the end of the day we make choices (if we are in that fortunate position most of the people reading this will be). The person who works long hours to close deals as well as entertaining clients until the early hours of the morning who also has a family at home, could probably finish the evening earlier, get up earlier to work out and still have breakfast with their family if they so decided. A job that pays slightly less but requires less hours, allowing more free time could be an option if your health is more important than your lifestyle. Exercise need only really take up half an hour of your day...now think of the amount of time wasted by reading about the fantastic bodies and weird lifestyles of celebrities in magazines, or gossiping over coffee... Take the magazine to the bike if necessary and gossip in an exercise class... Listen to a book or your favorite music on an i-pod and make it YOUR time.

3)Simple pleasures... Drinking that can of 100 Plus after completing 3 quarters of my run this morning was THE MOST amazing, pleasurable experience you could imagine... Right at that moment there was nothing in the world I could have wanted more than that drink and when I got it...Oh YES!! It hit the spot. It reminded me of when my dad would say when we were younger and asking for an ice cream or the like, 'When you've earned it'! I would think, but I just want an ice cream/biscuit/bag of crisps because they are nice! Of course today I still have those thoughts, usually about cake or a glass of wine or bowl of ice cream and sometimes I give in. However, you really can't beat the sensation of really needing something and getting it to fuel your engine again. I find that once I am focused on something and eating for energy/performance then my diet choices are much more likely to take care of themselves without too much trouble to avoid temptation. The combination of physical activity and the positive psychological effects it has on mind help to overcome that downward spiral of abnormal eating patterns.

Well... Back home now to the UK for a month and some road running ahead. I was wondering if I should invest in one of those thermal tracksuits to help mimic the heat and sweat loss of running out here so that it won't be too much of a shock when I come back...? One of my clients said they would sponsor me for sure if I posted a picture of myself running around the English countryside in one....hmmmm??

 http://scms2010.clubrainbow.org

Well, two weeks away from that last virus...and still going strong! Been eating like a horse lately in a bid to build up my endurance levels again without crashing but it may be time to cut back a little now... I'd like to feel a bit lighter but then again, I don't want to lose my strength and energy so better make sure I get the right balance!

I can't see how I am going to manage to stay up to see any of the football matches at this rate though... Right now i'm ready for bed and it's only tea time with clients still ahead! Still, i'm sure i'll hear all about it the next day...  

Speaking of clients...Ben had better watch out tonight having laughed at his own wife's inability to speak following our long, hilly run this morning... I'm sure I can find something that will have the same effect on him later...perhaps a few supersets of jumping lunges and burpees will do the trick?? Everyones favourite treat! No?

Oh well, looking forward to giving the old legs a rest tomorrow and hoping they might recover in time to enjoy my geriatrics wushu class on Saturday! 

Almost the weekend so lets have a good one!  

A couple of people have been asking me about pacing devices since I mentioned them on a recent blog... 

Suddenly went a bit shop happy this evening and nearly spent a fortune! I didn't but, I do now have a ridiculously long list of new 'gear' that I obviously must have for my marathon training runs... How did I manage before with just a pair of trainers some kit (I did buy some blister resist socks), an i-pod and a last minute cheap digital watch from the only shop open the night before...ASDA, to time myself with??? Thanks Ben though for sacrificing that vital extra hour of sleep to go out and get me one, having told me NOT to go out and waste money on one because I could borrow your friend's...except it was broken! No, now though, it is clear that I am currently under equipped for such an event... 

For one, I don't own a flashy  pair of ('yeah, they look cool mum'!) specialist running sunglasses at circa $340 a pop!! They do come with four different depth of colour interchangable lenses though... I hope for that price at least one of them is rose tinted... 

Nor, do I own specialist running headphones for my i-pod that don't fall out, or cut out on sweat overload. I did, but they broke! They cut out as soon as water hit and couldn't escape because they were shoved so far into my ear that I also ended up with a rather painful and unsightly abscess!! Due, no doubt to the combination of earwax and sweat...lovely...worth every penny! 

Then, something practical actually...a sweat band with a rubber rim that diverts the water away from the eyes... That, I like! Especially in Singapore 

Hmmmm...oh yes! The last thing...a pacing device :) :) Now, this I want! My first running event ever being a marathon, my major concern as a novice/rookie and having done a lot of training on the treadmill in Singapore, since we had only just arrived and were not acclimatized yet, was how to guage my pace on the road in London. I didn't feel confident that I would manage with a wrist band and the mile markers! My outside running pace in Sg wasn't going to be particularly helpful as it was all at MacRitchie which is uneven, undulating terrain and much slower than flat road running. Still...somehow, I managed!! Now, this time I plan to do much more outdoor road running obviously, as the race is here. So, me being lazy...and loving the cute little Nike wristbands that come with their latest offering of an interchangable shoe chip so you don't now HAVE to buy their own brand trainers in order to use it, is probably going to buy one of them... 

Oh, who am I kidding?? I have all of the above on hold til next week... What do they say?? All the gear, NO idea...??? !!

Happy shopping runners!!! 

Having entered this years Standard Chartered Singapore marathon in a moment of viral delirium and misery last week (and...oh joy, just in time as registration closed already!), what better reason to raise some money for a good cause?!?

Please, please, please visit our website Facebook page (which I intend to now start using properly at last!) and support us with our training and fund raising. More charity details to be posted soon.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Singapore-Singapore/Fit-Physique/142717677146?ref=mf&ajaxpipe=1&__a=19

We will be blogging our  training progress and offering tips and advice to other runners out there whom we would love to join our discussion. We will also be opening a marathon discussion topic on our website chat forum so if you know any runners out there...first timers or elites (all are welcome!), who might be interested in joining the chat, then please forward this link on! I personally found this kind of forum invaluable when I was training for my first marathon two years ago. 

Many thanks for any support you can muster!

Day 1 (Post viral!) 

So Back at it...after yet another nasty virus, ANOTHER return to training and with a slightly larger goal in sight now! If I think about this like climbing a mountain then although I know I have done it before, right now I am not even at base camp. In fact, after recent concurrent colds I don't even feel like I am at the foot of the mountain.....more like still in the car park at the edge of the park!!

So, today? 2 hours steady on the cross trainer and a hell of a lot of stretching...feeling like my 'WV' bib number is right on the mark!! 

Day 3 

I think I need an oil can for my joints tonight after a slow 10k run and recovery bike ride yesterday...getting back into it gets harder every time!

Enjoyed our walk/run round MacRitchie this morning though Hayley :) Not quite sure how I ever managed to run round it three times in a row though...I guess I'm gonna find out soon enough! Will you still be with me??