Tuesday 28 June 2016

USN Protein Shakes review

Protein shakes are just for body builders right? You only need them if you are lifting weights or trying to bulk up? 

I'm no nutritional expert but I kind of always thought that protein intake was more important for people into weights and body building than for runners and endurance athletes. 

Then a friend recently pointed out that while lifting weights undoubtedly causes muscle damage that needs a protein fix to repair running surely causes a much higher level of muscle damage when you are running high mileage which surely needs even more attention in the form of a protein fix. 

I'd never really looked at it that way before so recently I have had an added interest in not only getting enough protein into my diet but also getting a good intake after particularly long or intensive runs. 


So when I had the chance to try out some USN protein shakes I jumped at the chance to try out some high quality protein supplements from one of the market leaders. 


I later went onto read that USN were in fact founded by a mountain biking enthusiast as opposed to gym going body builder, alongside their ethos of providing advance sports nutrition to people from all sports with any goals I was even more assured that their products could be for a runner like me. 

The main protein shakes that I sampled were the Diet Whey Isolean which although designed as a meal replacement shake worked pretty well as a post workout drink as it contains over 25g of protein. 

I sampled the vanilla flavour, which would probably be my least favourite flavour of the general options you get of protein shakes. However this flavour of this product was actually delicious and one of the best vanilla flavoured products I have tasted. 

Thick and smooth like a rich vanilla yogurt it tasted great and provided a great recovery drink after a 15 mile run. 

The other product I tried out was Pure GF1 6-Stage Lean Protein which I sampled in the chocolate cream flavour. 

Packing a massive 40g per serving I saved this for after a really long run as I figured my muscles would be glad for the protein overload! I was excited by the sound of the chocolate cream flavour and it didn't despite as it was chocolaty and creamy however there was the horrible artificial after taste you sometime get with these products, but all in all not a bad shake. 

Overall I really enjoyed using the USN products and really felt like I noticed a difference in my recovery when taking these products, part of that might be mental of course but I think that there was definitely a physical benefit. 

I would definitely consider purchasing USN products going forward as I believe their products have an obvious superior taste and benefit. They are more expensive than some other products on the market but that is because they are a quality product and as with most markets the added cost does represent itself through higher quality.

You can find out more about the USN protein shakes range here.

Thank you to USN for providing me with some fitness shakes to try for free in return fro a review. Although these products were received free of charge all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. 

Monday 27 June 2016

Spark and Gusto Subscription box review

I don't care who you are, getting a box of goodies in the post is exciting and so if you are a runner and you get a box of running goodies in the post then that is pretty damn exciting!

So when the opportunity arose to review a Spark & Gusto subscription box I grabbed it.

Spark and Gusto are a company that can provide you with a box of fitness themed goodies either as a one of treat or as a regular subscription.


So the way I see it is if you are ever short of an idea for a present for the runner in your life (wife, mum, mother in law, sister in law, sister and various aunties and uncles please take note!) you could them a box with minimal stress and know that they would be chuffed to get a box of running related goodies. Or as a runner yourself if you wanted to keep yourself motivated with your training you could set yourself up a subscription so you keep getting a regular supply of fresh fitness related products to try out.

In case your wondering the name Spark and Gusto comes from the idea that receiving a box of goodies should provide you with a 'spark' for you to give some 'gusto' to some exercise, pretty clever! 

I did receive my subscription box free of charge in return for my review and other similar subscription boxes are available on the market.



I couldn't wait to get hold of my box, unfortunately it came when I was at work and we had to pick it up form the post office sorting office on a Saturday morning when we were actually going away for the weekend. So sat in the passenger seat of our car I excitedly unwrapped my box to enthusiastically discover the following products:

High 5 energy gels - What a great start? My favourite energy gels in my favourite flavours and I had a marathon coming so absolutely perfect!

Life Maxx reaction ball - This strange little object is designed to improve your reactions. I have seen cricketers train with something similar I think, basically you can use it by throwing against a wall and because its so oddly shapen it will bounce back in a completely random way testing your reactions as you try to catch it. AS soon as I saw it I liked the idea of it and I have started using it regularly as a warm up for circuit training or running.  Its pretty easy to devise a quick session, what I have been doing is throwing it against the bathroom door in our hallway and then try to catch it before it bounces through to the lounge. I start off stationary but soon start jogging a few paces backwards after each catch and then running up to my mark before throwing again. To make it competitive I count up to 50 catches and towards the end start taking catches one handed. Great fun and pretty quick way to start working up a sweat!

Ronhill - Stretch Arm Pocket - just what I needed as I was considering investing in a new device to hold my keys and/or a few gels while I run. I tested it out a few times and it was comfortable and did the job of holding two gels nicely, I was so pleased with it I wore it for the Halstead marathon, a definitive recommendation!

Chia Charge banana flapjack - I have been eating a lot of flapjack recently and this is up there with the best! Soft, light, chewy and full of flavour, it kept me full for ages and was a really enjoyable eat. Although it didn't necessary taste of banana I enjoyed it none the less and would definitely consider buying one in the future. 

BetterYou magnesium foot soak - At a recent sports massage the therapist commented as to what good condition my feet are in considering my running mileage so perhaps I am not in desperate need of this. I am going to save it for when my feet start to feel tired and go a bit manky, this is not the kind of thing I would think to buy so a great inclusion in the subscription box.

Sport Beans - Basically sweets that are approved for sport! Brilliant! They sound like a tasty and fun way to keep my carb and sugar levels topped up either before or during exercise.

Tapped Birch Water - A new on on me, a juice in an odd cardboard container. Never heard of the product either which promises to be a antioxidant drink which apparently Finnish people swear by as being a great detox product as it provides you with 25% of your daily requirement of manganese, which is a key antioxidant ingredient for protecting your body against free radical damage. I am very intrigued to try this out...

LoveRaw Cacao & Maca Organic Bar - An artisan bar that is gluten free, dairy free, wheat free and soy free. I have heard of LoveRaw but not tried any of their products so I will be interested to try this bar out as its not the normal kind of thing I would buy. 

High 5 running bottle - This will definitely come in handy for when I want to carry some water with me out on a run. Carrying a normal drinks bottle is never ideal as its not that comfortable to carry but this should be ideal! Previously I have taken my own energy drink in a bottle tucked away in my hydration pack to take out in the later stages of a marathon so this is something I might use this bottle for in the future.

Overall I love the idea of the box and loved the range of products included. The boxes are presented to a high standard with a strong emphasis on their design and presentation so definitely a high end product. With that in mind they are quite pricey so probably a rare treat for me at least.

Thank you very much to Spark and Gusto not only for coming up with a great concept and for delivering it brilliantly, and that's without saying a massive thanks for my free box!

In case your wondering my birthday isn't until January if you wanted to gift me a box, but I happily accept presents all year round! 

Running is a cruel bitch sometimes, or is it...

Last weekend (18th & 19th June) was meant to be another great running weekend. 

The plan was pretty simple, here is what was supposed to happen:


Saturday was my long awaited appointment to smash the 21 minute barrier at Hackney Marshes Parkrun.

Whereas Sunday was going to be all about having a fun time at The London city Mile, similar to the great time I had at the recent Westminster Mile.

Sadly neither of these things happened.

Here is what actually happened on Saturday....

In recent months I along with running buddies Chris and Tony have been working on our speed with the view of pushing towards a sub 20 minute 5K, alas trying to combine this with marathon training has resulted in us all struggling to knock on the door or 21 minutes let alone 20! 

Recently though I have felt like I have managed to successfully combine longer endurance training with my speed work and was feeling confident on dipping below 21 minutes on a speedy course like Hackney Marshes.

In recent weeks I have tested myself on the unforgiving hilly terrain of a course at Harrow Lodge Parkrun (22.51) and put my speed to the test at the super flat fast course of Barking Parkrun (21.17). In addition to this my speed work times have been impressive (even if I say so myself) and much improved from similar sessions earlier in the year. 

Barking Parkrun, surprisingly picturesque and very speedy
Regular speed work sessions have included:
  • 1K intervals
  • 400m sessions comprising of 400m efforts with 200m recoveries
  • Treadmill sessions of 2minute efforts @14km/ph and higher with 1 minute recoveries
With the date of 17 June marked in my diary for several weeks I had really focused on my speed work in the weeks leading up to the date and even did a mini taper of sorts to ensure I was rested and ready to perform at my best. 

However come the day of the race I didn't feel 100% and in truth I hadn't felt great all that week but my running had oddly still felt brilliant so I figured a great time was still on the cards. 

I knew I was in great shape and I felt focused and ready to turn my goal into an achievement. 

It didn't quite happen though, the first two Ks went to plan and I was on a perfect pace to achieve my goal. Somewhere into the third K I realised I had no energy, I felt slightly sick and had the feeling of indigestion this was coupled with the re occurrence of my long standing tightness in my calf, all in all not good racing condition ms to finish the race in. I limped home in 22.40.

Running is a cruel bitch sometimes.

Speed training is hard and I had really invested a lot of time and effort into working on my speed, I felt I had got fast enough to hit my target but this was all dashed by my body letting me down when the time to perform came.

Running is a cruel bitch sometimes.

So here is what happened on Sunday....

Not feeling 100% I knew the city mile wasn't a great idea and also with a marathon in 2 weeks time I knew my efforts were better placed in focusing on a long run. 

So that's what I duly did, instead of one fast mile I did 18 slow ones. I know conventional marathon training advises not to do such a long run only 2 weeks before a marathon but I had had a nightmare of a run the weekend before when I had scheduled my longest long run. An overgrown trail route of shoulder high grass, a path overgrown with stingy nettles and torrential rain meant I was restricted to 14 as opposed to the planned 18 miles. 


Trapped laughing at rain around 12 miles into a long, not ideal
Sunday's run then turned out to be a run that very much reminded me that although running is undoubtedly a cruel bitch at times it is also an enlightening and inspiring force quite unlike anything else. 

Somewhere around mile 10 of my run a fellow runner pulled up alongside me and started to chat. Happy of the company I happily chatted away expecting the exchange to last for a few hundred metres before we went our separate ways. In fact we happily chatted for 4 or 5 miles keenly sharing our running experiences at what I found a more than challenging pace! 

Out hitting the trails, a great way to get away from everything
As if this friendly encounter wasn't enough the gentleman I spent an enjoyable time chatting with was a runner in his mid 60s who's times across all distances more than rivaled mine and in some cases bettered my times! Thank you Mike for sharing your experiences and your joy for running and indeed life, it was a pleasure to chat with you. 

So thank you to running for teaching me not to dwell on my disappointments and to remember that despite the set backs running is undoubtably a positive thing in my life. 

Sunday 19 June 2016

Looking forward to my first marathon abroad

Two weeks today on 3rd July I will be running my first marathon abroad! 

For my ninth marathon I will be running the St Petersburg White Nights marathon in Russia. Any marathon is a challenge in itself but running a marathon abroad presents its own set of unique challenges.  


Too be honest I am not sure exactly what to expect, I know it will be different, but how different I just don't know. I suppose the main things I am considering are:

  • Will the language barrier present any difficulties during the race? What if I don't understand instructions or get lost due to misreading signs? 
  • How different is the race organisation going to be from what I have come to expect from UK races? Will it be well organised and all run smoothly allowing me to run at my best?
  • I am very much a creature of habit and a lover of routine especially when it comes to my running so how will I cope with being away from home, being in a different country, and a different culture? 
  • What affect will this have on my running? Who knows...
Why Russia and why St Petersburg I hear you ask as opposed to the usual foreign forays into overseas marathons that UK runners usually make to Paris or Berlin? The reason is that my brother in law and occasional running partner Tom is currently living in Russia and this presented an opportunity of a life time too strong to turn down, so when he suggested how could I not give it a go?!

So what are my main concerns?
  • Heat and humidity - Despite the perceptions of Russia being of a cold country in the summer it is likely to be very hot and humid, not ideal running conditions. Just read how I got on running the recent Halstead marathon on the hottest weekend of the year. 
  • Holiday festivities - The marathon will fall in the middle of a week long holiday in Russia and while I take any marathon fairly seriously I am not going to give up having fun on holiday. So we will see what affect what I am sure will be an enjoyable holiday will have on my running and if any indulgences into sampling local food and drink (especially the famed Russia vodka!).
  • Being out of my routine - As I have mentioned I am a creature of habit and I am concerned that being away from my usual routines will have a negative impact on my running although I am conscious of this being a mental issue to overcome rather than anything physical.
So have you run a marathon away from home or overseas? How did it go? What are your tips?

Even better have you ran a marathon in Russia or have you ran the St Petersburg marathon? It would be really great to hear of your experiences, please get in touch!