Year of running 2015

The end of 2015 a time to look back, reflect and celebrate. I have enjoyed looking back over my year of running, have a read through and explore any previous posts if you wish.

Looking back over 2015 my year seems to split into distinct sections:

Early part of the year, starting off injured with calf trouble and not running much due to starting a new job and buying our first flat. 

Mid part of the year, marathon training and marathon running. Firstly learning through how not to train and running my slowest ever marathon at Vanguard Way in August and then running my marathon PB at Chelmsford in October. 

Spring, improving over three half marathons while still struggling against injury and not coming anywhere near PB territory as a result. Tunbridge Wells 1.51, Hampton Court 1.48 and Run Hackney 1.42 were all great races which I really enjoyed.

End of the year, shorter mileage but faster training for a sub 20 minute 5K which didn't end up happening but the emphasis on speed work at the end of 2015 will see me in good stead for 2016.

Overall 2015 has seen me run in excess of 1000 miles including 2 marathons, 4 half marathons and one 24 hour relay. On top of the events I have also experienced running in different places on my travels including Manchester, Birmingham, Reykjavik and Venice. 

There are many ways to summarise the year and every blogger more or less will be doing it in some shape. I have decided to follow the format of Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC who is hosting the 'Year in Running 2015' link up again, so here we go....

Best race experience:

The obvious choice is my marathon PB at Chelmsford marathon in October and more specifically feeling strong in the final miles. 

Making a friend with a fellow runner in the second half of the Vanguard Way Marathon was also a great experience as it was great to pass the time chatting as we ran.

Best run 

I suppose my 5K PB of 21.00 had to go down as my best performance but there are few other training runs that go down as being enjoyable as well as successful in other ways. 

Recently I headed out for my first long run in 2 months and tried to get into the mentality of a long run of just taking your time and enjoying the run and the surroundings you pass.

There was also a long run back in the summer as part of marathon training where I covered around 26K and really felt great and enjoyed the experience of running long and running strong.

It's funny how certain runs and certain sections of runs stick in your memory. 

Best new piece of running gear 

The two pieces of running gear I have bought this year that have made a big difference to my training are my zipper sweatband and my tuvizo vest.

My zipper sweatband I spotted on Amazon for about £1 and is a simple but incredibly effective piece of kit. Basically it is a sweatband with a zip in it that then allows you to easily carry your keys or cash. Simple but effective, genius! 

And then my tuvizo vest is a high vis piece of kit that keeps me safe in the winter darkness. Its easy to wear, light and doesn't bother me at all when running and has fast become a piece of essential kit for dull and gloomy mornings or dark winter winter evening runs.

Best running advice received this year 

Not so much a piece of advice more a motivational saying 'Pain is temporary pride is permanent'. It was on a banner during the Chelmsford marathon and really hit me and had stuck with me as motivation both in races and for training. 

Most inspirational runner 

Two rather cheesy answers for this one I'm afraid. 

Firstly so many runners from #ukrunchat, social media or from blogs I read. There are a few that stand out as true inspirations but I don't want to name names as there are so many great runners and it is the strength of the community of runners that is the true inspiration.

Sickening I know, vom fest over. 

Secondly, this is probably also a bit cringe worthy but since moving into our new flat I often walk past the field at the end of the road popular with dog walkers and there is one particular dog that always catches my attention. It's a young spaniel who as soon as he is let off the lead sprints around the perimeter of the field with such exuberance it always makes me smile. He just goes for it ears flapping in the wind and tongue hanging out of his mouth with a slightly crazed look in his eyes as he sprints across the grass. 

It reminds me to enjoy life and enjoy running and not be bogged down by training plans and split times. Or maybe it just remind me of my own running style! 

Favorite picture from a run or race 

I didn't buy any race photos this year and there haven't been many great photos of me running. 

The ones that spring to mind as being my favourite running photos are these three: 

Running the last lap for #ukrunchat #teamred at Spitfire Scramble. You can read about my race experience here. 

A photo with my running buddies from Asics Target 26.2 Tony and Chris, at one of our regular Hackney Marshes parkrun meet ups. This year it has been great to have the camaraderie, support and advice of these guys. 

Surely the most fun I have ever had running, fancy dress running Bacchus half marathon with my brother in law Tom. I think the photo captures the race really well, so much fun! 

Race experience you would repeat in a heartbeat

It goes without saying that I would love to do Bacchus again as it was so much fun but at the same time you know you can never recapture the same experience again. I know a lot of runners have the rule of never repeating the same race in consecutive years just to keep things fresh and to have new experiences and I think that is a good idea in most cases. 

So in that case I would pick the feeling of running strongly in the final miles of the Chelmsford marathon. I hope that I am able to recapture that feeling and finish future marathons wherever and whenever they may be just as strongly. 

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words...

First part of the year frustrating, painful and injury filled. Middle part of the year The word would be progressing and successful. End part of the year would be summed up with not as good as I would have hoped, struggling to see progress. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you had a successful 2015 and I wish you many happy miles in 2016!

2015 healthy eating

Right New Year, New Years resolutions, get fit, get healthy, eat healthier, lose weight, blah, blah, blah!

Some time towards the end of last year I realised I needed to eat better breakfasts, sugary processed cereals were not doing me any favours. I tried out incorporating more fruit, had yogurt with my cereal and experimented with bagels. Nothing really hit the spot.

What do I want from a breakfast?

It needs to be reasonably quick and easy, tasty and filling and above all it needs to contribute to my overall healthy, active lifestyle and support my running plans.  

I want my breakfasts to incorporate plenty of fruit and/or veg, clean carbs and ideally a good dose of protein as I feel I am not getting enough in my diet.

So thinking about breakfast ideas I came across some great recipes from Tess Agnew (@fitbits) which you can see here.

I used these along with some other ideas as my own inspiration for making my own awesome breakfasts!

Nutty banana protein breakfast smoothie

Using my new Breville blend active smoothie maker and a few basic ingredients I devised a great tasting protein packed smoothie that kept me full all morning. 

Ingredients: A splash of orange juice, a handful of brazil nuts, a banana, half a dozen spoonfuls of natural yogurt and a dash of milk. 

Method: Chuck it in the blender and blend until smooth, simples!

Spinach omelette/frittata/scrambled egg 

Inspired by +FitBits Brighton Veg omelette muffins but without access to any muffin tins (I really need to buy some!) I went freestyle and used the same ingredients and just threw it all together in a omeltte/frittata style. Awesome! So quick! So easy and so amazingly tasty! 

Ingredients: two eggs, a big scoop of spinach, and some mushrooms and baby/plum tomatoes. 

Method: Chop up the veg, throw in a wok/frying fan with a bit of oil, lightly fry for a bit then chuck in the eggs and scramble. Serving on a piece(s) toast optional. 

So they are the two breakfast stables at the moment, a nice balance of a sweet option and a savoury one as well, I had each twice last week setting me up for the day ahead and plenty of training. I need to work on a few more options but these two options will serve me well I feel and they are both versatile enough to incorporate a range of ingredients, e.g. peppers instead of mushrooms and a variety of nuts in the smoothie. 

Other healthy eating meals from 2015: 

I am a big fan of stir frays, and why not? Loads of veg, and plenty of flavoursome sauces to use, my downfall is a large portion of prawn crackers that I usually accompany a stir fry with.

Earlier in the week I whipped up a veggie stir fry with extra mushrooms, minus the prawn crackers and with the healthier option of rice noodles instead of the usually wheaty noodles. 

Clean eating lunch time meals: 



As it seems spinach only comes in large family sized gigantic packs I had a lot of it going spare! So I used it with some tomatoes, mushrooms and courgettes along with brown rice for a tasty nutritious lunch time pack up for work.









On a Friday you need something a bit decadent and enjoyable, it doesn't need to be healthy and fatty though, sweet potato! What is more tasty, luxurious and so enjoyable to eat than sweet potato?! Through in some kidney beans for a bit of substance and protein and you have a healthy clean eating great tasting lunch!

Evening meals:

Its too easy to eat some rubbish in the evening when you are tired after a long day and I am too find of throwing a pizza in the oven as a quick, filling, satisfying meal especially after training. 

So here we go an easy homemade healthier pizza: 

Here I made too different types of pizza both using wholemeal pittas as a base. The standard pizza using ketchup as a base with a topping of cheese and then mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers. My even healthier option then used homemade guacamole (Mashed avocado with a squish of lime) as a base with a little cheese and courgettes and peppers as a topping. So tasty, so enjoyable and surely so much healthier than a takeaway pizza or a frozen pizza. At the weekend I even tried just a pitta with guacamole and courgettes with n cheese and this worked out really well and was obviously so much healthier without any cheese. 


I hope you enjoyed looking at these recipes and are maybe even inspired to try these or something similar out yourself?! Happy 2015, hope its a healthy one! 

Getting on with 2015

Now that the Christmas break is over, the New Year festivities long passed and hopefully the Christmas chocolates all eaten it's time to crack on with 2015!

One of my last posts about running in 2014 mentioned that I feared I would be 'limping' into 2015 as I had been struggling with my calves (lower legs not cattle) and that has unfortunately been the case. My last proper run was an 8K run on 30th December, I attempted another run on the 1st January but had to abort after 1.25K as I was struggling with a bad back and my calves. 

The problem with my calves is compartment syndrome which was diagnosed by a sports therapist a few years back when I though I had shin splints. 

From what I understand it's basically lactic acid and waste products not exiting muscle tissue because of poor blood flow which then cause cramp like pain when the muscle is used for exercise. 

From what I have read it can often come on after a period of intensive training followed by a period of low or no exercise. Athletes can suffer with it in the off season when their training stops after intense periods of competition. That has certainly been the situation with me as I completed my 30 day run streak before doing next to no training and very little walking around while away over Christmas.

So the last week I haven't done any running or any impact training that have affect my calves, really scaled back my walking and just tried to rest my legs as much as possible. I have stretched my calves everyday and used the foam roller as well as icing my calves as much as I could. 

I still did plenty of training during the week, sessions on my stationary bike at home along with plenty or circuit work including upper body and core stability exercises. 

One of my regular circuits to do at home is squats, pressups, crunches and dips, my normal circuit is 25 squats, 25 pressups, 15 crunches, 15 dips x 3or4. 

I have also been working on core strengths through mountain climbers and other plank exercises. Through in some leg strengthening exercises and it has been a busy training week! 

Today was time to get back out and run, and I was so thankful to be able to get out and run successfully. I covered a very leisurely gentle 4.5km where I just tried to enjoy running again and focused on my technique. 

So after feeling no ill effects I am ready to crack on with my 2015 running aims, first up on the agenda the Hampton Court half marathon definitely booked for March and the Tunbridge Wells half marathon pencilled in for the end of February. 

Watch out 2015 here I come!

How was your running over Christmas?

First off best wishes for the holiday season to everyone, hope it has been a merry Christmas and all the best for 2015 to everyone reading.

My Christmas break has been spent tucked away in a rented holiday cottage in Yorkshire with my wife as we decided to escape the stresses of a typical family Christmas at home by going off on our own, and we have had a great time!

Christmas day run?

Did you run on Christmas Day? In the build up to Christmas I noticed the buzz on social media focusing around people's plans to run over Christmas and specifically people's plans to run on Christmas Day itself. At the start and of the week I was full of plans to run over the week and to get out and run on the day itself but the week didn't quite work out the way. Who managed to get out for a run on Christmas Day? Pre Turkey or post Turkey? And who managed to maintain their running over the Christmas holiday period? Hats off to you if you did!

Running sight seeing

I am not afraid to admit that I haven't been running in a week!

My last run was while in Sheffield visiting my sister and I took the opportunity to sneak out for a few miles to see some of the sites. Predictably the sites I was in interested in seeing were sports related as I made a beeline for Hillsborough football Stadium.  

I was pleased to get out and stretch my legs and get a few miles in ahead of the indulgences of the coming festive period. 

Over the next few days I plan to reflect on my running achievements in 2014, so after a shortage of posts over the last few days standby for a flurry of activity for the end of the year!