EXHAUSTED!

After my 9miler last Sunday I felt bad. I felt exhausted and stressed. A few days before and definitely afterwards I could only muster up 3-4 hours of sleep a night and as a result I felt even more exhausted the next day which had a huge knock on effect my energy levels. Also my appetite was affected and could only face porridge for breakfast and watermelon for lunch and dinner which is definitely not enough to live off. As a result I knew I needed to have a few days off from exercise and just let my body recover. 

So I took Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off and spent these days with my friend Ellie who was visiting me from Bristol. We travelled around West Wales going from one beautiful beach to another. An awesomely relaxing few days. In Mwnt (my favourite place in the world) we hiked up a small mountain and the views were utterly breathtaking. We sat at the peak for a while just watching the dolphins swim in the still Irish sea. Idilic! A lot of walking was carried out over these 3 days but in a relaxed way which was a nice change. 

When Thursday night came around I slept like a log through the whole night and my appetite was getting better. Thursday evening I got in a weights session and Friday morning before heading to Cardiff I got up early and did another weights session and it felt good! Saturday my appetite was gone again and only had a few watermelon slices for lunch before (stupidly) going for a 3.83mile run which was probably the hardest thing ever. My legs just wouldn’t move despite my brain telling them to. I had to stop a few times and my eyesight began to get blurry. But I did eventually run home. 

Sunday I got in a weights session before running a good 3.5miles. I felt good when I got home but as the day wore on I began to feel worse and managed a whopping 2 hours and 45 minutes of sleep last night despite being exhausted. I woke up with stomach pain and just general body pain. I am not too sure what’s going on with my body but I have a good guess. I have been training hard without enough rest days (I have one if at all a week) and I have definitely not been eating properly. I am thinking of having today off to see if I feel better tomorrow. 

If you have any tips on my current situation please leave a comment below. 

 

L x

NEW RUNNING PR – 9 MILES

Last Sunday I felt like going on a long run to beat by PR of 8.25 miles. I asked my dad for a route that would be just over that milage and he suggested one that I have not been on (cycling/car) in years so I thought it would be nice to see some different views to my normal route.  

Before leaving I asked my parents if it was a hilly route, I mean I don’t mind some hills but there’s a limit! Their answer was “No, it’s not too bad”. Thus, I stepped out the front door water in hand and started my journey. THE FIRST 4 MILES WERE UP A RIDICULOUS HILL. I could cope going up it steadily for the first 2, 2.5 miles then it just got silly. It was going up at 17% gradient if not more! At some points I just had to power walk up rather than run as my legs felt so heavy! 

However, when I eventually got to the top of the mountain (It actually was a proper mountain btw, I’m not exaggerating) the views were amazing and kind of (and I mean kind of) worth the whole hiking up. The next 4 miles were steady were some inclines, some downhill and a bit of flat thrown in. I passed through two villages the whole way around, the rest was pure country and wilderness which I though was just awesome. I get pretty stressed out in life so to be able to spend an hour or so on my own with only fields surrounding me for mile upon mile  was quite special and it just showed me how much and why I love running. 

I ran out of water at around mile 6 and was getting really thirsty by mile 8. Also at around the 8 mile mark I knew that my dad’s calculations were totally wrong. I still had another 3.5 miles left if I wanted to get back home. I didn’t set out on my run ’till pretty late so it was starting to get dark at this point. At 8.2 miles I phoned my dad to bring me some water, by the time he arrived I had hit the 9 mile mark and he told me to get in the car because it was getting too dark. So there you have it, 9miles done and dusted. 

If I can run 9 miles around here where I have to climb mountains and bumpy terrain I am now quite confident that I will be able to run 13.1 miles on flat tarmac come October. But, I am still going to push hard with my training. 

 

Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

L x

CRYING OVER A PUNCTURE

For a few days now my dad and I had been planning to go out on our bikes to do a bit of training in preparation for our 55 mile bike race from London to Windsor on the 7th of September (I will do a separate post about this soon). All week I was really looking forward to our 7am ride, me on my dad’s 18 speed racer and my dad on my old bike. We were all kitted up, water bottles filled, tires pumped and shoes clipped in. No more that 250 meters into the ride I just heard a big whooooosh sound so I braked as quickly and as safely as possible. I had a puncture. My first ever one. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if we had a spare at home but we hadn’t gotten around to buying a spare for the front wheel yet. So after less than a minute on the bike I had to say farewell to my dad who carried on his way while I pushed/carried the bike home. 

(Pic taken before the infamous puncture)

I don’t know why but this whole thing really got to me. I walked up the drive to the house, placed my bike against the garage wall, threw my gloves, helmet and glasses to the floor, went into my parents room where my mum was still semi asleep and cried. Yes, I cried over a puncture. 

I think because I had been looking forward to this ride for so long and I had factored it into my training plan that when it didn’t work out I began to panic and, of course, I was just generally disappointed not to be able to go out on a ride with my dad. I began to think what else could I do since it was now about half 7 I might as well do something since I was already up. I didn’t really want to go for a long run and it was already heating up so it would not be a comfortable run, a weights session really didn’t appeal to me so I decided to do some HIIT. 

I kept my cycling shorts on and changed my top, headed outside and to the bottom of the drive. I did 7 sets of 5 50meter hill sprints up the drive. Hill sprints are hard and you are absolutely shattered by the end of it but gosh it feels so good once you’ve finished, showered and had some breakfast. I can already feel it in my legs – the power! I haven’t done hill sprints in a while and I could really feel the difference from the last time I did them. I felt stronger, faster and fitter which is always a confidence and morale booster. 

So, despite things not going to plan, there is always a solution. Also, I don’t think you should keep a really rigid and inflexible training routine like myself because when things don’t workout you just get stressed. A more relaxed attitude towards training is what I am really working on at the moment. It’s something that has always been an issue in my life and I’m trying to force myself to learn that it’s ok if I don’t run as far or as fast as yesterday. As long as you’re out there sweating and ENJOYING then that’s all that matters. 

Stay Happy, Stay Strong

L x 

#LISIEATS / I LOVE SWEET POTATO!

I really do love me some sweet potato and ever since tasting the glorious sweet potato chips at Gourmet Burger Kitchen I have been attempting to recreate them at home. They are really simple to do – get your hands on a sweet potato and cut it up to resemble chips, pour some olive oil over them and place them in the oven for 30-40 minutes to cook and crisp nicely. Last night I had chicken again – my excuse is that it has been so hot that I really can’t bring myself to cook anything else, and we had a side of courgettes and cucumber. Delicious 🙂 

NIKE+ TRAINING CLUB app. // Review

A few weeks ago I downloaded the Nike+ Training Club app onto my iPhone out of simple curiosity. The day before I left for Italy I roamed the app and was really quite impressed with the different programmes and difficulty ratings they had on offer. However, being away for 2 weeks I quickly forgot about the app and went straight back into my usual running, cycling and weight training. This morning however I decided that I’d try it out in order to provide you with a quick insight to the app on the blog. 

The app is free and really easy to download onto your iPhone or android and is quick to set up which is always a great start. They have a large 3 programmes that you can choose from and they are ‘get lean’, ‘get tones’ and ‘get strong’. I chose the first one just because I’m doing a lot of power work on my own so I wanted to add something different to my weekly workout schedule. Once you’ve chosen your goal, the app provides you with a 4 week workout schedule that will see you sweat it out 5 days a week. 

My first workout was called ‘wipeout’ and I’m not sure if it was just because of the excruciating heat outside but I don’t think I have sweated that much during a workout ever before. Sweat was dripping off my face and onto the floor in puddles underneath me! It was a non stop 30 minute workout with 2 minutes of rest in the middle – yes, only 2 minutes! The workout includes a warmup and a cool down which consist of jogging, high knees etc and stretching. Crazy Ivans, Split Jumps, Press ups with feet on medicine ball (I used a big gym ball instead) and loads more circuit exercises were thrown into the overall great and satisfying workout. 

One thing I will say is that the app asks you to have a reasonable about of equipment in order to participate in the exercises. Not everyone has access to dumbbells, medicine balls etc in their home. I improvised by using a 10kg plate instead of a medicine ball to do the Crazy Ivans and then I used an old gym ball we had up in the attic to do the press ups. But yeah, improvisation is key with this app unless you have all the equipment that is. 

What’s great about these Nike+ TC circuits is that it exercises every part of your body. In 30 minutes worked on my legs,bum, arms and core strength – this is a big tick in the box. What is even more great about it is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home. I took all my equipment outside and workout under the beautiful summer sun. 

I would encourage people of all ages and all abilities do have a go on this app because I think it’s a great and convenient way to have a challenging workout while at home or on the go. It gets a 4 out of 5 from me 🙂

 

 

#LisiEats Monday

Since it’s been so warm recently, when it comes to dinner something light is what’s been on the menu. I could not imagine eating a roast dinner or a hot curry while I’m sweating just standing in the sun. Last night I used what we had in the fridge and made a healthy but really tasty meal. 

We had plain cooked chicken breast, white rice (we ran out of brown) and a spaghetti courgette salad which consisted of peeled courgettes cooked with garlic and a dash of olive oil and then I added tomatoes, avocado and cucumber and mixed it all up to make a delicious side dish. 

I really like experimenting with food and to make healthy food as exciting and tasty as possible. 

I’d love to hear what recipes you love to cook during the week. If you have a favourite dish or a great family recipe please leave a comment on this post, I’d really like to try them out!

RUNNING IN A HEATWAVE

This morning I had planned to go running with a friend but due to technical difficulties she didn’t get any of my texts and didn’t see my e-mail until it was too late, however I still went running but on my own. By the time I had tried to sort everything out in the house, clean etc, pay all my bills, it was almost 12pm. Over the past week or so we have been experiencing a heatwave here in Wales with temperatures reaching the late 20s and sometimes even 30s. To a lot of you who reside in warmer climates these temperatures are nothing but for us who’s summer usually consists of 2 weeks of mild weather then rain and floods, it is pretty darn hot! 

By the time I actually got out onto the road to run it was 24 degrees celsius which is quite warm to say the least and wow could I feel it in my run. Everything was so much harder due to the heat. I got tired quicker, it was hard to catch my breath as the air was so warm and the sweat! Oh, the sweat! I was sweating so much and my body was going into overdrive to keep me cool to such an extent that I began to shiver for a bit. Crazy. Along with the heat I really needed the toilet at around mile 2 and it got to a point where it was so painful that I had to stop for a pit. I had to make a decision – I would either have to continue running with this excruciating pain in my stomach or I would have to climb over a gate and go for a country wee. I chose the latter. I live in a very rural area so nobody could see me and I felt soooo much better afterwards!

Despite the run being relatively hard today I still completed 5miles on a hilly course (this was the milage my Nike+ training programme told me to complete today). 

Before my run this morning I was playing around with the Nike+ app on my iPhone and discovered that they provide you with a half marathon training programme which is awesome! The app suggested that I follow the intermediate programme and so my next 11 weeks of training are all mapped out for me. I think the Nike+ app is just the best. If you’re a runner and you haven’t downloaded it onto your phone then get to it! It’s a really great tool to track your progress.  

Once I had finished my set milage for the day I popped into the local shop and bought myself a 1 litre carton of coconut water and began to glug it down even though I had drunk 1 litre of water during my run. I lost a lot of fluids through sweating. Coconut water is awesome when it comes to rehydration. Sometimes after runs I feel as though water never really satisfies my thirst and throughout the day, regardless of how much I drink, I will still be thirsty whereas the natural electrolytes within coconut water rehydrates you immediately. 

Have a wonderful monday:)

Stay healthy, stay strong 

L x

SUNDAY STROLLIN’

Sunday is and has always been my favourite day of the week. When I tell people this they usually react as though I have said something horrific. “Sunday?! But why?! Sunday just means that Monday’s around the corner.” Although that is most definitely true, I still love Sunday as it’s a day without any expectation unlike Saturday. Saturdays are quite obnoxious if you ask me. People expect you to do stuff on Saturdays be that go shopping, to the beach, out with friends etc and even though all of those things are great I feel that Sunday asks you for nothing. I love the feeling of waking up on a Sunday and thinking “I literally do not HAVE to do anything today”. Obviously that isn’t the case every Sunday and throughout most of my secondary school life I had rugby games or hockey matches on this day but even then I preferred Sunday to its annoying and needy brother. 

Sunday is the day that my mam and I usually go walking. Our distance varies. Some weeks we might just walk 3, other weeks we might go long distance and walk 15/16 miles but today we did a nice 4/4.5 miles with Hendrix (our dog) in tow. It’s really nice to walk around where we live because there are hardly any cars, I think around 4 cars passed us on our whole journey today, oh, and also we have amazing views. I really like walking and would love to go on more hikes and trails over the next few weeks/months. It’s something that I’ve learnt about myself over the last few years and that is that I absolutely love nature. If you would tell me that I could do anything for a day I would probably choose to climb some mountain or something – I just can’t explain how much I love a great view! 

It was really hot on our walk today so by the time we arrived home Hendrix was soooo tired that he could hardly bring himself to jump into the house! I really enjoyed our walk today and as it’s so hilly and because of the weather I was sweating so bad by the time we arrived home but I decided to get a quick weights session in before I got into the bath. I was using the 5×5 app that I spoke of before on the blog and the weight is getting higher and I can definitely feel it. Even though I’m not lifting as much yet as I used to it feels much harder because I am consciously squating super slow to get my form on point and I’m getting really low and powering back up which works wonders on my leg strength and my overall power and I can definitely feel it helping my running. 

Here is a pic of today’s workout:

I hope you all have an awesome Sunday 

L x

LET’S GET RID OF THE GUILT & LET’S START LEARNING

When I started training hard in january I developed this feeling called guilt every time I would eat something that wasn’t the healthiest or if I didn’t exercise one day. It’s the worst feeling because you beat yourself up for so long afterwards that it begins to really get you down. When I realised that this feeling was becoming quite a prominent thing in my life I immediately decided to do something about it because there was no way that guilt would diminish the joy of working out for me. That is one thing that I told myself before starting training at the beginning of the year – that it is all about having fun and I definitely did not want it to become a chore. 

Don’t get me wrong I still feel guilt when I’ve eaten a few too many squares of chocolate or a slice of bread too many. Occasionally after dinner my mam would ask me if I want a scoop of ice-cream or a piece of chocolate and sometimes my reaction is “no, I shouldn’t” to which she replies “you can’t deny yourself some treats now and again”. She is right, I mean mothers are always right though aren’t they, despite how much we wish they weren’t. 

We shouldn’t deny ourselves all foods. Moderation is key. This is why I am not the biggest fan (read: I hate) diets. Before I start on this topic I would just like to point out that I am certainly NO EXPERT WHEN IT COMES TO NUTRITION but I have done a lot of research into the topic over the last 7 months. Diets are a short term fix which might work to make you look better while on holiday but once you arrive back home it is usually the case that all that weight you lost is put back on. Now I know that this is not the case for everyone but I’m speaking in general terms here. Also, the reason I highlighted the word look is because that regularly fad diets make people ‘look better’ but make them feel like crap because they are not eating a well rounded nutritious meal. 

Everyone has their own idea of the perfect nutritious meal and that is because everyone’s body is different. Different bodies react to different foods in different ways. However, the basic principle of what is in the average meal is the same – Veg, protein, some carbs, fats etc. Yes, you didn’t miss read that, fats are essential to our bodies functioning. I love Avocados and their filled with fats but good fats, not the same fat that you get when you eat a double cheese burger from McDonalds. I could live off avocados, I love them that much! Carbs are also a big deal, especially if you’re exercising regularly. I mean, you wouldn’t drive a car for hours on end without fuelling up because it will naturally break down and the engine would become a bit messed up and broken. 

This is why I really dislike, ok hate, fad diets which tell you to cut out all carbs, fats and God knows what else because your body will just not be able to function, or at least not be able to function well. This whole thing about reducing your calorie intake to 1500 (women) to loose weight is something that is most definitely not medically proven or advised. 1500 calories is actually the point in which you’re body begins to break down due to lack of nutrition. A normal inactive woman needs 2000 calories just to survive. For her heart to keep pumping and her lungs to keep working thus, if you’re an active woman then you need more food. Calorie counting for me does not make much sense and is something that shouldn’t really be focused on while eating or working out. The nutritional value of the product, its protein levels etc is what’s important. Calorie counting can be dangerous so if you can, please refrain. 

I guess what I’m trying to say and what I am trying to learn myself is that if you lead an active and healthy lifestyle then having that pudding after your meal once in a while really ain’t so bad and that you’re allowed to treat yourself now and again because otherwise your love for food and exercise will begin to diminish and your mental health could be at risk. This is not something that I take lightly because I have seen too many people being knocked down by having wrong preconceptions about food and calorie counting and its something that I really want to change people’s minds about. 

L x

WORKOUT MUSIC

If you know me at all then you know that I LOVE music. Most of my money is spent on concert & festival tickets and that’s been the story for most of my life and now that I live right near London I get to see even more bands play. While revising for my uni exams I would create numerous playlists on Spotify and listen to them for hours on end. When I say hours I mean like 6 hours straight. Music helps me concentrate but also it distract me from a lot of things that are going on in my life. If things get a bit too crazy I close my bedroom door, put some headphones on and press play.

I think that is the reason that I really like to listen to music while I exercise, I don’t get bored and I concentrate more on the song than on what I’m actually doing thus preventing me from focusing on how tired I’m getting or how hard the exercise is. Another great thing about exercising, especially running, while listening to music is that it masks my breathing. I understand that this sounds a bit strange but even when going to sleep sometimes I have to have music on in the background because it freaks me out when I concentrate on my own breathing pattern because I become fixated on it and then start to freak that my heart rate is too low or too high (strange, weird, irrational – I know). 

When I have music in my ears it does’t fully register how tired I am which allows me to go further for longer. Also listening to a song with a good beat helps with my running rhythm 😀 

My workout music changes on a weekly basis and it also changes in regards to what workout I am doing at the time. If I am running a long distance I prefer a medium tempo song to a fast hard rock or dance track because I feel as though I can’t keep up with the rhythm of a fast song which tires me out even more and effects me mentally. See, music is a massive psychological thing. Get it wrong and it can have a negative effect on your workout but get it right and you’ll be bossing that gym like nobody’s business! 

Here is what I’m currently listening to while running/lifting:

 

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

L x