How Do You Prepare For a 156-mile Footrace?

With less than six-weeks to go until my six-marathon challenge many people have been asking how my preparation has been going and what I’m doing.

When it comes to ultra distance training there seems to be no single best way to train.

With this type of challenge one aspect seems clear – I need to spend time on my feet!

In essence we get good at what we do most of - this is called The Training Effect.

Spending time on my feet (or for the layperson going out running?!) for extended periods of time will develop my body’s ability to take in and use oxygen efficiently and develop my body’s ability to become fuel-efficient. Going out and doing it (so to speak…) will toughen my feet, give me a chance to test fueling strategies (as I will be running up to 8hrs on one of the days) and allow me to try out equipment.

Due to the nature of the challenge preparation is important. On shorter single-day events you might get away with a pair of shoes that rub, or running with an upset stomach after taking a gel that didn’t agree with you. On a longer multi-day event these small issues can have much bigger consequences. Therefore practicing under race conditions is important.

How much running I do seems to be the multi-billion dollar question…

Exactly how much running I do and how I do it is governed by my ambition and strategy for the race, my previous experience, how much time I have available to train and what state – physically, mentally, emotionally – I am prepared to finish in (and how long I am prepared to recover!!)

One aspect seems clear to prepare for such an event you need to: Run. Lots. Consistently.

Therefore in answer to the question how do you prepare for 156 mile footrace? Honestly? I don’t know…

As my coach Andy Mouncey has said ‘the right combination for you?............. is the right combination for you’.

What I do realise is there are huge advantages to going long in training (20-miles+) and many other mental and emotional factors will come into play…

Bring it on!!!

Client of the Week

My congratulations this week go to Steph George.

Over the last 12 weeks Steph has worked incredibly hard at her diet and exercise programme (even with a young child and a big friendly dog to look after!) and has achieved some incredible results.

In 12 weeks…

Lost 2st 7lbs in Weight
Lost 3 inches from her Bust
Lost 5 inches from her Abdomen
Lost 4.75 inches from her Waist
Lost 4.25 inches from her Hips
Lost 2.5 inches from her Thigh
Lost 1.5 inches from her Upper Arms

This is not to mention the numerous improvements in strength, stamina, posture and health.

I think you’ll all agree that these results are absolutely fantastic… Therefore as I always say don’t keep me a secret. If you have a friend or even an enemy that would be interested in personal training - give them my number TODAY!

Keep up the good work Steph

To infinity and beyond!!

Eat More & Lose Fat!

It is easy to understand why even the most diligent of health consumer can feel lost and confused with all the contradictory information espoused by the nutrition industry.

The consistent disagreement between experts challenges the confidence of any health consumer.

The truth is there is no perfect diet for you. If there were such a thing there would not be 300+ diet books per year released claiming to be the next best thing!

One area I feel perhaps many people could benefit is looking at the quality of food they consume.

If buying organic does not appeal I would certainly encourage you to buy premium quality products.

Cheap food is cheap! You are what you eat and you definitely get what you pay for when you buy cheap food. The foods you consume go on to feed every individual cell within your body – in essence at a cellular level you are what you eat!

If you nourish your body with cheap processed toxic foods, rich in additives and low in nutrition at a cellular level you will be toxic.

When it comes to fat loss you need to understand that when the human body is besieged with toxins it will ‘store’ these toxins in your adipose tissue (in layman’s terms body fat) in order to reduce there circulation around the body.

In essence a toxic body stores more fat.

The other aspect you need to understand that a toxic body holds more water in order to water down the toxins. This is clearly not good if you are fixated with the scales!

Therefore my recommendations are simple nourish your body with good quality natural unprocessed nutritionally dense foods and you will watch the lbs of fat disappear.

For most people this means you might even be consuming more calories day-to-day than you usually would and losing weight!!

3 Foods for SERIOUS fat loss

When it comes to fat loss everyone seems so fixated with energy density. Whilst I think it’s important to bear in mind the energy density of food, it’s more important to look at the nutrient density.

Check out these nutrient dense foods for SERIOUS fat loss…

Eggs (I mean whole eggs, not just the whites!) – Loaded with vitamins, eggs are one of nature’s most perfect foods. Plentiful, inexpensive and easy to prepare, eggs are a fantastic source of protein.

Rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, folate, B6 and B12 and that’s just the yolk! Choose your egg from a free-range organic source and boil or poach for the best results.

Nuts - Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamia… I’m not fussy. Time and time again nuts are proving to be a health food that you cannot do without! With abundance in unsaturated fats (the healthiest type!) studies suggest that those that eat a small handful of nuts everyday have the lowest body mass index.

Sure, nuts are high in calories, but you don’t have to eat a large quantity. Just a small handful and the fat loss will be out of this world!

Berries – loaded with antioxidants (cancer fighting nutrients) berries contain (amongst other things) calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin K. Rich in fibre, one cup of berries can provide up to 10% of your daily requirement of fibre. This is important as it can balance your blood sugar, which ultimately leads to fat loss!

When choosing berries beware as they are high on the Environmental Working Groups list of most consistently contaminated foods (with pesticides and other chemical). Therefore, regardless of raspberry, strawberry, blueberry or goji berry choose an organic source.

There you have it. Include these foods in your day-to-day diet and watch the fat fall off!

LonDONE!

When William James said ‘beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never pushed through the obstruction’ I have a feeling he was referring to the London Marathon.

Although it wasn’t part of my training plan, and despite not really being fit enough (I have only consistently got up to ten miles), the opportunity was to good to miss. On the Tuesday when I accepted the place, due to my friends’ injury, I never really had any doubts.

I had previously accompanied Nikki on a 16-mile training run. After all, it was only ten miles more!

I can now confirm the London Marathon is the most fantastic and by far the toughest event I have ever participated. Perhaps it was due to the lack of high mileage in my legs, or perhaps it’s the way I ran it, either way during the last couple of miles, as William James described, there were elements of fatigue and distress and I had to find sources of strength never taxed!

It was fantastic. From the bus journey up to the event right through to Nikki’s birthday gathering in the evening. It was the most incredible day.

I started from the blue start line at quarter to ten and saw nothing of the difficult start many had warned about, the first few miles I made fast progress and reached the three-mile point in less than 23 minutes. I had a plan to try and run at a 3hrs 45mins that meant I would have to run about eight-minutes thirty-seconds every mile. After the first three miles this plan changed a little as I found my comfortable speed running eight-minute miles.

The race went incredibly well up to the twenty-mile flag, at which point I was on for a time of 3hrs 30mins if I just maintained my speed. After a brief consultation with a guy next to me, I decided I could run a little bit faster. And this was the start of my decline.

It seems like such a cliché – The last six miles were the toughest I have ever ran.

Lets make this clear - there was no wall. Between miles twenty and twenty-one I managed to increase my speed slightly, however, after that my legs started to tighten and it was the beginning of the end.

At first my quads began to cramp, which caused me to adjust my running style ever so slightly. I continued for another few miles when after passing the 25-mile marker I felt like I had been shot in the back of both legs. It was the most painful cramps I have ever experienced. So much so at that point I couldn’t stand upright! I made my way to the side barriers to try and stretch but being so tired this was really difficult. And this is where the crowds of supporters really keep you going. After getting a policewoman to stretch my legs I got back on my feet and ran all the way to the finish line.

I finished the London Marathon in a time of 3hrs 44mins and 26secs.

I thoroughly enjoyed my London Marathon experience and can’t wait to have another go. I learnt a lot about running during the day including pacing myself, using energy gels and hydration and perhaps most important how far twenty-six miles actually is, and I cant wait to have another go!

This was fantastic experience for my Six Marathon Challenge in September. I can’t wait to get out and run – just as soon as my legs stop aching!

A Healthy Breakfast

What better way to spend a wet May Bank Holiday than making some delicious and healthy pancakes...

Apple Flax Pancake (1 serving)

1 egg
1 tbsn natural yoghurt
1/4 tspn vanilla
2 Tablespoons flax meal (ground flax seeds)
1/3 apple - chopped into 1/4-inch or smaller pieces (you can also use roughly mashed bananas or blueberries)
Sprinkle of cinnamon and/or other spices as desired

Beat egg with yoghurt and vanilla until well mixed and fluffy. Add in flax meal, apple or fruit, and desired spices; stir until mixed. Let sit for 2-3 minutes while you preheat a non-stick skillet with a bit of coconut oil.

Pour batter into bottom of small skillet and cook a few minutes on each side, until nicely browned.

Serve spread with natural peanut butter (my personal favourite), or some yoghurt and fruit together!

Starbucks Addict

After coming back from Vegas I find myself strangely addicted to Starbucks.

Now that I can read the menu (sort of) I really love it.

Starbucks appear to be everywhere and whilst it’s always quite a cool and trendy place to be, I am under no illusion that it is an unhealthy addiction.

No self-respecting fitness professional should admit to such a weakness and not with my drink of choice.

However, the occasional cup of coffee once in a while is not such a bad thing. That being said my choice The Venti Mocha Frappuccino (500 calories, 82g sugar, 17g fat!) is not very healthy!

Fortunately, the purpose of the blog post was to provide the readers with a healthier alternative to this satisfying, tasty coffee-flavoured icy treat.

But first be warned…

Unless you are ordering a regular coffee Starbucks can be a minefield of unhealthy food and drink.

Most of the foods and drinks are calorie dense and will cause fluctuations in blood sugar (which leads to fat storage). Fortunately, I have created a nourishing alternative.

The Vanilla Cinnamon Mocha Smoothie (awesome name, I know)

And, its only about 150cals and contains a good portion of protein.

1 serving of protein powder (Pro Amino order at www.mt-order.com (advisor no. 101-268)
1 heaped tsp of instant coffee
½ tsp of cinnamon
250 ml of rice milk
150ml of crushed ice

Blend (in a blender?!?) and enjoy.

You’ll never miss a frappuccino again!