Race Recap – the Dubbo Stampede

11 Sep

I realise it has been a while since I last wrote. I don’t know sometimes how people manage to keep up with everything – I have been finding having a full time job, studying,  a toddler going through trying moments, trying to fit in training as well as numerous other things have kept me away from writing – so since I last wrote I ran a race and I’m going to tell you about it now.

LCHF Update 

I’ve been following a Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) way of eating for a while now – I would say properly now for almost 4 months. As a result I have dropped some weight and changed my whole way of thinking about food, carbs and training. It has been a struggle trying to run hard without carbs – but as my body slowly adapts to fat it is becoming a bit easier. So I entered the Dubbo Stampede 10k and it was the furthest (bar the City to South) I had run fairly hard as a race.

Dubbo Stampede

I love Dubbo. I have very good friends that live there so it was an excuse entering the race to go and see them too. It’s got a great country atmosphere and everyone I have met there I always feel like I have known them for a long time!

The Stampede had a number of races within the event including its first year of a full marathon and part of the race was to be around the Dubbo Zoo which I have been to before and it is excellent.

Starting the Race

The Half Marathon and Full had already gone by the time I started my 10k. I was dressed for the north pole as it was really cold for me – although I had to smile lining up with people that were dressed in tiny shorts and singlets – it was clear who the visitor was!

The event was really well organised and I had my coffee and cream prior to the race and lined up ready to go. I took off fairly steady and kept an even pace – I felt quite good considering I had no carbs inside me and quickly got into my running groove. The first section of the race went outside the Zoo and was on a small incline, did a loop back and then it was into the zoo. I felt great except I found I warmed up so ended up having to lose a couple of mins trying to take my gilet off and pinning my number onto my top.

Inside the Zoo was great. I got to see heaps of animals – waved to the rhinos and was still able to push fairly hard although I found my energy started to wane a little bit and it was becoming harder to push – if I slowed back I was ok but I really wanted to push but found I just couldn’t.

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Pushing to the finish

Helping People in Need

When I ran the Twilight Half Marathon a while ago I ended up stopping to help a young boy who was in trouble…can you believe the same happened this time…. I think I have a radar for it as again I spotted a young boy – he only looked maybe 9/10 – maybe he was a little bit older but I spotted him staggering as he was running, then stopping and he looked like he was really not well. His face was flushed and his breathing didn’t look good – so I asked him if he was ok and he said “No”. I asked him if anyone was with him and he said his Dad was way back.

He was starting to get teary so I stayed and walked/jogged with him until we found a steward and I left him with the steward and carried on my race again. I struggle with it all as Yes I know we are all there to run a race but it made me sad that no-one had stopped to see if he was ok and is a good race time really worth not helping someone in trouble??

Anyway I got to the last km and decided to push hard to make up some time. I then saw the finish line and pushed as hard as I could. A girl was running next to me and she looked over at me and pushed – so I was like ‘ok honey – it’s game on!’ the inner competitor inside me woke up and I pushed all the way to the finish in front of her – childish I know but it felt good😀

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Finished!

All in all I did an ok time – aware that I lost a few minutes here and there – but I do feel confident that I could maybe start to push my distance back up again not relying on carbohydrate. My dream is to do another half marathon or marathon but fat adapted… I know lots of people that have I just have to now put the work in…. watch this space….

 

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My Knight in Shining Armour Around the Lake

21 Aug

The choking incident…

Have you every drunk your water too quickly and it has gone down the wrong way? That’s what happened to me this morning, and I was running at the time. I was just trotting around the lake near where I live and I took a massive gulp of water. Almost immediately I felt my face burn and my throat felt like it was closing up – I realised it wasn’t like normal and I staggered to the side of the path.

I started really coughing and then found myself a little short of breath and really wheezy and making a sound that resembled someone that was on their last legs – and I was fighting for my breath! I noticed a couple of girls walking by me and looked up as if to say HELP but they carried on walking as did another couple, and a guy with a little boy walked by – but then he came back, asked me if I was ok, and I managed to say ‘water gone down wrong way’  and he basically whacked me on the back a few times and after the third or fourth time I felt much better.

knight in shining armour

ok so he wasn’t riding a horse but you get the idea..

My knight in shining armour! 

I was a bit scared as at one point as unlike other occasions where I have coughed and it has all come good – this didn’t feel right, so very thankful – whoever he is…

It just made me realise how easy it is to just walk on by, and I’ve gotten myself into a few scrapes when running – thankfully most of the time I have been with people – but it did make me think. I always try to stop and help people unless it looks like a dodgy scenario in which case I would call for help – but I kind of wonder have we really got to that point in life where we are afraid (or don’t want to) help people?…sorry rant over.

Learning to have a rest

I was running by myself today as I was meant to be on the Sunshine Coast running a 10k race – but I decided a week or two ago not to do it, due to a number of reasons – I knew the week just gone was going to be a crazy one with work – as we were working to a deadline which unfortunately meant a lot of hours (thankfully we made the deadline – yay!) so I knew I would be exhausted (which I am), and also the 10k race didn’t start until 9am which personally I think is nuts. Back in the UK I could have handled it but not in Queensland even in winter.   I would have crashed and burned I think as it has been a warm day and I would have no carbs to pull on.

So I had a nice lie in and woke up and ran at leisure – it was great bar the choking part! I have another race next weekend so in hindsight it was pretty silly to sign up for two in a row as these days with LCHF eating I do find it harder.

Post race goals

I have a few things on my mind at the moment running wise.

MAF Training

Reading a lot of information about Phil Maffetone and his MAF Method I feel that one session a week might not be the way to go I think I need to go the whole hog. So the plan is to run MAF style over the next few months as much as I can and maybe sneak in the odd park run and then by say end of November – see if it is really making any difference.

LCHF = Endurance not Speed

In addition, with my Low Carb High/Healthy Fat lifestyle I am finding with my running I am slower than I was due to lack of carbs I guess as I just don’t seem to have as much power – but my endurance is  getting really good just at a slower pace. Sometimes I feel once I have found my pace I could keep running and running – so I am also thinking of pushing up the distances again and seeing how I go by the end of the year.

If I find that I am doing ok I might try a half marathon which whilst I have done lots of them would be my first on LCHF, and if that goes well then maybe just maybe I could try for my sixth marathon…..but that is a very slim maybe right now!

Anyway long post for me today – the inner ramblings of the mad running woman….Have a great week!

 

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Slowing things down with #lchf and running

9 Aug

It’s been an interesting few weeks in life, work, and training – and I think this week things finally caught up with me. The last 7 days have been literally like running through treacle where energy and training has been concerned.

I found a few days running I literally felt like I didn’t want to get out of bed, when I woke up I felt like I had had no sleep and I generally struggled with motivation to train. Many people will argue it is because I am not having ‘enough’ carbohydrate – but I have been eating low carb high fat for a while so it would have happened sooner if that was the case. But at one point it felt debilitating and my husband even took our son out for a few hours on the weekend so that I could sleep – and sleep I did – 4 hours during the day!

I’m coming out of it now and have deduced (I’m no doctor but I do know my body) that it was all down to not enough water and just generally being run down and tired with work, training, life – I think we all have those moments. So it has been back to it today with training, and then I’m training with my friend tomorrow to pick things back up. I also treated myself to a new pair of Kayano’s this week to give me an extra spring in my step🙂

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New shoes! Enough to put a spring in anyone’s step!

I think as a parent working full time sometimes we underestimate how busy our lives are – I know I do anyway – and I keep pushing to do things and have finally had to take a step back and say ‘ok – what do I have to let go of here, and who do I have to say no to?’ – running stays of course! I need it for my sanity!!

I had a think and here are some tips for if you don’t feel like training….got any other suggestions? Feel free to share in the comments🙂

Running motivation

4 tips for when you don’t feel like training

  1. Don’t force it. 

I do find sometimes that when I feel like I need a rest and I then go to the gym I do feel better – but sometimes I know to take a rest. I think if you are feeling generally stressed and like you just need a breather then take one! The gym will still be there when you get back – but sometimes you need a rest and in not feeling like training it can be your body’s way of telling you to rest or that you aren’t firing on all 4 cylinders – alternatively if you aren’t enjoying your training just have a rest too – you don’t want to resent your running!

2. Do something different

If you find that you are tired of doing the same thing all the time and it is really becoming an effort – why not shake things up a bit and do something different? Run outside if you are a treadmill runner, or do some running drills or fartlek or what about trying out a trail run.

3. Run with someone else

I find that running with someone else has been amazing during winter as when I would have happily stayed in bed under the duvet – knowing someone is waiting for me to meet them to run has made me accountable and forced me to get up and train – I have always felt better for it – unless coming down with something.

4. Work towards a goal

Having a goal to work towards will do wonders for the motivation. I remember when I was training up for the Gold Coast Marathon last year I braved all sorts of cold and heat to get my training done – and not training wasn’t an option! I was focussed on getting to the start line🙂

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Product Review for Posto9 by Activaware4U – ethically made clothing

26 Jul

A while ago I somehow ended up on a modelling shoot – haha – me on a modelling shoot! Basically two of my friends were having some photos taken by a friend Jacqueline who launched her own fitness wear line designed in the UK and made in Brazil – Posto9- they were then going for a run afterwards and invited me along to be an extra model and to run afterwards.

I was presented with what were very bright and vivid clothes and initially the thought of wearing them freaked me out! Jacqueline pointed out some beautiful blue and black pants which I instantly loved so they were mine along with a crop bra with a gaping hole in the back! We literally had to get changed in the middle of Kangaroo Point which was interesting and trying to keep some modesty!! But anyway it all went well and the photos came out well.

Activaware4u

Wearing the crop and leggings in the photoshoot at Kangaroo Point

 

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This is the back of the crop top – not me wearing it!

Ethically made clothing 

The thing I like about the brand from chatting to Jacqueline is that the clothing is not only great quality but also ethically made. An ethical clothing company ensures that either the textile is eco-friendly and/or the employees – usually women – are treated fairly and Jacqueline believes that those making our clothes should not be subjected to a life of poverty and I wholeheartedly agree and stand behind such a brand.

Clothing thoughts

The fabric I have to say is amazing quality and very very comfortable. I was surprised as I thought I would find them uncomfortable as they looked more about the pattern and fashion to me than overall usage for running. The clothing is quite versatile and great for gym classes as well as running. I wore the running pants and bra on a number of trail runs, gym sessions and a park run and I can say hand on heart they are very very comfortable. The only down side with the pants is no pocket which most running tights have these days. But I am happy to have no pocket over very comfortable pants.

One of the great things about the running pants is that the ones I tried out were high waisted so great if you aren’t skinny and have curves to hold in – and I didn’t have to worry about a muffin top! I liked the fact that they were not elasticated either – just comfortable and firm fitting.

Both the pants and top have yet to show any signs of wear and tear – usually the running pants I have (thanks to my thighs that join in the middle) start to show wear and tear pretty quickly – nothing from these yet. Crop bra is also very comfortable and firm – so suitable for running.

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Pricing

The pricing on the Posto9 range is pretty in the middle of the range – when you consider high quality range products might charge in excess of $70 for a crop top and $120 onwards for running tights – the products are around $35 for a crop top and $70 for the pants which is very reasonable for higher quality clothing.

 

Summary

Pros

High waisted

Reasonable price

Ethically made – know that you are contributing to a brand that cares about the people making the products when you buy

Cons

No pocket in pants

Online order so can’t really see them before you buy unless you live in Brisbane and you can contact Jacqueline and have a look or look on her website as above. Ordering online is pretty normal now though so not really an issue.

Ordering

You can see some of the range at http://activaware4u.wix.com/activaware4u or call Jacqueline on 0424652016 for more details. Jacqueline has just had a new delivery with new designs in so if interested order now before she runs out again!

Please note I was not paid for this review, and all opinions are my own and open and honest to the best of my knowledge.

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LCHF and Running – Update

4 Jul

I realise I haven’t written again in a while. Life is so busy – I have been falling behind on a few things but I am trying to be more organised! I have had a lot of people asking about my Low Carb High Fat Lifestyle and how I am finding it as a runner – so I thought I would post an update as today’s post.

It has been almost 12 weeks since I embarked on the unthinkable – running on less than 25g of carbs a day! The reason why I started came about from doing a lot of reading about low carb high fat diets, and generally feeling sluggish and unwell from having a lot of carbohydrate. I wrote a little bit about that in a previous post.

It hasn’t been 100% easy

12 weeks in and I am not going to say it has been 100% easy especially being a sociable person but I am almost 7kg lighter and have run one race whilst transitioning which was a challenge! But on the whole I feel much better and I don’t find it a huge issue – I don’t feel like I have a ‘brain fog’ anymore I actually feel more awake and alert!

It took a while to feel comfortable eating lots of fats i.e. butter, coconut oil, cream, bacon etc where normally I would watch my intake of all of these things – my friend who is a PT was fairly sceptical but even she said just the other day she was amazed at the results. I have had a few hiccups when I have been out and realised that there is nothing I can eat or have been to friends for dinner and didn’t want to appear rude so ate what was in front of me – but I jumped straight back on the wagon the next day and it has all been fine. I have found now the best way to handle the eating is to take my own food and that works a lot better, and I take a packed lunch to work – so all good – although the day they all ordered pizza and cake was tricky but I sat with my salad and LCHF bread whilst everyone munched pizza around me!

Under Armour Speedform Gemini 2 shoe

The LCHF lifestyle has meant I have lost weight which is an added bonus

Difference in running 

The biggest issue with my running I have found is that I am generally at the moment a bit slower than I was and am running probably about 1 minute slower per km than I used to – but from an endurance point of view generally I feel great as long as I run at my slower pace. From reading a lot and hearing about other people’s experiences this is fairly normal. The trick now is to move over from burning glucose to burning fat and then in theory things should improve.

The MAF Method

At the same time I am also experimenting with the MAF method which was created by Phil Maffetone whose theory helps from an exercise point of view to train at the appropriate intensity to develop your fat burning aerobic system, improve health and perform better. My banting (LCHF) coach has encouraged me to do this to help with switching my body over but I am not doing it all the time so not sure whether it will work – it means taking your age off 180 and then that is the maximum heart rate you can run at. I found it very difficult and looked ridiculous running as slowly as I was but apparently it works. So we shall see on that one.

On the whole I feel great and am very glad I have switched to this lifestyle so far but I still have a fair way to go with my running as it takes time to get the speed back – but with two 10k races coming up next month we’ll see whether I have improved or not!

If you are intrigued by a LCHF lifestyle don’t just listen to me as I am certainly not a qualified nutritionist or doctor so always consult a professional if embarking on something new – but have a read of a few books and articles as it is always good to read for yourself.

In a previous post I posted some books that had turned my thinking around – I have listed them again below – they are not affiliate links – I just want to help point interested people in the right direction!

Further reading

Gary Taubes – Why We Get fat 

Tim Noakes – Real Meal Revolution

David Perlmutter – Grain Brain

William Davis – Wheat Belly 

 

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Treadmill Vs Running Outside

22 Jun

I have finally bitten the bullet today and rejoined a gym! I really thought I could get through winter and not have to do it but I had a bit of an experience a week or two ago that made me rethink. I was running around the lake near where I live at 6am and a guy appeared in front of me. It kind of threw me a bit. He laughed and said some words in a language I didn’t understand, and I just kept on running.

It made me think. What if he hadn’t been as passive? and what if he had been with other guys? I got home a little bit shaken and took stock of it all, and decided that I wouldn’t run outside in the dark alone again. Need some tips on safety – read one of my previous posts all about it.

My issue is that during the week I have no-one to run with as my friends are dotted all over the place – weekends are not a drama, but weekdays are an issue. So I joined a gym! I’m quite excited to be going back for a while – it will be nice to be in the warm🙂

Before I committed to join my gym I sat and really thought about the benefits of both the treadmill and running outside to weigh up whether I would use the gym. I decided in the end that I would likely use both – gym during the week and outside on the weekend. My notes that I wrote for myself are below for anyone wondering what the benefits of both are.

treadmills

Benefits of running on the treadmill and running outside

Running on the treadmill

Great for speed sessions

Treadmills are really good for when you have specific training requirements – i..e if you are running a speed session and need to do x km per hour. You can literally program the treadmill for whatever speed you need to run at, and away you go which is very handy when working to a specific program with specific speed training requirements.

All weather training 

The treadmill is a great alternative when the weather isn’t going in your favour. Whether it is torrential rain outside or a heatwave – it really doesn’t matter if you are running on a treadmill inside.

Great for the solo runner 

If the only time that you can train is early in the morning or last thing at night, and it is dark – running on a treadmill is a great way to ensure that you don’t put yourself at risk by running alone in the dark. You can run at any time of the day on the treadmill without having to be conscious of where you run and keeping safe.

Better when you have an injury

The treadmill can be better if you have an injury than running outside, as you will have a consistent flat surface to run on, whereas outside the surface on which you are running may not be as even, the pavement may be harder which could worsen your injury. Although on the flip side it is good to ensure that your sessions on the treadmill are mixed up to ensure you don’t fall prey to injury from just pounding away on the treadmill session after session.

 

Running Outside 

Change of scenery and route 

Running on the treadmill can be very boring, seeing the same view time after time and not physically getting anywhere. Running outside is great therefore for alleviating boredom and mixing things up with your running routes, enabling you to change your routes, add hills and variation to your terrain i.e. roads, trails.

Save money 

The biggest advantage of running outside compared to inside on a treadmill is that unless you own your own treadmill it means that you save money on hefty gym membership fees. You can literally put on your running gear, step outside the door and go!

More realistic training conditions for a race 

The treadmill can often seem easier than running outside, and if you are training for something in particular it can often be better to run outside to get used to the conditions that you will be running in rather than running on a treadmill where it isn’t always an accurate reflection of true racing conditions.

 

 

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My First Road Race Running On Low Carb High Fats

12 Jun

I haven’t written for a while as life again has been pretty crazy, and then coming down with a cold it hasn’t been much fun in the last week.

I thought I would continue on from my last post and talk you through the recent City to South race I ran – my first proper road race (not counting one park run) run on Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) eating.

I have to say I was pretty daunted at the prospect of running 14k in race conditions  without my usual plan of having carbs a few days before and on the day of the race, but I trusted my banting coach and went for it.

Race Prep

My usual race prep would have been have carbs the night before, along with plenty of water and then in the morning my breakfast of carbs – a banana and oats. This time the night before I had a normal dinner of protein, fats and vegetables, and then in the morning I had – a coffee with three tablespoons of cream – a bit of a difference!

I was meant to have some salt water an hour before the race and I forgot. It is meant to help with cramping. I had it around my waist in one of my bottles and only realised later when during the race I took a swig and almost gagged!

The Race 

city to south

All smiles before the race

So my lovely friend Sam and I parked and made our way to the start of the race. I was fairly calm – had my two toilet visits (my running ritual!) and was ready to go! It was really cold, and the race was a couple of minutes starting and then we were off!

I found to begin with that I felt good. I kept a solid and comfortable pace a little it under what I thought I could run and plugged into my iPod and settled into the race. There were plenty of people running and it bottle necked a bit, but I was doing an ok pace.

I have come to terms with the fact that my running times whilst adapting to fat and LCHF way of life are slower. I have dropped almost 30 secs off my usual per km pace but haven’t been stressing about it. So I got through the first few km and was feeling ok.

By the time I got to 5k I started to feel a little bit fatigued. I saw Sam and she looked good and I realised I might be pushing too hard so I slowed a little bit to prepare myself for the hills, and whereas I used to power up the hills I found myself slowing right down to chug up the hills and to keep a good endurance level.

Hills, Hills and More Hills 

I found the race quite hilly, and my mind started to play tricks on me and convince me that without the carbs it was a disaster so I started to wane a bit as the hills came and went. I found myself telling myself I wasn’t going to be able to get around the distance and what was I thinking trying to race on low carbs, and it was a real battle but I pushed on determined to finish. Some of the hills were pretty tough but I just slowed down and chugged up whilst people passed me.

I found with my legs that they didn’t feel as bouncy as they usually did in a race. I am assuming that was lack of carbohydrate…who knows but it wasn’t impossible but it just felt that little bit harder when I tried to push. I have heard with LCHF however that endurance improves but the ability to sprint can be reduced.

What happened to team spirit?

One of the things that really disappointed me in the race was the team spirit of some of the runners. I saw a young guy struggling as I was running, he was walking with his head bent on the side of the road. I saw him from afar and could see that he was in distress, yet no-one stopped to check if he was ok. I think it must have been the ‘mum’ in me and as I got closer to him I checked if he was ok and he said ‘No’. He looked really sad and like he was beaten down – it was a tough course and I think he had over estimated how fast he could run. I asked him if he wanted me to get some help but he said he would carry on walking and urged me to carry on running which in the end I did – but I have to just say – I would have stopped and walked with him if he needed it, and it was really disappointing that no-one stopped before me.

Just saying!

City to South

Smiles after the race – Sam and I

As I pushed up Highgate I really struggled but was determined that the hill was not going to beat me and I took an extra swig of my ‘salt’ water which as I mentioned before I was meant to have before the race! After making it up Highgate I figured there were a couple of KM left so it should be plain sailing…no …. there was another hill which caught me out! I pushed up that and realised then that the race was almost over – and as usual I was like a homing pigeon and as soon as I realised where the finish was I literally sprinted.

I don’t know where the energy came from but I pushed to the finish and almost cried when I finished. It had been such an effort. My time was ok and I think my average pace was 6.06km which is not really quick at all, but I was proud I had achieved it on LCHF, and my first hurdle was over!  My friend Sam had finished just before me and we got our usual photo taken and headed home jubilant – having finished.

Now to look to the next race on the Sunshine Coast and to learn from this race.

Have a great week!

 

 

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