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Tuesday 27 March 2018

I’m Training for my First Half-Marathon: Part 2



Less than two weeks to go… 

I’ve hit a wall with running, not the one they talk about on TV where you a half way through a race and you break through the invisible bricks in a blaze of glory. No, over the last two weeks I have forgotten why I ever wanted to run a half marathon in the first place. While I continue trying to keep positive and remember that it will all be worth it (hopefully) when I cross the finish line, I wanted to learn some things I’ve learnt about myself and running over the last three months of training:

-        Your feet won’t look pretty – I’m going to get the grossest one out of the way. Maybe feet are already disgusting but constantly slamming your feet on the floor at high speed will just make them worse, who would have guessed? To date I am one toenail down but ask me again in two weeks and I may be another one lighter. Sandal weather is going to be interesting.

-       Another thing for the to-do list – The thing people always tell you about exercise is that it is a great stress reliever, and it’s true, the rush of endorphins and time to think are great for mental health. When I signed up for the half-marathon I thought, ‘great I can run away the stress of, dissertation, job applications, assignments, impending adulthood…’ but what I’ve discovered recently is how time-consuming training is. Running no longer fits in with the rest of my life meaning I have to schedule it in which has been a challenge recently with so many other things going on. I now treat a run like the last thing on my to-do list and after I can relax and let the exhaustion take hold. There is nothing better than a post-run nights sleep.


-        I have poor will-power – I admit it, I have weak will-power when It comes to exercising. Recently my calves have felt strained and it’s made running painful at times. Then my weak will power comes in as I walk for short intervals and feel defeated even after covering nine miles. As much as I tell myself how much I can do it and that I’ll feel great when it’s over – my head is also willing me to stop. I now hope that the atmosphere and crowd of the race will keep my legs moving and my weak-willed-self running.

-       When am I going to feel fit?! There is something strange about exercising a lot more than ever while feeling tired and aching on the daily. My expectations of leaping out of bed everyday with killer abs and physique to match have been severely unfulfilled. On the bright side my leg muscles feel firm and I feel healthier overall, needing to do regular exercise has massively upped my water uptake and I’m trying to be conscious of what I eat before a run. Once I’ve finished running training I’d really like to focus more attention on building up upper-body strength and flexibility.

You’ll hear from me again after I’ve passed that blessed 13.1 mile mark. The final countdown (d-d-doo-doo) is now on, wish me luck!



Thursday 8 March 2018

International Women’s Day 2018: Recent Reads and Recommendations


Maybe you’ve been avoiding social media, televisions and the overall population since January 1st but 2018 is the Year of the Woman, i.e. the one-year anniversary of women over 30 getting the vote in the UK. Apparently, this month is also women’s history so it stands to reason that International Women’s Day 2018 is a big one, and I’m here for it. Still in need of some inspiration? Well it’s the perfect time to pick up a book or two from some first-class females. I’ve specifically chosen those that I’ve read recently, one of which I’ve only just started but know it’s a perfect fit for this mini list.  

Moxie – Jennifer Mathieu 
'Moxie girls fight back!' You may have heard of Moxie because it was featured in an incarnation of Zoella’s book club last year. Please don’t let that put you off, this story of a 16-year-old taking on her sexist-dress-code-pushing and football-player-worshipping Texas high school is possibly the most inspiring feminist book I’ve read. The characters are so developed and the issues are explored in a mature and sensitive way so that’s it’s an addictive read for all ages.  

Eat Sweat Play: How Sport Can Change Our Lives – Anna Kessel 
I added Eat Sweat Play to my Christmas list for some much-needed half-marathon training, turns out it was a lot more than inspiration for my lazy self. In fact, this book is a breakdown of sexism in sport and the media.  No, I have no aspirations of being a professional athlete or sportswoman but what this book did so insightfully was break down taboo's that are prevalent all over society. It is consistently thought provoking and as I consider it my first feminist non-fiction read, it has opened the door to a desire to read so many more.  


The Power – Naomi Alderman 
This is the book that I’ve only just started, in fact I’ll admit that I’m only 70 pages through. If you liked the Handmaid’s Tale (book or amazing TV show) you will love The Power’s way of exploring gender relations through a dystopian setting. As part of our first ever ‘book club’ myself and my housemates are all trying to get through this book before the end of March, why not get a copy and read along with us? 

Want to know what's next on my reading list? Follow me on Goodreads! 




Thursday 15 February 2018

I’m Training for My First Half-Marathon: Part 1

As of the Sunday the 28th of January I am in training for the Sheffield Half Marathon which will take place on the 8th of April. I’ve essentially paid £37 to run 13.1 miles up and down a big hill, you can ask me why but I might have to get back to you on the answer.

Before we get in to how the training is going let me take you on a journey through my history with exercise and sport…

When I was in year 11 of secondary school I had phone call home from my discouraged PE teacher after I refused to play basketball in favour of sitting on the radiator and chatting. When I was 18, after my first university term of eating my bodyweight in carbs, I decided to join a gym so bought a full gym kit and running shoes. This didn’t end well after I couldn’t find the gym, looked like an idiot and decided that this gym wasn’t for me. Next was my first experience with running, I got up early on a Sunday morning, got straight in to my running clothes and ran out of my front door with the aim of doing at least twenty minutes cross-country. Fast-forward 3 minutes and I was walking, out of breath and with a killer-stitch. Turns out I wasn’t particularly fit after leaving the forced exercise of school behind and discovering the joys of alcohol and pasta for every meal. My gym clothes finally got their day in the sun after I started going to a nearby gym with my university flatmates… at least until I moved in to new accommodation where the 20-minute walk to the gym put me off. 2 years later, while on my placement year, I needed something to occupy my free time around work so the obvious solution was to take up swimming. (You may be able to guess where this is going) I bought a swimming costume and goggles and headed to the pool. My overall thoughts on swimming are as follows; it is bloody knackering, it’s boring and it feels like everyone around you is so much better.  I swam a grand total of 5 lengths before getting out of the pool and sitting in the changing rooms wondering why the hell I ever thought this was a good idea. I was the definition of ‘all the gear and no idea’ or you may prefer ‘all the kit and still shit’. And somehow from sitting almost naked in a grubby leisure centre changing room wondering what the policy for returning a swimming costume was, I decided to join a running club and complete the couch to 5k program. *drum roll please* I actually did it!

I’ll be honest, after I completed the couch to 5k I didn’t become the jolly running girl who ran a swift 5k before dawn. Rather, I lost interest in the running club in favour of solo runs and since then my relationship with running has been on and off. Then in September last year, in a hangover induced stupor I agreed to the half marathon.

Finding the motivation to carry on comes from your head and not your legs. I’ve learnt that I’m not someone who can jump out of bed and run but if I’m sticking to training so that’s fine. Now I am in my third week of ‘official’ training and can now run 6 miles, aka I’m almost at the half way point and the idea of running for two hours or more sends dread straight to my soul. It’s well written that running is as much about physical endurance as it is mental. Sometimes running is gruelling AF but knowing that once I’ve completed a planned run gives me so much simple happiness and pride in myself. It’s not all #fitspo and my-body-is-a-temple though, like yesterday when I couldn’t even do 5k of hill training. I may whip up a green smoothie from time to time but I reward myself with a bag of monster munch.


So that’s it for now, I’ll be back with part two when I’m at the 10-mile mark. Wish me luck!