Brighton Marathon 2013

Hey..... Its been a while.....

So as a lot of you will have been aware I ran the Brighton Marathon last Sunday for Barnardos. This is one of the hardest things that I have ever done so I thought I'd get back onto blogging and go through how I felt leading up to the day and how the run went itself!

Worth running for

Review - Garmin Forerunner 10

Continuing with my running related posts, I've decided to do a review on my fairly recently bought Garmin Forerunner 10. I'm not doing this post because I'm getting a bit obsessed with running (though I may well be becoming a bit obsessed......) I'm doing this review because I really do love my Garmin, I wouldn't think of going out for a run without it, and I'd love to convince you to get one as it will do nothing but good!

What does it do?

Well, those of you familiar with Garmin as a brand will know that they deal with GPS devices, so basically this is a substitute for using your phone to track your results, but it differs in function and how it is used to give you a different end result.

I've mentioned many times before that I love to break my runs down into stats, so I knew that I'd enjoy this product as soon as I knew what it could do. It works in the same way as the GPS on your phone, it tracks your movement giving you a distance covered in your preferred unit (km or mile) and records your time for that run, and then uses this to work out average pace. This is where things get a bit different though, unlike with your phone, the information can be easily accessed during your run, so all you need to do is glance down at your wrist to see your pace / time / distance and also calories burned.

On top of these stats you can also use some of the additional features such as the auto pause that will automatically stop your timer when your movement stops, or alternatively you can pause with just the click of a button. There is also a virtual pace mode which you can set up for when you run a route that you have done before, which allows you to race against yourself, so to speak. The ease of being able to look at your current pace while on the go is great as it lets you know if you are over or under exerting yourself on your run, which is especially useful when you are training with a certain pace in mind!

All of the information from your run can then be uploaded onto your computer and viewed through Garmin Connect where you can really scrutinise the details of your activity!

How well does it Integrate with related things?

From the information you are given with the watch it seems to be designed to be used with Garmin Connect, which is the program / website that gives you all of the information about your runs. I find that the program itself contains some really great information from your runs but isn't the most user friendly, though it does give you some cool little options like being able to manually set personal records (If you have ever recorded 99m of a 100m and hit your best 100m then you will appreciate why I like this) as well recording PRs for set distances.

Various bits of Info from Garmin Connect

What is great though is that the lovely people at Strava have made their website Garmin friendly. Instead of using the Strava app on your phone, you can just upload the information from your Garmin straight onto the Strava website, giving you all of the information you can get off the  Garmin Connect page in a much more user friendly format. All of the benefits from Strava are transferred to your Garmin as a result so when you run through a segment, you can still compete against other runners with your times!

A couple of days ago Garmin released the app version of Garmin connect which is great for following your friends activities and also looking at your stats!

How much does it cost?

Garmins don't come cheap, and as far as I can tell this is probably the cheapest, I managed to pick mine up for £89.00 from Amazon, and I think this was the cheapest price you can get for it. Some of the other running Garmins can range up to about £300.00 with the cycling versions being even more expensive!

Data cable and charger!

It may sound a bit expensive considering it is really just a way of avoiding bringing your phone out on a run with you and having quicker access to your stats, but I'm still glad I shelled out for it. If anything I'm a bit gutted I didn't go for a more expensive one and get a few more features!

Is it worth getting?

Yes.

I really really love my Garmin and it really does make me want to go out an run more, and anyone who looks at the feed about my runs will notice that the amount of runs I have done recently has shot up (except for the last week due to a sore knee and other commitments!).

Loading times can vary!

I'm not going to just tell you about all the things I like about this watch, It is worth pointing out some of the flaws. The GPS is not as good as you will find on your phone, you may have to wait for a minute outside to catch signal (many people will leave their watch outside before a run just to get signal) which can be a problem when you are going on a group run and can't stop to get a signal! The battery life also isn't terrific but is more then enough for a couple of long runs, so it isn't really a watch to wear every day! The only other real downside is the inability to attach a heart rate monitor so you can get some more in depth stats!

I'd consider this watch a beginners Garmin so anyone who wants to get serious with their running and has £90 spare should really consider investing in one of these!

Meal Plan - 03/02/13 - 09/02/13

Well this is embarrassing.... This may well be the latest that I have uploaded a meal plan for the week. It may seem a bit pointless to be posting this with only 2 days remaining but I think it is important to show that while I have been too busy to post this that I am still doing it.

Nutrition in Exercise

A couple of months ago I did a post on how the body makes energy which is a bit of a prelude to this post on how you should fuel yourself when you work out. This is a bit of a generalised view on nutrition as it can vary from sport to sport as you may find that you have different needs, but as a rough guide it is fairly thorough!

Smoothies are a great Pre exercise snack

Meal Plan 27/01/13 - 02/01813

The weather has taken it's toll on my health this week, I've always found that if I can't exercise I also struggle to eat well. Its strange I know, I guess I'm a sort of an all or nothing kind of person in this respect. When I workout I feel great and I feel motivated to eat well, but when I know I can't I sort fell like: "one take out pizza isn't going to kill me!". I'm not going act like last week was that bad for eating, I just know that I had a couple of bad meals and I ate more chocolate then I would have liked.

Healthy, delicious and easy to make

The Brighton Marathon

I know I've been going on about running quite a lot lately, but I'm going to have to talk about it again. One of the things that I've always wanted to do is run a marathon, and for the last 2 years I've been saying that I plan on doing the Wolverhampton marathon, but I never even sign up. Last year I only thought about doing it 2 weeks before the event, and the year before I got too excited too early and kept putting off signing up and training until it eventually became too late again!

Meal Plan 13/01/13 - 19/01/13

In terms of food and fitness last week was good, scratch that it was great! I ate well and worked hard, I probably went a bit too far in the CV direction, doing 4 sessions of high intensity CV to only 1 weights session. Though in all honesty I needed it, and after turning up to our hockey game to find we have no subs and being in a team that probably wasn't close to peak fitness I'm glad I did it. I reached half time and I don't think I'd been out of breath once, not to say I didn't work hard, I worked really hard, I just felt very fit.

Looks rough, tastes Nice

App Review - Strava

Back in November I posted a review of the Nike+ running app, this was purely because it was the only running app I'd ever really used. I'm a little older and a little more experienced now and I'm glad to say I've seen more of the world and some more apps that are knocking around. Strangely I didn't come across Strava by deciding to go for a run and try something different or because I was having a look through the app store on my iPhone. 

Supplements - A Guide to Drugs in Sport - Part 1

So I went for my second run with Wolverhampton and Bilston running club last night, it's took me ages to give it a second go, mainly due to not being keen for a heavy workout, and because my trainers haven't been great and I thought I'd break my leg when it turned a bit icy for a couple of weeks! 

1-3 and 8-9 were warm up and warm downs!

Muscle Groups - The Shoulder Part 1

Moving on from the chest towards the arms are your shoulders, I was planning on talking about these with the arms but there is far too much going on there for just one post so I decided to split it into 3 parts; Shoulder, upper arm and lower arm

The Anatomy:

You can split the shoulder muscles into 6 key muscles spreading from the back to the top of the arms, though they may not appear equal they all have an important role to play in the movement of the arm.

New Year, New Intentions.

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's the start of a new year so its time to look forward about what we want to do in the future. I don't usually bother with new years resolutions, but this year I've decided to make an exception as I think the start of a year can be the motivation I need to do something good for myself.

Running Parachute

I'm not going to be doing any vague or overly ambitious things like try to 'eat healthier' or 'give up chocolate' as these are either too hard to judge or are too difficult and unrealistic. I think a better approach is to set smaller obtainable targets. Anyone will tell you that you can't suddenly just change who you are, which is why those sort of resolutions are always doomed to end in failure.

Running Clubs

I've always enjoyed the occasional run, but I've never really taken it too seriously. I've done a couple of half marathons in the past though I never really trained for them and apart from that I'd only do the odd run of a weekend. I've always wanted to do a full marathon though I've always been worried that I wouldn't have the commitment for the training and Id end up being on the eve of the race realising I'd only done a couple of 5K's

My new well broken in Running Top!

Muscle Groups - The Chest (Pectorals) Part 1

Muscle Groups - The Chest (Pectorals) Part 1

My last muscle groups post was about the abdominal region of the body, so it makes sense that the next thing I discuss lies next to this; The Pectoral Muscles. The Pecs are to the chest what the Abs are to the stomach, If you want to look like you in good shape and fairly strong you need to have good Pectoral Muscles. Like last time Part 1 will concentrate on the Anatomy and how you can stretch these muscles prior to a workout and part 2 will go into more detail over the exercises you can do!

The Anatomy:

The pectorals are slightly less complex in structure then the abdominals in the fact that they are only split into 2 main regions:

Pectoralis Major and Minor

Smoothies - A Power Meal

         Anyone who reads my food plans will know that I drink a lot of smoothies, In my opinion they are the easiest and the quickest way to get lots of healthy things into you in one go. As far as sports nutrition goes they are ideal as well, not only do they get healthy foods into you but they also offer a great option for hydration. As well as all this they are quick and easy to prepare and most of them can be made in bulk and frozen to be drank at a later date. They can be drank as a meal replacement or as a snack just to help you through the day!

What Goes into a Smoothie?

         Almost anything. If you can blend it and its edible then it can go into a smoothie. The majority of smoothies out there will contain milk, yoghurt and some form of fruit, though not all of them do! The trick with smoothies is to find out how to get a good balance of thickness taste and nutritional benefit. Too thick or thin and you wont want to finish it and you'll miss out on some goodness, or if you don't put enough good stuff in then you will end up doing more damage then good!

Nutritious and Delicious!

         I've found that adding things like yoghurt, Ice and banana's will help to thicken the mixture giving it a nice texture and also helping to satisfy your hunger. You can add some nutrients to the mixture by adding berries and other fruits, which as well as being good for you also help give your smoothies a sweet flavour. On top of berries and fruits you can add honey, peanut butter and flavoured whey powder to add some extra flavour and a bit of protein!

What do I need to make one?

         The only thing you need is a blender, and if you can't get a proper one then you can pick up a hand blender from the value section of any supermarket chain for about £5 but you will just make a bit more of a mess and need to put a bit more work into it! Apart from that all you need to make a smoothie is the ingredients your going to put in!

My hard working blender!

Where can I find recipes?

         You don't need to, I find the best thing to do is experiment with different flavours until you find a nice balance of healthy and tasty. However if your in a hurry and want some recipes straight away you can go to the Men's Health website where they have a smoothie maker section full of recipes tailored to different situations. They also do an App for iPhone that does basically the same thing as the website. On top of that there are various food websites out there that have smoothies sections and if you look in the recommended reading section then you will see a book called 'the new abs diet' that is a huge advocate of smoothies in lowering body fat and promoting fitness!

         At least twice a week I make a Blueberry and Banana smoothie as I've found that its perfect for my training, It always leave me full (without being bloated) and full of energy, since I've started drinking them a couple of hours before a workout (with a power bar) I've felt full of energy and my fitness has benefited from this! The recipe is as follows:

• 100g of Blueberries
• 1 medium Banana
• 3 tablespoons of ready oats
• 3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt / vanilla yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon of unsweetened honey
• 1 scoop (30g) of strawberry whey protein
• 300ml of skimmed milk

         I've talked about the health benefits of blueberries in one of my first posts, so they're an obvious choice for my smoothies as they have no real drawbacks but price. Bananas are delicious, full of Potassium and help thicken the mixture as well as being a source of sugar. The oats are a great source of slow release energy and also thicken then mixture, with the help from the yoghurt and banana! The honey gives it a sweetness kick while being a source of sugar in a natural form to give you immediate energy. The strawberry whey protein ads some protein which helps with carb uptake and also adds to the diet quickly and easily. Finally the milk helps add to the volume and dilutes the mixture so if its too thick for your liking you can always add some more! This is my standard but depending on what I can get a hold of and what is in season I do change it up, I sometimes ad strawberries or raspberries instead of blueberries just to give it a different taste!

         If you can't even be bothered to make them then you can always buy them from the shops and there are some really good brands out there!

Innocent have a tasty but expensive range!

Any drawbacks?

         Not really, though obviously its important to remember what goes in must come out, and too much liquid or fibre before exercise is not ideal as you would like to avoid having an accident mid sprint, so maybe be careful with the amount of fruit you add! Its also important to consider what you put in when you think about freezing them for a latter date! Anything with banana in cannot be kept if you have used milk, this is because a reaction takes place causing the banana to start to turn brown and expire early making it inedible. Some consideration must be taken with adding protein as well as if left in liquid state for too long it can cause bacteria to grow so it should either be drank right away or frozen!

         That's your lot for smoothies, give them a go I can't recommend them enough, just make sure you invest in a good blender as they have many uses above making just smoothies and make the whole process quick and easy!

Cheers,

Rich   

App Review - Nike+ Running

         There are lots of fitness related apps out there, so it can be hard to find the one that's right for you, especially when they all seem to do the same thing. When it comes to running apps there are absolutely loads out of there to choose from (MapMyRun, RunKeeper and iRunner for example), but for this post I'm just going to talk about the Nike+ Running app.

What Does it Do?

         As the name suggests it keeps track of your runs for you and stores the data. It does this by tacking your movement using your phone's GPS system and using a built in timer. You can choose one of 4 settings for your run; Basic - Where you just run and are provided with stats when you finish; Distances - where you can either do a set distance and try and beat your time, or alternatively try and beat your maximum distance; Time - Where you aim to beat your longest run or try and do a greater distance in a set time; and finally speed run - this combines elements of the last 2 where you try and beat your time for a set distance, 1K, 1 Mile or 5K etc.

What you see when you finish

         For me the stats are the key to this app. If for example you just do a basic run when you finish you are initially given your time and distance. No big deal right? Your could work this out yourself if you have a watch and a map! Well this is where it gets more interesting, if you have done a personal best (fastest 5K or best distance etc) then you will get a voice message from a known athlete congratulating you on your result. Your time is then broken down to show your average pace throughout your run, and can be broken down even further to show you your time per mile. It will also show you your average pace / time / distance compared to previous runs so that you can see if you have had any improvement. If this wasn't enough you can look at a graphical representation of your run on the map, showing you where you were quickest on your route and where you weren't as quick, as well as breaking your route up into miles.

A breakdown of the run, green is fast and red is slow!

         You can share your stats and runs on facebook and twitter (If you want the attention!) and you can also get involved with the Nike+ community. When you post that you are doing a run using the app, your also have a 'cheer' option, this is designed so that when ever someone comments or likes this status you will here a cheer to encourage you to run!

What is the Nike+ Community?

         In my opinion the Nike+ Community is for those that take their running seriously, its a place for people to upload their stats and runs. It's for those people that are actively keen to run and for those with a competitive spirit. On the Nike+ site you are able to upload a route that you do and other people can try your route. This is where the element of competition comes in, as people can compete for the best times for the route or alternatively compete over who has ran in the most.

    

         You can also share things such as calories or Nike+ Fuel points used (Nike+ fuel points are a sort of branded version of calories which Nike like to use). As well as this you can also set targets such as run so many miles in a month or burn off so many fuel points. They also offer support in running things like marathons and such.

How much does it cost?

         Nothing. Which considering what it does is a bargain, as you would expect though they like to advertise their trainers and all of their other running related products to you so I suppose they just consider the app to be an investment which should encourage you to buy some of their more costly products! It is also available on both apple and android so practically anyone can use it provided they have a smart phone!

Is it worth getting?

         There are a couple of flaws I'm yet to mention. While as a whole the app is great and I haven't encountered any real problems (yet!) there are a couple of things that I find irritating. The GPS isn't completely reliable, whether this is due to me loosing signal during a run or whether its just not that accurate I'm not sure but I find that I can run exactly the same route but come out with different distances each time. This is something they have made efforts to correct, and even if it is inaccurate you can correct the distance by calibrating your run, though it would be nice if it just worked right the first time! Another alternative to fix this is to buy one of the Nike+ tags which can be put into your shoes to help track you this but your then having to pay to fix an app issue.

         I have also found the Nike+ community to be difficult to use. While it is a great concept it doesn't seem that straight forward, I have no problems planning a route on the site, and I have no problems uploading my run data to my section on the site but I am unsure how to share my times for routes on the maps! I'm yet to actually run a route I have mapped on the site, so it may be that if you run a route that appears on the site then it recognises this and puts your stats up, and as the map planning section also has 'heat regions' where there is large amounts of running, I assume from this that it must be sophisticated enough to recognise my route, though as I'm not doing a large amount of road running at the moment I am yet to find this out!

         Overall I do like the app and I especially like the cheer option to help encourage those who need it to keep their effort up (even though I myself don't like to post when I've been exercising). So in my opinion, even if you only run sporadically like myself then it is definitely worth a look!

Cheers, and get running!

Rich