happy to be looking after my knee

well... after yesterdays maudlin poetry i got a huge boost from v - i got my bday pressie from her - and it's brilliant!

i'm now busily putting in my january runs & gym sessions using my blog and gym book for reference. i LOVE my hobby!

6 mile cycle round trip this evening for take away indian with my fabulous friends. i'm now watching the nfl network, thinking it's probably time for bed.

will go to the gym tomorrow or maybe a run...

definately not doing BHM

i just think running 13miles would be foolish :(

but i'm not going to get all sad and depressed and eat loads of chocolate and write maudlin poetry...

• oh my knee
• can't you see
• you're not right
• you get all tight
• when i try to run.
• bhm you're just too far
• for this old gal to do.

instead i'm going to concentrate on getting ready for my next run. the cranleigh 10mile - although i'm not actually sure how i'm going to get there... luckily i've got a couple of months to try and figure that out.

i will of course keep you all posted.

i don't think my knee will manage 13miles...

sad day.

i went for a longer walk/run today - 5.5miles, 80mins. knee didnt give way or anything like that but it's sore. my left knee is fine but my right knee just feels too dodgy to risk on the brighton half marathon.

bummer.

this time in 4 weeks - it'll be the night before the BHM

i still havn't decided if i'm running/walking or not.
i def won't be running it but i'm still thinking i can do a combination of some running and some walking and mabes a bit of jogging. i will go for an extended run/walk tomorrow, thinking of maybe being out for a couple of hours. i'll of course be monitoring how i'm doing while out and will stop and walk if i feel any weird twinges.

was at the gym this morning - cycling for 16mins = 7km plus wieghts and stretches.

spent this afternoon reading then pictures this eve - the descendants.
george clooney was fab.
great film - some bits were very funny but also some bits were really sad, dramatic & traumatic.

got an odd ache on my right shin. it's just me doing more exercise.

The day after my birthday

i'm still accepting gifts, cards and bday wishes. and probs will be until sunday night.

gym this morning - as i went for a run yesterday, i took it gently.
walking on the treadmill, some stretches, weights and rolling on the roll tube (meant to imitate deep tissue massage - it hurt so kinda worked)

then work
meeting went on slightly longer than anticpated so it meant i cycled really really fast up to the d-l's for bday tea, laughter and pressents.

now i'm home, drinking squash and thinking i'll be in bed by 11pm.

Happy Birthday to the Elite Athlete!

it's my birthday - the big FOUR THREE. and what a fabulous bday it's been...

1. woke up at stupid o'clock hungry & excited so had some cereal and a cup of tea, opened my cards i'd saved and facebook chatted with chums in usa.
2. back to bed for another 4 hours!
3. up 10ish - 2nd bfast
4. out for a run - brilliant - 3.45 miles - about 35mins of run and abit of walking but out for an hour - stretches etc...
5. met vik for lunch - gorgeous bacon, tomatoe and mozerella pannini at the high street cafe
6. hair cut
7. checked out the new running shop in southampton - hanover bldgs - sale on till sunday so will be taking my credit card to it over the w/e
8. lidls
9. cycled very fast to mates new house (wanted to get there before the sun set so could check out their garden - arrived the colour of my cerise jumper!) - 6mile cycle there and back = 12miles
10. while there i saw lots of other lovely chums, drank many cups of tea, ate chips and a cream egg but also grapes and clementines.
11. home via g&l's - barely a 3min detour - so i could get my bday card and drink more tea.
12. am now home - caught up with all my wonderful bday messages on facebook, drinking some orange squash, updated blog - probs time for bed

what a wonderful birthday!!

p.s - meeting katherine at the gym tomorrow morning.

http://www.everyclick.com/brightonhalfmarathon

2 days before my birthday

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nfl championship weekend. 16 hours of solid football sunday through to monday morning. brilliant!

did mean that i didnt get to do much on OF&H yesterday except wear some ankle weights and do stretches periodically.

Today however... I am OF&H personified...

1. out running by 7am - 2.3miles - included interval training over the itchen bridge running/sprinting/jogging/walking between lamp posts
2. met katherine in the gym - stretches, weights and cycled - 12mins = 6.3km
3. work - cycled to sholing = 2.5miles
4. work cycled to & from shirley = 1.8miles x2 = 3.6miles

plus lots of healthy eating and plenty of squash.

oh and it's my bday on wednesday 25th jan

http://www.everyclick.com/brightonhalfmarathon

Saturday 21st January - the start of my birthday week!

after doing my ironing and putting on clean bedding it was like... what's next for this morning?
what else could it be but a run!

10minutes of stretches before leaving the flat
power walk/stretches for 5mins then off on my run/walk.

http://gb.mapometer.com/running/route_1717617.html

i was out for just under an hour - the route = 3.1miles but that did include some running up and down the steps for the itchen bridge. plus i mustn't over do it. get all over excited and get another injury.

stretches outside my flat then 10mins or so of streches inside.
iced knee with my bag of frozen lidls mixed veg.
shower & feta cheese salad then delicious rhubarb yoghurt.

great start to the day!

30 days to the BHM

saw lauren - phsio this morning. OMG - bottom left calf - really really really painful kneading into my calf muscles. but overall my aches and throbs are what you'd expect someone who's increasing their exercise to be experiencing.  i have been given a training plan:-

• interval training ie.
• 1 min walk
• 1 min sprint
• 1 min walk
• 2 min jog etc..
• stretches
• calves
• quads - both types
• knee exercises
• tennis ball
• outside quads
• calves
• ice after

1. i need to stretch more.
2. at work EVERY time i have a cup of tea i need to do some stretches.
3. also i need to start increasing my distance but NOT too fast. i can do 3miles, lets go to 4.5 but running/walking. but the key is that i really dont want to get silly and over do it.

31 days to the BHM - my number has arrived - i'm #9013 (yellow)

i meant to go for a run today but didnt - i think thats okay... today is a rest day.

i mapped out on mapometer.com what 13miles looks like. quite fancy doing some of it this weekend. it's very doable. but also a really long way.. in the post today was the BHM route - it looks like a really lovely run, but it's also a really really long way!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

32 days to the BHM

early morning gym session - was working out by 8.05am

• warm up stretches - 5mins
• treadmill
• 10mins @ 5-5.5
• 10mins @ 7.5
• =2.13km
• stretches 10mins
• diverging lat pull down 40lbs x2 sets of 10
• pec fly 40lbs x2 sets of 10
• rear delt 40lbs x2 sets of 10
• then cyling. this time we checked out:-
• the hollywood hills
• sunset crater, arizona
• 8mins = 4.3km

meant to go shopping this evening but instead crashed out on the sofa listening to podcasts on the nfl. i'm knackered.

time for bed.

injury update...
it's wierd. my knee is just a dull ache, my shins are abit sore and my shoulders/upper back are also quite sore. i must book myself a massage.

http://www.everyclick.com/brightonhalfmarathon

33 days to the BHM

what a beautiful sunrise this morning. in fact it looked so beautiful that i felt like i had to be in it. so i went for an early morning run.

just under 2.5miles in 25mins of walking but mainly running. it would have been quicker but i had to wait for a goods train to cross the road to the docks.

busy day at work, havnt done much this evening except surfing the internet and drinking orange squash. will go to the gym tomorrow morning and i really need to clean the flat and do some food shopping for the weekend.

the exciting life of an elite athlete!!

34 days to the Brighton Half Marathon - a red cabbage moment.

not much today.
cycled 5 miles but stayed later than anticipated at work so was absolutly starving by the time i got home. so instead of going to the gym i had supper - left overs from yesterday - OMG - gorgeous...

• slow cooker on high.
• in it at the bottom i placed x1 peeled onion & x2 lemons (scored)
• on top i placed x10 chicken drumsticks which i'd seasoned with "gates" - kansas city's own seasoning and marinate (thanks miss p) plus some garlic, salt & pepper with a splash of water
• left if for nearly 4 hours - absolutley divine.

had with roast potatoes (alot), steamed carrots and red cabbage
(how many of you suddenly had victoria wood in your head... "red cabbage how much?" "red cabbage no idea" - CLASSIC)

and then watched sherlock on iplayer - ooh wasn't last nights episode good! but i could have sworn i watched him jump off the roof... how can he still be alive?

i'm now really quite tired.
i have way too much in my head.

it may even be bedtime.

Sunday 15th January 2012 - walking in the new forest

again - what a beautiful day!

out in the new forest for just under 2hours - quite quite beautiful.

Saturday 14th Jan 2012

what a beautiful morning - cold but bright, sunny and very fresh.
i wrapped up warm for my run - i even wore my packers hat and running gloves - it really was quite chilly. well chilly for a namby pamby southerner from surrey - chums in the mid west would probs think spring has arrived early... in fact the temperature now in southampton is 1 degrees, it's -5 in mpls. for american chums who use fahrenheiht :- southampton is at 45, mpls is at 23. which is pretty cold. i don't think i'd be running outside if visiting now. actually i dont think i'd ever be visiting now. (big hugs and much love to all of you in mpls/st paul - missing you loads xx)

anyways... back to the blog & my saturday morning.
just bedore 9am i let andy in at work so he could fix the loo and then i headed off for my run.

http://gb.mapometer.com/running/route_1699496.html

• stretches and brisk walk as a warm up - approx 10min
• then set my phone's timer for 30mins and headed off into the parks to run/walk for 30mins.
• where i finished is a bridge over the railway tracks to the docks - i ran up, over and down the bridge twice then walked back to work
• the walk back and then stretches in the car park = 10mins
• cup of squash with sharon then home to finish breakfast, shower and listen to the nfl divisional round w/e build up on internet radio (www.espn.go.com)
• GO PACK GO

what a start to a saturday!

http://www.everyclick.com/brightonhalfmarathon

just over 5 weeks till the BHM

was at the gym 1st thing.

• treadmill @5.5 - 5mins
• stretches for 5mins
• then back onto the treadmill
• 1min rewarm
• 4min @8.5
• 3min @7.5
• 3min @6
• = 1.31km
• virtual bike 12mins = 6.2km

knee just sore, calves just sore - probably just need to keep warming up properly, keep doing my knee exercises, lots of stretches and plenty of running - both on the treadmill and on the streets.

pub this evening - will only have a couple of spritzers. and i'll go for a run tomorrow morning - just agreed to let the plumber in at work at 9am so will pitch up in my tracksuit.
liz "positive" carter strikes again - i'm turning my lack of a lie in (sigh) into a really positive of&h outcome!

38 days to the BHM - a selection box moment to savour.

we need to take a moment to acknowledge how far i've come since that fateful day on sharon's sofa when i was offered celebrations from her selection box (5 of 7). today dear readers i opened up the quality streets or it could have been a roses selection box in the admin room at work. i looked. i paused. i remembered that i'm an elite athlete. i closed the lid. no chocolate has passed my lips.

*pause to contemplate the awesomeness of the moment*

i'm at the gym tomorrow morning.
i have eaten a huge supper - all healthy and good but it will take awhile to digest so looking fairly unlikely that i'll make it out for a run later... aaah well... will go out this w/e.

all in all, it's been an okay day and now i've got the entire evening stretching ahead to fill with tea drinking, facebook, washing and finding somewhere to put my more tender plants as i think there's going to be a frost tonight.

i am very content.

39 days to the Brighton Half Marathon!!!!

katherine and i were at the gym this morning:-

• 10mins treadmill 0.89km
• calf press 70lbs - 2 sets of 18
• seated leg curl 45lbs - 2 sets of 10
• leg extension 45lbs - 2 sets of 10
• leg press 55lbs - 2 sets of 15
• diverginbg seated row 40lbs - 2 sets of 6

then we had a go on the rowing machines - they're actually quite tricky to figure out. i'm still not convinced i'm doing it right. but according to my machine, in 3.5minutes i managed to row 498metres. so hoorah for me.

we finished on those active view bikes - i didnt jot down where we cycled this time but one of the three rides was definately new england in the fall - oooh the colours of the trees - beautiful, and one was in northern california, off road and snowy and we ended up at a lovely lake.

fyi - katherine and i do seem to spend a lot of the time during the different rides pointing out to each other lovely spots to stop and picnic at. if we ever go to these places for real we'll need huge panniers on our bikes so we can accomodate all of our picnics.

then oiff to work
and now i'm at home & really rather tired.

i'm kinda hoping that as i get back into working out pretty much every day in some capacity - either going for a run or weights in the gym or a session of gentle stretching, that my body will stop being so moany and whiney and achey. i can but hope...

40 days till the BHM

what a lovely day.
7.38mile cycle to and from our city centre No Limits drop-in to the Bitterne Park Health & Wellbeing drop-in. On the way back to city i went along the new boardwalk by the water and railway line. was just great.

http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_1691300.html

then this evening - just got back from a run. and don't panic - i was totally decked out in be safe be seen running gear.

1. trainers - had reflective bits on them
2. running tights & top both have refelective bits
3. flourescent yellow gloves with refelective bits
4. my handy bum bag for my keys/phone and tissues - reflective bits, flourescent with built in red light

set my timer on my phone for 32mins - physio lauren doesnt want me to get all over excited and run too much.
this way, once the timer pings, i'm walking home.

2.24miles, 30mins - round the old town in Southampton then did stretches on my balcony for a few mins. shower. feel fab.

knee fine but is abit throbbing. will ice it with my handy bag of frozen vegatables - only 69p from lidls!

http://www.everyclick.com/brightonhalfmarathon

just under 6 weeks to go...

i've cycled over 8.5miles today for work today & have made a huge casserole for tea so will have left overs for lunch tomorrow.

Sunday 8th Jan - fab run on Ashtead common/woods

wonderful run today.
was out for about 40mins - running and walking on Ashtead common and into the woods.

http://217.154.230.218/NR/rdonlyres/B8C45DDA-B3BE-47D3-8EE8-134DBA85E334/0/OS_AC_map.pdf

my route was:-

• walking up Overdale round to the top and entered woods.
• turned left & ran along #35
• then all the way round the front of the common - woodfield
• ran up #28
• hung a right into #25
• all the way back along to the top of overdale and the red dot - pr4
• then stretched, uploaded snap of me on the common onto facebook
• ran down Culverhay
• stretches outside deb&mark's then inside - bath and watched rest of the saints/lions wildcard game.

top fun!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgb.mapometer.com%2Frunning%2Froute_1685733.html&h=IAQG48OdJAQFe__hv5mAiUq5yPvCVA_JTcn-b5Uj965Y5Qg
this is my route on mappometer...

Saturday 7th Jan

hmmmm...
not much OF&H going on today.
will run tomorrow

your help is hugely appreciated!

nice one gang - thanks to everyone who's been looking at my blog. i'm feeling all accountable and focused on OF&H.


was at the gym today, bit tired so took it gently...

• treadmill 7.5mins @ 5.5 - realised that i hadnt really been warming up at all before i launched into stretches - lauren reckons that could be why i'm quite sore as i'm stretching cold muscles.
• then 2mins @ 8.3 - bit of speed work but then i thought... eeeeek, now i'm running and i havnt actually done any stretches so i'm bound to pull something now
• so i slowed back to 4.5mins @ 6.

then stretches.
i'd asked lauren about doing leg weight work and she said i could as long as the weights didnt exceed my body weight! bloody hell - as if!

• seated leg curl 50lbs x20 reps
• leg extension - faffed about with the weights but finally settled on 50lbs x20 reps
• leg press - 70lbs x20 reps (bit knackered)

then me & k hit the fancy new bikes - and felt like we were cycling along the seattle waterfront, casco bay in maine and mount hardy in california. 12mins - great fun!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4aade95IOg

(the active bike is brilliant fun, havnt tried active running and the active hike just looks terrifying. the bike one on mount hardy did make me & k feel abit queasy as we were very high up and you're "cycling" really really really close to the edge!!!)

http://www.everyclick.com/brightonhalfmarathon

45 days to the BHM - your help is needed!

hello!!

i'd like, if i may, to take you all back to the 1st May 2011 and my first ever post on OF&H...

By doing this blog i'm hoping it'll inspire me to continue my training, go to the gym, stop eating so much chocolate and ready salted crisps, cut back on the red wine and lose some weight. Lets see what happens...

well:- i did the GSR (great south run), i've lost over half a stone and in 45 days i'm doing the BHM (brighton half marathon). so hoorah! my blog has done exactly what i'd hoped it would do. so far so good...

what i'm needing now is to know that people are actually reading my blog.

i need to know that if i flake out and don't bother going to the gym or have a "moment of madness" with a selection box then i will be held accountable. that people may feel a bit disappointed and will say stuff like:-

• "oi lizzie lou, stop stuffing your face and get yourself off to the gym..."
• or maybe  "ahem... lizzie - lets get back on track"
• or even channel dan "dig in liz, you can do it".

otherwise gang i'm worried that it could all go horribly wrong - and before i realise it, i'm puffing round brighton, bright red, with a major stitch, desperate to just give up and flop by the road side, put my head in my hands & just start bawling.

hence your help is needed!

when i check the stats on my blog (which i do every day) i'll see that people are actually reading my blog, want me to succeed in OF&H and it will inspire me to drop to the floor and do a couple of crunches as opposed to nipping downstairs to the newsagents to buy a couple of crunchies.

thanks in advance & hugs all round xx

http://www.everyclick.com/brightonhalfmarathon

46 days to the BHM

and the physio she say "yes"!

great news blog readers of mine, i'm allowed to gradually increase my running to up to 20minutes. hoorah. plus i've been given some more exercises to do - apparently my calves are doing too much work because my bum isnt doing enough, and my next appoitment is the 20th jan.
so all good news.

lauren did deep massage my calves today (btw - thats the back of my legs not ermintrude and daisy) & OMG it really really hurt. apparently lauren can tell that i'm now an elite athlete and, well - you all know the saying... no pain no gain...

i'll be at the gym tomorrow @ 8.15am. will of course be showing off my new exercise journal to K.
i think she'll be impressed.

47 days to the BHM (i.e. in just over 6 weeks)

was a tad achey today, may have over done the seated adductor stretch yesterday eve...

this is not me

also i was back at work today so had to get up at stupid o'clock. actually  i was up way way too early as woken by the blinking weather - soooo windy, then loads of alarms went off - nightmare!

its not even 10.30pm and i'm knackered. once this entry has been posted i'm off to bed.

as i was so achey today (because i over did it a bit at the gym yesterday) i decided to take it all nice and gently this evening.

let me just consult my journal...

• 20 mins of stretches, knee exercises, wobbling on the balance board, keeping the big squidgey ball up while bouncing it off the wall and then various sit ups and weight stuff with the 4kg medicine ball.
• 10mins on the sit up bike @ 6 = 3.3miles
• some weights - cable chest press - 20reps but can't remember what the weight was set on - might have been 9kg...
• then 10mins on the treadmill - walking @ 5.5-5.9 = 0.95km
• finishing with 10mins of warm down stretches

then shower, lidls for something for tea, then home.

i've had a very chilled evening - thourally enjoyed the history of the musical on bbc4 - episode one of three. am now having a spotify moment - evita - the madge film version.

and thats it for today.

i've got physio tomorrow morning so will see what lauren says - i really hope i'll be able to do more than 8mins running... FINGERS CROSSED!





48 days till BHM

was in the gym for just over an hour today. let me just consult my book so i can tell you all what i did!

using my new magazine women's running (jan 2012) - thanks abel, i did the injury prevention workout on p86-89 - 10mins.

then treadmill

• 2mins @ 5
• 2mins @ 5.5
• 3mins @ 8.5
• 2mins @ 6
• 2mins @ 8.5
• 4mins @ 6
• 1.65km, 15mins

didnt do more as muscles felt abit stiff/sore so didnt want to risk pulling something.

then flicked through the magazine and did a selection of the other workouts -

• legs, bum and fun (mainly me sprawled over one of the huge squidgy balls doing leg raises - good for firming your bum)
• embrace the trails - again, mainly me wobbling on a stability disc
• & then various weights/stretches/medicine ball and huge squidgy ball bounced against the wall (killer on the arms)

x-trainer - 5mins @7
sit down bike - 5mins @3

then shower and home.
again felt great.

when i got home i cleared my gardens - front and back, did 2 loads of washing & all my ironing.

i'm running 13miles in just under 7weeks
luckily i'm still feeling confident!

49 days to the BHM & happy new year!

• not much OF&H today.
• more like operation rest and recovery.

i have done a fair bit of cycling... (6.23miles) and not too much eating and absolutly no drinking of alcohol.

• i'll go to the gym tomorrow.
• physio wednesday morning.