What I have been up to lately - running and the rest...

On Wednesday I ran... Woop! As I mentioned in probably several posts before I had my baby, I am going to blog my post partum journey to getting back into running and the Auckland marathon. The marathon is on November 3rd this year and I just bought my ticket the other day, thanks to Ruun for sponsoring me. No backing out now. I am going to do the plan from this post which I started last year, but then got pregnant. It is the FIRST plan from the book 'Run Less Run Faster'. Check it out in the post. It is a 16 week training plan so I need to officially start it in July. However, before I begin with the training plan I am just aiming to:
- Slowly rebuild my running fitness
- Strengthen myself for running again
- Slowly build up to long distance runs.

On Wednesday I went for a 6km run with Mr F in the buggy. Not going to lie, I'm not sure if it was me running with buggy in tow, or the buggy running with me in tow. It was somewhat painful towards the end but I loved it none the less. Yesterday I was a tad sore... Running sore, which is my favourite sore when I am getting back into it. It means things are happening and getting back into shape... Unless it's an injury.

Speaking of injuries, towards the end of my run when I was trying to run up a hill (when I say trying it's because I think I was running but I bet I didn't LOOK like I was running) I felt my IT Band reminding me that it had been a while since I had run properly. This means that I need to get back into my strength training and stretches to help get my IT Band set for running again. The Run Less Run Faster book also has some great stretches and exercises for IT Bands.

Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of myself with a beetroot face after the run, but here is one of me and Fletch before hand:

Running is a great way of getting an overtired baby to sleep - so glad he loves the buggy, definitely a runner's son!

 And here's what else I have been up to lately...

Tim had a long weekend last weekend so we spent some time out the family bach (that's a beach house for all you non-Kiwis).

Up at the lookout, was a bit windy that day.

View from the lookout

Getting in a bit of exercise with Fletch in the front pack.

Super Dad and husband babysitting and vacuuming - who said men can't multi task?!?

I am playing my second game of hockey tomorrow which will be fun so no running this weekend.

Also, just want to mention that I am trying to get to 100 like on my facebook page so I can have a giveaway. If you haven't already, go to my facebook page here and like it and share it so I can have another giveaway. The giveaway will be open to local and international readers and likers so GET ON IT! 

What are your plans for the weekend? 

Anyone have a running training plan they absolutely love and would recommend?

The food of champions...

Ok, so maybe I am a self-confessed champion, but it still counts doesn't it? Well, I am aiming to be a champion anyway, not sure what at just yet, but that doesn't really matter right now, it's a good aim!

So as I have mentioned several times, after having Fletcher, things in my body are still a bit lot jiggly and wiggly and wobbly so I am trying to get it all tight like a Tiger again - well, not that I was ever really like that but there's another aim. Thus I have been doing some good workouts and walks and the occasional jog, but I have also been putting some emphasis on my eating.

Since after Fletcher was born and then with Easter only a month after, I had been living off people's delicious and generous baking, chocolate gifts, Easter eggs, chocolate, and a bit more chocolate and baking... YUM! My excuse was that I was breastfeeding and although this didn't exactly make me gain weight, it didn't help to loose any or tighten up all the wiggly jiggly bits... DOH! I totally think it's about time someone invented the chocolate diet... I would be amazing at it!

So here's what I've been eating lately to help improve my diet and stop living off chocolate, baking and sugar...

Breakfast of champions!

For breakfast I LOVE me some oats. I put cinnamon, which has numerous health benefits, into my oats, then I serve with natural unsweetened yoghurt, mixed berries or blueberries and some linseeds or almonds (not pictured) and a spoonful of craisins to give me a little bit of sweetening. Sooo good, I never get sick of this breakfast and it has a good balance of carbs and protein to keep me going until lunch (although I do normally have a small mid morning snack anyway).

For dinners have been trying to cut back on starchy white carbs, so have been looking for good replacements. We eat quite a bit of quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), as pictured here it has been made into a salad with olives, tomatoes, basil, feta and cucumber, or it is great cold. If we have rice we try to make it brown, and we substitute potatoes with kumara (sweet potato) or pumpkin. We also eat a truck load of lentils, beans and chickpeas, a.k.a legumes which are a great replacement for carbs and are high in protein too.

My husband loves himself a good bit of meat so we generally eat some meat every night, however I have been getting into the odd chickpea or lentil curry... Delish and great as leftovers for lunch the next day too.

I have been getting the 3 o clock sugar cravings too so to curb those I eat dates and peanut butter - that's a treat, celery and peanut butter (yip, I love me some PB), carrots and celery with hummus, or some natural yog and berries. All good afternoon snacks to get you through until dinner time. But I have to make sure we don't have any real treats in the house or I have a tendency to reach straight for those... Major sweet tooth!

What are your favourite healthy meals or snacks?

How to you curb that mid afternoon sugar craving? 

What is your biggest food weakness?

Mine is chocolate or pretty much anything sweet. I am a sucker for desserts! 

Essentials for Running Part Two...

About a year ago I did this post about running essentials and now I have part two.As a runner there are certain things that are really important to have, I believe, to get the most out of your running and for it to be more enjoyable. And now, after becoming a mother and having a few changes in my body, my essentials have somewhat changed. So here's my new list of what I think are essentials for running and they are applicable for anyone, not just Mums:

1. A really good sports bra... Some bras are just for sports, some are just for the bedroom and some are just for women (or men) over 70...

This bra is for the bedroom... Not running!
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If you are boobalicious like I am now, thanks to being a Mumma, you need a really good sports bra (or two or three all worn at once) so you are not running with your boobs around your knees... Not a good look and not very comfortable. Thanks to the wonderful people at Ruun for giving me this fantastic Shock Absorber bra, I will no longer have to tuck my boobs into my waistband whilst running. 

No, that's not me but she's pretty much my twin...

2. Always good sports shoes. This goes without saying. These shoes are for fun, not running (unless you are Cinderella running from the ball):

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I love me a good asics shoe but you need to know what works for you. Do some research about under and over pronation and find out whether you need stability shoes, cushioned shoes or whatever... Or go to a specialist and get your feet fitted for the perfect shoe. Multo importante!

3. A good training plan... You can't expect to just get out for a few casual runs and then do a marathon after... But if you can, stop reading this blog, you make me sick! You need something to follow, a plan suited to your needs and abilities. I love the 'Run Less Run Faster' training plans which you can read all about here. It is low mileage but that's what I love about it. Each to their own.

4. Look good, Feel good. This is my motto with everything and it also goes for exercising. If you wear frumpy clothes, you're going to feel like a frump, it's as simple as that.

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Labelled clothes, such as Nike and Adidas can be expensive, but save up to get yourself even just one nice outfit and you will feel the whole package. Cheaper versions of the clothes without the labels can look just as good and be half the price also, as well as doing what they are made to do. 

5. Because I am a bit of a control freak - as in can't just walk out the door and go for a run - I need my watch with me so I know how fast I am running, how long I have been running, got to go, etc. If I don't know these things I go cray cray.

If you are a pimp you would probably wear a watch like this, however I am a very respectable person so I wear this... 

My shuffle and my watch - can't wait for that GPS watch thanks Tim :)

I do not have a GPS watch (yet - hint Tim), but still find that my digital watch with lap timer works just as well. I also use Map My Run to measure the distance of my runs, then I can get a good idea of my time per kms. Sometimes I take my Smart Phone (that I am too stupid to use) with me. I have Map my Run on there so it acts as a GPS but can be rather slow sometimes.

6. If you don't so much like running with your own thoughts, music can be a great way to get yourself away from yourself, if you get what I mean. In West Philadelphia (born and raised... you know the rest) back in the day, all the cool kids were doing this...

However, this is somewhat totes inappropes for running (unless you are going for some resistance training), thus I. LOVE. MY. IPOD. SHUFFLE! It's small, clips discreetly onto my waist band and it holds more than enough music for even the long runs, as well as has a good battery life. And I don't have to listen to my own thoughts for a while - they can sometimes be dangerous.

7. Now that I have a baby the buggy was the biggest deal for me. It was the one thing I was super fussy about and had to have a good one to run with. Although I really wanted this buggy:

It's called the 'Sub-4 jogging stroller' - It would totally get me my sub 4 marathon!

It costs more than an arm and a leg - maybe my torso as well - so we opted for one that is just as running friendly, looks good and had pretty much all the things we wanted in a buggy (and was a bit more affordable).

Not to mention, Fletcher loves it too. I don't plan on doing my long runs with him so I don't really need the sub-4, although if you are reading this and want to buy it for us we would graciously accept your generosity and kindness :)
And what good is a buggy without a baby...

My gorgeous, happy wee boy x

 What are your running essentials? 

Are any of these things not on your list of essentials?

I'm back on the move... My first post-partum (birth) run...

The blog post you've all been waiting for...

This morning was such a beautiful morning so I was very happy to get out for my walk with Fletch in the buggy. It's been 6 weeks since Fletcher was born and I didn't intend on running but on the stretch home, after I'd walked about 3 or so km already, I decided to see how I would go running the rest of the way home. It was only 2km but I managed to run all the way home and keep all my insides... On the inside. Phew!

Smiling after my run. And nice to be back in some old running gear.

 My exercise goals consist of this at the moment:
- 3 or 4 walks (now I will be trying to throw one run in) a week
- 2 weight sessions a week.

I have been great with the walking, walking 4 times a week, but the weights not so much. Maybe just one session a week, if that. My goal is to improve on the weights as I need to strengthen my pelvic floor, legs and glutes everything again for running.

So how did I feel running? I felt excellent! I only stopped to go over the curbs when crossing the road so that Fletch didn't fly out of the buggy. And how did he go? He LOVED it! He didn't bump around any more than he would with me walking - don't worry, if it was too rough for him I would not have continued. My body felt pretty great, it was just a flat run so no aches (yet!), and I didn't wet my pants... Or maybe I did but would you really want to know if I actually did?

I won't be out doing any crazy runs any time soon but I will definitely keep going with this as it felt so good to be running again. Not to mention, it felt like I had new running clothes as I can now fit into old clothes again... Yay! I am sure I was going crazy slow running but I felt like I was flying! Oh, and my face wasn't even the colour of a chilli by the time I got home - very surprising!

Then I got to hang out with this super handsome dude for the rest of the day...

My fave boy crashed out after a big run... 6 weeks old and living the good life!

Next post to watch out for: Essentials for running part 2. Be warned, I may try to be a little bit funny in this one. Or so I think... Not sure if anyone else would...