Weekly total = about 22km

Despite not racking up a lot of mileage this week I am quite pleased. The reason being that yesterday I did a 15km run and felt goooood! As seems to be a bit of a theme these days I started off running with Michael-clease with the intention of doing about 17km. After about 5km he was struggling a lot with Shin splints and had to give up (some might be suspicious that he then managed to go out for a surf, but not me I am only sympathetic!)

I was intending on doing my loop which finished at home, then going back out and doing another 5km but 1/2 though I realised it would be too hard to go out again so I just extended the loop I was doing. I think I could have easily done 20km if I had preplanned a good route and had a few more podcasts to listen to.

I have recently been experimenting with crystalised ginger while running, I first spotted it in the super market as it was advertised as fast energy releasing. To be honest I am not sure how much is placebo effect but it seems to be working. I put a few pieces in my little running pouch and then pop one in my mouth every 30mins or so.

Its only two weeks till my 1/2 marathon now, I am more excited than nervous especially after yesterdays success. I haven't decided how far to run next Sunday, I might make it a little shorter and make sure I get in some little runs as well.

Chubby Katie.x

Dream triathlons

Ok I have been very slack posting recently. Michael-clease thinks we should get an Ipad and all my issues will be solved! hmmm i'm not convinced.

Anyway in the mean time I came across this triathlon and it made me think I should start a list of beautiful triathlons where you would not even think about the hard work because you were to busy looking at the scenery!  http://uk.indianoceantriathlon.com/

Chubby Katie.x

Marathon tips part 1

I was just reading my latest email from www.realbuzz.com and handily enough it had some marathon tips on it! The London marathon was last weekend but with my marathon training in full swing it seemed perfect. I have pulled off their tips and then given my opinion which may or may not be correct! Part 2 to follow shortly.

Don't overdress for your race
This is a good one. Even in December in England I was wearing shorts to races. As long as you do some stretches and warm ups before hand you should be fine. I hate carrying stuff with me so the fewer things I have the better. Of course you should dress warmly for the journey there. The city2surf do a good thing where you can throw your jumpers to the side just before they start and they get people to go round and collect them to give to charity. 

Think while you run

What they are saying here is to concentrate on your race and plan. Don't let your mind wonder and forget to drink or take gels.
But I also think part of the fun is to take in the atmosphere around you and hopefully take your mind off slightly the huge mileage you are undertaking. 

Manageable race chunks
Oh yes I like this one. I saw something on a forum about someone breaking down the last few miles into people. You know mile 24 for Mum, 25 for Dad etc etc. I thought about doing it with Jelly Babies, naming each one after a person you care about. 

Keep your head up while running
This is a definite. Looking at the ground means you'll probably run into people, maybe trip over your feet and 

Follow the shortest course
Hmm not sure how much I agree with this. Sure you don't want to running 45km when everyone else is only doing 42km but I think you could really get hung up on trying to find the smallest corner. In the end unless it is one huge circle chances are it will all equal out in the end.

Get some race support

Yes good one, in theory. Its always nice to have friends and family there to cheer you on but in reality asking some to take 4 or so hours out of their day, probably more if you include travel, is a big ask. I'm sure most people will get a few supporters for their first marathon but when you start doing your 4th or 5th they probably start to thin out. I reckon support should come as a pleasant extra rather than a necessity. 


Chubby Katie.x

Weekly total = 25.6km

Good Morning everybody! I am quite pleased with my weekly total this week, its still a bit shorter than I should be doing but last night I did a 12km run and I felt really good.

I started off running with Micheal-clease but after around 5km he was suffering a lot with shin splints. It is something that has just started, he didn't use to get them. He has recently been doing a lot of skateboarding plus he has a habit of doing no running and then attempting a 10km. I think he has been over doing things!

I did a little research into shin splints on the Victoria health website and they say the causes can be:

• Overuse – exercising too hard or trying to exercise beyond your current level of fitness can strain muscles, tendons, bones and joints. Overuse is one of the most common causes of shin splints.
• Flat feet – the shin muscles are involved in maintaining the instep or arch of the foot. Flat feet can pull at the shin tendons and cause slight tearing.
• Incorrect technique – poor running form, such as ‘rolling’ the feet inwards (pronation), can strain the muscles and tendons.
• High impact activities – the impact of running on hard or uneven surfaces can injure the shin muscles and tendons.
• Running shoes – wearing the wrong type of shoe while running can contribute to shin splints.

I don't think Michael-clease has flat feet or incorrect technique as he hasn't suffered from shin splints before. It might be worth looking into new running shoes, I suspect he has had his for over two years now. 

They suggest the following could help with prevention:

• Thoroughly warm up before exercising and include plenty of slow, sustained stretches in your cool down.
• Incorporate a regular routine of stretching into your fitness program.
• Strengthen the muscles of your lower legs with specific exercises.
• Choose flat, softer surfaces to run on, such as running tracks or grassy ovals.
• Reduce the intensity of your training.
• Place shock-absorbing insoles in your running shoes.
• Make sure you wear proper running shoes and replace them before they wear out.
• Cross-train with low impact activities such as cycling, swimming or walking.

Unfortunately we both have the 1/2 marathon in under a month so we really need to resolve the problem. Let me know if you have any thoughts on this subject!

Chubby Katie

Weekly total = not a lot

Well this week has been a lost cause! In truth it has been a pretty busy one. Michael-cleases brother got married at the weekend so there were all kinds of relatives coming in from out of town and overseas. Lots of family dinners after work and helping set up and clear up after.
Unfortunately it meant my training really suffered. I have done a few short runs but not my long run. Also my diet has not been its best, too many profiter roles and wine!

I will attempt to get back on the wagon tomorrow though, healthy eating, long run, strength exercises, the works. With only just over a month till the 1/2 marathon I better get my trainers on.
Here is the route I plan to do tomorrow morning.

Wish me luck!

CK Virtual run

Just received my virtual medal and certificate for the 1st of the CK Virtual runs so I thought I would share them with you. I am in 3rd I think, I wasn't feeling my healthiest so hopefully I will get a little faster on my next one.

Weekly total = 23km ish

Sorry loyal followers it has been quite a busy time of year! I did manage 23km this week although I think I really should be aiming for a little more that this stage of my training.

Yesterday I took part in the first race of the CK Virtual Run. It was 2.5km so I mapped out a route and ended up doing it twice to up my mileage. The first I did in 14:09 and after a sprint finish the second was 14:06, I was really hoping the sprint would know me down to under 14:00 but I am told I am in 2nd place at the moment so thats not so bad!

I think i'm going to need to start looking into body glide! I am getting a few sore areas on my longer runs. Are there any you recommend?

I've also been taking the rest day/cross training days as just rest days, which is a little naughty! My swimming and cycling are suffering.

Short post today, i reckon thats the way to go..short and often!
Chubby Katie.x

One of those rare creatures

Part the bushes of centennial park on a sunny day between the hours of 1pm and 2pm and you may just be lucky enough to spot the rarest of creatures, a runner without a Garmin!

Its me! I admit I have no Garmin :( Now I hear good things about them and I'm sure I would find it very handy but one of the reasons I got into running is that its meant to be a cheap sport and as far as I know they are $300 +. I say this because today I attempted a speed training session and it was a bit of a disaster. I set off thinking I would run fast for 2 minutes and then walk for 2, I managed this about 3 times before I was done in!
So I really need to look into how to do speed work, if you don't have a garmin how do you know how fast to go? I don't have a heart rate monitor either, thats probably quite poor for someone training for a marathon, maybe I will look into buying one.

So this weeks total 24 kms. I slightly cheated and did my long run today instead of yesterday. It was pouring most the day plus I had been kayaking and quad biking on Saturday which I was aching from.

Gosh I really need to put aside some quality blogging time, two posts a week is very slack! I promise to try harder.

Chubby Katie

Brentwood 1/2

I would like to congratulate my dad on his 2nd 1/2 marathon. He did it in a pretty respectable time of 1hr 52, although he was a little disappointed to only equal his pb not beat it. I might do a little Q & A with him to see how it compared to others and also get some pointers for me.

In other exciting news it looks like I might be ok to do my half marathon in May, the other thing I had planned looks like it might move!


I stole this photo from the official site and then clicked a couple of their ad links to make up for it!

Weekly total - 18km

I know I know a shockingly low total last week! I am embarrassed! I would like to say that life got in the way but really my lazyness and inability to get out of bed early got in the way. I promise to make up for it this week and actually brought my running stuff into work and dodged the rain at lunch time to do 5kms.

I was up at Port Macquarie over the weekend and I managed to get Michael-clease out for a run, we did about 8km which I classed as my long run. We also did some bush walking so I might count that, it included some hills.

Michael-clease and I entered a 1/2 marathon on Friday and straight after entering I realised I have other plans! It cost $89 and they don't do refunds without a doctors note. I am hoping either my plans move or I manage to sell my entry. That or I am going to have to injure myself somehow without damaging my marathon training. Hmmm maybe a broken arm? or a week long flu?

I'm still planning on doing the 1km shark island swim on Sunday although I think the boys may well pull out. We are out on Saturday night and I think if I register it will mean I am forced to not go too crazy at the weekend.

Chubby Katie.x

Virtual runs

There are so many virtual runs going on at the moment that I can't keep up! Here are a few that I stole from the lovely blogger Feet Dominating Pavement:

All year Run for the Bling of it! (Any distance)
March-April SparkPeople Virtual Run (run/walk any distance)
March 12-13 Run for ChristChurch (Any distance)
March 14 - 26 Cupcake Run (Half Marathon or Full, can be spread out over several days)
March 17-20 Shake your Shamrock Run (7k or 14k)
March 19 Life's a Wheeze 5k

Plus of course the CK Virtual Run

So far I not raced for Run for the bling of it in March and I am running out of time! I nearly signed up for the Shake your Shamrock (that seems like such a cool theme) but I am going up to Port Macquarie for the weekend and even though I intend to run I can't guarantee that I it will be 13km and I might not have internet access to enter my results. I should really do the Lifes a wheeze 5k but as thats what I do most of the week it doesn't seem so much of a challenge. Oh my life is so tough ;)

I didn't feel like getting up early this morning so I am running home from work, unfortunately as I am away for the weekend I need to run tomorrow morning as well.

In exciting news I think Michael-Clease might run the 1/2 marathon when I do my full one! He said he needed some motivation to get him out running and I said he needed to sign up for an event.

I hope to make some pumpkin soup tonight so stay tuned for the results and if successful the recipe.

Chubby Katie.x

10% rule

I've always known about it but since I am properly training now I should really think about the 10% rule. As I mentioned I ran 25kms last week so this week I should only run 27.5km max. Check out this blog for some great running style tips - Becoming an Ironman I didn't run this morning, Michael-clease and I were both a bit tired, him from soccer and me from my 10k yesterday, I might do it when I get home or I may just wait till my rest day tomorrow.
Its a short one today, our veggie box gets delivered though so thats exciting :)

Chubby Katie.x

Weekly km = 25

For the past week I have been struggling on my morning 5k runs, it was beginning to worry me that, even though i still had 18 weeks until my marathon, I shouldn't be struggling so much. I had to keep reminding myself that I still had a fair bit of training time left and also that I tend to run first thing on an empty stomach which is bound to make things harder.

Saying that I am quite a believer that training the body in tough conditions i.e in the heat, without food etc means that when conditions are at their best it should be a piece of cake. I think I read somewhere that Chrissy Wellington (my triathlon hero) does some training session on limited water to get her body used to dehydration!

Anywho today I ran 10k and really enjoyed it and felt good, despite having a few beers last night and a MacDonalds breakfast. I did 10.6km in 1hr 5 which is ok, not my fastest but it was a hot day.

That make 25km this week, not bad but needs upping quite quickly I think.

I have just discovered the mcmillan running calculator you can put in your time over a bunch of different distances and it will calculate you time and pace for other distances. For example I put in my 1 hour 10km and it gave me a marathon time of 4:41 at a pace of 6:41 minute kilometers. I will work on getting my pace quicker as I am hoping to do a sub 4:20 marathon but the calculator is really handy to see what stage you are at and how you are improving.

You might have realised that I have not mentioned the triathlon that I was meant to be doing this week. Well the fact is I didn't do it! It wasn't very near our house so we would have had to stay the night down there, I haven't been out on my bike for ages, it would have cost quite a lot (especially when I haven't really trained) plus I didn't know anyone else doing it so Michael-clease and I would have had to go alone and he would have had to wait around for me, all these excuses added up to me not competiting. In short I would rather do a race that I have trained for and feel confident about.

I do intend to still do the 1km shark island swim in two weeks time despite my swim training suffering a little recently.

Well that is about it for today, early to bed I think so I can get up bright and early for another week of training.
x

Trail running

I have just arrived back from my Sunday long run and it was great! I got up early (well for a Sunday) and got the ferry to Bundeena in the Royal National park. After a bit of a shaky start, where i went the wrong way, I got onto the Jibbon track and ran/walked it round back to Bundeena. I think at one junction I took the wrong option and so ended up doing a 8.7km route although.

The track was mainly sandy paths and in some places was quite soft sand, hence my run/walking. It also got a little warm in the sun so took of my t-shirt and ran in my bra top until I saw hikers then I quickly whipped it back on.

As I was running along the sand and up and down the rocks I started thinking that maybe a doing my long runs on trails is not the best training for a 42km road run. I think I will limit my trail runs and only do about 1/4 of the long run on trails. The good thing is that the Hunter Valley Marathon is not all tarmac roads, there is also some gravel roads and grass trails.

I felt very safe on the run and knew I was very unlikely to get lost. There was enough people around but not too many to ruin the peacefulness. 

I finished off my run with a celebratory coffee before jumping back on the ferry, after running for about 1 hour. If you live in NSW and like running or walking in the national parks I really recommend the Wild Walks website.

In an earlier post I had mentioned that I was on the look out for a crop top. For a while I had been looking on various websites, never too sure if any of them would like what I was after, and checking out shops but not being willing to pay the $50 that they were asking. Yesterday I popped into Target and found these babies!

 There were just what I was looking for and were $20 with 30% off! When I got them to the till they came up as $11 for the purple one and $3 for the orange one, I have no idea why. They are just what I was looking for and I wore the purple one today. I just hope now that it says warm enough for me to get some wear out of them.

Chubby Katie.x

Parks and vegetables

I was planning on giving you an update of my veg box challenge but we ended up eating out last night so the vegetables are still sitting in the box. We will have a little bbq tonight so I will update you with how that goes. While we are on the subject of food I was checking out the tri Marni blog and she had some tips for healthy eating which I thought were very sound advice:


* Take pride in preparing meals and give yourself the proper amount of time to do so.
* Be creative with your meals and snacks
* Purchase useful and fun Tupperware and dishes
* Aim for less than 5 ingredients for at least 75-80% of the foods in your home
* Take time to eat your meal, with little to no distractions (ex. computer, TV, phone)
* Enjoy occasional desserts and sweet-treats, without feelings of guilt
* Spread your calories throughout the day
* Look forward to one item at every meal
* Focus on variety throughout the day
* Bulk up your meals with plant-based foods
* Try to consume at least 3 servings of fruits and veggies before dinner
* Plan for snacks between meals, as well as pre-meal snacks, while preparing your meals
* Plan pre-and-post training snacks
* Drink plenty of water
* Get a restful night of sleep
* Eat for fuel, not for a number on a scale 



I didn't get up early this morning, after a week of 6am starts I really felt like I needed a bit of a lie in. Instead I will run home from work, I have a 5km route planned (even though my training schedule only says 3.2km!). On Sunday I have my long run, we live really near a national park and I am thinking of doing it in there around the Jibbon loop. I can run to the ferry hop on board to the national park, do the loop which will probably be about 6.8km and then hop on the ferry home. I would need to take water, my phone, money and a map but its not too far from civilisation so i'm sure i'll be ok. 


Oh gosh I have just realised this is my 50 post! Happy Anniversary Chubby Katie.


I will tell you how I get on.
Chubby Katie.x

A-z of me!

(A) Age: 28

(B) Bed Size: Double, Michael-clease keeps moaning that we need a bigger one but I think its just fine!

(C) Chore You Hate: Pretty much all of them. 

(D) Dogs? Would love one but can't in our apartment, have to play with the in-laws staffies instead.

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Shower, plus I can't go the day without a descent breakfast.

(F) Favorite Color: Pink and yellow....but not together

(G) Gold or Silver? Gold.

(H) Height: 5ft 5in ish

(I) Instruments You Play: I am really not very musical! Although I did have brief piano lessons.

(J) Job Title: Production assistant/image co-ordinator.

(K) Kids: Nope.

(L) Live: Cronulla, NSW.

(M) Mom's Name: Linda - hi mum

(N) Nicknames: Haven't really had one since school, I was often called Davie.

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? Only when I had my adenoids.

(P) Pet Peeve: People who say "thats hilarious" but don't laugh. People who use the word literally incorrectly. People who say they have the flu and its only a cold.

(Q) Quote from a Movie: Mother always taught me: "Never eat singing food" - Muppets Christmas Carol

(R) Right or Left Handed? Right.

(S) Siblings: One younger sister - hi Caroline.

(T) Time You Wake Up? About 6am.

(U) Underwear: Umm pretty standard underwear I think??

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: Parsnips.

(W) What Makes You Run Late: Not getting out of bed earlier enough. 

(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: I forget, none since I was about 8. Maybe one on my chest and one on my wrist.

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Michael-clease loves my hake in thai sauce and I have been told I make a mean lasagna.

(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Haven't been to the zoo in ages, lions and tigers are always cool but i'm not sure how I feel about them being kept in a zoo.

A few bits and bobs

For the second day in a row I have managed to get out of bed at 6am, well just past but i'm proud of myself though, i'm sure I can build up to a bit earlier.
Michael-clease and I went for a swim, we should really have jogged to the pool and back as it took about 15mins to get there and back. It was really busy in there, I think maybe as the mornings are getting light later everyone wants to go at sunrise. Anyway that counts as my cross training for today. My legs are aching a fair bit, I think as I haven't run for a while.

I was watching biggest loser the other day (i really love that show) and one of the trainers said "train the mind and the mind will train the body". I was a little inspired by that. I know that people are all ways saying that marathons are 40% physical and 60% mental but I think maybe in my case it is even more mental!

We have just had our first fruit and veg box delivered, it is very exciting! It arrived last night and I was amazed at the amount that was included. There is nothing too exotic in there, bananas, plums, grape, potatoes, beans etc but I think it will be quite a challenge to get them all used before they go off.
Talking of food I have realised that I eat pretty healthy during the week and then it all goes a bit pear shaped at the weekend, or should that be beer bottle shaped!

I think that is all I have for now.
Bye.x

Uh oh

Oh dear, guess what I have done......I have entered the Hunter Valley Marathon. Eep! Its scary but mostly exciting. Its not till 17th July so I have plenty of time to train and I think it will be the challenge I need to make sure I get up in the mornings.

It cost $87 which I think is a little pricey but I am happy to pay it as I think I will be well looked after and get a t-shirt at the end! I was tempted to get a hoodie but it was $49 and I don't really need it.

The website says that the 1/2 marathon is 60% flat, 25% rolling hills and 15% hilly, that doesn't sound too bad does it? I have heard stories about it being a bit hilly but also of others setting pbs on it so I am not scared. I will try and do a little hill training though.

The Hunter Valley is about 2 1/2 hour drive from our house so it is technically possible to drive up in the morning but I would have to leave the house at about 4am. Ideally I would love to stay there and make a weekend of it but that will bump up the price. I know a cute little cottage about 15mins from the start which would be great but it sleeps 4 people so I would like to get two others in on the trip. Well its a long way off yet and if I don't get on with my training the logistics won't matter anyway.

With that said I was out on a run this morning. I came up with the idea in the pub on Saturday night to put all of our names in the house on a white board. The night before we tick if we are going to get up for a run or swim and then the other house members are allowed to do anything they can to get you up. Does that make sense? I think it is the fear of someone barging into your room at 6am that scares you into getting up anyway.
At the moment we don't have the white board so had to make do with a piece of paper, still it worked and Michael-Clease, Neil and I went out for a 5km run.

Training schedule #1

So I found this training schedule on a website, many of them are for 10/12 weeks and I wanted a longer one so I could start training straight away. As you can see this one is for 20 weeks which is perfect. It was in miles and so I have converted it and rounded the numbers as it seemed silly to run 17.7km. It seems pretty do able and the fact there is cross training days means I can fit in cycling and swimming. I'm sure I will not stick to it religiously especially as I have already done 5km today instead of 3.2km. I also need to work in some speed and hill sessions. What do you think? Maybe ever Wednesday can alternate between speed and hill work? Can I handle 5km of hill work? I guess we shall see.
Chubby Katie.x

Oh lovely readers

Oh lovely readers please forgive me! I have been away for so long! But now i'm back, from outerspace (sorry no, it just reminded me of I will survive).

The reason I have been away is that I really haven't been up to much of interest. After my 1km swim I haven't been doing any swim training. I have been on the odd non-eventful run and my bike may have disintegrated from lack of use. However after talking to my parents this morning my dad complained that this old blog was sounding a little negitive and things like me doing yoga on the wii fit were not very inspirational (maybe he should try yoga on the wii fit before complaining). So a positive attitude is needed.

Tomorrow the Hunter Valley marathon entries open and I am thinking of just going for it! The race isn't until July and I have run 16km in the past fine. I reckon I need the fear of being entered into something to get me up in the mornings.

The Shark Island swim is also coming up in Cronulla at the end of March, I think a few people are thinking of doing the 1km but I somewhat think what is the point. I have already swam that far I really should be aiming for the 2.3km. Is that crazy? and if it is is it in a good way or an I might die kind of way?

Sunday the Kurnell triathlon is on, I am not considering entering it but I might like to go down and watch it if I can get out of bed after a saturday night out.

Well I think that is all I have to say, I am back and will try not to stay away for as long again!
Chubby Katie.x

Beat the Brain

At the moment my Ironwoman dream is looking very far in the distance! I have had a very lazy week after my big swim at the weekend and I think my belly is looking a little flabbier. As is always the way I will promise myself that next week will be different, the beginning of my new regime.

Does anyone have a Wii fit? I do but sadly don't use it very often. I got on it the other day and it said it had been something like 300 days since my last work out! On the plus side it said I had lost 3kg which is fantastic. I was thinking that I should looking into getting a cheap set of scales to weigh myself but turns out the wii does that so I don't need to get any.
Anyway I was on it the other day and did about 40mins yoga as well as a few planks and the like. It was really good and it was on a really hot day when I didn't really fancy going outside for a run so this was perfect.

Michael-clease has invented a new technique for getting out of bed and exercising, he is calling it beating the brain. His method is as soon as your alarm goes off, before you have time to think of reasons not to get up, you tell your body "quick get up, beat that brain!" It sounds simple enough although I tried it on Friday with not much success. On Monday morning I vow to add it to my other techniques and see if I can't get this body moving!

I have just signed up to join in the CK Virtual Fun Run Series run by Thats how I roll's Jessica  and her friend Paula. They set dates and distances and you train so you are ready and then everyone runs on the same day regardless of were they are. Its a great idea for those of us who can't afford a race every weekend but also good for those people who live in rural locations. They are starting off with very short distances and building up. If I am going to be doing the Hunter Valley Marathon in July my training will no doubt over take the races but it still sounds like a fun thing to be involved with. The first run is 2nd April and 2.5km and then on 16th April there is a 5km run. It will also help with my run for the bling of it challenge. I gotta say I don't know how people just run without doing races and challenges, I really need the motivation.

Right I am off to enjoy my Saturday.
Chubby Katie.x