Fitspiration

Fitness inspiration

A tale of two races…

/ katieferg89 / 1 Comment

I’m finishing this post off having just got my 3rd PB in 7 days…but less about that, let’s go back to last weekend! Last weekend was a week away from the long run of marathon training and then turned into a double-header of races (yes, I know, maybe not the brightest idea I’ve had), which couldn’t have been more different in profile, surface, weather, ease…and just about everything.

Race 1 – Southern XC Champs, Parliament Hill. 7.5k of mud and hills.

Race 2 – The Winter Run. 10k of pretty much dead flat London city streets.

So, you now have to contend with TWO race reviews…

*Disclaimer – my own race entry for the Winter Run was complementary  – however all other places mentioned were paid for*

Saturday

Met my mum early at Peter Jones for some browsing (I have A LOT of John Lewis vouchers that need spending) and then wandered around the Kings Road before heading up to Kentish Town for a short walk to Parliament Hill for the Southern Champs. The Senior Women’s race was the second last, meaning all the juniors had had plenty time to churn up the course for us – thanks guys (and girls!)

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Dry January and friendly sabotage

/ katieferg89 / 6 Comments

OK OK I’m putting my hands up. I’m on the wagon. I do not plan falling off it as I have not done so in previous years. It really isn’t that hard. No, I’m not doing it for charity because frankly, I don’t think giving up alcohol is the right thing to do to raise money. No, I’m not doing it because I want to lose weight. No, I’m not doing it because everyone else is doing it. And no to whatever other reason you think I’m doing it for.

I’m doing it because I know it makes me feel better, sleep better and train better (and, very handily, save money) However, as per previous years, comments are already cropping up left right and centre about why I’m doing it, if I’m drinking on certain occasions, why in preaching about it to everyone (I’m not, but if you ask, I will tell you) and I feel like I am CONSTANTLY having to defend my corner and my decision.

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Marathon Training Week 1

/ katieferg89 / 4 Comments

Well, January is here. And that means marathon training is here. I think I am excited about that fact (mainly excited because of lots of food and excuses to be tired) Taking a look back to my suggestions on how to choose a marathon training programme, I ended up opting for the Runner’s World intermediate plan which is interspersed with a few bits and pieces from our Clapham Chasers sessions AND a few thoughts of my own.

Goal wise….hmmmm. I have set myself a broad range of 3.20-3.30. Considering the improvement I saw in the latter past year over the shorter distance, there’s no reason why I can’t knock off more at a marathon. And I think just aiming for 3 mins and X seconds to get me below 3.30 is a bit of a wimpy way out.

(This is either a genius move that will motivate me, or a silly thing to do as I kill myself trying to get there)

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Breaking the running rules…guilty

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I got thinking as I ran through Hyde Park the other night about the fact it was actually quite dark in places, despite there being several lights and lots of people doing the same…and it got me thinking – what is the limit as to where I would stop ‘just nipping through’ and stick to the main roads? It then made me think about the countless other things I do before/during/after running that apparently are AWFUL and should never been done.

Yes, I do understand about running safety, and yes, you could say I am being naive because thus far, I’ve been extremely lucky and not had any incidents – and I want to say up front that there is no way I am trying to downplay anything from a personal safety perspective – but isn’t running ultimately about enjoying yourself and feeling free?

How did people train before the days of mobile phones, of Oyster cards that get you back from anywhere in a very large SW London radius, of shoes specifically designed to make you less likely to roll an ankle? I mean they were still doing it and managing to survive – so are we trying so hard to do things ‘right’ that we forget how to do things ‘fun’?

What could make me a bad runner…? Continue reading →

Top tips for winter training aka how to survive the cold and rain

/ katieferg89 / 3 Comments

Ugh. It’s dark by the time I leave work. In fact it’s dark WAY before I leave work. It’s dark when I run before work. It’s dark when I run after work. My bike has had a puncture since last week and I haven’t had the enthusiasm to fix it to commute because it’s cold and dark and rainy (I mean I have another bike, but that is by the by)

Ok, so enough moaning – pretty sure every single person reading this is thinking ‘yup, tell me something I don’t know’. I feel like I do a pretty decent job of training over winter because it just has to get done and I do it, but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t sometimes hard, or that I don’t sometimes forego a session for a night on the sofa…

So here goes  – some bonafide tips and tricks to help you out over the coming months. Tested by yours truly.

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10 Reasons More Women Should Take Up Hiking

/ Kate O'C / 1 Comment

We’ve been talking about rugby a lot recently. Now for something completely different.

Hiking is great, I love it. You have an excuse to head out on an adventure in the great outdoors, with the wind in your hair and the mud squelching satisfyingly underfoot. Sometimes I consider plastering myself in blue face paint, wielding a big old stick and hurtling naked down a mountain side screeching “I AM QUEEN BOUDICA!”, but then I think it might just be easier to call one of my outdoorsy mates and suggest we take a jaunt up a big hill.

Harry’s victory over the scranble
Kate basking in foggy goodness

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Revisiting some goals…and setting some more (i.e how I cracked the sub 21 5k)

/ katieferg89 / 6 Comments

I like having goals. Even if I pretend I don’t have one for an event, I always do, tucked away in the back of my mind – what do I need to get for me to be happy.

So let’s go back to what I said at the start of the year in our 2015 goals post – as I’ve now got something to say about each of them.

#1 3:29:xx at the London marathon.

Well, let’s just say this didn’t happen, however, it’s not something I’m upset about. Some fairly significant weeks off at a very bad time with a dodgy Achilles meant that for a while I wasn’t even sure if I could make it to the stand line. I rocked it round in 3.33.24 (read about it here if you are so inclined) and I’m super happy about a new PB, a VLM AND a Boston 2016 qualifier…so watch this space. I’m still not sure whether next year is a ‘go for broke in the marathon’ or ‘fancy trying to AG qualify for duathlon for the Europeans’ so we shall see what happens, but my marathon game is NOT over yet. 

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Variety is the spice of life – so try something different with somuchmore

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I, like many 20-somethings apparently according to MULTIPLE Elite Daily articles, am a bit flakey, easily distracted and always looking for that bit more, therefore finding it hard to commit to what I’m doing tomorrow, let alone agreeing to something for months on end.

This is especially true when it comes to classes. Races and team sport, I’ve got down to a fine art. I know what I’m doing, when, where and for how long, and it’s highly structured because I get a bit type A with my training plans. Classes, meh, I dip in and out depending on how I’m feeling. With a class, I won’t let the team down, it won’t impact my training…(answer – because yoga and cross-training are good for me and actually will benefit my training, but let’s move swiftly on) There are SO many classes I could go to at the gym, but I rarely do – preferring to use it for weights and swimming – so if I’m not going to use what I’m already paying for there, why would I pay for single studio access on top of that?!

Enter somuchmore. They’re the new kid on the London multi-studio block, bringing tonnes of sought after classes to you in one single membership, meaning that you need as much commitment to individual studios as you do to the colour of your nail varnish or which pair of leggings you’re going to wear today…#win.

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Daddy Cool: Fathers’ Day fitness inspiration

/ Kate O'C / 1 Comment

Being as it was Fathers’ Day on Sunday we wanted to take the opportunity to pay homage to our Dads this week, in much the same way as we did for our Mums on Mothers’ Day – we’re both very lucky to be close to the men in our lives, they are a continuous source of support, inspiration and encouragement, and they are undoubtedly also the reason the pair of us are so bloody headstrong and competitive…

Kate: My Dad has always been a keen sports man, when he was younger he played soccer, rugby and gaelic football for school and university teams as well as being a keen runner and squash player. Nowadays, along with my mum, he cycles, rows, kayaks and hikes like a mad person!

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Review – Record Breaking Squat Jumps & BMF Fun in the Sun

/ Kate O'C / 2 Comments

It’s official! Katie and I are bona fide World Record holders!

Admittedly, breaking this record didn’t involve some life-threatening feat of daring, or anything really gross like not cutting our toenails for a couple of years, but it is still a real record, honest guv.

Last week British Military Fitness ran a special event to celebrate National Outdoor Fitness Day, where they attempted to beat the world record for the greatest number of people performing jump squats simultaneously at a single venue and These Girls were very kindly invited to join in! So, off we toddled to Wandsworth Common on a sunny Saturday morning, thinking this was as close as we’d ever get to being on that show Record Breakers with Kriss Akabusi. Anyone else remember that? I must be getting old.

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