I got out yesterday morning for a good solid session on the grass and mum joined me with the dog, so as she was walking the dog around she got a few snaps of me running around in circles doing my tough session. Yesterdays session was warm up followed by a 10 minute run at about 4:20 mins per km and then finished off with 8x 90seconds, and then of course my warm down. By the time I got to the last few 90 second reps the heat had started to get to me and my legs were getting very tired. I'm still not sure I can carry off the compression sock look very well, but I'm working on it ;) My coordination with my top and my trainers is not great, but it is fair to say the problem is hopefully going to be resolved soon as I am hoping that Brooks will bring out the Brooks Vapour 4's in blue because then I can alternate between what pair goes with what outfit... which is surprisingly important for me! For my recovery time between each rep, I try to stay in the shade, especially when it is very sunny! I do look rather exhausted in this photo, I think I only had one or two reps left at this point. It was a lovely sunny day and I am definitely not complaining about that, but it did make my session seem harder, but thats good because I need to practise training in the heat. I am going to Spain soon and at the hotel I am staying at there are lots of trail run routes which I can do to practise running in the heat and to hopefully improve. I will also have the chance to cycle and swim everyday, which I am so excited about! After today's horrendous weather, I am now definitely craving my summer holiday and I am definitely counting down the days. I was wearing my new Nike hypercool, which I have fallen in love with! It is in the Nike sale at the moment in several different colours and they have just brought out a new version of the top, which is on my wishlist and I will tag it at the bottom. The sales are definitely around at the moment and I am particularly liking the Sweaty Betty and Nike sales. Now that I have finished my exams I feel like I have suddenly started doing loads of online shopping... well I haven't bought anything yet but my wishlist is becoming longer and longer, so this week I have been putting lots of stuff on eBay, to try and clear out my room and also save up to buy some of those items on my ever growing wishlist. My new Balega socks are by far the best socks I have ever owned, they have perfect cushioning and elastic support in all the right places. Now it is trying to get my three pairs in and out the wash in time so I can always be wearing a pair! I was pretty happy to have finished my session, but then I always have the problem in my warm down of not being able to run anymore. I always put all my energy into that last rep, so when it comes to the cool down, my legs hardly have enough energy to walk. This photo shows all the technical stuff in the socks, I can't say I am a pro at sock technology but all I know is they are fab socks and they are also a great colour! I have a nice solid week of running and cycling training this week, although I don't have much of a chance to get my swimming training in this week, but hopefully I can get to the pool some time this week. Love G x Shop the look: Top- Nike (new version on my wishlist) Shorts- Nike Calf Sleeve- Hilly Socks- Balega Trainers- Brooks
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It is fair to say ever since I went to my first yoga class, I have been obsessed with it, going to my weekly class quickly become part of my weekly schedule. Since my first class I have progressed and learnt new moves and balances. I am going to go through some of my favourite! 1) Eagle; I only recently learnt this and it is fair to say that I felt as if I was a tangled up in a knot but maybe that was because it was the first time doing it. After lots of practising I soon grasped the concept and now I have much more balance while doing it. When you get really good at it you can move on to being on your tip toes (this is very difficult). 2)Headstand; when we first did this in my class, most people struggled with it but I was lucky that I had done this a lot when I was younger in gymnastics. I don't mind that much being upside down, which is why I love this balance. I am definitely a bit out of practice as I haven't done gym for three years, so I need to work on this. 3) Downward Facing Dog; Downward dog is probably yogas most famous pose and I know exactly why. The stretch you get down the back of your legs is great and you also have to use strength to stay in the shape (it can get tiring if you hold it for any longer than a minute). Okay the photo of me doing it below is not the best shape, but practice makes perfect, so I guess I need to keep practising this one. It is ideal if your back is straight and you look like a triangle. 4) The Tree; The tree pose is rightfully famous in yoga because for me it was the first balance I learnt and it is the same for most people. I started with my foot on my calf, then moved it to my knee then I was finally ready to move my foot to my thigh. It has taken me a lot of practise to advance from the calf to the thigh as I don't have great balance, but focusing on a spot in front really helped me. I have photographed me with my foot by my knee, because personally I still find it very hard, having my foot any higher up. 6) Shoulder Stand; this is also a pose I picked up quickly because of my gymnastics, although I was a bit out of practise and was very wobbling for the first few times doing it again. I hope I have inspired you to do some yoga, either at home or to join a class. I love it and I practise at home all the time because I can never wait until my next class... maybe I should start doing it more than once a week. Also sweaty betty do free classes, so check out their website and see if your local store has any classes going. Love G x If you liked this blog post, you may also like: The day has come were I have finally finished my GCSE's today, it is fair to say I am pretty excited and have some busy evenings celebrating in the next few days!!! I had my art exam all day today and yesterday and at 4:30 today, it marked the end of my art exam and the end of exams! I am super duper happy right now and can't seem to stop myself smiling :D. Now I can run, swim and cycle as much as I please, without having to stop and do some revision. My next few weeks are crazily busy, but I will have time to do a bit of blogging of course, because I always seem to find time for blogging as I love it so much (even if I was doing it a bit too much mid exams)! When I got my hands on these zebra lily bod leggings I was thrilled. Straight away they came with my to my yoga class and they didn't disappoint me! They were super comfy and they definitely stood out from the crowd because of their very bright design! Of course I couldn't pair these leggings with a bright top otherwise that would be too much for anyone to look at. There is no surprise when I eventually paired them with my black Nike top, which I never seem to take off as it just goes with pretty much everything and keeps you cool, because it is so light! My hair was a bit of a mess this day so I just quickly chucked it up in some french plaits (they are actually dutch plaits and it actually took me like 30 mins to plait them as I am still a bit of a beginner at doing them on myself) but I can only do this style on myself, I can't seem to do french plaits on myself. I need some more practice with them because as you can see they are a bit wonky but hopefully I will get better, with practice makes perfect! I chucked my Nike free's with this outfit as I was just off to yoga so I didn't need to wear any supportive shoes and the black and white went perfectly with my outfit. I normally wear these as casual wear but they do occasionally get into my sports bag to be taken and worn to yoga or if I am doing a gym session. Training wise last week, I had a very good week getting in lots of running, swimming and cycling, partly because I have had a lot of free time because of the end of exams. I am very pleased with how my training is going and now that I have no more school left, I am going to make sure I keep my training up because hopefully I can make some progress this summer and hopefully see some gains. I am planning on doing some races this summer, so I will be sure to blog about them! Have a good rest of the week! Love G x This week has been so miserable weather wise, it seems like it has been raining all the time and I just keep thinking that the sky must run out of water soon! I got caught in the rain twice this week while out for a run, when the weather forecast said it wouldn't rain. There have been a few lucky spells of no rain and the occasional discovery of the sun, which has definitely become more frequent as the week has gone on, because now today I am having a BBQ because the weather is so fab!. These photos before we had this week of never ending rain so now I don't think I'll be running in the woods for a bit until it dries up again. Trail running isn't everyones cup of tea, but for me I love it. I find it much more enjoyable than running on roads, its just a bit more exciting. The uneven ground I get can be a bit of a pain, when you have to keep looking down at where you are standing. I am very lucky to have some woods right next to my house so it is a great training ground for me, along with the other fields. There are small hills, as well as steep hills, but also stretches of flat open ground, which makes it perfect for whatever session I have planned. I find the woods a great place to escape to, when it is warm, because the shade from the trees keeps it nice and cool, but then there are gaps in the trees which still let light in. Although when I go and do a session on my own, it can be a bit creepy as you can hear all the animals moving about in the trees and leaves. There is always time for a quick recovery walk between reps. It gives me time, to actually take in the lovely surroundings of the woods. Here gives you a look at my coordination of my top and sports bra. I am totally in love with all of Nike's orange items at the moment and I have made quite a collection. I love this top because it is light and airy and keeps me cool and doesn't stick to me when I get hot and sweaty.... what more could I want (so inevitably I have now got 3 tops in this style). I was trying not to step on the roots or stand in a hole and twist my ankle, as some of the paths are a little uneven and sometimes I do wonder if it is the most sensible idea to run along them, but I love the little paths, which weave through fields and woods. Although in the summer it seems to become a haven for bugs, and every stride it feels like there is something on my leg... perhaps I am just a bit paranoid about bugs being everywhere. My top was of course paired with my nike trainers, because sometimes it is so nice just to switch from my Brooks to them, although when it is really muddy my Brooks Cascadia 9's come out (aka my trail shoes!). Below is a photo before my running as I was full of beans and had way too much energy! Afterwards I am not sure I would have been able to jump up this high. Thanks Ralph, for chasing after me during my run and then getting too tired, so I had to turn round and find you. He is the best training partner... okay maybe not. Hope you all have a good weekend, and fingers crossed the weather will start brightening and warming up next week! Also I only have my 12 hour art exam now and then I'm DONE!! After nearly 8 weeks of exams, I will finally be done and have the chance to be able to run, play tennis, cycle, swim and blog all guilt free, because normally I just feel like I should be revising! I hope you all have had a good weekend so far, and have a nice Sunday today celebrating fathers day! Love G x
Okay so the title of this blog post may seem a little ironic to some people, as I do not like pink. Yes I know I'm a girl, and all girls like pink... no thats not true! Ever since I was a child, I have liked blues and greens and always not liked pink. I'm not sure why but my mum used to have to buy me boys pjs because I wanted Thomas the tank engine on them... so maybe I was a bit of a tomboy! However these shorts were my first ever Nike purchase and it is very clear to me, that this is where my obsession started! When I bought these, I am not even sure why I got them in pink but I am pleased that I got this colour as I do really like them! You would think that the fact these shorts are over 3 years old that they would be out of fashion... but no! Nike's tempo shorts are bigger and better than ever. I feel like my shorts do steal the show and that to pair it with a simple black top is the only way to go! I have these shorts in plain black too and thats the perfect time to go crazy with the top. What I love about these shorts is that if you don't fancy going for the short, tight (and professional looking) shorts, like nike's pro 3" shorts, these are perfect just to chuck on and run. Although I wouldn't recommend wearing them in the rain as they do become very uncomfortable, because the material just sticks to you, which isn't ideal. I have several pairs of similar Nike shorts in my basket at the moment, which I will put a link down at them bottom for, but they also appear on my wishlist on my home page! Of course my outfit was paired with my favourite Nike trainers, but ever since I got my new Brooks trainers, my nikes haven't had much wear, but they are perfect for going for walks in and if I go to the gym or for a bike ride or do a weights session. Luckily recently the weather has been warm, but sometimes when it is warm, running can often be hard work as you just sweat so much... oh wait sorry, girls don't sweat we respire ;) Don't get me wrong I am not complaining, I definitely prefer this weather to the freezing cold winter days and I do wish I could live in a hot country, as I do love the heat! Although the last few days it has felt like it has been raining 24/7 and yesterday on my run I got drenched, but in the afternoon I then went on a bike ride in glorious sunshine... England's weather is just so random! Hope you have all had a good week so far, and thank you to all those who completed my questionnaire in my last blog post. The results have come back very clear to me that you would all like to see mainly my fitness life, which is rather handy because fitness is pretty much is my whole life! Love G x If you liked this post, you may also like...
After a very busy week of revising and exam taking, I am glad the week is coming to an end. I think the only thing which has got me through this week has been tennis and running. For me tennis and running help me deal with all the stresses of life and to forget about everything for a bit, and most of the time afterwards everything just seems so much more calm and less stressful. Also for the first few days of the week, my legs were still recovering from my 10km race, last Sunday. Only by Wednesday did they feel like they were back to normal again. As the weather was hot and muggy again, I thought I would do a tough session on the fields, because I seriously need to practice running in this weather, because whether I am playing tennis or running, hot muggy weather always drains me pretty quickly. I was pretty happy though that no one else was in the park so I could run in my new shorts and sports bra. I bought these shorts last week for £10 off eBay, the link at the bottom, they are for £18, as I couldn't find them any cheaper online... so always check eBay, as you can get some great bargains on there! In this photo I was thinking 'is there really only 10 more seconds left of recovery' I am slowly getting used to how funny I look in compression socks and I have definitely got a funny few looks from running past people. Although they are definitely helping with my calves during my sessions and recovery! Also I didn't really get to say much about my new trainers in my last post, because I was too busy talking about my race. I went to a specialist running shop and they had me on the treadmill, wearing several different pairs of trainers to see which pair were best for me. I learnt that I had been running in the wrong pair of trainers for a long time and that sadly Nike trainers were just no good for me as I needed more support, so in the end the Brooks Vapour 3's came out on top. However there was one downside, they either had pink or grey. Of course how the shoe looks for me is very important. The grey just looked a bit boring, but I had the problem that I don't like pink, so I couldn't decide what to do! In the end I decided on the pink, after a bit of persuasion from my mum and they are slowly growing on me. I am pleased to say that they are so comfy and I am already excited for the Vapour 4's to be coming out! Okay it is fair to say that my session took it out of me, just a bit! After my session I jumped straight into a cold bath and then I had a sports massage... what could be better! My calves normally struggle with recovery after a session, but now, as I am writing this a few days on, my calves still feel super fresh... YAY! I am definitely going to be having a few more cold baths after training sessions! I hope you have all had a good week! I only have two more exams left and a 2 day art exam, but I am so nearly done and I can't wait for summer as I have so much planned! I'm now off for a long steady run on the roads, before a relaxing Sunday. Please also could you just take a few seconds to answer the question below, as recently my blog posts have turned more fitness related and I was wondering if you all want to see more of my going out fashion again and my latest hair styles etc. Love G x Shop the look... Sports bra- Nike Shorts- Nike Compression socks- Hilly Trainers- Brooks Watch- Garmin Watch- Fitbit If you liked this post, you may also like...
In January I was lucky enough to get a fit bit with my saved up babysitting money... it was well worth it! I had heard lots about them and seen many promotional videos, but still didn't know what to think about it. Then when one of my friends got one and was raving about it, I thought it must be worth it. So yes I went not too long after this and bought one from Argos... because at the time they had the best deal but it varies alot! I got the Charge HR and it is fab, I love it! Last year I had a jawbone which did similar things to this fitbit but I often found that it wasn't very accurate but I am pleased to say that when I ran a park run, my fitbit agreed and said I had run 5km... okay well it said 4.95km, which is close enough!
I find it great fun in yoga to see how low my heart rate can get when we are relaxing at the end, it is great because I can check my heart rate at anytime, right there on my wrist. Also the app is very interesting and can use your heart rate to see whether you were in fat burn, cardio or peak, when you were doing your exercise and it can see how far you travelled, even if you are playing tennis or netball. I often have duals against my friends to see who can get the most steps in the week and it definitely has brought out the competitive side in me and the other day I did 18,000 steps in one day, which I was pretty pleased about. This was just a quick post, as there is a long one to come this weekend, about how my trainings gone this week and how I felt after my 10km race last week. Love G x The day had finally come for me to do my first 10km race, and all week I had been excited for it and of course a bit nervous too! I had planned what I was going to wear for it a few days ago, so of course my new Sweaty Betty racing top was quickly chosen as my top and then my good old black Nike shorts joined them. My compression socks on the other hand weren't really there for their looks, but practicality. Once I had got over the fact that they do look a little odd, I realised I can't complain, because if they help prevent injury then they are worth it. I laid all my race kit out the night before and then in the morning I was all ready to go. All I needed was my breakfast, and I went all out with my porridge this morning. My high-protein museli, I bought from Holland & Barratt yesterday, was the first thing I added to my porridge. Along with that I added a banana, some raisins and some flax seed, and it was delicious! I picked my race number up and I was ready to go... Okay well I needed to warm up first. I left my leggings and jumper on, when I warmed up but these quickly came off as it was already boiling. I did a few laps of the field then lots of different drills, like high knees and skipping and then finished off with some stretches. The start was very busy and there were lots of people trying to barge through to the front. So I just tried to keep my place and try to prevent anyone from pushing past me. Then before I knew it we were off! The race started off very crowded and you had to run pretty quickly at the start just to stay in the crowd and not bump into each other. I ran my first km in 3:48mins, which was far too fast for me to maintain. Fortunately soon after that I got into my steady rhythm of a pace of about 4:30mins per km, which I was happy with. At the 5km point the heat had really started to drain me and I felt like I couldn't go on much longer, but luckily there was a water stop at the 5km mark and a quick sip, helped me stay refreshed and in the mind set. In the end I finished in 46:28, which I was pleased with, although I was aiming for sub 45:00, but it is all a learning experience and I have learnt a lot for my next 10km, so hopefully I can get my time down. When all the official results come out, I will add them to the blog post, as I am not sure what position I came. My Sweaty Betty top, didn't fail to impress, on its first outing. It was perfect because it kept me as cool as possible, and once I got over the fact that my tummy was showing but no one really cared, I wasn't embarrassed to wear it. My face in these photos after the race, sum up my feelings... happy but exhausted. After a quick sit down, and a cup of water, I could finally try and have a nice photo with my medal and then start my cool down. After walking a lap of the field in order to get my legs moving again, I finally broke into a slow jog just to stretch my legs out before I got in the car. I did some stretches as well, just to try and prevent my muscles from feeling really sore tomorrow. Once I got home, I jumped straight in a hot bath and very quickly my legs started to feel a lot looser! I have a busy week of exams next week, but I am looking forward to having a good solid week of training too. I hope you have all had a nice weekend! Love G x Shop the look... Top- Sweaty Betty Shorts- Nike (similar, but cheaper here) Compression socks- Hilly Trainers- Brooks Watch- Garmin Watch- Fitbit If you liked this post, you may also like...
In honour of this special day, I thought I just had to do a blog post. This weekend has been very relaxing as I am on half term this week, so I haven't had the stress of exams, okay well not until next Monday anyway, when I have Maths. It has given me some time to do my parkrun on Saturday, which if you haven't read my blog post on, you can click here to read it. Then on Sunday I enjoyed a nice run with Ellen, who is also a blogger and her blog is: www.teenrunner.co.uk and I would really suggest having a look at it, as it is fab! It was so lovely to have a catch up and talk about everything blogging, while having a nice steady run at the same time. Yesterday, I had a well earned rest day, which was pretty lucky timing because it chucked it down all day and whilst I was having a quick stretching session in the morning, the rain started bashing against the window's which was surprisingly relaxing. Last week I made the most of the sunny weather and did a run in the field and I set up reps, running up and down this gentle hill, which then flattened off at the top, which was perfect to then sprint. I definitely need to work on my hills, as normally that is where I get over taken, and especially because my local parkrun ends with a long hill and I often find it hard to push to the end... hopefully if I keep up my hill training, I should improve and beat that pb again soon! It was even hot enough, to train in just a sports bra, which I was delighted by. Ralph even enjoyed coming for a run with me, which is very unusual as he usually gets tired and bored pretty quickly... okay after 5 reps he did just sit at the bottom of the hill and watch me run off up the hill into the distance and then run back. I have my first ever 10km road race on Sunday, which I am so excited about, although worried at the same time about getting the pace wrong, but luckily it is meant to be a flat and fast course which is good, so hopefully I'll be alright. I will be writing a blog post on it afterwards so make sure you check my blog on Sunday evening! I'm now off for a run, to celebrate Global Running Day, although it is a bit grey and gloomy outside, fingers crossed it won't rain on me! Don't forget to check my home page, for my latest Wishlist items, as there are lots of new items on there! Have a good day, a make sure you have a chance to get out and run! Love G x |
HelloI'm Grace, a 18 year old runner, and fitness fanatic. Join me on my crazy journey through life, squeezing in an adventure in every second of spare time I have. Archives
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