Sore feet and new socks

I am sooo excited about my running today. I'm always a bit suspicious about training plans - I look ahead to the preposterous number of miles I'll supposedly be able to run by week 8 or 10 or 12 of the programme and I just can't see how the weeks in between are supposed to get me there. Never mind that the one time I followed a generic training plan to completion (a Runner's World half marathon plan - I did all the training but not the race, ridiculously) it clearly worked.

Same thing this time - I'm following the Bupa beginner's 10 mile training programme, and I absolutely could not see how I was supposed to be able to run 10 miles by the end of it. Or even 5 miles by halfway through it. I just don't think I have any faith in the fact that the more you run, the better you get at it.

Big surprise, though - I'm actually getting better. I went out for a 40 minute run today, aiming to cover about 3.5 miles, and it turned into a exhilarating 4.4 miles in about 46 minutes. Once I got into my stride, I just didn't want to stop, and could definitely have run further if I hadn't had plans I needed to get home for.

I did manage to take half the skin of my left foot by wearing ridiculous socks, though. I've only got three pairs of proper running socks, and I almost never seem to have both halves of one pair washed at the same time (don't ask. I don't understand that either) which leads to me wearing random combinations of running and non-running socks:

The Nike one on the left, good as it is (with it's matching pair) for tennis, did not want to go for a run today, and made its point by injuring my heel maliciously. I mentioned this to my lovely mum this afternoon, and she promptly marched me down to Sweaty Betty and bought me two pairs of Blister Resist socks. Not only are they padded and double-layered, they're also purple. I love them very much :)

In other news, I am really, really tempted to take part in Caitlin's Ironman March. The challenge is to cover the full ironman triathlon distance (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run) over the month of March. The running bit will be easy, as I should cover that distance and more with my 10 mile training, but I'm not a great swimmer and biker at the best of times. Obviously, getting better at them is the main motivation for taking part in the challenge, but I think I might struggle to complete it alongside my running training, especially since I'll be on night shifts for a full week in the middle of the month, which means seven days of probably no exercise whatsoever.

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However, I guess the whole point of a challenge is that it should be, well, challenging, so I'm going to give it a go. Even if I don't cover the full distance, I'll definitely be fitter by the end of the month than the beginning, which is reason enough to go for it!

A breath of fresh air

I saw something yesterday that made me really happy. An old friend of mine on Facebook (you know the type: used to live next door to her in University Halls, so we knew everything about each other for a year, but since then communication is sadly limited to the occasional “like” on a Facebook wall) posted something I rarely ever see from anyone: a positive statement about her body.

How great is that? How often does a woman ever think such positive things about herself, let alone make her thoughts so public? I have to say, she looked gorgeous ten years ago when we lived together, so I doubt she’s ever had a good reason for not liking her body, but how often does having a great (or, at least, acceptable) figure stop us from whinging about how we look?

And even if we do think we look gorgeous, it takes real guts to tell the rest of the world about it. I’m so proud of my friend, not for getting fit and losing weight (although that’s great too) but for reminding the rest of us that it’s OK to shout about the things we love about ourselves, rather than moaning about everything we don’t like.

I Used to be Fit

Embarrassing fact: I love I Used to be Fat on MTV. Can’t get enough of it. I even Tivo it to make sure I can always get my fix when I want it. I don’t know what it is about watching overweight teenagers dedicate their entire summers to losing weight that entertains and inspires me.

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One thing I have noticed a whole lot, though, is the amount of vomiting that seems to go on in their first workouts. I mean, ew. I get the concept of elite athletes or SAS recruits pushing themselves to the point of puking, but 18-year-olds in the gym – really? While a little bit of me is impressed that they're able to push themselves that hard, most of me just finds it pretty gross, and surely unnecessary?

Then I did my first proper workout in months (well, years) yesterday. Just to put this in context – I am by no means overweight (although I will be delighted when my bottom stops moving independently of the rest of me) but I am ridiculously unfit compared with my university days. With the pressures of job, commuting, house and husband, and just generally Being An Adult, I’ve gradually lost fitness over the last 5 or 6 years, and the less said about my tennis skills these days, the better.

So there I was yesterday, at the gym I’ve been wasting membership fees on for the last half decade, designing a new gym programme and going through a nice little circuit with a PT. I guess the fact that I don’t look too out of shape, plus the fact that I have a vague idea of what I’m talking about in a gym setting, falsely reassured him. And, let’s face it, when I threw myself at the circuit hell for leather, my brain clearly thought I was still 25 and at the peak of my fitness.

To my credit, I did complete the circuit - once. Killed it, in fact ;) Then I had to retire to nearly faint and be sick. In fact, I felt nauseated for the next half hour. Seriously thought I was going to throw up there. And in that moment I identified so much more with the poor I Used to be Fat kids, even though for me it was more a case of I Used to be Fit.

I’ve got another date with the gym tomorrow, and this time I actually want to get through the circuit more than once. Doing the prescribed cardio workout after the circuits would be nice too. I definitely don’t want to spend another half hour sitting next to the bin willing myself not to throw up. So, in the interests of not looking like a complete jessie again, I’ve done a little bit of research on How Not To Chuck Up at the gym, and this is what I’ve come up with.

There are basically three points during your workout when you might feel/be sick: before, during or after.

Before

This will probably be due to anxiety, nerves or excitement. I definitely used to feel sick before tennis matches, and even a tough scheduled workout can bring on the nerves. This is basically due to the fight-or-flight response that releases adrenaline and causes you to feel tense, jittery and sick.

The solution here is to employ your favourite nerve-calming strategies – deep breathing, visualisation, going back to your familiar pre-match/workout routines – whatever works for you.

During

The most common cause of nausea and vomiting during exercise is the diversion of blood and energy away from less important systems (such as your gut) towards the parts of you body that need it most during a hard workout (mainly skeletal muscle, heart and lungs).

For this reason, you need to make sure your gut isn’t already overloaded – so don’t eat too soon before exercising. The amount of time you need to leave varies from person to person, but 2-3 hours is probably about right. On the other hand, don’t do a hard workout without having eaten anything at all – low blood sugar is another good way to feel sick and dizzy.

Don’t take in too much sugar during your workout either – there’s only so much your stomach can deal with. If you’re taking gels, make sure you take them with water rather than a sports drink, or you risk taking in more glucose than you can handle. You also need to make sure you’re well hydrated before you start –  dehydration causes nausea, plus if you have to drink too much during your workout your stomach will just reject it.

After

This is usually caused by the sudden cessation of exertion – your body just isn’t ready for you to stop abruptly. I think this was my problem yesterday – when I finished the circuit I just felt tired. As soon as I sat down, I felt sick and dizzy.

The solution to this is to keep moving, even if only gently, between sets or circuits, and to cool down properly at the end of your workout.

I am totally going to follow my own advice before tomorrow’s workout. I’m already hydrating, I’ve got my pre-workout breakfast planned and I definitely won’t make the mistake of going straight from 100% effort to sitting on a step again – the results are just too unpleasant.