TRAINING UPDATE: Cycling 40 miles

At the weekend, I accomplished my biggest cycling achievement to date - cycling 40 miles! A year ago, I would have never predicted I'd be spending my Sundays heading out of London on bike rides but after arranging a ride with my fellow triathlon girls, I felt confident I could give a long cycle a go. I had already reached 20 miles (which you can read about here) and we were predicted to do around 30 on this ride.

We headed from Finsbury Park out of London up through Enfield to Epping Forest. A lot of it was very urban with lots of busy streets, weaving in and out of traffic. Luckily we had a leader, Beth (who is an incredible cyclist!) who knew the way and so we stayed close (well as close as we could keep up) behind her. The course to the forest was relatively flat and by the time we reached the edge of Essex, the country roads started to open up. 

It was nice to finally be on quiet roads surrounded by countrysides and after turning off a main A-road onto a little narrow lane, Beth said we were near Epping Forest. We just had to take this track to the forest and she did warn us of a short steep hill near the end. Beth was clever here by stating 'short'. In actual fact, for me who is a wimp when it comes to hills, it was a long, practically vertical climb and definitely the steepest hill I have tackled to date. Halfway up, my quads were starting to burn and the hill just got steeper and steeper! I was wheezing so much when I reached the top I had to stop for a break. My legs were shaking but I was secretly super proud of myself for actually get up it.

Soon after this mega slope, we reached Epping Forest and were quick to park our bikes for a break at a little tea stop by the car park, where apparently a ton of cyclists stop for snacks!

By this point we had reached roughly 15 miles and I personally was relieved to have this break. I stupidly only ate an apple for breakfast and so I was absolutely famished when we had reached this point. Not to mention bloody freezing! Cycling in the winter months really takes it out on your toes and fingers. Mine were all numb and painful. So we all took a pew and had a nice hot cuppa with a Snickers bar (as you do).

After our much deserved refreshments, we were off again and this time we cycled around the forest, taking in the beautiful scenery. Beth is really familiar with this area and took us on a lovely course along a secret path and through some really scenic trails. The weather, albeit it icy cold, was absolutely divine so I got some great pictures!

I really enjoyed this part of the route. I felt a million miles away from London and as it was such a bright, sunny day I felt like I was on a weekend break somewhere. Going along this particular route took us back through some small villages where we were back on roads but this time very undulating roads. We zoomed down windy slopes to then be met with a steep hill at the bottom which we would push on up. Ascending and descending was great practice for me in terms of speed work and I did secretly enjoy using the speed from the down-hills to get up the up-hills quickly. 

By going through the villages and residential areas, we found ourselves back on track for the road to London and Beth lead the way. Sorry to share what could be perceived as too much information but by this point my bum was killing me! I don't own cycling shorts and without the luxury of a padded butt, I was beginning to bear the grudge of not wearing a pair. Each and every push on the pedal ached and what happens when I start to feel this fatigue? Oh thats right, another massive hill! This one was dead straight and you could see all the way to the top. It was long but a tad less steep than the previous hill. I'm glad Beth didn't warn us as I would have thought about it all the through the cycle and so when I was faced with it, there was nothing to do but go up! It felt like it took light years but we struggled to the top, with me again collapsing at the side of the road huffing and puffing. Hills are so tough!

It was really hard to gage my whereabouts at this point but I kept looking at road signs where I could and we were in the E10 area of London heading for Hackney. It was these last few miles that were probably the hardest as I was feeling really tired, not to mention so hungry and absolutely frozen from the icy cold winds we faced. They literally made my eyes water. Being back on the busy streets with all the buses and cars also meant 200% concentration and so mentally I felt pretty pooped too.

We however made it safely back to Finsbury Park, with Beth using her Garmin to gage a route of just under 40 miles. I couldn't believe it! I set out to do 30 and I added on another 10 without it feeling too much. I was on cloud nine! After bidding farewell to my friends, I then had to troop back to my house which was another mile or so and rather unfortunately, uphill. By the time I got home, I devoured all the food I could get my hands on instantly, including a banana and cinnamon smoothie which was super yummy! I also added in a scoop of my fiancé's protein powder to help aid muscle repair. After cycling this distance, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel the next day!

That night, I had my first full nights sleep since I caught a horrible chesty cough on Christmas Eve. It was bliss and I can definitely thank this mammoth bike ride for it. The added bonus was that I didn't ache one bit come Monday morning. Hurrah!

Knowing I have the potential to cycle 40 miles has reassured me for the triathlon (which is a mere 13 mile cycle but obviously with swimming and running either side). I am also really keen to get out there again and explore more cycling routes out of London. Next time, I am thinking some down south. 

Are you a London cyclist? What are your bike ride hot spots?

Lipstick Runner.

TRAINING UPDATE: Cycling in the countryside

It seems like yonks since my last Training Update I'm struggling to think through all that has been happening the last couple of weeks. A few runs have happened, as well as swims but the key highlight for me has been spending a weekend in the Cotswolds with a fellow cyclist and close University pal for a weekend of cycling!

I LOVE getting out of London. I'm not exactly a super fan of living in a city so any chance I have to whisk myself off to somewhere peaceful with clean air, I'm off in a heartbeat. When my friend asked me to visit her for the weekend a few weeks back for a cycling weekend, I was so excited! This was in fact only my second ever proper bike ride and I knew where she lived was going to be picturesque (it's on the outskirts of the Cotswolds).

I started off bright and early on the Saturday cycling through Central London (in the rain miserably) to Paddington. I arrived nice and early to board the train with my bike but found when I arrived at the front carriage where the bikes are stored, I was refused entry due to there being a confusion about my train ticket and reservation. After almost flipping my lid at First Great Western (and many angry tweets after), I was luckily let on the train (so I should have been!) and was on route to the pretty little village of Honeybourne. 

I spent the journey reading my book and having a snooze until two hours later, I had arrived and my friend was waiting on the platform with her bike in tow. After a quick stop off at her cottage a mile away, I dumped my backpack and we were straight out on the road. She has a route planned of around 20 miles (I felt like that was a safe distance for me). The rainy weather was good to us and held off for most of the journey so we were able to thoroughly enjoy the cycle side by side catching up on life.

At around the halfway mark, we had arrived at a quaint village (where apparently scenes from Bridget Jones was filmed!) which was lined with pretty listed buildings of houses and boutiques. The rain also started to spit down on us so we saw this as a perfect opportunity to stop off at a local pub for this delicious hot chocolate.

Once we had warmed ourselves by the fire, we headed back out on the bikes to continue our adventure across windy country lanes and endless farm lands until we arrived back home.

I absolutely loved whizzing around the countryside on my bike with these glorious views surrounding me. Gone were the big red buses, endless taxi drivers and constant weaving in and out of traffic. This was my time to pick up speed and see just how great my Trek Lexa is. Turns out, this baby is a breezy smooth ride! Going downhill was a bit daunting as I felt like I was going 100mph but my bike offers great control and sturdiness, especially when braking at high speed. 

Once we has returned home, we got out of our cold damp clothing and into our slouchy slacks to chill for the rest of the afternoon. Being in a cottage felt so unbelievably cosy, especially when sitting in front of this homey fire. I was so comfy I nodded off!

It felt sooooo nice and relaxing being out in the country. The surrounding area was so quiet an peaceful and being snuggled up on the sofa with a toasty fire was far too dreamy. Not one part of me was missing my Central London flat on a busy high street.

By the evening, we were both revived from our cycle and dolled ourselves up to head out for an evening meal and cocktails. We drove into nearby town Stratford to dine at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The food there is divine! I was starving by the time we arrived and wolfed down a delicious three course menu, along with some rather scrummy cocktails!

By the morning, I felt really sad that I had to leave. I definitely should have booked a long weekend so I could have taken the opportunity to cycle out further and explore the area more. It really was such a lovely weekend and I'm already planning my return!

Now I am back in London, it's time to face the music and get ready for Cabbage Patch 10. The training has been well, minimal but I feel confident I will complete the course in full. I just have no idea what time. But, I also don't care. I'm not setting standards with time. Instead, I am setting a standard in enjoying the race. No matter the time, I just want to go out there, relax and have fun!

Lipstick Runner.

TRAINING UPDATE: Run, Cycle, Swim, Repeat

This last fortnight has been far more successful than previous. Coming out of the flu was a slow(ish) progress. The snuffles and an awful cough were what remained from my bed ridden state but I was just grateful to be back up and running again.

I felt fully recovered midweek but still opted to avoid exercise until the weekend. Despite that though, I didn't hold back come Saturday and I headed out bright and early for an easy eight mile run. The first mile was literally run at snails pace just to get me into my rhythm but by 5K I had found my feet and was running on average just under nine minute milling. By 10K my legs were aching but I trooped on to complete what I set to out to do. I did keep coughing a lot on this run and I felt a tad wheezy but way better than I was expecting which was a great sign!

I had planned a bike ride on Sunday as the weather was going to be nice. I woke up with very heavy legs from my run but despite this, I still got ready to head out for a cycle. It would probably do my legs some good loosening them up. I took the route through Hampstead to Regents Park where I did a lap of the outer circle. I then took a quick pit stop and walked my bike up to the top of Primrose Hill (one of my favourite spots in North London) to take in this beautiful view:

After Primrose I then looped back round through Kentish Town to bring me back home. My cycle was roughly 10 miles so not too strenuous but enough to wake my legs up.

By Monday, I was craving a swim. I haven't been for a good couple of weeks and previous to this I was really making progress with my front crawl. I don't want this focus to slip so after work, I headed to my local lane pool and set myself a little workout based on exercises and technical movements a good friend (and incredible swimmer!) had taught me:

Front Crawl Technique (in 30m lengths)

4x standard front crawl (warm up)

4x arm pulls with float

2x standard front crawl

4x around the world hand touches

2x standard front crawl

4x leg kicks with float out in front (THESE KILL ME!)

2x standard front crawl

4x 'sharkies' (where you touch your shoulder on every arm stroke)

2x standard front crawl

4x leg touches

2x standard front crawl

4x arm pulls with float

2x standard front crawl

TOTAL: 40 lengths (1200m)

By mixing standard front crawl lengths between each technique it is helping me to put them all into practice when swimming normally. I do feel like my style is improving - I am using less energy per stroke which in turn is making me go faster. I do however need to work on 'cutting' through the water better. I do worry when I swim I am a bit all over the place, kicking and splashing.

Tuesday was club night for me and as I was missing the track session this particular week, I opted to head with a few others to the Regents Park dirt track which is situated on the outer circle. It was just over a mile jog there and then after some drills we went straight into 400ms. Two sets of 4x400m with decreasing rest periods (45secs, 30secs and 15secs). I found these hard, especially as my body was feeling fatigued from the last three days of running, cycling and swimming but I stuck to working as hard as I could. You can see below with my times that my speed greatly improved whilst on the track and I even managed a faster run back to the club than I did running to Regents Park. 

I really feel my core working when doing these high intensity workouts and they are a brilliant way to kick your metabolism into gear and burn fat faster. That said though, after jogging back to the clubhouse I did have two chocolate biscuits. Oops!

The rest of the working week was fun and play after this. Thursday I would normally head to the track for a HIIT session but instead I spent the evening with family at my favourite dim sum house, Ping Pong. Check out this scrummy cocktail!

By the time the weekend arrived it was time to head out on a long run again. This is actually my last shot until Cabbage Patch 10 to squeeze in a decent run as the next couple of weekends I'm away. I chose to do eight miles again with the aim to be quicker than last week. I set off not really knowing where I was going - I sometimes prefer planning the route on the spot as it makes the run more adventurous and free. 

I headed to Hampstead Heath but only stopped there for five minutes, choosing to run through and up to Kentish Town and onto the towpath towards Angel. I have only run along here once but where I cycle along it weekly now, I thought this would be a great place to pick up some speed (something I am lacking greatly at the moment!). It was really quiet and peaceful running along here and I was boshing out some great times too (miles 2 - 8 were all sub 8.30)!

By the time I reached 10K, I didn't feel tired at all which I saw as a great sign compared to how I was feeling the week previous. Running along the towpath also allowed me to keep my pace consistent as its a straight path with very little people. Once I was off here and onto the busy streets of Angel there was lots of stopping and starting, weaving in and out of people. Still though, I was super chuffed with my time. I was nearly four minutes faster than last week and had plenty of gas left in the tank, which is very reassuring for me as Cabbage Patch is fast approaching.

By Sunday, it was time to head out for a bike ride and after heading to Regents Park last week and seeing all the cyclists on the outer circle, I wanted to head there to experience my first proper speed session on the bike. After a comfortable cycle there once I was on the outer circle I aimed to do four laps (I'm not too sure on the distance per lap but I would predict 2.5KM), two laps fast and two laps recovery. This was the first time I had picked up speed on my bike without lots of traffic around me and it as brilliant! Although many fellow cyclists sped past me, I revelled in pushing myself around the circle and in the final straight to the marker point where I move into a steady lap, I made sure I pumped my legs harder and faster. 

Doing four laps was definitely a good starter. My legs felt like they had a good workout and bum hurt which can only mean I worked hard *must invest in cycling shorts*. After the session I remained in Regents Park to meet a friend at the boat pond for a coffee. It was such gorgeous weather and lazing around in the sun relaxing was a lovely way to end my exercise fuelled week. 

Here's to the same next week!


Lipstick Runner.

TRAINING UPDATE: A week to myself

I have been dying for this week to come! Time off work is something I have been craving for weeks. I've been starting to get the constant feeling of exhaustion and I can tell by looking at myself in the mirror that I need a break. Skin is grey and dull, eye bags are drooping down to my toes and my hair is limp and lifeless. When my fiancé's family asked if I could puppy sit their two French Bulldogs whilst they were on holiday, I didn't hesitate. A week out of London to recuperate? Yes please!

Another great thing about this week off is that I get to use my time to get out running and cycling in Essex countryside. This has definitely been a real treat, especially when you are limited to city routes on a daily basis. I arrived here on Friday night and straight away on Saturday morning, we were up and out to do a nice 10K training run. In my last Training Update, I mention at the end that I wanted to try a 10K and try and hold a steady pace. We started out running through some residential areas and the first mile or two I did feel really tired. I am noticing this a lot when I run. It takes me ages to get started and I do find it hard to get a rhythm working.

I started with a couple of 8.50 miles which was really bumming me out. Pre-injury, I would run 10K on a training run at around 7.50 miles, so knowing I am a minute slower is really getting me down. Still though, halfway in we had reached the winding county lanes and picturesque villages so having the nice scenery helped to pick me up. We ran down little lanes, past corn fields, horse stables and stunning views. It was super lovely! I returned back home to complete 6.2 miles with an average of 8.33 miles. This run did involve a lot of stopping and starting so really not pleased with my time BUT no point in dwelling and I must keep my patience intact.

The next day, we both went on a bike ride. It was really great to head out as a couple as my fiancé doesn't keep his bike in London. We headed out the same direction as we did for the run the day before but extended further into small quaint villages. This was only the second time ever I have cycled my bike without locks clamped to the rack and a huge backpack weighing me down. It felt soo light and quick - it was great!

When the start of the week came round, I tried to keep to a similar fitness routine as I would on a typical working week. Monday's is Nike Training day so I opted to do a 30 minute session working on key core and strength exercises. I am starting to look forward to these sessions now as it's a nice change to high intensity workouts. It's also a great time for me to stretch out my ITB and work to rebuild it's strength. 

As I am in a house this week and not a top floor apartment with thin wooden flooring, I took the opportunity to actually complete a full Nike workout. When I wrote my review on this app (see HERE) I mentioned that I have to pick carefully each step I take as ones involving jumping, hopping, running aren't suitable to do in my apartment. I'd fear I could fall through the floor into downstairs living room! However, with a huge living room to do my workout in this week, I chose the Slim Chance workout in the Get Lean category.

This workout got my heart rate working! With light jogging, split jumps, high knee runs and side hopping intwined with press ups, mountain climbers and Russian twists, I was pooped by the end! My core however felt the burn from it which can only mean it's working.

Tuesday I opted to do a standard four mile run. I've got into a routine of doing this. It's long enough to feel like I've done a workout but short enough to ensure I have plenty left in the tank for a speed session and long run later in the week. Again, like my 10k at the weekend, I found this run so hard. I was hot and bothered and had to stop early in to use my inhaler, something I hardly ever do! I completed the four miles with an average pace of 8.21 per mile and again, I am feeling a bit low that I am not getting any faster. What's gutting is that I feel incredibly tired during my runs and right now, I can't imagine running 10 miles, which I have to do in six weeks! Right now, I'm not sure how I ever managed to run at a sub eight minute mile pace for this sort of distance and sadly, I don't think I'll reach this standard for a long time.

Wednesday I headed out on a cycle, again heading back to the country lanes I went down at the weekend. I absolutely loved going back along this route. As it was mid week the roads were empty and at one point I stopped in this field and just stood there. It amazed me that there was not a sound to be heard. It was refreshing to be surrounded by this compared to the hectic rat race of London.

During the cycle, I noticed so many hot spots for blackberry picking. I mean loads! So with that in mind, the next day I came back out on this cycle, three tupperware boxes in the rucksack to get on a major blackberry picking spree. It was really therapeutic to be back out in the country, minding my own business and I also got tonnes of juicy blackberries. Check out my post on my findings and how I used them HERE.

On Friday, I was working from home so had a pretty busy day glued to my laptop catching up on everything. I worked straight through to 5.30pm and after staying in the same spot all day, I felt like I needed a good run. This was the perfect time for a HIIT session! My aim was to do three miles so I chose to do 800m warm up followed by 4x 800m at 5K pace and 2x 400m at 3K pace. It felt good pushing myself - hard but rewarding. Comparing my times to the last speed session I did (read about it HERE) my pace stayed exactly the same. I was slightly disappointed that it hadn't improved but at the same time, I've got to appreciate that it wasn't any slower.

Saturday = rest day. It was lush!

Sunday was long run day. I had been dreading this a little bit since my awful 10K a week previous. So, instead of going first thing in the morning, I opted to go at midday. Two reasons - 1. I wanted to watch Mo Farah in the Great North Run and 2. I wanted to see if running a bit later in the day, post breakfast and fully awake would make a difference. 

Turns out, it does. I had a fabulous run! I managed to complete seven miles and my pace was slightly quicker than the 10K. I'm absolutely thrilled with this result. I did feel tired but not extremely fatigued and even more importantly, the ITB band held up! I did get a bit choked two miles in when I passed a field being harvested (the dust in the air was horrendous) but this was the only part of the run I struggled with. I definitely think going a bit later helped. Having a bit of fuel in me gave me a boost, especially as this was going to be the longest run I have done in around five months. 

(me feeling super happy with my run!)

Overall, I am chuffed to bits with my training this week. I have managed to cram in a lot of workouts in-between chasing a four month old puppy around the house. I will definitely miss being outside of London, the country bike rides and generally spending all my time doing what I love. But, work is calling and it's time to face the city again. This next week, I make my return to the running club which I am so excited about! Let's start seeing those miles build up!

Until next time.

Lipstick Runner.