Paris Marathon: Training Update and Tips

As some of you may know, I ran my first marathon in April 2014 in Paris. The whole journey was one of the toughest and craziest experiences of my life. I might be absolutely mad, but I'm going back to Paris in 2015 to do it again, and training is already underway!

I thought I would give a little bit of an update as to how my training is going and what I've been up to running wise. 

I've been officially training since December 1st and have put together a training plan for myself on an Excel spreadsheet. It generally consists of 4 runs a week, with 2 mid-distance, 1 long and 1 short recovery run. The plan was made from a template I found on about.com, but I changed the days around a little to suit my lifestyle and just used it as a guide to what sort of distances I should be aiming for.  

So far, I've stuck to the plan pretty well and even done a bit extra with my 'JingleRun' challenge of running at least 1 mile each day up until Christmas. My long run this week was a 10km in 25 degree New Zealand heat.. which was ridiculous, but absolutely beautiful! I've added some pictures down below. It's definitely a bit different to the dark and freezing runs I've been doing in the UK. 

Having done this once before now, my main training tips are: 

• Always listen to your bodyIf you're not feeling well and you have a run on your training plan, postpone it and do it when you're better. Just because you miss a run doesn't mean you won't finish the race!
• Practise your race nutrition
  I like the High5 Energy Gels (the ones without caffeine), but everyone has their own preferences. Take some time during your training runs to find out what works for you.
• Have a dress rehearsal
  Figure out what clothing works best for you so you know what to run in for race day. Never run in brand new clothes though! Make sure you take them out for a training run or two to make sure they're going to work for race day. 

A Kiwi Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I hope you've had a great Christmas (or, depending on what you celebrate, a great holiday) and have taken the time to relax and spend with loved ones, because that's what it's all about!

I've had a slightly different Christmas this year, spent over in New Zealand with my Mum's half of the family. It's definitely been strange having Christmas in 25 degree heat, but very cool at the same time. 

Here are a few snaps of what I've been up to so far :)

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year and I'll see you in 2015!

2015 - Setting New Goals

The end of another year tends to mean the cliché New Years Resolutions of weight loss, healthy eating and social media posts rounding up your year in some kind of rubbish templated media format. I’m sorry, but they do get old very quickly!

This year I am determined to avoid the overdone year-end promises and social media posts.

For me, 2014 was a year of new experiences and achievements:

• Completing my first marathon in Paris in April
• Graduating with a First Class Honours degree in Mathematics
• Starting my first ‘grown up’ job
• Running a sub-2 hour half marathon.

Looking back on it, there were some pretty major life experiences there.

2014 will also be the year I got ‘the running bug’. It was the year that I found a new passion and something that challenges me and motivates me to constantly better myself. After quitting gymnastics a few years ago, this was definitely something I was looking for.

So, as for 2015? I will be going bigger and better than ever before in running terms and concentrating on a pretty crazy race schedule that I have lined up:

• Brighton Half Marathon (Feb 22^nd)
• Bath Half Marathon (Mar 1^st)
• Paris Marathon (Apr 12^th)
• Hackney Half Marathon (May 10^th)
• London 10000 (May 25^th)
• Cardiff Half Marathon (Oct 4^th) 

I’m so excited to cover more miles than ever and push myself to new limits.

How’re you going to make 2015 great? Let me know if you’ll be running any of the races above!

H x

My December Challenge #JingleRun

I have always been one to set crazy challenges and push myself to extremes. Take the following for example.

When I was about 13 I decided I was going to set myself a New Years Resolution to run every single day for a year. It was totally unnecessary as I was training 12+ hours a week at gymnastics and it lasted about a week.

In my second year of University I decided I would complete Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.. in 30 days straight. Again, this was totally unnecessary as I was exercising in other ways and just didn't always have time in my day to do it. Needless to say I made it to day 7. I tried again a few months later but didn't make it much further.

When December rolled around this year I spotted a few posts on Instagram of people starting a #DecemberRunStreak or #DecemberRunChallenge, including @sas_rubel, @evelinruns and @dr_harriet (go and follow them, they're all lovely!). Me being me, extreme Harriet kicked in and decided to take up the challenge. This time I will be seeing it all the way through to the end. A few people have set themselves varying challenges, but here is my personal spin on it:

Jingle Run

At least 1 mile every day until Christmas

I have completed this every day so far and am really enjoying the challenge. It's going to become a little tougher in the coming fortnight as I'm rather busy and flying to New Zealand for Christmas. Even if it means I have to run the length of Singapore Airport on my stopover, I will get my daily mile done! (If I get chased down by security I'll make sure I vlog it for the entertainment factor ;) ).

If you want to follow my progress through #JingleRun then add me as a friend on NikePlus :) marathonharry 

Are you setting yourself a goal or challenge for the last month of the year? I want to know about it! 

Harriet x

Worth The Hype? Nike Elite Graduated Compression Socks

For years and years compression socks were something I had only seen in hospitals, or on people of a 'certain age' on long haul flights. This perception changed dramatically when I came to the start line of the Paris Marathon earlier this year and a huge proportion of runners were sporting knee-high socks in all kinds of exciting colours.

Obviously, I was intrigued and needed to know more about these magic socks. What was it about them that made so many people want to wear them for their marathon?! There are many statements about the benefits of compression socks, but the main points seem to be that they:

• Accelerate blood circulation to help muscle recovery
• Reduce muscle vibration which results in less fatigue
• Help to prevent injury

Pretty big claims right?

So, after having a look around I went out and purchased the Nike Elite Graduated Compression Socks in a very pretty purple. These were pretty bottom of the range price-wise at £26.99 from wiggle.co.uk (totally not sponsored, I just LOVE wiggle). Nike have lots of different colours available at the moment so go and check them out!

I've had these beauties for two weeks now and have had the opportunity to test them out in a few different environments.

So what do I think?