Never has the phrase ‘après mud party’ excited me more

Posted in Fitness & well-being by hannahbryan91

Photo credit to Tough Mudder HQ.

Today I got overly excited at reading the phrase ‘après mud party.’

Not just because I like to be muddy – although I do when it comes to running – but because that phrase means that Tough Mudder Yorkshire is just over one week away.

When the Yorkshire Tough Mudder Volunteer Programme pinged in to my email inbox this afternoon I wasted no time in getting familiar with what I’d be doing on the day as a volunteer and reading all about the perks that come with it.

Running Tough Mudder is an experience in itself, as my best friend Liana who ran the course last year told me, but we’re getting the complete Tough Mudder experience over two days this year. On Saturday, August 2 we will be volunteering on the course, cheering people on and helping them along the way before running the course on Sunday. The gazebo has been purchased for maximum socialising on Saturday night and after much deliberation our outfits have been planned right down to the colour of our shoe laces – neon yellow for Liana and bright red for me.

We can’t wait to don our TM volunteer t-shirts and really get stuck in to help make the event a success and enjoyable for everyone. Not to mention we are so excited to run the course ourselves.

As Liana put it, it’s essentially a weekend away for us. It combines all of our favourite things as well; adventure, challenges, being outdoors, running, lifting, socialising and wearing gym clothes. Bring it on!

22Jul2014

#Allin24 with my food prep

Posted in Running by hannahbryan91

The most important part of my preparation for the Adidas UK Thunder Run 24 Hour got underway today….food shopping.

With two nights camping and a 24 hour run ahead of me I have been making extensive lists of the supplies I’ll need to take.

Top of the list is of course Lucozade Sport drinks to recover after each lap. I am obsessed with the Caribbean Burst flavour which is so good I could bathe in it. Next is Meridian Foods peanut butter which will no doubt get lathered on Soreen malt loaf which I tried for the first time today. I can only describe it as dangerous stuff as I ploughed through half a loaf before lunch.

Treats keep me going so I didn’t even hesitate in adding a multi-pack of caramel Freddo bars to my shopping basket today. I’ll no doubt be imagining the taste of it when I’m struggling (well, hopefully I won’t be struggling too much!) on one of the late night laps.

I will also be taking lots of water, bananas and porridge pots. Here’s my list so far:

-Lucozade Sport drinks
-Bottled water
-Coffee
-Peanut butter
-Soreen malt loaf
– Porridge
-Freddo bars
– Paleo granola (homemade)
– Flapjack (homemade)
– Peanut butter cookies (homemade)
– Banana and blueberry bread (homemade)
– Homemade peanut butter cups (homemade)

Obviously these aren’t my main meals, just staples to get me through the weekend. As I’m a newbie to trail running and events such as the Thunder Run I’d love to hear any suggestions of what snacks are good to take!
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21Jul2014

Conquer the Forest No Ego Challenge

Posted in Running by hannahbryan91

I am proud to say that I am one of the top 50 finishers in the first ever Dalby Forest No Ego Challenge!

As my first trail race I wasn’t sure what to expect but within the first half a mile I knew it wasn’t going to be like any other half-marathon I had experienced.

The hills were relentless and we grappled with loose rocks on steep descents and tired not to lose our trail shoes whilst wading through muddy bogs.

Before the madness got underway.

Jim and I all smiles before we headed to the start line.

My friend Jim picked me up at about 8.30am and we made our way to the picturesque Dalby Forest which took us just over an hour. Registration was quick and easy and once we had our number it was time to get a few pictures before a brief warm up and a pre-race talk. We were told to let those who were “going big” to go first as after about 100m the path narrowed to single file.

Our strategy was to try and run nine minute miles which we worked out would get us in at 1 hour 57 minutes. However shortly after setting off we realised that it might be a struggle.

Within the first mile we hit the first climb which was almost impossible to run up. Small and steady steps Jim assured me, which actually turned out to be a pretty good strategy but I saw at least a couple of people walking up every hill we were faced with. Trying to make up time after the hills was almost impossible too as the flat stretch afterwards was used for recovery rather than for speed.

However the route itself was amazing. Flying down winding banks through the forest, navigating your way over fallen trees and through muddy bogs made this the best race I’ve ever been a part of.

That said though, it was one hell of a challenge and without Jim I definitely would’ve struggled a lot more. At times you’re running solo and as someone who is used to the cheering of crowds during a road race I can imagine that if you were running alone and were not a seasoned trail runner it could be quite lonely.

Another difference is that you have to give the terrain your full concentration for the duration of the race. You can’t switch off the same way you might do on the roads. If you’re not paying attention to your footing one wrong move could see you coming down on your ankle.

Dalby Forest was the perfect setting for it though and like any other race, all of the runners were supporting each other which was fantastic. It was also interesting to know that even some of the seasoned trail runners taking part were not doing it for a time, something which took me a while to adjust to I must admit.

The muddier we got though the more fun I began to have and whizzing through the forests and breathing in that wonderful earthy smell was just fantastic.

The final hurdle was a killer hill before a sprint finish across the line to come in at just under two hours at 2hrs28mins and the 11th lady to finish. Not bad for my first trail half-marathon I’d say, especially considering that we stopped twice to try and get rid of my persistent pins and needles in my left foot/leg and stopped to drink at every water station.

The feeling in my legs afterwards was nothing like that after a half-marathon road race either and I definitely felt as though I had worked a lot harder. It was such a great feeling though and I am definitely going to sign up to another trail challenge in the future. But until then it’s time to soak the blisters in TCP and Savlon in the hope that they recover in time for this weekends Adidas Thunder Run!

Keep your eyes peeled for the official pictures as well which I will post on here when they’re out.

Celebrating with my No Ego Challenge t-shirt after the race

Don’t even want to try and clean these yet…

Check out those blisters!

14Jul2014

Marathon training & some other challenges in between

Posted in Fitness & well-being, Running by hannahbryan91

After weeks of thinking about it I’ve finally devised myself a training plan for the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon.
With just under three months to go I thought I’d share my training with you as I work up to running 26.2 miles and take on a few different challenges in between.

Here’s a little about what I’ve got coming up:

Saturday, July 19: The No Ego Trail Challenge – Conquer the Forest half marathon at Dalby Forest
Just five days from now I’ll be running my first trail half-marathon. I’m not sure just how much of the stunning views of Dalby Forest I’ll be able to take in though as we battle through water, jump over fallen trees and tackle mud bogs and plenty of hills. As it’s my first one I’m not expecting a fantastic time but ideally I’d like to complete it in less than two hours.

Saturday, July 16: Adidas Thunder Run 24 Hour
For many people, the thought of running for 24 hours would sound like some form of extreme punishment. To me though, it sounds like one hell of an exciting challenge. I have been lucky enough to secure a place on the Women’s Running magazine team for this incredible challenge, organised by Adidas. The idea is that someone from the team has to be running the 10k trail route at all times across 24 hours. Each competitor must complete at least one lap but after that you can run as many as you want, or take it in turns. Hats off to those solo runners who do the full 24 hours by themselves! I don’t doubt that it’s going to be a huge test for me, both physically and mentally.

Saturday, August 2: Tough Mudder Yorkshire
My best friend and fitness fanatic Liana took on Tough Mudder last year and this year we’ve decided to do it together. We will be volunteering as course marshals on the Sunday after running the course on the Saturday as well. For those of you who don’t know what Tough Mudder is all about, it’s described as the toughest event on the planet. Over ten-12 miles we’ll tackle a range of obstacles from underwater tunnels to rope climbs and even fire to test our strength and all round physical (and mental) capabilities.

So that’s what I’m facing at the moment, a gruelling three weeks with plenty of recovery and mobility work in between and quite frankly I can’t wait!

1Jul2014

Paleo chocolate chip cookies

Posted in Recipes by hannahbryan91

Following a paleo plan doesn’t mean that you’re forbidden to eat treats and the things you love. In fact for me it has meant still eating those treats, but discovering new ingredients and getting my domestic goddess on in the kitchen to turn them in to clean treats.

The biggest bonus by far though is the fact that you can eat these cookies without that awful guilty training-down-the-drain feeling afterwards that so many of us fall victim to when we decide to treat ourselves.

My Instagram feed is full of fitness posts and for AGES now I have been on the hunt for cacao powder to make some of the treats I have seen posted on there. I stumbled across this organic bag in my local health food store near where I work (I’m in there most days so I’m not sure why I hadn’t spotted it until now).

I decided to make cookies – although I use the term cookies very loosely as they turned out to be more like chocolate chip balls then cookies.
You will need:
– 300g almond butter (I use Meridian because those guys are just amazing in my opinion)
– 25g coconut oil
– 1 egg (whisked)
-200g cacao powder
-1 tsp baking powder
– 25g shredded unsweetened coconut (this is optional but good if you like your cookies with a bit of a crunch)
-1 tsp raw honey
– 200g dark chocolate chips (I used dairy free 80% dark choc chips – the higher the percentage the better)

What to do:
– Firstly, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
– Next heat the coconut oil and honey in the microwave for about 30 seconds until they have melted together.
– Add the almond butter, coconut oil, honey and whisked egg in to a bowl and stir together until thoroughly combined.
– I used my hands for this next stage as it’s just easier for combining the ingredients. Add the baking powder, cacao and coconut gradually until it is all combined. The dough should be pretty thick at this point which is how we want it.
– Finally mix in the chocolate chips.
– Using a tablespoon heap the cookie dough on to the tray and flatten down each one with the back of a spoon. Don’t worry if they don’t look like the stereotypical cookie shapes though because if you flatten them too much they may become fragile and fall apart (I’m speaking from past experience here.)
– Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then take out to cool. As tempting as it may be to tuck in to one whilst they’re still warm try and leave them until they have really cooled down as they will still be fragile.

I enjoyed mine warmed up with some blueberries and a banana. Happy paleo baking 🙂

Hannah's Happy Pace

Monthly Archives: July 2014