Tag Archives: marathon training

Banana, pecan & choc chip loaf

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We all need a little treat from time to time and that’s a fact.

Despite being an advocate of clean eating I am aware that this can sometimes become an obsession rather than a lifestyle choice. When we find ourselves saying no to birthday cake in the office or a festive mince pie at a family bash it’s time that we took a step back and re-evaluated our eating attitudes.

My opinion is that balance is key and by not denying yourself treats you can still maintain a healthy body and a great figure whilst maintaining a healthy mind at the same time.

This is where my banana loaf recipe comes in. I am a massive fan of banana loaf and although you can make Paleo banana cake it was a real banana cake that I wanted. Another reason why I wanted to bake a “real” cake was because baking is not my strong point and I don’t like to be defeated. I was thrilled with how this one turned out and I will definitely be making another in the future.

You will need:  (makes one big loaf)
100g soft butter (and a little for greasing)
140g caster sugar
140g plain flour
1 egg – beaten
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp Vanilla essence
4 ripe bananas
85g pecans
35g dark choc chips

To make:
– Preheat the oven to about 180 degrees and grease a loaf tin with a small amount of butter ready for the mixture.
– Begin by mixing together the sugar, butter and egg before slowly stirring in the flour and baking powder.
– Next, mash the bananas in a separate bowl before adding it to the main mixture along with the vanilla essence, pecans and chocolate chips before stirring well.
– Pour the mixture into the tin (it was at this point that more mixture went into my mouth rather than the actual tin, whoops!) and bake for about an hour. Test that the cake is ready by putting a knife or a skewer in and if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
– Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing and then keep fresh in foil.

This is such a simple cake to make and other nuts or dried fruit can be added depending on what you fancy. Enjoy with a cup of tea as a post workout treat or just as a treat in general! 🙂

An advent calendar with a difference

Posted in Fitness & well-being, Running by
Photo credit to Advent Running

Photo credit to Advent Running

Since the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon – which was almost two months ago now – I am ashamed to say that I have really struggled to get back in to running. It is partly because of niggling injuries and partly because it’s that time of year when the motivation to jump out of bed on a cold, dark and wet winter morning can start to dwindle.

It was by chance that I spotted the Advent Running Challenge on Twitter which involves running every day for at least 30 minutes for 25 days, ideally starting on December 1.

With the Central Lancashire New Year Half Marathon fast approaching I thought that this would be the perfect time to get back in to the swing of things and make time for running in what usually promises to be a busy month full of Christmas shopping and festive fun. Not to mention that more running equals more mince pies!

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I will be starting my challenge tonight and will finish my last run on Boxing Day.
Get involved and check out the challenge online or Tweet Advent Running to share your pictures and running experiences. There will also be a spot prize each day for the best photo, video or written description of the day’s run shared on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

2014 has been a great running year for me and I want to make this final month a good one! Happy December running everyone!

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Sunday Funday: Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby coastal run

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I’m pretty sure that this is exactly how weekends are meant to be spent; outside in the fresh air, exploring the great outdoors and of course running.

The view looking back towards Robin Hood's Bay

The view looking back towards Robin Hood’s Bay

A late one on Saturday night resulted in a slightly lazy morning on Sunday before Dane and I headed out to Robin Hood’s Bay to breathe in the fresh sea air and tackle the 10K trail run to Whitby.

Considering the weather in York had been horrendous on Saturday we couldn’t have asked for better weather on Sunday as we arrived at Robin Hood’s Bay. It was crisp and cool but the sun was on our backs as we had a little wander around the village and a mini warm up on the beach before we set off.

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The route is about 6 miles if you follow the coastal path but you can also opt for a shorter and less hilly route along the cinder track. After a brisk walk to the start of the trail we were soon running along the coastline which offered fantastic views over the bay and out across to Whitby, I genuinely felt like I was on holiday!

I’ve not done much running since the Yorkshire Marathon so hitting the trails was more forgiving on the knees and provided plenty of entertainment along the way…but more on that later.

As well as offering stunning views along the coast the route also kept our legs guessing, with rocks, hills and even the occasional stair sprint too. The only aspect that did prove difficult was going downhill in the mud. We were taking bets as to who would be the first to go down and luckily for me it was Dane – much to my amusement!

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If you’re going to do this run I would definitely recommend donning your trail shoes as the uneven ground can try and claim your ankles if you’re not wearing the right trainers.

We reached Whitby after about an hour and a half and that was running at a steady pace, stopping to take pictures and walking down hills to avoid any more mud slides.

When you get to Whitby you run down past the abbey and then down the infamous Whitby steps before you arrive right in the middle of the town. Once we got there we headed to Trenchers in our lycra to refuel.

I had an amazing poached salmon salad and I’d even go as far to say that it was one of the best salads I have ever had. The salmon was full of flavour and it came with coleslaw, mixed beans, egg, mixed salad and even a mini fruit salad complete with a star fruit – it was yummy.

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Dane had fish, chips and mushy peas which looked equally as good and neither of us could resist having a pudding afterwards.

I opted for the homemade apple crumble with vanilla ice cream which was divine and Dane’s sticky toffee pudding came with an incredible hot toffee sauce.

We left Trenchers full of great food and warmed up after the run before we made our way back to the car at Robin Hood’s Bay (by taxi – we didn’t fancy running back in the dark on a full tummy!)

So yes, I’m pretty sure that is exactly how weekends are supposed to be spent; getting outside, getting muddy and rewarding yourself at the end. We headed back to York pretty sleepy but not too tired to start thinking about the next adventure.

Officially a sub-4 marathon runner!

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I am officially a sub-4 marathon runner!

I can’t actually believe I’m writing that and I know it’s a good few days since I completed the second Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon but I feel as though it is just beginning to sink in. As I begin to lose some of the tenderness in my aching muscles and return to training tonight, what I achieved has finally hit me.

Actually, I think it hit me as I drove home from work yesterday and pressed play on my I-pod. Conor Maynard’s R U Crazy came blasting through my speakers and I began to cry. I realise how ridiculous this sounds, and how equally ridiculous it is for me to enjoy that song (it does have a good beat though), but during those 26.2 miles that song became somewhat of an anthem for me.

So I drove home teary eyed and got straight back into bed with my medal on to sleep it off. 12 hours later and I can safely say that I’ve passed the emotional stage and I’m ready for my next challenge!
But before that here’s a bit about the day.

I had three goals for the race:
1) The dream goal: to run the marathon in under four hours. (Incredibly ambitious and I started to think it was going to remain a dream for this race after a couple of weeks of difficult training due to a calf injury.)
2) The realistic goal: to run the marathon in about 4.30 (this was the most likely option given the calf setback.)
3) The ‘it has to happen’ goal: to finish in one piece (failing to finishing wasn’t an option.)

On the morning of the race I had my best friend Liana by my side and after a breakfast of toast and Meridian Foods smooth peanut butter and porridge with yet more peanut butter we headed to the event village along with my friend Dane. After I was taped up with my new pink Kinesio Tape and put on my CEP progressive compression socks (more about those babies later!) I was good to go.

The atmosphere was amazing and despite a foggy start the race got off on time and I was thrilled to see that the people of York were still out in force. After the first couple of miles I realised I had gone out a good 30-40 seconds quicker than my 9 minute 9 second mile pace to come in at four hours but I was still feeling good so I decided to just go with it.
After the first 10K I developed a strategy of drinking water at every station and having one of my strawberry flavoured Shot Bloks every 30 minutes.

The crowds at Stamford Bridge, which was just over the halfway mark, were incredible and I actually ran one of my fastest miles through there thanks to the support. Liana and Dane were also there which gave me a huge boost.

However when I reached mile 16 I felt like my legs were moving through treacle, something I didn’t expect at all as I was used to running up to 20 miles in my training. It wasn’t until mile 19 that I got back in to my stride and started to feel good again.
By this time I realised I was on track to run the marathon in less than four hours but for some reason didn’t let myself believe it just in case I jinxed it. Luckily, my legs powered me through – I’d like to thank Crossfit for that and those amazing CEP compression socks – my calf didn’t hurt once!

At about mile 25 and a half I was in for a real treat. My friend Jim, who I had run the Adidas Thunder Run 24 Hour with, had recorded our anthem from the race, an R Kelly song, on the megaphone he was carrying.
As I raced to complete my first ever marathon all I heard was “my minds telling me noooo...” Check out the video on my Instagram.

That final hill before the downward sprint to the finish was cruel but made that last leg of the race so much more rewarding.
I managed a sprint finish as I spotted Liana and Dane at the finish line and was amazed to see that I had come in at 3.53! I was beyond ecstatic and still felt as though I had fuel left in the tank.
The organisation of the race was spot on, as was the goody bag (those two Rocky bars went down a treat!) and the medal was also great.  I was particularly impressed with the engraving service which took 30 seconds to have your medal personalised – such a nice touch.

All in all, one of the best days of 2014 and I’ve already signed up to next year’s pre-sale!

Celebrating after with Liana

Celebrating after with Liana

At the start line ready to go

At the start line ready to go

Still smiling at mile 14

Still smiling at mile 14

Vale of York half-marathon

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When the race organisers said that the course for the Vale of York half-marathon  was flat, they weren’t joking. With just one slight incline across the entire 13.1 miles, this course is perfect for those looking to bag a PB or take on their first half-marathon.

Held yesterday for the first time, it was also perfectly timed for those running the Yorkshire Plusnet Marathon on Sunday, October 12.

The event was sold out and over 1,000 runners were expected to take part. I joined those runners along with my best friend and fitness pal Liana (follow our fitness journey on Instagram using #fabsfitness) as we headed to the start line at the Race HQ at Sherburn Aero Club.

The sun was shining and other than not enough toilets, I can’t fault the organisation of it. The two ladies working on the bag drop were very busy but as long as you’re patient that doesn’t matter.

As I am now well in to my training for the Yorkshire Marathon (last weekend I ran 20 miles!) Liana and I decided to enjoy the sunshine and run this at marathon pace, rather than race it at half-marathon pace. After the first two miles we had settled in to a comfortable pace, with our mile splits only differing by a couple of seconds either side.

So far my long runs haven’t always been at marathon pace, especially the much longer ones.  My coach told me that I need to be able to run some of my long runs comfortably at marathon pace so this was a great training run for me.

Although the route was made up of long, flat and often straight roads, it was made enjoyable by the attractive scenery. As we reached the finish line the crowds had picked up and really gave runners a boost as they crossed the finish line.

Once we had handed our timing chips in we were greeted with an energy gel, a technical t-shirt and a medal.

All in all, the route was great and both Liana and I said that it was one of the most enjoyable races we had ever run. I’ll definitely be back next year to try and secure a PB.

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Liana and I celebrate with our medals after completing the first ever Vale of York half-marathon