Firstly can I start by saying, have you checked out the clothing range at http:\\www.giraffe-shop.co.uk ??
On this website you will find 'Running for Help Harry Help Others' branded clothing and accessories. If there is something that we have missed that you would like for this brand (e.g. @fittoswan aka Peter Jinks would like a hip flask for running???) then please let us know and we can see what we can do. Lyndsey Uglow has been amazing at creating these items and profits got to HHHO. Lyndsey and the shop are on twitter... (just to get all Top Gun on you, if you are under a certain age you may not get this) her call sign is @lyndseyuglow and the company call sign is @giraffepersonal. I have ordered a polo shirt and hoody, even if you are not training they are still nice clothes and help raise awareness. You can personalise them as well so people can shout your name whilst cheering you on.
Right if you are a hardened runner then you may find a lot of this useless as you will already have that favourite style of running shoe, and running outfit. If you don't want to hear more feel free to stop reading however below are my hints and tips on running outfits and equipment.
Trainers! One of the most important aspects of your 'kit' so to speak, is to have a decent pair of running shoes. It is absolutely fine if they are ten years old and that is what you like but my advice is check that they are giving your poor little feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine etc all the support they deserve (yes bad shoes will effect all of this).
On that little gem, please avoid doing long training in flat soled fashion trainers! There are a number of brands that produce 'fashion' trainers and NOT running trainers! These do not absorb impact, do not give support and do not help you in training what so ever. Plus they can cost you more than a technical running trainer! There are a couple of stores (that I shall avoid naming) that seem to display endless amounts of 'fashion' trainers, especially in the womens section... Ladies we are worst hit with this pretense of sport. I worry some companies think if you look the part you can be fit and healthy... Not true!
At the same point in time, the top shelf £100 trainers are not necessary for your average runner. I have no doubt that someone will read this and state 'what what? I have been running for years and they need all these technical parts'.. I may agree if you are doing lots of marathons and running them every weekend, but as a very sporty person, who's job is within the sporting sector there are just some key things I would look for.
1. Not flat soled... Think I covered this already.
2. (Personal opinion remember) I prefer them with some sort of impact support, i.e. gel trainers.
3. Fitting is essential.
4. You can still get some reasonably priced shoes in the 'running shoes' section.
5. ASK
When you get to a shop ask for some advice. If they can't give you any reasonable advice then leave if you are unsure. I find some top brand stores (e.g. the ones with letters), the advice given is like a postcode lottery. Some give brilliant advice, some have no idea. Do you have a local sports shop? Ask in there... By asking for advice you don't necessarily have to buy in that shop. Try different makes on as sizes do vary from shoe to shoe and you need something that feels comfortable.. Try a little jog around the shop in them (stuff what anyone thinks if you think this is embarrassing, you'll be pleased you did when you have less blisters). Finally (I have no affiliation to this company by the way, just credit where it is due) sports direct online is a great service, and as long as you have tried shoes on in store (as they need to fit well) and are sure of what size you are getting, you can pick up some bargains! Shoe design changes all the time, so last seasons products may well be reduced but can be a brilliant trainer. All the PE teachers I work with use them and they deliver and sometimes you get a free mug. Plus you can return them if you need to. Again my personal favourite brand is Asics, I feel the company has not got lost in producing tonnes and tonnes of fashion wear and just seems to stick to the basics of sport!
Socks! Believe it or not, cheap non sports socks can gather in places and give you blisters. This doesn't mean that you need really expensive ones but once the elastic has gone in your sports trainers, please get some more. You can get expensive running socks if you wish.
Toenails! Keep them trim, trust me on this one... Just think of impact on a long toenail... I've done it.
Okay...
Clothing! Obviously we have the range out as discussed earlier but we are getting into winter and you need to be warm. There are many technical garments that will help you do this whilst allowing your skin to breathe. I have a great vest top that I have had since 2000 made by Helly Hanson which keeps me warm but also circulates moisture of sweat and is breathable so when I do sweat, I don't get clammy (you will sweat when training). Again the best thing to do is ask... Look down the followers list on twitter, tweet people and ask them what they wear. All people will have different ideas and you may find one you like. Regarding bottom half, there are running leggings you can get, male and female. A lot of these are designed to reduce chaffing and also again help circulate sweat. You may feel silly initially looking in the mirror and hope none of your Friday night pub mates see you, you may also be conscious as to whether your bum looks big or not, but this is what people wear and you look a lot less silly than you feel. For my first half marathon, I did most of my training in board shorts, and here is where the vaseline trick came in. You can get chaffing between your thighs (actually you can get it in other places to). But a quick application of vaseline helped prevent this for me. (No jokes please!) Although looking back I wouldn't advise constantly training in board shorts! :-)
YOU MUST BE COMFORTABLE! Main piece of advice.
Ladies - sports bra's... Get yourself measured first if you haven't for a while, and also be aware that if you lose weight whilst training your bra size may well change to and so you may need to get yourself measured part way through your training.
Visibility! Please please please do not train in all black! Even when it is just a murky cloudy day you are harder to see! High visibility clothing! You can get a high visibility vest, or you can get high vis strips you can stick onto clothes or trainers. You can get trainers and clothes with high visibility strips in them. You need to be seen to be safe! If you are road running in the dark I also suggest running with small hand held torches, you can get some really small slimline ones. One in each hand, one pointing behind and one in front, and as you move your arms jogging they will end up showing a flashing sensation in front and behind as you run. Even on lit streets this gives motorists a high awareness you are there. If they see something they will slow down and work out what it is.
Fluid! You may well need a drink on the way round, and you can do this a number of way. There are drinking bottles especially designed for holding whilst running. They look like a small hula hoop shape with one end to drink out of and obviously a hole in the middle so you can hold them (my descriptions are awful but when you google them you will see what I mean). Obviously this may clash with your torch holding if you are running late at night. You can also get back packs with a drinks container with a long tube like straw that comes down the strap at the front, so you can run and just take slurps without even having to stop (very clever). You could also just carry a small rucksack or good old 'bumbag' with a drink in it and stop to get it out. It is again personal preference and dependant on cost. A small rucksack and plastic bottle is reasonably cheap. You could just carry a small plastic bottle around with you, but if you struggle with that then there are other options. I used to just carry a small bottle, but ended up having to always carry to as it does add onto your workload when running and if on just one arm I found it uncomfortable.
Music! Please Please Please do not run with both earphones plugged into you ears! You have no hearing if you do this. People have been killed because they ran out in front of cars etc. It's not just cars there are bikes, horses, various things where you run! Your hearing is one of your major senses and although hearing impaired people can still run, they are well aware of the dangers and are very well aware of how to cope without being able to hear things. You may not be. By all means listen to music (my favourite training albums are the rocky and top gun soundtrack) but be careful... I hope that is not patronizing, but it is important.
Distance? Timer? You may well be aware if you have an iphone there are thousands of apps that will do this for you. Measure your distance and time and some even do calorie count, minutes per mile, and post your run to twitter and facebook for you whilst doing graphs and all that jazz. If you like this great, go for it. I have one of these but I only use the distance and time thing and find it helpful that every five minutes it shouts out how far I have run. However you can get a watch with a timer on it for £10 these days. You can look at the clock before you leave and you can look at it again when you return. You don't have to have a fancy gadget. In my first half marathon I used to reset the counter on my car and drive a circular route and on return look at how many miles my car said I had driven. On the route as well I would stop and write down the mileage and certain key places like road sign, or pretty flower bed, or house with the really noisy dogs. This way I was aware of how far I had run and still knew how far I had run if one day I couldn't quite make the circuit. Sometimes I would feel motivated to go further then would drive it later on it see how far extra I had gone. @joknight1 at my local netball club used google maps to work out our running routes when I joined, she would work out a certain route and distance using this and then we would run it. Again you could use this post run, as long as you can remember where you have been. This is good if there is not a driveable route as well.
Wow I always get to this point and think, phew I have been writing for ages, and then realise it's not that much I just got really engrossed in the task at hand.
Again I hope it helps, it is advice and purely my own thoughts... Take or ignore at your leisure x
Nat (@nataliepeperell)
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Friday 11 November 2011
Time To Eat!!!!
I know that some people have been reading these blogs hoping for more to do with rest... Well hopefully this one will add to your joy of what is training for the half marathon!
It is all about food. I am not going to write a whole diet plan for people or attempt to pretend that everyone will have the same dietary requirements however, I do think at the early stages this to, is VERY important to mention.
I have no doubt you are all aware that to start training you need some sort of energy, it is really important that you do have the right amount of energy to do this training, just as it is that you get enough rest, without vital ingredients like this you are more prone to injury, and as I write this I am currently 1 week and three days post operation to solve my most recent injury. (Funnily enough gained when I played a netball game whilst feeling slightly under the weather, hadn't eaten and tired).
You have a certain normal amount of energy your body uses, some people use more energy during the day and others use less. It's all to do with the buzz word you have probably heard passed around called metabolism. If you have a high metabolism it means that you use more energy to function than someone with a low metabolism. Sometimes people blame being able to eat lots and stay skinny on a high metabolism and vice versa. Either way this is a good place to start, you should know roughly how much you eat a day and whether you can keep your weight stable or not. (if you are ever in doubt or struggling to maintain a stable weight I advise you to see a doctor, nutritionist or other professional, yo yo dieting or increasing and decreasing significant weight regularly is not healthy).
Then whatever you normally eat to keep yourself going throughout the day, when you start training you have to be prepared that your body will require more (scary sometimes for us ladies but it is true)! You cannot function on the same amount of food but increase the amount of exercise you do. Obviously if you are reasonably overweight and you are doing this as part of a diet then your diet may not increase as much but I would still advise you eat enough but eat 'good varied' food.
So the bad news is, this doesn't mean that you should now be eating ten chocolate bars a day on top of your normal diet (boo hiss), however it does mean increase the number of times you eat. The advice is (funnily enough) little and often. You shouldn't be eating until you feel bloated and stuffed, however you will require more food so how about adding in more fruit or healthy snacks during the day. You also need to ensure you eat a varied amount of healthy food.
Your energy systems for long distance running requires carbohydrates! So anyone on the stupid atkins diet BIN IT! Ensure you take some carbs on board, it is important (such as pasta, potatoes, bread etc)! You should also be having all your vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and strong, eat some protein to keep your muscle toned and functioning and also have some fats (they do have their place in your diet, not everything has to be fat free).
So now I have highlighted
Do not skip meals... I reckon this is obvious...
After exercising you have up to 2 hours to eat something... If you leave it longer than this your muscles will find it harder next time you exercise. Your muscles hold little energy stores called 'muscle glycogen', this is from the food we eat. When you train these stores deplete as they are used to make your muscles work, if you eat within 2 hours then you build these back to the same amount, if you eat within 1 hour you should be able to increase these vital stores to enable you to go longer next time. It doesn't mean you have to have a full three course meal within 2 hours, just a small snack, maybe some fruit? Very important...
Try not to eat just before exercising. When you start to exercise your body sends the blood delivering oxygen round your body to your muscles (blood shunting). If you have just eaten it will restrict blood to your stomach as it is sending it to your muscles instead and so it will not digest your food as easily so this may make you feel slightly sick. It would help if you have a large meal to have eaten 2 hours before, small snacks obviously not as long, and in some cases if you are having a break in between running sessions a small snack is good to replace the muscle glycogen.
Drink... You need to ensure that you take on lots of water! Lots and lots and lots and lots...
Bit gross but your wee should not be a dark yellow colour and should be a lot lighter in colour and it should not smell. If you have dark coloured wee then you are not drinking enough water. Again however if this does not change and if you are concerned seek medical advice.
If you do not have enough water then your blood will be thicker and it would actually be harder for your blood to get oxygen round your body. Think about it, if you knock over a jug of thick gravy then it takes a while to spread round the table, knock over some wine and it goes 'everywhere'!!!
Wow... Tired from typing now, going back to putting ice on my knee...
Enjoy training... and don't forget:
It is all about food. I am not going to write a whole diet plan for people or attempt to pretend that everyone will have the same dietary requirements however, I do think at the early stages this to, is VERY important to mention.
I have no doubt you are all aware that to start training you need some sort of energy, it is really important that you do have the right amount of energy to do this training, just as it is that you get enough rest, without vital ingredients like this you are more prone to injury, and as I write this I am currently 1 week and three days post operation to solve my most recent injury. (Funnily enough gained when I played a netball game whilst feeling slightly under the weather, hadn't eaten and tired).
You have a certain normal amount of energy your body uses, some people use more energy during the day and others use less. It's all to do with the buzz word you have probably heard passed around called metabolism. If you have a high metabolism it means that you use more energy to function than someone with a low metabolism. Sometimes people blame being able to eat lots and stay skinny on a high metabolism and vice versa. Either way this is a good place to start, you should know roughly how much you eat a day and whether you can keep your weight stable or not. (if you are ever in doubt or struggling to maintain a stable weight I advise you to see a doctor, nutritionist or other professional, yo yo dieting or increasing and decreasing significant weight regularly is not healthy).
Then whatever you normally eat to keep yourself going throughout the day, when you start training you have to be prepared that your body will require more (scary sometimes for us ladies but it is true)! You cannot function on the same amount of food but increase the amount of exercise you do. Obviously if you are reasonably overweight and you are doing this as part of a diet then your diet may not increase as much but I would still advise you eat enough but eat 'good varied' food.
So the bad news is, this doesn't mean that you should now be eating ten chocolate bars a day on top of your normal diet (boo hiss), however it does mean increase the number of times you eat. The advice is (funnily enough) little and often. You shouldn't be eating until you feel bloated and stuffed, however you will require more food so how about adding in more fruit or healthy snacks during the day. You also need to ensure you eat a varied amount of healthy food.
Your energy systems for long distance running requires carbohydrates! So anyone on the stupid atkins diet BIN IT! Ensure you take some carbs on board, it is important (such as pasta, potatoes, bread etc)! You should also be having all your vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and strong, eat some protein to keep your muscle toned and functioning and also have some fats (they do have their place in your diet, not everything has to be fat free).
So now I have highlighted
- An increase in food intake according to how much extra energy you are using.
- Importance of a varied and balanced diet.
Do not skip meals... I reckon this is obvious...
After exercising you have up to 2 hours to eat something... If you leave it longer than this your muscles will find it harder next time you exercise. Your muscles hold little energy stores called 'muscle glycogen', this is from the food we eat. When you train these stores deplete as they are used to make your muscles work, if you eat within 2 hours then you build these back to the same amount, if you eat within 1 hour you should be able to increase these vital stores to enable you to go longer next time. It doesn't mean you have to have a full three course meal within 2 hours, just a small snack, maybe some fruit? Very important...
Try not to eat just before exercising. When you start to exercise your body sends the blood delivering oxygen round your body to your muscles (blood shunting). If you have just eaten it will restrict blood to your stomach as it is sending it to your muscles instead and so it will not digest your food as easily so this may make you feel slightly sick. It would help if you have a large meal to have eaten 2 hours before, small snacks obviously not as long, and in some cases if you are having a break in between running sessions a small snack is good to replace the muscle glycogen.
Drink... You need to ensure that you take on lots of water! Lots and lots and lots and lots...
Bit gross but your wee should not be a dark yellow colour and should be a lot lighter in colour and it should not smell. If you have dark coloured wee then you are not drinking enough water. Again however if this does not change and if you are concerned seek medical advice.
If you do not have enough water then your blood will be thicker and it would actually be harder for your blood to get oxygen round your body. Think about it, if you knock over a jug of thick gravy then it takes a while to spread round the table, knock over some wine and it goes 'everywhere'!!!
Wow... Tired from typing now, going back to putting ice on my knee...
Enjoy training... and don't forget:
- Little and often - increase food intake
- Varied diet
- Breakfast - don't skip meals
- 2 hours before and within 2 hours after
- Water
Friday 4 November 2011
Little and Often
So the biggest problem with beginning training is the same as the biggest problem with dieting... Crash diet, crash training.
I think people somewhere get it into their heads that it needs to start off full on, intense, hardcore, 'no pain no gain' type attitude, whereas actually this can have the opposite effect and make you think... "I can't do that", or you are actually in so much pain that you end up training once a week and taking 6 days to recover.
In dieting people crash diet and then their body stores fat and their metabolism changes and they become yo yo dieters... It is the same sort of effect.
The good news, like a decent diet, the best type of training is little and often.
So this again asks us somewhat to distinguish what we mean by little, and little is determined completely by you. If you have NEVER run before, little may even mean in the beginning just a five minute jog, however to someone who runs marathons every other week, little has a whole different meaning. So again, how far should you be running?
You know you better than anyone else and therefore no one else can determine the answer for you. However I can tell you what it shouldn't feel like. You shouldn't be getting chest pains, feel dizzy or sick afterwards (or during for that matter). You shouldn't ache loads or feel in pain and you should 'feel good' afterwards, almost energized.
Little however, is also determined by pace. If you are new to running I would suggest you jog at the same pace as you would walk. If you start off at a slower pace you will be able to continue jogging as opposed to having to walk.
Personally after having my second child and getting back into running, my first run was only a mile in length and was extremely slow, however I felt good when I got back and energized enough to want to go again.
You should be training roughly 5 times a week, however the length and duration of these runs will vary. I suggest that you attempt a slightly longer run on a 'day off' from work, which is most peoples weekend, and have smaller runs in between.
If you push yourself so hard that you need to rest for a week, then the adaptations your body has made will start to reverse, and so it is best to take it easy and progress slowly.
Whilst we are on that PLEASE ensure that you warm up, whether this be jogging very gently to begin with and adding some stretches into your running, or whether it be jogging on the spot before the run and then adding in some stretches. Please keep your stretches active, so move whilst stretching so you are telling your joints you are about to do activity. If you stand still to stretch you are telling your joints, their job is done and they begin to relax and therefore you are more prone to injury.
AFTER the run cool down, change your jog to a slower jog or a fast walk towards to the end or walk around when you return. Then you can do some static stretches to really stretch out the muscles you have worked. Hold them for at least 10 seconds. If you need advice on what type of stretches etc feel free to contact me and I will try and give you more advice on this.
So key points from todays blog;
1. Do a little running and often, gradually building up.
2. You should stop if you feel uncomfortable or in pain, running should be built up gradually so you enjoy it.
3. 5 times per week.
4. Pace yourself so you are going at a slow pace, you can gradually increase this over the months of training, but it is better to keep going at a steady pace than having to stop and start.
5. WARM up and COOL down.
:-) Happy training xxx
I think people somewhere get it into their heads that it needs to start off full on, intense, hardcore, 'no pain no gain' type attitude, whereas actually this can have the opposite effect and make you think... "I can't do that", or you are actually in so much pain that you end up training once a week and taking 6 days to recover.
In dieting people crash diet and then their body stores fat and their metabolism changes and they become yo yo dieters... It is the same sort of effect.
The good news, like a decent diet, the best type of training is little and often.
So this again asks us somewhat to distinguish what we mean by little, and little is determined completely by you. If you have NEVER run before, little may even mean in the beginning just a five minute jog, however to someone who runs marathons every other week, little has a whole different meaning. So again, how far should you be running?
You know you better than anyone else and therefore no one else can determine the answer for you. However I can tell you what it shouldn't feel like. You shouldn't be getting chest pains, feel dizzy or sick afterwards (or during for that matter). You shouldn't ache loads or feel in pain and you should 'feel good' afterwards, almost energized.
Little however, is also determined by pace. If you are new to running I would suggest you jog at the same pace as you would walk. If you start off at a slower pace you will be able to continue jogging as opposed to having to walk.
Personally after having my second child and getting back into running, my first run was only a mile in length and was extremely slow, however I felt good when I got back and energized enough to want to go again.
You should be training roughly 5 times a week, however the length and duration of these runs will vary. I suggest that you attempt a slightly longer run on a 'day off' from work, which is most peoples weekend, and have smaller runs in between.
If you push yourself so hard that you need to rest for a week, then the adaptations your body has made will start to reverse, and so it is best to take it easy and progress slowly.
Whilst we are on that PLEASE ensure that you warm up, whether this be jogging very gently to begin with and adding some stretches into your running, or whether it be jogging on the spot before the run and then adding in some stretches. Please keep your stretches active, so move whilst stretching so you are telling your joints you are about to do activity. If you stand still to stretch you are telling your joints, their job is done and they begin to relax and therefore you are more prone to injury.
AFTER the run cool down, change your jog to a slower jog or a fast walk towards to the end or walk around when you return. Then you can do some static stretches to really stretch out the muscles you have worked. Hold them for at least 10 seconds. If you need advice on what type of stretches etc feel free to contact me and I will try and give you more advice on this.
So key points from todays blog;
1. Do a little running and often, gradually building up.
2. You should stop if you feel uncomfortable or in pain, running should be built up gradually so you enjoy it.
3. 5 times per week.
4. Pace yourself so you are going at a slow pace, you can gradually increase this over the months of training, but it is better to keep going at a steady pace than having to stop and start.
5. WARM up and COOL down.
:-) Happy training xxx
Monday 31 October 2011
REST!!!
This sounds really stupid to most people you first speak to,
but when I trained for my first half marathon, it was the most important bit of
information I ever gained!
You must plan in time to rest. You know the adverts
you see of babies (generally promoting nappies) where they show the baby asleep
and discuss how important it is for growing etc… They are not lying! Sleep and
rest is massively important when you are partaking in a training regime.
Some
Olympic athletes have sleep and rest time planned into their training plans! (I
was told this at University by a tutor who actually worked with the youth
athletic GB team).
Our body recovers whilst we are resting, it replenishes and
repairs and we underestimate how much more recovery time we need when embarking
on a new training regime. I don’t mean you need to sleep all the time, and certainly
don’t mean that you shouldn’t train, but make sure you are getting a regular
amount of sleep as well as a regular amount of training, and that your sleep
does not suffer because all of a sudden you need to cram a 5.30am running
session in. Feel free to get up an extra few hours earlier to go running, but
go to bed an extra few hours earlier as well…
Maybe even when you get further into your training and are
doing long sessions say on a Sunday or Saturday, you could plan in some R&R
in the afternoon to recuperate after your session.
There is your first bit of golden advice
Obligatory First Blog
Firstly let me introduce you to some health and safety
points and introduce me!
If you have any doubts at any point in time about the safety
of an exercise or your ability to partake in a rigorous training regime you
should always consult your doctor. If you have suffered, or are suffering from
any ailments please always seek medical advice.The following blogs with a few ‘hints and tips’ are merely
advice and it is up to you whether to follow them or not. I would like to think
of myself as educated, but as with all advice gained over the internet the
responsibility for ensuring your own safety lies with you and I will not accept
any liability for any injury or otherwise gained from you following my advice,
you do so at your own risk.
Please with this in mind, be wary of all internet sourced
information, I caught someone on twitter a week ago giving terribly bad advice
on cardio exercise in which he claimed that if you did more than 30 minutes
exercise a day then your muscles would be ‘eaten into’ as an energy source and
therefore deplete and that more than 30 minutes a day exercise therefore is bad
for you!!! This man claimed to be a personal trainer!!! Beware runners, do your
own research!!! Always check a number of sources, and look at the source that
claims the opposite as well.
So who am I?
My name is Natalie Peperell, I have a first class honours
degree in Physical Education, through which I also gained teacher status. I
graduated from University in 2005 and got my first teaching post. I began
working in a secondary school and also quickly joined a panel of examiners for
an exam board to which I still work for. I have since then changed to another
school and will leave teaching altogether in December this year (2011). My main
focus when teaching was teaching the A Level syllabus to students. I am now
following another route, although similar which is coaching. I currently coach
a University netball team and a local club. I have an array of coaching
qualifications, some level one’s and some level two’s. My grammar and spelling
sometimes leaves a lot to be desired, however I am hoping you will forgive me
on this point. I truly believe in everything I write, and will try where
possible to have research papers or other sources backing up my claims, apart
from where I think it is more common sense and inbuilt knowledge.
You will notice that I have not named any of the places in
which I work, or have worked. This is purely a legal thing, I am conscious that
I should state, all views are my own and should never be linked with any
institution to which I am involved with. The legal part is why, and I am unsure
as to whether I am allowed to state them when writing such a blog and so it is
easier to avoid this. To be fair if you know me personally, via Facebook, or
even Twitter, you may well already know this information, and if you really
wanted to know I have no doubt that through the medium that is the internet, it
would be easy to find out.
So there is the first blog, the obligatory background info!
BORING! NEXT!
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