2013 review and 2014 begins!

My goals for 2013 included:

• Running a marathon
• Completing the Coast to Coast
• Doing 2 half marathons in under 2hrs 15mins
• Getting a degree
• Find a weight I am happy with

Well I am proud to say I did them all apart from the half marathons in under 2hrs 15 but I DID do TWO half marathons, one without much training, awful weather and obscene hills, and I still managed a decent time! Oh and finding a happy weight didn't happen, in-fact I have gained 1.5stone since my smallest weight. But don't fear, that is changing this year! Aside from my goals I even tried pole dancing something I defiantly want to continue!

My marathon went well getting a less than decent time but one I am proud of considering again my lack of training. 

I am now a fully qualified mental health nurse with a 2:1. I am graduating this month! I can't wait!

2014

I started Insanity on Monday 30th December (who needs a new year to start something good?)

Holy WOW. It is tough but defiantly do-able! I am almost a week in and enjoying it! I am also following the meal plan although over the last 3 days that has been on and off with dipping into the Christmas chocolate stash. Damn cravings.

I also have plenty of races planned for this year! So onto my goals for 2014..

• Brighton Half in under 2hrs 20 (it was under 2 hours but I'm unsure)
• Finish The Nutty Challenge! 14k of obstacles!
• Complete the 2nd Yorkshire Marathon in under 5 hours (previous 5hrs 40)
• Finish the Beachy Head 10k
• Start my first nursing job!
• Begin pole fitness again
• Get to my goal weight of 53kg
• Do a pull up!
• Plan a wedding!!

So just a few things to keep me occupied! 

Wow its been a while!

Literally so much has been going on in the past few months that I got out of the habit of blogging (not that I was ever in one..)

Anyway since feb I have:

• Ran the Brighton half marathon and got a PB of 2hrs 14mins
• Went on holiday to Tenerife!
• Ran the Edinburgh Half marathon with very little training (in the wind and rain) in 2hours 25mins.
• Getting into the final part of my degree, dissertation writing etc.
• Working as a support worker for some experience
• Plans in place for getting 2 lady Chinchillas from the RSPCA. Very exciting! :D
• Joined slimming world again in hope to rid of the extra weight I've gained over the past 6months. 

Well... How exciting is all that?! In a few weeks time I will be starting my training plan for the MARATHON on the 20th October.

We also have most of the plan in place to complete the coast to coast in july! omfgtoomuchtothinkabout!

Annnnnnnd..
I am once again thinking of leaving slimming world and trying out the vegan lifestyle again (with a day or 2 off at first)
I don't think it is as hard as my head is making it out to be, most of my meals are already vegan besides the quorn, and I already use soya milk.
I have ordered some new protein powder from Natures' Whey. A vegan powder which is soy free and has more protein content than the soya protein powder I use now. On top of all that its mint choc chip flavour!....Lets hope it actually tastes like mint choc chip!

Thats all for now folks!

Since I am waiting...

I have an online delivery coming this morning, so I thought I'd do a quick update while I wait. Well as I said before the Great North Run is definate and as is the Yorkshire 3 peaks. I decided this weekend that I need a new pair of walking boots since mine are slightly too small making my toes rub together and cause blisters. Not nice. Especially for a 20 something mile trek during the peaks! I have seen a few pairs, mainly on sportsdirect.com but I think I really need to try stuff like this on, to get the best result, plus my budget isn't big at all so I want to get the best value for my money!

I maintained at Slimming Wold last week (10st 12lb) but really I wasn't suprised with it being my birthday and eating like a royal pig. =D
I am determind to lose the 2lb that would take me to 1 stone in weight loss!

Running hasn't returned yet, it will be hard to get back into it now that I have gym and my wii, but I do miss it so I am planning to get out sometime very soon! Off to the gym this afternoon then taking my friend to starbucks for her 21st birthday (I have a list of drinks and their syns that I am going to take with me).

Eating is going well(ish). Snacking really is my main problem. Grapes solved that for a while but being a skint student I can't really afford to spend £3 on two tubs of grapes each week (I should mention here I live with my fiance, also a student who is an 'all you can eat but never gain weight kinda guy'...grumble). Anyone have any ideas for super healthy snacking?

I have been thinking about becomming vegetarian again (for the third time!) but I need to think about it carefully in terms of food because last time I ended up getting dizzy spells. Not good. But I did it before for over 5 years and it was never really a problem for me, and Slimming world has a good plan for vegetarians, so we will have to see what happens.

My job is going well, I was back on the bar Saturday evening for 3 hours (after already doing 7.5 on the floor collecting glasses) it was alright, it did help me get back into it. I am working this Saturday 11-8 a nice short shift YEY!

I'll leave it their, hope you are having a nice day :)

Oooh what an eventful evening!

This is what happens when I mull about on my laptop! I have...

• Signed up for the Great North Run 2012!! 
• Confirmed my place on an organised walk to do the Yorkshire 3 Peaks!

The Great North Run (13.1 miles) is on the 16th September and I am aiming to beat my first time of 2 hours 38mins. I am running it for Mind, a charity that supports those who have mental health problems, I have spent some time with them during my nurse training and they really do an amazing job! I have to raise £300, but I am not capping it at that, I'd love to raise as much as I can! Here comes the cheeky bit... If you wish to support me (which would be far greater than amazing) my donation page is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/EmilyRichardson

The Yorkshire 3 Peaks has been organised by a charity at my university HYMS Marrow. Helps find bone marrow donors to help people with blood cancers. Again an amazing chartiy working hard. For this walk I have to raise £40 by April 14th. Shouldn't be too difficult. I have thought about becomming a marrow donor maybe I'll sign up soon. It is 24.5 miles over Pen-y-ghent (694 metres - 2,276 feet), Whernside (736 metres - 2,415 feet) and Ingleborough (723 metres  2,372 feet) all in one circular route ( info from http://www.3peakswalks.co.uk/) .

So there will have to be lots of training! Both running and walking! Wish me luck!

Oh, and today I made a slimming world half syn cake. Basically a cake with no flour, instead it is made from Quark, sweetener, vanilla essence and eggs. Sound horrid? Its actually nice. It is half a syn for the whole thing! Considering you can have 10 syns a day that is pretty good going! I made 2 with a fromage frias and strawberry filling (also both free on slimming wolrd!) So thats one syn in total, and I have only eaten half. Yummy!

Anyway thats enough rambling for now I think! :)

Smiles x

slowly increasing runs

Ran 6.5 miles today, some of it was walked. I was aiming for 7 miles but the route I had planned was far to muddy and lonesome to be safe so I turned back and tried to up the remaining mileage elsewhere. Unfortunately I am not a proud owner of any of these fancy Garmin watches that can tell you distance, speed, heart rate, colour of your underwear....(I bet it could, given a year or two). Being a student nurse has a toll on your finances. It is really hard to find a suiting job as it has to be casual or bank work to suit the changing timetable and chunks of time working as a full time nurse in clinical placements. So at the moment I am working at a hotel as a housekeeper, not the best of jobs but I do get some form of income.

I make my common mistake of not taking anything to drink with me today, so I came home with white goo on my lips (ewwww). Since I am upping my mileage each week I bought a sports drink (the brand they will be using at the half marathon in Feb), I thought it may be useful to take on my longer runs to help keep me going (even if it only has the placebo effect, it still works...doesn't it?). I want to avoid gels if I can since my sister tells me they taste horrid. Maybe one or two for the final stages of the race to get me past the finish line, hopefully in my sub 2:30 target!

I am working tomorrow. Urg. I know I should complain, its only one day this week of getting up at 6:00am and I know that many people get up earlier than this everyday to get to their jobs.

I am becoming for flexible with my running times, at first it was before 9am or after 5-6pm (since these were the times I thought there would be less people around to see..or bother about my jiggly bottom. But now the schools are in I am quite happy going out whenever (avoiding possibly 3-4pm if possible). Doing this also means I have less of an excuse to not go out, and it does help.

My weight is also slowly dropping -YEY!

Hello!

Bit of a lame title since I doubt anyone will read this for a while, but I couldn't think of anything more inventive (mainly because fantastic 4 is on TV and I'm trying to think of things to do for bonfire night).
Anyway this is like my 5th blog or something, I start them, I get into them then I lose interest as I can never really think of anything interesting to write. I was the same when I was little and I used to try and write diaries but would give up a week or so later. So I'm giving it another go.

My main reason for trying again is to help change my relationship with food, especially now I am training for the Brighton Half Marathon! At the moment my long runs are about 5-6 miles and with 15 weeks before the big event my training is increasing every week. I'm not a fast runner, not in the slightest, more of a enthusiastic plodder.

So my main problem is snacking, mainly when I am on my own. The other day I was thinking why this happens, why as soon as I have the house to myself I go to the cupboard and see what junk food I can nibble, and I always regret it.
So I think this began when I was little and I would ask my mum when I was allowed to start having snacks without asking. This lead onto me sneaking biscuits when no one was in. Then when I was in secondary school I used to eat nothing at school and come home and BINGE on just about anything before people came home from work. I have always felt bad after eating a lot but for some reason I don't have the willpower to stop myself from starting.
I need to work on distraction techniques and see what works for me.

I would love to start pole fittness at my uni but I'm scared that everyone else will be thin and then theres me with well..flab. I have started zumba at uni which is a really big step for me, because I hate going places on my own, I am a very quiet person and I find it difficult to start conversations with people. I am hoping soon I can force myself to a pole fittness class.

Hopefully working on my food intake will help my running too. I have tried food daires and calorie counting but I get bored with them after a while and stop doing them. However I do find when I do these things that I am less likely to snack as much, since I have to right it all down.

I have made some positve changes to my diet. I now drink less tea and coffee ( I am finding that coffee now gives me headaches) and more green/herbal tea which helps me sleep better and feel more healthly. I am now vegetarian, I was veggi during secondary school for around 5 years, and well, I missed it, it feel its more me. Plus it is helping me be more aware of what I am eating during meals (just need to work on the snacking). I buy cakes and chocolate and crips mainly for the other half who can eat as much as he likes and still be skinny -_-, Which when of couse ups my temptation.

I have a few ideas I could try:
Buy the expensive dark (70-80% cocoa) chocolate I loooove in hope I see it as more of a treat.
Cut of certian foods for a week. i.e crisps for 1 week and cake for another.

I'll add more in later posts if I think of them (or try them!). I need to start thinking of things like my running, sometimes I don't really want to go out but after I have I feel achieved something and I feel great about myself. So if I get myself to write something on here a few times a week it might just help me fight the food battle.