personal development

Couch to 5k my journey and tips from someone who is struggling!

confidence, Fitness, running, weight loss

I have said before that if I have an idea I can do something it’s because I can. This has always been my approach to life. You would think that this would mean that I am highly successful and motivated.

Ha ha

Nope

So when I decided to run I thought I can run 5k. Don’t get me started on the half marathon farce. I started couch to 5k had two bad runs and gave up.

Oh I can do anything can I?

In my head I ran 3k which was good enough for me. So this time my end game is 21K which is so bloody far I cant truly focus on it.

So because I started couch to 5k last time I knew that I didn’t have to start from the very beginning. I could run 5minutes fine so I started from week 5.

Beginning

Which was a perfect place to start. If you are a beginner please please start from the beginning.

All you need to start is

  • Good running shoes ( go get fitted)
  • A phone that you can down load the app onto
  • The app
  • Headphones
  • A pocket you can zip away your phone
  • Keys to get into your house
  • Money in case you are desperate for a drink or a bus ride home!

That’s it. Nothing fancy. Oh ladies please get a sports bra!

Don’t beat yourself up

What I have learned from last time is that if you don’t make it. Just repeat it till you do!

I have stayed on week five for 3 weeks now. Monday I ran for 20 minutes straight and I was fine, I could have run further but I was so happy. Wednesday is was a 5minute, 8 minutes, 5minute run and I was a hot mess.

Yes it’s hot but that redness is not sunburn. I have SPF on, that redness is my heart pounding so fast! I was sweaty and my knees felt weak!

Heart rate was 151!

Did I feel good after, yes after my shower. It put a little doubt in my head. But I will push on to week six day 2. I have too. You have to. Pushing yourself is part of it.

If I don’t complete my next run I will just go back to the start of the week until I can complete it.

The NHS app is great. I love Laura, her voice is soothing and encouraging! She is getting me through it even if I do swear at her when I think I only have a minute to go and she tells me I am half way through. Sorry Laura.

Now I am in a good place.

I am visualising completing the 5k and moving onto the 10K. I am visualing my training up to run the 21K. It will be a great accomplishment for me.

Bad maths equals a half marathon

body confidence, Fitness, health, weight loss

So I entered a half marathon.

I can run 5k so training for just over 10k shouldn’t be a problem.

Except a half marathon isn’t 10k or even 13k, its 21k which is bloody far.

I signed up because I couldn’t convert the bloody Kilometres to miles.

never

But its for charity and I have signed up for it and also got my colleagues to sign up for it too so there is no going back!

I have no doubts I can do this as I have 5 months till the race. 4 months till the wedding. This is going to help me shift some weight, tone up and lose my bingo wings.

I like running I did some last year. I had more energy felt better and was physically fitter. Then we had a long hot summer which was basically a no go. My awesome little sister is a marathon runner, she has done London and Paris. She loves it and its hopefully going to give me some tips.

Preparation

I have already been to the running shop to source some proper trainers as this is going to be hell on my legs and my old adidas need a rest as they can’t keep up with long distance. I am learning a lot about running support. The best shoes the best cloths. Guys if your legs brush or touch when you run then cover then up. My Primark bras have been replaced with proper supportive sports bars. I keep them for short runs.

I am going to keep you updates every Sunday on what I have been up to. If I have lost any weight, my inches (ahhh) but the thing is I think that by sharing it with you it will encourage me to commit to the run, commit to the weight loss and finally get my shit into gear.

Arse in gear

How long have I been engaged? 2 years and I still at the same weight as I was? Well I have lost 4lbs but that’s in two years which is shocking.

I need to loose an entire stone.

That is 14lbs. I will be so happy when I do. My belly fold won’t have to snuggle on top of each other when I tie my shoes. I will be drinking more water and eating less sugar.

so even though I started this challenge due to a mathematical error….. I am happy about it.

The right kit

My healthcare means that I get discounts on healthy things like trainers, Gym, Apple Watch so I can track things.

I took full advantage!

Investing in trainers is definitely important but I will go into that later on!

Are you a runner?

Have you done a half marathon? Any advice please leave in the comments!

Here is my giving page any donation no matter how big or small helps!

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CraftyArts

Last blog of the month: hopes for it

Advice, Organising, Personal Experience, Planning

Day 30, hopes for your blog, 30 day blog challenge.

Oh I am so proud!

It was not as tough so much as time consuming. But I loved it. I do need to take the time and go back through and recheck it, as I know there are a million mistakes but I am so proud of the work I have put into this.

30 day blog challenge it’s done.

There is a hundred day blog challenge but that will have to wait until next year! When I have more time and I can focus on it properly.

My hopes for the blog

Well obviously I want it to be a success. An organically grown success. I want my readers to comeback because they enjoy the topsy turvy world I live in. I want to travel and explore. I can’t wait to write about Japan and New York. I feel like I now have a fresh perspective. A real thirst for blogging more.

I have learned a lot about what are my most popular topics. It’s not what I thought. You appear to love food and self health as much as I do. Which is refreshing. I also learned about popular times and postings.

I am definitely inspired to write a few more blogs so I am challenging myself to 3 a week.

We will see.

This will probably harder then everyday just because more planning has to be involved with set days. When you know you have to write and publish everyday you just have to get it done. 3 times a week is not quite the same thing.

Sharing

This blog challenge has been a lot about sharing who I am and what my goals are. The theme of this blog is great. I am happy to write it.

I wrote in my goals what I wanted to achieve and my blog was a big part of it. But I am a dreamer so I know if I want to achieve this then I have to keep putting the work into it!

I sometimes felt that some of the questions were silly or irrelevant but I guess the whole point was to give you a point of view or subject to write about.

Whilst on this challenge I actually wrote 3 blogs that are sitting in my drafts waiting to be published which is a nice situation to be in.

For this blog I know I have to so find the right photos.

How do you photograph hope?

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me.

I couldn’t have done it without you!

Confession time

Organising, Planning

Day29, a confession, 30 day blog challenge.

I have Destiny child Confession song going through my head.

Confessions

I have a few.

I never thought I would complete this challenge after all this is a goal I set for myself. I wanted to do it and I know that after the wedding I will do it again because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will just need to find a different set of challenges to complete.

I know I said at the beginning that I never complete things but I mean like never!

This is actually an achievement for me.

Writing

I didn’t write all my blogs on the day. A few I wrote on one day and then went through them and corrected a few mistakes. I think that my grammar in general on this challenge is poor and I need to work on that.

Do I feel like I cheated?

Nope.

I still got them out every single day, I worked on them every day.

The trickiest part was the photographs. Sometimes it was easy picking them. Sometimes it was difficult and I had to travel through my photos and find them.

When I couldn’t do that I set up a mini studio in my dining room table. Bought some props and took the photos.

It was work but I enjoyed it! I had to plan it, if I had winged it then you wouldn’t have had a blog every day!

Organisation is key

I think this is going to be another short blog and I don’t really like them when they are too short. But we all have a few confessions to make.

Brief confessions

  • Gav I ate all the french chocolate
  • Manny I took you for granted
  • Trainers I don’t use you enough
  • I like to buy fitness clothes and sit on the couch
  • Gav I ate all the sour cherries
  • I wish I had more time before the wedding
  • I am glad of where I am

If you can make me laugh, I am yours

Advice, Personal Experience

Day 24, what attracts you in love, 30 day blog challenge.

Laughter is the way to my soul

It this supposed to be about love but actually it is about all the relationships I have had.

All my friends make me laugh, they all have funny stories to tell and we love seeing each other! There is often a bottle of wine and a catchup involved.

Humour makes the world go round

I grew up in a house full of laughter and joy! So when looking for a partner I wanted the same.

Gav makes me laugh like no one else. Belly laughs, teasing. Chuckling, snickering even Nelson Munst Ha Ha.

If a day goes buy without a snicker then that is a really odd day.

He is very funny, often crass, sometimes offensive which I don’t find so funny. If something silly happens we can often just look at each other and know what the joke is and why we find it funny.

Gav took this photo, it was a lovely cold sunny day and the coldest gust of wind blew

Things in common

I don’t think you need to have everything in common but a level playing field is always important. Gavin is a geek, he loves games: computer, board games, role play. He tries to include me but it’s not my cup of tea.

We do however love comic book shows, movies and Sci-Fi. So we look forward to going to the pictures ( cinema) ets and watching Netflix series!

We love food! We like eating out and cooking, take always. You name it we like to eat it! I link my favourite foods here.

Politics

I don’t want to get in to politics too much here. I am well versed in my opinions. Gav is a bit more conservative and I am more liberal but actually with Britain in the mess it is now we are definitely on the same page. Brexit brought us closer together and we read a lot about it, watched debates and followed all the lies. We were really passionate about it and still are.

We are firm remainers. We believe that we should never have been put in this position in the first place. Cameron was lazy and thought it was a given, Boris lied through his teeth and quite frankly should have been sacked. He bafoonery and bravado don’t stop me from seeing the coiled snake beneath.

Wow that was a little deep for what do you find attractive in someone but it’s true. Having someone who has the same core values not necessarily the same political party is intrinsic to a good relationship.

Can you be tall please

I also like tall men. It’s nothing to do with being heightest but actually that I am almost 5″8 so I am pretty tall myself.

I will never be cute in height but Gavin is 6″4 and to me the perfect height.

We met online, after my last relationship to an Aussie I new I wanted a relationship with someone British. I didn’t want to have to move again. So I asked for a Brit, which probably sounded xenophobic but was just about me not wanting to move again!

I also asked… could you be tall please?

Romantic conclusion

Laughter is truly key

Core values are similar

We love food and travel

We like our own space

What attracts you in a partner!

My worst habit, procrastinating

Personal Experience, Planning

Day 22 what’s your worst habit, 30 day blog challenge.

I thinks it’s everyone’s worst habit isn’t it?

Putting off things to do later or an a later day. This weekend has been wonderful. We had an amazing day walking in East London where I used to live!

It’s spring so it’s all about the bluebells. We then had an impromptu picnic in the park and had a mini pub crawl!

It was bloody wonderful.

Then the next day I did some wedding catch up with my bestie. It was great drinking, shopping laughing.

Sunday was a proper rest day. I had a big list of things to do but I left them all till today.

Procrastinating is definitely my worst habit

I always put things off it’s why I have to be a slave to my lists and bullet journal.

My list this weekend was small!

  • Plant my dahlias
  • Buy running shoes (yup)
  • Find wedding glasses ( think we found them)
  • Try making the favours ( failed but will try again
  • Clean up the garden
  • Wash and dry clothes for the week ahead
  • Answer work emails (done)
  • Gut the kitchen
  • Organise my art supplies
  • Dye napkins

Not a massive list for 4 days but today I need to these things in one.

Because I have procrastinated so much I have left the majority till the last minute. Too late.

I still plan to do it all, getting up at 9am has helped!

At work I have to stick to my list. I try an deal with problems straight away because when I put something off it builds up into a larger issue when it never needs to be.

So procrastinating is definitely my worst habit.

I need to just do it!

What’s your worst habit?

This is me, not so perfect photos!

body confidence, confidence, Personal Experience

Blog 17, photo of you, 30 day blog challenge.

This is me. A photo of me is that the same as being me or just what I would like you to see.

I scrolled through images, too fat, bad skin, massive hair, weird angle. They were all me I just chose to ignore them! Then I thought. Maybe I won’t put the perfect photos in. Maybe I will just put the photos of me when I look happy! So be prepared for frizzy hair, laughing and pulling faces!

When your food matches your hair

Funny face

Me and Gavin met online. His first image of me was I thought a nice photo. It was a hot summers day and I was out in the garden. Not a bit of makeup on, looking up into the sky.

Gav hates this photo. He said it looks nothing like me. Even though he disproves of the image he still asked me out on a date so it couldn’t have been that bad.

After a while we befriended each other on Facebook and he, like me scrolled through lots of pictures of each other! He soon came to realise that I look different in most pictures. Something to do with the angles of my face.

Christmas tree shopping

I thought I would show you a range of photos to help you understand that I am not one photo. I am not one face, one body but I am me. Multi layered. Mostly happy, often hungry, loves to laugh and doesn’t need much to make me happy.

me and Becky dressing up and pulling faces. We always have fun and don’t care what other people say.

I want to look nice but I care more about having fun then I do about posing for a perfect photo.

Don’t get me wrong I still pose! I just don’t care so much! Have you seen the photos of me me trying to jump with my niece? Ha ha ha

So this is me!