Posts Tagged ‘training’

How to be More Productive

Monday, September 10th, 2012

There are times in life where everything just goes a bit ‘blah’. We get stuck in the same old routine and it’s almost like we hit cruise control. We see the same people on the same bus at the same time, we know the order of the guy we see every day in Starbucks (mocha-choca-voulez-vous-couchez-avec-moi-ce-soir-latte) and we’re tired, so very tired. I reached a point recently where I noticed I was just letting things happen around me. I’d become disengaged and this spilled over into every aspect of life. I just felt unproductive. I had to make a change. I decided I needed to address how to be more productive and generally, just how to feel good again. So here’s what I did:

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Posted in life | 3 Comments »

Who You Calling ‘Hideous’?

Saturday, August 11th, 2012

So, I’d been planning on doing a post about the way women’s appearance has played into the Olympics, then a funny little thing happened this morning. I got up at 6am, hauled on my running kit & booked it outside to do a hill session. After my sets, I came back in and took a shot of my sweaty, distressed face for Instagram. Why? Well, for one, because I run a fitness site and secondly because I’m documenting all my training in the run up to the Amsterdam Half Marathon. Within minutes, a kind lady user of Instagram had posted the following comment: ‘Holy Jesus, you’re hideous.’ And this, feeds in to the entire point I was going to make about women at the Olympics anyway, so I must thank that user for both her rudeness and her impeccable timing.

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Posted in life | 21 Comments »

So Long Dear Friend

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Since Jack Frost is nipping at my nose and this snowfall has threatened to put my Paris Half Mara training in a death grip, I managed to bag myself guest passes for a couple of days at a swanky gym. I just wanted to keep up with my training plan, but it ended in a robbery. A robbery I tell ya! Call Columbo.

There I was at 6am, running for dear life and going nowhere (i.e. on the treadmill) when my iPod died. Frustrated at the fact that I had to complete my remaining two miles musicless, I took the iPod off and threw it, toddler tantrum-stylee, onto the side of the treadmill (read: placed it there carefully, but while making a really really angry face). You already know where this is going. When I finished my run, I bounded off the ‘mill feeling all triumphant, did my stretches and left, leaving my poor, crappy iPod behind.

Realising my error later in the day, I called the gym only for them to tell me no one had handed it in. I was going again the following morning, by which time I was convinced, the iPod thief would’ve grown a conscience. But alas, the next day, still no iPod.

My crappy, big, beat up, five year old iPod was gone forever *moment of silence*. Someone had, however, handed in a brand spanking new, flashy iPod Nano. Taking my old piece of crap and leaving a much better, newer model? Hardly constitutes intelligent thievery. We’re dealing with an amateur here.

I can only put it down to my excellent taste in music. I distinctly remember ‘Dopeboy’ by Adam Tensta being the next track lined up to play right before it died. Obviously the thief has a penchant for Swedish electro hip hop.

I hope they enjoy my fantastic playlists. May they groove to Barry White and cheesy 90s R’n'B. May they marvel at how a shuffle on my iPod takes you on a musical journey from Wu Tang to Phil Collins. Enjoy it, my thieving amigo *wipes tear* That iPod and I have enjoyed many great times. It’s been all around the world with me. It’s a shame our journey together had to end in a posh gym in Leeds. A posh gym – suggesting the people who frequent it have money. I was rockin’ a guest pass. Just sayin’.

Anyhoo, the upside of this tale is this: I had a little moan about the iPod thief on Twitter and within minutes, someone said she had an iPod Nano she no longer used and would be happy to send it to me. Two more of my followers sent me similar messages. And just like that, my faith in humanity was restored. Take THAT iPod thief.

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Posted in life | 8 Comments »

Paris Half Marathon Training Diary

Monday, December 6th, 2010

As you know, myself and 19 of my Twitter buddies are running the Paris Half Marathon on March 6th 2011 in aid of Refuge (a great charity that helps women and children escape domestic violence). I thought I’d post videos of my training over the next few months. I keep it varied, so this is just a short little something I did after work today. Bad hair, leggings, sweat – welcome, my friends, to my ‘zone’. It ain’t pretty.

If you’d like to donate to our cause, go to www.justgiving.com/teambangsontherun

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Posted in life, video blogs | 2 Comments »