Second Trimester Heaven

After a very long 3 months of nausea, painful breasts, fatigue, lack of appetite and trying to hide an expanding waistline, I'm now 3 weeks into the second trimester and finally feeling human again. 
The nausea has subsided, I have more energy and I'm so hungry I have to stop myself from eating, don't get me wrong though the painful breasts remain! 

During the first trimester I didn't believe anyone who told me that it'd get easier and I'd be feeling myself soon enough, it just felt like it was never-ending. Now I'm actually on the other side, it's crazy the difference a few weeks makes. My hair is finally less greasy and now 'the secret' is out I can wear whatever clothes I want and not worry too much about my expanding stomach (which is probably smaller than I think but in my head I feel like I'm carrying around a football!). 

I was able to go out at the weekend and be out past 8pm without feeling sick and falling asleep which was a joy and pleased Simon too. We can now finally have a social life back and start planning days out without thinking about the nearest facilities in case I'm unwell or having to make excuses for eating as I couldn't stand the smell or sight of food! 

My family now know what I look like again and I was even able to muster one of my favourite meals last week - mum's home cooked roast!  

Heartburn is my biggest irritant at the moment, oh and my mood swings which I'm sure my family and Simon would agree with. 
My friend Caroline gave me a good tip for heartburn - Love Hearts - so I've been stocking up on those and eating a few after most meals. It absolutely works so even though I've never been a fan, I'd rather that than the constant indigestion.   

Mood swings aren't as bad as I've been led to believe, yet!! Although I'm sure Simon would disagree, the main problem is my short fuse. My colleague and Friend, Gemma can be testament to this. For the most part of this week in the office people have just got on my nerves, no one seems to do their jobs properly and everyone is out to frustrate me. 

Onto the positive, feeling better is a blessing, it means I can look forward to weekends and enjoy time with my friends and family, plus I can enjoy being pregnant. It's such a wonderful time for any women to go through and I'm now going to focus on the positives. 

Trying new things

I mentioned in a previous post that I was starting yoga last week. I was cautious as it's not fast paced like my usual exercise and I really didn't know what to expect. I'm not at all flexible but I'd been told by friends to just go at my own pace and see how it went. 

I was a little apprehensive about turning up as I'm not usually one for trying new things and meeting new people. I got there in plenty of time to get my mat and pick a spot, there's always that feeling when attending a course for the first time that you're taking someone else's place. Luckily the ladies who were already there were lovely and told me the best place to go.

Our instructor, Fiona, is a really wonderful lady, so chilled out, exactly as I expected. She put on some quiet background music and began with some gentle movements. With each move she gave us ways to make it harder or easier depending on our flexibility and experience. I was actually really proud of myself for being able to get into a lot more of the positions than I thought I would. 
After an hour Fiona finished with some meditation work which was just amazing, completely zoned me out and made me so relaxed. 

That night I had such a good nights sleep and I've signed up for another class this week.

My next 'first' in recent weeks was a spin class. Simon is a massive fan of spin classes and as I'm constantly complaining that his legs are better than mine I thought I'd give this a go. 

I went along and really just thought it would be pedalling fast on a bike. The instructor Chelsea was great, she made she we were all safely on our bikes before switching on the party lights and turning off the real likes, an odd sort of disco but lots of fun. Also great when you start sweating as no one can see how awful you look.

She started us off slowly and increased and decreased the intensity along with some great music to really motivate and push us. Within 5 minutes I was sweating buckets and looking at the clock wondering when it would end - this was a beginners class!
The whole session was done out of the saddle so needless to say my legs were killing by the end of the 40 minutes. She then finished with a warm down and stretching session which I was really grateful for when I woke up the following morning! 

I loved every moment of the class and felt great after. Again I've signed up to another class next week. 

With all these new experiences, it just goes to show that running really isn't my be all and end all! 

Getting back to it

In the two weeks since the Marathon I have mainly been giving my body a long overdue break. I left it about a week before I did my first run and stuck to just 5km (although even that was a struggle!). All the aches and pains that I hadn't felt after the marathon suddenly appeared for that first run back. I was aching for days after. Having taken another few days off training and conscious that the Southend Half Marathon which I'm signed up for is only 6 weeks away, this week I've found my mojo and tried to get back to it. 

Tuesday's run was a little easier that the previous week although it is still slightly stiff, I guess only time will tell. With the marathon glow starting to dim I'm not having to really find the determination to keep up the running. 

My diet is also terrible at the moment and having eaten pretty much everything in sight since marathon day this week it's been back to the healthy eating with plenty of water, fruit and veg to get my fitness back and my body in shape. 

I've been amazed at just how quickly the fitness levels can drop so I'm hoping that I gain them back just as quickly. Only time and hard work will tell! 

One quote I read the day after the marathon and has stuck in my mind over the past few weeks is this...

The Big Day

I'm just 2 days away from the end of my 11 month journey from beginner jogger to marathon runner!!

This past week has left me feeling so emotional (having spoken with other marathon runners they are also in the same boat - thank goodness it's not just me!!).

I started this week feeling really un confident & saying things like "I can't do this" "I'm not strong enough"! But in true style my amazing network got me through it with lots of positive thoughts & boosting my fundraising pot. It didn't help that I had more hospitals scans on Monday so was feeling fragile from that & got some unexpected news (more on that in a later post)

Now with 2 days to go I'm only £200 off target and feeling excited and nervous about the Big Day! 

I've done the training so it all relies on my mental strength throughout the race now. I have quite a few wonderful supporters coming along to cheer me through so that is going to be a huge motivation as I pound the streets of London. 

I'm still feeling apprehensive about getting to the start on my own but I've decided it's all part of the experience so I just need to chill out & go with the flow! 

My friend Ness is also running so I've got fingers crossed we can find each other & start together. 

Unfortunately one of my biggest supporters, my mum, is recovering from an emergency operation so won't make it to see me, when I realised this last week, I was devastated & I think that brought on a lot of the emotion but now I've just got to go out there & make her proud! I'll do my best to get on TV so she can see me that way & with the wonders of technology I'll be able to FaceTime her at the end with that medal around my neck! 

If I don't get another chance before Sunday I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has followed by journey, to everyone who has donated to my fundraising & helped two amazing charities, to everyone who is coming along on Sunday to cheer me on and finally thank you to my family, boyfriend & best friends for sticking by me, supporting me, encouraging me & putting up with me over these last few months. Marathon training takes over your life & no one knows more about this than those special people in my life! 

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ClareSmith8

Runners chat

Since my marathon journey began I've been talking about it on twitter a lot & thanks to some lovely replies to my tweets I found out about #ukrunchat. 

It's a brilliant community of runners around the UK, people who run short distances to marathons, it really does cover so many people & different walks of life. 

Now everytime I mention running I include this # & I am guaranteed some lovely replies or sound advice. 

When I was injured it was great to put out there how I was feeling & for people to then reply who had been in similar situations. It's really motivating too as there are so many people in the same boat as me. 

Many first time marathon runners who all want to share their stories so we can help each other through. 

Once a week there is the chance to submit questions which then get retweeted out to everyone so you can help each other through. 

It's especially been supportive the closer to the marathon I'm getting. Everyone is starting to get really tired & achy which a lot of my friends may not understand but the runners in the community really do. 

Although I'll be running the marathon alone I do feel like running is a great community to a part off & although I'll probably never meet some of these people, hearing about their motivations & getting their advice really does help. 

The clock is ticking

With only 7 weeks (and 4 days) until the London Marathon, it's starting to really creep up on me & with all the plans for my supporters in place (more of that soon), it's now just a case of getting myself 'match ready'! Sounds so simple. 

The injury to my foot is now, fingers crossed, firmly in the past so for the past week it's been a case of upping my times & distances. This has been going well and I've been trying to really make the most of my rest days. 

Since I started full on marathon training, I've been seeing an osteopath every fortnight, he has been doing an amazing job of getting my limbs ready for the 26.2 miles & giving me some great advise especially when I had the injuries, this has left me feeling much more positive.

I was back to 2 hours+ last Sunday which really gave me the confidence to get another hour at least on the clock within the next 5 weeks before the tapering begins.

This is definitely not my marathon pace band,
more like Mo Farahs!!

The next area to look at is my pace for marathon day, because I run varying distances & times at the moment, it's really difficult to work out my current pace. I've been playing around with different times and I really do go from anything around 5:58km p/h to 6:20 dependant on the distance. 

It's been recommended I have a pace calculator around my wrist with my ideal pace times so I've looked at some templates and printed a few off to try out over the coming weeks.

To be honest, I think I'll just end up running my own race but it's good to try these things out beforehand just in case.

There really is so much to think about that I never even realised. 

My tip of the week came from my osteopath who suggested taking a black bin bag to the marathon start with me just in case it rains then I can stay dry at the start & dispose of it before I begin. This is something I wouldn't even consider!  



  

Morning view

When I went out for my morning run today the sun was just coming up so I stopped for a few minutes to take in the view! 

Sometimes I feel very lucky to be able to run with such lovely scenes & it makes me feel really inspired & motivated! 

Motivation

Titanium by David Guetta was on the radio this morning and the words really stuck with me so I've made it my new Powersong for the end of my long training runs. 
These words in particular are going to spur me on

I think I've mentioned before that my other Powersong is Firework by Katy Perry. Would be interested to hear what your motivational songs are. 

Back to the plan

Last Thursday I returned to the hospital for another colposcopy, this time they took four biopsies which I wasn't expecting and knocked me for six, both physically and mentally. It's now the usual drill, wait four weeks for the results. 

Throughout the recovery my main concern - as well as my health - was getting back to my marathon training. Missing days of training can really affect your plan and although I'm a few days ahead of where I should be I really didn't want to suddenly be on the back foot. 

After resting - as much as is possible for me to rest - for a couple of days, I got back out running this morning. It was just great to be back! 

The weather is quite cold at the moment but despite that and the fog, I just focused on the bigger picture and ploughed on through. 

I'm suffering a little now from the pain but knowing I've got back to it is a huge boost. And keeping in mind that I'm healthy and will be back out there pounding the pavements tomorrow is also keeping me motivated. 

It does make me really admire people with more serious injuries and health problems that also train for and finish marathons, how do they even do that?

 

I heard from a colleague at the weekend that he trained for a marathon in 2 weeks!! I've been training already for four months and feel no where near ready! (He did say he couldn't walk for weeks after though so guess that's not a good idea!) 

The other real bonus and motivation for me this week has been reaching my £3000 target! 

We raised £1500 at a work fundraising day on Saturday and with the money already donated I am delighted that the target has been reached. 

Never one to shy away from a challenge, I've now decided to increase the target to £5000! With 11 weeks to go until the marathon I know it's achievable & can't wait to hand over cheques for so much money to my two charities! 

Thank you to everyone who continues to keep me motivated & committed to raising money for amazing causes. 

A tough week

The week I've been pretty much dreading for the past few months has arrived. On Thursday I'll be heading back to the hospital for my next colposcopy and to start another couple of weeks of waiting for results. 
People have asked me if it gets any easier, my answer 'No'. If anything because you know what to expect it's actually harder. The procedure isn't the nicest of things to go through but worst than that is the waiting. Your future is in the hands of someone in a lab somewhere who you will never meet! That is the scary part for me. 
Having said that, I've kept myself healthy & fit for the past couple of months so there is nothing more I can do than that, it's all out of my hands. 

This week my wonderful friend Caroline is the chosen one holding my hand through it all, it helps so much to have someone with you so take note, if you ever need to go through something like this, never try to soldier on alone, it does not help anyone, least of all you! Caroline, as with most of my friends, has been an absolute tower of strength for me throughout all of this and that really goes a long way to helping me keep my chin up, stay positive and smile on through it. 

I'll be resting up for a few days after the colposcopy so the training will need to ease a little, I've re-arranged my schedule for this week so that I am still running the same distance just on different days and thankfully I've saved my rest days for Friday & Saturday. Sunday will be a tough run as it's 1 hour 50 minutes but I'll be taking things slow and only doing as much as I can.  
If you are friends with me on Facebook, please 'like' my Nike+ update on Sunday morning, that's when I'll be needing all the cheers and support I can get. 

What is really motivating me throughout all of this though is that I am supporting two amazing charities and that by me putting myself out there, my kind friends, family, colleagues and even complete strangers are donating to something I feel very passionate about. 

Thank you all so much! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I took a bit of a break over Christmas & New Year from posting, instead focusing on spending time with my family and friends. It was a really lovely time & reminded me once again how lucky I am to have such great people around me. 

One thing I didn't take a break from though was training! 

I've been hard at it and upping my times and distances each week, I even ran on Christmas Day!! It was actually really refreshing to be out nice and early on Christmas morning and meant I was feeling really good (if a little achy) even after stuffing my face with all the usual festive treats. This Christmas was a first for me too, I actually lost weight instead of putting it on. It's all the training, it just seems to fall off, I suppose it's my metabolism.

I've decided to do a different training plan now which fits better for me, it was suggested by Cancer Research UK. I'm now running 4/5 times a week and giving myself a few rest days. This is really working for me as I now feel like I'm actually getting somewhere and giving my body a well deserved rest. 

I'm up to 90 minutes of running on my longest day now which feels so rewarding, I never thought I'd be able to comfortably run for 30 minutes let alone 90 so this is really giving me the boost I need to keep it going. 

With only 96 days until the London Marathon the challenge I've taken on is starting to really kick but I'm still as motivated as ever & am definitely already in better shape than I've ever been. 

So although it's a new year, the training continues, the commitment continues & thanks to some great support, the donations have continued to roll in for my chosen charities! 

2014 - The year I run the London Marathon! 

The Big Event

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments about my story and the fundraising video, it means so much that it's really touched so many people. 

Now for my next announcement!! 

As mentioned in the video, ITS have kindly offered to put on a fundraising/celebration day with all proceeds going to the two charities I'm supporting. 

The one day event on Saturday 18th January will be held in London & I'm really very excited about it. 

I'd love it if you are free & can join us, for full details click the image below. 

http://www.itsnlp.com/celebration-day-living-generously/

Presenting...

I mentioned previously that a colleague had kindly offered to make a fundraising video for me, well thanks to Brian Smith that video is now out there for the world to see. 

After watching it for the first time & being incredibly emotional, I'm proud to share it with you...

If you'd like more details on the ITS Celebration Day that is referred to during the video please contact me & I'll be happy to provide some further information. 

Countdown is on

I received this wonderful plaque in the post from a lovely lady called Kelly. Kelly has done lots of decorative plaques for me & my sister in the past & they make such great presents.

I just love this, girly & pink & matching my charity colours but also a great reminder of the days on the journey ahead! 

 

Check out her Facebook page Kelly's Kitsch Stitch https://m.facebook.com/KellysKitschStitch

Thanks Kelly!! Oh & it's 141 days until the marathon!!!! 

All Systems GO!!

I got home last night to an amazing letter from Cancer Research UK congratulating me on being accepted for a Charity Bond London Marathon 2014 place through then!! 



After being really emotional and excited for the whole evening, I'm still beaming from ear-to-ear! I just can't believe that after all these months of waiting, I've got my place. I'm also counting myself very lucky as I know hundreds of people apply for these places every year and to be accepted on my first try is really quite something. 

My intention is that unless I receive an offer of a place from Jo's Trust or the public ballot, I will accept this place & raise as much money as I can for CRUK whilst also giving a percentage of the total amount to Jo's. Should I be selected for Jo's, I'll probably be delirious and to honour CRUK's commitment to me I'll reverse this and give a percentage of the Jo's money raised to them. Sound fair?

Thank you for all the messages of congratulations that I've received so far. It's going to be a long road ahead but I'm mentally ready to take on the challenge & I just can't wait to get going. 

Any tips or advise that you can share on your marathon experiences would be very much welcomed. I've already received a lot of great advise from previous runners which I am sure will stand me in good stead of the coming months of training. With plenty of hard work and determination, I'm ready to take on this challenge & cross that finish line having raised a lot of money for great causes. 

Friday Motivation

 "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." –Arthur C. Clarke

Some good news at last

After vowing to get fit & healthy after a procedure earlier this year to remove part of my cervix, I've been working my socks off! The running is going well (bar the latest injury), my diet is much cleaner, I've lost some weight & am mentally feeling much better. 

I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone but especially someone who is going through any health problems. Healthy mind, healthy body is what they say isn't it? 

I recently had more cell samples taken for my cervical abnormalities & I'm pleased to say there is no change (as I've had to explain to a number of friends & family, this is good news!)

Providing that some blood tests I've had taken come back as fine then I should be ok to have another bit of time off the hospital & have the cells checked again in a few months. 

At the moment this really is the best outcome. Unfortunately, this may continue like this for some time but in my eyes the healthier I get then the least likely these cells are to develop. 

So having now turned 30 & enjoyed lots of celebrations with my friends & family, it's hopefully a happy & healthy few months ahead for me! And every time I'm feeling down, I just have to read through my blog to motivate me once again & look how far I've come!

Onwards & upwards as they say! 

(Unsure of who 'they' are I keep referring too but it's all true!) 

No more diet...

...well not for this week anyway. 

I'm sure I've mentioned it once or twice but it's my birthday this weekend. It was always my intention to diet until my birthday then stop. I know that I've lost a lot of the weight I set out too and overall I'm feeling happy with how I am now looking but should I go back to how I was eating 8 weeks ago? It just doesn't seem right for some reason & I certainly don't want to put the weight all back on. 

From this Friday I can eat whatever I feel like over the weekend, it is my 30th after all. Then I have a big night out with friends next Saturday so plenty of bad food & lots of alcohol then but then what? 

It feels wrong to go back to what I used to eat. I'm thinking that this diet has almost become second nature, more of a way of eating & less a diet. 
Now that I'm at the weight I set out, I'll probably not take it as seriously but whilst I'm enjoying the Slim Fast diet now, I think it'll continue.

The 2 litres of water is absolutely something I'd like to carry on, maybe not being as strict with myself over it but I already can tell my body is feeling healthier for it. 
My general feeling is that I'll see how I go, if I fancy cereal I'll have it, if not it'll be the shakes. If I want to treat myself to a nicer dinner, I can but won't go crazy. As my running is also increasing in distance and intensity I don't think the odd cake will kill me either. 

I actually don't fancy too much of what I used to have, a lot of this diet is about moderation. I have the Lindt Lindor chocolates, one or two of those a day won't make me obese so why not treat myself to them, just no need to eat a whole family bag of revels in one sitting (I actually could but I won't!)! 

 

I'd be interested to hear if any of you have also been on a diet and how you incorporated it into your life after the actual diet ended. Or do people just stay on one lifelong diet? That seems a little dull. 

I'm sure I'll be writing more about how I get on but for now I'm going to enjoy the weekend ahead and especially my trip to Prezzo with the girls from work on Friday! Pizza & Rose here we come!  

Motivated Monday!

Preventing Running Injuries

Yesterday I posted 'Common Running Injuries' so today I thought I'd share some tips on treating those injuries and most importantly preventing them in the first place. 

Here are my top tips!
Warm up and cool down

It’s essential to warm up properly before you start running. Five to ten minutes of brisk walking or gentle jogging before you start will warm your muscles up and help prevent injury. To cool down, carry on running at an easier pace or walk for five to ten minutes. This will help your body recover after your run. 

When I first started running I never done this and soon learnt that was a bad idea. I was getting really sore muscles and everything felt very tight. 
Wear the right shoes

As I mentioned in a previous post this really is my key to a pleasant running experience. It’s so important to buy the correct running shoes, and it’s best to go to a running shop to get fitted. 
Build up slowly

Don’t be tempted to increase the intensity or distance of your running too quickly. Do a similar run at least three or four times before you increase your pace or distance.

It took be such a long time to build up to 10K but now I'm adding a few KM each week and feeling much better for it.
Stay motivated

As I know very well, being injured can be very frustrating. When I first started running and got minor injuries I was tempted to just give up. But by giving myself goals, 5k charity run, this really boosted me to get back out there. In general I find that if you have something to work towards, it really helps. 

Always remember at the first sign of any running related injury...