Dear bowels

I hate you. Today I had a 60 minute 10km race within my grasp...then you attacked.

It is very hard to run when you need the loo that bad. Thus my time is looking to be the same as 10ks earlier this year (1:04), to be confirmed by chip time tomorrow.

Sorry for the overshare internet. Apart from the above it was a fantastic race. My 5k time was about 32 minutes I think which is awesome considering the 5k marker sits proudly atop two massive hills (which I ran all the way up unlike some fitter and skinnier looking people!)

The dream of a 60 minute 10k remains I guess. Better start researching bowel issue-control for my half marathon!

And today's weight was...

I've decided to do a Monday weigh in because Monday's as good a day as any and it might stop me going as mental on the weekends with all the foodz and alcoholz. Not that I've been that boozy lately *cough* besides last Monday *cough*.

So, today's weight is 191lbs. Erm, yep. Still heading downwards, would be nice to be in a healthy BMI by the end of October and maybe even somewhere below 180 by Christmas but I won't enforce goals on myself because having to stick to eating rules makes me self sabotage and eat lots of cake/chocolate/cheese/anything bad/anything good/anything in unhealthy quantities.

Now off to bed, because about 95% of my willpower depends on sleep (i.e. I never have any willpower because I never sleep).

Also here's a Monday rainbow plan:

• Monday - rest day
• Tuesday - 4.5 mile run
• Wednesday - Street Dance
• Thursday - 4.5 mile run
• Friday - rest
• Saturday - some form of cross training
• Sunday - 8 mile run

Longest run to date

Probably a bad title for a post because every weekend run from now on is going to be my "longest run ever" but today was special because it's the first time I've broken the 6 mile mark. And I did it in style by running a 9:32min/mile pace!

I actually ran almost the same course as the 10k I'm doing at the end of September, which I thought would be very slow as it includes a couple of hills but obviously the downhill bits make up for this, and I'm now really excited that I could break 60 minutes in this race, or at least get a new personal best.

On the downside my legs are not feeling good at the moment (achy and a weird cramp in my left calf) so I may have to fork out and buy new trainers like I've been meaning to for a while (but putting off because I bought a new computer instead!) Bleurgh money spending. I'm also nervous that I'll go in to the store and they'll take one look at me and be like "yeah, you need major cushioning and motion-control because you're a giant who runs like a wobbly goat" (or along those lines) and then when I ask about size 9s they'll be like "lol, size 9? Sorry we don't sell women's shoes that big."

Fact - I have previously been laughed at by a sales assistant for asking for a size 9 before. Idiot. Looking back I should have complained to the manager, especially as I know that store goes up to size 9 so the guy obviously didn't know much about their own stock!

Anyway, the store I want to go to (because it does natural gait analysis not treadmill) is open late on Thursday so hopefully I can go along and get some shiny new shoes. Plus I know that Asics and Saucony go up to a size 9 in women's, and I should think a few other brands do too, so hopefully I won't get called big foot!

Rocky Goat

Just had the most om nom nom Indian food I've had in a long time from Dishoom a "Bombay Cafe in London", near Leicester square. Also had a slightly over-attentive waiter, but there were six of us beautiful ladies on a birthday night out, so I can't blame him.

Thus I've probably totally overeaten today, but meh, housemates/friends only turn 26 once.

But before the delicious eats, my run today was at first very influenced by my "I hate training, my friends are drinking cocktails and I am not, this sucks" mood. In fact I was dragging my heels so much at the end of work (ran home from the office) one of my colleagues just went "Does Rocky ever give up?! No, eye of the tiger, Katie, eye of the tiger!" At which point I had to admit I'd never seen Rocky, and now feel like I should watch it this weekend. Or maybe I should just run to this:



Maybe I should somehow film myself and make a ridiculous montage as well...tempting.

Anyway after all my whinging I eventually got about half way through my run and started to feel quite strong and happier with myself. Sunday's run is going to be interesting - haven't run near my parents house for a bit so just hoping I won't get bored with the leafy suburb-ness over central London buzz.

The sweet taste of victory

First things first, I made a beautiful rainbow plan for the week last week, let's check out how that went:

Monday - Aqua fit then paralympics. Done and done, and what a great day it was :)

Tuesday - 4m run. Not done, too tired from paralympics.

Wednesday - Street Dance class.  Did it and combined it with Tuesday run< I'm awesome

Thursday - 4m run and yoga class. Didn't do it, had some sad news from home, hid in bed

Friday - chillaxing Did Thursday's run here instead

Saturday - more paralympics, wheelchair bastketball, SO excited!! Oh yeah, should do some cross training too. Awesome day out with my family, no cross training

Sunday - 6m run Did it, an unofficial personal best of 1:02 too, generally a lovely sunny weekend, then the paralympics went and ended :(

So all in all I win at training :D Sadly I do not win at dieting because on receiving bad news on Thursday I made a massive chocolate cake and proceeded to stuff my face with it everyday until Monday. Fail.

I've recovered my healthiness today, but this week has also been a source of fail thanks to this young man:

Finally a champion!

Me and my sister are huge tennis fans, so, we decided that as the addictive sporting thrill that was the olympics/paralympics was over we would take all of Great Britain's winning glory and focus it on one last sporting event this year. In other words we would start watching the US Open final at 9pm and not stop until the trophy was in our the winner's grasp...

Five hours and two minutes later. MURRAY WON.

I almost felt bad for the lone Serbian man supporting Djokovic in the sports bar we were in. Almost, because I was too busy screaming and hugging everyone around me to feel anything but 100% pure joy. Unfortunately with pure joy (and drinking until 2:30am, then getting home at about 3:30am) there comes pure pain. And so Tuesday essentially did not exist for me. 

Today I woke with the joy of someone who does not have a hangover and promptly walked to work for the first time in a long time (the bus never came) then had a great healthy food day and again did my street dance and running training combo. I felt tired on this run but my new Runstar app tells me I ran a 10:09 min/mile pace, which is pretty good for me so I'm going to say the app is right (even if I am secretly suspicious of its accuracy). Ah the wonders of modern technology. I'll hopefully be using Runstar for the rest  of my half marathon training now so do feel free to check in as it logs my runs on dailymile (I loves me some running-related internets).

This week there is another 4.5miles + 7 miles on my training. The plan is to go to my parents' house on Sunday so I can run up the hill that I will have to face on my 10k race at the end of the month.

Noooo the paralympics is over

I simply refuse to go back to un-uplifiting, non-unnaturally happy London :( I will force my flat to remain in a olympics/paralympics timewarp FOREVER.

Me and my buddy Mandeville, you can just make out the Agitos in the background on Tower Bridge.

So when are tickets for Brazil 2016 going on sale?

Run and cross combo

Yesterday I didn't do my 4m run, mainly because I felt exhausted from power walking up and down a million stairs (twice), then screaming til my throat hurt here:

London 2012 Aquatics Centre

I had such a fantastic time watching the paralympics with my family (minus one sister). Not even being in the same building as David Cameron could bring me down. Mainly because he was handing out a gold medal to GB swimmer Ellie Simmonds!! Can't believe I got to watch her, she's only 17 and she just killed the end of her medley race, everyone was on their feet, it was INCREDIBLE, it sounds completely cliched but this was definitely my "I can tell my grandchildren about London 2012" moment :)

So I was completely cheered out on Tuesday and thought I would make up for it by doing both my cross training and run today. Was that a good idea? I think I'll judge that on how achy I feel tomorrow. Did a 45 minute street dance class (and thumped around like the oh so elegant uncoordinated goat I am), then left the gym to do my 4 mile run home. Used the Runstar app for the first time, which told me I'm super-fast and generally awesome...possibly the gps didn't work. I think I'll use it in an area with less bridges/tunnels next time to see if it's more accurate.

For now I am a tired goat so I'll see you laterz.

P.s. weight this morning was 190.2lbs, I have no idea how this happened but WOO

Runner interrupted

So today was a new first...the first time I've needed to make a toilet break during a run! Yes I know you want to know all the gory details, but this goat does have some dignity (not much), so let's just say the Southbank Centre is a lovely riverfront venue with pleasant facilities.

Apart from that little detour (sorry people in the Royal Festival Hall that had their evening interrupted by a sweaty runner drudging through) it was a good run and I'm looking forward to progressing to the next stage of my training plan - week 5:

5	Stretch & strengthen	4 m run	2 m run or cross	4 m run + strength	Rest	40 min cross	6 m run

I was rubbish this week in that I a) only did one of my shorter runs and b) did no cross training, oh and let's not forget c) boozing and eating loads so that I have probably put on 5lbs in a week. I have a weekly weigh in planned tomorrow and I'm pretty terrified (please, please don't go back over 195lbs). Having said that I wore a dress to a family thing today that was tight when I bought it and is now baggy - hurrah!

So this week is going to be better, I've already booked some gym classes in so the week is shaping up as:

• Monday - Aqua fit (before you scoff it is a seriously good abs workout) and then I'm off to the  paralympics (whoop!) and watching people swim really fast is the same as swimming really fast myself ;)
• Tuesday - 4m run
• Wednesday - Street Dance class (please don't try and kill me with your crazy-fast beats cool instructor lady)
• Thursday - 4m run and yoga class (please don't mock me for being extremely inflexible funny instructor man)
• Friday - chillaxing 
• Saturday - more paralympics, wheelchair bastketball, SO excited!! Oh yeah, should do some cross training too
• Sunday - 6m run

Happy paralympic viewing everyone (Oscar Pistorius just came second in 200m, controversial!)

P.S. yep, I made the days of the week into a beautiful rainbow - I am COOL/this reminded me of making revision charts at school, fun times.