The Road to London Part 3: The March Hare?

Miles and Miles....

March has been a bit of a mixed month, I succumbed to a second bout of the flu mid way through. It seems that no matter how much I try to cross train, look after my diet, sleep etc my immune system is a litle bit shot at the moment.

However, my longer runs have finally increased and are safely between 14-18 miles with a couple of 20 milers and marathon pace efforts thrown in . Race nutrition has been tried and tested and will consist of High 5 Energy gels, the apple flavour being my favourite, so 3 shall be consumed throughout the race....Maybe 4 if I am flagging in the later stages.

If I am being completely honest, I am a little over running at the moment and lacking a little in motivation. I think the excitement of the past 3 months has caught up with me and I now just want to get it over with, next week cannot come fast enough!

As usual, March has still been an eventful month in finalising preparations...Alongside putting in the miles.

Boobie Care

If you are of the fairer sex, a good supportive sports bra is an absolute must, unless of course you wish to sport a fetching pair of Spaniel's ears. Thought not. My weapon of choice is the Shockabsorber Run sports bra. My friend Britta first recommended it to me and pointed me in the direction of the website. This basically scares all females into purchasing a sports bra. Take a look. My other half I am ashamed to say, was particularly interested in this website, you will understand once you take a peek at the 'bounceometer'. The bra differs from any sports bra I have worn in the past in that you are effectively strapping yourself in; there are two clasps to fasten, as opposed to the traditional one. But OMG, it is totally worth it, there is zero movement, the straps do not slip and you are in for a smooth, bouncefree ride.

http://www.shockabsorber.co.uk/bounceometer/shock.html

Charity Chosen

Although I managed to obtain a coveted ballot place in the VLM, I have decided to still run for a charity. My choice came easy in choosing The MS Society. My Uncle has suffered for years with this disease and I know first hand the effect it can have....I only hope my bright orange vest is delivered in time. If you would like to make a donation and can spare a few pennies, please do so at the below link, your support is much appreciated.

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=EmilyMoll&faId=192422&isTeam=false

Nike ID
I needed some new trainers for race day....Although unfortunately they are yet to arrive. For these I chose the Nike LunarGlide model. They are inbetween a lightweight racing shoe and a normal more structured trainer. The suppport adjusts to your stride with each footstrike. I chose to design these myself using NikeID. Your chosen model appears on screen blank and then you go crazy with the colours. I just hope they arive in time for me to break them in.

Alongside my trainer purchase I also discovered the Nike Core compression range (see the post 'Compress Yourself' for more info on compression). A rather fetching pair of orange, black and grey striped hotpants caught my eye...I thought to myself that they would go perfectly with my Orange MS Society vest. So look out for me race day, I will be head to toe pretty much in orange, so give me a cheer!

I must admit, with one week to go I am getting increasingly nervous. 26.2 miles is a long way to travel on foot, but I am confident that I have done the hard work and I'm sure the crowd will drag me along.....Hopefully in under 4 hours!

I am currently taking bets on how many toe nails I will have left....

The It List

Go buy...

Apologies for the delay in this blog post, you will be pleased to know that after 9 months of unemployment (not sure dog walking counts?) I am happily working. Must say it was a bit of a shock to the system but I am now happily in my routine of training and working. I thought I would share with you my favourite training and racing products that I simply cannot live without....So without further ado, here is the ‘It List’...

Body Glide

See my blog post ‘chafe much’? for further evidence as to why this handy little product will forever be in my kitbag for all triathlons, running races and longer training runs. Quite simply if I don’t use it or forget to, I know I am in for a rough and rather painful ride. The product helps prevent chafe, rubbing and blisters forming on the most vulnerable parts of your body, for me this was funnily enough my arm pits AKA ‘Poker Pits’. It is also a god send when battling the removal of your wetsuit in transition.

Aquasphere Goggle spray

A pet peeve of mine next to the dreaded ‘Poker Pits’ is goggle steamage. Nothing ruins a good swim session quicker or more exasperatingly than goggles steaming up and  repetitively needing to clear these at the end of each length. Lucky then that I discovered Aquasphere’s goggle spray, just squirt it into the goggles, wait for at least 30 seconds, rinse and go. Easy and indispensable. I would also highly recommend Aquasphere’s range of swimming goggles, especially those designed for open water. I use these in the pool as they are perfect for my eye shape as for some reason, normal goggles tend to sucker to my eyes and stretch them to abnormal proportions, not comfortable.

 Sports Beans

I cannot stomach too many sports gels, my body rejects them and I just cannot stand the consistency, literally choking them down. Gagging on your bike does not make for a professional look and does your speed no favours. I know I am not the only athlete out there to struggle with these heinous and often revolting nutrition aids. My solution is Sports Beans. They are pretty much the same taste and consistency of  jelly beans but with added goodies to fuel sports performance. They contain Carbohydrates to fuel your body during intense activity, Electrolytes which are vital for maintaining fluid balance, Vits B1, B2 & B3 to help burn carbohydrates and fat and Vit C to protect muscles and cells against oxidative damage. I always go for the tropical flavour. I swear by them and consume a packet 30 minutes prior to a race and also one during if it is an endurance event.

Travel Towel

I use a bright pink one as my transition marker. It is far more effective than a conventional towel and is quick drying so when you eventually pack up your transition towel you are not left with a soggy, smelly not to mention heavy towel to pack away and lumber all the way home.

PowerBar Ride

The mother of all sports bars. It is simply delicious, especially the peanut caramel one. Unlike other sports bars it does not have the consistency of cardboard, nor does it take you 5 minutes to chew through one mouthful. It is pure heaven and almost feels a little too indulgent. Without fail one of these is packed in my saddle bag on my long rides and often I may also consume one before a race. The bars have a special carbohydrate mix and energy releasing vitamins and minerals alongside a selected protein mix to support muscle recovery.

 
Pull Buoy

My favourite training tool in the pool by far. I could swim forever with my trusty ‘Pool Boy’ as my friends and I like to call it (cue dirty between the legs jokes...). Quite simply everyone should own one of these, they help stabilise the core muscles while giving your arms and shoulders a thorough workout.....That’s if used properly, I have witnessed many a swimmer using a pull buoy and kicking their legs, which completely defeats the object of any drill performed using this bit of kit. In order to sway temptation I simply cross my feet therefore eliminating the option of ‘cheating’ by kicking.

Elastic Laces

If you are doing triathlons without these then you are seriously missing a trick. Fiddling around tying bows in transition is going to cause you precious seconds. Get a pair of these pronto.

VO5 Hot Oil

I have very long hair and although it would probably benefit me to have a few inches off in order to possess a more manageable mane, quite simply I refuse. Not going to happen. Because of this I have to take extra care of my hair, all that sweat and swimming in the pool or lake plays havoc with my crowning glory. VO5 Hot Oil is my absolute saviour. It’s so eighties, but a classic. Cheap and cheerful. Once a week I will bathe my hair in the oily goodness and it works wonders for easing out knots and injecting some much needed moisture into my hair stack.

Compress Sport R2

See my blog post ‘Compress Yourself’ for more info on compression. I am a complete compression convert after suffering the dreaded shin splints. The use of the Compress Sport R2 helped massively. After every long run or hard session I will don these for a few hours, sometimes sleeping in them if my legs are feeling particularly fatigued. Without doubt, I am ready and raring to go for my next session once I have recovered in these babies.

Bio ears Ear Plugs

I am extremely susceptible to having water swilling around in my ears after a swim. The last thing I want is dirty lake or sea water in my ear canal, possibly giving me an infection. I use these earplugs as they are amazing. They are soft and mould to your ear shape and no water gets past them. An amazing find, you can also rinse and reuse them although if I have used them in a race I usually lose them...

Compress Yourself

A Tight Squeeze...

Last year I was crippled by the pain of shin splints which put my best laid training plans out of the window for a good few months. As a result, come the summer season I was less than at my best and constantly worrying that the dreaded splints would rear their ugly head once more. All I could do was ice, rest and pray they would not hinder me again. It was through lack of being able to run as much as I would like that led me to the joys of cross training, triathlon, duathlon and consequently my faithful compression socks.

I started swimming and cycling in order to compensate for lack of running and to keep my fitness levels up. I entered the London duathlon and saw a vast population of athletes wearing some rather fetching black and grey knee length socks. Upon trawling round the small expo in search of kit and sporting trinkets to further my sporting prowess, I fell upon the black and grey socks.

What indeed was the mass appeal of them and more importantly, why should I part with £35? The kindly sales man informed me these were compression socks...'Ah, but would they cure my recurring shin splints?'...'Yes, they will certainly help'. OK then, purchase done and dusted. It definitely helps that Chrissie Wellington swears by them, maybe one day I too could break my own world record, beat the majority of men in a race and finish 20 minutes ahead of the next female competitor? Doubtful, but I was willing to give them a try.

These socks have worked absolute wonders for me. I can happily say that I have been almost a year without shin splints and I thoroughly owe some of this success to my trusty 'Compress Sport' R2 compression socks. I started off doing all my training runs in them and also wearing them during recovery for around 30 minutes after finishing exercise. I would thoroughly recommend them to anyone who suffered from the same ailment but also in a more general sense as compression clothing has been proven to have many benefits:

Thermoregulation

Your body will operate best when at the right temperature. Muscles must be kept warm for optimal performance and to avoid injury, however overheating is just as bad; it puts stress on your heart and slows your reactions.

The main difference between compression and regular clothing is its ability to efficiently remove perspiration from the skin. This is achieved by the use of moisture wicking fabrics and the garments tight fitting nature. Unlike other breathable garments such as quick dry t-shirts, you do not get perspiration pooling on the skin. This means that in hot climates your body's cooling system continues to work efficiently and in the cold you are not wearing wet clothing, therefore you will stay warmer.

Reduced Muscle Oscillation 
Every time we move our muscles move too. When they do small tears appear within the muscle tissue. The presence of these tears along with the build up of lactic acid is what causes muscle pain both during and post exercise. By reducing the rate at which this damage takes place we are able to work for longer and experience less pain following training. The principle behind stopping body shake is old and probably the best example is the wearing of sports bras. Now with the elastic properties of compression garments, the same sort of support is available for the rest of the body. This is the reason that compression garments must be firm fitting.

Increased Circulation 

This is the main benefit that is advertised by manufacturers of compression clothing. The reason for this is that increased circulation is what is claimed to give benefits in performance. By speeding up blood flow food is provided to muscles faster and waste products such as lactic acid are removed more efficiently. This means that you should experience a higher level of performance and faster recovery times when wearing the garments post exercise. This in turn will allow you to train harder in your next session.

Increased Proprioception 

Our body's proprioceptors help us to know where our arm is in relation to the body or your foot in relation to the ground. By wearing a garment that is effectively a second skin, these senses are heightened. This is achieved through the contact with the skin and the elastic properties of the fabric. This is the same principle used by medical professionals when they apply strapping or a compression bandage to a joint injury, not only do they add support but they help you to become more aware of your range of movement.

The Compression T2 socks supported my legs and served to boost circulation and clear waste products from my muscles. Many athletes will sleep in compression clothing or wear it underneath normal clothes to aid in recovery. I have certainly been known to wear my Compression socks underneath my jeans when I am feeling particularly fatigued after a hard session. I would recommend everyone should 'compress themselves' at least once!


http://compressport.uk.com/blog/