Friday training update - Vendredi formation mise à jour

Bonjour mes petits peches!

Doesn't that just make you want to run!?!

Look at that beautiful view - that was my morning run yesterday...lucky me! It was just such a beautiful start to the day and inspired me to put on my running shoes and get out there before breakfast for my first pavement pounding. This is the sea front in Lytham - about half a mile stretch of grass called 'Lytham Green' running along the beach edge. It's 100% flat, perfect for beginners running and luckily for me, just a stone's throw from my back door! You can just about see Lytham's famous windmill in the distance and the lifeboat launch is the building in this photo, with a jetty running out into the estuary that I love to wander out along. I usually start at this point and either run towards Preston (the direction seen in this photo) or the other way towards Blackpool. There are circular routes I add on in both directions - the Blackpool direction having the longer routes I usually enjoy.

My phone-camera decided all on its own to record my first few steps of this training programme - pretty cool hey!

So, for a training update.

So far this week I've done 3 gym sessions of 1 hour or more. 

Each session I'm currently doing 30 mins on the cross trainer - which is just over 5k. 

Then I do either 10 mins on the treadmill building up walking/running and 10-15 minutes on the excercise bike - which is again about 5k, or 20 on the excercise bike alone, if I've already done an outside run. 

Then I've been pushing myself and my bingo wings to do 10 minutes & 2000m beat the clock on the rowing machine to finish off. 

If the weights machines are free I've also been trying at three sets of 12 lifting 10kilos on the 'bingo wing' weight machine and the 'boob squeeze' machine. (I still haven't learned their proper names!) 

As you can see I've also started at running outside. My run yesterday morning took me 20 minutes, of which I reckon I ran about 12-15 mins interspersed with catch-my-breath walking. 

I'm taking today off. Partly because with my double training yesterday (run & gym) I think I should give to give my body a rest and partly because it's that day of the month that, as a lady, I feel a bit too delicate for leaping around anywhere, if you know what I mean.

But, I shall be back tomorrow with a post-work gym session (squeezed in before going out to see a friend's band) and Sunday morning I intend to complete my planned activity for the week with a second outside run.

So, that's where we're up to. 

Most importantly, it's getting much easier (might be time to up the resistance on those machines next week). Everything about me is feeling tighter, a bit more toned and a bit less wibbly. Yesterday evening I got a MASSIVE boost of post-gym endorphins. That was the first real time this training cycle. I just wish I could bottle that feeling to remind myself how worthwhile it is putting in the effort, for when I'm feeling lazy and wimp out on it!

Diet wise I'm still being pretty good. 

I stuck to the no alcohol all week rule until last night, when I have to admit I had a little slip. In part I blame Samantha Sans Dosage for my craving for a nice glass of red wine (luckily I managed to avoid the cheese accompaniment!). And of course, because I'm not a one glass kind of girl, I ended up satisfying the craving by polishing off a bottle. *Cough, cough*...small wobble that's all. 

I also sneaked in a couple of potato cakes at lunch earlier in the week. Having felt so much more energised that evening in the gym I've decided to allow myself a small portion of carbs at lunch time. I figure that's ok so long as I keep it small and it doesn't stray past around 3pm. I'm still only having a small breakfast with my beloved oatbran & 0% fat greek yoghurt combo. 

On the scales I've plateaued this week at very slightly under 14 stone. But i'm not getting too upset about that as I'm feeling so much better. Plus, i'm hoping once I've got rid of monthly water retention, that might tip down a couple of pounds.

...here's hoping!

Mlle Peche xx

P.S. Very interesting article about whether we actually need carbohydrates at all in our diets - looking at Gwyneth Paltrow's statement that she doesn't feed carbs to her kids.