Running Clothes

Days to go: 139

Miles this week: 0

Miles total: 30

Other exercise: Football match

Money raised this week: £00.00

Running Total:£321.00

Still to go: £1,179.00

 

The inevitable has happened I got an injury during Sunday’s Football match! It’s nothing major, I went in for a 50 50 ball and ended up twisting my ankle (though on the plus side I did win the tackle). Since then I’ve been limping around for most of the week, so I ended up missing out all of my pre-planned training. In the light of this, it has brought the question that has been rattling around at the back of my mind to the forefront: ‘how much longer can I play football for this season while still undertaking marathon training?’ I had thought I’d make it to the New Year and then take it a game at a time, but now I think I will have to see how my body is feeling by the Christmas break.

 

Hmmmmm… decisions, decisions???!

 

Well with nothing else to add to my week’s exercise routine, I’ll begin with this week’s main talking point ‘Running Clothes’. Last week I spoke to you guys about my essential Gadgets and Gizmos for running, so this week I thought I would extend this to let you lot in on the types of running clothing I wear.

 

The one thing that I love about running, over most other sports, is that you don't need a lot of specialist gear – no expensive running clothes! All you really need to get started is a good pair of running shoes (as I covered in my last blog). When you first start out don't rush to buy any fancy running outfits, just wear comfortable clothes that you would workout in… Well, that’s what I did! If, like me, you start getting more serious about running, you may eventually want to invest in some technical running clothes. Unlike cotton clothing, synthetic fabrics, such as Dri-Fit, whisk moisture away from your skin. Well, that’s what I read! Although the technical fabric running clothes may cost a little more, you’ll appreciate the comfort, especially during long runs.

 

After you have sorted out a good comfy pair of trainers, you’ll need quality socks - there’s no point spending all that money on trainers for your feet to be let down by your choice of socks! Of course you can run in any pair, but socks designed specifically for running are available, and you can shop around a bit to find something that suits you. The right socks can keep your feet warm, dry, supported, cushioned and blister free, depending on the socks you pick. You can also get compressions socks, which are like football socks but much tighter. You can run in them, but I like to wear them after a long run as they help the flow of oxygen and aid a quicker recovery.

 

 

Any shorts will do, but it is said that choosing shaped running shorts made from fabric such as nylon or polyester will help reduce rubbing, therefore resulting in a more comfortable run! I do opt for running shorts, however I draw the line at wearing the little mini running shorts. I can’t see why a guy would want to wear them, let alone leave the house and run – they’re hot pants for guys!!!

 

There’s also the second option - running tights. Hmm yer, tights, that’s my thought! I don’t use them, but have read up on them. Basically there are two types: fleece and compression. I think that’s pretty self-explanatory, but just in case, fleece keep you warm and compression helps to aid recovery, in simple terms. But I just think that at the end of day, they show every contour of your body. Nice. Not!

 

I’m not one hundred percent sure my girlfriend would let me go out rocking a budgie smuggling outfit.

 

Like shorts, you can get T-shirt and vest made from wicking fabrics rather than cotton, which can quickly become wet and heavy. The shape and fit of the top is really down to your own personal preference and the weather conditions. Tops designed specifically for running often have seams positioned where they are less likely to cause chaffing. I have two of these running tops (one short and the other long sleeved). If I’m only doing an easy/short run then I tend to opt for a cotton t-shirt to save on expense.

 

I do most of my running in the evenings after work, where, generally, it’s bitterly cold and gloomy this time of year (again, all your sponsorship makes it worthwhile!) So, to keep warm, I have a rain/wind proof jacket, gloves and a skull cap that I run in, but only if the weather is bad.

 

Ladies, you have the added option of a Sports bra! Now I know nothing about these (strangely enough) but google tells me ‘a woman should wear a well-fitting sports bra designed for high-impact activities’, so I guess that’s a must then.

 

The main point is really to make sure that you, as a runner, are comfortable in the clothes you run in. In order to facilitate enjoyable running there are many different factors to consider when buying clothes, such as how fast you’re running, how long your run is and what the weather conditions are like. However, just remember that my perfect winter/summer outfit is likely to differ from yours – we’re all different!

 

If you are still unsure about what types of clothing would be best for you to run in, then I have found an easy to follow guide on the Runners World website. All you have to do is select from a few options and it provides you with what type of gear you need. You can find it here - http://www.runnersworld.com/what-to-wear 

 

 

If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, please visit my fundraising page to sponsor me

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming 

 

 

Leigh

My Gadgets and Gizmos

Days to go: 146

Miles this week: 0

Miles total: 30

Other exercise: Swimming, Football training and a Football match

Money raised this week: £89.00

Running Total: £321.00

Still to go: £1,179.00

Running is really, really simple. Put on some shorts, a t-shirt and trainers and you’re off... Right?! Well, this used to be my mind set, but since running properly I've discovered a few essentials that now I always take with me, regardless of distance. These are what I'm going to chat about during this blog.

 

It is amazing how many new gadgets they come out with all the time. When you begin running, no matter what level you are at, you will find a market place heaving with running gizmos and gadgets. I would always suggest to anyone to do research before investing in anything, by either visiting review websites or asking other runners. You could spend a fortune on technology and accessories, but this is not essential to start running….. So what do you need?

Well, that question is down to personal preference, of course!

For me, the most important thing (and, in my opinion, the one that should not be scrimped on) is a good pair of running shoes. If you go to a specialist running store (Sweatshop or Moti), the staff will be able to help you choose a pair of shoes that suit your foot shape, running gait and, most importantly, you can also try them out on a treadmill before buying. There is no set rule regarding when you should change your trainers, but depending upon your running style, it’s recommended to change them at around the 500 miles mark….. Well, that’s what I have heard on the grapevine, anyway! I use Apps such as ‘Nike+ Running’ or the ‘Adidas miCoach’ to keep track of the miles my trainers have clocked up. If you’re new to running and are not sure whether it’s your cup of tea, perhaps buy a cheaper pair of trainers for the first few months.

 

My second must-have is my Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS watch (there are other brands out there, I might add). Since I began running in late 2012, I have been using the aforementioned apps, ‘Nike+ Running’ and ‘Adidas miCoach’, to gauge my runs. These had been working wonderfully for me, I'm still very pleased with them, but my phone is apparently not too reliable in the rain! On two of the half marathons this year it was raining very heavily, which resulted in me running the Reading half without any knowledge of time, as my phone stopped working. So when I received a bonus from work, I decided that I would invest in a GPS watch. I did get a heart rate monitor with it but I haven’t used that yet and not sure I even will. I’ve been using the watch for around 8 months now, including wearing it for the Windsor half, and all I can say is that it’s been amazing. It was probably for the best that I bought it, what with marathon training approaching and therefore long runs on the horizon; I'm not sure my phone battery would cope with running apps and playing music simultaneously.

 

 

 If, like me, you like to run to music then a decent pair of headphones are way up there as an important gadget too!! I spent weeks reading different reviews on different brands and styles. In the end I opted for a pair of Sennheiser/ adidas PMX 680i Sports In-Ear Neckband headphones - these are the best thing since sliced bread!!! Well, that’s what I think. I’m even tempted to upgrade to the Sennheiser/Adidas PMX 685i (but will check reviews and speak to my mate in the know before I do so). To go with the headphones you will need something to play the music on. I don’t feel this is important as I flit between my iPod touch or my old smartphone, depending what is charged up. All I would say is to make sure that you can store plenty of music if you’re out on a long run!

I’m wondering if I have fallen into the trap of "all the gear, no idea"!

So there you have it, my essential gizmos and gadgets that I like to have with me when out and about running. Next week I’ll provide you with some inside knowledge on the type of clothing… I say inside knowledge, it’s more what I like to wear when out running.

 

This week's activities are the same as the last few weeks (hurry up marathon training!!). Two football sessions with another league win (2-1), that’s four on the bounce. I did get a swollen nose and a bit of bruising around the nose/eye area for my troubles in the match though (some lovely sponsorship money from you lot would cheer me up…. Shameless plug there!) Monday saw me splashing around the pool, as well as going on the usual runs this week. Having said that, I haven't done too much running (only at football) as my legs have been a bit stiff, and I don't want to get any injuries pre-marathon training!

 

I have also picked up more kind sponsors this week, so a big thank you has to go to the following – My Granddad, K. Imms, S. Spindlove, S. Eastman, P. Wilson, K. Strong, J.Mustoe, A. Wickham, T. Coxhead, J. Chatum, C. Morewood, K. Birt, G. Fletcher.

My target is £500+ before the year is out, then I need to raise another £500 before the end of March, which leaves the final £500 to be raised before the end of May.

 

I know there have been a lot of people asking for money this past week, what with Children in need and the tsunami appeal but if you could spare any I would be over the moon.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming

 

Leigh

Fundraising

Days to go: 154
Miles this week: 9
Miles total: 30
Other exercise: Swimming, Football training and a Football match
Money raised this week: £00.00
Running Total: £232.00

Still to go: £1,480.00

 

Before I embark on outlining the endless possibilities of fundraising ideas that I have had/found, I thought I would share with you how my week started. Monday saw me hit 5 years of service with my current employer, for which I received a nice little letter thanking me for my loyalty and £150 for my troubles.

If only all Mondays were like that, hay!!

Like the past two weeks, my sporting/exercise activities have included two football sessions (one seeing us being knocked out of the league cup, the other was just training). I have also done a few home work-out sessions on top of the basic running, which saw me add another 9 miles to the legs this week. I also found the time to go swimming… Well…. I say I went swimming, but it’s actually a course for front crawl. Now I feel I should explain that I can swim the basics i.e. breast and back stroke, I’ve even been known to rock out the odd doggie paddle here and there, but my front crawl is shockingly bad for an adult of my age. I get the concept of front crawl and have no problem with the movement of my legs and arms - even turning my head to breathe is fine. But it’s trying to catch my breath that I find hardest. I will keep going with it though and one day will hopefully be able to fulfil another goal of mine – to compete in a triathlon! But that’s another blog and another year; this coming year my mind is set on marathon training!

 

 

Regular readers will remember that I started a lean meal plan last week (for 4 weeks) devised by trainer Sion Colenso, which required me to maintain 6 meals a day. Well it’s safe to say I didn’t like a few of the meals, so I spent the weekend looking for similar plans and seeing what they recommended to eat. I found a good one on the running bug website, which has been great!! My favourite meal of the week has to be honey chicken with lemon and sweet potato. If you would like to recreate this for yourself you will need the following ingredients and to simply follow the method outlined below:

 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon
200g sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
100g of chicken fillet, cubed
½ tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp honey
80g of broccoli

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Cut half the lemon into thick slices and add to the pan with the sweet potatoes. Cook over a gentle heat for 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the potatoes are browned and tender.
2. Add the garlic, chicken and rosemary to the pan, increase the heat and season. Cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is browned and thoroughly cooked.
3. Squeeze the remaining lemon over the sweet potatoes and chicken, and stir in the honey. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, and serve immediately with broccoli.

 

Anyway, fundraising ideas…….

 

This week has seen me racking my brain for possible fundraising ideas, but eventually I ended up turning to my good old, trusty steed: Google! There I found loads of different ideas, though a lot that weren’t really feasible.

So the ideas I have currently undertaken are these:

Set up a fundraising page – this has been done through Virgin money giving site (see link at bottom of the page).

Email signature – both personal and business signatures have now got a link to my virgin money giving page, asking the recipient to visit it.

Blogging – well this one needs no explanation.

Sponsor form – I took a form into my old work the other week and received a generous amount of sponsorship money.

Employer match funds – I have had a brief chat with the finance director to see if the company would sponsor me (I’m hoping they will match the funds I raise, but I am grateful for anything they can offer). I will need to sit down for a longer chat to get a final decision.

Pester power – sending messages requesting sponsorship via email and the social media universe, using Twitter and Facebook.

Other ideas I am planning or considering are:

 

Car boot – Pretty self-explanatory, but I will be sure to have signs up stating that the funds raised will be donated to Sense UK, adding to my sponsorship total for running the London marathon.

Guess the amount – I’m not sure if I will do this one yet, but basically I could buy a jar of sweets and get people to pay a set amount to guess how many are in the jar - winner gets the jar of sweets.

Cake sale – I will need to speak to the baking ladies at work to see if they would be kind enough to help me out with this one, but I will have to wait until the New Year as they already have a charity this year.

Holiday raffle – No I’m not paying for someone to go on holiday!! This is where I raffle off one day of paid holiday from work. Obviously I will need to see if my employer would be kind enough to offer the extra day of holiday...

Sweep stake – People predict my finishing time and sponsor a set price to do so.

Sponsor a mile – This is where people sponsor you to listen to their choice of music for each mile, I think I would have to have a set price per mile, just in case I get stuck listening to One Direction for 26+ miles……….that would be harder than the marathon, I reckon!!

 

Please be sure to sponsor me, even if it’s just £1. Everything helps!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming

Leigh

Lean Machine

Days to go: 161

Miles this week: 9

Miles total: 21

Other exercise: Football training and a Football match

Money raised this week: £212.00
Running Total: £232.00

Still to go: £1,268.00

Well, let me tell you, blog four ‘Lean Machine’ has given me some trouble this week! Trying to get my thoughts out of my head for you all to read has been tricky. So… I am going to start with my thank you roll call to everyone that has sponsored me so kindly this past week. Mum, Dad and little sister Charlotte, thank you for your donation! Big brother Nick, I’m coming for your money very soon!! A big thank you also goes to my old work colleagues at Oaktree Nursery (C. Glew, R. Cardrick, R. Cholmondeley, V. Todman, A.M. Miller, A. Calvert, D. Boulden, T. Hobbs, A. Hammond, E. Boyes, B. Glew, M. Albery, C. Dolan, M. Curtis, J. Leach, S. Fleming). The money raised this week is a good step in the right direction, but I know you guys reading this can give more.

On Monday I started a lean meal plan (notice I didn’t say diet, that’s because I don’t need to go on one). The food plan, devised by trainer Sion Colenso, cuts your daily calorie intake to around 1,800 calories. The idea is to help you remove all the excess flab from your frame, while giving you all the nutrition and energy you need to train hard. All of the foods are high in protein to maintain muscle tissue, rich in fibre to keep you feeling full, and high in antioxidants and nutrients to regulate your blood sugar levels.

I’ve been good and stuck to this plan as closely as possible, but I draw the line at sardines….. I mean come on….. SARDINES!!!
 

The meal plan requires me to eat six times a day, which has been a tough job this week…. and I love food!! This has resulted in me missing the odd sixth prescribed snack at the end of the day. It’s not all bad though, I have developed a new love for fresh blueberries mixed with low-fat natural yoghurt and honey. If you guys want to try it you’ll need 120g of low-fat natural yoghurt and a handful of blueberries (I like to add a tablespoon of honey, which I tend to mix in with the yoghurt before adding the blueberries).

 

In conjunction with my meal plan, I have also started a little training programme to keep my fitness level ticking over until the real work starts in December. The plan involves a few workouts at home (mainly core strength) and 3 small runs each week. After my six mile run last Friday I felt it was a little too much running too soon - I don’t want to over-train and pick up any unnecessary injuries – therefore this week I’ve reduced the length of each run, doing 2 x 2.5 miles and 1 x 4 miles. At the moment it’s frustrating that race day is so far away, though I’m sure my feelings will change very rapidly when there’s only a few weeks left.

As well as going running I have also managed two more football sessions like last week, another league win (4-3) in poor, blustery conditions, as well as an hour long training session.

Fundraising has been at the forefront of my mind over the latter half of this week and I have been toying with a few ideas as to what I can do to raise some much needed sponsorship money! I hope to be able to confirm these with you next week, but if you have any ideas please let me know.

If you like what you read and even if you don’t please be sure to visit my fundraising page to sponsor me

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeighFleming

Leigh