Entry 81 – A post not about me but about the amazing Nikki Warnes

Since about February last year I have cycled.  Since the beginning of this year I have been running (I ran three 5ks before then but was not running regularly) and never even attempted more than a 10k.  I now do spin classes on a regular basis and if I swim I do a granny style breast stroke and am happy with that.  I will bitch and moan through a running event and happily put in for a cycling event.  I don’t much fancy a swimming event so I am pretty much out for a triathlon.

However, I have spoken before about a lovely lady who is a member of the same cycle club as me, Romford CC, and also a friend.  The amazingly awesome Nikki Warnes.  I recently mentioned her in a post when she was completing a half ironman event.  Well yesterday she completed the Outlaw triathlon (which is the same as an ironman distance).  If you do not know what that is then let me tell you.  This is a triathlon that includes the following distances:

• 2.4 mile swim
• 112 mile bike ride
• 26.2 mile run

Any one of those is a huge achievement on its own but can you imagine the magnitude of putting them all together.  In one go. As one event. And you are racing against a clock as there is a cut off time of 17 hours!  So it is not even just about finishing, you have to be done within the timeframe.

The swim I couldn’t even imagine doing.

Next Sunday I am doing a bike ride I have been training for which is 100 miles and that to me is huge.

When people tell me they do a marathon that to me is epic.

Even without the swim if someone told me next week I would have to add a marathon on after the bike ride (which is not even as many miles) I would think they had possibly fallen and hit their head.

Also a little background about Nikki – this time last year she just started out cycling literally from scratch.  She couldn’t swim a length in the swimming pool. She had completed a marathon but after that hadn’t run so was starting again.  She joined Romford CC, started swimming with the lovely Kay at KAS and also joined Havering Tri Club.  And the training began.

She is nuts.  Amazingly crackers! Always positive and never stops smiling – literally never!  When I first met her I thought she was crazy – I love it!

She’s an inspiration and I wanted today’s post to be for her and to let her know how proud everyone is of her and to say a huge massive well done!

15 hours and 30 minutes of hard bloody graft!  Extraordinary!

Also to her tri club team mates who completed the event yesterday – Laura Homer, Graham Goddard and Danny Law.

Much love xxxx

Entry 80 – If someone had told me….

If someone had told me this time a couple of years ago that I would be running and doing so in public where actual humans with eyes can see me and running in a vest with no sleeves to cover my bingo wings as they sway to and fro in the wind (which they do) I would have probably laughed at them after I swallowed my mouthful of burger or something equally tasty but unhealthy and not good for me.

If someone had told me that I would have not one but 3 bikes now and be part of a cycling club (who are awesome by the way #RomfordCC) and regularly cycle and wear cycling lycra which lets face it highlights every lump and bump I would have thought you crazy and worried that my ass may swallow the seat!

If someone had told me that I would sign up (this time off my own back) to ride 100 miles by choice for the second time I would have probably winced and thought about how sore my lady parts would be after sitting on a bike for that distance.

If someone had told me that I would have a blog laying it out there about my journey (sometimes a struggle) on this path to being healthier and fitter and lose weight I would have chocked as I sipped on my large glass of white wine.

If someone had told me that I regularly go the gym, am friends with some of the instructors, and have learned to love spin class despite the fact that it breaks my vagina I would have probably thought you were high on something illegal.

If someone had told me that Friday nights (like tonight) require alcohol intake to be monitored as I am cycling tomorrow early and my social life is planned around that I would have probably tried to have you institutionalised.

But I am doing all that and I am loving it.  Well most of it – I am still waiting to love the running but I do it anyway.  I am still waiting until I find climbing hills on my bike easier but I do it (whilst sounding like a panting dog).  I won’t yet run in shorts as I am not that brave – are you crazy?!

And I have received some lovely messages from people with kind words saying how they like my rambling on about this whole process and I am so grateful for that.  Don’t get me wrong its not easy and whilst I snack on fruit and my work colleague eats chocolate I do not have any bad feeling towards her (bitch) ha ha.

I am a work in progress and enjoying the ride and I had a message from someone on my facebook saying that they cannot possibly do it but I want to say if I can then you can!

Entry 79 – London to Southend and a couple of well done’s!

Yesterday was the annual London to Southend bike ride.  I did this ride last year with some of the members of Romford CC and went back again this year for another club event.

I was prepared with my new bike bag to sit on my frame which I could ride with opened so I had easy access to some food as I cycled.  I am useless on this front and often finish a ride and realise I haven’t eaten anything so this was a handy hint from my friend Sophie to put the snacks in a zip lock bag open in the bag and take one out every now and then – worked a treat!

It starts in Victoria Park in London and heads down to Priory Park in Southend.  At 7.30/8am there was quite a crowd of us with Romford CC and Hornchurch CC combining for this ride.

As we set off it was wet and there were 7 punctures before we had departed Victoria Park!  But we were all still in good spirits and ready for the ride!

The weird yellow thing you see in my nose is new.  Not a new nose ring I must add but something to help with breathing so I figured I would give it a go.  Made by a company called Turbine it is sports breathing technology and is supposed to control nasal breathing.  Hey if it’s good enough for Froome who am I to judge?  When I breathed through my nose it was miles better – problem is I am a mouth breather on the bike and when running so will need to work on this but in the meantime will know what I will look like should I decide to have my septum pierced.

The weather picked up as the ride went on and most of us now have the obligatory cycling tan lines!

Getting out of London we hit pretty much every red light and groups got split pretty quickly – almost impossible to keep so many people together.  I ended up riding for over 10 miles on my own having got caught at a red light and then being stuck behind a car.  I managed to catch up three other guys in our club and carried on the ride with Mark, Jamie and Darren.  The route actually takes in some of our club route so that is quite nice being on such familiar roads.

It is a busy ride and getting split up happens so easily and soon enough there were just two of us – me and the mighty Mr Wessels.  We had a good ride and had a good old natter as we went!  Thoroughly enjoyable ride and company!

As you come to the finish line you go through a gate to the park up a little ramp over the kerb (very technical) and down a little windy path (careful of the big tree route) to the finish tent to where my hubby was waiting.

The speedy ones form the club were already there and over the next hour or so our group got larger and larger as people came in combining our cycle club Romford CC with Hornchurch CC and also Havering Tri – lovely to have everyone together in the park!

The after gathering at such events is always as much fun as the event itself – who can complain with a celebratory beer in the park courtesy of the lovely wives of some of the club members!  Such a lovely club to be part of!

Only downside was the signage on the ride was more than shoddy in some places and we got lost at one point and others got lost in other points – so easily done with lack of signs on the course.  Having said that I will be back to do it again next year for sure.

I did say a couple of well done’s in the title of this blog and they are as follows:

• to my lovely hubby, Darren and Andy for all completing the Great Newham Swim on Saturday
• to my brother and his girlfriend Emma for also completing London to Southend having never done a bike event before
• to a lovely lady who reads my blog called Jenny who completed her first running event yesterday and a 10k at that!

So I woke up this morning and put my right foot down as I skulked out of bed and ouch – shooting pain so today there will be no run and hopefully tomorrow will be all good.  On the plus side though I lost another pound bringing the total to 52lbs and counting so the plaque can once again be changed (my favourite part of the week)!

Entry 78 – I am cream crackered! But it was worth it!

I neglected the blog last week with only one post.  I’ve had a busy week and completely missed my rest day!  I am tired.

I started on Monday with a very early morning 5k run followed by a 30 mile bike ride on Tuesday evening with my lovely friend Helen and we got lost and did more hills than I wanted (I hate hills) – I took Helen to Old Church B*tch Hill and when we got to the top she turned to check I was ok – I was and got up it though when I say in these blogs I sound like I am giving birth she got to witness that first hand, lucky girl!  Tuesday and Wednesday I went back to my spin classes with the lovely Chris (if I don’t count his dodgy vests) and Emma and was good to be back!  Thursday I ran 5k with my lovely friend Anna and then carried on for some more to take it to 10k.  And then on to Friday!  Fun Friday!

On Friday I went with my sister back to her fancy pants gym and we once again did the crazy Zuu class followed by killer kettle bell class followed by swimming.  I actually knew the instructor as he used to work at my gym and I made a plea for no leg work as I was doing a big bike ride the following day and he promptly replied ‘not my problem’ then killed my legs!  This was pretty much how I felt afterwards.

It was all good though because afterwards we went to Jump Giants! I keep raving on about this place but seriously it was so much fun.  My sister and I picked up my niece from preschool and so we didn’t look like a couple of oddballs took her and headed there to bounce.  To be fair I would go again minus child as it is so good.  It is basically an indoor warehouse that has been gutted and redesigned with trampolines everywhere.  There was an area for under 10s, a huge huge huge trampoline area with loads of different sized trampolines, a foam pit, basketball, dodgeball – it was awesome!  My only advice would be to wear appropriate clothing as my vest was slightly too big and there was some boob flashing going on, which led to some rather pathetic flips into the foam pit holding my chest and hoping for the best.  I need to go again.  And again.  And again.  And again.

Saturday I went on my planned bike ride with the lovely Sophie and Steve and with some technical malfunction we did not get to where we wanted as the route would not load on our Garmins but still went for a ride and headed out to Hanningfield reservoir and had a lovely albeit eventful ride.  We managed to pick up another member of Romford CC, Rob, on route and he joined us.  Heading out to Hanningfield I felt great, good ride, good pace, got there and had a cuppa.  Surrounding the front door to the cafe was about a dozen geese which was quite funny – new type of bouncer? Once we left I think I left my legs at the cafe.  When I got home I realised I hadn’t eaten anything on this ride – no fuelling – rookie mistake – stupid Lisa!  We also had a near miss with a car that pulled out on us (not quite sure how anyone can miss us in our luminous yellow and pink club kit but anyway) nearly took out Sophie and Rob and then once they had gone past carried on and nearly took me and Steve out.  I ended up in a bush and Steve ended up coming off going into this guys car.  To be fair the guy was shaken and so apologetic.  Steve was very kind about it telling the guy he should be more careful.  My inner fish wife came out and I shouted and swore a lot.

Sunday I did a Race for Life with my lovely friend Anna.  A sea of women all in pink – my kind of place!  Would love to see Race for Life be on paths though as the uneven ground across fields is always slightly dodgy, unless you are used to trail running, as I spend most of it looking at the ground to make sure I am not ending up in a hole.  Still all for a good cause and Anna and I had a good time along the course.

So I have not had a rest day in 10 days.  I can feel it in my knees as well.  They ache. I think they hate me a little bit.  I woke this morning to rain, lots of rain.  Today will be a rest day and I will enjoy it.  No run pre work and no spin class tonight.  Rest.  Its part of the program.

I did lose another 1lb though so my total is now 51lbs (and continuing) so pleased I can change my plaque again to the highest number it has been so far (insert big smiley face)!

Entry 77 – What a lovely week!

Doesn’t the weather being nice make everything seem better?  Although running and cycling when so hot – not so much!

This week has been social fitness with a lot of activities with lots of lovely people!

Monday saw a 5k park run with my furry running partner followed by a 26 mile bike ride with my spin buddy Rich:

Tuesday saw a 5k run with him indoors to test my new trainers.

Wednesday I helped recording times at a duathlon event for my husbands tri club and wow those guys are quick quick quick!

Thursday I ran with my lovely friend Anna who is doing couch to 5k and we did her first 5k with no stopping or walking and she did amazing as I knew she would!

Saturday I cycled with my friend Helen who recently had a nasty fall off her bike so this was her first ride since then – another nice 26 mile loop.  Then a quick visit to Yellow Jersey Cycles in Billericay to get her bike checked out by the brilliant Nate – we were both wandering around Billericay in full cycle gear……..as you do!

Then I spent the afternoon in the garden sitting in the sun.

Sunday we were due rain and I wanted to get a ride in so headed out early to do the same loop as Saturday so another 26 mile ride to get some more miles in.  So many people were out I counted 43 cyclists and 7 bunnies by the sides of the road.  I didn’t manage to avoid the rain however and 6 miles from the end I could hear that tap on my helmet and then it came down and just kept coming – good job I don’t mind riding in the rain!

I like being on my bike and seeing other cyclists on my way as there is always a friendly wave, good morning or head nod unless you get a grumpy cyclist though on the whole its a friendly little sport.

I have started house hunting whilst on my bike and as I go through pretty places and see houses for sale mentally I am imagining moving there – yesterday I picked two, one in Orsett village and one in Bulphan.

Some of the guys in Romford CC, including my husband, completed the Etape de Yorkshire on Saturday which was an epic 98 mile ride that included over 5,000 feet in elevation of climbing (rather them than me).  Well done all!

Monday came again quickly and so after my run this morning the scales came back out for weigh in day and I am please I lost 2lbs so can update my plaque to 50lbs again!

Entry 76 – Trainer porn #rubsthighs

So I started my week with a 5k run and my left foot was aching and has been for a while now. I have been wearing the same pair of trainers for over a year and a half and although I do not run any marathons they have had a fair amount of mileage now and my left foot was starting to ache on the sole so time to invest in some new footwear.  I got a new pair of trainers Tuesday night!

Him indoors has two pairs – one for long distance (always swears by Asics) and one for up to 10k, which are made by On who are a company on a quest for the perfect running sensation and he loves them!  So off I set to Runners Need (part of Snow and Rock and Cycle Surgery in Romford who sponsor our cycle club, Romford CC) to get me some new On trainers.  T’was not to be.

I got as far as trying them on and saying they felt lovely – they were super comfortable and springy and I thought yes these are the new trainers for me.  On the treadmill I got to check my gait (was not expecting this and dressed in work clothes so ran whilst holding my boobies looking less than elegant in the process) and the very helpful and lovely Adam showed me how much I over pronate and advised that these were not the trainers for me.  It was quite shocking actually to see how you land when running.  I have had a gait analysis before but is interesting to see how different trainers can affect it.  I will hold my hands up and say watching the way I ran it is surprising that I have not fallen over my own feet and injured myself – it was very Forrest Gump!

I don’t know much technically about all this fitness stuff and with running I pretty much lace up my trainers, turn on my Garmin running watch and off I go hoping for the best, putting one foot in front of the other.

So I went back to my trusty Asics and selected a rather bright pair that caught my eye and got back on the treadmill and the difference was massive!  Trainer porn alert!  Such an improvement – sorted! Got those babies bagged up, paid and headed home for a run in the sun.

5k loop with the husband to test the new trainers out with a quick pit stop to say hello to some friends on route.  Super comfortable and I even got a personal record for the first 2 miles and an overall quicker pace.  Though that could just be because I was so sweaty and hot that I wanted it done and over with quickly but I am going to go with it being all down to the new trainers!

If you are in the market for trainers head down to Runners Need and have your gait analysis done with some expert advice and bag yourself some new trainers then get out and run! Run Forest Run!