Race review: Run To The Deep

Race review: Run To The Deep

Run To The Deep was a last minute sign up.  There had been an email to the run club at work but I totally forgot about it.  The reminder email (with a photo of the octopus medal) was just the nudge I needed to register.  Put on by the British Science Association, who smartly hired The Race Organizer to execute the race, it was a lovely Friday evening run around Hyde Park.  The weather was perfect for running- just a bit cool with a slight breeze.  About 200 people came out, although the race could have allowed 500 runners to take part.

Race pack

Race entry and fees:  Registration was £25 through Eventbrite.  You could also register on the day.  Rather than mailing out the race packets, we had on hour before the race started where we coud collect our bibs at the start line.  I got there 30 minutes early so had time to say hi to some friends (a pleasant surpise to see them!) and warm up.

Limbering up

Course and bogs: The course was a 5 km loop through Hyde Park that you had to do twice.  It was really well marshalled with a person in high-vis at every turn cheering us on, as well as large bright signs.  There weren’t any mile markers so I was glad I had my Fitbit on to help me keep track of  my distance.  The paths were open to the public but it wasn’t too crowded. 

Park toilets, which normally cost 20p but for some reason were free that night, were right across from the start line and there was never a queue.  The water station was at the start line, rather than out mid-course, and sufficient in size for the weather, number of people and course length. 

If you have been living under a rock, you may not have heard about how much plastic rubbish ends up in the ocean.  The Run To The Deep organizers made a few simple decisons to help reduce the amount of plastic produced by the race.  The water cups were biodegradable and compostable.  The water itself was brought in in large carboys rather than small water bottles you would get at a store.

Group warm up


Location: 
As I have mentioned, the race was in Hyde Park, London, after work on a Friday evening.  It was really easy to get to.  I actually took a bus over from Oxford Circus. I don’t make it over there too often so it was nice to see a different part of London.  The park is the largest of the four Royal Parks, so it was fairly peaceful in terms of traffic noise and not very crowded with people.  I imagine if it was a wee bit warmer, the park would have been more crowded.  The course took us by the Serpentine too.

I had to stop and take a picture.  You don’t see this on city runs very often.

Atmosphere:   With only 200 runners in a very large park, there wasn’t much atmosphere in terms of cheering or running alongside other people.  One of the cool aspects of the race was the Run To The Deep app that used GPS to narrate your trip to the bottom of the ocean.  It was really strange to run a race that encouraged you to wear headphones, especially where there were so many scientists together in a semi-social setting (well, I went because I am a scientist but I am sure some people were not).  I opted to enjoy running in the park rather than listening to the app.  My friends who used the app said it was pretty cool so I need to download it asap and give it a try.

Race bling and goody bags: The race medal design was what convinced me to do the race.  There is an octopus on it and I am a marine biologist by training.  Therefore, it was a no-brainer.  Another eco-friednly choise was using a ribbon that was 100% cotton so it didn’t contain any plastic.  Hurray!

The paper goody bags contained the medal, a banana (no wrapper!) and a collapsible stainless steel cup on a key chain (#genius).  That is going in my camping gear as I always carry a resusable water bottle with me anyways.

Goody bag and back of medal

Tips if you want to take part next time:  If you had been listening to the app, you would know how far you have gone along the route.  If you run without the app, I would suggest having a running app or watch to let you know the distance covered.  As I mentioned above, I was keeping tabs of my mile splits with my Fitbit so this wasn’t an issue for me.  Make sure you bring a few 20p coins in case you have to use the loo.

Unfortunatelt, I am not sure they will have another Run To The Deep race next year, but I heard they did a solar system run last summer and want to do a series of four races altogether.  I highly recommend it if they do. #nerdsunite

Me and my bling
Race review: Run To The Deep

Race review: Run To The Deep

Run To The Deep was a last minute sign up.  There had been an email to the run club at work but I totally forgot about it.  The reminder email (with a photo of the octopus medal) was just the nudge I needed to register.  Put on by the British Science Association, who smartly hired The Race Organizer to execute the race, it was a lovely Friday evening run around Hyde Park.  The weather was perfect for running- just a bit cool with a slight breeze.  About 200 people came out, although the race could have allowed 500 runners to take part.

Race pack

Race entry and fees:  Registration was £25 through Eventbrite.  You could also register on the day.  Rather than mailing out the race packets, we had on hour before the race started where we coud collect our bibs at the start line.  I got there 30 minutes early so had time to say hi to some friends (a pleasant surpise to see them!) and warm up.

Limbering up

Course and bogs: The course was a 5 km loop through Hyde Park that you had to do twice.  It was really well marshalled with a person in high-vis at every turn cheering us on, as well as large bright signs.  There weren’t any mile markers so I was glad I had my Fitbit on to help me keep track of  my distance.  The paths were open to the public but it wasn’t too crowded. 

Park toilets, which normally cost 20p but for some reason were free that night, were right across from the start line and there was never a queue.  The water station was at the start line, rather than out mid-course, and sufficient in size for the weather, number of people and course length. 

If you have been living under a rock, you may not have heard about how much plastic rubbish ends up in the ocean.  The Run To The Deep organizers made a few simple decisons to help reduce the amount of plastic produced by the race.  The water cups were biodegradable and compostable.  The water itself was brought in in large carboys rather than small water bottles you would get at a store.

Group warm up


Location: 
As I have mentioned, the race was in Hyde Park, London, after work on a Friday evening.  It was really easy to get to.  I actually took a bus over from Oxford Circus. I don’t make it over there too often so it was nice to see a different part of London.  The park is the largest of the four Royal Parks, so it was fairly peaceful in terms of traffic noise and not very crowded with people.  I imagine if it was a wee bit warmer, the park would have been more crowded.  The course took us by the Serpentine too.

I had to stop and take a picture.  You don’t see this on city runs very often.

Atmosphere:   With only 200 runners in a very large park, there wasn’t much atmosphere in terms of cheering or running alongside other people.  One of the cool aspects of the race was the Run To The Deep app that used GPS to narrate your trip to the bottom of the ocean.  It was really strange to run a race that encouraged you to wear headphones, especially where there were so many scientists together in a semi-social setting (well, I went because I am a scientist but I am sure some people were not).  I opted to enjoy running in the park rather than listening to the app.  My friends who used the app said it was pretty cool so I need to download it asap and give it a try.

Race bling and goody bags: The race medal design was what convinced me to do the race.  There is an octopus on it and I am a marine biologist by training.  Therefore, it was a no-brainer.  Another eco-friednly choise was using a ribbon that was 100% cotton so it didn’t contain any plastic.  Hurray!

The paper goody bags contained the medal, a banana (no wrapper!) and a collapsible stainless steel cup on a key chain (#genius).  That is going in my camping gear as I always carry a resusable water bottle with me anyways.

Goody bag and back of medal

Tips if you want to take part next time:  If you had been listening to the app, you would know how far you have gone along the route.  If you run without the app, I would suggest having a running app or watch to let you know the distance covered.  As I mentioned above, I was keeping tabs of my mile splits with my Fitbit so this wasn’t an issue for me.  Make sure you bring a few 20p coins in case you have to use the loo.

Unfortunatelt, I am not sure they will have another Run To The Deep race next year, but I heard they did a solar system run last summer and want to do a series of four races altogether.  I highly recommend it if they do. #nerdsunite

Me and my bling
Active travel: Thailand

Active travel: Thailand

I have been lucky enough to visit seven countries in the last six months.  Holidays are a great time to explore an alternative side to the local culture and see how they stay active and healthy.  In Thailand, the sun was shining every day, which instantly made me feel a bit more cheery.  Although it was way too hot and humid to run, I was able to use a few hotel fitness rooms to complete my corrective exercise homework from Function360.  But I really wanted to spend time doing activities that I couldn’t do at home (when in Rome and all that!) so I booked in for several unique Thai experiences.

Feeling tough and super sweaty


Muay Thai
The first was Muay Thai boxing, of course.  Via Trip Advisor and Google, I found Master Toddy’s Muay Thai Academy which is Bangkok.  The location didn’t seem too far from our hotel but the public transport and traffic in Bangkok is a bit nuts so I took a taxi there and back.  When I arrived, I was greeted by a gym member who was originally from America.  He asked me what my experience in Muay Thai was and if I spoke Thai.  I replied I have none with either.  My instructor’s name was Korn, and my new friend told me Korn didn’t speak much English.  I expected this and wasn’t too worried. As long as I could copy the movements he made, I thought I would be able to learn the technique.  After changing into my workout clothes, I grabbed my water bottle and headed into the ring with Korn.

Perfecting those pesky front kicks

We started off with a warm up and stretching.  Korn could count to 10 in English which was really handy.  The lesson was private, which meant I always had a clear view of him and he was watching what I was doing.   After the warm up, we went through basic punching and kicking positions in slow motion and without pads.  Finally, he go out the long pieces of cloth, wrapped my hands and chose my gloves.  I was ready to fight.

Playing in the background was a recording of about 20 three minute rounds.  My guess is that there was about 60 seconds rest between bouts.  We started off by working on the basic punches and getting power into the pads Korn was holding.  Then we worked on the kicks and sorting out what my natural range of motion was. Once he was happy with the my technique, he designed various kicking and  punching combinations for me to complete during the bouts.  The gym was a large fenced in garage so the temperature and humidity was the same in the ring as it was outside.  I had brought 2L of water with me and made sure to take sips when I could.  Korn had to help a bit because the boxing gloves limited my ability to open and handle the bottle.

Korn and I in the ring

Front kicks were probably my worst skill as I just couldn’t get any power behind them.  I was pretty good at a side kick though and my hook is killer.  The session was two hours long which was probably better suited for a couple or group.  Towards the end, Korn took me out of the ring and had me practice on punching bags in the workout area.  The humidity made them a little slick but I was able to work repeatedly on one move at a time.  I think I would have preferred to start with the bags and then build my way up to the rings. Although I have a certificate saying I now know the fundamental basics of Muay Thai, I didn’t feel very confident after my lesson.   I am really glad I had my first lesson where Muay Thai originated though.  If you are interested in taking lessons, Master Toddy offers accomidation for those registere in his intensive training program.

Selfie while wearing my Subea mask

Snorkeling
I am lucky enough to be able to called myself a marine biologist (yes I have seen the Sinfield episode). I spent as much time as I could in the water while in Thailand.  True, there are many places off over the world where you can snorkel, but rarely do we visit those places.  James and I did a full day snorkeling trip from Kkao Lak, and then I did a separate excursion to Coral Island on my own.  We snorkeled a few times at the Khao Lak hotel, and the bride and groom arranged a day-long boat trip with the wedding guests too.  My bum totally got sunburned and my hair was salty but my heart was oh-so-happy.   Using the Decathlon Subea face mask, it so easy to see everything around us and not have to worry about clearing the snorkel.  Our masks didn’t fog up and were easy to fit without any leaks (James and I had different sizes).

These fish were everywhere and would swim right over to you.

My G-Eye 900 action camera accompanied me on every dive.  I took both photos and videos to help me remember what we saw.  There is so much video to go through! I am not very good with Latin names but could pick out general groups of fish (such as trigger, damsel, parrot, etc).  Sadly, the guides on our trips didn’t know what any of the fish were so I couldn’t ask them too many questions.  I was thrilled to see a puffer fish and some small cuttlefish.  Sadly, we didn’t see any turtles in the wild but did visit a rescue and rehabilitation facility near Khao Lak.  If I go back, I will try to go when the sea turtle nest on the beach.  How cool would that be?

If you go to Thailand, bring your bathing suit, cover up, water shoes and lots of sunscreen.  Being on the water totally calms me.  You don’t have to get in but something about being on a boat is so relaxing.  The fish come right over to you so you will see lots of different critters while you are in the shallow water.  Try not to step on the rocks and coral because you could injury yourself and the coral is very delicate.  I wore my Keen sandals the entire time, which were a bit heavy but really helpful when I got caught in a current and needed to swim to shore for a rest.

Parrotfish in the center.

Thai Massage
My brother-in-law’s wife (now my sister-in-law?) invited me to a spa day with the bridal party.  I booked myself in for a Thai massage and honestly had no idea what to expect. Every massage I have ever had, you undress, lay flat on a table and are rubbbed with oil or lotion.  But for a Thai massage, you put on these pajama-like scrubs and have your feet washed before you start.  You then lay on a table and the fun begins.

All treatments start with a foot bath, even the manicures!

Thai massage combines pressing on the body (rather than rubbing) with yoga-like body positions. My massage did have some traditional massage movements, but also a lot of stretching, pulling and body movement. I tried to stay as relaxed as possible as the women bent me in all sorts of directions. I even had to sit up at the end while she stood behind me to crack my back somehow.

I was more bemused than anything by the end but also felt a little lighter and taller.  There were massage parlors everywhere in Thailand so if you want one, it isn’t hard to find.  I even got a foot massage in the international terminal in the Bangkok airport before we left for home.  It was really peaceful and relaxing, which helped me sleep on the overnight flight back to London.
Bride-to-be and I had our treatments in the same room.  That was another first for me.
If you have been to Thailand, what other activities would you recomend?  Leave a comment below and let me know.

All the photos in this post were taken with my G-Eye 900.  Some were actual photos and the others are screenshots of videos.  Anyone have tips on how to make videos into photos?  I would greatly appreciate some advice.

Decathlon graciously gave me the Subea masks and G-Eye 900 to review.  All opinions are honest and my own.

Active travel: Thailand

Active travel: Thailand

I have been lucky enough to visit seven countries in the last six months.  Holidays are a great time to explore an alternative side to the local culture and see how they stay active and healthy.  In Thailand, the sun was shining every day, which instantly made me feel a bit more cheery.  Although it was way too hot and humid to run, I was able to use a few hotel fitness rooms to complete my corrective exercise homework from Function360.  But I really wanted to spend time doing activities that I couldn’t do at home (when in Rome and all that!) so I booked in for several unique Thai experiences.

Feeling tough and super sweaty


Muay Thai
The first was Muay Thai boxing, of course.  Via Trip Advisor and Google, I found Master Toddy’s Muay Thai Academy which is Bangkok.  The location didn’t seem too far from our hotel but the public transport and traffic in Bangkok is a bit nuts so I took a taxi there and back.  When I arrived, I was greeted by a gym member who was originally from America.  He asked me what my experience in Muay Thai was and if I spoke Thai.  I replied I have none with either.  My instructor’s name was Korn, and my new friend told me Korn didn’t speak much English.  I expected this and wasn’t too worried. As long as I could copy the movements he made, I thought I would be able to learn the technique.  After changing into my workout clothes, I grabbed my water bottle and headed into the ring with Korn.

Perfecting those pesky front kicks

We started off with a warm up and stretching.  Korn could count to 10 in English which was really handy.  The lesson was private, which meant I always had a clear view of him and he was watching what I was doing.   After the warm up, we went through basic punching and kicking positions in slow motion and without pads.  Finally, he go out the long pieces of cloth, wrapped my hands and chose my gloves.  I was ready to fight.

Playing in the background was a recording of about 20 three minute rounds.  My guess is that there was about 60 seconds rest between bouts.  We started off by working on the basic punches and getting power into the pads Korn was holding.  Then we worked on the kicks and sorting out what my natural range of motion was. Once he was happy with the my technique, he designed various kicking and  punching combinations for me to complete during the bouts.  The gym was a large fenced in garage so the temperature and humidity was the same in the ring as it was outside.  I had brought 2L of water with me and made sure to take sips when I could.  Korn had to help a bit because the boxing gloves limited my ability to open and handle the bottle.

Korn and I in the ring

Front kicks were probably my worst skill as I just couldn’t get any power behind them.  I was pretty good at a side kick though and my hook is killer.  The session was two hours long which was probably better suited for a couple or group.  Towards the end, Korn took me out of the ring and had me practice on punching bags in the workout area.  The humidity made them a little slick but I was able to work repeatedly on one move at a time.  I think I would have preferred to start with the bags and then build my way up to the rings. Although I have a certificate saying I now know the fundamental basics of Muay Thai, I didn’t feel very confident after my lesson.   I am really glad I had my first lesson where Muay Thai originated though.  If you are interested in taking lessons, Master Toddy offers accomidation for those registere in his intensive training program.

Selfie while wearing my Subea mask

Snorkeling
I am lucky enough to be able to called myself a marine biologist (yes I have seen the Sinfield episode). I spent as much time as I could in the water while in Thailand.  True, there are many places off over the world where you can snorkel, but rarely do we visit those places.  James and I did a full day snorkeling trip from Kkao Lak, and then I did a separate excursion to Coral Island on my own.  We snorkeled a few times at the Khao Lak hotel, and the bride and groom arranged a day-long boat trip with the wedding guests too.  My bum totally got sunburned and my hair was salty but my heart was oh-so-happy.   Using the Decathlon Subea face mask, it so easy to see everything around us and not have to worry about clearing the snorkel.  Our masks didn’t fog up and were easy to fit without any leaks (James and I had different sizes).

These fish were everywhere and would swim right over to you.

My G-Eye 900 action camera accompanied me on every dive.  I took both photos and videos to help me remember what we saw.  There is so much video to go through! I am not very good with Latin names but could pick out general groups of fish (such as trigger, damsel, parrot, etc).  Sadly, the guides on our trips didn’t know what any of the fish were so I couldn’t ask them too many questions.  I was thrilled to see a puffer fish and some small cuttlefish.  Sadly, we didn’t see any turtles in the wild but did visit a rescue and rehabilitation facility near Khao Lak.  If I go back, I will try to go when the sea turtle nest on the beach.  How cool would that be?

If you go to Thailand, bring your bathing suit, cover up, water shoes and lots of sunscreen.  Being on the water totally calms me.  You don’t have to get in but something about being on a boat is so relaxing.  The fish come right over to you so you will see lots of different critters while you are in the shallow water.  Try not to step on the rocks and coral because you could injury yourself and the coral is very delicate.  I wore my Keen sandals the entire time, which were a bit heavy but really helpful when I got caught in a current and needed to swim to shore for a rest.

Parrotfish in the center.

Thai Massage
My brother-in-law’s wife (now my sister-in-law?) invited me to a spa day with the bridal party.  I booked myself in for a Thai massage and honestly had no idea what to expect. Every massage I have ever had, you undress, lay flat on a table and are rubbbed with oil or lotion.  But for a Thai massage, you put on these pajama-like scrubs and have your feet washed before you start.  You then lay on a table and the fun begins.

All treatments start with a foot bath, even the manicures!

Thai massage combines pressing on the body (rather than rubbing) with yoga-like body positions. My massage did have some traditional massage movements, but also a lot of stretching, pulling and body movement. I tried to stay as relaxed as possible as the women bent me in all sorts of directions. I even had to sit up at the end while she stood behind me to crack my back somehow.

I was more bemused than anything by the end but also felt a little lighter and taller.  There were massage parlors everywhere in Thailand so if you want one, it isn’t hard to find.  I even got a foot massage in the international terminal in the Bangkok airport before we left for home.  It was really peaceful and relaxing, which helped me sleep on the overnight flight back to London.
Bride-to-be and I had our treatments in the same room.  That was another first for me.
If you have been to Thailand, what other activities would you recomend?  Leave a comment below and let me know.

All the photos in this post were taken with my G-Eye 900.  Some were actual photos and the others are screenshots of videos.  Anyone have tips on how to make videos into photos?  I would greatly appreciate some advice.

Decathlon graciously gave me the Subea masks and G-Eye 900 to review.  All opinions are honest and my own.

Ride with me in your living room

Ride with me in your living room

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a product launch by the Spanish brand, Bkool.  They manufacture three different types of turbo trainers for indoor cycle training and provide an online platform where you can select virtual rides to follow.  This year, they are focusing on folks who, for whatever reason, need to workout at home by adding an indoor cycling SMART bike to their product line. And it is awesome.

Let’s talk about their online simulator first.  Here are some fun facts about Bkool and their platform.

  • As they train, riders can view a virtual race course, a specific route, or velodrome track session.
  • Some routes have a video if a member has submitted one to share.
  • There are over 60,000 users on the platform.
  • Bkool holds almost 40% of marketshare.
  • More than 3.5 million real routes are available so far and it is growing every day

If you have a Bkool product, it can monitor your activities through your profile to look for improved performance over time.

Now, let’s discuss their new indoor cycling fitness bike.  Pretty, isn’t it?

  • The bike links through an app on your phone to automatically adjust resistance based on your functional threhold power (FTP) test and what the class requires.
  • You can use your phone to the control ride and your laptop or tablet to better view the route.
  • The bike weighs only 45 kg, meaning it is easy to move around your home.
  • ANT+ and Bluetooth connections available
  • Provides magnetic resistance for a smooth, quiet ride.
  • Easy to assemble (or pay a bit more for home assembly)
  • Affordable price point

So far, the platform offers over 100 pre-recorded fitness classes.  During their time in London, Bkool were also looking for new instructors to record new fitness classes in English.  I am excited to announce that I was one of the successful applicants!  Next weekend, I am traveling to Bilao, Spain for a weekend of training and to visit the filming studio.  In July, I will head back to record eight to ten classes, each 30-45 minutes long.  I have about 30 classes ready to go but need to still upload them into the teleprompting software.  Me and technology sometimes don’t get along, which is why I am relieved that we will cover this during our training. In addition, half of my music is with Apple and the other half is somewhere on my laptop.  This fantastic opportunity is a good motivator to sit down and organize everything into one place.

I am also looking forward to discovering new music that will suit the different types of workouts.  The right song can change a participant’s outlook on the class.  When I went through my initial training nearly a decade ago (yikes!), the course leader warned against themed-rides.  She explained that if a person hates 80s music, they will mentally check out from the first note.  I can confirm this as my Monday night class hates my 80s mix.  I can see it on their faces.  Now, my rides have a variety genres to bring everyone together.  That is what I love about indoor cycling- choosing motivational music that makes exercise fun rather than a chore.  One of my personal mantras is ‘If it’s not fun, why do it?’ When coaching new clients, and here on my blog, I aim to share new fitness concepts to help people discover something they love and want to do over and over again.  I am a firm believer that being active should be fun.

What songs makes you want to jump up and dance? Run faster? Go for a swim? Leave a comment below so I can check it out. I will let you know when my first class is available to view.