by thinkmarsh | Apr 7, 2017 | running, yoga
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| Running to the finish |
In a perfect world, I would have wrote a post for ‘1 month until London Marathon‘ but the training plan I chose had me running two 20 mile peak weeks. It has been a long 15 weeks of training but I am feeling ready. Now that I am officially in taper mode, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My mileage is decreasing, leaving more time for food prep and Dance Moms reruns (my latest guilty pleasure). With less than 3 weeks until my second World Marathon Major, how will my training change in the lead up to the starting line?
Less mileage– This is good as Strava just told me it is time for new shoes. I might use my Salomons 3D this week for short runs. In the post, I recently received Wiiv custom insoles which used photographs of my feet to create the perfect fit. Is 3 weeks enough time to break in new shoes and/or insoles? I am not willing to risk it so I will wait to try these insoles out.
More stength training with Julia B Fit– Every. Time. I. Say. I will strength train. Then I don’t. There just isn’t enough time in the day to work and train in all the disciplines that balance the time on my feet. Julia’s workouts are great because you can mix and match different sessions based on your training goals and how much time you have. You can get started in her online gym for free, so click on the link above and have a mosey around.
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| Thank you John Lewis for my new yoga bag. So fancy! |
More yoga– John Lewis sent me a ‘yoga at home’ kit from their wellness campaign. Like strength training, yoga is something I know I need to do more of as a runner, especially one who has Achilles tendonitis and periformis issues. The bag is beautiful and I can totally see it as a beach bag or carry on. There was also a resistance band in the bundle, which will be handy with the strength training point above.
More sleep– Seriously. If you are part of a sleep research lab, can I please be a study subject? I need eight to nine hours normally but then with big miles on top, even more. Any advice on developing quality sleep patterns?
More blogging– Having reached my fundraising goal a few weeks ago, I can now concentrate on writing posts about my time in South Africa, new kit I have been testing out from Get the Label and La Redoute (check out their fitness guide with a mini-profile on me), and trying electro-acupuncture for my periformis pains.
Whole30 rules– After having to stop and use the bathroom four times on my 20 miler on Sunday and three times during Berlin Marathon, I need to get my GI system under control. I will loose a lot of time trying to find a bathroom during London Marathon but also it is no fun having to worry about having an accident for 4+ hours.
What do you do in the last two weeks leading up to a big race? Let me know in the comments below.
by Mollie Millington | Apr 3, 2017 | fitness, product review, sport
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| Pink Ladies! |
Last week, I headed back to Surrey Quays, which is the neighbourhood we lived in when we first moved to London. It is always nice to go back and see how the area has changed. I am so happy when I go back to the area, probably because of the fond memories of our gorgeous flat and exploring London with fresh enthusiam.
When we lived there, the Decathlon in Surrey Quays was the only one store in the UK. Most of my personal training/fitness kit and cycling accessories came from there, as it was easy to access and really affordable (it took me 2 years to stop converting pounds to dollars). In the USA, most stores carry a variety of items while I find in the UK you have to go to a specialist store to find each thing you need. Decathlon has everything from running kit to ski gear to protein powder to free weights to warm fleece for the winter and wellies for dog walks in the spring to good old bike inner tubes. But it wasn’t until the scavenger hunt that I learned just how much variety they offer.
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| Bloggers are big on selfies |
Decathlon kindly invited nine bloggers down for a fun scavenger hunt through the store. There were three teams of three and I was on the Pink Ladies with Beki and Eileen. Each team started in different parts of the store and had a dozen or so questions to answer about the products on the shelves. We also had a bonus question about the Decathlon brands and what sporting discipline they represented. I had no idea that Decathlon had over 20 of their own brands for everything from camping to swimming to rock climbing to equestrian to court sports. They also carry big brands, such as Nike, Adidas, Salomon, Karrimor, etc. but in my experience, I have found that the Decathlon quality is just as good depending on what I need and how much I am willing to spend on it.
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| I bet you can’t see us. (Decathlon made us wear these jackets around the store) |
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| No one told us we were going to have to do math as part of one of the tasks. |
Decathlon even has their own brand of fitness technology products, Geonaute. If you are looking to invest in a heart rate monitor, GPS watch, action camera accessories, or ear buds, have a look at their selection. With Decathlon, they really aim to remove the finacial barrier of getting stuck in to a new sport or physical activity. Often times, I see people discouraged from trying something new because they don’t have the proper equipment or don’t want to invest too much in case they don’t like it. After walking around the store, I can tell you there are many products that can help increase your heart rate without decreasing your bank account by too much.
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| Trying to find the right strawberry-flavored protein and one of the answers to our questions. |
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| I just wanted to eat all the protein. Apparently, Eileen did too. |
After exploring nearly every bit of the store looking for clues, I am thrilled to say that our team won and were given awesome medals for our efforts while we enjoyed some great canapes and wine with the other bloggers. Each attendee was also given a brightly colored 20L rucksack, a fitness ball, a running bumbag, and soft microfiber towel. I was actually eyeing the 1 bottle carrier belt bumbag for the London Marathon and have pleased with it so far.
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| First place team celebrating our win over social media. |
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| ‘In-tents’ bloggers after the challenge was over. |
The scavenger hunt would be a lot of fun for families or schools to learn more about different types of ways to be active and there is a great potential for it to be even more interactive with the products available. I found a few new pieces of kit I would like to try (stand up paddleboard, horseback riding boots, and a Subea face mask with a snorket built in). As this was the first time the scavenger hunt was put on, Decathlon is taking our feedback and will tweak the experience a bit more (I suggested adding a time limit).
I would highly recommend keeping your eyes out for similar interactive events at your local Decathlon store. You can always stop by and have a wander around though to see what inspires you to get more active and/or explore the outdoors.
Thanks to Decathlon for providing us with a fun evening and great sporty items. All opinions are honest and my own.
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