Chestnut Tree House Littlehampton 10k

So today saw me take on my next challenge, a 10k run. This was the Littlehampton 10k running for the Chestnut Tree House charity, a very worthwhile cause and a relatively local course for me.

I didn't put any specific training for it beyond my normal runs but completed another Parkrun at Hove Park last Saturday and pushed it fairly hard. The result of that was a very respectable PB for me of 24:22, 43 seconds better than my last time of 25:04.

For the 10k, I went off relatively quickly after the inevitable shuffle to the line. I would have been quite happy with any time under an hour for my first 10k but completed in an official time of 52:29

Final goal for the year is completing the Under Armour You v The Year Challenge of 1017km. I am currently at 829km so expect to do that by early November. Brighton 10k, or even Brighton Half Marathon in 2018?

Run 5.30

This morning I woke up at the obscene time of 4am to take part in the Run 5.30 Brighton event. The 5.30 is a 5K run/walk that takes place in town centres around the world at 5.30am, before a regular business day and today's city was Brighton and it's currently been run in various cities in Italy and today my home town of Brighton.

Brighton Run 5.30 - Before the start

I've been suffering with knee pain for a the last week and have been taking it relatively easy and wanted to do this race but as an experience and not go too mad. Taking it easy, on a flat course I managed a 5k time of 24:38 and an overall time of 25:09 which makes it my fastest race 5k and second fastest 5k. My first bit of running bling though!

Quite pleased as I was taking it easy. The knee held up well but was a little sore after and I've had it wrapped in an ice pack which helps. Toying with entering a 10k next, maybe Littlehampton in September.

Progress on the 2017 1017k Challenge is going well, just shy of 600k now and I'm well on track to finish by the end of the year. I'm amazed at the progress in such a short space of time and it's obviously infectious as my wife has started the Couch to 5k program and my son finished his first 5k run yesterday.

I've also recently discovered the Relive application, which makes a video based on your Strava run. Below is my run of the 5.30 at 5.30.

Half way there!

I've pushed hard with the running to get back on track and racked up over 190k for June. That's got me over half way on my Under Armour You VS the Year 2017 Challenge.

Top 2% for my age group isn't too shabby either.

I've just signed up for my first paid race, the 5.30 at Brighton. Running at 0530 doesn't seem ideal but some good charities and should be a good experience.

When a weight gain is good!

Back from the gym this morning, started with a Boditrax scan followed by a 5k run and then some weights. I've pushed harder on the runs this week, added in some sprint sections and increased the weights significantly. I'm at 462/1017 on the Under Armour You Vs The Year challenge so well on track to complete this years running goal. Actually, the graphic below looks great, top 3% and 4977/198729 for my age group isnt bad for a newbie.

The scales this morning showed my weight had increase 0.5kg so I was a little despondent after over 5k everyday and eating very carefully. However, the Boditrax scan put a smile back on. A kilo of fat lost and 1.5 kilos of muscle gain, more than happy with gaining weight today! Fat percentage is now down to 12.4%, compared to my first scan result of 21.3% and I'm only 1.6Kg away from my initial muscle mass weight of 57kg. 

I've set the goal for the next reading to drop another 1%. Looks like this weekend is going to be great weatherwise so time to go off and enjoy it!

Is this thing on?

I've been wrapped up with training and now well beyond my target and at 66Kg and my goal this year is to complete the Under Armour You vs Year 2017 challenge of 1017k in the year. I'm slightly behind target due to injuries but only by 30k. Lately I've been thinking about diets, fads and how many people approach dieting and how success often leads to failure. I'm included in that camp, well I'd like to think I used to be included in that camp. Previously I've dieted, achieved success and then in next to no time I'm back where I started and more often than not I weigh more. Simply because the diet works, but my lifestyle didnt.

 This time around, my lifestyle has changed and I can pretty much eat what I want although my sweet tooth seems to have gone and for the first time in my life I actually enjoy salads! Diets are short term gains, and they need to be seen that way. If you can't maintain the diet, you'll put the weight back on as soon as you finish. If your diet leaves you hungry, its not sustainable. Pretty obvious really but the amount of  diet books, pills and the whole diet industry seems to be capitalise on the quick fix rather than the lifestyle change needed.

 My diets worked, I've eaten healthier for sure and exercised but the key has been to consume less calories. Exercise has given me calories in the bank to eat more if I want so I havent had to be strict and I don't walk around hungry all the time. My magic number in terms of calories, was 1600 a day, and thats before my excerices "banked" calories which are usually around 500 or so.

Breakfast is typically around 500 calories, and lately it's been Overnight Oats, usually the Peanut Butter version. I find this fills me up and gives a good mix of Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates to keep me going through the morning.

Lunch varies, quite often it's Eggs of some description or Chicken Salad.

Dinner, is whatever my wife makes. Meats & Salad or a Slimming World recipe (shes a member and I must admit I enjoy some of the recipes).

My only concession to the Diet industry is Protein shakes. Tracking my food with MyPlate shows I was struggling to hit the protein requirements and an SIS Whey protein is usually my top up after a workout.

Target Smashed!

So after this mornings weigh in, I'm now at 65.9kg ahead of my 6th goal weight of 66.8Kg. In eight months, thats a total loss of 19.8kg (3st 1lb or 43.7lbs). The last few kg have been hard to lose and my final stretch goal to 63kg isn't far away but I know will be hard. Running has been hard lately, torn hamstring and sore knee has kept me restricted. Holiday to Cornwall in a few weeks and doubt I will get much running in. Will enjoy the pasties and cream teas though, I might be on a diet but still want to enjoy the guilty pleasures life offers.

Achievement Unlocked

Didnt set out to do this run this morning, just got carried away and pushed through to do my first 10k. 59 minutes wasn't too bad a time either. Treadmills are so boring and I was attempting a 5k, then added another 1k and kept doing that and after hitting 8k just decided I might as well. Who knew!