I'm back... Kind of

Just a quick update for you -

The ankle is still giving me jip. It has cost me both my 10k races, so I'm pretty devastated. I would never have guessed that the little twinge two months ago would have had me off my feet for so long.

But I am tired of sitting on my backside and feeling sorry for myself. My physio has given me the green light to run, albeit for very short distances, so I am slowly easing myself back into it.

She reckons that my ankle is just complaining after months of hard training in worn out footwear. So, I got a new pair of trainers, and while they aren't the comfiest, they certainly provide my feet with lots of support.

My foot is getting better. Just very very verrrry slowly.

But I refuse to give up. Watch this space.

p.s: Mr MFC completed his marathon in 4 and a half hours. What a mancake.

Spectator mode: Engaged

So this weekend is hardly shaping up to how I envisioned it a couple of months ago: I'm currently sitting on a bus to Inverness, trundling through the gorgeous Scottish highlands in the gentle autumn sunshine, but the last five weeks leading up to this point have been terribly bittersweet.

My weekender bag feels dolefully light without my running kit in it, and my running number sits untouched in my bookcase back home. My ankle is still twinging and strapped up like a candy cane, yet I am still making my way to the River Ness running festival. Mr MFC is running is first marathon, and of course I want to be there to support him.

It's probably best this way. Perhaps the universe thought that I would be needed more on the sidelines than on the running track. I may not be running this weekend, but there will be other races. This is the only opportunity I will have to watch one of my favourite people cross his first marathon finish line, and that is priceless.

You know what they say: if life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So, I am taking my role as supportive spectator with as much gusto as I would if I was actually running the race.  

Clapping hands at the ready...

Still Guffed

So in case the three week long silence hasn't given it away... my ankle is STILL giving me bother. I haven't been out running in about a month now, and it's really starting to get me down.

I have been to the physio, who says I have tendonitis. The really bad news is my River Ness 10k is looking kind of unlikely now. :(

However, I do have mighty colourful strapping!

So yeah. Kind of gutted at the moment if I'm frank with you. The fact that it is dragging on so long is frustrating, however I'm still doing everything I can to get back on track. I'm still swimming and doing the bikes, plus fitting in easy weight training and yoga when I can.

I have another appointment on Tuesday, where I will be fitted with some fancy insoles for my trainers to stop this kind of injury happening again, then I can probably go out running for short distances. But as I said, the 10k next week isn't looking good. Pretty devastated.

Anyway, I'll keep you all updated....

FFS

I really only have myself to blame. Yup, my ankle is playing up again.

I went on it too much, too soon, and now I am suffering the consequences. Again. Sigh.

So its back to cross training, which means more bikes (YAWN) and more upper body focus than you can shake a stick at. I'll start looking like Jodie Marsh if I'm not careful *shudder*

Image via

Okay, okay, not quite. But still, I'm sitting here on the couch looking longingly out at the wonderful sunshine and wishing I could go out for a dash.

All is not lost though, I've been using this injury to get into my swimming again. There's a pool near where I live that has recently reopened after a fairly hefty refurbishment, and I must admit it really is quite nice. I went with Mr MFC this morning and busted out a few lengths, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The pool opens really early too, so I might be able to get a couple of pre-work sessions in later in the week, assuming that my ankle doesn't decide to get its act together.

Ho hum, anyway we'll see.

Oh yeah - one more thing. I'm logging again.

Sorry folks, but my holiday blow out has kind of caught up with me, and early last week I hit what I call my "alarm bell" weight, which is basically 5lbs over my target.

Yes yes, it was probably all water weight. In fact, I KNOW it was mostly water weight because after only a week I have nearly lost it all again, but I still think I need to step back into line a bit.

Everything had been going really well up until the holiday though, so logging again is just a temporary measure to get me back down where I want to be. Once I've done that, I'll be back off it again. Hopefully for good.

I'm baaaack!

Hey everybody!

Good news - I've recovered from my ankle injury and am BACK with a vengeance!

I've actually been off on holiday too and had high hopes for sprucing up the blog while I had some spare time, but alas I have been too busy running around on my FUNCTIONAL ankle!  :D

Seriously - I've been like a kid at Christmas. I normally rack up about 20km a week, but in the past seven days I have done 35! The reasons for this are twofold: firstly, fixed ankle (yay!); and secondly, I've been up in Aberdeen so I've been using my runs to do a little bit of exploring. 

In my opinion, Aberdeen is quite underrated and in fact a really beautiful city - it was quite nice to get lost somewhere different for a change. Oh yes, there was a lot of getting lost. My personal favourite was when I ran out of pavement and got stuck up to my knees in grass while wearing my short-shorts...  still it all adds to the fun, eh?

However, due to lack of kit (I refuse to cart free weights about in my rucksack), I've been kind of neglecting my muscle toning. I intend to be on it again next week though, and I might through a little bit of yoga in too... we'll see. 

Anyway, that's been me for the past week... how are things with you? ;)

My ankle is guffed

I knew it was going to happen eventually. 

On Thursday morning, during my interval training, I went over on my ankle. I thought I had got away with it at first, but that evening the swelling started and it began to hurt whenever I put substantial weight on it.

It wasn't too bad, just a twinge really, but when I got up to do my Friday morning jaunt I made it to the end of the street before I realised that running on it probably wouldn't be a good idea. 

So I'm now sporting this particularly snazzy number:

I've co-ordinated with my toenails and everything!

Don't get me wrong, it isn't a serious injury by any stretch of the imagination. But this isn't the first time I have suffered an ankle injury and so I know the consequences of not treating it with extreme caution. 

The last time I guffed my ankle I was only three weeks into my running training. I was full of excitement and enthusiasm for my new routine, and I was shocked by how frustrating I found it to be stopped in my tracks at such an early stage. I sat and cried as I iced my foot night after night - not because it was particularly painful, but because I felt that I had lost control of my body's health just weeks after I felt I had grasped it. 

So I started to look for alternatives to keep the momentum going. I went on a powerwalk - but that just made things worse. So I signed up to a gym and spent every second morning on the exercise bikes - a great way to get in some cardio without putting any pressure on my ankle at all. 

Needless to say, it all worked out well in the end - I was off my feet for about three weeks before I started up again pretty much where I left off. But those three weeks were slow and frustrating, and I would hate to suffer a repeat of that.

So I am keeping off my foot as much as I can. I'm on the bikes again, which personally bore me to tears but I would much rather do that than just sit on my backside and feel sorry for myself. 

I don't think my ankle is as bad this time around, so hopefully I won't be off my feet for quite as long but it is still pretty gutting. Ho hum. I'll keep you posted.

I'm on Twitter!

Okay so this isn't really news - I have been on Twitter for years, but I have decided that a lot of the followers of my regular personal account won't want to hear about my vague ramblings about running, so I have decided to break off my fitness updates and put them into their own feed. Think of it as a kind of digital multiple personality disorder.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you @littlemissmfc.


I'm using it to collate the most interesting health stories, connect with other health fanatics like myself and of course, publicise my blog posts. So if that sounds like the kind of thing you're into, then go ahead and give it a cheeky follow!

I'm still trying to get my head around the HUGE health and fitness community though. Who should I follow? Do you have a health Twitter feed? If so, let me know in the comments!

UPDATE! Still not logging!

Hi Guys,

So a couple of weeks a go I decided to stop using MyFitnessPal. We had been in a pretty involved relationship for over a year, but the time was right to break it off. It wasn't the site's fault: it was me. My goals have changed since I started using it and I couldn't see myself using it forever.

Anyway. I have already talked at great length about why I have stopped using it, so I'm not going to bore you with that again. Instead, I thought I would let you know how I'm getting on and reveal if there is indeed a life beyond logging everything you eat.

Here's the good news: I'm still not logging, and my weight has been steady! Hooray! Okay, well, not quite. I gained a pound or two at the beginning, and I tend to bounce around that 10st 2lb mark now, but to be honest I don't grudge that little bit of extra weight. Of course, if the scale goes up any higher (10st 5lb is my "alarm bell" weight) then I will do something about it, but at the moment I'm fairly happy where I am.

I seem to have replaced logging with routine. Instead of writing down everything I eat, I follow a rigid pattern that I know won't exceed my calorie limit (and believe me, I have done plenty of logging to know what exceeds my calorie limit and what doesn't). I'm a bit more lax on weekends and holidays, but I think the routine below comes in under my calorie limit, so I have a little bit of leeway to indulge every so often.

But anyway. A normal day for me goes like this:

6am (Pre-breakfast)
A small glass of smoothie or a handful of fruit

9am (Actual breakfast)
A large bowl of cornflakes with semi-skimmed milk and a cup of coffee

11am (Mid morning snack)
A piece of fruit, e.g. an orange, pear, peach or plum

12.30pm (Lunch)
A small bowl of soup with brown bread and a banana

3.00pm (Mid afternoon snack)
A small serving of dried fruit and/or nuts and a cup of tea

6.00pm (Evening snack)
A small snack e.g. a pot of yoghurt, a piece of fruit, a couple of oatcakes or crispbread

8.00pm (Dinner)
A normal sized meal with a sweet treat afterwards (e.g. rice pudding or gasp! ice cream)

9.30pm (Late evening snack)
A cereal bar or something similar - but only if I am feeling peckish

I know I know, it looks quite regimented, but this routine is only a baby step in the right direction towards eating normally. I look forward to the day that I can just eat what I need without thinking about it, but until that day comes I think that this is a good halfway house between normality and logging.

But just in case I was wondering if I had done the right thing... a couple of days ago I logged for the day. Just to see what would happen. I ate pretty much to the above routine and found that after I had my evening meal, I was still about 500 kcals under. So what did I do? I gorged on 500 kcals worth of biscuits. Was I hungry? No. But just KNOWING I had those calories left to spend made me reach for the biscuit tin. So yeah, I think I have definitely made the right decision.

And just like that, I have made another step towards a normal, healthy life. Feeling kind of chuffed with myself right now. Onwards and upwards!

Podcast Review: NHS Couch to 5K +

They're finally here: The NHS Couch to 5k + podcasts! You have no idea how excited I was when I realised that this had been released.

I was so excited, that as soon as I got home, I downloaded the podcast, laced up my trainers and headed straight outside.

There was one problem though - I had just devoured this:

Picture taken by my lovely friend Mhairi!

So I was feeling slightly full and, dare I say it, nauseous. How was I supposed to know that the series was going to come out on the same day as my work's special afternoon tea?!

But that wasn't going to stop me! I had a podcast to review!

The NHS Couch to 5k + podcasts are a follow up series to the AWESOME Couch to 5k plan, which is aimed at getting absolute novices up and running for 30 minutes non stop in only 9 weeks.

But what do you do when those 9 weeks are over? Well, that's where Couch to 5k + comes in. The series is a set of three podcasts, each one aimed to help you achieve a different goal. So whether you want to increase your mileage or your speed, or whether you just want a halfway house before moving on to something else, these podcasts will give you a helping hand.

The podcasts were made in conjunction with AudioFuel, who specialise in making training plans based on music with a specific bpm (beats per minute). As a result, pace is a very prominent feature in these podcasts.

So, you have a choice of three sessions: Stepping Stone, Stamina and Speed. Unlike the original Couch to 5k plan, you can do the podcasts in whatever order you want. So, as I want to increase my pace for my upcoming 10k races, I decided to go for the 'Speed' session.

The Speed podcast is an interval training session, which is a great way to train if you want to increase your pace. The structure was pretty simple: a five minute warm up walk, followed by a warm up run at 155 bpm, followed by six 60 second intervals at 160 bpm, with 60 seconds of 150 bpm recovery in between. The whole thing clocks in at about 26 minutes, so it's shorter to what the seasoned Couch to 5k graduate is used to, but it is still designed to pose a bit of a challenge.

The main difficulty for me was getting used to the structure of the music: you have to synchronise your strides to the beat. As I've been setting my own pace pretty much since I began running, it was a little bit awkward at first having my own rhythm dictated to me. However, I got used to it and about 10 minutes in I felt pretty good.

The thing is, I completed the Couch to 5k plan over a year ago (oh my, time flies when you're having fun) and since then I have been covering about 20k a week, completed two half marathons and broke the 10k under an hour. So, I'm sorry to say, I may have overshot a little bit. For me, the pace of the workout didn't get me into the satisfying sweat I normally aim for. Besides the odd urge to throw up some rogue cake, I didn't find the session particularly challenging.

But as I said, I have been training hard for a good while now so I think I might have been a little bit worried if I had found it tough. Don't get me wrong, I still got a decent workout, and it was really nice to be under the guidance of Laura again. However, I think this series is aimed at more recent graduates of the Couch to 5k plan, or those who have been going at a bit more of a steady pace since their graduation.

In any case, they are still worth a bash. They're free after all, so you have nothing at all to lose!

Get them here from the iTunes store.

Fitness DVD Review: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism

Okay, so it's time for me to review another of Jillian Michael's fitness DVDs.

I love this lady. About a month ago, I bought a box set of her workouts, and I have really enjoyed working through them. Each has its own focus and its own benefits to bring to the table, and I've definitely seen an uplift in my overall fitness as a result of them.

I've already reviewed No More Trouble Zones, so this time I'm going to talk about Banish Fat: Boost Metabolism.

I'm sorry to say that this one is the one I probably use the least, which is a shame because in terms of enjoyment, this one is hella fun.

So why do I not take it for a spin more often? Well, the focus of this workout is cardio. This DVD aims to get your heart rate up, your metabolism ticking and makes you burn calories like an absolute powerhouse. Remind you of anything?

Yup, you pretty much get the same effect from going out for a run. And as I have mentioned so many times before, I am above everything else, a runner. So why on earth would I jump around my front room like a loon when I can go for a nice jog in my local park?

Don't get me wrong, this workout is awesome. But it just doesn't get me in the same kind of sweat as a good ol' fashioned dash does. Nevertheless, it does have its moments: like the mornings I wake up and it's pouring outside; or when I have a niggling injury that couldn't withstand a fully fledged run. It's a great alternative in those situations.

Just like in No More Trouble Zones, Banish Fat: Boost Metabolism is comprised of seven six minutes circuits, each having a slightly different theme. So what does the workout entail?

1. Kickboxing

Squats and side kicks
Alternating punches
Squats and side kicks
Punch and hook combination
Alternating front kicks

2. Plyometrics

Burpies
Plie hops
Punch hop combination
180° Jumps
Single leg hops

3. Calisthenics

Butt kicks
High knees
Jumping jacks
Oblique crunches

4. Core

Mountain climbers
Supermans
Pipe crunch
Oblique twists
Walking plank

5. More kickboxing

Swing kicks
Uppercuts
Back kicks
Jab cross combination
Knee crunches

6. More plyometrics

Jump squats
Cross country skiing
Scissor kicks
Skaters
Standing mountain climbers

7. More calisthenics

Moguls
Standing pipes
Knee crunches
Jump rope

Guaranteed, your heart rate will be up, and you'll be burning fat in no time. If you're just starting out, this is a great place to begin cardio training. And if it's calorie burn you're after, then this workout certainly delivers. I burn about 500 kcals a session, however your burn will be slightly different depending on your gender, age and build.

Doesn't beat going out for a run, though. Well, in my humble opinion, anyway ;)

Owning the 10k Distance

I'm on top of the world right now!

Yesterday, I broke a goal that I have been working towards for weeks, if not months.

I ran 10k in under an hour. 59 minutes, 22 seconds to be exact. YAY!!! :D

To give you an idea, since I finished my half marathon training, I have been running 10k most weekends. I go round the same route every week, up and around Arthurs Seat. A prettier route in Edinburgh you will not find. (Think I'm wrong? Tell me in the comments!)


I missed it by 14 seconds last week. 14 SECONDS. I was devastated. I owed it to myself to crack it this week - and I am so glad I did!

This is a huge milestone for me, but I still have a lot of work to do. I've signed up to a couple of autumn races this week, and both of them are 10k. While they're less than half the distance of the half marathon, I still expect them to be pretty challenging. Instead of developing my endurance, I am switching the focus of my training onto increasing my speed.

The first one is the Loch Ness 10k, which is part of the Loch Ness marathon festival (despite several attempts by Mr MFC and other interested parties to persuade me otherwise, I will not be running the marathon. yet.). It's a pretty flat course, much flatter than my usual 10k jaunt, so I reckon that scoring a PB there is pretty feasible.

My second race is on my home turf: the Bupa 10k run in Edinburgh. It's a lot more up-and-down but I'll still be looking to get a decent time in. I have signed up to my work's running team, and we will be competing against other companies to get the fastest average time. Last year's winners clocked in an average time of around 47 minutes - eek! While I know I probably won't do it that fast, I don't want to drag down our team's time too much. It will be my first competitive race, and I refuse to let my team down.

Look at me - in a sports team. I'm like a proper jock! HA!

So yeah, being able to crack the 10k in under an hour is a huge achievement for me, but hopefully this is just the beginning. You ain't seen nothing yet!

Why I'm Not Logging Any More

Okay, this is a big step for me. It's scaring me shitless but I have to do it at some point, so I have decided that the time is now.

I've stopped logging.

For those of you scratching your head and wondering what "logging" means, I'll briefly explain. What I mean by "logging' is recording every calorie I burn and every bite I eat. Pretty much everyone who has attempted to lose weight ever has done this in some form or another: whether is be noting down calories with a notepad and pen, counting weightwatchers points, using a phone app, or whatever.

For me, it was inputting my calorie burn and intake to a FANTASTIC little site called MyFitnessPal. I've been a member for over a year, and I pretty much owe my entire weight loss to this site. It has an incredible user-built database with pretty much every food you can imagine, an incredible supportive community and best of all, it's free.

You simply tell the site how much you want to lose, and it gives you a calorie allowance to abide to each day. It also has a fantastic app which is available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry, so you can even log on the go.

I just want it to be known that I endorse this tool 100%. My decision to stop logging has nothing to do with the site. It's just... my personal goals have changed, and I think I have got to a point where I need to learn to get on without it.

I have been maintaining my weight (give or take a couple of pounds) for the best part of eight months now. However, barely a day goes by when I don't log every morsel I eat.

There have been a couple of days where I haven't logged, but this has normally been an intentional decision where I know I'd be pigging out and didn't see the point, like when I was on my holiday or experiencing emotional turmoil.

And days like these (but without the broom)

But for the most part, whenever I ate something, seconds later (or sometimes before), I would get my Blackberry out and input what I was eating and how much into the MyFitnessPal app or logging on to the website. When you look at it objectively, you've got to admit that it's pretty odd behaviour.

But it became second nature for me. It became habit - like washing your hands after you've been to the loo. If I didn't log something I ate - it would just niggle at me.

And don't even get me started on exercise! As soon as I finished my cool down, I was logging the calories burned into MyFitnessPal so I could find out how much extra food I could eat.

There. I said it. I exercised so I could eat.

But that's not the point of exercise - and I know that. I love all the other benefits of exercise, the way it makes me feel and its potential to make me stronger. I would like to think that even if exercise didn't burn any calories at all, I would still do it. But I've got to admit, being able to eat that chocolate bar afterwards totally guilt-free is a pretty sweet perk.

So all of these things have been niggling at me for a while: the fact that it is quite odd behaviour, the fact that I was so reliant on it and the fact it kind of skewed my attitude towards exercise. But the straw that broke the horse's back happened a couple of weeks ago.

I was sitting in front of the TV in the evening. I had just finished eating a pretty nice meal, and it was about 9pm. I was just lounging away in the sofa, when a little thought popped into my head.

"Fancy a biscuit?"

"No," I told myself. "I've just had my dinner and I feel pretty full."

"But you have enough calories left..."

And when that thought popped into my head, I knew I had to stop logging. It was giving me an excuse to eat stuff even when I wasn't feeling hungry. Incidentally, I did go for that biscuit, because you know, I DID have the calories left.

But if I hadn't been logging, the thought wouldn't have even crossed my mind. The question I need to ask myself is not "do I have the calories left?" but rather "am I hungry?"

It's time to stop listening to a computer and listening my own body instead. After all, it's what most normal people do.

I just want to reiterate, this is not meant to put anyone off logging. If you are trying to lose weight, or even just trying to maintain your weight, then I fully encourage you to log. It certainly worked for me and is great for educating yourself on how much you should be feeding your body However, I personally feel like I'm at a stage where I know how much food my body needs, and I need to stand on my own two feet and maintain my weight by myself.

I'm going to watch my weight closely over the next couple of weeks, and if the numbers start to creep up, then I'll start logging again. But we'll see how it goes.

Wish me luck. :)

Fitness DVD Review: No More Trouble Zones

Hi, chums!

Okay so I know I've been a little quiet of late... I have been really busy working making my way through my latest purchase:

Image via Play.com

Oh yes. That's over four hours of Jillian Michaels goodness for under 20 quid. Bargain.

I loved the 30 Day Shred, but to be honest I couldn't see myself doing the same three workouts forever. However, I realised that I definitely need that structure of a workout and the encouragement of a trainer (even if it's just on a TV screen) to push myself harder. So, I invested in this box set.

The box set includes our old friend, the 30 Day Shred, plus three other workouts: No More Trouble Zones; Banish Fat Boost Metabolism; and 6 Week 6 Pack. 

These DVDs are also available separately, and each deserve equal attention, so I'll dedicate one blog post to each one.

I'll start with No More Trouble Zones, which is my favourite, and my least favourite, all at the same time.

The basic premise of this DVD is to systematically target common "problem areas" (e.g. wobbly arms, saddlebags, droopy bums etc) through seven six minute circuits. 

Now, those who have been reading my Shredding escapades will be familiar with the circuit: Jillian sure loves her circuits. However, the structure of each one is different to the shred: instead of moving from strength, to cardio, to abs (a la Shred), in No More Trouble Zones, each circuit is all strength, baby.

That's not the only difference to the Shred, though: those who are good at maths will have already worked out that 6 x 7 = 42, which is much longer than the mere 18 minutes of the Shred. If you've bought this DVD, be prepared to be in it for the long haul. Including warm ups and cool downs, you're looking at an hour if you want to complete this thing in its entirety.

But that's the thing - you don't have to. The DVD has a nifty wee option where you can pick and choose which circuits you want to do. So, if you only want to focus on abs or bums, you can pick the six minute circuit that focuses on that, and skip the rest. 

However, I am a bit mental, and I do the whole thing. So what does that entail...?

I hope you're sitting comfortably, because this is going to take a while:

Shoulder and Legs

Squat and shoulder press

Backward lunge with lateral raises

Chair squat with anterior raises

Press outs

Chest and Abs

Chest press and crunch

Leg raise and chest fly

Bicycle crunches

Squirms

Push ups

Biceps and Butt

Deadlift and hammer curls

Stationary squat with a concentration curl

Lunge with a wide grip curl

Side lunges with a bicep curl

Thighs and Triceps

Tricep kickbacks

Sumo squats with tricep lifts

Surrenders

Crescent pose

Core

Double crunches

Oblique twists

Plank with toe taps

Windshield wipers 

Upper Body and Core

Plank rows

Supermans

Halloman with scissor kicks

Pelvic thrusts (not as fun as the name suggests)

Lower Body and Core

Side planks

Foot raises

Inner thigh raises

Donkey kicks

Round kicks

I mentioned earlier that this is all strength moves, and this is why I love it and I hate it all at the same time. I can't stand strength. I'd much rather run 10k than do a bunch of squats. There, I said it. I hate strength. But, like many other things, I suck it up and do it anyway because I know that it's good for me. 

Realising that it was going to be a long burn, I opted for my smallest weights (1.5 kg - around 3 lbs) but it still absolutely killed. And I got that 24 hour burn afterwards. And when you get that burn, you know you've got to stick at it. So while it's not the most enjoyable workout, I still force myself to do it because it's for my own good. Who knows? Maybe I'll manage to complete it with 3kgs (6 lbs) one day!

This DVD is for you if you are nearing the end of your weight loss or maintaining your weight, like me, but you want to tone up a little. In terms of calorie burn: it's a slow but tough workout, and if you're only looking to burn calories then you'd be much better going out for a run. But if you want to gain some muscle definition, then you definitely need to give this a try. 

Stay tuned for my reviews of Banish Fat Boost Metabolism and 6 Week 6 Pack. In the meantime, if you have any questions or stories about No More Trouble Zones that you'd like to share, feel free to pop 'em in the comments section below!

God Bless the Humble Tomato

Okay, okay, I know I keep saying this, but I LOVE soup. It's like the best thing ever. So full of lovely nutrients, hardly any calories, and really filling. I could easily live off the stuff.

I took a couple of days off work this week, so I decided to make a vat of tomato soup to tide me over during the day. It's quick, cheap and really easy to make.

Tomato Soup

You will need (serves 4):


900g tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 large red onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 crushed clove of garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
A couple of fresh basil leaves (optional)
Salt and pepper to season
600ml vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to about 180 c / 160 c fan.

Chop up the tomatoes, pepper and onion and whack in a roasting tray. Drizzle in olive oil and add the salt, pepper and oregano. Then, give the tray a quick shake to ensure that all of the tomatoes are covered in oil.

Pop in the oven and roast for about 40 minutes until the veggies are all charred and squishy :)

Then spoon all of the stuff (including the juice) into a food processor and add the stock.

If you don't have a food processor, I seriously recommend investing in one. Basic ones go for really cheap, and will easily pay for themselves in the money that you'll save on expensive shop-bought packaged food.

Blitz together on a high setting.

BONUS POINT!!! Hold the stock, blitz for slightly less time and BOOM. Low fat, cheap and easy chunky pasta sauce. Sorry, just throwing that one out there.

However, for the soup, keep going until the mix is nice and smooth. Then transfer to a big pot and heat gently for a minute or two.

I know what you're thinking: "but it's summer! Who wants to eat soup in SUMMER?"

I have two words for you:

BBC weather.

I rest my case.

ENJOY!

Cake Day

So yesterday was my birthday.

Mr MFC got me this lovely icing set from Lakeland Plastics, and I was positively itching to try it out. So, as pathetic as it may sound, I made my own birthday cake.

Yes it may sound tragic, but to be honest, I couldn't think a better way of spending my birthday than pottering around in the kitchen and trying out my new gadgets.

For the cake, I just followed a basic madeira cake recipe. That is:

• 225g self raising flour
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g softened unsalted butter
• 3 medium eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

First of all, line your baking tin with parchment (I used an 18cm round cake tin) and preheat your oven to 180c / 160 c fan / gas mark 4.

While the oven is heating up, use an electric whisk to cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. I have my trusty ol' Kenwood, but to be honest if you have strong arms (and if you've been doing the Shred, then by God you will) then you can probably cream it together yourself with a wooden spoon and a bit of gusto. 

After the sugar and butter is combined, start to gradually add the wet ingredients (i.e. the egg and vanilla) with a little bit of the flour. Keep going, little by little, until all of the ingredients are combined. 

Then, it's just a case of whacking it in the tin...

...baking for about 1 hour...

...and bashing it onto a cooling rack!

Then the fun could really start! Madeira cake is quite a light, inoffensive sponge, so I decided to give it  a bit of an edge with some chocolate buttercream icing. 

I was taking a risk with buttercream, because even though I have attempted it before, my track record has hardly been great. For me, it always comes out runny, runny, runny. 

However, I tried a new butter : sugar ratio, and with a little bit of birthday magic, the icing came out a treat! 

It was basically a case of:

• 100g icing sugar
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa (to make it chocolatey, obviously leave this out if you want just bog standard buttercream)

The consistency was pretty much perfect, so I spread the icing on with a knife:

I left the base to set for a little while, then I made some bright red buttercream icing (using the same recipe as above, except with less cocoa and more red food colouring!) and used my new bag with star nozzle to pipe out some shapes. 

I think for a first attempt, it came out pretty well:

Image by Mr MFC, because he has a better camera than me!

Well, you know what they say. If you want a job done well, you do it yourself!

The cake was pretty good, I took it along to my birthday shindig at a nearby tapas place and people seemed to enjoy it.

Now, I'm really tempted to make a batch of cupcakes to try my new found skillz on a smaller canvas... This might be very bad for my healthy eating plans... very bad indeed!

30 Day Shred: Results

Okay so my holiday came and went pretty quickly... it was pretty awesome and I have lots to write about on that front, but that will come later in the week. FIRST I'm going to finish what I started and report back on my 30 Day Shred results.

Remember that I technically didn't complete the programme - because of time restraints I completed 8 days on each level instead of 10, so technically it should have been the 24 Day Shred. But here are my measurements in any case...

Okay, so the changes weren't extreme, but considering I didn't really have that many inches to lose in the first place, I am pretty happy with those figures. My waist got even smaller (I didn't even know that was possible) and the programme blasted my upper arms - a common problem area and something that I commonly grumble about. So yeah, pretty chuffed.

In terms of the scales... well, I dropped 2 lbs (around 1kg) which again isn't exactly earth shattering, but the whole purpose of this exercise was to lose inches, not weight, so on that front I'm a pretty satisfied customer.

I definitely noticed some other changes, too. My running has got a lot faster since I started the programme, and there was an improvement in my overall fitness. While I could hardly do any proper push ups at the beginning, I found that I could bust them out towards the end of level 3.

But that wasn't all. I could definitely see some definition coming through in my mid-section, and my wee belly seemed to shrink a fair bit.

So I was able to strut down the beach with pride... All those hours sweating it out were worth it. Shame I undid a lot of the work eating ice cream in the sun (more on that later) but if you can't enjoy yourself on holiday, when can you enjoy yourself, eh?!

30 Day Shred: Level 3

Only two days (TWO DAYS!!!) until my holiday now, and I'm coming to the end 30 Day Shred programme. So, what did Jillian Michaels have in store for me this time round?

CIRCUIT 1

Strength

30 secs x walking plank

1 minute x 'supermans'

Repeat

Cardio

30 secs x mountain climbers

30 secs x sumo pops

Abs 

30 secs x pipe crunch

30 secs x scissor crunches

CIRCUIT 2

Strength

30 secs x dumbbell cleans

1 min x jumping lunges

Repeat

Cardio

30 secs x punches with weights

30 secs x butt kicks with weights

30 secs x punches with weights

30 secs x starjumps with weights

Abs

1 min x sit ups

CIRCUIT 3 

Strength

30 secs x walking push-ups

1 minute x plank with back rows and leg raises

Repeat

Cardio 

30 secs x squat jumps

30 secs x rock star jumps

Repeat

Abs

1 minute x side plank raises

I'll be honest, when I did the level three session for the first time, I was a little nervous. There had been a fairly big jump up from level 1 to level 2, and I was expecting more of the same this time round. 

It certainly didn't help matters when Jillian growled menacingly "Oh, you think this is going to be easy? Think again, buddy." Eek!

But, I actually didn't find it that bad. Certainly, the cardio and ab parts proved a little more of a challenge, but the exercises were varied enough that my each part of my body had a chance to recuperate while I was working another part. It certainly made a change from the relentless planking from level 2. 

No, not that kind of planking.

But I must admit, there are a couple of exercises that REALLY kill. The scissor crunches in circuit one put constant pressure on your abs, and I've yet to complete a set without hovering my legs up from the hardcore "3 inches from the ground" level. 

Those and the jumping lunges. It took me a while to get my form right on those, but when I did, whoa boy. They are tough. If you struggle getting them right too, take your time and figure out how to do them properly instead of doing a full set half-assed. Quality is always better than quantity, I've found. Get the form right first, and the speed will come eventually. 

Finally, the rock star jumps. I'm ashamed to admit I still can't do these properly. If you don't know, a rock star jump is basically jumping off the ground with both feet, bringing both feet up to your bum and straightening your legs back out before landing again. No matter how hard I try, I can't get my feet all the way up to my bum. My jumps are just too quick and shallow. One to work on in the future, I reckon. 

So, yeah, that's level three in a nutshell. I only have one day left of the programme, so stay tuned for my results. My weight has stayed stable again this week, but the proof I suppose will be in the measuring tape! Eek!

My Awesome 5k Mix!

First, an apology. I've been banging on so much about the 30 Day Shred (level 3 update coming soon, by the way) that you'd be forgiven for thinking that I've let other stuff fall by the wayside.

But never fear, dear reader! I'm still ploughing away at my running, and I actually have some pretty awesome news on that front.

Basically, I do a couple of 30 minute runs during the week and do a longer run at the weekend. Well. I always track how far I go in those 30 minute runs, and I'm pleased to report that I've got to the stage where I'm consistently covering over 5k in those 30 minutes!

Anyone who has done the Couch to 5k plan will know what a huge achievement that is. While the plan is the best thing since sliced unicorn farts, I must admit the title is a bit misleading. The goal of Couch to 5k isn't to get you running 5k, but rather to get you running 30 minutes non-stop. The distance you cover in that time is pretty much down to your own ability. I think when I finished the plan, I was covering about 3.5 to 4k. Not that I cared. I was running 30 minutes non-stop, baby. :)

But recently I have been focusing on my speed, and consciously forcing myself to push harder in order to get that extra few metres in, and I can see my perseverance paying off. Now I can say that I am officially a Couch to 5ker!!! :D

So to celebrate, I've been having a tinker on Spotify and have come up with this little 30 minute playlist, which is enough for me to cover the 5k. In real life I like alternative rock, ska punk and other random stuff, but I must admit, I like a good beat when I'm running. So, this music might be a bit chavvy for some, but stuff it, I'm not going to plod along to music that doesn't motivate me.



It starts with a moderately paced track to get me into my rhythm, then I crank it up a notch when my muscles get warmed up. The playlist finishes with a cool down track, which in this case is Incubus' 'Wish You Were Here', which doesn't really fit in with the playlist but I don't give two hoots, because it's one of my favourite songs ever.

Anyway. Enjoy!

Edit: OH! I'd also love to hear what you guys listen to. So please share your favourite workout track in the comments. I'm always up for hearing new beats!

30 Day Shred - Level 2

Okay, so if I was to sum up level two in a single caption, it would be this:

The workout goes a little something like this:

CIRCUIT 1

Strength
30 secs x walking push-ups
1 minute x stationary squat with a back row
Repeat

Cardio
30 secs x high knees
30 secs x plank thrusts

Abs 
1 minute crunches with a single leg raise

CIRCUIT 2

Strength
30 secs x stationary lunge with a back row
1 min x pendulum lunges with hammer curls
Repeat

Cardio
30 secs x oblique twists
30 secs x skaters
Repeat

Abs
30 secs x leg raises with a stationary weight lift
30 secs x crunches with a bum lift

CIRCUIT 3 

Strength
30 secs x military extensions and leg kick
1 minute x chair squat with a v raise
Repeat

Cardio 
30 secs x plank jacks
30 secs x double jump rope

Abs
1 minute x plank twists

As you can see, you spend a lot of this workout in the plank position. That is, holding up your bodyweight in a straight line like so:

Image via

Planks has been a pretty permanent fixture of my own workout for the past year or so, but I still found the exercises tough. The plank jacks and the plank thrusts in particular kicked my butt.

Whereas in level one I felt the cardio was a welcome break from the strength exercises, in level two Jillian starts to introduce resistance to these sections, so the circuit becomes pretty relentless.

In terms of the scale... well, there hasn't been any dramatic change on that front. In fact, the number has started to float up again. However, I've been really strict with my diet and have yet to check my measurements, so it could be a case of I'm losing inches, but gaining precious muscle mass.

I don't know, we'll see. I'll let you know my results when I complete level three next week!

Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred: Level One

As I mentioned previously, I am trying to shift a little extra weight in preparation of my holiday next month. So, in addition to cutting down on my food, I'm doing a fitness DVD: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.

So what is the 30 Day Shred? Well, it is a fitness programme that promises to get you pretty much RIPPED in 30 days (okay, individual results may vary, but it will at the very least get you on your way).

The "Shred" has been on my radar (and in my DVD cabinet) for quite a while, but I have never tried it before because I always saw it as a temporary solution. I mean, what happens after the 30 days are up? I didn't really like the idea of doing the same fitness DVD for the rest of my life, so I gave it a by.

But now I have an occasion to work towards (did I mention I'm going on holiday?!), a temporary solution will be just fine. So I've decided to give it a go.

For those that don't know, Jillian Michaels is the scary lady that brings the pain on the Biggest Loser in the USA. She has a bit of a swagger on her and I certainly wouldn't like her as my own personal trainer, but luckily she doesn't answer back when I'm shouting expletives at the TV.

As seems to be obligatory for this kind of thing, she is joined by two grinning maniacs: Anita and Natalie. While you're sweating buckets and gasping for air, these two ladies are coasting through, looking like somebody jammed an invisible watermelon slice into their mouths.

Anita offers modified moves for beginners, whereas Natalie is the one to follow if you're looking for a bit of a challenge. I was able to keep up with Natalie for most of it, but when it came to the push ups, I decided to follow Anita.

Okay, I admit it. I've been practicing for nearly a year now and yet I still can't do more than five full push ups in a row. I'm a girl, I get it.

Anyway...

I started level one last week, and each level lasts 10 days. But because my holiday is in less than 30 days (squeeee!!!), I've decided to rock each level for only eight days instead.

The first workout went well. It hit that sweet spot between challenging enough to make me sweat, but not SO challenging that I needed a basin nearby to throw up in. The workout has a circuit structure, where you do 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes cardio, and 1 minute abs workout. This six minute cycle is repeated 3 times, so once you add your warm up and cool down, you're not working out for longer than half an hour.

As I'm no stranger to weight training, I completed the circuit with 3kg dumb bells. It provided quite a challenge for me, so don't be scared to go for lighter weights if you're new to this kind of thing.

So, level one goes a little like this:

CIRCUIT 1


Strength
30 secs x push ups
1 min x squat and shoulder press

Repeat

Cardio

30 secs x jumping jacks

30 secs x skipping rope

Repeat

Abs

30 secs x basic crunch

30 secs x reverse crunch

CIRCUIT 2

Strength
30 secs x back row
1 min x static lunge and bicep curls

Repeat

Cardio

30 secs x butt kicks

30 secs x punches

Repeat

Abs

1 min x side crunch

CIRCUIT 3

Strength

30 secs x chest flies

1 min x side lunge with anterior raises

Cardio

30 secs x jumping jacks

30 secs x butt kicks

30 secs x punches

30 secs x skipping rope

Abs

1 min x bicycle crunches

Afterwards, I felt pretty tired but in a good way. I found the strength bits to be quite challenging, but the cardio and abs provided a nice balance. I felt good.

In fact, I felt great.

Then the aches started.

It started as a slight twinge in my right bicep around 12 hours after I finished my first session. But, by the time I was due to repeat the workout the next morning, my whole upper body was on fire.

The second workout, without a doubt, was 10x harder than the first. Regardless, I pushed through. My lower body was coping quite well, but my arms and back were screaming. But I kept pushing.

After around the 3rd of 4th day, the aches started to subside. On the fifth day, I took a rest and went on a 10km run instead. That little rest helped lots, and even though I've done more Shred sessions since, the aches have now completely gone.

So I'm doing my final level one session tonight, and then moving on to level two. I'm kind of nervous about changing my routine, but excited to see what the next level has in store.

I'll keep you posted!

Nipping it in the bud

So I'm eating to a deficit again. In other words, I'm trying to lose weight.

There are two main reasons for this.

Firstly, my "I can eat anything I want, I just ran a half marathon" mentality has caught up with me, and I have gained 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg). Okay, I know it doesn't sound much, but I would much rather cut down for a couple of weeks to lose a lb or two than go for months on end trying to lose a good few stone. So, I'm nipping it in the bud.

Secondly, I have a beach holiday coming up. A PROPER beach holiday, with sand and sunshine and everything.

So, I have bought myself *deep breath*... a bikini.

I haven't worn a bikini in four years.

Needless to say, I am feeling a little apprehensive about the whole thing. So, if cutting down my calorie intake and ramping up my exercise regime for a couple of weeks is going to give my confidence a boost, I see no harm in it. Besides, I'm probably going to put all the weight right back on with all that scrummy holiday food! :p

Things are going well so far. I've been running a deficit of 500 kcals a day and combining it with Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (review to come). After seven days, I have lost 2 lbs (nearly a kilo), although some of that is probably water weight, because a 500 kcal deficit is only supposed to lead to a 1 lb per week loss.

Still, if I continue like this, I am well on track on getting back to my ideal weight before I jet off.

Happy days! :D

My finish line photo

For your viewing pleasure.

If that's not the face of a WINNER, I don't know what is!

Sorry I've been off the grid for a while, more robust post coming soon. Promise! :)

Rock 'n' Roll Edinburgh

Yesterday I finished my second race, and this time, it was on my home turf. Beautiful, sunny Edinburgh!

The weather is always like this. Honest!

Conditions were pretty perfect, the sun was shining but there was a fair nip in the air. A bit on the chilly side if you were standing around, but once you got moving the cool breeze was really refreshing.

Mr MFC and I gathered at the starting line. Yup, despite medical advice to keep off his sore foot, he decided to run. I would have scolded him for it, but I am hardly one to talk. When I lined up for my last race, I had a sore throat and a tight chest. But, just like me, he doesn't let a little niggle keep him away from an event.

Still, I tried my best to be protective. "Now, seen as you haven't been running in a while," I said, finger wagging and all, "it's more important than ever that you PACE YOURSELF. If you want, you can stick with me for the first 5km, then if you're feeling good, you can run off at your own pace."

Mr MFC nodded solemnly, but after the starting gun fired, I could tell he was having none of it. He wanted to run at his own pace from the beginning, and unfortunately, his pace is a lot faster than mine. After about 500m he was nothing but a dot in the distance.

He wasn't the only one. For the first km or so, everyone around me was drifting forward. I was being overtaken en masse. But, the 'start slow and steady' strategy served me well in Paris, so I wasn't going to change it just to save face.

Instead, I let a knowing smirk flicker across my lips and muttered under my breath, "yup, see you all again at the 10th kilometre!"

Sure enough, the pack started to slow down, and I started to pick them off one by one. It was satisfying overtaking runners that had raced past me in the opening stretch, and from about the 2nd kilometre to the 16th, I felt pretty good.

Snapped on Daddy-cam!

It was a huge boon when I saw my Mum and Dad at around kilometre 10. I stopped momentarily for hugs and such, but I was soon on my way again. "I've got a personal best to beat!" I shouted at them over my shoulder as I ran off.

I looked at my watch. I was making really good time. I had cracked 10k in just over an hour. My official Parisian time was 2 hours 22 minutes, and at the halfway point, I was on track to beat it.

But it was a tough course. While the first half was relatively flat, the second half was chock full of ups and downs. We went though Holyrood park, a familiar training route for me, but it was odd running along the old roads in a completely different context. Then we turned into the Old Town, and I started to pay for my ambitious pace earlier.

I hit the wall. My breath became harder to catch and my legs started to feel heavy. Despite this, I powered on. I noticed a lot of my fellow runners stop and walk, but I kept running.

I think it's a stupid, personal, psychological thing, but I have never stopped to walk in the middle of a run since I completed the Couch to 5k. I have just got this idea lodged in my brain that if I stop to walk, I'll never start running again. I'm sure it's a completely ludicrous notion but that's why you'll never see me walking until I have crossed that finish line.

A goal time started to form in my head with around 6km to go - I reckon that if I pushed hard right until the very end, I could complete the course in under 2 and a quarter hours.

I started to do the maths in my head - I was running a pace of around 6.30 minutes per km. If I kept that pace up then pushed a little harder at the end, the 2.15 goal was achievable.

But, the constant up and downs of the Old Town took its toll. Every time I looked down at my Garmin, I could see my initial strong pace slip away. 6.49 per km, 6.58 per km, 7.04 per km.

Ah screw it, I thought. I was shattered. If I could beat my Parisian time, which I was still well on track to do, I would be happy. I resigned myself to my new goal, and plodded along fairly contently.

I don't know what happened, I must have got a second wind or something, but with 2km to go my pace started to pick up again. Soon enough, I was running a solid 6 min per kilometre. At 2 hours 5 minutes in, a little glimmer of hope appeared at the back of my mind. If I pushed it, I mean, REALLY pushed it, I could maybe pull the 2.15 goal off.

As I turned the corner onto the Royal Mile, I could hear spectators shouting "It's downhill until the finish!" My face cracked into a grin. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's how to milk those downhills for all that they're worth.

I lengthened my stride, shifted my body weight forward and let gravity do the rest. Soon I was weaving in and out of the slower runners, every so often glancing at my Garmin to check that I was on schedule. My pace shrank to a mere 5.18 per km. For me, that's fast. REALLY fast.

As I approached the bottom of the Royal Mile, the downhill started to flatten out, but I refused to break pace. With 500m and around two and a half minutes to go, I was going at a full on sprint. My legs were screaming, my chest was fit to burst, but I kept going. By the time I was on the finishing stretch, my eyes were fixed on my Garmin. I watched the timer count up to 2 hours, 15 minutes. I had mere seconds to go. I kept going, and swept across the finish line with my face contorted into a fierce, rabid snarl.

I looked down at my watch one final time, and stopped the timer.

2 hours, 14 minutes, and 57 seconds.

I had made it, with 3 seconds to spare.

I let a high pitched cry of joy escape from my lungs. To hell with it, the people who had just seen me finish already knew that I was mental.

The next few minutes were a blur. I let my jellied legs take me through the finishers pen, where I collected my medal, wolfed down a couple of cereal bars and a banana, picked up a bottle of Powerade and let the marshals snip the official timing chip off my shoe.

My official time, incidentally, was 2:14:54. Three seconds quicker than my Garmin time. Mr MFC came in at 2 hours 4 minutes, which for him is slow, but considering he was recovering from an injury, it's certainly not to be sniffed at.

Before the Rock 'n' Roll, I thought that Paris had been my peak. I thought that in France, I was taken over by some mystical force that caused me to perform outwith my means, and I would never be able to pull a stunt like that ever again.

Clearly, happily, I was mistaken. This isn't my peak. This is just the beginning. While a sub-2:15 half marathon is a fantastic achievement for me today, five years from now I hope that I will be able to look back and laugh at such a paltry time.

With the right training, and the right mindset, I reckon a sub 2 hour marathon is totally achievable. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not this year, but in my lifetime, I reckon I can definitely do it.

And as for the full marathon distance? Well, watch this space.

You ain't seen nothing yet.