Archive - Page 2 of 17 - Put the Kettle On

thetrilife Masters Programme – Month 1

Written by amanda on 10th April 2016. Posted in Mastering tri life. No Comments on thetrilife Masters Programme – Month 1

Four weeks down. My thoughts? Direction! I’ve got direction. It’s great to be training with purpose. I neeeeeeed direction and purpose. For the last six months I’ve been mostly sitting on the sofa, going for the occasional run and that’s about it. I decided to try and rediscover my triathlon dreams and I entered a couple of sprint tris but the occasional swim and bike is dull, boring and demotivating. Without a plan, everything comes under the umbrella ‘junk’. So here I am, at the end of my first...

thetrilife Masters Programme Week 1

Written by amanda on 23rd March 2016. Posted in Mastering tri life. No Comments on thetrilife Masters Programme Week 1

Oh, I’m such a slave to programmes but find myself completely at a loss without. After my two IM fiascos last summer I ditched my bike for the indoor rower and focussed on a team WR attempt – which proved to be hugely successful and so much fun! (Well – if ‘fun’ and ‘rowing’ can be used in the same sentence??) After that, though (December) I lost the plot and resorted to doing more or less nothing. January came along and for the first time ever I had no goals, no plans, no motivation, no desire...

Chi Running – a workshop for beginners

Written by amanda on 24th January 2016. Posted in Just running. No Comments on Chi Running – a workshop for beginners

Talk to any runner about energy and he/she will happily launch into conversation. Mention ‘chi’ rather than ‘energy’ and odds are a small percentage will nod knowingly, a slightly larger percentage might smile and pretend to be open to ‘whatever works for you, dearest’, some will respond with a derisive snort and others will roll their eyes and turn away. Of course it is a matter of each one to his own, but as a slow ultrarunner – and therefore someone who is out on a course for considerable...

Ten Day Turnaround – Why so successful?

Written by amanda on 26th November 2015. Posted in Weight to go. No Comments on Ten Day Turnaround – Why so successful?

What is it? Who’s it for? Why is it so successful? Read on for the no-nonsense answers. What is it? Online no-measuring no-counting weight loss programme (Facebook or via email) with LOTS of frills and strings attached; The strings? You have to follow the rules! There are ten! The frills? You will have to put up with more energy, not being hungry, sleeping better and a serious lack of bloating Ten rules. Ten compulsory workouts for EVERY level of fitness (yes, there are even walking...

LOSE WEIGHT AT THE SUPERMARKET – PART 2

Written by amanda on 6th November 2015. Posted in Weight to go. No Comments on LOSE WEIGHT AT THE SUPERMARKET – PART 2

Hello – and thank you for coming back for more. I hope you found something in Part 1 that might at the very least make you stop and think for a few seconds before reaching for the easiest supermarket option – even if ultimately you choose not to change anything! You always have a choice and there’s no one size that fits all, but we all know the saying ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always got.’ Perhaps I can urge you to ditch the habit of a lifetime...

LOSE WEIGHT AT THE SUPERMARKET – PART 1

Written by amanda on 4th November 2015. Posted in Weight to go. No Comments on LOSE WEIGHT AT THE SUPERMARKET – PART 1

Because without a single doubt both weight gain and weight loss start at the supermarket. Forget the baby steps. Get your shopping right and you will already be taking a giant leap towards your goal. This cannot be stressed enough. I struggled with my weight for years (still have my moments!!), did the big-weight-loss-company thing, even became a leader for one of them! I started to delve deeper into the whys and wherefores of losing weight so I could pass on something a little more modern and...

Royal Parks Half Marathon – 11.10.2015

Written by amanda on 12th October 2015. Posted in Just running. No Comments on Royal Parks Half Marathon – 11.10.2015

The loveliest and most enjoyable HM I’ve had the pleasure of running. I mean, really!! If I was to recommend a HM to anyone it would be this one. So THANK YOU to the Royal Parks Foundation for super organisation. Was I well prepared for it? Erm … nope! Most definitely not. Actually, I think I was the least prepared I’ve ever been for ANY race. My plan, therefore, was not to race. In fact, I was ready to implement a walk/run strategy and figured there’d probably be plenty of walking as I’ve done...

A CAUTIONARY TALE – SALTY NOT SWEET

Written by amanda on 21st September 2015. Posted in Rhyme without reason. No Comments on A CAUTIONARY TALE – SALTY NOT SWEET

This is the tale, the most terrible tale, Of some salt and the sea and one Suzie McVale; Now Suzie was pretty and popular, too; A sweet little girl, always happy and who Loved to sing in the morning and dance before bed, Till her poor mother died and her father re-wed; Now, Stepmother Stephanie hated to cook, And refused to consult any recipe book, So Suzie survived on convenience food, Which paled her complexion and blackened her mood; Crisps in the morning and bacon for lunch, Fried eggs for...

Back to the trails: SBU35 (UKan Trail)

Written by amanda on 3rd September 2015. Posted in My Ultra Ego and Me. 1 Comment on Back to the trails: SBU35 (UKan Trail)

‘You’re running from Keswick to where?’ ‘Back to here.’ ‘Where?’ ‘Back to here.’ ‘Never heard of it!’ My introduction to St Bees was both challenging and entertaining! Thought I’d landed in an alternate universe for a mo – but then I landed in my gorgeous hotel, set out my race kit, tucked into a delicious pre-race dinner … and realised this was no alternate reality. Yikes! Here I was, preparing to embrace another start line. A result of my guest visits to Talk Ultra, I was invited to race the...

IM Sweden – A breeze? Nope. It was THE breeze …

Written by amanda on 26th August 2015. Posted in The Road to Ironman. No Comments on IM Sweden – A breeze? Nope. It was THE breeze …

Yes. The breeze. It beat me. Brought ‘weatherbeaten’ to a whole new level – and another DNF. That’s a record for me – 2 x DNF in a year. D’ye think someone’s sending me a message? It’s taken me a while to get around to writing this but I promise I haven’t been sulking all the time! Hindsight is a real b**** – packed chock full of thoughts of ‘should have’ and ‘if only’ and ‘what if’ – which are of little benefit when you’re already hiding in a corner with a comfort blanket and sobbing because...