tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82423327054081495422024-03-05T22:49:16.418+00:00Egg Goes HealthyTales of mostly mishaps and the odd success along the road to being healthy; trying to eat less cake, indulging in salads and partaking in many a dangerous and exciting activity.Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-28931996462811873672024-03-05T16:24:00.006+00:002024-03-05T16:49:09.020+00:00Hyrox Glasgow 2024I'd known about Hyrox for ages, but it was only when my mate Abi asked if I wanted to join her for a doubles attempt last October that I really looked closely at the details. On paper, it does seem doable. Hard, but doable. For those in the dark, Hyrox is a fitness race which combines running with functional, high intensity and strength-based exercises, all mashed together in one giant Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-68328652312064666372023-12-10T17:03:00.022+00:002023-12-11T09:07:20.835+00:00Macclesfield Harriers Fell Handicap Race 2023The Fell Handicap Race appeared to be something of a highlight in the club race calendar. The format is that some poor sod has to take everyone's own predictions, then look back through everyone's race times throughout the year and try to make a fair assessment of how to stagger 60+ runners of enormously varying abilities in order that everyone finishes a nearly-15-mile fell route in around aboutEgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-44071092569973550492023-01-29T12:10:00.006+00:002023-01-30T10:36:56.468+00:00Rivington Night Runner 2023Rivington Pike is basically a massive tower on a hill near Bolton which I discovered last November. I was waxing lyrical about the hilly trails, ornamental ponds and stone steps-a-plenty when my running buddy Pete suggested that I would love the night trail race which happens there every January. I didn't even check the details, I just trusted him implictly and immediately entered it.Mentally, I Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-80011599699341892782021-06-29T16:47:00.008+01:002021-06-29T21:06:31.340+01:00The Welsh 3000sIt's 03:58 and I'm stood at Pen y Pass contemplating the challenge ahead of us. My three hill buddies have about 5g of body fat between them and a collective height advantage of 2 feet and 9 inches over me. I know I'm in for a tough day.I can't complain though, doing the Welsh 3000s was my idea. Having been on my bucket list for years, one inspiring book saw my enthusiasm newly refreshed and I Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-64811784076242337612018-02-22T08:55:00.000+00:002018-02-22T08:55:03.683+00:00The 40 Days of Health ChallengePeople are creatures of habit aren't they? As I sat down to write this, I glanced back to see at this time last year I was in a similar place; still looking to shift the post-Christmas excesses and generally feeling a bit demotivated.
Of course, this time last year I was preparing myself to get married, and had a few big races on the horizon. I was a lean machine by the time we got hitched, and Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-61244813198470408972017-05-19T13:08:00.000+01:002018-02-22T07:33:04.944+00:00Post-Nuptial Consumption
Well, this is a bit embarrassing. As a health and fitness
professional, I spend most of my time motivating other people to exercise, eat
healthily and make positive lifestyle changes (some call it nagging, whatever).
I am pretty good at it; with a lot of happy clients getting fitter, stronger,
leaner, faster and indeed, happier!
The embarrassing bit is that my own personal goals have
fallen Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-80597544315646335102017-04-09T17:40:00.002+01:002017-04-09T17:40:29.477+01:00Finally RacingThe March challenge sort of worked at getting my head back in the game. I realised that even though I haven't been doing 'training runs' at all, my running to get places all adds up and I easily cleared the 100 miles in the month. I only just hit my cycling target, which was a shock. My commute used to add up to an easy 150-200 miles a week so this is where I need to get back to it. And swimming,Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-83724394764643224192017-03-08T16:57:00.000+00:002017-03-08T17:03:25.615+00:00Feel Good with GoodGymGoodGym York has been up and running for just over seven weeks now and is an amazing thing to be a part of. If you've not already heard me going on and on about what it is, I've written another blog post to explain about all the doing good. You'll hear that a lot from GoodGym converts all over the UK; we are 'doing good', but what I want to tell you about is how good it makes you feel too.
One Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-44257851205957122712017-02-28T15:14:00.001+00:002017-02-28T15:14:06.190+00:00Back in the FoldBlimey, it's been a while since I wrote my last EGH blog. A lot has changed: I moved to York and I quit my job to go self-employed. What with starting up my own PT and run coaching business, I must admit my own personal goals have slightly fallen by the wayside. Looking back, I didn't enter a single race in 2016, not one medal or number to display.
What were the positives? Well, it turns out Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-20040663944318717572016-07-13T07:39:00.001+01:002016-07-13T07:42:00.731+01:00Banging out tunes - UE Boom 2I've recently discovered an amazing outdoor, waterproof speaker that is super loud and ideal for training outside in all weathers. It's no bigger than a water bottle and is a truly brilliant bit of kit.
For any fitness professionals out there doing boot camps or running circuit classes, this is what you need. Long gone are the days of dragging a huge amp around with you!
This can be rolled Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-36950867603886250862016-03-06T17:41:00.000+00:002016-07-06T13:34:39.986+01:00The Crampy, Keto Newport HalfIt might have been a silly idea to start this crazy nutritional experiment a week before running a half marathon, but I love a silly idea every now and again. I couldn't even say I was relying on good, solid training for this one because I've been having a very gentle winter but it wouldn't be the first half marathon I've winged and I'm sure it won't be the last. Either way, it was going to Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-81096328857714261222016-03-06T16:23:00.001+00:002016-03-06T16:23:37.754+00:00Ashton Court parkrun and Keto SnackingJust over a year ago we ventured over to Ashton Court to do the well-known big uphill, and big downhill. Sadly, ice had stopped play so we were left parkrun-less. Yesterday however, Facebook confirmed it was on and so we headed on over. This was going to be a good test for the ketogenic diet.
We'd stayed over in Bristol the night before and had decided on a hotel picnic. It is hard work Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-26083423302292285832016-03-04T13:31:00.001+00:002016-07-07T11:57:14.345+01:00Going KetoI'm obsessed with food; eating it, cooking it, planning when or how I'm going to eat it, thinking about eating every minute of the day. I enrolled in a nutrition course, thinking that would be a healthier outlet in which to obsess over it. The more I learn and and the more papers I read, the more I'm convinced that what the Government recommend we all consume on a daily basis is all very wrong. Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-44010102504263828062016-02-28T16:10:00.000+00:002016-03-01T13:36:42.366+00:00The Off SeasonThe off season used to terrify me. The mere idea of taking a break from structured, intensive training caused me huge anxiety about vast fitness losses and weight gain.
Of course I'm older and wiser about it now, I've learned the benefits of taking real time out. It isn't about hibernating entirely, but taking the pressure out of exercise and doing it because you want to, not because you feel Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-13654056903710051202015-09-14T17:33:00.000+01:002015-09-14T17:33:49.919+01:00Anglesey Sandman Triathlon 2015
Yep, we were the geeky ones who rackedfirst. Far too excited.
Sandman, the only slate coaster missing from my coffee table. There was a reason it was the last one of the Welsh Always Aim High triathlon series I'd signed up for, two in fact, it was a sea swim and a flat bike course. Those two reasons however, were the magic words needed to get Lizzie to come with me. It wasn't until she was allEgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-7173419367811627552015-07-05T17:40:00.001+01:002015-07-05T17:40:35.784+01:00Canterbury Sprint Triathlon 2015Having attended a wedding yesterday of friends who have just completed Ironman Austria, it seemed fitting to blast out the post-wedding fuzz with a very conveniently located local triathlon, the Velocity Events Canterbury Sprint Tri.
We sat smugly drinking coffee with plenty of time to spare even with the horrendous unisex toilet queue of doom. The race had changed venues at fairly shirt notice Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-22227532338374353002015-06-28T08:41:00.001+01:002015-06-28T08:42:53.595+01:00Midnight Mountain MarathonAs I drove to the Brecon Beacons for an evening marathon I was scarily under-trained for, it occurred to me how bonkers my whole plan was. I'd left at 6am for a 5:30pm race, why? Obviously it was so I could bosh out a parkrun first. More specifically, the brand new Penallta parkrun which - hilariously - is described as "mostly flat" on the website. The Welsh do crack me up. I wouldn't say it was Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-42044289344881343672015-06-14T14:34:00.000+01:002015-06-14T14:34:08.027+01:00Salisbury parkrun: The Map GuideSalisbury parkrun isn't the easiest course to navigate. Visitors and bloggers alike have rightly described it as having many twists and turns. There's a lead biker, a tail runner, loads of marshals and more arrows than most marathon courses, but there's still always at least one who manages to go the wrong way.
If you've run our course and are still confused or are planning a journey to our Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-58553558479177595922015-06-04T17:44:00.000+01:002015-06-04T17:44:37.044+01:00New Forest Drivers
Having regained my cycling confidence on gloriously quiet Dorset roads, a ride in the New Forest brought back the inner panic. What is it that makes drivers in the New Forest so much more angry and rubbish at driving than anywhere else?! The New Forest is such a beautiful place to cycle and it is a terrible shame that motor vehicles and man-powered ones can't live in harmony.If it wasn’t a coachEgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-62705867954891021362015-05-17T22:24:00.001+01:002015-05-17T22:24:55.151+01:00Back on the BikeFor a chunk of time that seemed like a forever, I was convinced I would never get back on a bike again. The panic attacks, the flashbacks and the still-visible injuries from my double-hit disaster last year had made me completely ride-phobic and I couldn't even begin to imagine finding cycling enjoyable ever again. I came close to selling the beautiful replacement bike that had been sitting Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-4566125039065595632015-02-14T14:43:00.001+00:002015-06-14T09:02:37.061+01:00Salisbury Does (Unofficial) Parkrun Running is a great way to bring a whole community together and parkrun epitomises the very essence of community. Salisbury is already blessed with several very active groups and it was brilliant to see representatives from the Athletics and Running Club (CoSARC), Salisbury Tri Club and local women's running group, Sarum Sisters all showing their support.
If you search for parkrun events, thereEgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-92223413982555506732014-11-30T20:21:00.004+00:002014-11-30T20:27:32.783+00:00The Delightful Downton HalfWhen you're stumbling about at 09:20 with one eye that won't open properly, tripping over empty wine bottles and searching for your trainers before a 10am race, it probably won't be a personal best sort of day. However, after a raucous 30th birthday celebration and failed "few drinks and move on to water" strategy, I was happy enough just to make it to the start line.
This was my fourth outing Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-72551552322823135592014-11-16T15:53:00.001+00:002015-06-14T09:02:49.187+01:00Alice Holt Parkrun & The Gosport Half Marathon
Support Crew Extraordinaire
I haven't done too much since the summer of bicycle accident madness, but I've been ticking away at the running and have bizarrely found myself keeping a fairly decent level of fitness whilst doing very little. Gosport Half Marathon had been on my radar all year for an attempt at a fast (for me) half and in the last few weeks, I started to believe I might be able toEgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-12595053193557026822014-10-13T13:45:00.001+01:002014-10-13T13:59:14.256+01:00Dartmoor Long-O 2014Last year I entered an event that was completely beyond the limits of my general orienteering ability. This year, the two-day event which is run jointly by clubs in the Quantocks and Devon, was taking place in Dartmoor. Over the last year it is safe to say that I have developed absolutely no further navigational competence, but I was only down the road on my holidays so it seemed like a Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8242332705408149542.post-979997365268833432014-08-14T15:06:00.000+01:002014-08-14T15:06:30.364+01:00Caravan CalamityIt's always a gamble, entering a big endurance event. Months of work and build up, all for one day. It is all consuming, every weekend gets taken up with a training epic or practise race. Holidays get planned around good training locations. Toenails gradually disappear. Life becomes divided in "before and after", where "after" is really the only suitable time for hardcore socials as it won't Egghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504250282233026722noreply@blogger.com1