The 5 Mile-Race 2

Today was Race 2 of the Run Clare Series. It was a 5 mile run in Quilty Co Clare, along the beautiful West Coast. We honestly couldn't have asked for nicer scenery.

The route itself ran along the Atlantic Coast for approx 2.5 miles and then turned, heading back towards Quilty village. The 3 to 4 1/2 mile was quite hard as there was a lot of up hill, however the uphill from the 4 mile marker to 4 1/2 mile was, for me, the toughest. I wanted to give up so badly but I wouldn't let 1/2 mile get the better of me!

I'm sure for the seasoned runners this course was a breeze but for me, for a number of reasons, it was a battle and I feel so proud of an amazing achievement. All week long I had been dealing with a pulled muscle in my back. Last Saturday, following our hike in the Burren I collected my son at my mother-in-law's house. I lifted him up I felt an unreal pain in my back. Having trained in Massage Therapy I knew the seriousness of what had happened and how to help towards the recovery. I rested all week, only going for light walks on my lunch breaks and not over exerting myself. Not only had I an issue with my back but I was smothered all week with a cold!

With all of that being said I pushed on and wouldn't let anyone stop me from running (that's the stubborn streak in me, coming out again!!). My sister, Orla, ran with me. Of course she finished 5 mins ahead if me but she stood there at the finish waiting for me shouting words of encouragement. I had hoped to run the 5 mile in under 50 mins and then with everything that went against me this week, mainly my sore back, I was just praying that I'd run and walk it without doing more damage to myself. Luckily I ran NON STOP in 55.42 mins. I know I didn't reach my aim but I did well considering the week I had prior to the run!!!

I have to say that the people around me were and are such a huge encouragement. I have this stupid thing in my head that all of the seasoned runners are looking at me judging me, knowing that I am a "fraud" but I have come to realise that this is silly! Yes I am extremely intimidated by these runners but I also admire them and hope that one day I will be as good as them. Everyone has to start somewhere! My negitivity is a battle. It affects me constantly when I'm running and I have to turn up the volume on my headphones in order to drown it out. I usually hit my "wall" quite earl too and the negitivity creeps in and seeing people passing me out doesn't help. This is something that will probably take me a while to overcome.

I run every race with my sister, Orla. I train by myself because I cannot commit to a schedule at the moment due to having a small baby. Each day that I go out running I run for myself. I set my own pace and try not to worry about anyone else (I say TRY but my negitivity tends to affect me). Orla usually stays with me for a portion of the run and then takes off towards the end. I like to keep my pace because I don't have the experience, yet, to be able to make a burst for the finish line, hopefully that will come with my training though!

 

Today at the 2 mile mark I told Orla to run on if she wanted and I would keep to my own pace because I didn't want to aggravate my back by pushing myself too hard. From the minute Orla took off I noticed another runner keeping pace with me. We ran side by side for the duration. As it happens I didn't even notice who came over the finish line first but I was chatting to my sister and a school friend when she came up behind me and thanked me for keeping pace with her. I have to say, though, that she pushed me as much as I pushed her! 

Here is a photo of us, with my school friend Mairead, at the finish line (Apologies for the quality, the phone had been in my pocket so it was covered in condensation!!!!)

Luckily I also had great support in Mary and Christina too! They always know what to say beforehand to put me at ease. Today I was more nervous than I have ever been. I had butterflies in the pit of my stomach and when I met Mary and Christina they both made me feel like I could do it and even if I couldn't then who cares at least I turned up! I was telling them about my worries about the route and that from the half way marker, it was mainly uphill. Mary's reply was the best! She said "sure you'll be half way round at that stage so you'll have built momentum by then"! She also said that I should listen to my body and if my back hurt then I should walk but if not I should try to push on, and that's exactly what I did!


Here is Mary, Christina, myself and Orla at the finish line!

I just want to say congrats to the organizers of today's event on a fantastic day. And to the Run Clare Series organizers congrats on the series so far. We are half way there and I for 1 am feeling great and enjoying it so much!


So the 10K is next and I really feel like I'm ready for it, for the first time! We have 4 weeks so bring it on!!!!


Keep an eye on my Facebook page for more photos of today's run!!



Until the next time, always remember to be:

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Monday Motivation Week 7

Wow I'm already at week 7!!! How fast have those few weeks gone! 

My Results & Stats

So here are my results for this week:

Weight - 12 stone 2lbs

Height - 5ft 7

BMI - 26.6 (Down from 27 last week)

Thighs - 26 - lost 0 inches

Bottom - 44 lost 1/2 inch

Hips - 41.5 lost 1/2inch

Waist - 40.5 lost 0 inches

Chest - 37.5 lost 1/2 inch 

Arms - 13 lost 0 inches

So I reached my target of 2lbs this week but it was not without some obstacles. 

I was only able to manage 1 run during the week, due to circumstances beyond my control. When I did get out for my run, on Wednesday, I found that I was in such bad form and I still don't know why! 

It was great motivation because I ran and ran for 6K and didn't hit my wall! I think I should make sure that when go for a run in future that I'm in bad form. I will be running a 5 mile in Quilty in Co Clare, on Sunday so I think I'll have to build a temper beforehand!!!!

As per yesterday's post, on Saturday my sister and I did two of The Burren Trails. It was a lovely morning and no where near as hard as we expected. We walked/climbed 9K in 2hrs 55mins. We were delighted with this because according to the trail website these trails are estimated to take 3hrs 55mins!

We stretched and cooled down after so I was feeling great but then when I got home and picked up my 8 month old son I felt a tinge in my back! I was hoping to go for a run on Sunday but I was unable due to my back pain. I'm just resting it now so that I don't do any damage but it's frustrating not being able to go running! I have been using Deep Heat patches and Voltarol cream so hopefully they will help!

 

My Short Term Goals – Week 7

 

This week I want go get back down to my pre pregnancy weight so my short term goals for this week:

Run the 5 mile in Quilty!

Lose 2lbs and reach my pre pregnancy weight of 12 stone

 

As you know I'm following Fit Man Fran's 60 Day Challenge and it has definitely made a difference weight wise. However I am once again frustrated with Fran.

We received no exercises for Saturday and we are still waiting for tomorrow's exercises to be posted. I have also asked for the food plan for the next 2 weeks but once again my messages and comments have gone unanswered! Fran must be busier than the president if he cannot answer at least one of my messages. 

For me it's very disappointing because I am giving his plan all of my energy but he, sadly, is not doing the same for us. He must be fairly naive if he thinks that I wouldn't mention it in my blog! 

Anyway that's enough negativity for one evening!

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Walking in The Beautiful Burren

Yesterday saw the first of my New Years resulolution walks/climbs. My sister, Orla, and I left early and headed for The Burren Trails, near Kilnaboy in North Co Clare.

We firstly followed the Blue Route (Mullaghmore Loop). It is 7.5K in total and is estimated to take 2hrs 55mins. It is classed as very difficult remote/ upland. 

We then followed the GreenArrow  Route (Nature Trail). It's is a moderate 1.5K walk and is estimated to take 40mins. In total we walked/climbed 9K in 2 hrs 55mins!

The trails are extremely well marked. We found that every time we were unsure of our way, there was a trail marker just ahead. They are suitable for any novice. 

 

We are by no means super climbers or super fit but we found the trails relatively easy. I think this is probably because the trails are not too long or too high a climb. Mullaghmore is classed as a hill because it is 180 Ft. Anything over 610m is generally classed as a mountain.

The trails range from moderate to very difficult with a climb of between 20m and 140m. There are some obstacles to climb along the way and you always need to watch your step as some rocks can be loose and there are holes along the ground. We luckily had no problems and enjoyed the 2 routes. 

The weather in general was lovely, although we did get caught in one hail shower. It passed quickly and we managed to get some shelter. It was quite windy but we really didn't notice until we were at the very top. I nearly fell a few times, mainly when I was trying to take photos!

The trails themselves were quiet, we only met a couple of people on the way up but by the time we got back down and walked back to the car, there were more people and cars visible.

I took my hiking poles with me but I found that I didn't need them. The one thing that was a must for me was my hiking boots. The ground was unpredictable in places and these boots definitely saved my ankles. As I've mentioned before I am by no means a professional and my boots were bought in Lidl last year but I have found them great for my needs.

We enjoyed our morning of climbing so much that we are planning another trip to walk all other routes! The routes that we still need to do are:

Yellow Route (Slieve Carron)

Brown Route (Slieve Carron)

Red Route (Mullaghmore Traverse)

Green Route (Mullaghmore Return)

Orange Route (Knockaunroe Turlough)

Purple Route (Lough Avalla Farm Loop)

We got back to the car by lunch time so once we had changed and had some lunch, we headed 5K further up the road to the house featured in Fr Ted! It's a private residence so we just took a couple of photos from the entrance. We did see a number of cars drive in to get photos beside the house. A number of people peered in the windows too! There is a big sign on the gate saying "Private" so I shocked that those people felt it ok to look in the windows! Maybe their excitement took over, who knows?!!!

If you fancy a nice day out and something that is different then I cannot recommend The Burren highly enough. We had such a great morning in the outdoors. Its so calming and peaceful up there. We looked like we were taken straight off the posters for Lidl and Aldi but we didn't care! It's all about the experience and we loved every second of it. It helps too that I'm not one bit stiff today, thanks to my stretching after the hike!

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Monday Motivation Week 6

It's Monday and I'm going to keep it short this week. I really just want to update you on how I've gotten on!

My Results & Stats

So here are my results for this week:

Weight - 12 stone 4lbs

Height - 5ft 7

BMI - 27 (Down from 27.3 2 weeks ago)

Thighs - 26 - lost 1/2 inch.  

Bottom - 44.5 -  lost 1/2 inch

Hips - 42 lost 0 inches

Waist - 40.5 lost 0 inches

Chest - 38 lost 0 inches

Arms - 13 lost 0 inches

I have not lost any weight and did not reach my target of 2lbs. I knew that at some stage during this 6o Day Challenge, that I would not lose weight and it has happened this week! I have really noticed a difference in my muscle definition, in particular in my legs. Because of all of this I am not too upset that I didn't lose the 2 lbs as I am building muscles and tightening up all over. I have lost 1/2 an inch on both my thighs and bottom so that's the positive that I am going to take from the past week

Food & Exercise

The food plan is the same as in last weeks post. It is very manageable and easy to follow. This week also sees the start of lent and so every year I give something up for the duration of lent so this year will be no different. So I will be giving up all things sugar related! This will benefit the 60 Day Plan too!

Exercise wise I will continue on the route to my aim of completing the 10 miles by April. Along with this I will do a 20 minute routine, 5 days this week. I ran the 4 mile route, near to my house, on Sunday. I ran 2.5 miles, walked for 1/2 mile and ran the last mile. To be honest I found it tough and I was so annoyed with myself for walking that 1/2 mile but I have to look at the positive and that is that the last mile of the run was all uphill and I did it!

 

My Short Term Goals – Week 6 

 

I'm going to set myself the same short term goals for this week because I did not reach either goal last week so I feel that it is important for me to try to reach it this week.
 

So here are my short term goals for this week:

Run the 5 mile ring without stopping!

Lose 2lbs

 

I hope you are all with me this week. I know todays post is short and to the point but there is not need for me to ramble on and on. 

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Versatile Blogger Award

Versatile Blogger Award

Before I get started I would like to thank Eimear from Chirps From A little Red Hen for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award! It’s always a great way of getting my blog out there so thanks again Eimear. You are a huge supporter of mine and I also of yours!

The rules for The Versatile Bloggers Award can be found here! 

7 Things About Me!

        1.

         I have one sister and one brother,        and I am the middle child!

        2.

         I am named after my father. He is Denis Jude an I am Denise Judith. I am the 4th DJ within the                           family!

         

3.

By day I work for a frozen food company in Limerick so most days I am surrounded by foods of all types, it’s a tough job!

4.

I have 2 dogs called Berry and Ozzie. They are black Labradors and are brother and sister. My husband’s parents own their brother, Rex!

5.

I have done a sky-dive, bungee jump and white water rafting, all while living in Australia.

6.

I am avery shy person and I tend to get swallowed up when in large groups of people. I am much more comfortable in smaller groups. Once I know everyone in the group I usually begin to feel more at ease and will then join in on the chat more easily!

7.

I wore glasses up until I was 12 years of age. One pair of glasses that I had were bright pink, and looking back now, were hideous, but I loved them!!!!

According to the rules I must nominate 15 Blogs/Bloggers but to be honest I do not know 15 bloggers to nominate as I am new to the blogging world and almost all of the other blogs that I know and follow, have been nominated previously.However, I will nominate the below:

Annie Edwards of Make My Day

Thank you again Eimear for the nomination it was another fun challenge!

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Monday Motivation Week 5

Monday Monday! It's like Groundhog Day isn't it?! The weekends are just too short! For me the "fear" and that feeling of dread, sets in on a Sunday evening, knowing that I have work in the morning. I know that I'm not alone in my thinking though! Lately I think that I'm begining to dread Mondays because it's "Results" day but at on the other hand I've been doing so well that I shouldn't dread it. It's the fear of the unknown I suppose!!!

My Results & Stats

Enough rambling from me now and let's have a look at my results for this week. Once again the target that I set for myself was to lose 2lbs and I'm delighted to say that I did it! 

In total I am down 10lbs, since I started on the 12th of January, and it's the first week that I have recieved compliments as a direct result of my weight loss. A number of people commented on how well I was looking so naturally I was thrilled! It gave me such a boost and gave me the drive to keep going.

So here is how I have done this week:

Weight - 12 stone 4lbs

Height - 5ft 7

BMI - 27 (Down from 27.3 last week)

Thighs - 26.5 - lost 0inches.  

Bottom - 45 -  lost 0 inches

Hips - 42 lost 0 inches

Waist - 40.5 lost 0 inches

Chest - 38 lost 0 inches

Arms - 13 lost 0 inches

So even though I've lost the 2lbs, my inch loss is 0. This is disappointing but I know that I'm still doing well. Next week there will, hopefully, be more inches lost. I'm going to stick to the plan as much as possible and that should bring results!

Food Plan

This week the food plan is very similar to last week, white meat only, with salads, eggs, fruit and veg. It's actually quite easy to manage because I'm allowed 1 cheat meal so I generally keep that for the weekend and it's such a treat. I find that I appreciate meals like fajitas, lasagne, shepards pie etc, more when I dont indulge as much!

Exercise

 

Now that the Run Clare Series has begun I am focusing hard on my running training. I run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I like to run for approx 30 mins on Tuesday, do my interval training on Thursday and keep my longer run for Saturday. Last Saturday I ran the Killagholehane Way from the Broadford-Ashford walking Trails. This is a lovely scenic 6K run/walk and I ran the full thing in 40mins, which I was delighted about!

The exercise plan for this week is similar to the last few weeks, 20 minute intensive routine 5 days this week along with running training 3 days. I'm also hoping to plan a hill climb at the weekend on one of the local walking trails.

 

My Short Term Goals – Week 5 

 

So as I mentioned in last weeks Post I tend to hit my "wall" quite early when I'm out for a run. One of my goals was to work on this so I will keep working on this. On Saturday's run I hit my wall around the 2.5K mark so I just turned up the volume on my headphones and pushed on! I tried not to think about stopping, instead running to the beat of the music. I am happy to report that it worked for me! 

So here are my short term goals for this week:

Run the 5 mile ring without stopping!

Lose 2lbs

My training partner Eimear has been following the Operation Transformation plan. Click on the link to see how she is getting on: Chirps From A Little Red Hen.

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x

Monday Motivation Week 4

Another Monday is here upon us, the weeks are just flying by. Another Monday means analysing the week just gone and analysing my results, of course. Last week was a good week for me so I'm feeling extra positive for a Monday!

My Results & Stats

The target that I set for myself was to lose 2lbs and I smashed it! I'm am delighted! I really didn't think that I would lose anything because I'm at the stage of my training where I can see muscle definition, in my legs in particular, and as we all know muscle weighs heavier! I'm loving these subtle changes because my clothes are now starting to look and feel more comfortable. 

So here is how I have done this week:

Weight - 12 stone 6lbs

Height - 5ft 7

BMI - 27.3 (Down from 27.7 last week)

Thighs - 26.5 - lost 0 inchs

Bottom - 45 -  lost 1/2 inch

Hips - 42 lost 1 inch

Waist - 40.5 lost 0 inches

Chest - 38 lost 0 inches

Arms - 13 lost 1/2 inch

Although my inch loss is not to great I know that this is because I am building muscle but I love seeing the changes, yes they might be slow to come but I'm trying to do this in the healthiest way possible. It's so motivating seeing the numbers going down each week and I'm now finding that my stamina, when exercising, has hugely improved. 

Those size 12 jeans are within reach! I'm just filled with positivity today, considering that it's Monday!!  

Food Plan

This week the food plan allowed me to reintroduce white meat and fish and to have 1 cheat meal. This was a huge bonus and gave me a boost. My cheat meal was fajitas on Friday night, at my lovely mother-in-laws house and I enjoyed every bite! 

I'm now finding that I'm not craving sweet things as much but if I do get a mad craving for chocolate I'll just have some granola and natural yoghurt. I don't eat a huge amount as there is sugar in the granola but what I do eat is enough to kill any craving. So far that's what has worked for me so I'm going to stick to that.

Exercise

 

As per yesterday's post, I took part in Race 1 of the Run Clare Series, on Saturday. It was 5K which I completed in 34.51 minutes. Now to more seasoned runners I'm sure that this is brutal but for me personally it's a great achievement because I wanted to do it in under 35 minutes.

This week will see me running training 3 days, in order to build myself up to the 5 mile run in Quilty in 2 weeks. I will also do 4 20min intensive workout routines. I will allow my body to rest on Wednesday and Sunday because I don't want to over do it.

 

My Short Term Goals – Week 4

 

This week I want to focus on building myself up for the 5 mike run. I will be running training Tuesday and Thursday as normal and then I will attempt a longer run on Saturday. I do tend to struggle with hitting my "wall" quite early, when running, so I want to work on mental exercises to help push through this.

So here are my short term goals for this week:

Complete a long run on Saturday - 4 miles

Lose 2lbs
Train my mind not to hit the "wall" too early

Communication Issues

I hate to give out because I feel that the negativity gets me nowhere in life but sometimes everyone needs a rant! Here goes (I hope you are prepared!).

As I've previously explained, I'm doing the 60 day plan with Fit Man Fran, having previously had huge success doing his 30 day challenge. Just before I started the plan Fran had agreed that he would email the food plan, on a Wednesday or Thursday, for the following week and would post 2 days worth of exercises at least 24hours in advance. Unfortunately I have spent more time chasing after him for the information. It's very frustrating because I work full time as well as having a 7 1/2 month old baby, I don't have time to constantly beg for the information required, in order to plan ahead.

Now I do believe in his plans and I know from personal experience that they do work so that's why I'm so frustrated. Who knows maybe he has too much going on in his life but if so I wish he would say something instead of ignoring my messages and comments. I sent the below comment last night but I got no reply (the exercises were posted at 12 last night, which was too late for me to plan for today).

Maybe I'm being to harsh but I'm frustrated because I'm giving 100% to the plan but I don't feel that I'm getting the same in return! Anyway that's my rant over, I'm not letting my positivity get affected by it!

My final thought is this: I will mentally train myself to see the below vision (much to the annoyance of my husband) at the finish line of every race, surely it'll make me run faster!!!

My training partner Eimear has been following the Operation Transformation plan. Click on the link to see how she is getting on: Chirps From A Little Red Hen.

Until the next time, always remember to be: 

Dee-Termined To Glam & Glow

Dee x