2014 Goals and progress

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Claire

So I was thinking about whether or not to keep this blog going, post Celtman 2013 partial success (glass half-full)…I never quite got round to a full rundown of the event itself, that might still come. Sufficed to say I decided that this year I need to concentrate on business, so I’m not going to be doing anywhere near the same amount of training. However, I do fancy focusing in on technique, speed, strength and skill stuff, so that when I come back next year (2015) to attempt Celtman again I’ll be a better athlete to start with. Well that’s the plan and as a result I decided to keep the blog going.

I’m going to use it slightly differently this time (less pictures). Each Sunday I’m going to plan out what I’m doing swim, bike, run wise so that it’s down in black and white and I’m committed to it. The second reason for doing this is it means I don’t have to think about it again. Efficiency is very important this year as I’m setting up a new portraiture studio and I don’t want to spend time humming and ha-ing over training, so it’s all going to be sorted out on Sunday and then just go on with…again that’s the plan.

I’m going to keep track of all my progress on a spreadsheet on Google Drive. If you want to join me follow the link and I’ll add a page for you and we can all do it together.

This week’s training plan is pretty simples…swim session on Monday morning is going to be all about setting times, 25m, 100m, 1000m, and Wednesday will be lots of drills with 10x100m thrown in for fun. Bike is going to be an hour on the rollers (first time for 9 months so wish me luck) and then out and back to Abington (I’ve forgot how far it is) on Saturday. Run is going to be similar to swim. Tuesday is going to be setting 1km and 5km times in the meadows in Edinburgh and then finding a 10km loop for Sunday and putting down times. If anyone wants to join me just send me a message on FB. I’ll add the link to the bottom of the page.

The final thing I’m going to add to the blog is food! Last year I totally came off the rails, diet wise, and now I have to sort my shit out…for lack of a better expression. My lovely sister sent me ‘The Feed Zone Cookbook‘ for Christmas so each week I’m going to experiment with two recipes, one breakfast, one dinner. This week it’s going to be Quinoa and Berries for breakfast. Quinoa is my nemesis…I never get it right, it always ends up like soup (I also have a slight issue with quinoa looking like giant sperm. Weird? I know!). However, I love the idea of it, so I am going to persevere! The second recipe is going to be Pork Green Chilli, for purely practical reasons. My father raised three pigs over the summer and as a result we currently have over 150kg of pork in our freezer, might as well use it 😉

I’ll let you know how it goes. If anyone has any great programmes/blogs/people they are following (in a non stalker-y way) let me know on the FB. I’d also love to hear any tips on training and cooking that you have, so give me shout!

Useful links:

The Greater the Obstacle Facebook page.

The Feed Zone Cookbook

6 months of progress pictures

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Claire

Why exercise isn’t about weight loss…

I know a race report is due but I’m waiting for my times from Celtman before I write it up properly, as is my want, I had nothing more than my watch on so I’ve no real idea of how long it took me to do anything…other than the bike taking 3hours longer than planned, but that’s a sad story for another day. I’m also going to do one reflecting on my training in regards to my performance, but for now I thought I’d better do the final progress shot and a quick (well you know me I’m prone to waffling…just re-read this its a massive ramble) reflection on why I took them in the first place.

So why did I take them? Back in December I spoke to a couple of personal trainers and gyms about possible business link ups (I’m a photographer in the real world). I wanted to do before and after pictures of their clients, but for various reasons this never quite got off the ground. However it did make me think that I needed a guinea pig/model who was prepared to be the first. So when it came to doing the blog I had a thought why not me? Then a friend said that she really liked progress pictures in fitness blogs and that was all the push I needed.

There were also practical reasons for the pictures as when you undertake a training programme it is important to monitor what you are doing to make sure you’re not pushing too hard or putting too much stress on your system. This includes getting enough to eat because it is too easy to not realise when upping the amount of time your spending training, particularly on the bike. I know quite a few folk who seem to constantly be picking up viruses and struggling with injures and ***WARNING OPINION*** I believe that loosing too much weight (not eating enough), not doing enough strength stuff and most of all not listening to your body is a real issue. Therefore the pictures combined with the measurements were to make sure I wasn’t loosing too much weight…turns out I had no reason to worry as what has always been true with me has continued. I don’t really loose weight I just get denser.

Finally, and possibly the most important reason as far as I’m concerned is the ideological argument. I’m sick to death hearing about weight loss. I have been inundated with adverts for this exercise trick, weight loss miracle and that fad diet since I started the blog, Facebook etc and I loathe it with a vengeance. This may sound odd coming from someone posting pictures of themselves in their pants on the internet, but this is and has never been about getting skinny. I know lots of people will say I didn’t start off massive (it has been said already), but that’s my first bug bare. Judging yourself against other people. There is no point. I’m never going to be model skinny I’m just not built that way. I’m athletic, by that I mean fairly solid, I’m never going to be that light. 75kg is the weight I usually sit at. I have bigger hands than most of the guys I know (my lovely little sister refers to them as my mole-mits and makes digging motions…charming I know) and I also remember knocking a good few guys on their arses in my late teens as part of my early rugby career, so delicate and ladylike are not qualities usually associated with me, but I accepted that a long time ago. My build has allowed me to do lots of different things, be fairly good a lots of things and keep me pretty safe traveling the world, often by myself, so maybe I’m lucky or maybe that’s just the way we should all see ourselves. Look for the positive.

Stop comparing ourselves to fictional people in the media and advertising. They are only there to make you feel shit about yourself so you buy the pointless crap in the pursuit of something that has no real value. I can feel myself getting angrier and angrier as this turns into a full out rant, so I’m going to trail off there and come back to my original topic, but if anyone wants to hear my 2000+word rant on the fatuous superficial nature modern society (I’m pretty sure no one does) add a comment at the end LOL…

…now what was I talking about oh yes why I took the progress pictures. 1. Demonstrate the benefit of before and after pictures. Check! 2. To keep healthy. Check! 3. Not everyone is model shaped. Check (sort of)! 4. Oh yes I remember…even with lots of hard f***ing work change is slow, its difficult and weight loss is a piss poor indicator of progress. As I feel is proven by the pictures. Keep in mind that for large parts of the process I was training towards 15 hours a week including 2-3 weights sessions . Did I get massive? Not particularly. Did I loose weight? Not particularly.

So what did I get out of it I hear you ask…I got leaner. I got stronger. I got happier. I got more confident (okay maybe not one of my issues). I got strong enough to stay on my bike for 11hours (though at times during that period I wished I wasn’t). I got the sense that I am physically able to do everything I want to be able to do. And that’s what it’s all about for me. Being able to do stuff. Not looking a certain way. Any physical changes have been a by product.

So take away message is doing stuff is good! Not doing stuff is bad. Weight loss is a shit indicator of fitness. Exercise and fitness makes you happy. Judging yourself against other people is a recipe for making yourself unhappy. Weights don’t make you massive. I have an opinion on everything LOL

And to finish here’s the pictures from the beginning 😉

: So here are the vital statistics at the start of my challenge.

: 4 Weeks in…

: Here we are again. Week 8 progress pictures.

: Week 12 half-way there 3 month progress pictures

: And my grand total weight-loss over 19 weeks of training is 3.8kg…I’m just a lot denser!

: So post race progress picture is here.

DISCLAIMER: In no way should anything I’ve done or said or written be taken as good advice. I have no professional experience in the heath and wellbeing sector and an unhealthy disregard for what people regard as good training and competing practices. So anything you do is all on you x

Week 20 Celtman Training

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Claire

It’s getting so close now that writing this is making me feel a little ill, but I’m getting used to it as I feel sick every time someone asks me about how long do I have to go. Aaarrghh!!!

I think there are a few of us out there, so at least I’m not alone. I haven’t had any Celtman nightmares this week so that is good. So far I’ve had one of those really realistic dreams where you think it is real, I dreamt that I’d finished the race, until you wake up and realise that it can’t have been true as my body isn’t broken. Then I had one where I was on the bus on the way to the start of the swim and I was certain that I didn’t have my bike helmet or my kit to go up the hill…woke up with the seat pouring off me. Seriously this isn’t good for me!

Training is going fairly well. I have one slight concern this week, which has been my hip and lower back. It has been a bit achy all week and really quite sore on Thursday night’s spin class. I jumped in my dads giant paddling pool (some people should not be allowed to go to Costco) for some recovery when I got home and then had a rest day yesterday to try and give it a chance, so we will see how it goes for today’s run. Oh! And I made it out to the pole for the first time ever at Portobello, so thanks goes out to my Uncle Paul for leading me astray LOL!

Hope everyone’s training is going well and if you’re having doubts about what your going to do. It’s completely natural, but don’t let it stop you. Lots of love and luck and keep up the good work!

Looking down on Threipmuir from the shoulder of the Black Hill.

Cloudy but a lot warmer than last week.

Keeping working on the self portraits.

Tree lined avenue Scottish style.

Safety first.

Run done now to strip off in the car park at RedMoss…nae shame me!

So cold!

One month to go…

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Claire

Here is the penultimate progress picture…I realised that I have missed the last one when I was away galavanting in Southern Africa. Probably for the best as I fell off the wagon and spent 10 days eating steak cooked in butter, drinking and doing very little training haha.

Last progress picture but one, and as I said to Marcus at Combat Ready on Friday when he asked about how close I was to my target weight (70kg). I am virtually exactly the same weight as when I started, just a lot denser.

And my grand total weight-loss over 19 weeks of training is 3.8kg…I’m just a lot denser!

Now for my current psychological dramas. The brutal realisation dawned this weekend that there are only 4 weeks left before the race itself I am griped with a sense of inevitability/my impending doom, which was not helped by supporting my wee brother at this weekend’s City to Summit race.

He was doing awesomely well, finished the bike on schedule, but with a sore knee. Then it all went down hill…quite literally…and he ended up being dropped back at the finish by the medic not begin able to complete. As they say these things happen, but I was anticipating him doing fine as I have always been the least sporty (ability wise) of my siblings, so now I’m having a bit of a wobble.

That being said this week’s training has been great. Fab OW swims at Threipmuir in the Pentland Hills, National Park on Wednesday and then Portobello Beach on Friday. Topped off with an awesome run on Saturday morning…pictures to follow.

Now all I have left to go is one week of training followed by the race trial week and then two taper weeks. The end is in sight. However, any advice on psychology would be much appreciated at this point haha.

All that’s left is to show you the pictures of Scotland in the sunshine!

Claire loves open water swimming!

First summit of the morning 8am…no where I’d rather be.

Looking East from the top of the West Kip.

Looking West from the top of the West Kip.

I love a hill I do.

The view looking East from Scald Law.

At the top of Scald Law…it was very sunny at 8.30am in the morning.

West, East Kips and Scald Law in the Pentland Hills National Park for Saturday’s run.

Blue sky thinking…a new take!

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Claire

I loathe business jargon but I’m stealing this one: “blue sky thinking” definition; original or creative thinking, unfettered by convention and not grounded in reality: and I’m changing it to mean the kind of days where you feel that anything is possible. Last Saturday was one of those days. Happiness is a sunny day in the Pentland Hills.

I can see my house from here…not really!

Name that reservoir as I have forgotten…

30mins warm-up all up hill…how I like it!

Arthur’s Seat from the Pentland Hills.

View of the Kips and Scald Law in the sunshine.

The farmer obviously had a sense of humour.

Glencourse Reservoir, Pentland Hills National Park

A bit flushed after begin out in the sun…not really burnt just a little pink.

Time for a mid-way review…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Claire

Where to start…

Pictures/Data

Week 12, half-way there, 3 month progress pictures

So after 3 months here is a quick review of the numbers: I’m still the same height…training hasn’t made me shorter; weight, lost 3.1kg, all that muscle is heavy; bust, lost 3cm, no comment; waist, lost 4cm, which combined with, hips, lost 6cm, means none of my jeans fit. No point in buying new ones at the moment, so belts are becoming quite important.

Fundraising

Nothing to report. I will get a Virgin Giving page up ASAP, but I’m currently waiting for them to register the Rock Trust.This is so I can split the money down the middle between SAMH and the Rock Trust. I decided to go with Virgin Giving because of this option and on SAMH‘s recommendation as they felt it was the best option for them. So watch this space I will be asking for money soon, just not yet!

Sponsorship

I haven’t taken any action on this front as the day job has got in the way and I wanted to have the fundraising bit taken care of first before I set out to look for kit. As I’m sure you are all aware triathlon can be pretty expensive. I have so far got by on kindness of friends and family…lots of borrowed kit. Not because I’m cheap (well okay maybe a bit cheap), but because I set up my business last year and, a year and 3 months in, I just can’t justify spending hundreds (to thousands) of pounds on fancy gear. But don’t worry even if I don’t find anyone to give me lovely kit to promote, I will be fully clad in stuff borrowed from the great and the good. On the other hand if you know any lovely kit suppliers who might want to be connected to me and Celtman send them my way.

Training swim/bike/run

Swim: On target starting to hit 1:40 for my 100s, which I’m happy with. Now I’m twitching to get out in the open water…it’s just too cold at the moment and I would like a wetsuit upgrade as my current one is so loose around the shoulders I end up carrying an extra 5kg in water. Streamlined I ain’t!

Bike: A bit behind. And a bit slow. Thanks to the weather I have only managed to get out in the last couple of weeks. The rollers in the house just aren’t the same. But now the weather is picking up…at least fewer blizzards…it’s time to put my nose to the grindstone and get out more. Show me the hills!

Run: Struggling a bit with tight calves, now that I’m back on the bike for longer periods, so the last two weeks have been a bit of a struggle to get up the hills. Getting enough to eat is also a bit of an issue, but I’ll get there. The focus over the next few weeks is going to be on getting faster, so hill sprints and 1km timed reps are on the cards. Such fun!

Strength: Coming along nicely. My core still isn’t strong enough but the difference in my hips, knees and ankles in the bike and run is fantastic. Issues that I had with the longer distance at the end of last year because of strength imbalances seem to be a thing of the past. Now to concentrate on getting faster!

Mental state

My initial connection to SAMH was because I know lots of people associated with triathlon who have suffered from mental health problems, most commonly depression, but when I sat down and thought about it I started to think about my own mental health. I’m going to talk more about this in more detail in a future post, but sufficed to say I think at the beginning of the year I was struggling a bit. Whether it was the time of year, weather, business or just life in general, not really sure. What I do know is that I feel 100x better 3 months into my training. I’ve fixed my diet. I’m getting out in the fresh air regularly. And I’m back to getting high on those wonderful endorphins…drug of choice. If you haven’t discovered them come and join me. You’ll love it (eventually)! I swear!

Pictures of the story so far…

Top of the hill at Maiden’s Cleugh

All finished.

Great fun running off the hill giggling it like an idiot.

Wk12 View looking towards Abington on the B7078 the day before the Tour of the Borders…boy did they pick the wrong day!

Wk6 wrong shoe choice, but I survived.

Wk12 Legs are out for the summer…I even managed to get a faint tan line.

Even with the correct footwear it was challenging.

Week 9’s long run…less hills more sheltered.

Coming down off the hills…so much fun!!!

Wk11 Me and Roddy take the Black Hill.

The right footwear choice this time.

Wk6 So hands up from all the people in Edinburgh who have never been in the Pentland Hills…shame on you!

Week 12 half-way there 3 month progress pictures

Wk11 So what am I going to sit on in the car then?

…well totally freezing!

Wk11 Got a bit muddy due to a face plant coming down the hill. Lacking my usual dexterity.

More pretty views…

Valley between the hills. Peace from the wind.

Wk5 Soreen was the fuel of choice.

Wk6 Cousin Beth admiring the view of Glencourse, Pentland Hills.

Wk5 Run fail…slid off the road on the way into town…sweary words!

Now I’m here do I have to get out of the car?

It was quite windy at the top of the East Kip.

Wk5 waiting for me when I got back from my bike. Did someone say cake? Don’t mind if I do!

Half-way up the hill from Red Moss car park.

The Kips Week 8’s run

Wk6 happy in the Pentland Hills with cousin Beth

The windburn and bloodshot eyes is a good look for me I think 😉

Snow on Monday morning too…still made it to the pool!

Wk4 Beautiful still day in February in the Pentland Hills.

Wk4 Beautiful February sunshine…little did we know what was coming for March!

Wk11 Running on the crust is all well and good until you break through!

Pretty views!

Wk4 Me and cousin Beth looking a little flushed after running up a hill…it’s genetic!

Wk4 Happy girl in the sunshine up a hill.

Wk5 My first wee jaunt out on the bike before the snow came back 😛

Wk11 Oops! Watch survived intact.

Wk5 top of the hill at Dreva, Scottish Borders.

Tread was everything…

Wk11 I am a muck magnet!

A wee hill on the way back from Moffat. The Beeftub is such fun!

OMG! The pain of a specific defrosting for the next hour…can you guess where?

Happy Girl at the top of the hill…mostly downhill from here on.

So here are the vital statistics at the start of my challenge.

Anyone for some OW swimming?

Who an I kidding ‘patches’?!

Wk5 This isn’t much snow. I’m not letting it stop me running, but pride come before a fall and on the way in to Edinburgh…

Wk6 Random injury…loss of skin to décolletage due to zip. Stingy!

Wk6 View of Edinburgh…just need it to warm up a bit so it goes green.

Looking down the hill from the West Kip…visibility?

Wk12 Best self portrait I’ve ever accidentally taken LOL

Wk6 Questionable recovery fuel decisions, but I was just so hungry!

The view from the top of the hill at the Beeftub outside Moffat on the way home.

4 Weeks in…

Here we are again. Week 8 progress pictures.

The usual disclaimer applies I know everything and nothing, so take nothing as truth…well apart from the maps. They’re awesome!

On the road again!

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Claire

Yipeee! No snow and sunshine! Finally out on the bike today…no more rollers! I was like a kid in a candy store and got very over excited and did 121km on the bike. The most I’ve ever done on a bike ever. Still got another 80km to find in the next 3 months, and I should probably go out with more than one bottle of water and one of diluting juice. Nutrition fail! Thought my porridge in the morning did me well. 4517kCal burned OMG! No bonking just a really sore back which was leftover from Thursday’s gym session.

A wee hill on the way back from Moffat. The Beeftub is such fun!

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to train without hills, but then I think I would get bored. Fabulous day. Here’s hoping I can walk/run tomorrow!

The view from the top of the hill at the Beeftub outside Moffat on the way home.

Happy Girl at the top of the hill…mostly downhill from here on.

Running in the snow…

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Claire

Here’s some highlights from the last couple of week’s Sunday runs…I would add some swimming and biking footage but the first, generally doesn’t allow cameras and the second has been limited to rollers in the house…and there is also no need to see me in sweaty white lycra.

So this is going to be a photo blog with a wee video link at the end so you get to enjoy the hills yourselves. That leaves me to leave you with the pictures…

The Kips Week 8’s run

Now I’m here do I have to get out of the car?

Half-way up the hill from Red Moss car park.

Looking down the hill from the West Kip…visibility?

It was quite windy at the top of the East Kip.

Great fun running off the hill giggling it like an idiot.

Valley between the hills. Peace from the wind.

Coming down off the hills…so much fun!!!

All finished.

Week 9’s long run…less hills more sheltered.

Top of the hill at Maiden’s Cleugh

Off we go down the hill

Some icy patches

Who an I kidding ‘patches’?!

Pretty views!

Tough wee buggers…new hill lambs.

It was pretty cold…

…well totally freezing!

Even with the correct footwear it was challenging.

More pretty views…

Anyone for some OW swimming?

I’m sure its not as cold as it looks LOL

The windburn and bloodshot eyes is a good look for me I think 😉

OMG! The pain of a specific defrosting for the next hour…can you guess where?

The video is coming soon to YouTube.

2 months…8 weeks in…time flies when you’re having fun!

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Claire

I should have taken these pictures in the morning, before I spent all day stuffing my face LOL…and guess what nae difference (well almost) so for all those out there who are struggling with their goals, stay strong!

Here we are again. Week 8 progress pictures.

Just as well my goal is not to look svelte or after 8 weeks of slogging my guts out I might feel a bit hard done by. Fortunately, everything else is going well. Swims are starting to hit 1.40 for my 100s which is my goal. Runs are coming along…loving my hills, thought I need to do some more speed work. The bike is my one sticking point as the lovely Scottish weather keeps chucking snow at us every bloody weekend. So most of my distance has been done on the rollers in front of the 6 Nations Rugby…with the rugby finishing the weather better improve because if I have to do another 4 hours inside I might lose my mind. I’m going to try and add in a spin session to increase my speed work without the possibility of serious injury…rollers always have an element of danger 😉

What I need to do next is sort out my donations page. I’m waiting for the Rock Trust to get on board with Virgin Giving, so watch this space. I will be looking for money for all these pictures of me in my pants…you know it’s only fair people LOL

And incase you were doubting me about the snow here’s a few pictures.

Snow on Monday morning too…still made it to the pool!

Now I’m here do I have to get out of the car?

Half-way up the hill from Red Moss car park.

Looking down the hill from the West Kip…visibility?

It was quite windy at the top of the East Kip.

Great fun running off the hill giggling it like an idiot.

Valley between the hills. Peace from the wind.

Coming down off the hills…so much fun!!!

All finished.

Tread was everything…

The right footwear choice this time.

Refusing to drink the Kool-Aid…

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Claire

…why I just can’t bring myself to join the herd. WARNING! Be prepared for lots of mixed metaphors and apologies it has been so long between posts. I got lost along the way…must have been running in the hills 😉

I was just thinking this over this morning, so I thought I’d see what everyone else’s thoughts and experiences are. It has been decreed a day for navel gazing, so please indulge me.

Do you throw yourself into a club or a group or do you always keep yourself apart? And what does it say about us and our choices? This intrigues me as it’s the one part of my personality that I don’t really understand where it came from. There is something in me that point blank refuses to be labelled as one thing or another, to the extent that if someone tries to it really irritates me. Don’t get me started on ‘Briggs Myers’!

Training for Celtman is a prime example of this. People assume because I want to swim 3.8k, bike 202k and run 42k that I am a triathlete, but I would never say I am. This is not because I don’t like triathletes. I love triathletes. They are some of the most positive, committed, engaging people I know, so why would I not want to be labelled as one? Being labelled a cyclist has the same effect. Although, their ‘rules’ has to be part of it…there is just no way I’m wearing the socks! Solely going to the gym doesn’t inspire me either, and I’m definitely not a runner (though I’m happy to go out and run in the hills for 2 hours), so why am I so reluctant to define myself?

I see lots of people throw themselves into triathlon 100%, total commitment. Everything becomes about triathlon, it’s an easy sport to get inspired by. They get so much pleasure by using it to define who they are…you just need to check out the IM tattoos to see how rightly proud of their achievements people are. So why not me? Why do I want to do the race, but not join the club?

It makes even less sense when you look at my background in team sports. I played rugby for 15 years and during that time it was a huge part of who I was. I loved being part of a team and all the training and playing together to reach a common goal. I know triathlon isn’t a team sport, but it does have a great community atmosphere, with everyone (okay most people) cheering on everyone else, so why not become a fully paid up member of the team? It makes no sense. Especially as by not committing you generally put yourself on the outside looking in. People sense your lack of commitment and withdraw, which is just human nature.

So what is everyone else’s experience/view on the matter…I am no clearer on this now than when I started typing so if anyone has any insight it would be most welcome.

Ps training is coming along fine and another set of progress pictures is due this weekend. Oh NO! xx