Monday Morning Motivation

(found here)

It's an oldy but a goody. Everyone prefers to stay in their comfort zone. Your comfort zone is...well...comfortable. And right now my comfort zone is sitting in my bed.

Okay, okay, I'll go for a run now.

Harris x

You used to be fun! Expert tips on keeping the enjoyment in running

Where has my running mojo gone? Why am I not enjoying this any more?

I've seen lots of posts recently about motivation and enjoyment - or lack of it (particularly check out Charlie's great advice on ways to get your running mojo back)! I think I'm safe to say that it's something most of us struggle with, particularly as the cold winter nights draw in.

While I'm not sure I have words of wisdom just yet, I thought I'd share these tips from Decathlon.

I can particularly relate to Simon Freeman on the pleasure of seeing progress. I'm amazed at how far I've come with my running and love seeing what else my body is capable of.

What do you think of Simon Freeman and Tom Williams' tips?

Harris x

See Harris Inspired: The Runners

Okay so I know this was released aaages ago but a friend sent this to me recently and it really struck a chord with me.

I've been properly running for about a year and a half now and while I'm always experiencing peaks and troughs with it, this video reminded me of the power that running can have: not just transforming you physically but also mentally.

It's not a fancy film and it's only about 11 minutes long, but I absolutely love The Runners.

Harris x

What did you think of The Runners?

In search of the fear factor (or help me find a race!)

There's no motivation quite like sheer terror. And for me sheer terror is usually what I feel before a race. 

I'm currently enjoying doing lots of little runs (nothing more than 5k) but there is NO progress happening right now. If anything I feel like I'm going slower…ERGO I need to get me signed up for some more races baby!

I know, I know, I've picked a bit of a stupid time as there seem to be far less during the autumn/winter months. But surely there are some out there?

I'm currently on the hunt for a nice early spring half marathon (yes, I'm going to put myself through that all over again dammit I will do it faster and stronger and generally better) as well as some 10ks (preferably at least one or two before Christmas). 

Seeing everyone having a great time doing the Royal Parks left me hankering to try out another half, especially since I haven't run further than 10k since the Liverpool Rock'n'Roll. I'm currently considering applying for a charity place for the Brighton half. I've heard lots of good things about running in Brighton so it would be lovely to try a half there. There's also the Adidas Silverstone half in March, although I'm slightly suspect about the route - it sounds a little boring to me, although I might well be wrong. 

As far as 10ks go, I'm not too sure. My flatmates and I are considering doing a 'Mo Run' for Movember (plus I look damn good with a tache) but other than that I'm slightly stumped.

Harris x

Do you need to be TERRIFIED (slash just have some races planned) to feel motivated? Have you got any race suggestions for me? 

See Harris Inspired: Write This Run Conference, 23rd November 2013

Arriving at the Running Show at Sandown Racecourse, all I could really think about was one thing: when are they going to figure out I'm a fake?

The nagging doubts in the back of my mind got stronger as I made my way past rows and rows of lycra, electronic gadgets, protein-packed foodstuffs and foam thingies.

"I'm not a real runner," I thought. "I only ran my first 10k two weeks ago."

"These people run half marathons, marathons, even ultra marathons."

"WHAT AM I DOING HERE?"

What followed was a huge blur and it wasn't until I was sat on the train after the post-conference party that I realised maybe I'm not such a fake after all. Maybe I'm even...*whispers*...a runner?

The biggest shock of the day, however, came when I rifled through my goodie bag and found...a place in a half-iron man! Now I like a challenge, but as someone who is still very much a learner runner and has extremely limited skills when it comes to both swimming and cycling, this was a bridge too far and so I decided to keep an eye out for someone to swap with.

Lucky for me, Cathy was on the lookout for a half-iron place! One prize-swap later and I found myself with a place in the Liverpool Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon. I had not expected to be in the running (crap pun) for a half marathon for at least a year but Cathy, along with several others all insisted it was absolutely do-able.

The blogger and brand relationships panel

Ultra marathon and 24-hour runner Robbie Britton's talk 'Suffering is just part of the fun' had us all giggling

I'm not 100% about doing it yet but the more I think about it, the more I find myself wondering if maaaybe, just maybe, this is something I really could do? Plus have you SEEN the medals? Talk about bling.

Anyway, the whole day was great fun and I learnt so much - definitely felt a little sad when it was all over. I'd been planning on coming back the next day for the 10k but unfortunately I had to miss out due to family circumstances.

The better blogging panel gave me a lot to think about

Some highlights...

• A chance for inspiration and a bit of perspective - listening to talks by Sophie Walker, Simon Webb and Jennifer Bradley really helped tto make me realise that perhaps I don't have so much to contend with after all.
• Tip on how to improve my blogging - Muireanne Carey-Campbell, Jody Raynsford and Johnny Muir all gave some great tips that I hope I can put into practice for See Harris Run
• An awesome goody bag (even if it did originally saddle with with a half-iron)
• Meeting all the awesome people behind the blogs and Twitter handles - hopefully all people I'll meet again as I continue to work on both my running and my blogging.
• A pretty darn blissful yoga-for-runners session with Emma Spencer Goodier

Massive thank you to Write This Run for the whole day. Liz and Laura have created something that they should be really proud of here. I had tons of fun and left feeling so inspired!

Harris x

Why blog about running?

This is a question I've been asked several times and, to be honest, have asked myself a few times. I'm only a beginner, I don't have all the pearls of wisdom that some more seasoned running bloggers do. So far the longest race I've run is a 5k (although that's set to change in November!). Don't even get me STARTED on my diet...

But so far I have no regrets about starting to blog about my fitness journey. Why? Here are some reasons!

1. Blogging about my running makes me accountable. So many times I have picked up a hobby, joined a gym or whatever it may be and dropped it a little while later. But now that I'm writing about my plans and my hopes for my running, I feel like I have to do my very best to see them through.
2. I now have a record of my journey. Already I'm hugely enjoying looking back at my progress and realising that I can do things now that I would never have dreamed I'd be capable of just months ago.
3. I have already learnt so much from other bloggers and I'm sure I will continue to do so. The more I blog, the more I find myself reading other running blogs and this has been absolutely invaluable for picking up tips and ideas for my running. 
4. I'm learning more about the online fitness community. I'm really looking forward to meeting some other running bloggers at the Write This Run conference in November and picking up some more tips on both running and blogging.

Do you blog about your running? Why?

Harris x

See Harris Inspired: Ellie Goulding

Well here's a post I never thought I'd write.

Don't get me wrong, she's definitely got some good tracks out there, but I couldn't ever say I've been a big Ellie Goulding fan. I'm actually a little ashamed to admit that I'd sort of lumped her into the 'poppy young girls that I don't really want to listen to' group.

Ellie, just wanna say I'm sorry for refusing to listen to you...
(credit)

That was until I found out that Ellie is actually a kind of hardcore runner. After reading this interview with her on The Fader, I found out that she ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon (she actually re-scheduled a couple of her tour dates so she could do it) and she's actually pretty awesome.

Apparently Ellie always tries to find the time to run, even when she's on tour. And to think I try and get out of a run when I've had to stay late at the office!  I can only imagine how insanely tired touring and performing must be, so this girl is seriously inspirational!

Also check her out in this video for Nike+.

Wish I looked like this when I run...
(credit)

She's taken part in loads of races, from Nike+'s Run To The Beat to the Great North Run - maybe I'll spot her somewhere along the way?

I'll even admit that after giving her album 'Halcyon' a proper listen, I definitely stuck a couple of tracks on my running playlist - cheers Ellie!

Harris x

See Harris Inspired: 'Running Like A Girl' by Alexandra Heminsley

So I'm planning on trying to do a little regular slot about what has and ched ontinues to inspire me, whether it's a book, person, picture or just some music. They say that running is 80% mental and so I find it really important to keep finding stuff that inspires me to keep going and stay motivated.

My first Inspired post is about 'Running Like A Girl' by Alexandra Heminsley. I admit that what first attracted me to this book was the fact that it has an endorsement from Caitlin Moran (I'm a littttle bit of a fangirl). I didn't want anything too intense for my first bit of running reading and I thought that if unashamed fag-smoker Caitlin liked it, maybe I would too.

My hopes were well-placed. 'Running Like A Girl' seriously helped me in my prep for the Race For Life. Granted Alexandra is talking about training for a marathon rather than a little old 5k, but a lot of what she talks about in the book really rings true for me. Her description of that very first run struck a particular chord with me: setting off with the best of intentions, only to return unable to breathe and totally beaten.

She covers all sort of topics with honesty and a great sense of humour. She never takes herself too seriously but at the same time this feels like a book that you can trust. She gives loads of advice all the way through, from finding your perfect trainers to the importance of a decent sports bra (seriously, this is really bloody important), much of which I've found absolutely invaluable.

This girl seriously knows what she's doing (credit)

Alexandra's running journey is, I suspect, like a lot of people's: huge highs, terrible lows and lots of hard work in between. It might sound strange but I actually really like that she includes her low points too - everyone has moments where they totally lose their motivation and hers came straight after she completed a marathon. I would've thought that this was when you would be feeling totally invincible but Alexandra admits that she just lost her running mojo for a while. These negative moments, along with the euphoric highs of completing races, make this is a really accessible and human book.

I can't really stress how much 'Running Like A Girl' encouraged and helped me as I started out running - I would recommend it in a heartbeat!

Harris x