Best running breakfasts,

High carbohydrates? High sugar? No breakfast?

How can you best prepare yourself for a run?

Porridge- the breakfast of champions,

Porridge is the king of marathon breakfasts in my opinion. Slow releasing, complex carbohydrates- perfect for a long period of exertion. If you're running for 2 or more hours, get yourselves some porridge for breakfast and set off 2 hours after you've eaten it.

The full English- be prepared to be full,

This is a major no, no in my opinion. I simply cannot run after such a stodgy meal. I tried this, and I couldn't think about running for 4 hours! I think if you're planning an evening run, feel free to have this for breakfast. But if you're doing a morning run, you don't stand a chance after eating this. 

Muffins- why bother, 

Muffins are full of carbohydrates, sugars and fats. They definitely make me run faster, but I've burnt out after about 40 minutes of cardio. As a health fanatic, I wouldn't ever recommend a muffin for breakfast, unless you plan to eat salad for the rest of the day. A waste of calorie intake, step away from the muffins people!

Weetabix- substantial but wait 2 hours to digest,

Well, you should always start your day with a weetabix! You can't go wrong with weetabix really, high in fibre, slow release carbohydrates and all in all a substantial breakfast any day of the week! Beware of heaping lots of sugar on your biscuits though, that completely defies the point!

Fresh fruit juice- grab and go,

I always have a glass of fruit juice before a short run on a morning- by short I mean anything under 40 minutes. You often get 150-300 calories in a glass of fruit juice, which is better than running on nothing. No calories intake means nothing to burn so your body will burn muscle, which is never good! If you don't have the time to wait two hours for your breakfast to settle; grab a glass of fresh fruit juice and go!

My treadmill marathon,

If anyone has been following my blog for the last couple of weeks you'll know that I was due to run a treadmill marathon on Valentines day for two great charities, The Bradford Crocus Cancer Appeal & Disability Sports & Leisure Services. Please follow these links for more information on these wonderful charities, and the work that they do!

 So this Valentines day, I put on on my kit and my running trainers and just after 12:00 I started my marathon. My glorious team mates were out in force, hassling people around the university to donate, explaining that I was running 26.2 miles. They were also there supporting me through the miles, along with my lovely dad who supported me the last 5 miles of the run! 

The run started off brilliantly, I was feeling great, my heart rate started a little high as I was nervous, but by 6 miles I felt like I'd hardly ran and my heart rate was a steady 162. I was completely in control, and I felt great! I got to 13.1 miles. This was hard, originally I wanted to run a half marathon on the treadmill, but I decided to really challenge myself and run a full one in the hope that it would raise more money! So at 13.1 miles I had a bit of a mental battle going on. A little voice inside my head was saying 'why did you say you'd do double this distance?! Are you crazy?!' My team mates arrived at 15.4 miles and I really needed a toilet stop, after taking on all my fluid. I had to stop. Then it was almost impossible to get going again! I had to look at each mile individually and just get to the end of that mile. An old hip injury was bothering me, and it was getting painfully boring. I was delighted when my dad surprised me and turned up on my 21st mile! He chatted to keep  my mind from counting the minutes, and miles. The last five miles I dedicated to a different person. my 21st to my team mates for helping me, supporting me, and organising so much of this event so I could concentrate on training. My 22nd was for my Grandfather who died of cancer almost 8 years ago, running to hopefully help find a cure to this disease was a massive motivator. My 23rd mile was for all the people who are unable to run, and raising money for disability services helped me to train when I really didn't want to because I am grateful that I can run. my 24th was for my family who sponsored me a generous amount, and supported me the whole way through. And the last 1.2 miles was for my wonderful boyfriend, who makes me delicious pasta to carb-load on, drops me off in the middle of no where to get my miles in, who helps me in and out of ice baths, and who doesn't mind his girlfriend running a marathon on valentines day. I couldn't have done it without any of these incentives. Four and a half hours later, I finished!

I have so far raised £62 of off-line sponsorship, £290 on my just giving page & my wonderful team mates collected £103.73 on the day of the marathon!

£455.73! Only £44.27 off my target!

So if you've read this blog, and can spare any amount I would greatly, greatly appreciate your donations, two marvellous charities and four and a half hours of hard work!

www.justgiving.com/gemmitch

Three easy detox tips,

Make these three things a way of life!

Green tea!

I know it doesn't taste fabulous, but it really is wonderful at speeding up your digestion. I always feel like my stomach is flatter when I've been drinking it for a few days! Aim for a cup a day, to keep the bloating away!

Drink your water!

Two litres a day, minimum! Carry it around with you, then you will drink it because it's heavy to lugg about! Water is great for your skin, and it's the best thing to hydrate yourself with! Plus it's free from the taps so no excuses!

Five a day!

Get your five a day, you'll have all the vitamins and fibre you need! Helps with your digestion, makes your skin brighter, full of goodness! Five a day keeps the doctor away- hell even have more than five a day! In China they say 17 a day.... just eat your fruit and veggies!

Treadmill training,

So on the 14th February I am running 26.2 miles on a treadmill. I am no treadmill runner, in-fact, I hate running on treadmills, the boredom drives me insane! So this marathon was always going to be a massive challenge for me. 

I have trained up to 18 miles, I ran 11 miles, 15 miles, 16 miles, and 18 miles on a treadmill one week after the other. I then gave up with the treadmill, and headed outside to do two further 13 mile runs. For me there is nothing more boring than watching the same bit of wall for 3 hours, so I gave running with the TV on a go... This was okay, but I kept losing my footing resulting in a few stumbles. I decided TV wasn't going to work. It was me, my music and the wall for three hours. A few times throughout my training for this marathon I have found myself giving in. My legs don't hurt, my heart rate is fine, I have my breathing fine, but I am just SO bored. I have done the miles, very slowly but surely and I am prepared for the treadmill run on Friday. It is going to be a mental battle to get through each mile! 

If you want to sponsor me, click here....

Your first half marathon,

Starting training for your first half marathon can be a daunting experience, there's that many tips and advice out there it's hard to know which way to turn. I am going to give you some tips that I wish I'd have known before I did my first ever half marathon in 2011.

1) Start training as soon as you know your doing the race. 

Training programmes start 16 weeks before a race and are often very time consuming- you need to be out 3-4 times a week. If you get into this habit early, you find that running starts to fit into your weekly routine. Before your 16 week countdown, get out at least 3 times a week. Run 10-60 minutes one short, one medium and one long(ish) run. Best to get into good habits early and this will massively help your training!

2) Follow a plan!

Get a great training plan and work out the date you need to start it (usually 16 weeks before the race) therunningbug.co.uk is my site of choice for these plans. Ensure you have the time to stick to the plan, if your away for a week, allow training to start a week earlier to compensate for this. 

3) Set yourself a goal.

When you start your training you will discover your comfortable pace, and realise just how far 13.1 miles is! My target was 2 hours 30 minutes, this made my target pace just under 11 minute miles. Make sure your target challenges you, and motivates you- choose a time you will be proud to tell everyone about!

4) Get a decent running watch.

I love my Garmin forerunner 110 If you can't afford this sort of watch, a good tracking device on your phone is just as good to track your distance. This was the downfall of my training, unfortunately I didn't track my runs and I was estimating my distances. I now realise my 4  mile runs were about 2.5 miles and I only trained to about 8 miles, thinking it was about 11. If you do one of the things of this list, make it this one!

5) Monitor your heart rate.

Heart rate monitoring is great if you want to push yourself to achieve the best time you can. I didn't use one for my first half marathon but now I don't race without it. It makes you realise when you can push yourself harder, and when you need to lay off so you don't burn out too soon!

6) Pick a charity!

You're doing something amazing, do it for a great cause. Getting sponsorships and raising money for a great cause gives you something to run for, and an incentive not to give up. 

7) Be proud!

Every single minute & mile of every run is fabulous, you are always improving. You are doing something that not just anybody can do. Remember this when it's raining and your alarm is set for 5:30am because that's the only time you can fit your run in today. You are amazing, and what you're doing is amazing.

Please get in touch with me if you want any further advice. Running is something I am passionate about and I am more than happy to speak about it. Don't be scared to asked for advice, as I said it's not an easy thing your wanting to do, you will need support!

Go get your trainers on, and carry on being training to be amazing x

How to make the perfect healthy omelette,

1 Egg

1 Egg White

Sale & Pepper

Double the mixture up with water

& then what ever filling you want.

Add the egg, then the egg white, whisk together with salt and pepper. Add an equivalent amount of water to double up the mix. Then add any toppings you want! Stay away from cheese and fatty meats. I usually have spinach, extra lean ham, sweetcorn, onions & peppers. Cook in the pan and then pop it under the grill to make it nice and crispy on top, there's nothing worse than a soggy omelette!

Enjoy x

Sports bra's,

Does the cost of a sports bra really make a difference to how effective it is? I have gathered three sports bra's ranging in price and I'm going to put them to the test.

Calvin Klein multi coloured crop bra- £30

Value for money: 3/5

Support: 3/5

Comfort: 5/5

Design: 5/5

 ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ / ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ ❤  

This crop top is just the most beautiful running accessory ever. It even temps me to go out in just my bra it's that nice. Aesthetically it is definitely getting top marks from me, pink and patterns always scores high. However I have never worn this bra on its own as it isn't very y supportive. I always wear a think support bra underneath, otherwise it didn't really do the trick of keeping me in place. There is nothing worse than starting your workout and then realising that you've not got adequate support, and unfortunately this bra did disappoint. I though that after spending £30 on a sports bra I wouldn't need to put another bra underneath it. Although this bra is gorgeous, it isn't very supportive. However I am happy to wear another bra underneath it as it's still very comfortable, providing support whilst also being quite stretchy. By far the best feature for this bra is how pleasing it is on the eye.

Adidas sports bra- £24 

Value for money: 4/5

Support: 5/5

Comfort: 3/5

Design: 4/5

 ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ / ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ ❤  

My Adidas bra is a favourite for me, it's very supportive and has a nice fit. The bra isn't overly comfortable, the material is a bit stiff and there isn't much give in it. The padding is very thick which makes it very supportive but it can be a bit uncomfortable when you wear it for long periods if time. I only really wear this bra for 60-90 minute work outs, not usually for long runs as the material can chaff and it rubs on the skin. It is the only sports bra I own which doesn't require another bra underneath. It's very supportive and definitely does it's job from a sports bra point of view. However it isn't the comfiest sports bra I own, but maybe that's the price we pay if we want to keep our assets in place? 

USA pro sports bra- £12

Value for money: 5/5 

Support: 3/5

Comfort: 5/5

Design: 5/5

 ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ / ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ ❤  

Over all winner!

This bra is a bargain & everybody loves a bargain! Again I have to wear another thinner bra underneath this crop top. I love the colour and design of this bra, I think it's very flattering. The padding isn't stiff, and the bra itself is very very comfortable and can be worn for long periods if time. Support wise, for light exercise it would be fine to be worn on its own, however for high intensity cardio you will need another bra with it unless you want to be in great discomfort. I would recommend this for anyone starting to introduce exercise to their lives, you won't be starting out too hard with your exercise and this will definitely do the job!

Primark sports bra - £5

Value for money: 5/5

Support: 3/5

Comfort: 4/5

Design: 3/5

❤  ❤  ❤ / ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ ❤  

I tried this bra out at my cheerleading session. Through the jogging in the warm up, it did the job, but it didn't cut it with the star jumps. The bra is comfortable material and the padding provides a sufficient amount of support. However as soon as I started tumbling (going upside down) I felt as though I was about to expose myself! Although the material of the bra was comfortable, by this point I didn't feel comfortable in the bra! The design is simple but nice enough, and the price makes it a steal. I gave the bra 3/5 purely because not every in goes upside down in their workouts. If I was going for a run I'd pop it on, but I wouldn't wear it for a cheerleading session again.

So all in all, I don't think the price of a sports bra reflects on it's performance. The calvin klein bra scored just as well as the addidas and the USA pro bra. The primark bra wasn't great but it was good value for money. Everyone is different shapes and sizes and will need sports bras to suit this! For me, the winner over all is the USA pro bra, for comfort, support and I think it's the best value for money!

Nike flex 2012 review,

Nike Flex 2012

Size UK 4

RRP £80

Value for money: 3/5

Support: 3/5

Comfort: 5/5

Design: 5/5

 ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ / ❤  ❤  ❤  ❤ ❤  

I bought these shoes from the Nike factory shop for £45 which was a great saving. I love how these trainers look, they are soooo pretty, Nike never fail to make beautiful trainers. The trainer is for a regular runner, so not specialised for an instep or an out-step. The sole of the shoe is soft and cushioned, very comfortable for the longer distance. I have pretty fat feet but the fit around the foot is also really comfortable, nice and wide and definitely doesn't squash your toes. The only downfall of this shoe is that the tongue of the shoe is a bit uncomfortable against the top of the foot. As a trainer on a whole they are almost perfect, I would recommend them especially at the price I paid for them, great value for money.