Day 4 of the Great Barrow challenge

For some reason I thought that today I would wake up full of beans and excited as we had only one more marathon to go but unfortunately I was in way too much pain and so over tired to feel anything other than totally shattered! We got to the start line nice and early today and got going about 8am. Day 4 was near enough all on road leading through towns such as Newmarket. We saw some really lovely scenery running past the race horse tracks and training paddocks.

The fact that it was the last day really seemed to inspire us. We dug deep and kept our running at a fantastic pace. Our 4th marathon in 4 days and we were somehow managing to keep running at around 10 and a half minute miles...(for some of them anyway!!) Our support on the last day was amazing. Although the trails were as lonely as ever, at every check point we were met with a chorus of whistles and party horns!

As the miles past, 17,18,19 we showed no sign at all of slowing up. We just wanted this over with now! At mile 20, the final check point, we arrived a lot faster than expected and our army of supporters were quite surprised to see us!!! So again it was time for a quick drink and time to smash out the last 6 miles! We still managed to maintain our impressive pace...and at mile 23 my phone beeped. A text that Chloe was at the finishing line waiting for me! This really spurred me on and made us dig deep and get the last 3 miles done.
 
As we approached the last mile, we were all unsure how we would react as we crossed the line. I must admit these things can be quite emotional. As we approached the line, we saw Ian’s mum in the distance frantically running down the street making sure she was at the finish line to take photos as we crossed!!

Finally we had done it...4 days of hell was finally over.

As we crossed the line we hugged each other and our partners and were met with a whole heap of congratulations. It was fantastic. We all shared a glass of champagne which Ian’s girlfriends parents kindly brought us and we waited for our medals...

But we were told that the medals had not arrived and we would get them through the post!!!!!
 Although disappointing this didn't dampen us at all. A medal now would have been great but nothing could stop us feeling great about what we had achieved.

We have currently raised just over £2500 for 3 very worthwhile charities making the whole thing even more of an achievement.

So the Great Barrow challenge is over. It was without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done but I have to admit I loved every second of it. I will certainly be looking for my next challenge and I'm sure Charlie will be too. Ian says that's enough for him but I don't believe him for a second!

Until my next post!!

Glenn

Day 3 of the Great Barrow challenge

I started Day 3 in a happy mood. I was heading back to Barrow for marathon number 3. I was still in a ridiculous amount of pain and I knew today was going to be a struggle but Chloe (my girlfriend) was coming to support me and the boys today and that gave me new motivation. Having done big town marathons such as London and Brighton before, I have experienced how much getting support from such a huge crowd helps you. It really motivates you and spurs you on. But as I said on day 1, the great Barrow challenge offers none of that. However this to me that is part of the appeal. That's what makes it what it is. This was raw and lonely and took massive amounts of mental strength. Trees,  fields and the odd car is all that we saw mile after mile so to see Chloe 2 or 3 times on the way round at the check points really did give me a massive boost.

So off we set, about 8.45 a little later than the previous 2 days for marathon number 3. One word... Horrific!!! Day 3 was by far the hardest. Our bodies were still smashed to bits from days one and 2, and yet here we were doing it all again. Day 3 was a mixture of off road and on road through windy country lanes and through vast baron fields. But today was where we really needed to spur each other on and we didn’t fail to deliver. Every time one of us slowed down the other 2 offered encouragement or said something that would make us all laugh (normally a quote from the Ricky Gervais comedy The Office!!) and got us all back on track. There really was a sense of team work amongst us and it was a massive help. As I said, seeing Chloe, Ian’s girlfriend Claire and Charlie’s girlfriend Lisa plus Ian and Charlie’s families at the check points really was a much needed boost. They helped us with refreshments as well as sorting out our creams, Vaseline and deep heat for all the pain that ran through our ravaged bodies. It was great to see everyone but we could never stop for more than a few minutes. Charlie’s dad Steve wouldn't let us! As soon as we had had a drink etc he was straight on our backs to get going. Truth be told we were all very grateful. It was what we needed.
 
So 20 miles done on day 3 and 6 miles left to go. I really thought I had entered hell. This was a feeling I'd never experienced. Tiredness, pain, aches and burning like I can't explain ...you name it, it was hurting...so close but yet still so far! The last 6 miles seemed to drag on forever. This is where we really needed to get on each other’s backs and not let each other stop. But stopping wasn't an option for any of us! No way! It was a long, hard drag, literally dragging our feet one step at a time until we completed the final 6 miles. Although the day was slow we did it. 3 down 1 to go!

 

So back to our temporary home for yet more food and rest before we prepared ourselves for day 4.
We had nearly done it!!!

Day 2 of the Great Barrow challenge

I must admit as I woke up on day 2 I felt terrible. All through the night I was violently sick and had stomach cramps. I was clearly very dehydrated. I was drinking all I could to get as much fluid on board as possible. As well as this I did not feel hungry in the slightest but I knew I had to eat. So after forcing a large bowl of porridge and 2 bananas down me we set off for marathon number 2. As we got to the start line I started to feel much better. All the water I had drunk and my big breakfast seemed to get me back on form.
As the race started straight away our legs felt heavy. We all agreed it felt like we hadn't actually stopped, but had just carried on from yesterday.

Day 2 was a total different course from day 1, a bit more on road but still lots of fields and forest to cross. We got to about mile 9 and we saw one of the guys who had set off about 90 minutes before us heading our way, he was on mile 20 meaning we were about to run in a big 11 mile circle! This was a very hard piece of information to take on board. We all knew this loop was going to be horrible and would have given anything to be in the guy’s shoes who had already completed his 20 miles! There was some very lonely moments on day 2, although there was 3 of us, there would be times where we just would not speak. We were all in such a horrible amount of pain with tight muscles, sore knees, blisters etc that we just could not speak! But we did keep on encouraging each other and got round the gruelling loop. At the 20 mile check point we were met by Charles parents and Ian and Charlie’s girlfriends. We got a quick drink and stocked up on energy gels before we dug deep and completed the last 6 miles. I’m not going to lie, it was horrible! But 2 marathons completed in 2 days was an achievement which we were all very proud of. However the reality was that we were still only half way through our challenge! We had to do what we had already done again!
 
My day was about to get even tougher, straight after running my second marathon in as many days I headed straight off to work! So after training some clients and teaching my indoor Bootcamp, I settled down with my girlfriend for a Chinese take away. A meal full of calories, carbohydrates and fat...just what my shattered body was craving...it really is a hunger I cannot describe. I felt as if I was quite literally staving. After a nice shower it was off to bed ready to get up early and head back to Barrow for marathon number 3!!!

Day 1 of the Great Barrow challenge

Our first marathon of the four. I arrived at the start about 7.15 am; it is situated at a very small and old sports club in a town called Barrow. There are people cycling, walking, and of course running the marathon. This really is unlike most marathons that people see and hear about. For example the most famous marathon in England is of course the London marathon, where I believe around 100,000 people take part and huge crowds cheer and encourage the participants on all of the way around. It really is fantastic. But this is different! There is about 30-40 of us running. And as I learnt today as we started the course, there is NO ONE watching! Each day the race we are doing is a different course and today we were told our course would be 85 percent off road. Almost straight away we were taken off the path and straight into a field. As the race continued we ran through fields, forest and total wilderness...not seeing other runners for what seemed like hours at a time.

Off road running is something I have quite a lot of experience with as I love to run in the beautiful Epping Forest, but that's normally over short distances. This however was a whole marathon and nearly all of it was off road. My god it was tough!! My legs started to feel heavy after about 8 miles and just continued to get progressively worse throughout the course. The uneven tracks, the thick mud on our trainers and the very hilly course really took its toll on me. At the 16th mile mark at our second water stop we met Charlie’s Mum and Dad and Ian’s girlfriend Claire as we briefly stopped to re-fill our bottles and collect some much needed energy gels and sweets. We only stayed a few minutes and then we were straight back into it. This is when the course took us deep into the forest and at mile 20 it’s fair to say all of our legs were really feeling it.

I should also mention we had to navigate our own way around the course. This was quite easy as we had directions and the course was very well signposted but it adds to the challenge. At mile 22 we again caught up with Claire and Charlie’s Mum and Dad but this stop was even shorter than the first as we just wanted to get day one over with. The course now took us back onto the paths but we faced some very steep hills and some of the roads seemed to go on forever! Finally we hit the 26 mile mark....but the end was nowhere in sight!!! We knew we hadn't gone the wrong way as we were still following the signs... my heart sank as we came to yet another huge hill! Finally as we got to the top the end was in sight...at 27.2 miles instead of 26!!

 We finished in a time of 4hrs 50 minutes which I am very happy with as it was a very tough course. We are now back at our base and tucking into some well needed food and getting some sleep ready to do it all again tomorrow!!

The Great Barrow Challenge

This Wednesday myself and my 2 friends Charlie and Ian start our long awaited 4 marathons in 4 days. It’s been a long time coming filled with lots of gruelling hours out pounding the pavements but the week has finally arrived! Personally I feel very ready. I haven't done as much long distance work as I would have liked but I did manage a full 26.2 miles 2 weeks ago and I have been training hard consistently. I know Charlie and Ian have been really going for it too. Obviously the 4 days are going to be filled with a number of big challenges for us. But for me one of the biggest ones we will face will be to make sure we consume enough food, and the right food to keep us going. The last 2 or 3 marathons I have done, I have used about 3500 calories each race. So we must make sure we are eating plenty pre and post race as well as during.

My plan is to start the day with a big bowl of porridge...and yes I will add sugar!!! This is a good slow realising carbohydrate that will give me plenty of energy throughout the race. I will probably have 2 large bananas as well a good energy drink before we start. Throughout the race we will need to keep topping up our energy levels as well as making sure we stay hydrated. I am genuinely Ok until I get to the 12 miles mark but then my body usually tells me it’s time for a top up. I make sure I have plenty of energy gels and sweets for that quick hit of simple sugar that is great for a pick me up when I am feeling tired. From 10 - 12 miles this is happening on a continuous basis. This will usually be enough to get me through the race. But once I have finished the 26.2 miles I know my body will be crying out for food. It’s a hunger I cannot even try to explain! If you have done any form of long distance endurance event you will know exactly what I mean! I have to admit any form of healthy eating will now go totally out of the window. Foods such as pies, sausage rolls, spag bol and pizza are the sort of thing I will be craving. Basically lots of stodgy foods which are high in carbohydrates, fat and calories. It’s not something I'd normally promote but running the distance us guys will be running will leave our bodies so hungry and famished we will need all the calories we can get. (I must admit that's the bit I'm most looking forward to!! Ha ha...)
 
It is also vital we stay hydrated throughout the 4 days so I will be drinking as much water as possible before, during and after the race and will avoid too many high caffeine drinks. (Caffeine acts as a diuretic meaning it will make you lose fluid from your body.) I must stress that every single person is different when it comes to what foods help them when taking part in an endurance event. I personally find that eating the foods I mentioned really help me but others may well find its other things that give them the energy that they need. I have also packed plenty of plasters, Vaseline and Sudafed cream to ease any blisters and chaffing that will no doubt occur.
 
I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has kindly sponsored us. We have raised a great amount for 3 great charities and we hope to continue to raise more. I will be updating my blog every day after each race letting u know how we are getting on....
 
For any advice on long distance training whether it be the training itself, what you should eat or even what should wear please do not hesitate to contact me.
 
Glenn

Honesty is the way forward!

It came to my attention this week that fast food chain McDonalds have become the first fast food suppliers to display on its menus exactly how many calories are in all of its meals. Others such as Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC are following suit and doing the same. I looked into this online and discovered that it has been met with lots of mixed opinions. Some people feel that it is a great idea and that it’s finally time they done something like this whilst some are saying they would rather not know how many calories they are going to consume!

Personally I really quite like the idea and I feel it should be a requirement rather than a voluntary action as people have the right to know what they are eating. I also believe that most people are fully aware of what they are buying when they go into a place like McDonalds or burger king. We all know it’s not exactly the healthiest option. But when you look up and see that a double whopper and cheese contains 963 calories...almost HALF of a woman’s recommended daily intake...it may make you think twice about what you are about to purchase!!  As I have mentioned in previous blogs, although I am a personal trainer and promoting fitness and healthy living are my big passions in life, I am also a human being and a realist. So I am not totally against fast food chains like McDonalds. It comes back to the old fashioned saying that a bit of what you fancy is fine but in moderation. If you genuinely eat well most of the time and stay active on a regular basis, the odd McDonalds or burger king every so often will not do you much harm and can be a welcome treat. But I'm sure most of us are aware of the consequences of eating foods like that too often and what it will result in. If you stay healthy, stay active and treat yourself every so often it will result in a well balanced and happy life!!
 
Until my next post!
 
Glenn

10 top tips to keep you motivated to stick to your exercise routine!!

Every day there must be literally thousands of people around the country who decide to make a healthier lifestyle change and start an exercise routine or join a gym or health club etc. Most of them start eagerly excited about the positive change they have decided to make and can't wait to give it their 100percent dedication and hopefully achieve some great results. But unfortunately for lots of them, as the weeks and months go by they find it harder and harder to stay motivated to attend the gym or the classes they have signed up to. I'm sure most of you will relate to this! Any excuse to avoid going will be made. And once out of the routine it can become very difficult to get back into the swing of things.
 
So if you ever find yourself in this situation, or maybe you are experiencing it currently here are some things you can try to get you back on track!
 
1. Don't crash and burn!
 
A very common sight I see is people that are new to exercise training 2 sometimes 3 times a DAY or spending hours and hours in the gym at one time believing that the more they do the quicker they will achieve their goals. But this will soon have the opposite effect.
You may be able to maintain training that much for a week, maybe even 2 weeks but it won't be long before you are totally exhausted. To the point where you are so tired you will be falling asleep at work and every part of your body will ache like mad! Going from nothing to everything like that will give your body the shock of its life and it won't be long before it won't let you carry on like that.
This is when people start to really dislike exercise and dread going, simply because it’s made them feel so bad!!!!
So my advice is to give yourself realistic aims as to how often you should attend, so just start 2-3 times per week at times that suit your lifestyle, doing 30-60 minutes max each time. Don't try to exceed your own ability and just work as hard as you feel you can. This way you will not burn out and see the gym/exercise as a chore but you should enjoy it and actually start to look forward to it!
 
 
2. Get a training buddy

 
There are times when getting up and going to the gym alone is always going to be a struggle. We have all experienced that. So why not get a family member/partner, a friend or even just another member who is having the same struggle to go with you? How much easier will it be if there are 2 of you? The thought of meeting someone at a certain time makes it almost like an appointment; this will always give you more incentive to go. As will the guilt of letting down your training buddy if you cancel! I always recommend people use each other to spur each other on. It will also help you when you are actually training, especially if you are having one of those lazy can't be bothered days! You can use each other to push through the workout and make sure you work as hard as you can. It’s a method that I find works very well and I have spoken to many people who find that training with someone else is the best way to stay committed and get the best results!
 
3. Add variety
 
Your exercise routine is just like anything in life, do the same thing too many times and it will become repetitive, boring and no longer enjoyable. It will also seriously hinder your results too. If you are not constantly challenging yourself, to the point where the workout becomes almost easy, you are really going to fail as far as meeting your goals are concerned.
I would suggest that you mix up your workouts as often as possible, constantly making your body work in different ways. Even if you have a routine that you really enjoy and that is working for you, you can still challenge your body by using the same muscle groups just using different machines, equipment or even body weight exercises.
If you usually do your cardio in the gym, why not try doing it outside either walking jogging or cycling? Or even mix it up by playing sports like tennis, football, netball etc...
They are so many things that we can do to stay active so why stick to just one!....and this brings me nicely on to my next top tip...
 
4. Do activities that you enjoy

 
If you actually enjoy doing something it’s going to make it much easier to motivate yourself into doing it than it is trying to make your self do something that you hate! If for example you can't stand the gym but you love swimming then you should concentrate on trying to make that your main area of activity.
My point is that rather than punishing yourself every time you want to be active by making yourself do something you dread, there are so many other forms of exercise whether it be the gym, a class, swimming, sports plus so many more which you might enjoy.  So keep trying things until you find something that you really like! I promise it will make it so much easier to stick to and get the results you set out for!
 
5. Set realistic and achievable goals for yourself
 
Another big reason people get disheartened with exercise is because they don't get the results they want in the time that they want. But if you set yourself goals that are achievable and you manage to achieve them, this will spur you on like nothing else!  If for example you want to lose 3 stone in weight you need to understand that this is not going to happen overnight. It will be a lengthy process that will require many lifestyle changes. 
 So what I would advise is to get your main goal and break it down into smaller goals. So again for example, if your goal was to lose 3 stone, you can set yourself the target of 6 months to get there, so aim for half a stone a month.
You will find this so rewarding as each month goes by you will see the results and feel encouraged to keep going!...again this brings me nicely onto my next tip...
 
6. Don't give up just because things are not going to plan

 
Unfortunately things won't always go to plan. There will be days where things happen and you don't make it to the gym or class and there will be plenty of times where your healthy diet plan will be broken. This is where a lot of people throw the towel in and think "it’s not worth it" well I assure you it is!!If you miss an exercise session or you break your diet just say to yourself "I may have missed my class Tuesday but I won't worry I will be back there on Thursday!"
There will always be blips, but don't let them make you feel that you can't do it. We are all only human after all!! Just stay focused and get back on track and you will realise you CAN do it!!
 
7. Train before work or straight after...try avoiding going home first!  
If it is possible for you to do your exercise early in the morning BEFORE you go to work then I really advise you try to do this. The initial getting out of bed part my feel like a struggle at the time, but once you are up and going I promise you will feel amazing. Not only does it totally kick start your day, it gives you the evening to yourself without worrying that you have missed your exercises.
 If training early is not an option that you have, then try going to your gym or class straight from work...if possible avoid going home first! So take your training kit with you in the morning and head for the gym as soon as you finish. Going home first, getting comfy on the sofa and watching TV for a bit will make it 10 times harder to get yourself up and back out again!
 
8. Try an exercise class

 
In very much the same way as having a training buddy works, doing a class that you have to book in to at a set time along with other people will make it feel more like an appointment that you have to keep so this will push you to go. And with such a wide variety of classes available now days there is pretty much something for everybody.
 And classes are great fun too. They are very social and full of lots of different people usually of all different fitness levels so there is no need to feel self conscious.
 
9. Do something for charity
 
This is a great way to stay motivated. Weather you sign up for a 5k run, a sponsored walk, a triathlon, a marathon or something else...the second you agree to do it and then start raising money for a good cause you know that you have to be ready. There for you WILL make yourself get up and train for it. I promise.
I also think it’s a good idea to tell people you are doing it. It just adds a bit of wanted pressure that will really spur you on to make sure you are prepared for the event. And if friends, relatives and colleges etc know you are raising money for a good cause they will really get behind you and encourage you. And knowing you are doing it for a good cause leaves you feeling really great about yourself!!
 
10. Work with a personal trainer

 
Working with a good qualified personal trainer is a fantastic way of achieving your goals. Just like the classes and gym buddy, you have the appointment that you have to keep. But now all of the thinking is done for you. Your trainer will find out exactly what your goals are, and will get all of the information they need from you to make sure they design the best work outs which will be perfect for getting you to your target.
They will give you help and advice on what to do on the days that you do not see them. They will help up with your diet and lifestyle as well as training. They will push you to work harder than you ever realised was possible and all in a safe and effective manner. They will monitor your results so that you can see the progress you are making.
Although there is a cost, it doesn't have to be very expensive at all and if you have the right trainer it will be worth every penny.
 

So there are my 10 top tips. I hope they help you to stay focused and on track with your training.
 
For more info on any of the topics above please feel free to contact me. All contact details are on my website gbhealthandfitness.co.uk