If you read my last post (thanks to all who left comments, I will be sure to get to them soon) you will see I’ve finally managed to clarify what my goals are and what I hope to achieve.  This wasn’t as straight forward a decision as you would think – I had to give it some serious thought.

Whilst I adore being part of the blogging community, I do often find that my choices are influenced by what others are doing. If you recall the whole “Marie Claire” saga, this was a point that they tried to make though I still believe they totally went about it the wrong way.  They felt that blogs influenced people’s decisions and that often that can be a negative thing.  I don’t disagree with that though I do think that readers have to exercise some personal responsibility.

Blogs haven’t had any negative impact on my life though they have definitely influenced me to do things that I probably otherwise wouldn’t have done.  This is no bad thing! If it wasn’t for blogs, I wouldn’t even think to put canned pumpkin into my oats, add spinach to a smoothie or spread almond butter on my apples.

However, it can be easy to get caught up in what other people are doing and lose your way as a result.  My goal, for as long as I’ve written this blog, has been to have a physique along the lines of a fitness model/figure athlete.  Not a professional competitor, that takes way too much time and dedication, but I would LOVE to look something like this…

Or this…

Or this…

However, when I started training for my half marathon (which was totally my decision, it was something I wanted to do to honour my friend’s memory) I naturally started to read more blogs that focussed on running.  Reading about everyone else’s running left me feeling like I could and should be doing more.  I felt I should have been running further. I felt I should have been running faster. I felt I should have been running more often. As a result, I stopped focussing so much on my weight training and more on my running, but was so frustrated because I no longer looked like I wanted to.  I remember reading an article from Rachel Cosgrove some time ago, about how her physique completely changed when she trained for and competed in an iron man challenge.

She went from this…

to this…

She turned so soft and squishy that she felt too embarrassed to run without a long top to cover her abdomen.

I knew that if I carried on training the way I was, I would end up looking like this…

which really is NOT a look I aspire to.

I had to take a break from those blogs I was reading about running as I found they caused me to compare myself to the writer and want to emulate them, even though deep down I knew that I did not want to be like them. Does that make sense? Probably not, it doesn’t to me either.

Why would anyone do something they didn’t really want to do?  Because at the time, I managed to convince myself that it was what I wanted to do.  However, when I stopped and looked deep inside myself, I knew I still wanted to achieve what I always wanted – a lean, firm, athletic physique and to be STRONG.

I’ve also found myself feeling guilty about some of the food I consume. As you will know from reading my blog, I’m a real carnivore. I adore meat and other animal products and just could not bring myself to give them up.  However, a good number of blogs I read are written by vegetarians and a couple are vegan.  On occasion, I have questioned whether I should give up meat and animal products – not because I *want to* but because I feel that I *should*  I can’t bring myself to do that though. I love meat and eggs and cheese and butter and yoghurt – the list is endless – and I can’t imagine my life without any of it.  Instead, I choose to buy ethically and purchase free range meat and eggs, non-farmed fish, organic dairy and butter, etc.

EDITED IN: I would like to point out that none of the vegetarian/vegan blogs I read have made me feel anyway inferior and do not come across as pushy. It’s just about me not being confident in my own choices!

I’m convinced that my confusion about what I really want has contributed to my lack of mojo this year.

I really hope none of my readers have ever been negatively influenced by me or something I have written.  My posts are always my own opinions and written from my own point of view.  I would hate for someone to be taking anything negative from my writings.

So, my questions to you, my lovely readers:

1. Do you find yourself influenced by blogs?

2. Have they influenced you in a positive or negative way?

3. What would you not be doing, or have tried, without blogs?

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I got some brilliant news yesterday – lovely Sophie at A Plus Size Girl’s Journey to Healthy ran a competition to win a fantastic goody box and I won!  I’ve never won any competition before so I was super happy.  A big thank you Sophie!

I woke up this morning and was surprised that I wasn’t very sore following my work out yesterday.  However, DOMS often lulls me into a false sense of security and today was no different – I felt those well known aches starting to kick in around mid morning and by lunch time I was hobbling a little.  Not great news when you’re planning to run!

I started off the morning with a heavenly bowl of porridge – made with coconut and coconut milk, topped with Greek yoghurt, blueberries & my Graze milkshake mix (dried strawberries, banana chips and white chocolate buttons) – orgasmic!

I was sitting in my little office working away this morning when my colleague brought me an A4 envelope in, addressed to me.  I couldn’t recall ordering anything so didn’t know what it was and was wondering who would be writing directly to me at work.  Imagine my excitement to realise it was my free copy of Funky Raw magazine!

This could only mean one thing – the article I wrote about my introduction to a healthier me had been published!  I actually let out a squeal when I saw my name in the contents list…

and an even bigger squeal when I saw my article in print, along with my picture…

Many of you have asked if this is available to read online but sadly it isn’t.  As Funky Raw is just a small, independent website the magazine is a big part of their income so the only way to read online is to purchase an online copy.  It’s a great magazine though filled with some fantastic articles and some amazing raw recipes so it’s definitely worth the £3.50 cost.

I had planned a run straight after work so didn’t bother taking any lunch with me with the intention of eating lunch when I finished my run.  I did however, take a large bowl of chopped raw veggies (mushrooms, courgette, cucumber & tomato)…

and in my quest to learn to love olives, I dunked them in this…

Verdict? Yummy! How bizarre that I can tolerate olives in food but not olives alone.

After work, the rain had started pouring down and my DOMS were getting worse.  I started making excuses about my run – I’ll do it tomorrow instead, my muscles are aching too much, my knee is still sore. It didn’t help that I got home, got my pj’s on and whacked up the central heating so all I wanted to do was snuggle up on the sofa and do nothing.  However, I remembered my goals and the fact that my race is only 4 weeks away and told myself to suck it up and stop making excuses.  I realised if I didn’t get out soon it would be dark and then I would be resigned to road running when I really wanted to run around the park.  So I got changed and got out there.  I only did two laps of the park but it’s an undulating route which is perfect for training for a cross country route!  The park looked so beautiful with leaves everywhere…

It was all done and dusted in 20 minutes and I felt so much better after I had been.  My legs were feeling very heavy though throughout the whole run and are aching a lot more now.  I stretched and foam rolled and hope they feel a bit better tomorrow as I’m due to hit the weights again.  The one thing that is really bothering me at the moment is my left knee.  It’s been niggling me for some weeks ever since I used the leg press at the gym.  It flares up during body attack which may be because my trainers need to be changed but it’s niggling me more and more.  Throughout my run I was conscious of it hurting and I really shouldn’t have ran a second lap as it started to get worse.  I think an appointment with a physio may be due!

My reward after running was yummy scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast.  I had planned to have the leftover chilli from last night but had a major craving for my favourite comfort food…

Not sure what I’ll be eating for dinner. I had planned a pumpkin risotto but I’m in one of those “can’t be arsed to cook” moods so it may be something simple like another bowl of porridge!

I’ll leave you all with my favourite song of today…

Have an awesome evening!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Yesterday was supposed to be a lazy day for me.  The husband was away to watch the football, mini JAG was out with friends so I planned to sit and do nothing, except catch up with my recorded programmes on V+.  However, I was feeling too restless.  I put on my music intending to do some chores but instead, the music made me want to get out and run.  I quickly got changed and made the decision to go and run my old route along the canal.  Obviously I couldn’t run it all as I’ve not been training enough but I wanted to be able to run about 3 miles.

I walked up the the start of my trail…

and set off on a slow plod.  Because I’ve not been running so much lately, I have really dropped my pace and am working on building my distance back up.

Within 5 minutes of starting out, it started to absolutely pour with rain.  Thankfully, I’ve always enjoyed running in the rain but I got a few strange looks from people who were walking on the tow path – choosing to run in the rain?  Mental!  I figure I’ve got to get used to running in cold and wet weather if I’m going to be ploughing through thigh high puddles in December!

It was so awesome getting back to my old route – I never realised just how much I missed it until I ran it yesterday.  It was great seeing my favourite bridge…

I thought at first about running a mile and a half, turning round and running the mile and a half back – that way, I would cover my full distance.  However, I was worried about getting tired on the way back and stopping.  So, for some silly reason I decided to just keep on running.  And that’s what I did, until I had run just over 4 miles.  I was soaked and knackered and stopped briefly to stretch before turning to come home.  I snapped myself looking bright red, cold, wet and angry, though I didn’t feel angry…

I ran/walked the way back home though most of it was walked to be completely honest.  The reason run/walk programmes don’t work for me is because once I stop running to walk, my joints start to seize up a bit so when I come to run again, it’s quite painful.  My left knee, which has been niggling me for a while now, was really hurting on the way home so I didn’t push too much.  I’d say all together I ran just under 5 miles which I am extremely happy about!

I got home, stretched, foam rolled and then had a HOT shower and relaxed until the husband came home.  We had plans to go out with his brother and sister in law and his dad and his partner, so I got myself all dolled up and waited for him to come home…

We had a great night and did so much laughing!

This morning, I’m aching like I haven’t ached in a long time but in a good way – apart from me knee, which is still bothering me.  Hopefully, resting it today will help and I will be fit enough for my body attack and yoga class tomorrow!

Enjoy your Sunday folks :-)

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’ve been such a busy bee in the kitchen lately!  I’m really loving making delicious food that is healthy too.

I’ve been looking for a good muffin recipe for some time now and was so excited to come across a fantastic blueberry coconut muffin recipe from Jessica at How Sweet It Is.

I made some slight tweaks to her recipe and was pleased that they didn’t take away from their deliciousness!

Blueberry & Coconut Wholemeal Muffins

180g wholegrain spelt flour
75g light brown muscovado sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
100g fresh blueberries

Add the flour, sugar and baking powder to a bowl and then stir in the coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla and egg. Mix well until all combined and then fold in the coconut and blueberries.

Spoon into muffin cases and bake in the oven (Gas mark 4) for about 20 minutes.

I didn’t add any toppings but I imagine they would be to die for with melted coconut butter – shame I only have about a tbsp left in my jar and I am saving it until I can afford to buy more!

Just look at those exploded blueberries…

I just had to sample one and oh my days, they taste divine!  I plugged all the nutritional data into Weight Loss Resources and they come out at just over 200 calories so not bad at all!

I had the day off from work today and woke up wanting to get out and run.  That’s right – I go for 3 months with no running only to run 3 times in 4 days!

It’s so great having a park right at the bottom of my street and it was the perfect day for running laps around it…

I ran a couple of laps which totalled at about 2.5 miles and felt pretty good – the beautiful scenery definitely helped…

The route is quite undulating in places so it’s a lot more tiring than when I used to run the tow path.  I’m going to hit the tow path on Sunday for my longer run though as I think running the same lap over and over when you’re trying to build up to 10 miles or so would get pretty boring eventually.

Before I left for my run, I munched on 2 chocolate orange fudge balls which gave me a great energy boost.

Surprisingly, I had no appetite when I got back which is unusual for me as I’m normally ravenous after a run.  As I’m still trying to eat only when hungry I didn’t eat until those hunger pangs started which was at lunch time.  I had a major craving for scrambled eggs on toast…

Because of my spontaneous baking session dinner was running REALLY late – I needed something ultra quick that we would all enjoy so I opted for chicken fajitas – a family favourite!

Chicken Fajitas

Makes 6 fajitas

6 chicken thighs
3 peppers (red, green & yellow)
2 red onions
My home made fajita spice mix
6 tortialla wraps
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Cut the peppers into strips and slice the onions…

Slice the chicken into thin strips.  Heat a wok and drizzle in the olive oil.  When red hot, add in the chicken and cook until it’s browned off.

Add in the vegetables…

and stir fry for a few minutes.

Add in the fajita spices…

And cook for a few more minutes…

Then spoon into the tortilla wrap and add in spicy salsa, sour cream, jalapenos or anything else you might want to add in, then wrap up and enjoy…

Delicious!

Yesterday’s dinner was also drool-worthy – Lamb & vegetable skewers with Moroccan Cous Cous…

I had a fab new book delivered today, which I forgot that I had ordered – great surprise!

I’m not one for living by “food rules” but from what I read of Michael Pollan when I read In Defense of Food, he advocates a diet of natural foods, and an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables – those sort of rules, I can definitely do!  I’m looking forward to reading it.

Now I’m chilling with a glass of wine…

and I bid you all a great evening!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The husband went out last night for the first time in ages so I was left to my own devices as Mini JAG spent the night yelling at friends and blowing things up on X-Box Live – yes, his throat is feeling much better!

I bought this cute cupcake kit recently, from the book people that visit work…

so decided to put it to use as I had the downstairs all to myself.  I made a basic vanilla cupcake using a wholemeal, but still light, flour and then covered them with Chelsea blue icing (the icing is lame, it’s my first attempt so no laughing please)…

Of course, I just had to sample one…

Declared by both myself, Mini JAG and my sister in law today as DELICIOUS!

I’m looking for healthier recipes now as these were quite heavy on the sugar and butter so if anyone has any suggestions, they will be very welcome.  I’ll be taking most of the batch to work for the girls so as to keep them away from me ;)

The rest of the evening was spent nursing a glass of red wine (I wanted to be out running today so didn’t want a fuzzy head) watching Strictly and X-Factor – trash tv at its best!

This morning I awoke later than I had wanted to as I forgot to set my alarm and was shocked to see how treacherous the weather was outside.  The wind was so strong the trees were being bent over and the rain was pouring.  I sat for an hour or so procrastinating on twitter, putting off the run. Then the husband got up and told me his brother and girlfriend were coming over as they have not yet seen the new house.  In the end, I talked the husband into coming out with me, telling him the run would help cure his hangover (and it did!).  We hit the local park that is directly at the bottom of our street and had a run around it.  It’s such a beautiful park and I spent so many of my childhood years there – splashing about and swimming in the outdoor lido from Spring to Summer, conker picking in the Autumn and having snowball fights, sledging and making snowmen during the Winter.  Sadly, the lido was completed knocked down when I was in my teens and was left to turn into bog land as the council refused any further funding.

Within the first few minutes of the run, I thought to myself “oh my god, I’ve lost so much fitness” – it’s only been 3 months (to the date) since I ran last but I didn’t expect to be as unfit, so quickly.  However, I was just out of practice and forgot that the first mile or so of any run is always the toughest and once I got into my stride my breathing settled down and I really started to enjoy it, despite the wind blowing a gale and the rain lashing my face.

We did a short 2.5 mile run as a) I didn’t want to push too hard seeing as it’s my first run in a while and b) the husband hasn’t ran for a lot longer than me so I didn’t want to push him too hard either.  In hindsight, it’s a good idea he came with me as I know had I gone alone, I’d have tried for at least 6 miles and probably half killed myself doing it ;)  I am going to aim to double my mileage next week though having seen how easy today felt.

Before I left for my run, I had a quick snack of wholemeal toast with PB and Jam…

And when I got back, the husband and Mini JAG wanted bacon butties.  I had some good quality, free range bacon…

and by the time I made their sandwiches, there was a single rasher left so whipped it on a slice of wholemeal bread and made a single sandwich for myself, with a dash of brown sauce of course…

Whilst I munched on my butty, I started looking for some more races to enter and came across two that I am definitely going to enter…

Mud Runner Oblivion in May next year…

and Hell Runner in February next year…

Both runs look pretty intense though Hell Runner really does look like hell!

Now cooking a yummy prawn jambalaya and waiting for X-Factor.

Plans for the coming week:

• To go to body attack tomorrow evening
• To try and fit in at least 2 full body weights sessions, even if it means training at home
• To try out at least one new recipe
• To run again next Sunday

.

Things that have made me happy over the weekend:

• My beloved Chelsea FC beating Arsenal 2-0
• Having some more fun races to look forward to
• Getting back out there running – it feels so good to be back
• Staying in control of my food
• Seeing the new people moving into my old house*
• My sister in law announcing her pregnancy

.

Things that have made me sad/mad over the weekend:

• Knowing I have to return to work tomorrow after a week off
• Thinking about a friendship that ended some months ago, feeling sad and then getting angry all over again

.

*For those that didn’t read about my problems with my old neighbours, they were a complete nightmare.  Utterly disrespectful, having parties until 5am every weekend, drunken guests making a racket outside my bedroom windows in the early hours of the morning, a chav-tastic son that picked on mini JAG and stole part of the mechanism from the brakes on his bike, making it unsafe – the list goes on.  When we dared to complain, the husband got right up in my face, shouting and yelling at the top of his voice that “You’re only in a f*cking council house, if you don’t like it, f*ck off and move”.  Yeah, they thought they were something special all because they own their own house – whoop-de-fooking-do!

As it stands, we were only in a council house and did have a choice of where we live – hence we chose to get the hell away from them and are all immensely happy now in our new home.

As we were driving by yesterday, we saw the family that were moving in.  Now I try not to judge on appearances alone but it was so difficult not to.  All I’m going to say is that it looks like the next door neighbours will be wishing they had kept it down ;)

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I still really want to do Tough Guy too but I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it – booooooo!

So, I’ll be up and out of the house early tomorrow for a run.  No idea how far I’ll be going as I’ve not ran once since my half marathon, which will actually be 3 months to the date tomorrow – freaky!  My aim is to just get out there, enjoy it and take it easy – I’m not after breaking any speed or distance records, I just want to enjoy it.

Food wise, everything is going well so far. I seem to have found a bit of self control again which is a really nice feeling after spending so long grabbing anything and everything I could get my hands on.  I’m still only eating when I’m hungry which means I’m not eating nearly as regularly as I was before, but I’m feeling satisfied when I do.

Food from yesterday was only 2 meals, though they were both quite calorific so I wasn’t starving.  I fancied something savoury for breakfast, which doesn’t happen very often!  I opted for scrambled eggs on 2 slices of wholemeal toast…

Dinner was chicken fajitas, made with my own spice mix instead of using a packet mix.  They were amazing!

Fajita Spice Mix

(Makes enough for 2-3 servings)

• 3tbsp cornflour
• 2 tbsp hot chilli powder
• 1 tsbp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 chicken stock cube, crushed
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Mix well and sprinkle onto meat and veggies whilst cooking. Store the leftover spice mix in an airtight container.

I had 2…

I also had wine to celebrate the start of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing!

I love this programme so much – it’s so much more entertaining than X-Factor (IMO) and it also starts the run up to Christmas.  I’m taking part in a Strictly Sweepstake on a forum I use which means I was allocated a team to support – I was given Flavia Cacace and Jimi Mistry…

And after watching last night, my new girl crush is the stunning Aliona Vilani…

(Source)

Do you watch Strictly Come Dancing?  How about the US version Dancing With The Stars?

I love Dancing with the Stars too and am so excited that both series are running together this year – twice the fun!  Jennifer Grey, aka Baby Houseman is awesome!

I received a telephone call yesterday afternoon with some amazing news…

MY DAD WAS COMING HOME!

They were finally discharging him.  He has his Hickman Line in situ, his bloods are coming back down to where they should be and he has had his cast removed, wound checked, clips removed and been re-casted.  The consultant said his wound was healing “beautifully” – let’s just hope the antibiotics do their work now and clear this darn infection once and for all!

He came home just after 6pm last night and it was so good to see him sitting back in his arm chair where he belongs.  He was so happy to be home and we’re all thrilled to have him home.

WELCOME HOME DAD! I LOVE YOU.

I woke a little later than planned this morning after having a late night – I was still up at 2am which is NOT like me at all.  As a result, it was too late to make breakfast but too early for lunch so I made brunch and had wholegrain spelt pancakes with strawberries & chocolate chips.  I added in a sprinkle of allspice and used strawberry protein powder instead of cookies & cream like I normally do.  They were utterly divine!

Strawberry & Chocolate Chip Wholegrain Spelt Pancakes

Serves 1

• 100g wholegrain spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch sea salt
• Sprinkle cinnamon
• Sprinkle allspice
• 1.5 tbsp protein powder (optional)
• 175ml coconut milk
• Chopped raspberries & strawberries
• Cacao nibs
• 1 tsp virgin coconut oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then stir in the milk, berries & cacao nibs.  Mix well.

Heat a tsp of virgin coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pan until red hot.  I use coconut oil because it’s good for cooking with high heats. Spoon in a ladle of the batter…

Once bubbles start to appear on top, carefully flip it over…

Once cooked, keep warm under the grill whilst the other pancakes cook…

Once the pancakes are all cooked, stack and drizzle with maple syrup…

And then add toppings of your choice – I use Greek yoghurt, fresh berries & flaked almonds…

And here is what they look like inside – check out the mushy gooey goodness of the berries…

And on the fork…

Things that have made me happy recently…

• My dad coming home – hurrah!
• Having a new race to look forward to – happy days!
• Mini JAG completing a GCSE maths exam paper (his aunt is a maths teacher) and getting a Grade C – not bad for age 13 huh? Grade C was the highest grade obtainable on this paper, he has another paper which goes up to a Grade A to complete still.
• Discovering a new band – Gogol Bordello.  I’ve not come across a band I love this much in a long time – I’m officially hooked!

Things that have made me sad recently…

• The stupid horrible Daily Mail website  - I don’t know why I read it, it always makes me so angry!  The article to rile me up today was this one, saying Katy Perry has a protruding tummy – get a fucking grip!

(Source)

• Being able to buy 12 donuts for just £2 –  is it any wonder we are dealing with an obesity epidemic?  Supermarkets should be banned from selling this crap so cheaply…

What has made you happy or sad recently?

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Hola friends, I didn’t intend to have such a long blogging hiatus but I really enjoyed the break.  Life has been mega crazy of late which hasn’t left me much free time.  My dad is STILL in the hospital and my poor mini JAG was in hospital on Monday to have his tonsils taken out so I’ve been taking good care of him.

Before his surgery on Monday, mini JAG said to me “I wouldn’t mind spending the night here” so luxurious was the new children’s ward at our local hospital.  An adolescent play room packed out with X Boxes, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii – all available to have brought to your bed to play on your own personal flat screen television!

Though he was in pain after he came back from theatre, he still managed a wee smile for his mummy…

My poor dad is still stuck in hospital with no idea of when he will be coming home. His bloods are still all over the place and they have still not put his hickman line in, despite being told LAST THURSDAY that it would be done.  He does however, have a bright sparkly plaster cast on his leg which is helping him to get around a lot better…

Food is still a bit of a mish mash of great food interspersed with crap – I don’t know what’s got into me lately but it’s driving me potty. Every day starts off well but I’m giving into eating junk way too often.  When I think back to last year when I was in weight loss mode my will power was iron strong and I could resist anything.  I wish it were that easy right now!

Some of the better foods – amazing breakfasts…

Delicious snacks…

And divine main meals…

Sadly, for every bit of good food there, there has been an equal amount of crap :-(

I’ve not exercised regularly in the last fortnight due to circumstances.  I know it sounds like I’m making excuses but I’m really not.  My colleague was off work for 2 weeks so I was working overtime daily which meant I couldn’t go to the gym at my usual time in the afternoon.  Evenings have been spent visiting my dad in hospital and this week, I’ve been looking after mini JAG who is off school for two weeks recovering from his surgery.  I am getting out at the weekend for a run though as I have to start training for The Grim in December.  It’s not going to take much training, it’s only 8 miles and the reviews I have read have said if you can run 5 miles, you can run it no problem.  I know I’ve not ran since my half marathon in July though so I’ve got to get back out there and put some miles in.  I’m also looking for another fun race or two to take part in before that and have asked the husband if he wants to join me in either The Skeleton Run, a 5 mile trail run in the dark, dressed in Halloween costumes, or The Halloween Horror 4, a 4 mile rural race that takes place at 11pm at night!

As much as I don’t miss the pressure I put on myself by running, I do miss having an event to look forward to so I’m thinking that fun kind of races are the way to go!

I was contacted by the lovely people at Natural Balance Foods, who have been so generous in the past by sending me free products to sample and give away on the blog.  They asked if I would be interested in trying out their new range of Gluten Free bars, which were a top secret for some time so I felt very privileged to know what those secret flavours were.

Now the flavours have been revealed, I can share them with you…

Though they all taste frickin’ amazing, my favourite just has to be the cocoa mint.  The bars are unlike the original Nakd bars in that they don’t contain oats and I have to admit, I prefer them without.  The original Nakd bars come in a berry flavour and a cocoa flavour but somehow the flavours of the new gluten free bars seem a lot more intense.  The berry flavour is a lot more fruity and I could really taste the raspberries.  The cocoa delight seems to have some kind of tang to it that was missing from the original cocoa loco bar.

All in all, I was really pleased with them and will definitely buy them when they hit the shops!

I’m going to leave it there for tonight but want to say a big thank you to everyone for your positive comments to my last post “I can make you thin“.  I worry sometimes about writing that kind of post incase it comes across preachy or judgemental, which it most definitely isn’t.

Also, be sure to check out my updated recipe page!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Mine has been pretty damn good!  I’m still walking on air after my fantastic half marathon on Saturday and it was so nice sharing my story with my friends and work colleagues.

I popped out to the shop after work to buy the local newspaper as I wanted to see if our picture was in there, and was surprised to see ours was the only one printed!  There was a little write up and they published the mini interview with me that was done over the phone, explaining why I was doing the half marathon and how much money I had managed to raise for The Stroke Association.

I managed to snap the  picture in the newspaper to share with you all…

So many people have said that Jess & I look like sisters, which I take as a massive compliment because she is gawjus! Even though I am devoid of make up, I love the picture and it will be a wicked reminder of such an amazing day.

I was planning to attend my body attack class this evening as my ankle hasn’t been feeling too bad all day but since I got home, I’ve been standing on it pretty much all afternoon doing chores and it’s got really sore.  In the end, I decided to rest it as the last thing I want is to aggravate it any further and turn it into a full blown injury.

Instead, I decided to finally make my inspiration board!  I created my folder some time last year and have been meaning to create a board ever since.  However, my procrastinating self has put it off and put it off.  I sat and cut out all my pictures this evening and stuck them onto my board, along with some motivational quotes…

As you can see, it features my 3 favourite ladies…

Pauline Nordin, Jamie Eason & Lina Jade.

If that doesn’t inspire me to whoop my ass in the gym, nothing will!

Food today has been really delicious.  I started off with porridge, made with semi skimmed milk, Greek yoghurt, raspberries, blackberries & pecans…

Mid morning was a skimmed latte and 2 satsumas…

Lunch was sushi…

mmmmmmmm…

Mid afternoon, I didn’t eat anything as I was busy doing chores.  By the time dinner time came I was ravenous!  I cooked some chicken breasts in the griddle pan and then chucked in some sliced courgette, red & yellow pepper, flat mushroom and tomato…

I’m currently in the process of trying to devise myself a new training regime.  I’m not totally giving up on running but I’m taking a break from the endurance running as I have really missed my weights.  As you know, I really struggled to find a balance between my strength training and my endurance cardio as the two really do not go hand in hand.  It’s no secret that I am not happy with how my body feels at the moment from the lack of weights – it just feels all squishy and any definition that I had from pumping iron has long disappeared.  So, the next few months are going to be spent getting back to where I was at weights wise.

I’m going to go for 3 full body routines per week, done on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  I will do one run per week on a Sunday with no distance or time limits in mind, it will be done purely for enjoyment because I really do love running and don’t want to stop entirely.

Am now off to get my fix of The Biggest Loser – enjoy your evening folks!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’m not going to lie to you guys, this is the hardest thing I have ever done – it really challenged me.  Even though I have been training for it for the last goodness knows how many months, still nothing prepared me for how physically and mentally tough this race was going to be.

Jess & I went out last night for a meal as it was the first time we were meeting each other – suffice to say, I think we formed a friendship for life.  What an amazing, beautiful, funny girl – I love her already.  We clicked from the start and didn’t stop nattering from the moment we sat down to the moment we got home.  You know when you meet people for the first time and there are those awkward silences?  There was none of that.  We got on famously.  In fact, we were so busy talking we had to send the waiter away a couple of times as each time he came to take our order, we hadn’t even picked up the menu to have a look!

In the end, Jess ordered the jumbo king prawns and I ordered a fillet steak with gorgonzola and red wine sauce.  We both had the soup to start…

And then waited very impatiently until our amazing main courses arrived…

I also had a side of veg…

Jess’ main course was sooooo good…

She also had a side of veg.  She was really happy with her choice as you can see…

We were both very well behaved and drank water all night and not a drop of alcohol passed our lips.  I can’t say the same thing will happen with me tonight though!

We had a real blast and enjoyed so much getting to know each other – I can’t wait to meet again.

We were both up bright and early this morning and I convinced Jess to try the mocha porridge, which she declared amazing!  I had the same, albeit a smaller portion than normal, with a scoop of chocolate protein to keep me going.

When my race number arrived earlier in the week, I had been placed in the last wave of runners at 11.40am and I knew there was no way I could run at that time – it would be so hot.  I emailed and said I was planning to run with a friend and they told me to just turn up with her so I was thankful when her time was 8.30!  She’s one of the speedy runners who does a half marathon in 1h 40m!  Crazy!

When we arrived, we were having a chat and I met her lovely mum and they met my lovely husband and we continued where we left off last night with our chattering.  Then a photographer came up to us from the local newspaper and asked if he could take our picture – hell yeah!  He took a couple in the boat yard but then took us up onto the canal bridge and snapped a couple with us sitting on the bridge with the canal behind.  The pictures will most likely be in Monday’s newspaper so I will be sure to post them here for you guys!

The husband was very kind to take a pre-race picture for us…

We started pretty late as things seemed a little disorganised and the first wave didn’t leave until just after 9am so we joined the second wave and set off about 9.15am.  We started off really well and paced ourselves sensibly.  I didn’t want to push myself too much as I had decided earlier in the week that I wasn’t going to bother with trying to achieve a good time as that isn’t why I’m doing it – I was doing it for Jenn and that is what I wanted to focus on.  I wanted to run, enjoy the day and think about her and that’s what I did.  The first couple of miles passed really quickly as we were both gabbing away so much.  We got a drink at each of the drink stations and I felt absolutely great.  Then I got to mile 8 and the sun got hotter and hotter and the air got heavier and heavier and that was when I started to struggle.  I told Jess I was finding it a little difficult and she slowed down with me and gave me a continuous supply of water from her bottle to pour over my head.  Every bit of shade, every little breeze and every canal bridge was totally welcome as the heat was really affecting me.  I powered through mile 8-9 and that is when it got really hard.

My left ankle was starting to feel the pain as I had gone over on it earlier in the run when someone tried to pass me and I tried to move out of the way.  It was only niggling but at the end, it was screaming at me to stop.  From mile 9 onwards was pretty hellish and I’m not ashamed to admit it – I actually felt like giving up so many times but  the thought of Jenn and all those lovely generous people that sponsored me kept me going.  Jess was an absolute diamond.  I know I was running at a much slower pace than she is used to but she stayed with me the whole of the way, chatting to me, encouraging me, spurring me onwards when I wanted to quit.  She gave me a quote that still gives me goosebumps when I think about it and it stuck with me through those last difficult miles…

Run if you can, walk if you must, crawl if you have to – just don’t stop.

It motivated me every single time I thought about it and it helped me more than she knows.  I also thought of Jenn, watching over me, hopefully feeling proud of what I was doing for her.

We reached mile 10 and that’s when I hit the wall.  I physically felt I couldn’t go any further.  My lower back was really sore and I had to stop a couple of times to stretch it out.  I know my lower back injury has weakened it but I also think it’s caused by my core not being as strong as it should be, so it’s going to be direct core work for me from now on when I train at the gym.  It wasn’t niggling, it was hurting, it was f*cking hurting – a LOT.  My pace by this stage had pretty much slowed to a very slow jog and Jess was saying “keep going Jo, you can do it.  Think about Jenn and how proud she is of you”.  In the end, I asked her to tell me some of her funny stories to keep me distracted and it really did the trick.  Just after mile 11, we found a guy passed out on the tow path from heat stroke – that really is how hot it was.  Jess, being the lovely girl she is, gave his helpers the rest of her isotonic drink from the previous water station and I was grateful that we had taken it easier and that I hadn’t tried to push myself too hard as I fear that’s where I too would have ended up.

The last couple of miles were mentally, emotionally and physically the toughest miles I have ever, or am likely to ever, run.  Once we saw the 12 mile marker I started to get really tearful, from sheer exhaustion and knowing that we were nearly at the end.  I knew we had been running for quite some time but as I purposely hadn’t worn my heart rate monitor, I had no clue of the time.  At this point, I really didn’t care, all I wanted to do was complete it without having to stop.  Once we got over the last bridge, we saw the end in sight and I managed to pick up my pace a little…

As we crossed the finish line, I promptly burst into tears.   Jess gave me the biggest hug and told me how well I had done and I can honestly, with my hand on my heart, say I could never have done it without her.  If she hadn’t been with me, I know I’d have stopped and walked for those last few miles but I had specifically asked her not to let me.  I know I can run 13 miles, I’ve done it before so I knew it would have been my mind telling me I couldn’t do it.

We went and met her mum and the lovely husband, who were waiting at the finish line for us.  We got our medals and a drink and I finally asked her what our time was.  It’s not what I was hoping for initially when I started training, nowhere close in fact – 2 hours and 45 minutes but at that moment, I really didn’t care.  I wouldn’t have cared if it had taken me 5 hours – the most important thing is that I did it.  I feel so proud of what I achieved today, the conditions were tough and I knew it was going to be hard but thanks to Jess and her patience and coaching, she got me through it and I finished with an amazing sense of accomplishment.

The husband took a picture of me with my medal and my picture of Jenn and I am so annoyed that it didn’t come out well – my eyes are closed and there is a freaky shadow on the picture but I’m going to share it with you anyway…

Afterwards, we were both ravenous and we went to find somewhere to get something to eat.  Jess had been craving a steak ever since she saw mine last night but we came across Handmade Burger on the canal front and decided to eat there.  The burgers are made from 100% free range, grass fed beef so we were really looking forward to it.  I had an ice cold glass of sparkling water to drink and ordered an amazing burger with cheese & salad and a side of chips – yeah, I don’t eat chips often but I figured I’d treat myself as I’d just done the most gruelling 13 miles ever…

Jess’ lovely mum Di got a picture of me and the husband.  I was going for a lovely, smiley pic but the husband had other ideas…

We also returned the favour and got this gorgeous pic of Jess & Di…

It really has been an amazing day and one I will remember forever.  I wanted to do this for Jenn and I did and thanks to so many generous people, I also managed to double my fund raising target and hit £1005.00 – thank you all from the bottom of my heart for having faith in me.

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’ll be back later with a race review and with some pictures of last night’s AMAZING meal.

Wish me luck! :-)

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.