Burgess Marathon week 7 and 8 training review (over 100k!) - 11/08/24

Hello!

Thank you for joining me as we review week 7 and 8 of training for the Burgess Marathon. The last two weeks have been memorable!

This week I want to share the following;

1. An exceptional return to work - a story of success

2. What marathon training I did over the last two weeks

3. Review of new running shoes - will these be the ones?

4. Fueling my training - a recipe from Kinship Kitchen

5. What’s in the store?

Returning to work from paternity leave

After 9mths on paternity leave I returned to work (I’m a Personal Adviser working with Care leavers) to over 800 emails but one stood out. Two boys, brothers, that I’d worked with, had graduated from University, but this no ordinary email, this is no ordinary tale. They were born overseas and brought up by their grandmother. When she died they’d fended for themselves before being brought to the UK and sold into domestic slavery, not allowed to attend school or go out on their own. They eventually escaped and fended for themselves before being taken into State Care. Having a very supportive foster carer they flourished and attacked education with vigour. As the years passed they flourished academically, culminating in brilliant grades and offers to attend University. 

However, their immigration status in the UK was unnecessarily delayed in being processed. It appeared the department was not going to support them to take up the University offers they had independently earned. I stepped in as their Personal Adviser. I sourced and supported them through a tough competitive selection process to secure full scholarships to cover the course fees, ensuring no financial liability to the local authority. Then the department's decision to not support them was legally challenged and reversed. Three years later, this stand-out email said, these two young men have graduated with First Class Honours. 

Returning to work has been amazing and I’m looking forward to creating more positive outcomes with my new caseload. 

Hanging out with this one has been great! Photo credit Shveta Shah

Week 7 running training

Tuesday - 10k did intervals (hot and hard in my new shoes)

Thursday - 10k easy (in the new shoes)

Saturday - Squerryes parkrun 5k run (in old shoes)

Sunday - 30k (in the new shoes)

Total - 55k

Week 8 running training

Tuesday 10k intervals (in the new shoes)

Thursday - 10k Tempo (in the new shoes)

Saturday - 10k Burgess parkrun course check (in old shoes) 

Sunday - 24k (in the new shoes on a scorching day!)

Total - 54k

You can follow my training at Strava or message me if you’d like a copy of the full plan (which includes the strength workouts). 

With my running buddy overseas I’ve had to lean on my headphones and new running shoes to get me through. 

Review of New running shoes

For the last two weeks, I’ve been mostly wearing a new pair of Under Armour Infinite Elite shoes. They didn’t give me any ‘pop’ for my interval sessions but it was the longer runs I was excited for. On two separate long runs, around 22k the backs of my knees felt tired, as if the shoes weren’t supporting me properly. I had wanted these shoes to be ‘the ones’ but with the marathon distance being 42.5k I will need to buy something else to get me around. 

The search for new shoes continues.

Fuelling the challenge

I asked my friend and Founding Director of Kinship Kitchen for a recipe to fuel after a long run, here it is;

Lentil pancakes:

These super quick pancakes tick many boxes: they are very tasty, very easy and very cheap to make, as well as high in protein. You can double the quantities and turn the other half into lentil tofu- bonus!

You will need: 

2 cups of dried red lentils

Enough boiling water to cover the lentils

2 cups of fresh water

Few pinches of salt 

1 tsp garlic granules (optional) 

In a heat-proof bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can soak them in cold water from the night before.

Rinse the lentils and place in a food processor with 2 cups of fresh water, the salt and garlic granules (if using). Blend until very smooth.

Lentil pancakes, yum!

Heat a non-stick pan and lightly oil, then pour a little of the mix into the pan and spread it out with a spoon. Wait a couple of minutes before flipping and stack up in a tea towel to keep them warm. Fill as you would any flatbread, but for a delicious quick snack we recommend Greek yoghurt and mango chutney

Enjoy! 

Myself and Anna Lou, founder of Kinship Kitchen.

Thank you Anna Lou I can’t wait to try them!

Kinship Kitchen Catering offers training and flexible work opportunities for kinship carers. You can learn more about the work of Kinship Kitchen by clicking here Kinship Kitchen Catering. 

The store

In ‘the store’ previously I’ve showcased things for keeping your feet in top condition, Palmers Coco Butter and Stance Socks. 

This week I have to draw attention again to my massage gun, Theragun.  

Theragun uses percussion to massage muscles and provides stress relief. It is the most important part of my self-care regime for life and completing this challenge.

I visited John Lewis and tested several massage guns. Theragun for me is the best brand for durability and relaxing your muscles my review is here. 

You can visit the Theragun store here - https://amzn.to/4eHi4JH

My massage gun has been a game changer for my running.

This single product ensures my leg muscles are relaxed and ready for each training run. 

Any purchase you make I will get 1% which I will add to the fundraising.  

Thank you!

I’ll be back in two weeks for an overview of how the next two weeks, (9 and 10) have gone. I hope to have a new pair of running shoes that provide more support, there will be a 32k training run to test them on. 

Until then. 

Stay safe, stay well and happy running

www.nuhorizons.uk

The Burgess Marathon

The Burgess Marathon takes place on 28th September and will involve me running the Burgess parkrun course 8.5 times with the final 5k to commence at 0900 to conclude the challenge with the official Burgess parkrun. You can donate to my fundraising page for Become Charity here;

https://2024thebighalf.enthuse.com/pf/aqasa-nu