A Weighty Issue

Pictured: Portrait of the late Kung Fu Action Star Bruce Lee


I am now only 13 and a bit weeks away from my 28 mile off road race and the training so far has been great!
After reading up on various opinions on long distance endurance training and reports from experts in exercise physiology, I have chosen to adapt a regular weights programme into my preparation.

I have always (well..for the last 23 years since my 14th birthday) followed some kind of weights programme, sometimes for just general conditioning and muscle tone and also led by my interest and awe in what Bodybuilder's achieve through training and diet, even to the point where I followed a 6-8 month bodybuilding lifestyle where I packed on over 30lbs in just under 3 months!! (mainly muscle as my bodyfat percentage didnt increase significantly)...although at that time I nearly stopped my cardio altogether and in those 6-8 months got VERY unfit!!

I felt like a tank but very very out of breath even jogging lightly...so stopped the intense heavy weights and ran much of the weight off in the following months.

Reading up on this subject has uncovered that some modern day thinking is heavy, compound weight training exercise is nigh essential for successful endurance training due to the fact that after 2 hours or so it is the body tissue that begins to break down as the inevitable wall stands in your way...not a lack of endurance conditioning per se...thus, by strengthening the weak links of the body and putting it under regular duress my body may be better prepared for the stress of post 20 miles on the unforgiving hills, dips and tracks of the South Downs come June.

One of the reasons I have posted a picture of Bruce Lee is that although he wasn't known for endurance feats, he built and honed an enviable body using a regular weights programme and following bodybuilding routines popular in the 1970's and drank high protein supplements to form his body and increase his bodies ability to deliver speed and power whilst balancing out his cardiovascular training, up until his untimely death at the age of 32.

Being, myself a teacher of Wing Chun Kung Fu, Bruce Lee's original style before he exploded into popular movie fame he stands as an inspirational figure to me whatever my endeavour.

Lastly, my training is progressing nicely and i'm certainly feeling much fitter and able whether I am running distances of 8-10 miles or intense full speed treadmill sprints and cross trainer hill work which round up my weight sessions 3 times a week.

Diet is still based around a high fruit/vegetable intake but I am also starting to incorporate some lean protein as I felt like this was lacking, especially whilst recovering from my gym sessions..so the balance I seek in my nutrition is yet to be fully decided upon.
Low fat raw vegan is certainly the most ideal way of fuelling for my runs and general activity but heavy weight sessions not so at all in my experience so tweaking things where needed..there are and should never be absolute situations when it comes to nutrition..everyone has different needs dependant on their training and body goals.

Until next time..thanks for following and hopefully i'll have nailed a 15-20 miler by then as well as taken a few steps closer to a lean, muscular beach body for the Summer!! :-)

New week - New Running shoes!

My NEW Brooks T7 Racing shoes :-)


Its now only 15 weeks to go until my first off road Ultramarathon event on the Sussex South Downs UK.

Although I will need some decent trail shoes before the event, many of my miles will be smashed out on the tarmac so ive demoted my old Asics and bought myself a pair of Brooks...arguably one of the finest running shoes suppliers there is.

Broke them in nicely today (Monday 21st March) with an afternoon 10 miler through some local Suffolk villages, sounds corny but it really did feel like running on air and certainly made the distance easier than it would have been with my older shoes!!

Aiming for 30 plus miles of running this coming week so that bit a nice chunk out of my schedule and set the training week up nicely.

Nutrition wise I am still consuming large amounts of Raw fruits and salads but also allowing myself a few treat meals as and when I feel like them so I dont feel too denied and get all stressed out and bin the idea altogether, but one things for sure this summer the low fat raw approach will feature highly in support of my training as my energy levels and training recovery have both shown huge increases all in the last 14 days AND with some bad food choices too!! :-/

I also have two gym sessions planned for this week working on core and leg strength, overall conditioning and  interval based cardio followed by some much needed rest and recovery to minimise the injury risk.

So far - so good and im enjoying the increase in health and fitness simply by having a training focus..until next time....

Getting FRUITY!!

So im halfway through week 2 of my 17 week Ultra-marathon preparation.

Training is going well a few regular paced 4 mile runs and some tough interval gym sessions involving strengthening my core and leg strength for the upcoming hills and increase my overall as well as my running fitness and condition.

Nutrition is a key area which I need to make sure im covering to a high level and following my previous experiences eating fresh Raw foods (fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds) ive been doing some research.

Came accross a guy called Durian Rider (Harley Johnstone) - a top level endurance cyclist who trains with Lance Armstrong amongst others and follows a Fruitarian way of living and has done for the last 8 years and drastically improved his fitness and overall health after years of being a cooked food vegan

This research also uncovered more high level athletes following suit such as Ultra-Runner Micheal Arnstein, another low fat raw vegan who sees himself as a 100% fruitarian and has followed this way of life with high intensity training for the last 3 years and improved many of his personal bests which he puts down to this diet lifestyle.

So for the last 3 days this has been my life...10-15 bananas a day (some blended with a small amount of water), dark green raw salads, lots of water and other fruits such as kiwi, mango, apples, grapes and papaya..I like balance so not saying this will be my way of life, just thats what im experimenting with currently and feeling AMAZING for it!!

Two of the last 3 days have involved 8 mile runs with no adverse effects or aches and no hunger pangs or cravings to speak of but I realise its early doors!

Interestingly the sceptics who bang on about it badly effecting sugar levels and insulin release are totally wrong as they both prove over and over again and regularly have bloods done to confirm this..they also do not eat all day long but spend less than an hour prepping, eating and clearing up for their meals, their loo habits are normal but they have found they no longer have any illness, however small and have a constant energy and enthusiasm for life..so..im seeing how I fare and will play it by ear depending on the results.

I will incorporate vegetables in the form of salads and some small amounts of overt fats from avocados, nuts and seeds but minimising or almost eliminating cooked foods for the time being.

More information can be found at www.30bananasaday.com ... www.foodnsport.com or http://www.loving-it-raw.com/eating-raw-food.html

Until next time...keep on running :-)