The Colour Run 20/08/16

On Saturday I took part in Birmingham’s Colour Run. This very VERY colourful race takes the whole ‘fun run’ idea to a new level. They call it the ‘happiest 5K in the world!’

In the midst of V Fest weekend I arrived to find that this was totally the runners version of a festival. There was a huge stage playing music right from the start and not a person in sight who wasn’t dressed up or covered in face paint and glitter! I was so excited when I found out that my race pack included temporary tattoos, as well as a tshirt, face paint, race number & head band, so I could pretend I was 10 again 😝

So after weaving through the colourful crowds and numerous life size skittles (skittles were one of the sponsors) myself & my brother who took part with me got to the start line. Due to the sheer amount of people taking part they staggered the start time and let groups of people go every couple of minutes. With the run only being 5K this meant that some people had finished before we’d even started! 

After lots of cheering & even a mexican wave (lol) we were off! Living up to its name, during this race you run through 5 colour stations where people literally throw coloured powder all over you…crazy!! Our tshirts started off as white but before long we were all human rainbows running in a midst of bright powder. 

Colour EVERYWHERE (even in my mouth, ew)

One of fave things about this 5K was that it wasn’t timed and I didn’t wear my Garmin watch so I had no idea how long I had left or the pace I was running. This was a nice change from focusing so much on how fast I am running or how far I have to go. It made the whole thing more enjoyable and a lot more chilled…I need to do more runs like this. 
As we crossed the finish line we got given a bottle of water (standard), a bag of skittles (yessss) & a pack of coloured powder to make us even MORE colourful! The fun totally didn’t end there as the music was turned up as a mass of colourful people danced away, skittles in hand. Not sure how they had the energy cuz by that point I was defo ready for a sit down haha! 

Very happy ‘I just did the Colour Run’ pose 😋

So happy that the rain held off all morning so the powder didn’t turn to water colours! Had the best time and I can’t WAIT to do it again next year! I would 100% recommend anyone to do a Colour Run whether you’re a regular on race day or you’ve never ran before, it’s so much fun!! 

Colourful siblings 🌈

The next race I take part in will be my half marathon on 16th October ahhhhh! On that note I better get running! 

Have a good one 💕
KT xo

HM Training Pressure

On the 16th October I’m taking part in my first EVER half marathon eeeeek! How exciting (and scary)! I wanted to stay local for my first one so decided on The Great Birmingham Half Marathon. I’ve been running regularly for about a year and a half now, but as soon as I signed up for the HM about 2 months ago I felt an immediate pressure to ‘up my game’. This meant that there were times when I just didn’t want to run but felt like I had to; it took away the enjoyment I had always had prior to signing up. Because a massive 13 miles seemed so far away I just lost motivation and was only running because I had it written down in my training plan, not because I wanted to. 

So last week I had a revelation… WHY am I not enjoying this anymore? I signed up for this half marathon to set myself a challenge in something I enjoyed, not put massive pressure on myself and set unachieveable goals. So I decided to make a change. I scrapped the unrealistic training plan and made a more flexible one to fit around my hectic life, and Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide that I’m also completing (blog post to come about that!). 

So with just over 10 weeks to go I’m back to running because I WANT to and because I enjoy it. If my body is just not feeling a long run then I’ll do a short one or just wait till the next day, because I CAN and it’s OK to change plans to fit how you feel.

When you’re working towards a specific event it’s so easy to get obsessed with the end goal and how far away it is, rather than enjoying the journey and remembering that progress is gradual but it IS happening.

10 weeks and counting and I feel excited for the coming days and to see what happens. I’m not putting pressure on myself to complete it in a certain time, my aim is to finish and feel proud that I have done my best. 

If you’re training for a half marathon, or any other event, I would love to hear how your training is going and if you’ve ever felt the same as me!

Happy running! 

KT xo 

Garmin Forerunner 15 Review

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I was lucky enough to receive a Garmin Forerunner 15 watch, how exciting!! So I thought I would do a lil review to share with you all my opinions on this prezzie.

I was far too excited to take a pic before i opened it sorry!

This fab watch comes in a variety of styles and colours. Some more advanced than mine. I love mine being black and green because it means I can wear it with anything, even when I’m not working out. 

It records distance, pace, steps, calories and heart rate (you need to purchase an extra part for this which I haven’t got). It also reminds you when it’s time to move, however I’ve turned this setting off as I didn’t want it beeping at me when I was stationary at work or in any other formal situation, awks! I love that it tracks your steps as I’m always amazed how many steps I do on a daily basis, even when I wear it on a day when I don’t run! 

You can also connect your stats to Garmin Connect online by connecting to a computer by the USB. This is a perfect way to save all of your running deets, track your progress and you can even connect with friends and compare your stats! 

As my birthday was on a Saturday I put my watch to good use straight away at Parkrun. I made a mistake straight away by not giving my watch enough time to find my location before setting off. I pressed start just as we started the parkrun meaning that for half my run it was ‘getting location’ and so only ended up tracking the last half of my 5K wooops! 

Oh well, I still got to try it out and learnt that the next time I used it I had to give it a few minutes to find my location before setting off. 
TIPS:

1. Charge for a good while before you first use it.

2. Give plenty of time for the watch to find your location before setting off, especially on its first use. 

3. Make sure you select whether you want it to measure miles or kilometres.

4. Turn off the ‘alert when you need to move’ setting if you don’t want it to beep at you every few minutes! 

5. Take generic “I’ve just finished a run” Garmin pic at every opportunity. 

So there we go, a little review on my newest fave thing! Hope you enjoyed.

Have a good one!

KT xo 

Fitness Fashion Friday 5

Friday FriYEY. For my birthday I received a lovely new gym kit from one of my bezzies (they know me too well!) and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to show you all on Fitness Fashion Friday, so here it is…

First of all you know I LOVE an inspo quote and it’s even better if its on a top! So this top is just perfect.

 It’s loose fitted and light weight so doesn’t make you sweat any more than necessary (lol) and the fact that it’s black means that it goes with everything…perfect when you’re lazy and don’t want to spend time matching outfits like me! 

The other half of my present was these fab gym leggings.

Ft. my FAB new Garmin watch , look out for a blog post all about it!

 I love patterns and bright colours and these have both! They are high waisted so they suck you in and don’t fall down when you’re exercising, definitely a must when it comes to gym leggings. Both the top and leggings are from New Look which is definitely one of my fave places to find really good (and cheap!) gym wear. 

To complete this outfit I’ve been using my new Phillips headphones from my lovely mum. People who know me know that I have broken more headphones than I’ve had hot dinners I am SURE, so these new sturdy headphones are perfect for me as they are designed to be hard wearing (hopefully), water proof and block out all other noise, what could be better?

They came with this little bag which is perfect for travelling!

So there we go! Another outfit in the workout wardrobe. I love being nosey and seeing everyone else’s workout gear so hashtag #fitnessfashionfriday so I can see on Twitter and Instagram!

Have a FAB weekend! 

KT xo 

Top 5 Musical Workout Soundtracks 🎭

It’s Friday yeeeeee & for once I have that Friday feeling as instead of weekend full of work work & more work, it’s my BIRTHDAY and I’m off to London for a weekend full of theatre, food & friends. We’re watching Matilda the Musical AND West End Live…musical theatre heaven I hear you say? YESSSS! Perfect.
So inspired by my weekend filled to the brim with musical theatre goodness I thought I would share with you all some of my fave musical soundtracks that are PERFECT to run/workout to. 
1. Hamilton                                         

It’s literally storming through the theatre world! Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical is packed with passionate rap numbers and songs with a hip hop edge that is guaranteed to give you that burst of energy to spur you over the finish line. It’s also perfect for blocking out the heavy breathing of that man sweating on the treadmill next to you! 

2. The Color Purple                            

This soundtrack is perfect for enpowernent. For the times when you think you can’t run one more mile or when your legs feel like they’re going to fall off, the sound of Cynthia Erivo’s INSANE voice and beautiful lyrics definitely keeps you going. 

3. Legally Blonde                             

Now what could be better than pretending you’re Elle Woods with blonde flowing locks & more money than sense whilst running on the treadmill or lifting a weight! This soundtrack is full of uplifting and feel good songs all about being the best version of yourself and striving for success, perfect for your workouts!

4. Hairspray                             

Absolute classic. Full of upbeat, happy songs to keep you going no matter what. There’s nothing like belting out (or imagining you are) a bit of Good Morning Baltimore while running up that tough hill. 

5. Finding Neverland                    

Gary Barlow is a musical genius! His soundtrack for this musical is one of my absolute faves. It has a variety of songs from powerful fast tracks to give you that bit of strength out of nowhere, to heart felt ballads to make you feel inspired and empowered. Perfect for an all round workout. 

I know some people swear by exercising with no music, but on the days when I forget to take my headphones to the gym my workout suffers. Time goes by so much faster and my strength and stamina is immediately improved with a good tune in my ears, especially one of these musical soundtracks! If you haven’t already then have a listen, you won’t be disappointed. 
Have a fabulous weekend! 
KT xo 

Race for Life 08/06/16

Last night I took part in Cancer Research’s Race for Life 5K with my sister Jess. We ran it in honour of Jess’ lovely friend Rhi who sadly lost her battle with cancer recently. 

Arriving at the park the atmosphere was great as always…a mass of pink all ready to do their bit in an attempt to fight the vile C word. 

After hearing some inspirational stories from people affected by cancer, and a lively warm up (mainly involving lots of shouting and a Mexican wave) we were ready to go! 
Me and Jess got near the front of the runners in an attempt to avoid to mass of push chairs and slow walkers. I love that nervous/excited feeling stood at the start line!

Then we were OFF! The course itself was pretty much flat the whole way which was great. Although there was a bit of confusion at some parts as the route had been changed at the last minute due to flash floods an hour before (typical!) so some of the signs were misplaced. Despite that I like how each K is clearly marked in the Race for Life so you know how far you have to go. 

Getting to the 2K seemed to take forever but there was no chance I was stopping after reading some sad messages on people’s signs around me, describing their loved ones they had lost to cancer. Once I had gone past the 2K sign the rest of the race flew by! I managed to over take a few people and stay in the top 30ish for the whole way. I even lapped a lot of the walkers (shameless boasting😋). 

As I turned the corner to the last 500 metres and the finish line got closer I could see the clock ticking over to 28 minutes. I got my legs in gear and smiled at the lovely crowd cheering as I crossed the line at 28:35. 

Not my best time, however considering the ground was very wet and there was a point where we all had to slow down to take over the walkers, I was pleased.

I got my medal, a bottle of water and some yummy crisps and went to wait for Jess to cross the line. She did it in 37 minutes…great for a non runner! 

Sweaty selfie!

The atmosphere as people were finishing was electric, it was so good! Everyone was so supportive.

Me and Jess before the race!

Now I’m looking onto the next race which is the Color Run in August, but I might try and register for something else inbetween. I just LOVE the feeling of accomplishment after, you just can’t beat it.

Have a good one!

KT xo 

Up hill climb…

“Some quit due to slow progress, never grasping the fact that slow progress is PROGRESS”

This statement is something that I’ve had to remind myself a lot recently. Having a week off in France, combined with the MEGA heat we’ve had recently has meant that my runs the past week have been far from my best. 

I had it in my head that by this time I would be sprinting a 5K in less than 25 mins and finding every run easy cuz I’ve been running for ages so SURELY that’s how it works…well no, I was wrong. The other day I felt SHATTERED only to look down at my phone and realise I’d only ran 1 mile so far, say whatttt! 

Running is definitely a journey of up and down hills, literally and metaphorically. There are days when my mind just won’t engage and I want to stop after 5 minutes. Then there are days where I feel like I could go on forever. 

On the days where I feel disappointed with my running I love going onto Twitter and hearing all the lovely words of encouragement from the Uk Run Chat community (#ukrunchat). They remind me that every run, no matter how small is STILL a run and it’s better than sitting at home in front of the TV. 

Tomorrow I am taking part in the Race for Life (5K). I initially set myself a target to complete it in less that 27 mins but I have learnt that if I don’t aim for something specific and just do my best then I get better results. So we’ll see! 

I keep reminding myself of the time I couldn’t run for a minute without having to stop, and when my best 5K time was 37 minutes…I have come a long way! A lovely Twitter follower once told me ‘If it was easy then everyone would do it’ and that’s very true.

So when you feel like you can’t carry on or like you’re not progressing just think back to how far you have come and how exciting the future is with what you can achieve! That’s what I’m trying to do anyway 🙂 

Love this that one my lovely twitter friends sent me!

Tomorrow I will post all about the Race for Life and how I got on so watch this space!

Lots of love

KT xo 

Fitness Fashion Friday 4

So after a week off I am BACK with the 4th Fitness Fashion Friday!

This week it’s a bit different because I’m basing it on the outfit I wore on a little climbing adventure during my week away in sunny France.

We went to Parc en Ciel for the day (like Go Ape but better!) so I wanted to make sure I dressed in clothes that were easy to move in but also suitable for the HOT sunshine!

Ready to climb with my lovely friend Georgia.

I decided to wear my fave workout leggings that I’ve shown you all before…these cute black and white ones from H&M. With them I wore my grey sports bra also from H&M.

This has medium support meaning it was perfect for climbing and less intense activity. The top I wore was this lose grey vest from new look. It’s cotton material and sleeveless style meant that it was really light and airy, perfect for the hot weather. Although having my arms out meant that I managed to get some BIG bruises from the ropes and a bit of sun burn (ouch).

Of course I had to wear my fave Nike roshes to match the outfit, which were perfect for climbing up in the trees, and cute plaits to top it off 😋

This was such a fun day and it just shows that exercise doesn’t have to be standard and boring, it can be exciting!

Have a fab weekend!

KT xo

Food food FOOD for running!

Considering I LOVE food I thought it would be cool if I tell you all my fave things to eat and drink before/after a run.

BEFORE. So you’re getting ready to go out for a run, what do you eat? Considering I usually run in the morning my fave thing to eat before hand is a bowl of porridge that I make with soya milk, honey, banana & raisins, YUM!

My fave is Quaker Oats Original which you just add milk to and put in he microwave for a quick 2 mins, perfect if you’re in a rush as I ALWAYS seem to be! This has lots of good carbs to give me the energy I need. I have this at least half an hour before I run so it has time to digest a bit and doesn’t give me a stomach ache (not fun!).

I find that if I eat foods which are high in fibre such as cereal or a lot of fruit before a run then it upsets my stomach and I feel bloated which is never good. However bananas work for me and give me just the right amount of energy I need.

If I run early in the morning there are times when I will run on an empty stomach, especially if it’s just a short run. To be honest I don’t really see much difference in my running other than I just feel a bit more hungry! If this is the case I will just eat my usual porridge breakfast after my run.

Before a run I always make sure I drink lots of water (and then make sure I go to the loo before I head out lol). I know this is probably the most said thing in the world but keeping yourself hydrated really does make all the difference!

AFTER. So you’ve finished a long run and you’re knackered, what do you eat? For me I always find that for about an hour or so after a hard run I don’t feel like eating, however what I will have is a smoothie to refuel. I make these with any colourful berries I have in and normally banana. To this I add a bit of soya milk and blend it in my Breville Blend Active.

So quick and easy and very yummy! I normally put it into a cute cup like this just because I like things to look nice 😝

As the day goes on I will try and make sure I have a good meal that involves protein which is great for repairing muscle tissue. One of my faves and defo my ‘go to’ meal is chicken (in Nandos lemon & herd sauce) with sweet potato and salad YES.

Now obviously I am no dietician or fitness expert, I am just sharing what works for me. You might find different things suit/disagree with you when it comes to foods before and after a run. If you want to check out a more detailed guide to what’s best to eat then click HERE.

Hope you enjoyed a little nosey into my eating habits!

Have a good one 🌻

KT xo

Fitness Fashion Friday 3

It’s Friday YEY! Although I can’t remember the last time I had a completely free weekend and didn’t have to work, I still get that Friday feeling! There’s something very satisfying about coming to the end of the ‘working’ week isn’t there, and OF COURSE I know you have all been waiting eagerly for Fitness Fashion Friday…so here it is! Number 3.

Of course it features lots of pink again obvs! These beaut leggings are from New Look and I love them.

They are so comfy and soft I could wear them all day every day (and I usually do)! They’re also high waisted, which is an added bonus in my opinion, and they don’t fall down which as you know is one of my BIGGEST hates when it comes to workout wear. The only downside is that they are quite long and being a short gal I have to roll them up a bit at the ends, but oh well you can’t have everything!

The top I’ve paired these with today is a white and black vest from Forever 21. It’s nice and loose which I love and it’s basic cotton style means that it can be worn with every day casual wear as well as in the gym, perfect!

Continuing with the cute pink theme I’m wearing one of my fave Nike sports bra. I also have this in black (featured in my first FFF). Simple, supportive, you can’t go wrong.

So there you go! Hope you enjoyed this weeks little insight into my workout wardrobe! As if it’s been over 3 weeks since I started my little blog (love!) Don’t forget to share your #fitnessfashionfriday outfit on Twitter (@ktrunningshoes) and Instagram (@brewsandrunningshoes), I love to see them 😊

Have a lovely weekend fellow runners/fitness geeks/nosey people 😝 Mine will be filled to the brim with work, some GOOD running/gym seshs and my Nan’s bday party on Sat eve…lovely!

KT xo