Guest Post: 5 Reasons to Start Cycling to Work

I've recently started cycling to work, after much persuasion and reassuring from friends (not from my mother, who is terrified everytime I set off). And I am loving it. The feeling of whizzing through Hyde Park, smiling at passing runners and cyclists (and there are a LOT of passing cyclists, I am very slow.)

My friend Becs, (aka Speedy Becs) from run club, cycles everywhere, so I asked her to write a post to hopefully inspire some of you to start commuting by bike! 

Five reasons to go Dutch and cycle to work 

You never forget how to ride a bike so put your skills to good use in this summer and hitch your own ride to work. Even if you never learnt how to saddle-up, it's not too late to find out how. From saving you money (not to mention time) and relieving stress, here are my five reasons to go Dutch and turn your daily commute into an easy-breezy voyage en velo.

1. Cycling improves your knowledge
There's no better way to get to know your own turf than by bike. In the seven years that I've lived in London, I have pretty much cycled my way from East to West, North to South and then back again. I can quite confidently say that I'm not only a better map reader than before, I also know how to get to most areas of London or thereabouts. If I am lost, then I usually look at the direction of the bus stops to get me back on track (trust me it works). As well a testing your orienteering skills, you notice more by bike such as the opening of a local shop or the changes in the skyline. It really is an eye-opening way to explore and can, on occasion, be pretty useful when it comes to pub quiz questions.


2. Cycling boosts your confidence
Now I'm not under any illusions here, I know how nail-biting cycling can be for those who have never tackled the Wild West that is London's roads. And those good folks at Transport for London have set up courses for beginners aimed at building your confidence on the road (check here)  You may already have heard of Sky Ride (here) (a day of traffic-free routes in London) and the Breeze network (here) , which encourages women to improve their confidence on the road. I'm not a huge fan of women-only rides because I think everyone needs a helping hand but I understand the sentiment at least. Anyway, once you've got to grips with your route and know where you're going, cycling can be a really boost to your self-esteem. Think about it for a moment – not only do you have to leave on time and pack all the right gear, you need to know how to navigate the road so you arrive at your destination safe and sound. The freedom of being on the open road teaches you to be more independent and self-reliant.

3. Cycling relieves stress
Not only does cycling make you more independent, it can also act as a real stress reliever. The last thing I want to do after a tough day in the office is jump on a crowded tube or bus and have to endure a) some inane conversation between two commuters b) blaring music of someone who wants to damage their ear drums c) sweaty armpits – I'm tensing my shoulders just thinking about the commute via public transport. Instead, I'm as free as a bird on my bike, where the occasional nod to a fellow cyclist or comment about the dreaded pot-holes will suffice. The fact that you're focusing on your journey also acts as a distraction from the daily grind. Not forgetting that as a cardiovascular activity, cycling encourages you to produce endorphins (happy hormones), which will boost your mood. Couple this with a glorious day and you'll be beaming when you get on yer bike.

4. Cycling saves you money
Well sort of. You do have to buy all the appropriate gear, including lights, helmet and waterproofs not to mention an actual bike and lock but when you do the number-crunching, you will save a bit of dosh. Over the past year, I reckon I've spent around £100 on my bike. I do have a PAYG Oyster card as well, but even when I compare this to price of a monthly Oyster pass, I'm pretty much quids in. I also take advantage of events such as Bike Week http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/event_search.php . This celebration of cycling includes a free service of your bike by Dr Bike at several locations all over London. The only time I've ever taken the tube for free was on New Year's Eve and after the London Marathon. The initial cost of cycling may feel a little hefty upfront but you'll soon be back in credit after a few months.

5. Cycling is time-efficient exercise
Not only is cycling to work great exercise, it is also the fastest way for me to get to work. Fact. I live in Stoke Newington and work in Camden and it takes me roughly around 25 minutes to commute by bike. My only other options are a bus then tube (around 40 minutes), bus then overground train (around 35 minutes) or bus. A car may be faster but that's without considering the traffic during rush hour. Seriously, if it takes you more than five minutes to walk to the tube and you have to make a change, you're better off by bike. When I want to cycle to Oxford Street during my lunch hour, I can jump on my bike and get there in about 15 minutes via Regent's Park. There's no waiting around for or even on a certain number bus when you travel on two wheels. Cycling to work also gives the exercise a purpose – as in you're actually travelling to a destination using pedal power.

Go and check out Bec's blog http://thestyledynamo.com/

Would you consider commuting by bike? I know that before I started a lot of people warned me against it, and said it was unsafe, but I think if you know the rules of the road, stick to cycle lanes and wear appropriate safety gear, you should be fine!

Run Hard or Go Home

At the end of a race you want to feel like you have given it your all, put in every ounce of effort you have and pushed yourself past the point of comfort. If you've done that, then no matter the time on the clock, you should be pleased with yourself. You may feel that you haven't done enough training, that the course was too hilly, that you didn't eat the right thing or hydrate fully, but knowing that you did the best you could on that day, all factors included, you should feel proud.

Your best is good enough.

During the She Runs Windsor 10K last week, I really pushed myself during the final 2km, thinking 'will I regret it if I don't give it my all'.

So I did, I pushed myself to run as hard as I could down the final stretch, even though it turned out to be waaay longer than it looked (note to self, downhill can be deceptive.)

I crossed the finish line proud of my time and my fitness, knowing I couldn't have done any more. As my first 10K race, I was aiming for a sub 1 hour time, so was thrilled with 56.54. And to have race photos that actually show that I am running!

On Monday evening, it was the last Nike and Elle run club. It was also miserable weather and I'd had a long day at work. I texted Leah to say I was feeling tired and that my sofa was calling to me!

I love having friends to run with on a Monday night, to stop me from bailing out. When you're meeting up with someone to work out with, it makes you accountable and wussing out is not an option. No matter the weather. I know that on Monday evening I would not have pushed myself out of the door to run if I hadn't been doing it with others.

As it happens, we were enjoying a taper week at Nike Run club, completing 5K as a large group.

And the sun came out.

But there weren't any brownies.

I am so glad I went for that run. I got to catch up with friends, stretch out my legs, enjoy Regent's Park in the sunshine, and above all, feel good about myself.

 

Sometimes it's important to have a recovery run, to run slow, cross-train, stretch or even have a rest day. But other times it's better to get out there and run hard. Give it everything you have. Make yourself proud. 

What do you tell yourself in order to get yourself out of the door to go for a run? Do you bribe yourself with brownies? (That definitely works for me!)

Don't forget to enter to win a Magimix Juicer here- entries close on Saturday 18th May! 

Write this Run

'Build it and they will come, build it well and they will come back'

This was a core piece of advice given to us by Laura at the Write this Run running bloggers conference on Sunday. I've read about so many blogging events in America, so it was great to have one in London! Over the past couple of months I've really connected with a number of UK running bloggers, seeing many of them regularly at Nike #weownthenight events, so it was great to attend a blogging event with some of them, and meet some new faces.

Our day was broken into four parts, each with a set of three speakers focusing on different topics. Notepads at the ready...

Social Media and PR
I think many of us were keen to learn how to increase our online presence, and work with brands to 'get free trainers', so these speakers were hotly anticipated.

Carys Matthews @Carysmatthews
Online editor of Women's Running and Men's Running magazine, encouraged us to respond to everyone, ask questions, create relationships and above all, don't moan!

Fraser Sim @aspiremktg
Works for Aspire PR and Marketing, and managed to dishearten many by warning us that brands look for bloggers with 10,000 twitter followers, and those that don't dilute their brand by blogging about things other than running. Erm, unfortunately advice that I am going to chose to ignore.

Rhalou Allerhand @rhalou
Rhalou told us about lying at a job interview about being a keen runner to get a job at a magazine, learning to run, moving to Scotland to live with a running man, and to write at least 300 words per blogpost for google to recognise it. Oh and writing about running probably won't make you rich.

Motivational Speakers
Although I was there to learn how to improve my blog, and increase my social media 'presence', one of my favourite parts of the day was the talks by the motivational speakers.

Donna de Wick @donna_de
Her motto was 'Get strong to stay strong', a lady that was told not to run due to a progressive degenerative nerve disease and who has since learnt to run and now competes in paratriathlons.

Kevin Bett @52marathonman
'Only ever stop if there's no other option'. Kevin's story about his dad suffering from depression and taking his own life really hit home, and made me sit back and remember how and why I first started running and blogging (read about it here). He has run 52 marathons in a year, including 12 of them on a treadmill, raising money and awareness about mental health disease.

Mimi Anderserson @marvellousmimi
Wowzer- she is 'chicking the boys', beating world records for distance running. And when I say distance running, I mean hundred of miles and ultra ultra marathons. If you ever need motivation, inspiration and a good read, go check out her blog. #whatwouldmimido

Quick break to enjoy a BBQ lunch outside with Becki, Becs and Laura. We were also treated to a Chobani yogurt-I still haven't made up my mind about them, maybe I need to try some different flavours!

Bloggers
It's funny meeting people whose blogs you read online, you always have that weird, 'I know you' moment. I went up to Sophie of beprettyfit.com at a running event a couple of months ago and had to say, 'hi, are you Sophie, I read your blog...' er embarrassing.

Laura Fountain @lazygirlrunning
Founder of Write this Run and author of the Lazy Girl Running blog and book, she talked about writing as if you were talking to a friend in the pub, using everyday language and being your own editor- ie. pitch ideas, give a brief, wordcount and deadline, and PROOF READ!

Philippa Moore- @philippa_moore
The girl behind 'Skinny Latte Strikes Back' who encouraged us to be authentic and to have bravery, boldness and balls! She suggested spending 50% of your time blogging, writing good content, and the other 50% of your time connecting with readers through comments and on facebook and twitter. Certainly going to be following an award winning blog writer's advice to make content findable, shareable and manageable.

Stuart Amory @stuartamorypt
A celebrity personal trainer with a big online presence, check out his #fitteam13 for inspirational tweets, advice and physical challenges. He shared lots of twitter tips with us, including tweeting first thing in the morning, so that your tweet is the first one people read in a day.

Running Advice

Rebecca Randell @rrandell86
A researcher at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, she told us how to work out our sweat rates to discover how much fluid we should be drinking during training. To calculate your sweat rate, weigh yourself before a 60 minute run, run without fluid, then weigh yourself when you get back. 1kg weight loss is equal to 1 litre fluid loss!

Karen Weir @runwithkaren
Karen told us it was OK to be a heel striker (yay!) but that we should aim to run as if 'we had a credit card in between our bum cheeks' and adopt a 'squeeze and lean' technique, leaning forward to let gravity assist you moving forwards.

 

Scott Overall @Scottoverall
Last but by no means least, we heard from Scott Overall, Olympic marathoner and 5min miler. He drinks 4 Pro Plus crushed up into water as marathon fuel, and practices hurdle walkovers to open up his hips. He also happens to run 2.10 marathons, no biggie.

I probably haven't followed any of the blogging rules yet, or gained 10,000 followers, but I did have a brilliant time, met some lovely people and came away feeling inspired to keep writing, running and having fun. Oh and I may have signed up for a few more races too (no ultras...yet!)

Thank you to the amazing Laura and Liz for organising such an awesome day, I'll be back next time!

Running with Ellie Goulding

When I got an email from Nike asking if I was free on Saturday morning and wanted to run with Ellie Goulding, the answer was a definite yes!

It was a pretty early start, meaning we had to be let in the Nike Town store at Oxford Circus through a back entrance. I picked up my race pack and donned my orange race top with all the other runners, including Becs and Laura. We then headed upstairs to the #WEOWNTHENIGHT instore boutique where Charlie Dark, of Run Dem Crew (so tempted to try out a session with them!), chatted with Ellie Goulding about training, run tracks, races and running routes.

She was clearly feeling the effects of the early start, like the rest of us! She impressed us all with her half marathon time of 1hr 41 (although she was aiming for 1.38) recently achieved in the DC Women's Half, and told us of training all over the world, finding personal trainers in each city/country to guide her on the best routes and show her around.

Ellie sad that she loves running in London, particularly around Hyde Park and that she has a standard 10K route. She also admitted to being like the rest of us and wanting to make sure her run was a nice round distance, making up distance by looping around her house if she needs to.

Next up was the run!

We ran up to Regent's Park where there was a brief warm up... we must have looked quite a sight in our bright orange t-shirts!

The park looked beautiful and so peaceful. I've loved getting to know Regent's Park a little better over the last couple of weeks through Nike run clubs. It was fun chatting to Emma and Charlotte from Lunges and Lycra while we ran.

One of the mantra's of Run Dem Crew is 'never leave anyone behind' so we stopped every so often to 'clap everyone in'. This tunnel idea was awesome!

Sadly I had to leave at 10, so when Ellie peeled off from us, I followed suit. I felt so bad when one of the pacers ran after me because she thought I'd gone the wrong way! Although I only got a 2.5 mile run in, it certainly wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday morning. Plus I got to see Laura's new Primark leggings...

Thanks to Nike for organising so many fun events in the lead up to #WEOWNTHENIGHT, if you haven't signed up for the Women's only 10K next weekend already then why not? There are still spaces available to sign up here.

I was at Write this Run today and it was amazing, so inspiring. I'll share the details with you in another post as there is a lot to share!! Hope you've all had a great weekend!

Squatting and Lunging in Hyde Park

For the last couple of weeks, I have been attending the Elle Nike 'Train to Run' session in Hyde Park (you can see the review from the first one here). Mostly I have been attending on my own, although it's such a friendly group, and we are encouraged to do things in pairs that I haven't felt alone. This week, however, the lovely Zoe came along too.

Each week they try to change up the format of the session, including different movements, whilst focusing of strength training. A brilliant advantage of the NTC is that it is all body-weight workouts, so you could do the moves anywhere you like with no equipment.

We started as we do each week with the warm up; we line up in rows (a bit like a PE class), and do various moves, like bunny hopping from side to side, squat jumping, and an exercise to open our hips that I just could not get right (tightest hip flexors in the world!)

In previous weeks we split into groups after the warm up, but this time we stayed in one large group, and were told to get into pairs. One person in the pair had to hold a plank, whilst the other did burpees and jumped over the person in a plank...for a minute at a time before alternating. Twice.

It was hilarious and a great ice-breaker. And pretty painful.

Not a good planking position...

We then moved onto more strength moves, including lunges, side lunges, skaters and alternating leg lunge jumps.

 

Once our legs began to shake, we moved onto more core and arm work, including numerous planks and a round or two of push ups! 

Another demonstration of a poor plank at the front!

The trainers went round whilst we were performing all of the moves to ensure we were performing them correctly, getting low enough and working hard. Trust me, we were working. Although when we asked one of the trainers to take the photo of Zoe and I he did laugh at us, and ask if we were here for a catch up!

No 'Train to Run' session would be complete without a few rounds of squats, squat jumps, squats with pulses and twist squats. The moves below; deadlifts whilst your partner was completing a minute of hip thrusts, actually felt like a rest. My body was shaking by the end and I felt like I'd had a great workout.

Unfortunately, I had to shoot off before the end of the session to meet some friends for dinner, and cycling through Hyde Park was no joke after a 'Train to Run' bootcamp. It was another great session with brilliant trainers who push you constantly and don't let you slack off, even in a big group. Overall I enjoyed the first 'Train to Run' session the most, as we seemed to do movements that were most functional and specific to running, whilst many other strength moves I would work on during a BodyPump or TRX class, or weights session.

I love that Nike are providing so many free, accessible running and strength sessions to anyone who wants to get involved. Whilst the Train to Run and Run clubs that I have been attending have been focused on those running the #WEOWNTHENIGHT 10K (places still available here) they run many across London and the rest of the UK that are open to anyone, just check their facebook pages! Sadly that was the last of this series of 'Train to Run', but I highly recommend trying out another of the Nike Training Club classes!

A couple of weeks ago at Run Club, a few of us were asked if we minded being in some campaign photos, never one to miss out, I jumped at the chance. After running numerous times around a small bit of grass being told to 'remember our faces' and 'careful of your hair', (who knew it was so hard to be a running model!), here is my small claim to fame...

Check out the awesome Nike Elle Edit online or instore, I am seriously lusting after Nike Pro Printed Capris!