The Buggy Runners Flat Lay by Mel

You know those flat lays that you see on Instagram? The ones with the beautifully folded clothes, perfect accessories and must-have shoes? Well in a moment of madness, I thought I would recreate this dreamy vision with my favourite buggy running gear. It would look so pretty, a nice touch to mix up my feed and share ideas. Maybe I could do it on a seasonal basis?! It will all be laid out on a white background…maybe I could have a theme – oooo monochrome or a touch of neon!! *insert dreamy sigh* So how did my vision shape up? Turns out my flat lay is more WTF than cool AF, but hey, a good dose of reality on social media every once in a while never hurt anyone, so I’m rolling with it!

My essentials….

1. Trainers

Despite playing sport at one level or another for the majority of my life, when it comes to trainers I haven’t actually put a huge amount of thought into what I buy. For a long time it was the Asics Gel Kayano – my friend wore them and was a better athlete than me so I figured if I wanted to be like her then I should buy the same shoes. Needless to say, I didn’t suddenly start being able to run as fast as her, but my trainers looked great so, whatever.  When I decided to get back into running after having baby no 2, I was feeling pretty bad about myself, how unfit I was, fully aware of the uphill struggle ahead, my post baby hair loss and spotty skin, the saggy stomach…. (are you feeling really sorry for me yet?! Grab your violin!)  I did some research, had no idea what my ‘gait’ was and decided that as I was actually enjoying this running malarkey then I was going to invest properly (I know, so adult.). I found The Active Foot Company in Worcester, was seriously impressed with the knowledgeable staff and walked out with a pair of trainers that are as comfortable as my slippers! WIN!

2. Head gear

My hair is a constant source of annoyance; it’s too thin and is neither curly nor straight. Add the post baby hair loss in the mix and we are onto a real downer. I know I should be thankful that my hair is finally growing back, and I’ve progressed from the ‘undercut’ stage to the ‘wispy fringe’. But at least the undercut gave me an edge… My current lid is reminiscent of the ‘light fringe’ my mother made the hairdresser cut in when I was 13, oh the angst! I’ve tried a number of different hair bands in my time - different fabrics, different widths, tie up, fully elasticated...At one stage I was wearing even a plastic alice band from Boots, not my best look. Anyway, I saw the Sweaty Band on Wendy’s website with all of its magical promises and I thought I may as well try it out. Well, nothing even comes close to the Sweaty Band - it literally does not move from my head, hands down, the best hair band I have ever owned. Who knew I could be so passionate about a head band?! I’ve actually worn them out in ‘real life’ - not just to run, as they are so good at taming my hair, plus they come in cute designs too.

So, that’s me taken care of. I was going to write about sports bras as owning a good one is super important (or so I’m told), but as I have a similar chest size to that of a 14 year old boy, I’m probably not the one to go to for recommendations!!!

3. Ammunition

What makes my life easier when I’m running with the buggy? A happy toddler! I don’t have any ground-breaking recommendations for you here, just a few simple things that I pack to try and keep the boys from screaming when we are out.

Dummies are huge in our house! I usually take two as he has been known to throw them out of the buggy. Side note - when my husband and I are out together, we play a game of 5s and the loser has to lick any dirt off the discarded dummy before we give it back to AJ… You’re welcome.

Snacks – I tend to stop and feed him snacks or a fruit pouch as I don’t trust him not to throw everything on the floor yet. This usually buys me another 10 mins running!

iPhone – If I’m out with my three year old, he is happy watching CBeebies on my phone for at least 20 mins. Everyone wins here as I’m not left totally breathless trying to answer all of his really interesting questions.

So there you have it, my first and most probably last, buggy runner flat lay! 

Love Mel x

Running two marathons in a month, the training and its impact

At some point in the spring my new Maidenhead running buddies persuaded me to sign up for the New Forest Marathon.  (Please note the lack of ownership of this decision.) The idea was it would be different to any other, on trails (I love running near trees!) and fun to be at an event with friends.  Training for an autumn Marathon has the benefits of the longer days and the warmer UK weather. Waking up for a 6am Sunday long run isn't quite as bad when it's already light.  Having two girls under the age of 5 and two jobs meant that I rely on getting the long run done early on the weekend and buggy running in the week.

So my training plan began. I was loosely following a plan a friend had passed on, and knew I wanted to do a weekly speed session plus long run with some shorter ones peppered in between.   The only certainty was the long run mileage, the rest was all flexible! At the start of the week I would put a Post-It next to my computer with the weeks schedule. 

My friend Laura actually had a 'proper' training plan so we tended to meet up on a Monday night and do her designated speed session with anyone else who was about.  In the summer we used a grass track at the local school (this felt much kinder to my body than the local running track) and then the roads to do some fartlek work or 1 mile reps.  The Monday night timing worked for our families schedules but was less ideal when I had done a long run on the Sunday.

I continued to do a weekly Personal Training session (also shared with Laura) in order to work on my strength.  I was coming back from an injury to my foot which had meant I was unable to run for 4 months earlier this year.  A massive blow for someone who runs a business based on running!

My mid week runs were buggy runs, (double or single) including at parkrun.  Although buggy running is harder, it means I go slower which isn't always a bad thing when it comes to the mid week mileage.   I suspected one of the reasons why I picked up injuries was that I went out the door, ran as hard as I could and then came back in and was jumped on by kids.  I knew I needed to stretch more but just didn't force myself to prioritise it.

A few weeks into the plan as my foot pain was going completely, I developed a knee pain. Some physio from my lovely friend and Buggy Squad co-founder, Ros, helped this pass in a short number of weeks. But what lingered was a uncertainty about what my body could do without an injury popping up.

As the training continued my friends started talking about trying a flat marathon in order to get some PB's and good for age times for London. Bournemouth was selected due to its proximity to Maidenhead and an idea it was flat (more on this later)  For a while the other 3 girls doing New Forest said they were doing Bournemouth, but I wasn't certain I wanted to extend the training by another 4 weeks. After a bit of deliberating, with my husbands encouragement, I signed up in August.  

left to right (me, Laura, Hill's and Martha) at the start of New Forest Marathon  

During the training, we often talked about what we wanted to do, goals wise.  Many of our group want to try an Ultra next year, but what I realised was that I wanted to get faster and qualify for Boston marathon in the US.  It's the only marathon that has qualifying times and feels like a huge big scary goal that I'm not sure if I can achieve so hence why its probably a good goal!  This time last year I wasn't sure if I could go sub 4 hours and I was making good improvements on my half marathon and 5k times. 

My training was going okay (we cruised round New Forest as a group, walking for our injured friend and finishing in 4.45) but I was dissatisfied with my speed.  About 6 weeks out from Bournemouth I decided that if I were lighter I would be faster.  I had read a book called Older Faster Stronger by Margaret Webb and taken her advice to try Paleo.  I stuck to it with great dedication although I struggled to eat enough to not be hungry.  My allergy to eggs made many of the recipes (especially breakfast) quite hard.  I also had bad bloating which made me feel uncomfortable for long stretches.  I had already given up caffeine and alcohol, two of my great loves!  3 weeks into this plan when I hadn't lost any weight I ditched it!  Maybe I didn't give it long enough but at that point I just couldn't handle feeling so bad anymore. The stress levels were mounting at home and I felt like every waking minute was thinking about running, being better at running and not getting injured. 

We treated New Forest Marathon like a training run and continued to train at intensity in the weeks afterwards.  Then came a new injury.  Laura and I were doing a speed session at the local track one night (in the dark... we have dedication in spades but sometimes a lack of common sense!) and I felt a pull in my side above my hip, on one of the sprints.  I carried on (my second mistake.  The first being running in the dark) thinking it was nothing but the pain lingered.  Unfortunately the pain didn't subside but stayed for the remaining 2.5 weeks leading up until Bournemouth.  That's when the stress levels hit an all time high.  I felt SO bitterly disappointed that I hadn't lost any weight or didn't even know how to lose any weight.  I felt disappointed that I had trained so hard for months but was injured at the time of the key race.  Plus I also didn't know how injured I was.  I could still run, but had the constant fear that if I ran I might put myself out of running for 4 months like I had earlier in the year.  Ros helped me with some physio, a Compex machine and taping.  But the most interested thing she said to me was that my stress levels were not helping my injury.  Working all the hours that god sends, managing two young children and then worrying about my injury/weight and speed had pushed me to the emotional edge.  I was taking vitamins, nutri-bullets, cherry active, putting hot water bottles on my side, doing exercises and generally thinking about Bournemouth..... all the blinking time.  Not healthy. Not a fun pastime.

I wasn't training for the Olympics and ultimately no one actually gives two hoots what time I do apart from me. Everyone around me could see I was struggling but no one could do anything to help.  My mum just kept telling me to get some sleep!

Should I pull out or just go along for the experience.  My husband gave me strict instructions 'Do not be a dick and run too hard that you injury yourself for months like last time'.  He had a very good point.  This was the worst nightmare.  I couldn't imagine being able to pull out, it is so far from everything I stand for.  Don't give up is my motto and when I won the Common Room prize for Perseverance aged 9, that pretty much sums up my chartacter!  

I wasn't nervous approaching the weekend of the race.  I just felt disappointed that I wouldn't be able to do what i'd hoped and run a PB or even a Boston Qualifying time.  I would go in a start pen behind the one I have opted for and run the start with my friend Martha who was going for 3.50.  We started together and I felt good.  It was warmer than I had expected and the capri's were warm.  There was heaps of water on the course and If i'd had enough storage compartments for my fuel then I wouldn't have worn my hydration pack.  We knew it was a course with many loops but we hadn't anticipated the elevations! (map below).  They were as brutal if not more than New Forest! 

 As part of my doubts about my injury I was preparing to feel pain and slow (or stop) during the race.  Ros explained a very sensible pain scale of 0-10 and when I get near to 5 I had to slow, near to 8 then I had to withdraw. So as I was running I was constantly evaluating, did my side hurt? Was it hurting more? At around 12 miles I hadn't seen my family yet and it had got more painful so I said to Martha that I would let her go and slow down.  I actually didn't slow that much and seeing the family at 13 gave me a boost.

However soon after I had a real wobble. I was looking at all the faster runners going past on their loop thinking about how disappointing it was that I was injured and never going to be able to be fast enough for Boston.  Suddenly I started to choke up and was close to tears.  The side affect of this was my breathing started to get pretty restricted and as an Asthmatic that's never ideal!  But thankfully I had my inhaler on me and took some puffs as I ran along which opened my airways straight away. I was trying seriously hard not to cry and felt pretty awful about it all. I had brought along headphones in case I needed a distraction and now was the time.  I enjoy running to dance music when I'm on my own and the up tempo pace can often help lift my speed.  I also had to give myself a talking to, and rationalise that I had dragged myself (and my family) to Bournemouth for a jog, that this didn't matter to anyone at all and the that the last thing my girls needed to see was me crying when I passed then again in a mile or so.  Somehow by telling myself I was being ridiculous I managed to calm myself and my breathing down.  The music was also giving me a great surge of energy and helped me get my pace back from the 9.29 to the average 8.48 that was the aim.  

Strangely I then caught up with Martha on a hill and proceeded to feel strong and overtake others over the next 10 miles.  Unlike other experiences, when I was hanging on from 20 miles, I actually felt really good from about 17 until 24! The purpose of telling you this is that I could never have expected or predicted this. I have never had a huge surge or emotion or doubt in the middle of a race.  Looking back it was very strange and also interesting the mind tactics required to get me to calm down and speed up again. 

As I got into the last stretch of the seafront I knew I was doing okay time wise but that that a PB would be tight. As my mum would say, 'just do your best' and so I gave it everything.  I finished in at 3hr51 and it was lovely to see my family and friends in the last mile again.

So I missed a BQ time, I missed a London Marathon qualifying time and I missed a PB by 2 mins..... which is actually a bloody good result when I was paced to my PB by someone else and I came into this race injured and doubting my ability to complete it. 3 weeks on and I can confirm that I didn't break myself!  I've decided to have 3 months off training and racing so give my body some R&R.  Buggy running doesn't count though.... that's just part of life!  

As part of World Mental Health Awareness during October and our Buggy Squad association with Run Together's #runandtalk initiative I thought I'd share these experiences with you in the hope that if you faces similar stresses, you can gain the support you need.  Having big goals and doing sporting challenges can cause a great strain on all parts of your life.  Just try and keep it all in perspective... it's just a jog!

Thanks for reading my ramblings, 

Much love

Wendy x

Buggy Running helps Team GB athlete - here's how!

Here is an interview with one of the members of our Facebook community, Buggy Runners.  I was hugely inspired so wanted to get the lowdown from Lee.

​Q: So tell us the basics!

I'm Lee, aged 36, married to my amazing wife Kathryn and have a little girl Ella, aged 15 months. I'm an Air Traffic Controller and we live in Luton.

Q: When did you start running and what has your journey been to your latest Duathlon/Triathlon achievements?

My background is in cycling, mainly mountain biking which I started in around 1996. But have been pretty active throughout my life.I started running late 2013 spurred on by a successful ballot for the London Marathon and after the initial 'Oh what have I done!' I got stuck into the training and it kind of went from there.I enjoyed the easy accessibility of running, pop on trainers and kit and head out the door. I find it a great way to clear your head and take in your surroundings.As I ran more my times started to drop and I started to become competitive, finishing my first half marathon in 1 hour 27 and then the London marathon in 3 hours 45. London was tough and it broke me, never underestimate that distance and treat it with the respect it deserves ha ha.I continued to run and cycle separately for a period, along with my wife Kathryn who is a keen athlete herself, specialising in triathlon. We have always been active for the 10 years we have shared together, the highlight being our honeymoon when we rode to 1000 miles through Tibet and Nepal, including a trip to Everest Base Camp.Whilst kathryn was pregnant, I entered a local duathlon, run 10k bike 20k run 5k and finished 2nd. A friend suggested I might be able to represent Team GB in my age group, which I thought was a joke initially, but it seems he was correct as I was selected for the squad in 2016 to travel to Transylvania, Romania to compete in the Cross Duathlon European Champs.Our daughter, Ella was born in December 2015 and thanks to my hugely supportive wife, I was able to fit training around a busy work and family life, often training at 5am or late at night.Ella's first trip abroad, was in April 2016 at 5 months old and a great success all round, as she was as good as gold and I secured a bronze medal in my race.This year I have been selected again to represent Team GB at the European Champs and hope to live up to last years performance.

 Q: Tell us about your running buggy! Where did you buy it? How did you choose it and how often do you run with it?

With time being a premium I wanted to be able to run with Ella, both for training and social running and helping her explore her surroundings. Kathryn and I regularly run at Parkrun events so looked initially a specific running buggy, but as keen cyclists we also had thought about a trailer. This is where the Thule CX1 came in as it covers both of these disciplines perfectly. Its strong, rugged design is perfect to take the knocksand abuse the outdoors has to throw at it, along with the waterproof cover and uv screen to protect it's precious cargo from the elements. The switch between cycling and running is as simple as a couple of button presses. Ella absolutely loves her Thule buggy and her face lights up when she sees it. Our good friends, Sam and Luke recommended the Thule CX model as they have twin version and are regulars at the Northern Parkrun events.
Initially I was very cautious when running with Ella, but once I realised how supportive and cushioned the ride is, I could open up my legs and let it fly. It's pretty light and requires only one hand to push and turn, I tend to use two hands pushing uphill and I don't find that it adversely affects my running posture. Ella and I recently finished first at our local Luton Parkrun in 19:16 so it's no slouch.

Q: Why do you enjoy buggy running and what would you say to encourage others?

I'd recommend to all Mum's and Dad's to look into buggy running, it's a great way to keep fit and explore the great outdoors. With the boom of Parkrun, everyone has an accessible social group of runners, joggers and walkers on their door step. It's a great example to set to our children, the next generation, that a healthy active lifestyle is fun and whilst running may initially be challenging the rewards are great.The longest Ella and I have run is 90 minutes so far, tempted to do a half marathon with her. This is a great bonding opportunity, but also a great opportunity to give Mum a break as well. I get odd looks as I run down the road singing baa baa black sheep or various other rhymes.
Unfortunately in the modern world there are too many false idols, celebrities and icons that I personally do not feel are the best role models for our children. One of the reasons I compete and push myself is to be a positive role model for my daughter and to hopefully inspire and motivate other friends or parents to push their boundaries, get uncomfortable and sweaty once in awhile and show our kids what a true super hero looks like 😂 I'll get down off my soapbox now ha ha!!! Hopefully Ella will grow up seeing Kathryn and I enjoying an active lifestyle and follow suit.

Q: Any tips for increasing the pace with the buggy? And how you you politely navigate people during runs?

With regards to running faster, I would start on a flat smooth path or tarmac area and build up speed gradually. Maybe run 100m intervals, with rests in between to get the feeling of the pace you can run at. You'll be surprised how close to normal pace you can run even with the buggy. As a guide at Luton Parkrun, my solo pb is 18:05 but Ella's buggy pb is 19:16 so not a huge difference. I'd imagine for most maybe a 2 minute difference would be expected.

 Q: Any top tips for new buggy runners starting out?

Try to maintain good posture, I always try to imagine a piece of string attached to the top of my head pulling me up, to avoid the dreaded slumped hunchback bum out running style. Hills are good as a form of resistance training, down hills exercise caution as a trip could prove costly. Remember though why you are buggy running, it's to share the adventure, for fun and fitness and whilst my pace may seem fast, I always put Ella first and wouldn't risk her safety.
At Parkrun with such a mixed ability field, you will inevitably be passing runners, which always raises a laugh or a comment about batteries or engines. I always shout in advance buggy on your left/right to alert the runners which side I intend to pass on, this is a common thing in cycling and has served me well with the buggy, followed by a cheery thankyou. I have never yet received any kind of negativity from any other runners, but that is probably testiment to the cheerful lot that we are.

Front Brake adjustments

Short video to show you how to adjust the front brake on the Thule Glide.  Useful if it's rubbing.