300TH DAY OF MY #RUNSTREAK

Day 300!! 65 days to go until I've run at least a mile everyday for a whole year! @NikeRunning 2.2mi run pace of... http://t.co/Vr4dGTN9ko
— Abi Williams (@afloralcrown) February 10, 2015

Today marks 300 days of running in a row! Wahoooo!

Now I know that there are people all over the globe who run everyday and 300 is definitely just a drop in the ocean compared to that. But I have to say I'm extremely happy with myself for carrying on with runstreak. Today I'll be celebrating 300 days of running in a row and looking forward to the next 65 that'll mark the point of me running a whole year!

So what's happened in the last 100 days since my last update post on the 2nd November? Well I've run over 170 miles, which recently included the Winter 10k in London. I'm currently in training for my first triathlon. As well as doing a fair amount of running, I've also added swimming and cycling into the mix. Alongside triathlon training I've also been looking at getting my run distance up again ready for my first half marathon of the year in April. The event marks the anniversary of my first half marathon and I'm excited to be running the same route. I'm definitely going to be aiming for P.B on the course. I say first half marathon of the year as my second one has been confirmed! I decided to enter the Royal Parks Half Marathon ballot after confirming I would be in London for the whole of the month and therefore able to run it if I was lucky enough to get a place. I had heard it was a tough one to get into for but I'm so happy to say that I was lucky enough to win a place in the ballot and will be running through those glorious Royal Parks this Autumn!

Have you ever wanted to take up a runstreak or are you currently running one? I'd love to hear if you are! I post every run on my Twitter so make sure to follow me on there if you want to keep up to date.

Check out my previous recaps for 100 Days and 200 Days.

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WINTER RUN 10K RECAP

My first race around the streets of London, the first completely flat run in a while, a first race with friends and the first of many events for 2015. 

This was the Cancer Research Winter Run 10k and I rather enjoyed it. 

The Winter 10k for me was a number of things; a chance to run with friends, run round the streets of London and also to just run. I booked this race way back now as I wanted to race around the time of my 21st birthday and it just so happened that this race fell the day before, and I also knew quite a few people running. It was Leah's last race in London, before the marathon in April, and I thought it'd be a lovely chance to meet up with friends, meet new people and to finally meet Leah in person.

Going into this race I was and wasn't looking for a PB. I knew I could achieve one, as I felt fitter than last May when I raced We Own The Night, but my main aim was to have fun and enjoy running in a city I love. I managed a PB by just over 10 minutes and I was over the moon at the time I achieved. Although I run a lot, I haven't actually ran that many races so seeing seeing my times improve is very motivating for me.

In terms of the event itself. I thought that it was very well organised. From the moment I exited the station there were people directing you to the event. There were lots of volunteers about making finding the start line or the bag drop very easy. Of the majority of people I spoke to I think I was one of the only ones to actually use the bag drop and I was very impressed by how smoothly it all went. I simply chose one of the many lanes, each one had at least 5/6 people manning the desks, handed over my bag (you had to use the one supplied in the race pack) where it was given a number and I was given a matching wristband. Once that was done I walked through the tent and out the other side. Each lane allowed two people to drop of bags at a time and the one way system kept it flowing incredibly well. The only issue I think people may have found with this is that you could only use the bag supplied in your pack, at the drop. At first I was worried it wasn't going to be big enough but I found I could easily fit a change of clothes, hoody, my coat and scarf all inside.

I was meant to be in start wave 3 but actually ended up in the second wave, and very nearly in the first! There was no checking of bibs, that I experienced, so if you wanted to I think you could have probably arrived a bit earlier and made your way to the start line to start in an earlier wave. After a warm up lead by Fitness first, repeated for each wave, it was time to go! The start line was sat right opposite the London Eye, a pretty iconic feature of the London skyline! The route made it's way up past Somerset House heading towards the Tower Of London. Heading back to the finish, the path wound it's way around various streets leading past St Pauls Cathedral. The first kilometer flew by with the second marking the Swiss themed tunnel. Running out the other end the distances moved quickly and it wasn't long before I found myself at 8k and knowing there wasn't much left. With 1k to go I quickened my pace a bit and suddenly the distance seemed to disappear. As I was running the last 800m or so I actually run past Charlie, Zoe, Leah, Ashley and a couple of others who were just starting their run as they had decided on a later wave. I turned a corner and there was the finish line just in front of me! I crossed the line and looked down and stopped my watch. A new PB and a very happy face. After picking up my medal, I stretched out, was spotted by Charlie and introduced to Harry for the first time. After also meeting Steph they started on their way to Bill's whilst I headed back to the bag drop to pick up my things and change into something a bit warmer. In terms of the race itself I did really enjoy it. I thought it was going to be a bit more scenic and maybe a teensy bit more snow in the zones, but I was just so happy to be running through the streets of London! 

Everyone met at Bill's after for Leah's brunch and it's where I got to meet a lot of new people who've I've only really spoken to before on Twitter. It was so lovely to get a chance to meet everyone and have lots of chats with some incredibly lovely people!

The value for money? I booked my place in a group of five which meant there was a slight discount when you all booked together. The price was around the same that I paid for entry to the half marathons I've run at around £30/£35. At first I thought that the price seemed slightly high for a 10k event but as Leah said, the majority of that cost probably would have been for closing off the streets (something which I didn't initially think about). I'm really happy that I did this race and it's definitely helped to keep boosting my love for running. The medal has now proudly joined my two half marathon medals (Eden Project and Plymouth) as well as my band, and necklace, from We Own The Night.

I enjoyed this race and it was a great event to kick off my events of 2015 and also running for a great cause. A big thank you to all those involved in making the race possible and every single volunteer that spent their Sunday making sure the event ran smoothly.

Did you run the Winter 10k this year and if so what were your thoughts? And is this a race you'd be interested in entering in the future? Let me know @afloralcrown.

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COCOA, CASHEW AND DATE SNACK BALLS

Remember the Cocoa, cashew and date snack bars I posted back in December? Well that recipe is back today but in a new form! Meet the ever so popular snack ball. Snack balls seem to be everywhere at the moment. From brands like Bounce Ball to homemade creations, they seem to be a pretty popular workout snack or something to battle those sweet cravings. Mine are incredibly simply and use the same recipe as my bars (so check out that post if you want to know how to make these). Instead of squishing the mixture down into a pan, roll it up and create this tasty little morsels.

The great thing about these is that you can make them using pretty much anything and all you have to do is blend the ingredients together. Cashews, dates and cocoa. Done. Or maybe you're a nut butter fan? Try peanut butter, almonds and a little bit of vanilla extract. Whizz it up and there you go. Or keep it simple with just almonds and dates.

The outside can be just as personalised as the goodness inside. Coat with oats, seeds, a ganache or coconut to add a little something extra to these tasty treats. These are incredibly simple to make and will definitely hit the spot when you're feeling peckish for an afternoon snack.

What combinations would you use or have you made these before? I'd love to know your suggestions so tweet me @afloralcrown and let me know your recommendations! 

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TOMTOM MULTISPORT WATCH - SWIM FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Last week I posted a first impressions review of my debut experience with the TomTom Multi-Sport watch. I talked about my experience of the initial set up and also how my first run with the device went. Yesterday morning I took it for it's first proper trial swim and thought I'd let you know my thoughts.

One of the main reasons I decided on a multi-sport watch was for a swim feature. During longer training sessions I find it sometimes quite difficult to keep track of my lengths midway through, as I begin to focus more on my breathing. It's handy being able to have something I can use to track my swim, whilst I focus on the swimming itself. On the feature you can have goals, set intervals and set laps. These are features I haven't yet tried out but will be looking at in the future.

I suppose the main question here is - is this accurate? As I've only tried it once so far I don't think it would be far to say it's completely inaccurate. I'm going to be doing a larger review in a couple of weeks time - so I'll update you more on it then. But for now it's something I can deal with. I counted my swims on this first go and the results were only a one length difference. I performed 70 and the watch picked up 69. I can deal with a one length difference, but mainly because I knew the actual number of lengths. If I was just using this without counting myself then I may worry slightly more about it's accuracy. As I can get a rough answer, that I know is fairly accurate, it's very handy at this moment to have something which works out my pace. I've been wanting to work on my pace for a while so having something that can work this out means I'm able to see improvements through training. If this inaccuracy continues, I can imagine it becoming increasingly frustrating if there are mistakes being make with the recording of my swims.

One thing I wish you could do is edit the training session post swim. It would super handy to be able to change the amount of lengths afterwards. This may help with the accuracy of recording whilst in the pool but also with the result of pace. As the recording is fairy similar to the actual effort there wouldn't be too much difference with changing this. It means that it will also be easier to keep track of training swims and an accurate account of mileage covered in the pool.

So there are my thoughts on it for now. Overall, it's a good start. Like I said, as I've only used it the once I don't want to give a definitive answer just yet. Accuracy could definitely be improved but I'm going to wait and see over the next couple of weeks if there are a whole lot of major differences between what the watch says and the swim session itself. 

If you've tried this out on the swim feature then please do let me know! Tweet me @afloralcrown.

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