For those of you who have been following along with the amazing journey of Gillian and the New York Marathon please read on to hear how it all ended up…

Gillian’s Story

It’s taken me a while to tap out my final instalment…

I’ve been travelling with my family for the six weeks since the marathon, and I’m currently writing this from the balcony of our casa in Old Town Havana, Cuba. Jude & Jonah are napping, and Gavin & Adia are chilling out on the couch, after a morning of exploring the plazas, parques and cobblestone laneways of this extraordinary city. 

I digress … the marathon …

So, I did it!  Not as fast or as comfortably as I set out to finish, but I finished the New York City Marathon, nonetheless. 

For the record, I completed it in 5h7m.  My initial goal was to cross the line in under 4h30, but my pesky knee injury slowed me down considerably. 

If you’ve been following my journey, you’ll know I battled ITB friction syndrome during my training, and was then hampered in my final weeks by a yet more challenging and painful friction-related injury to my right knee.  A combination of physio, podiatry – and no less than six cortisone injections – finally had me on my way to NYC.

I started the day out really hopeful, and so excited. Both the bus ride and time in the starting village were an experience in themselves, and Sue (friend and run buddy) and I soaked it all up! 

My run wave crossed the start line at 10.40am to the tune of Sinatra’s New York, New York. 

I was on my way! 

I managed to run the first 14km at a really good pace, and relatively pain free.  I was elated.  Then, a bolt of pain followed by familiar knee weakness, just before I’d finished my 15th kilometre, brought me right back to reality. 

I was pretty determined to give it all I had, so I managed to perfect a weird hobble-run style, and took most of the impact on my left leg for the next 5 or so km.  My pain dissipated enough to allow me to pick up pace and really enjoy kilometres 20-28.  

But then, the pain returned and became too much, forcing me to have to walk 28-30km – all the while thinking I’d need to walk the remaining quarter of the race.  Mercifully, the pain again abated and I was able to run the remainder of the race (albeit at a slow pace) through the Bronx and into Manhattan, crossing the finish line in Central Park just after 3.45pm. 

42.2km is a really long way, and although I certainly cannot say I did it easily, I definitely dug deep and gave it all I had, earning my finisher’s medal.

The marathon itself was so amazing;  sooooo much fun.  It was essentially a running tour of the five boroughs of New York: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. 

Around 36 of the 42 kilometre (26 mile) course was lined shoulder-to-shoulder, and many heads deep, with New Yorkers clapping and cheering on complete strangers from more than 50 countries.  And, the rain that fell that day did nothing to dampen the atmosphere of the event. 

New Yorkers love the marathon tradition, and they do it in style; signs, banners, balloons, sky-writers, choirs, bands, street parties, marching bands!  My running top bore my name, and everyone yelling out to me lifted me when I really needed it. 

Everything I’d read and heard about the event was positively true. It all surpassed my expectations, and cemented in my mind exactly why the NYC Marathon is so legendary.

I spent the afternoon nursing both my medal and my injury … with a massive smile on my face.  A dear friend who lives on Central Park West (who fed and watered us after the race), published an article that evening, which you can read here: http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/guest-diary/2017/a-new-york-city-marathoners-diary

#roadtonyc2017 may be over for me, but boy was the journey worth it! 

I’ve checked it off my bucket list, and can now relax in the knowledge that there are only fun runs in my future!  Haha!  Thanks for reading, and for your support and encouragement this year. 

Very happy to impart my experience to anyone considering the NYC Marathon themselves …. It’s a huge commitment, but you certainly won’t regret it!

Gillian

 

Cutting carbs is not the answer to permanent weight loss, read on to find out why…

I was inspired to write this article after a mum came to me yesterday and told me that she was cutting carbs from her diet to lose some weight fast. Arghhhhh!!!

My first reaction was to tell her she was crazy but then I thought about it some more. This isn’t the first time a mum has come to me saying this, so rather than just say don’t do that I wanted to explain why carbs are absolutely necessary to the functioning of a healthy body.

As a trainer, I’m lucky that I am educated as to how the body works. How it uses fuel and what kind of foods will give you the best chance to have the most energy BUT in saying that  I can completely understand why my client is coming to me saying she wanted to cut carbs…

I can understand because you just have to read any popular diet book or article in a magazine and they will give you the impression that carbohydrates are the devil. These articles often say that rice, bread, sweet potatos and other foods that are high in carbs will trigger your body to store the food as excess fat which is actually NOT what will happen.

Over the past 20 years carbs have got a bad wrap, i’m going to put it out there and say this has come down to something as simple as marketing…

I want to help you understand once and for all why carbs are awesome.

Here’s the thing…

• Carbs are not the enemy, you just have to choose the right ones (which we will discuss later)
• Carbs are the body’s main source of energy – i’ll say this one again… Carbs are the body’s main source of energy!
• If you don’t eat enough carbs, your body will begin to use stored fat for energy and then will eventually use protein for energy which will stop fat and protein from being used for other important bodily functions.
  

Are some carbs better than others?

The answer is hell yes! Here is how I can best explain it to you.

There are 2 types of carbs: complex and simple.

Complex Carbs = Good Carbs (think sweet potato, brown rice etc…)

Simple Carbs = Bad Carbs (think lollies, white sugar and cakes etc…)

The good carb: Complex Carbohydrates

Most complex carbs are low in kilojoules, low in fat and high in fibre. The sugar in complex carbs is released relatively slowly into your bloodstream so that your blood-sugar level and energy remain fairly consistent and will also help you to feel full for longer –  hooray!

Since complex carbs are high in fibre, they help with digestion of food and assist in umm, keeping you regular (if you know what I mean).  

Don’t be fooled, without energy from good carbs your metabolism will suffer. A lot of people that I talk to assume that because a “low-carb” diet will lead to weight loss that it must also be increasing their metabolism BUT this is actually is the opposite of what is true.

While you might lose some initial weight without carbs, your metabolism will suffer and slow down the longer you deprive it of it’s main fuel source.

It’s so easy, eating whole food sources of carbs is the best way to manage your energy, weight and keep your metabolism working at a healthy rate.

 

The bad carb: Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbs are not great as they are found in table sugar and processed foods like cakes but they can also be found in naturally occurring foods like fruit.

Simple carbs, whether they’re found in an apple or a biscuit are absorbed quickly, causing the amount of sugar in your bloodstream to sky rocket and then drop very soon after, often leaving you feel sleepy and hungry (not a good combination, especially for a sleep deprived mum).

The thing with simple carbs is that there is a difference between naturally occurring simple sugars found in fruit and the refined simple sugars that are found in things like sweets. When you eat fruit, the sugar comes packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre which is actually a good thing so naturally occuring simple carbs do have a little bit of an exception.

 

Why have carbs become the devil over time?

As I said earlier I think it comes down to marketing and achieving a quick fix. While it’s true that you could possibly lose a bit of weight quickly by cutting out carbs, you will feel like crap and ultimately you body will crave them. if you deprive yourself of anything you will generally crave it more which means that you will power might let your down and you will  probably then eat the wrong kind of fuel to give your body a different kind of quick fix.

Like anything in life, if we consume too much it’s going to be stored as fat in your body but if you chose the right kind then you should be able to find your carbo-happy-place 🙂

 

Why do we need carbs for energy?

As I said before carbs are your body’s main source of energy. If your body doesn’t get enough carbs to use as fuel it will look to other energy sources such as protein and fat.

Protein is super important for the growth and repair of our body so using it for energy is an efficient use of fuel.

Why do I love good carbs

1: I knew they are helping my body to function effectively and

2: They taste delicious!

How good is roasted sweet potato with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Sooooo simple but also so yummy paired with pretty much everything.

The answer is simple, don’t cut out food groups (unless you have to for medical reasons) and the best way to make sure you have long term health is to maintain a healthy balanced diet that includes complex (or good) carbs.

 

If you are unsure, here is a list of good and bad carbs for you to refer to. Happy, healthy carbo eating my friends.

Good and Bad Carbs – The List

And if you would like some further information about carbs check out this great article from our friends at Positive Health Wellness:

Positive Health Wellness Carb Review

Happy, healthy carbo eating my friends.

Love Karen