Corinne Ellison

Last week, I was diagnosed with shin splints – 4 weeks before my London marathon! The week previously I had run exactly as planned, 5 times, mixture of intervals, different paces and ending in a 19.5 slow run. Two days later I attempted a club hill session which resulted in a strange pain in my lower legs. I thought I had been working too hard and maybe pulled a calf muscle.

A trip to the physio the next day brought the news. Shin splints! How can this be? I’d had new trainers around 3 weeks before, had sports massages, always stretched, gradually increased mileage. I was in shock and felt quite emotional. Since my diagnosis of with a hole in the heart last January, I had this fixation with running the London marathon once more. I was forced to defer my place from 2010 and throughout my recovery from heart surgery, my driving force was VLM!

I began running in September last year, 8 weeks after surgery. Very slowly I increased both distance and speed. By January, I was able to stick to a sub 4 hour training plan and ran 5 times a week. My speed was at a level I could never have dreamt of before my surgery. As the weeks ticked on, I felt stronger and more confident of achieving an all time best performance.

My injury occured 12 weeks into my schedule. With 4 weeks to go, decisions had to be made. If I am to get though the marathon and really go for it, I have to cut back the running and allow my shins to heal. There is no way in the world I would miss the 17th April – I have put so much time and energy into achieving this goal.

In the last week and a half, I have thrown myself into cross training and have loved it! Had some amazing bike rides, feeling strong and enjoyed being back in the pool. Now, when I am able run  I appreciate it even more.

My plan for the next 3 weeks is:

Run on alternate days (3 times a week), some short and faster, some longer and slower. No more long runs or hills

Cycle twice a week, including a long ride at the weekend.

Swim twice a week.

Gym for strength work once a week.

This should keep up my fitness and keep the legs ticking over until the big day! Wish me luck!

If anyone would like to sponsor me for the marathon, please check out my Justgiving page at: www.justgiving.com/corinneellison4GUCH

Since my last post after the Brighton half marathon, my world has been a whirlwind of excitement! Running, coaching, business, travelling the country and seeing family. I set myself a target last month of spending an hour a day on self development. What a revelation that has been! In the midst of work related tasks (which for me includes my business role, coaching clients, and running  (a must do before the marathon), I aimed to spend 60 minutes a day reading, writing, listening or studying. In this time, I have covered and revisited 2 amazing books – Stephen Covey’s ’7 habits of highly effective people’ and Brian Tracy ‘Eat that frog’.

What I have learnt in the last 3 weeks:

The importance of listening to others. Through my coaching, I am developing listening skills, picking up on verbal and non verbal language. Covey suggests you must ‘seek first to understand and then be understood’. Last week, I spend a week with my family which meant staying in 3 different parts of the UK, 2 family meals and lots of travelling! I used this time to really listen to each family members conversations and let them open up. An enjoyable experience!

I have also learnt (or remembered) the difficulty and subsequent rewards of marathon training. For the last 3 weeks, I have been running 5 times a week and have increased my long runs (15, 17 and 19.5 miles). This week is my biggest mileage week. Through determination to achieve my target time, I have continued to progress and noticed a real improvement in my running. As I feel this will be my final marathon (apart from the one at the end of Ironman!), I wanted to take stock of what I have learnt training for 4 marathons.

• Pushing boundaries. With each hill, sprint or group interval session, I felt stronger and more in control. The speeds I can now achieve were completely unthinkable several months ago.
• Discipline. Training in the UK, over winter is not an easy task. Fitting in 5 runs a week around a 70-80 hour working week is also challenging but I have enjoyed the experience. Early morning runs, late night runs, snow, wind and rain all make for a disciplined athlete.
• Commitment. Similar to the above but more specifically about sticking to the task. When the going gets tough, injuries or extreme tiredness occurs, commitment is required to keep you going.
• Accepting and seeing through a challenge. Commitment is the first step, the second step is action. Seeing through your actions is vital to ensure you succeed.

With my coaching clients and myself on past blog posts, I have set monthly targets. My favourite one was aiming for 6 miles in 60 minutes – a specific and quantifiable aim which was satisifying to achieve!

My summer triathlon races are looming, with the first event being on 1st May. For that reason, between now and the London marathon (17th April), I aim to:

1. Swim once a week (quality session) and get back to the tri club sessions by the beginning of April
2. Cycle twice a week (one on turbo and another longer ride) building up to 25 miles by 17th April.
3. Gym once a week to work on core, legs and strengthen the glutes!

This is all achievable if I continue to push the boundaries, commit, dedicate and ‘eat that frog’ first thing every morning (read the book and you’ll see what I’m talking about!).

So, after much training, heartache and frustration, the day finally arrived for me to race again. The Brighton half marathon was my first ever race when I was very new to running back in 2007. It seemed a fitting race to aim for this year, given that I had to cancel my place last year.

I felt my training had really come on in the last few weeks when I had commited to regular runs, upped my long run mileage and had been back to my triathlon club runs once a week. If I wasn’t ready for the half marathon now, I never would be. On a recent study day, I was coached by a fellow coach who is also a runner / triathlete. He made me think about my nerves about racing, address my limiting beliefs about achieving my target goal and put together a strategy for the big day. This involved visualising the finish line, taking my iPod with me, running with a friend to pace me, amongst other things.

The day before the race, I spent the day in Brighton with friends, trying very hard not to get nervous. Butterflies were flying everywhere in my stomach and I just couldn’t relax. After an lovely pasta meal, we headed back to our hotel for an early night. I struggled to get to sleep and when I did, I dreamt I died and was floating round as a ghost! Disturbing!

All went to plan in the morning, with a good breakfast and arrival at the start line in time. My focus was on maintaining a steady pace – 9 minute miles for the entire course. I was determined to say the least.

Once the gun went off, I held back slightly, not being tempted to lurch forward with the crowd of eager runners. Running with my friends, we soon found our pace and I felt surprisingly comfortable at 8:50 min/miles. Around the course, I had several moments where I battled with tiredness but I soon shook these off when friends waved at me in the crowd. Knowing the course and area helped me and I reminsced about running in Brighton whilst training for my first London marathon. I felt overwhelmed at how much things have changed in the last 4 years.

At 12.5 miles, fatigue really kicked in. The first doubts about not finishing strongly came over me. My friend pep talked me to the max and I somehow continued my pace…all the way to a 1:57:04 finish. I couldn’t have been more pleased! It was the most incredible feeling to have achieved my goal, having never experienced this before. Whilst I had completed a marathon and felt ok, I had never achieved a time I was proud of. Until now!

A day later, I am still glowing and get little bursts of happiness when I think of what I’ve done. 8 months after heart surgery, I am feeling stronger than ever. I just can’t wait for the London marathon and an exciting summer of triathlons. I am now the proud owner of my ellasport outfit and can’t wait to try them out – photos coming soon!

Bring it on!!!

Brighton half marathon

Brighton half marathon

Brighton half marathon

After my exciting news last week, I thought I’d share a little about my sponsors – ellasport and founder Pamela Oelerich. Pamela explains her mission behind the women’s athletic brand is ‘to provide every woman with athletic apparel that is designed to complement her body and make her feel good about herself’.

From writing this blog and my recent life experiences, I found many similarites between ellasport and my mission in life. Pamela says “I want to empower women to find their inner confidence and motivated self – the one that knows no limits – so they can reach their health and fitness goals.” This is something I am focusing on myself and want to share my experiences with other women, regardless of their current fitness levels.

A little about ellasport by Pamela:

“Though ellasport was officially founded in 2006, development began when I kicked my first soccer ball at age 6 and complained to my mom, “my shorts fit funny”. Frustration with the fit of my athletic apparel started early in life and was an issue as I grew up and shopped for apparel in different sports. I thought there was something wrong with my body because the apparel didn’t fit me properly. The whole experience made me feel terrible about myself! However, I noticed that when I wore the one tank and Capri pants that fit me well and that I feel good in, I always had an amazing workout no matter what I was doing! I thought to myself, if only all my workout clothes made me feel this good about myself, I would workout so much more! On that day, ellasport was born and my mission made clear.”

I can’t wait to get my new ellasport outfit – pictures coming soon! As a woman, it is important to both feel and look good when exercising. Take a look at the ellasport website and read about the collection. The Power Capris even have compression, meaning your bum will look great! With my first race – the Brighton half marathon – in less than 2 weeks, I’m looking forward to running my first race as an ellasport athlete

So, my exciting news is:

Ellasport are very kindly sponsoring me for all my running and triathlon races! Ellasport are an exciting US brand of women’s technical apparel which both look and fit great! Can’t wait for my lovely new running outfit to arrive and try it out on the seafront.

You know the feeling that everything is fitting into place? I have that now. Today I ran 11 miles in 1:46, not super fast but the best I have ever run! I am so pleased that my newly fixed heart is allowing me to run sub 10 minute miles and feel so good at the same time. I can’t believe I had been running for 4 years previously, not understanding why I had never improved. I have a lot of gratitude for all the things that are going right in my life, but also am a firm believer in positive thinking. Determination to succeed cannot be undermined.

2011 is so far proving to be the successful year I had hoped for. Not only hoped for but have been working very hard at! After an extremely busy December, I found it difficult to prioritise what I would like to achieve in 2011. After much discussion and consideration, things are becoming clearer!

The 4 main areas in my life that I am aiming to improve are:

• Sporting goals – running, triathlon and general fitness
• Personal career goals – launching success coaching website and training
• Business goals – Continuing to build the empire!
• Ongoing life goals – Material possessions, experiences, travel etc

In each of these areas I  have made headway this month. With my running, I am now on track with my marathon training and achieving the distance and times I hoped for.  The majority of my triathlon races are booked in and I can’t wait for the summer. Business is going well, but is absorbing a LARGE proportion of my time. Improvement of my time management is much needed. Of all the areas, my life goals are suffering the most. I can’t remember when I last had a day off!

Exciting news, exciting times!

Supposedly 3 weeks into marathon training, today was my first ‘long run’ of the year. After a slow but successful 7 mile run last Sunday with no gliches, I felt up to the challenge of a 9 miler today. After working until 4am last night, I expected to wake up groggy and not all motivated. But, ping! my eyes were open at 11am and I was raring to get out. Having run round Bournemouth and Poole a LOT in the past, I didn’t bother to plan a specific route but took  my Garmin. I also made the effort to strap up the heart rate monitor, despite having problems with it rubbing on my scar in the past.

I set off at a steady pace, with the aim of maintaining 10:00 – 10:30 min/miles. As a glanced down at the Garmin, I kept slipping back to 9:30! Pre heart op, this just did not happen. I am almost in disbelief. As I ran down the beach at Bournemouth, I was feeling great. I had my iPod on after several runs without music. My mood took a turn for the worse as I turned onto the seafront and faced a hideous headwind, blowing sand and rain everywhere! It was one of those stretches of a long run that tests you to the limits. For the next 4 miles, I looked down, dug deep and fought the elements whilst trying desperately to maintain my pace. Finally, at the end of the beach, I headed through Poole and back home. Again, the endorphins kicked in and I felt on top of the world. I finished in 91:00, an average of 10:07. So pleased.

With many more weeks of marathon training ahead of me, I am determined to keep my commitment and focus directed towards the sub 4 goal. Some might say this is ambitious after having a long stretch off after my operation but I believe if I am careful and sensible, I will reach my goal. As I have been reading about recently, it is mental strength that often leads you through difficult times. In an endurance race, whether triathlon, marathon or anything else, your passion for succeeding will carry you to the finish line. My tactic of focusing on how fortunate I am to be out running when others can’t, is the ultimate kick up the bum when you physically start to tire. Try it! Sometimes, guilt is good!

I celebrated my small success with a delicious cinnamon and raisin bagel plus a banana milkshake. Next week I have a photo shoot for a piece about me running the Brighton half marathon – my first race since my heart surgery. I am also getting some shots of my scar as I feel it is important to share my experience with others (male and female) who might be going through something similar. Pictures coming soon!

Happy Sunday

So then new year has finally arrived – for me, 2011 signals the continuation on a journey to the ultimate physical and mental challenge of an Ironman. Reminiscing about 2010 today has made me realise the strength I gained from a trying year inspite of the obstacle of being diagnosed with a heart condition. The experience has made me even more grateful for the ability to exercise and the excitement of entering races to push my physical boundaries.

I started 2010 bursting with enthusiasm for exercise and had entered many races; running and triathlon. I was enjoying being part of the local triathlon club, had huge plans for new business and generally felt great…apart from a few nagging symptoms. I had been to see my doctor on new year’s eve as something told me that was a serious condition underlying. Lucky that I did as 2 weeks later, I was diagnosed with a hole in the heart. On new year’s day 2011, I sat discussing that year that has passed and tried to pinpoint the positive parts that stood out. I identified moving house, employing a first member of staff, enjoying having family over in the summer, signing up to a coaching course. I was a little sad to not have achieved the sporting and business aims I had set out in January 2010.

Aims from last year are now being carried over to 2011, with an added few, including a half Ironman in September. My journey to Ironman is not only following heart surgery but  also as a novice triathlete. I had just a year of training in the 3 disciplines before doctors told me to stop all exercise. This was a frustrating time, leaving me feeling helpless. My focus on the future kept me going, as it does now. When I lack the motivation to run, bike or swim, I imagine myself back in the hospital speaking to the consultant who told me my heart was failing. The previous day I had run 16 miles!

Speaking of heart failure, my grandfather has recently been diagnosed with this condition after a history of angina, heart attacks and coronary artery bypasses. We share stories of scans and consultant visits , laughing about the similarities. Coronary heart disease is all around and this makes me passionate about spreading the message about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The cardiac history in my family has always been a concern to me, and maybe was one of the reasons I started running regularly. When studying to be a nurse, I chose to write  my dissertation on cardiac rehabilitation and found it amusing that I ended up attending these classes myself, age 27!

Now that 2011 is here, the long term goal of an Ironman in 2012 feels that much closer. I just can’t wait!!

Happy New Year!

Today is my 6 month anniversary since my heart surgery. Amongst the Christmas preparations, I have taken time to consider what has happened in the last year and what I would like to achieve in the next few months.

The challenges of 2011, starting with the London marathon and ending with a half Ironman distance race in September (Vitruvian) give me targets to aim for and the motivation to get out and exercise on ‘off’ days.  Heart surgery has taken away a little of my faith in my body as I am afraid to push boundaries to the extent I was before. However, I have so much more determination than I did pre-surgery as I feel I have something to prove to myself – that I can achieve the times and distances I believe I can do. The realisation of what I have physically overcome this year plays on my mind.

Striking a balance between commitment to work, financial income and business development as opposed to fitness training will be a challenge, but one I welcome. I am a firm believer in the fact that more you do, the more you are capable of. This month has been the busiest ever with events so my December fitness goals fell behind. I am not beating myself up as I have continued to exercise whenever I could. January brings a time to organise and orchestrate the rest of the year and reflect on what I am grateful for. I have a list on my desk which I look at regularly, and this helps me focus.

A few words about my scar, 6 months on. Over the cold winter months, it hasn’t been an issue in terms of people starring. A few times, I have felt a twinge of envy seeing a woman with cleavage out! The support I have had online has been incredible, as well as my friends and family. My scar is my story and of both of these, I am very proud.

Merry Christmas everyone and an extremely healthy, active and prosperous 2011!

Two and a bit weeks since my last post, my excuse? Life, work, stress… all reasons that prevent us from taking action towards important goals. I guess I have felt overwhelmed with urgent tasks involved with my business which resulted in November being largely unsuccessful. Yes I have earnt money, run a few times, been to the gym, seen a friend, written an article…. Ok, maybe unsuccessful is an unfair assessment. Urgent tasks persuade us away from the difficult jobs, such as finding time to write blogs, speak to that person or work towards a short term goal.

My lack of a November goal has had a huge impact on my exercise. I have lacked motivation to get out running regularly. My knees have started complaining when I did go out and I am seeing a chiropractor to get the aches nipped in the bud.

Business is so busy, I am working at least 12 hours a day when in the office and around 16 hour days when out at events (3 times a week). I am now very behind in my ‘to do’ list!

All in all, I just can’t wait until Christmas when I can stop and take stock. A recent email from a correspondent in the US made me stop my complaining and consider all that has gone well recently. Thanksgiving in America sounds a great idea to me. In the UK, we love to moan about the weather, the economy, the recession and anything else that depresses us. The power of gratitude is overwhelming. Comparing my life to others less fortunate, less healthy, really helped me gain perspective on my perceived problems.

Already, I am finding excuses about committing to a December goal. I am tempted to fall into the common trap of delaying action, until next month ‘when things have settled down’ or ‘when I am more financially stable’. Learning from November, I refuse to go goal-less again.

My December goals will be:

To complete my first module of reading for my coaching course

To get to the gym for core / strength training at least once a week

Complete a turbo trainer session at least once a week

Today is the end of the Twitter based ‘Tweigh’ challenge, and here are my results:

On 3rd September 2010 my stats were: 9 st 1 lbs, body fat of 25.8%, BMI of 20.7

Today’s stats: 8 st 11 lbs, body fat of 25.2%, BMI of 19.9

I have been careful not to obsess over weight, and focus more on burning fat. I feel great as a result! Whilst I am not overweight, I felt it was important to set myself targets to get back into shape after my operation which meant a lot of feet up on the sofa, eating the lovely chocolates I was sent! Sharing my weekly weights and stats spurred me on, as did sharing healthy eating and exercise tips.

Small goals have really kept me going since my heart surgery and I will continue to record my progress. The aim is a body fat of 23% (something I achieved back in 2007).

I have taken photos of myself to use as before and after shots, I’m not ready for these to be public just yet!!

A recent find for healthy recipes is Fitbitchuk – check it out!