Wednesday night saw the inaugural Spikes & Heels class hit Gymbox in Farringdon and what a class it was! The incredibly badass Pavlina Golds headed up the session with an intense workout that burned from the get go. This was a taster class to see how people would respond to it. If they liked it, then I would do more. And judging by the smiles all round at the end of the class, the verdict is in: Success!

Pavlina kicked off the class with a 10 minute warm up which involved you working in a pair. One of the pair took up the squat position and held it while their partner did walking lunges to the other side of the room and back, then you swapped. Sounds fine, but you’re doing it for ten minutes! By the second time you pop that squat, your thighs are on fire. We were pretty much all beat by the time the warm up finished!

We then moved on to the strength portion of the class which involved a mixture of weights and bodyweight work, ranging from Man Makers to sit ups, press ups, squats and more. One half of the room did one set of exercises while the other side did another and we had to try to complete as many sets as we could within the allotted time.

Sweats were firmly in effect at this point.

Then Pavlina obliterated our cores with an intense Pilates-based floor section. I love Pilates and she threw in some of my favourite core exercises (as much as it burned). The cool down stretch out at the end was sweet relief!

When I started this site, the goal was always for it to progress to being in a ‘live’ environment. I always wanted to be able to get women together to work out in a relaxed, non-threatening, unintimidating environment. I didn’t want the Spikes & Heels class to be uptight. I hate going to classes where you feel you can’t talk to people or ask questions. I made a point of saying at the beginning of the class, if it hurts, it’s OK to say so, if you’re enjoying it, feel free to let out a WHOOP! Most of all, I just wanted it to be fun and I dare say, we all had some.

Judging by the reaction of the attendees and the interest so many have expressed in joining the class, I have made the decision to definitely move it forward and put on more classes. As soon as I have done some planning and have details, I will post them here.

Thanks so much for the continued support. Here’s to a nation of badass chicas working out together!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I spent the weekend in Nice cycling up some big mountains. I got some really excellent coaching while I was there and due to my taking on of the Etape du Tour in July, I was paying particular attention to any instruction given on how to handle inclines and descents. The more I chat about my Etape challenge, the more I realise these are points a lot of newbie cyclists struggle with and would like some hints on, so I thought I’d share what I learned here. By no means am I an expert and I’m still working on all these things myself, but I came on leaps and bounds over the space of four days using these techniques.

Inclines

- Switch all the way down in your gears, (depending on how steep the incline is). I used to make the mistake of switching down a little but trying to stay in a relatively high gear – my logic being that if I pushed harder with my legs, it’d power me up hill more. But staying in a high gear can literally grind your gears, which is not good for the bike. What I learned this weekend is that while yes, inclines to require a degree of glute and leg strength, they’re actually more about cardio. Switch to a low gear and get a nice, steady rhythm in your legs, but your heart and lungs should be doing a whole lotta work here.

- Position your hands lightly on the front of the bars – not the sides, not the drops – open your chest up, sit up a little and breath. This actually really helps you to draw on your core strength too. If you stay in the same position you would when you’re on the flat, you might start to feel it in your back a bit (I sure did). Sit up slightly and use that core to keep you stable.

- Get a good steady rhythm going in your legs. I fully expected to feel a world of pain in my legs on 10km and 14km climbs, but it actually really wasn’t that bad. I’ve got good cardio so it was more about that. I’m not saying you won’t feel it at all in your legs, you will, but it’s your cardio vascular system that’ll get you up those hills.

- When going around a corner up a hill, take it wide, i.e. get into the middle of the road. The steepest part is the bit next to the pavement, so to keep your rhythm going and go wide. It sometimes even feels like it flattens out a bit as you take a corner – probably a total illusion, but midway into a 10km climb, I’ll take it!

- You don’t need to be out of your saddle that much. Obviously that depends on how steep the incline is, but I did inclines of up to 10% and found I didn’t get out of the saddle much at all. The steeper the incline though, you may, so if you do, get your weight over the front of the bike, relax the arms, bend the elbows a bit and pull up a little on the bars as you pedal, getting your arms and upper body into it a bit too. Admittedly, I haven’t mastered this yet, but I’m a work in progress!

Descents

- Let’s be honest, if you’re going down a straight road, you aren’t so worried – it’s the corners on a descent that put the fear of God in you. So, the first step is to try to relax. Easier said than done, I know, but take a deep breath, relax the shoulders and set off.

- I was totally guilty of it on my first descent, but try not to hug the brakes all the way down. Let it go and keep pedaling – especially if you’re coming off the back of a big climb, while the temptation may be there to stop moving your legs altogether and just freewheel it, try to keep them ticking over.

- Don’t brake on a corner as you risk the wheels sliding out from under you. Gently brake before the corner so you’ve leveled your speed as you go into it.

- Again, when taking corners, take them wide. If you’re going left around a corner, your left knee should be up on the pedal. Put some weight onto your right foot and stick your left knee out a bit as you slightly lean into it. This will take the bike around the corner without you having to move the handlebars much.

- Remember to look in the direction of the corner too – adds to the bike going the right way and just generally, it’s a good idea to look where you’re going!

- On that note, pay attention to any potential hazards in the road (bumps, holes, rocks etc) and be sure to avoid them – and if cycling in a group, alert others to them as well.

- Crouch into it. Lower your upper body, tuck your elbows in and get your hands on the drops (if you’re brave enough, I’m not yet). Make yourself aerodynamic and feel the speed!

Those are the main points I picked up on this training camp that really helped me. I’m sure there are some more experienced cyclists reading this who may have some tips too, so feel free to leave them in the comments. The main point I want to get across is that inclines and descents are totally doable – don’t fear them!

Well friends, as you know, I’ve been training for the Etape du Tour. I say ‘training’ – it’s been more of a prolonged exercise in how not to whinge week in, week out about how much I dislike cycling. Running is far more enjoyable for me and nowhere near as stuck up (yeah, I said it). But I have been nothing if not determined to see this challenge through. Trying to figure out what exactly isn’t clicking for me mentally with cycling has been just as interesting for me as the training itself. And so, when the opportunity came up to go on a training camp to Nice with some ladies from Rapha, I thought this would be the perfect chance to really get to grips with the two wheeled demon that’s been haunting me the past couple of months.

And I’m delighted to say, I finally enjoyed riding! Woo hoo! Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief. (Don’t get too excited though – I’m still a runner and that will always be my first love.) We did a four day trip to Nice and rode with a cycling tour company called Cycle Cote d’Azur, run by two badass women called Claire and Emma. They organised the daily rides and anyone who knows that area of France knows there’s some mountains involved. Yup, this would be my first experience of long climbs on the bike. I had so much to learn.

And I figured out this has been part of the issue for me. I’ve basically been thrown into this thing, given all the fancy kit n’ kaboodle, but essentially no instruction on what to do with it. I’ve had the bike since the end of December. I went on two rides in January, then stuck myself on the turbo trainer for about six weeks, so have really only been riding outdoors, consistently, since March. I had no idea about technique, gears, how to do inclines, descents, corners, anything really – I’ve just been winging it the past couple of months and getting frustrated.

Then I arrived in Nice and it all changed. Having someone ride next to me and explain exactly what was going on and what I needed to do was absolutely invaluable. On our arrival on Friday, we did an easy two hour ride along the coast, then on Saturday, we were thrown in the deep end with our first climb; a 80km ride with a 10km climb of Col de Vence, which averages around a 6% incline (10% in parts). I was the least experienced rider in the group and as I watched them all take off up the mountain, I tried to stay calm. The first three kilometres basically involve trying to get to grips with the fact that there is no end in sight to that incline – it just goes on and on and on. There is no respite for your legs. You just have to keep going til you get to the top. It was hard, I breathed heavily and my legs hurt, but I did it.

Day two, we took on an even bigger climb. On a 75km ride, we did the 14km climb of the infamous Col de la Madone. Legend has it this is the climb Lance Armstrong used to test out his EPO on, so they say. This incline averages 8%. It’s intense, yo. At the start of the ride, I was petrified, but by the time I got to the beginning of the incline, a calm took over. I knew what it would feel like. I engaged brain, I engaged legs and I got on with it. I was slow, but I accepted that that’s OK, because three months ago, there’s no way I would’ve found myself doing a 14km climb up a mountain on a bike. Plus, you can always make up time on the descent.

On the final day, we took on one last climb, Col d’Eze, a 10km climb averaging between 6% – 9% incline. This time, My confidence grew again. I kept my slow, steady pace up the climb and released my fear by letting go of my death grip on the breaks on the way down and did probably some of my best riding on that descent, where I averaged 50km per hour.

I took in the sights as I went up and down the mountains. I listened to everything the guides from Cycle Cote d’Azur told me and I’ve come out the other end of that four day trip feeling like a completely different rider. Had I not done that trip to Nice and just gone to the Etape du Tour the way I had been training, frankly, I’d have been screwed. Nothing can prepare you for those kind of inclines unless you actually do them. There’s no way you’ll know what it feels like otherwise.

And I gotta tell ya, it feels kind of awesome.

I cannot thank the ladies of Cycle Cote d’Azur enough. Their kindness, patience and coaching was invaluable. I’ll be dedicating each triumphant climb of the Etape to them because I for sure would not get through those mountains if not for the four days spent in the company of those women.

Tomorrow, I’ll share the tips I learned about how to climb and descent inclines, so keep an eye out for that post.

To learn more about Cycle Cote d’Azur (or even better, book your trip there, pronto!), check them out. And of course, a massive thank you to Rapha for putting the trip together.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram to see more training pics.

With so many marathons going on at the moment, toe nails are probably popping off all over the place, so it’s probably unfair of me to be posting sandals, but hey, they’re purdy, deal with it.

That heel, the plaform, that perspex trim that doesn’t have a hint of stripper shoe about it – it’s all quite a work of art. Loving these as an every day dressy summer sandal.

Check them out over on The Outnet

*UPDATE: Wow, it appears there’s quite the demand out there for a Spikes & Heels class! This class sold out within two hours this morning so is now full, with an extended waiting list. I will let you know when I organise the next class*

This here site has been going for just over a year now and while reading about fitness is all fine and dandy, I figured it’s about time we all got our sweat on together. So, I’m pleased to announce the first ever Spikes & Heels class at Gymbox.

Come get a fix of some hardcore body conditioning resistance training. It’s a class that will push you to your limits in true Spikes & Heels style, have you sweating up a storm and leave you with that good ache the next day.

Wednesday May 15th, 8pm at Gymbox in Farringdon is the place to be. Places are limited so get in touch ASAP if you’d like to come. Hopefully this will be the first class of many more to come.

Excitamacation!

Well, as I type this, the Etape du Tour is 69 days away. Not that I’m counting or anything. I have a feeling those 69 days are gonna fly by. All of a sudden, I’m into the business end of training. I really enjoy the training process of any challenge I take on. There are peaks and troughs, sure, but overall, the experience, the drive and focus it takes to keep going are things that really give me purpose. You always learn a lot in training. So what am I learning as I train for the Etape?

Well, I’ve been out there every weekend clocking up miles, but for one reason or another, that high that cyclists talk about just hasn’t happened for me. I don’t hate it. I enjoy getting out there, I love being physically active, I like that I’m managing to go further each time, but the buzz that I get from running or boxing just isn’t there with cycling for me. Yet.

Part of it I think is just the distances involved. I’m having to spend hours on the bike to clock up the kind of miles I need and often, this can work out to being up to six hours out on the road, including stops. I get up freakingly early to clock the miles as I can’t afford to be out all day on a ride. 20 or 30 miles though, that’s actually really nice. But working up to doing 130km on the big day, it’s necessary for me to be able to deal with being out that long, so I’m trying to take it in my stride (pedal stroke?).

My feelings about cycling may be due to me training alone. Everyone says the experience changes when you do it in a group, but unless I can find a crew who are ready to hit the road at 6:30am on weekends, methinks I’ll be seeing out the rest of my training on my own. I don’t mind it, but I won’t lie, it can get boring. I mean, I’m a great conversationalist, but I look a little weird chatting away to myself on these rides.

I’ve been doing plenty of training off the bike so my fitness level is through the roof right now. I feel fantastic. I’m finally getting my eating in order, have really reduced my sugar intake, massively upped my fruit and veg and am feeling much better for it. My glutes and legs are strong, my core is really good right now and my arms aren’t getting as tired on the long rides (which I know sounds weird, but your arms being stuck in that same position for hours on end can get really painful).

As important as it is to train the body, I really believe in training the mind too so I’ve been focusing on not panicking about the challenge. I will show up at the start line in excellent physical condition, knowing I’ve trained my ass off and I can’t ask for any more than that. I’m not disillusioning myself here. I know it’ll be hard, I know it’ll hurt, I know there will be moments when it’ll take everything in me to pedal one more second. I know that and I am prepared for that. But you know what? I believe in my determination to see this through. I’m not just doing this race for myself. I’m doing it to show young women who think a challenge may be too big for them that they too, can do something like this with a little hard work and grit.

And I will say, there is a bit of a snobby elitism in cycling culture that I’m not particularly a fan of. So yes, I want to do this to show that I may not be that great a cyclist, I may ride my bike all wrong and not adhere to the holy grail of cycling code, but I can still do this and it’s important that cycling opens its doors a bit and more people, especially women, feel welcome in it.

I apologise if it seems like this post is a little moany but let me get a couple of things clear: I am very grateful for the opportunity to ride the Etape and am taking it very seriously, hence why I am training my (very tight and pert) ass off. The reason I’m doing it is to share my journey and I can’t do that if I’m not 100% honest with you about the process. Training is hard, this experience is difficult for me, there have been tears. But equally, I am learning a ton and am loving having a different kind of challenge to focus on.

This weekend, I’m going to Nice for a cycling training camp with Rapha and Cycle Cote d’Azur. I’m really excited about this as I’ll get to ride in a group and get some expert coaching on how to handle hills etc. Not to mention actually experiencing cycling in warmer weather. Huzzah! Hopefully this will be a turning point for me where it clicks into place. I am going fully open to everything they have to offer and more than willing to learn. Here’s to the weekend!

I met Melissa back in 2011 when she was one of the participants in my first ever Team Bangs on the Run, taking on the Paris Half Marathon. At the time, she was just taking her first tentative steps back into fitness. But even then, she had a dogged determination and you could tell, this girl was gonna beast whatever she put her mind to. Since then she’s been on quite a journey and as of the start of this year, it just got more exciting. Anyway, I’ll let her tell it, but if you’re looking for some inspiration, you just done found you some!

Name: Melissa or thrutheblue online

Age: 32

Occupation: Gym trainer and trainee Personal Trainer

- What’s your sport?

Lifting up heavy things and putting them back down – aka Lifting Weights

- How did you get into it?

Late last year I got speaking to my now coach and friend Bradley Aidan Johnson, who had achieved an amazing transformation through lifting heavy weights and tight nutrition. I had been fighting pre-baby weight for a number of years and wanted to take my training to the next level and his videos on youtube inspired me. After some personal research and long conversations with Bradley, I decided to go with his methods of training and nutrition and started in the New Year. He has coached me ever since, through all the good and bad; I haven’t looked back since!

- What’s been your best moment in your sport so far?

There have certainly been many highs and lows to this journey. As much as there are the aesthetic highlights, where you see pictures from December and now and barely recognise yourself, but the real highlights happen in the gym. You are only as good as your last lift, and my last major achievement was dead-lifting 77.5KG this past Wednesday. That’s 1.5x my body weight, and I had to dig deep to achieve it but with much grunting and sweating I got that PR. Friday I’ll be aiming to smash that PR with a 80KG lift!

- What motivates you? 

I initially started this for vanity. I am not afraid or ashamed to admit I want to look badass naked. So sue me! However, I really cannot begin to explain what this has done for me emotionally and confidence wise. 2012 was a tough year, and 2013 was always going to be about re-building my confidence and weight lifting does that. When you can hold and squat a bar that weighs more than the average man, there’s not much that scares you. That’s the biggest motivation for me, to feel and look awesome and know that I have total control over that.

- How do you push yourself when you don’t want to train?

Believe it or not, in the four months I have been doing this I have so far not had a moment of not wanting to train. Firstly, I love this ish and also I believe that to achieve results you must be consistent and diligent. There have been days when I have been tired and there have even been tears during sessions but I will not give in to that. I also think about my friends and followers who tell me I inspire them to do better. How can I quit when I am motivating others?

Along with my training, I follow a very precise diet which gives me exact numbers of calories, protein, fat and carbs to eat. This is the key to my success so far but probably what requires the most will power and what causes me most conflict. Sometimes I just want to go and eat, whatever, without thinking about it but then I just look at my journey so far and where I want to be and that keeps me strong. Good thing about my “diet” is that no foods are off limit, I just have to plan them properly! Bring on the Oreos!

- What’s your favourite motivational quote?

At the moment there are two and they are very relevant to the journey of someone who lifts weights seriously.

“Your mind will quit a thousand times before your body will. Feel the fear and do it anyway.” – Unknown

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett

- What events do you have lined up for this year?

This year I am simply focusing on honing my skills within my sport. The journey of a weight lifter is a long one and I’ll be a newbie for a long time! My plan this year is to perfect my form along with increasing my strength. Looking forward I would like to compete in Figure Competitions but I am anticipating that will happen for me in 2014. In the mean time, pure focus on my training! I have been eye-balling the odd Tough Mudder, Survival of the Fittest type events but I am not quite sold on the underwater or electrocution aspect of that yet!

- What role does fitness play in your life?

Time to be cliché, but fitness is my life. I live and breathe it 24/7. When I’m not training, I’m thinking about it, talking about it or helping someone else find their own feet with fitness. My fitness journey has time and time again been a place of refuge and given me so much confidence. If for the rest of my life I did this and helped others do this then I will be a happy woman!

- Do you draw inspiration from any other types of sport?

I used to run half marathons, and although a very different discipline, I respect the hustle and dedication that comes from pounding those pavements day in and day out and then shooting for a race. It’s so inspirational! I also love gymnasts, their strength and grace is phenomenal and I can watch them compete all day every day!

- What’s your top training tip?

Don’t be afraid! You will get to a point where you look at a bar with fear and doubt. However, if you have trained right and your technique is down and you have set up your bar with the correct safety measures, then there is nothing to fear. You won’t die, you may fail but if you give it 100% and look fear in the face then who cares! Go for it!!

- What do you do in your down time?

Down time?  What’s that? I kid! Down time, is quality time with my children after school and at weekends.  We go to the park; they scoot, I ride or we bake brownies. Other than that I like to ride my bike, yup more exercise but for me its freedom, I love to feel air on my skin and just ride with my own thoughts or no thoughts at all.  I like to hang out with friends and family, nothing too wild, just good company and chat! Other than that I watch a lot of Food Network UK, plotting and scheming how I can fit cake and American food into my macros!

Follow ThrutheBlue on Twitter and check out her blog.

Every Tuesday morning for the past few weeks, I’ve been getting up at the ass crack of dawn to get myself down to The Altitude Centre. They’ve been kind enough to give me one free session a week in the lead up to the Etape to help with my training. And my gosh, I am loving these sessions. I mean, my legs are like jelly when I get off the bike and I’m practically drowning in my own sweat,  but there’s love to be found in that.

The Altitude Centre is basically a room set to altitude conditions. They offer 30 minute sessions on the bikes or treadmills (either solo or group classes) and you are coached through an intense interval session that really, really pushes you to your limits. Your lungs have to work a lot harder in altitude conditions to begin with, but throw some tough intervals in there and there are times where it feels as though they will clean fall out of your body.

This week, we did 1 min, 2 mins, 3 mins, 4 mins, 5 mins intervals on high resistance with 60 second recoveries. The aim is to push your heart rate up to over 85% of its max. I love that you wear a heart monitor and the stats from that are displayed in real time on screens so you can always see where you are and if you need to push more. I love to compete with myself, so having the stats right there in my face really drives me.

The session this week was really tough, but I really do feel as though it’s going to help me get up those French Alps during the Etape. The combination of this and the Insanity workouts have definitely been improving my cardio over the past few weeks, that’s for sure.

Another bonus of The Altitude Centre is that you always meet interesting characters there. This week, the guy on the bike next to me, it turned out, is also doing the Etape and an Ironman later in the year. HARDCORE!

Check out The Altitude Centre and try out a class.

Raise your hand if you loved hula hooping in the playground when you were a kid *shoots both arms in the air* Why did we ever stop doing that? It was fun and full of awesome. Well, for London-based professional hula hooper Marawa, she has wisely made sure that fun never stopped and has made it her career. You know I’m all for people finding a physical activity they love, so when I came across Marawa online, I fell in love with her whole vibe and message. I recently caught up with her for a chat about all things hoop related. Go dig your hula hoop out of the shed and have a read.

How did you get into hula hooping?

I studied at NICA in australia – its a circus school, I studied other things like trapeze there too..

When did you realise you wanted to go ‘pro’ with it?

I didn’t really – I just started getting lots of shows, and was earning enough to do it full time so I just went for it!

How often do you train?

Mmm not as much as I would like. I do a lot of shows every week  – so that’s sort of like training?!

What does a practice session usually involve for you?

I like to hoop in the morning – its really good to wake yourself up, and turn on your core muscles, so usually I will try and do just 2 songs in the morning – that way my abs are engaged from the start of the day!

What’s the most difficult trick you’ve mastered and how long did it take you?

I can split hoops on my body while they are spinning in different directions – that took a looooong time! It’s a real geek trick – it doesn’t look like much, but its super difficult!

Do you do any other sorts of training?

JUMP ROPE!! I love jump rope, 5 min of skipping is like half an hour of running to me, and I swim any chance I get

What makes someone a good hula hooper?

Anyone can hoop, as long as they have the right one! Most people think they have lost their talent – but it’s just that they are trying to use a kids hoop – you gotta have a big one! The bigger the hoop, the easier it is!

What are the benefits of hula hooping?

SUPER CORE STRENGTH and all over toning. It’s low impact so you don’t build bulky muscles, but it is really proper cardio/core strength work out if you do it properly

What’s the best way to get started?

Get a big hoop and take a lesson! I have a free app – Ihoola which explains the basics – I also have tutorials online and  I am teaching all over London at the moment – classes can be seen on the facebook page etc. If you learn the right way to do it with your abs engaged the first time – then you will be able to take the skill home, and do full workouts – and watch tv at the same time!

How would you like to progress your hula hooping in the future?

I want to teach more, I think universally we are tired, everyone is overdoing it. So much more time sitting in front of screens etc, and workouts have become really aggressive and fast too. I think the fun has gone out of exercise and I wanna bring it back.

Are there any forms of fitness you think could use a more exciting twist?

ALL! I think there are some fun things out there but on the whole gyms are pretty boring and time consuming – Hoops are a great way to get fit at home, at the park, or in a class, so they suit every lifestyle

How can people find out more about you?

marawatheamazing.com and give me a like on Facebook too.