by thinkmarsh | Jul 11, 2018 | clothes, product review
I know what you are thinking. #woolinsummer? Am I crazy? I assure you, I am not. In previous blog posts, I have waxed lyrical about the benefits of merino wool. I wear merino socks all year round and merino base layers in the winter. When we went to New Zealand a few years ago, we visited the Ice Breaker outlet four times and stocked up on cycling gear, socks, running tops, and base layers.
Icebreaker recently contacted me about their Cool-lite(TM) range. It helps make their clothes more comfortable and breathable in hot and humid temps (exactly what we have been experiencing in London). Aside from the other benefits of merino (no smell build up and moisture wicking), Cool-lite(TM) also is made from sustainably-sourced eucalyptus. Nearly 100% of the solvent used to make up one of the components of Cool-lite(TM) is recycled too. Sounds good to me!
This long heatwave has given me ample opportunity to put Cool-lite(TM) to the test. I wore the Cool-Lite(TM) Sphere Short Sleeve Low Crewe Cook Reflected shirt (130g for those that know their base layers) a few days when we had some time scheduled outdoors with dog walks and meeting friends in the park. The short sleeves, rather than a vest, were nice as it prevented my shoulders from burning. My husband didn’t report any smell issues by the third day of wear. Although I was warm in the direct sunlight, it wasn’t unbearably hot in my t-shirt. The sizing of the shirt seems a little big. I usually wear a medium in shirts (large if it is a womens cut). The shirt I am wearing is a medium and felt a bit roomy. On the other hand, maybe all of my calorie counting is paying off! If you decide to order one, you might want to double check the sizing guide first.
Based on this trial run, my Icebreaker shirt is already packing in my duffle bag for Love Trails Festival this weekend. It will be perfect for wearing around camp in between runs. It will dry fast on my clothes line and shouldn’t smell too bad by the time I get back to London. I am also bringing:
- Camping clothes lines to dry out wet gear
- Swim suit for run/swim
- Sunscreen
- Bagels and peanut butter for easy portable snack
- Luchodillitos for energy on a run
- Headlamp to pitch tent in the dark
- Mermaid bunting to hang on the outside of my tent to make it easier to find
- Kindle for reading and writing
- Spiky ball for massaging
- Sunglasses
- Reusable water bottle
- Quick drying towel for swimming and 3 min showers
- Flip flops for camp
- Antihistamines and nasal spray
- Solar charger power pack
- Cash and card for food and drink vendors (fingers crossed they stock Diet Coke)
I have never been to Love Trails (or any kind of festival, really) and would appreciate any and all advice you have about what to pack and what to leave at home. I am hoping my packing list for a 24 hour relay race will be a good starting point. The tricky thing will be carrying everything on the Tube to get on the coach to the festival site in Wales. Hopefully my 90L duffel bag from Kilimanjaro can hold everything, including my tent and sleeping bag. We shall soon see.
Thanks to Icebreaker for gifting me this shirt for review. All opinions are honest and my own.
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by thinkmarsh | Jul 6, 2018 | clothes, Kilimanjaro, product review
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| First outdoor campout in the UK was with Adventure Queens along North Downs Way |
I am fairly certain my body struggles to regulate its temperature. When I get cold, I tend to stay that way. Sleeping as a child, I would have 10-15 blankets on my bed. To this day, I always sleep with socks on and religiously wear merino wool during the winter. On the flip side, such as this Wednesday, London was so hot I couldn’t cool down on my midday run. I was so desperate to cool off I took my shirt off and ran in my sports bra.
Staying warm was one of my big concerns for Kilimanjaro. We climbed on the cusp of the rainy season which meant the weather would be unpredictable and probably wet. I religiously use an electric blanket in the winter back home and wasn’t confident a hot water bottle would be sufficient on the mountain. Luckily, the good people at Polartec sent me the Norrona Lofoten Alpha Raw zip made with Polartec Alpha to test out. The hoodie is bright orange, which is very handy when I need to find in a dark tent. It also makes me easy to spot at a busy campsite. It has a insulating hood, integrated hand gaiters, and warming pockets. It is also very light and packs down small in a vacuum bag when travelling.
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| How I slept during my Kilimanjaro trek |
With my luggage weight on Kili limited to 15 kg, I wanted to test out the hoodie before my trip. In January, I joined the Adventure Queens for an overnight wild campout along the North Downs Way. I chose to bring my two person tent rather than sleep outside under the stars. It was due to rain a bit that weekend and being mid-winter, the temperatures were already low. I packed the hoodie in my rucksack and put it on once the sun started to set. The cold damp was starting to creep into my bones as we sat around the campfire telling stories and roasting marshmallows. I ended up sleeping in the hoodie and stayed fairly warm overnight. As I emerged from my tent the next morning, I found the air to be crisp so kept all of my upper layers but swapped my thermal tights for jeans.
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| Post-breakfast hike with new friends |
After breakfast, we broke into groups and too a very low-key hike through the local woods. There were a few hills which took some effort due to mud and warmed me right up. I had to tie the hoody around my waist to prevent overheating in my two other layers.
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| Along the way to the top of Kilimanjaro with the hoodie under my rain jacket |
The Lofoten Alpha Raw zip passed the test for me after this campout and made it onto my packing list for Kilimanjaro. I used the same approach on Kili as I did on the January camp out, sleeping in the hoody every night but also used it as one of my eight layers on summit night. The guides recommended seven layers but I get cold so I added an extra. It turned out that seven would have been the correct number! We summited at 8:30am and were so hot by the time we got to the top. I stripped most of my layers off at that point and carried them down in my rucksack. If I had a choice, I would always choose to be a little bit warm over a little bit cold so I didn’t mind carrying the extra weight.
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| At the top with eight layers on top and four on the bottom |
The Polartec Alpha fabric was originally designed for U.S Special Forces to be used in both dynamic and static situations. It is extremely breathable, lightweight, and dries fast. This means you don’t need to stop mid-activity and add or remove layers. It washes well and the hoodie didn’t leave fuzz everywhere even though the texture is fluffy.
Polartec Alpha is a fabric I will be sure to lookout for in the future when I am investing in new pieces for future outdoor adventures. Being lightweight, packable and versatile for layering makes it a good staple to keep in your rucksack.
How do you keep warm on your outdoor adventures? Leave a comment below and let me know.
by thinkmarsh | Jul 2, 2018 | community, running, safety
One of the things I love about London is how people pour their heart and soul into their community. Whether their passion is cycling, singing, the environment, their local neighborhood, rescued animals, or bee keeping, you can find your tribe somewhere within the M25. Experts come together to teach the novice. The group may host an open day event in the hopes to spark.the interests of others. These hobbies offer a commonality that might not be found at work or at home. A release. A kinship.
I was lucky when I moved to London from the USA to find a Glee-esque show choir with Starling Arts. Much like my drama club friends from high school, I knew I could burst into song at any time with my choir mates without any strange looks. Starlings tend to love theatre, sing-a-long cinema showings, and Pitch Perfect. Coming from all walks of life, we had a love of singing (not as much with dancing) that we bonded over every Tuesday night in Pimlico.
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| Starling Arts’ FORTE at our summer fete |
Unfortunately, when I moved out to North London to be closer to work, I would get home very late on a work night after choir. When we moved to East London, my commute was super long and the dog needed to be let out. I am still sad that I don’t go to choir anymore (because of #tracktuesday). Many of my choir mates are still rehearsing with Starling Arts and I keep tabs on them via Facebook. I am proud to see the founders, Anna and Emily, have built a successful company and made Starling Arts their full-time gigs.
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| Whole Foods/Boutique Sport run club from Piccadilly Circus |
My other passion, aside from theatre, is- you guessed it- sport. When I started my blog in 2012, I didn’t think I would ever be able to run a marathon. Over the years, my love for running has slowly developed due to the people I have met through the sport. Now I hate missing #tracktuesday with Advent Running and most of my holidays have a race on the itinerary. I have also become a Leader in Running Fitness with England Athletics, followed by Coach In Running Fitness, due to this inspiring and supportive community. Both of these certifications mean I am qualified to lead run clubs, amongst other things. I have been invited to many one-off run events for brand launches and attended ones put on by running stores. This month, I am volunteering to be one of the run leaders at the Love Trails Festival. Being a run leader is not as easy as it looks so here are my top five tips on how to be a fantastic run club leader.
1. Stay with the last runner. No one wants to be the last person to cross the finish line. Slower runners (and remember each person percieves ‘slow’ differently) might be nervous when attending run clubs that they will be judged for their pace and get left behind. Even worse, they might be worried they will get lost if they fall too far behind the group. A good run club leader will realize the workout is for other people and not worry about the pace. Staying with the last runner gives them confidence and makes sure that no one is lost along the way.
2. Review the safety rules before you head out and follow them. When I lead a run clun, my rules are to always stay on pavement; be aware of pedestrians, cyclists and cars in the road, especially at junctions; follow the green man rather than blindly crossing the road because someone else did. I make sure I do the same to follow a good example. I have also beenknown to use my “mom arm” once in a while to keep people from running out into the road.
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| Whole Foods/Boutique Sport run club from Kensington |
3. Encourage everyone to cheer each other on. This is probable the American in me, but I always encourage runners in the group (good job, well done, keep going!) and ask others to do the same. I can’t be everywhere at once and it is also a good way to break the ice. My runs end in mandatory high fives too, which are typically followed by a smile.
4. If you don’t have many leaders, try to keep the group together with fartleks or exercises at stop lights. It is difficult to predict how many runners will turn up at a run club. At a miniumum, I prefer two leaders, one for the front and one for the back (see tip #1). The person in front can confidently lead the way (which can be challenging in London where the streets tend to wind) while the other leader makes sure no one is left behind. However, if there is only one of you, ask the faster runners to either stop at specific junctions to meet up or have them run back to you as fast as they can when they can’t see you any more to regroup. If you want them to stop at a light, they can do squats, burpees or star jumps (jumping jacks) until you catch up.
5. Introduce yourself every week. Ask new people if they have any injuries you need to know about. This is important, espcially if you are not wearing a uniform to distinguish yourself from the other runners. You can ask who is new, but some people might be too self-consicous to raise their hand. A good practice is to ask everyone who has injuries and then offer to speak to them privately about it. Learning names is hard for me, but if I can learn a few a week, I know people will appreiciate it.
If you have things your love or hate about run club leaders, leave a comment below and let me know. It would be interesting to hear what you think is important.
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| Track Tuesday Group 4, that I often pace with Advent Running |
by thinkmarsh | Jun 14, 2018 | race review, running
Run To The Deep was a last minute sign up. There had been an email to the run club at work but I totally forgot about it. The reminder email (with a photo of the octopus medal) was just the nudge I needed to register. Put on by the British Science Association, who smartly hired The Race Organizer to execute the race, it was a lovely Friday evening run around Hyde Park. The weather was perfect for running- just a bit cool with a slight breeze. About 200 people came out, although the race could have allowed 500 runners to take part.
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| Race pack |
Race entry and fees: Registration was £25 through Eventbrite. You could also register on the day. Rather than mailing out the race packets, we had on hour before the race started where we coud collect our bibs at the start line. I got there 30 minutes early so had time to say hi to some friends (a pleasant surpise to see them!) and warm up.
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| Limbering up |
Course and bogs: The course was a 5 km loop through Hyde Park that you had to do twice. It was really well marshalled with a person in high-vis at every turn cheering us on, as well as large bright signs. There weren’t any mile markers so I was glad I had my Fitbit on to help me keep track of my distance. The paths were open to the public but it wasn’t too crowded.
Park toilets, which normally cost 20p but for some reason were free that night, were right across from the start line and there was never a queue. The water station was at the start line, rather than out mid-course, and sufficient in size for the weather, number of people and course length.
If you have been living under a rock, you may not have heard about how much plastic rubbish ends up in the ocean. The Run To The Deep organizers made a few simple decisons to help reduce the amount of plastic produced by the race. The water cups were biodegradable and compostable. The water itself was brought in in large carboys rather than small water bottles you would get at a store.
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| Group warm up |
Location: As I have mentioned, the race was in Hyde Park, London, after work on a Friday evening. It was really easy to get to. I actually took a bus over from Oxford Circus. I don’t make it over there too often so it was nice to see a different part of London. The park is the largest of the four Royal Parks, so it was fairly peaceful in terms of traffic noise and not very crowded with people. I imagine if it was a wee bit warmer, the park would have been more crowded. The course took us by the Serpentine too.
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| I had to stop and take a picture. You don’t see this on city runs very often. |
Atmosphere: With only 200 runners in a very large park, there wasn’t much atmosphere in terms of cheering or running alongside other people. One of the cool aspects of the race was the Run To The Deep app that used GPS to narrate your trip to the bottom of the ocean. It was really strange to run a race that encouraged you to wear headphones, especially where there were so many scientists together in a semi-social setting (well, I went because I am a scientist but I am sure some people were not). I opted to enjoy running in the park rather than listening to the app. My friends who used the app said it was pretty cool so I need to download it asap and give it a try.
Race bling and goody bags: The race medal design was what convinced me to do the race. There is an octopus on it and I am a marine biologist by training. Therefore, it was a no-brainer. Another eco-friednly choise was using a ribbon that was 100% cotton so it didn’t contain any plastic. Hurray!
The paper goody bags contained the medal, a banana (no wrapper!) and a collapsible stainless steel cup on a key chain (#genius). That is going in my camping gear as I always carry a resusable water bottle with me anyways.
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| Goody bag and back of medal |
Tips if you want to take part next time: If you had been listening to the app, you would know how far you have gone along the route. If you run without the app, I would suggest having a running app or watch to let you know the distance covered. As I mentioned above, I was keeping tabs of my mile splits with my Fitbit so this wasn’t an issue for me. Make sure you bring a few 20p coins in case you have to use the loo.
Unfortunatelt, I am not sure they will have another Run To The Deep race next year, but I heard they did a solar system run last summer and want to do a series of four races altogether. I highly recommend it if they do. #nerdsunite
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| Me and my bling |
by thinkmarsh | Jun 11, 2018 | exercise, relax, travel, water sports
I have been lucky enough to visit seven countries in the last six months. Holidays are a great time to explore an alternative side to the local culture and see how they stay active and healthy. In Thailand, the sun was shining every day, which instantly made me feel a bit more cheery. Although it was way too hot and humid to run, I was able to use a few hotel fitness rooms to complete my corrective exercise homework from Function360. But I really wanted to spend time doing activities that I couldn’t do at home (when in Rome and all that!) so I booked in for several unique Thai experiences.
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| Feeling tough and super sweaty |
Muay Thai
The first was Muay Thai boxing, of course. Via Trip Advisor and Google, I found Master Toddy’s Muay Thai Academy which is Bangkok. The location didn’t seem too far from our hotel but the public transport and traffic in Bangkok is a bit nuts so I took a taxi there and back. When I arrived, I was greeted by a gym member who was originally from America. He asked me what my experience in Muay Thai was and if I spoke Thai. I replied I have none with either. My instructor’s name was Korn, and my new friend told me Korn didn’t speak much English. I expected this and wasn’t too worried. As long as I could copy the movements he made, I thought I would be able to learn the technique. After changing into my workout clothes, I grabbed my water bottle and headed into the ring with Korn.
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| Perfecting those pesky front kicks |
We started off with a warm up and stretching. Korn could count to 10 in English which was really handy. The lesson was private, which meant I always had a clear view of him and he was watching what I was doing. After the warm up, we went through basic punching and kicking positions in slow motion and without pads. Finally, he go out the long pieces of cloth, wrapped my hands and chose my gloves. I was ready to fight.
Playing in the background was a recording of about 20 three minute rounds. My guess is that there was about 60 seconds rest between bouts. We started off by working on the basic punches and getting power into the pads Korn was holding. Then we worked on the kicks and sorting out what my natural range of motion was. Once he was happy with the my technique, he designed various kicking and punching combinations for me to complete during the bouts. The gym was a large fenced in garage so the temperature and humidity was the same in the ring as it was outside. I had brought 2L of water with me and made sure to take sips when I could. Korn had to help a bit because the boxing gloves limited my ability to open and handle the bottle.
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| Korn and I in the ring |
Front kicks were probably my worst skill as I just couldn’t get any power behind them. I was pretty good at a side kick though and my hook is killer. The session was two hours long which was probably better suited for a couple or group. Towards the end, Korn took me out of the ring and had me practice on punching bags in the workout area. The humidity made them a little slick but I was able to work repeatedly on one move at a time. I think I would have preferred to start with the bags and then build my way up to the rings. Although I have a certificate saying I now know the fundamental basics of Muay Thai, I didn’t feel very confident after my lesson. I am really glad I had my first lesson where Muay Thai originated though. If you are interested in taking lessons, Master Toddy offers accomidation for those registere in his intensive training program.
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| Selfie while wearing my Subea mask |
Snorkeling
I am lucky enough to be able to called myself a marine biologist (yes I have seen the Sinfield episode). I spent as much time as I could in the water while in Thailand. True, there are many places off over the world where you can snorkel, but rarely do we visit those places. James and I did a full day snorkeling trip from Kkao Lak, and then I did a separate excursion to Coral Island on my own. We snorkeled a few times at the Khao Lak hotel, and the bride and groom arranged a day-long boat trip with the wedding guests too. My bum totally got sunburned and my hair was salty but my heart was oh-so-happy. Using the Decathlon Subea face mask, it so easy to see everything around us and not have to worry about clearing the snorkel. Our masks didn’t fog up and were easy to fit without any leaks (James and I had different sizes).
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| These fish were everywhere and would swim right over to you. |
My G-Eye 900 action camera accompanied me on every dive. I took both photos and videos to help me remember what we saw. There is so much video to go through! I am not very good with Latin names but could pick out general groups of fish (such as trigger, damsel, parrot, etc). Sadly, the guides on our trips didn’t know what any of the fish were so I couldn’t ask them too many questions. I was thrilled to see a puffer fish and some small cuttlefish. Sadly, we didn’t see any turtles in the wild but did visit a rescue and rehabilitation facility near Khao Lak. If I go back, I will try to go when the sea turtle nest on the beach. How cool would that be?
If you go to Thailand, bring your bathing suit, cover up, water shoes and lots of sunscreen. Being on the water totally calms me. You don’t have to get in but something about being on a boat is so relaxing. The fish come right over to you so you will see lots of different critters while you are in the shallow water. Try not to step on the rocks and coral because you could injury yourself and the coral is very delicate. I wore my Keen sandals the entire time, which were a bit heavy but really helpful when I got caught in a current and needed to swim to shore for a rest.
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| Parrotfish in the center. |
Thai Massage
My brother-in-law’s wife (now my sister-in-law?) invited me to a spa day with the bridal party. I booked myself in for a Thai massage and honestly had no idea what to expect. Every massage I have ever had, you undress, lay flat on a table and are rubbbed with oil or lotion. But for a Thai massage, you put on these pajama-like scrubs and have your feet washed before you start. You then lay on a table and the fun begins.
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| All treatments start with a foot bath, even the manicures! |
Thai massage combines pressing on the body (rather than rubbing) with yoga-like body positions. My massage did have some traditional massage movements, but also a lot of stretching, pulling and body movement. I tried to stay as relaxed as possible as the women bent me in all sorts of directions. I even had to sit up at the end while she stood behind me to crack my back somehow.
I was more bemused than anything by the end but also felt a little lighter and taller. There were massage parlors everywhere in Thailand so if you want one, it isn’t hard to find. I even got a foot massage in the international terminal in the Bangkok airport before we left for home. It was really peaceful and relaxing, which helped me sleep on the overnight flight back to London.
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| Bride-to-be and I had our treatments in the same room. That was another first for me. |
If you have been to Thailand, what other activities would you recomend? Leave a comment below and let me know.
All the photos in this post were taken with my G-Eye 900. Some were actual photos and the others are screenshots of videos. Anyone have tips on how to make videos into photos? I would greatly appreciate some advice.
Decathlon graciously gave me the Subea masks and G-Eye 900 to review. All opinions are honest and my own.
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