by Mollie Millington | Sep 6, 2020 | exercise, quickie
Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime. Don’t forget to breathe! Want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging? Email me at mollie@ptmollie.com.
Warm up– 5 min run or jog
1 min– Squats with bum just touching a bench or chair to ensure you are lowering down far enough. Do not sit though!
1 min– Holding weights, bottles or water, or bricks (something with weight) perform an overhead press. Keep weights at shoulders and then lift them above your head as you exhale. Return weights to your shoulders.
1 min– Bend slightly forward at the waist with your back flat. Have a slight bend in the knees. Keep elbows up towards the ceiling. Extend arm while holding weight for a tricep kickback.
1 min– Lunges with left foot forward and raising arm out in front of you to chest height for a frontal raise.
1 min– Lunges with right foot forward and raising arm out to the sides of you to shoulder height for a lateral raise.
30 sec– Left side plank
30 sec– Right side plank
1 min– Regular plank
1 min– Push/press ups
1 min– Inchworms
1 min– Squat and jump up at the top
1 min– Calf raises
by Mollie Millington | Sep 3, 2020 | running
After drifting through lockdown without a goal, I was super excited to sign up for the Authentic Athens Marathon (gifted entry). Six weeks into my training and it is going well so far. First off, I am hitting the miles, having skipped only two runs so far because I was too tired (thanks to Maple and learning I cannot bike commute all the time). The training plan I chose includes four runs a week with two recovery days that can alternatively be for cross training. This aspect I am still working on. If you have been following me on Instagram, you will know that I haven’t been great about completing my physiotherapy. Strength is critical for runners, especially those who run long distances. In every marathon I have ran, I always wish I had committed to a strength training program. It has taken me six weeks, but now that I have settled into a routine with work and training, I have figured out how I can get my strength sessions in. I just need to hit the gym after work with my Function360 physio plan (gifted). I swear lockdown has used up most of my brain’s problem-solving skills!
Sunday long runs have now hit double digits (which I am enjoying) and Thursdays are meant to be hill reps as of last week. Speed sessions and hills sometimes aggravate my Achilles, so I am taking these with easy effort for now. I have also been trying out a few different running shoes to help me manage the miles and I will be sharing my thoughts on these different trainers later. Actually doing my physiotherapy should help stabilise my ankles and build up additional muscular support. I am very happy that only in the last week has the pain around my bone spur and surrounding tendons become a bit uncomfortable. There are medicinal frozen peas to ice it with and I am trying to stretch more.
With ten weeks left to go of my training, I am anxiously watching the news for updates on the UK quarantine list. My trip is with Sport Tours International (#iboughtit) who offer an excellent refund package if the race is cancelled. So much can happen between now and then in terms of my health, the training, and global infection rates that I am trying to stay positive and focused on my goal. Other races in my diary for the autumn have recently been cancelled on short notice, such as Swim Serpentine, but there are a few more to go before the marathon. Due to Swim Serpentine, my cross training so far has included weekly swims and paddleboarding sessions. Now that the water is getting colder and I no longer need to swim two miles at the end of the month, I have more time to work on developing strength to balance my running.
Overall, things are good in running land. I just need to keep riding the wave for 10 more weeks. Easy, right? I have run many marathons before and know what it takes. I have also a better understanding of my foot injuries and should be able to manage them. To mix things up a bit with my training, this weekend I am taking part in One Grateful Run.
One Grateful Run has invited a limited number of runners to take part in their 24 hour event in Essex. Others are encouraged to take part virtually. Starting off with a 5K and then running 1 mile every hour, the run is meant to focus you on affirmations of goodness through running a marathon in one day’s time. By sending out positive vibes into the world, we can tune in to our aspirations and desires of happiness. If you decide to take part (please do!), be sure to tag @1gratefulrun to show your support. This is the inaugural event, but I think it will grow quickly. It totally aligns with my ethos and I am blessed to be taking part (thanks to Elle for connecting me with the organisers).
I have started making a list of the things I am grateful for. What would be on your’s?
by Mollie Millington | Aug 30, 2020 | exercise, quickie
Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime. Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- Skip rope for 1 min, jumping jacks/star jumps for 1 min, squats for 1 min
1 min- Punching bag (pretend to be rapidly hitting a punching bag just above your head using both hands. Keep those feet moving by hopping back and forth)
1 min- Stay a low squat, keep your abs tight and alternate hooks with both hands. You should feel this in your side abdominals.
1 min- Wall sit
1 min- Press ups against the wall or on the ground
1 min- Standing on left leg, raise right thigh until it is parallel to the ground. Keeping the knee still, extend leg so it is straight out in front of you and then bend your knee back to 90 degrees. Repeat for 1 min.
1 min- Repeat above with other leg.
1 min- Press ups against the wall or on the ground
1 min- Punching bag, as above
1 min- Tricep dips
1 min- Side plank
1 min- Side plank on the other side
1 min- Alternating “side” kicks (long video but good info)
by Mollie Millington | Aug 23, 2020 | exercise, quickie
This is the 30th Quickie Workout (can you believe it?). Perform all the action below for 30 repetitions in celebration. Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity especially as this session is not by time, but by reps. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up– Walk up and down a flight of stairs for 2 minutes
Jumping jacks/Star jumps
Hop-hop, land in a squat, 4 crosses (punches) while holding low in the squat
Stationary lunge with right leg forward
Stationary lunge with left leg forward
Push/Press ups (on your knee, toes, or against a wall depending on your fitness level)
30 sec side plank
30 sec side plank on the other side
Boat pose – hold for 30 sec
Downward dog coming forward into a press up position. As you move forward, cross knee to opposite elbow.
Bicycle crunch for 30 sec
Wall sit for 30 sec
Speed skater jumps
Repeat this set 2 more times. Awesome work!
by Mollie Millington | Aug 18, 2020 | guest post, running
This is the last in my guest post series by my friend, Matt. Lockdown inspired him to become a runner and he even ran an ultra for fun. This is his account of the second half of his 4x4x48 challenge.
Run 7: Friday 26 June @ 8pm
Music: Deetron essential mix
Finally the heat had subsided a bit and I had some cloud cover to run in. I made the decision that I needed to slow down, so I set off with the aim of running at 6.00 per km. Yet again my pacing was awful and I kept seeing on my watch that I was running at 5.35 per km or even quicker. I felt good though and it took several kilometres for my quad to start tightening up again.
When I got home I made some proper food – salmon, potatoes and peas. I’d been existing mainly on hydration drinks, chocolate covered almonds, and protein bars for several hours at this point (apart from the rice for lunch). Maybe it wasn’t a good option, or maybe the day was just catching up with me, but I felt awful for a few hours. I’d caught the sun (despite applying suncream before every run) and my heart rate was definitely elevated.
We opened a door as the house was still very hot, and I added some ice to my water. I also tried to drink more hydration fluid in case I was low on calories or salt (it has 60g carbs in a 500ml bottle). At 11.30 it was time to start the routine again – foam roller, warm up, stretch then go.
Run 8: Saturday 27 June @ 12am
Music Deetron essential mix
Having been through such a rough patch between runs, I expected this one to be painful and set off again to target 6.00 per km. Unfortunately about 1km into the run my FitBit just switched itself off, but luckily I had decided to run the same route as run 3 and so I knew exactly where 4 miles ended.
Whilst it started off a bit tough, I actually got into the run and rolled along at somewhere around 5.45 per km pace. As I came into the final 800m I could hear the Deetron remix of Every Inch by George Fitzgerald (amazing tune) emerging in my headphones and it gave me a genuine lift. It was probably just psychological, but I actually felt quite strong running the last few hundred metres and felt like I was finishing the bad patch.
Same stretching routine when I got home, a quick shower, toast, peanut butter and jam, and off to bed hoping to get a couple of decent hours of sleep before the alarm at 3.30am.
Run 9: Saturday 27 June @ 4am
Music: Maceo Plex essential mix (2015)
The alarm was not a pleasant sound at 3.30am and again it felt like I had only had a few minutes sleep, however I think I must have slept pretty solidly from the moment my head hit the pillow. One of the most difficult parts about this challenge was having to be so purposeful about body preservation. It would be tempting to set an alarm for 3.55am and roll straight out of bed and start running, but I think I would have gotten to about run 4 with that approach before doing some long term damage. So same routine of foam roller, warm up and stretching before going out on the hour.
I was actually quite surprised at how good I felt on this run. This one more than any of the others I felt like I got into a groove and just churned it out. This came through in the stats for my pacing with every kilometres average pace within a few seconds of each other. This was the part where I felt I had to go to a different place mentally, not focussing on my body or the road ahead and just let my legs tick over. Average pace 5.35 per km.
When I got home I was looking forward to sleeping again. I drank another recovery shake and skipped the shower. It had been a lot cooler out on this run than any of the previous runs so my priority, after stretching, was to get to bed. Alarm set for 7.30am.
Run 10: Saturday 27 June @ 8am
Music: None
Mollie had offered to come running with me again and I was looking forward to having a pacer, however when I opened my front door Alex was there again in running gear with some cherries for me. So now I had two pacers!
I was getting a bit sick of running the same loops so Mollie suggested running to the Olympic Park and back which was a welcome change. We started at somewhere around 6.00 per km pace but got a bit quicker as I got into it a bit more. I was a lot less chatty than the last run with Mollie at 4am on Friday so I mainly followed her and Alex and just tried to keep the legs going.
All in all, not too bad. Average pace of 5.47 per km and the body was still holding up.
I doubted I would be able to sleep again so I just tried to eat something (granola, kiwi, nuts and seeds) and relax on the sofa.
Run 11: Saturday 27 June @ 12pm
Music: Maceo Plex essential mix (2015)
It was a bit of a struggle to get up off the sofa to start the warm up routine again. My body felt good but I wasn’t sure how much energy I would have. On balance I was probably lagging behind my nutrition plan at this point in terms of calories consumed but it was difficult to tell and I’d been snacking on chocolate covered almonds whenever I could.
There had been no need to worry because when I started running I felt pretty good. As per usual I set off too quickly and then tried to slow myself down a bit, however I also thought to myself that with only one run left after this one there comes a point where there’s not much running left to conserve energy for.
In the end I managed to keep a pretty even 5.25 per km pace. I was free styling a bit with the route towards the end of the run weaving up and down trails on Wanstead flats. Luckily I’ve spent many hours running these routes so it was relatively easy to ensure I ended somewhere not too far from the house.
I’d been meaning to watch the Dragon Back Race documentary, a 315km race across the spine of Wales with 15500m of ascent and the equivalent descent, for several weeks and this felt like as good a time as any. Inspiration for the final run!
Run 12: Saturday 27 June @ 4pm
Music: Maceo Plex essential mix (2018)
So the big question was how fast could I run the final 6.4km?! Having been so conscious of conserving energy for the best part of two days, as this was the last run I could completely empty the tank. In preparation, I made and drank a final high carb drink to make sure I had enough energy for a last push.
Just before I went out I wondered what music to choose, but since the last run went well I thought I’d keep it the same so I chose another Maceo Plex essential mix to propel me along.
I went pretty hard straight from the start and at 2km I was comfortably under 5.00 per km pace. In spite of the carb drink, energy levels were lagging a bit so it felt pretty unsustainable. When I’m trying to run fast I usually like to try to keep something in reserve and run the last bit hard but no such luxury in this situation.
The next 20 minutes can only be described as really painful! I tried to up the pace a few times but had no gear to go to so it was just a case of burying myself to keep the same pace going. Luckily I timed it reasonably well and only started to deteriorate in the last couple of hundred metres.
As I turned into my road, Mollie and Jess were outside the house and Mollie had a cowbell to welcome me home. It was such a great feeling to finish. 4x4x48 signed off with a sub 5.00 per km average split for Run 12!
Conclusion
When I agreed to try this challenge I did not know whether I would be able to finish it or not. I have run a lot over the last couple of years but mainly short distances (i.e. less than 10k) and whilst the challenge only requires you to run 6.4 km at a time, the total distance covered is pretty huge in 48 hours.
There were definitely some hard times. I think anyone that does the challenge will go through at least one bad patch, will suffer some stomach issues (eating and digesting enough calories every 4 hours is hard) and some muscle soreness. The weather was also a huge factor as it was so hot and humid in London during the challenge.
At the end of the day, however, the challenge is hard, but doable, and I think that anyone that runs 20k+ per week and isn’t too injury prone has a good chance to finish it. You just have to really WANT to finish it!
Final stats: 77.58 kilometres run in a total time of 7 hours 4 minutes and 7 seconds at an average pace of 5.28 per km.
Here is a breakdown of Matt’s runs from the challenge:
by Mollie Millington | Aug 16, 2020 | exercise, quickie
Light weights would be handy for this workout. Be creative with items you have around the house (such as bottle of water or tins of soup). You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- Jumping jacks/Star jumps for 1 minute. Squats for 1 minute. Walking lunges 1 minute.
1 min- Wall sit
1 min- Overhead tricep extensions (behind your head)
1 min- Wall sit
1 min- Standing fly
1 min- Wall sit
1 min- Hammer curls
1 min- Wall sit
1 min- Dead lift
1 min- Wall sit
1min- Overhead press
Hope you are feeling it in your legs 🙂
by Mollie Millington | Aug 11, 2020 | guest post, running
Today we are back with Matt’s account of the first 24 hours of his 48 hour challenge. You can read about his training for this 4x4x48 challenge here. Come back next Tuesday to read how it all ended.
Run 1: Thursday 25 June @ 8pm
Music: None
First of 12 runs – it was 28 degrees at 8pm but other than it being too hot I felt pretty good. I knew that the key to finishing all 48 miles would be looking after my body so I spent 10 mins on the foam roller before warming up with the skipping rope and stretching before setting off.
Mollie, who had offered to run the first 4am run with me, came to say hi with Maple just before I left and I was joined on the first run by my friend Alex who was keen to be involved but just didn’t think that he could set aside the time to complete the whole challenge with a toddler and pregnant wife at home.
We kept it at a fairly relaxed 5.15 per km pace and chose a loop that had a lot of shade to try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. First run went smoothly but a long way to go.
Pasta with sausage, pesto and spinach and half a carb based hydration drink for dinner then relaxing on the sofa with Jess to wait for midnight and run number 2.
Run 2: Friday 26 June @ 12am
Music: Hot Since 82 essential mix
Same warm up routine but trying not to wake the neighbours with the skipping. As the only run slot that is fully in the dark, I had picked a loop that sticks to main roads but there are not many runners out at this time for good reason. The streets of Leytonstone are an interesting place to be at midnight and I felt very out of place with my head torch and compression leggings. Probably the reason that this was a fairly quick loop.
The actual running felt OK for most of the loop but I started to feel my right hamstring towards the end. 5.07 per km is probably too quick but I wasn’t complaining to be off the streets quickly, especially facing the prospect of a maximum of 2.5 hours sleep before the next one.
A decent stretch, a protein bar and as much water as I could force down in the 10 minutes it took to quickly ice my hamstring; then a very quick shower before bed by 1.10am.
Run 3: Friday 26 June @ 4am
Music: None
So this was where I learned how hard this challenge was going to be. It was very difficult to sleep straight away after returning from a run, especially when it was still 20 degrees outside, super humid and all I could think about was the fact that every second I was awake was time not spent sleeping. When the alarm went off at 3.30am I felt like I had managed only a few minutes of sleep.
Luckily, as I emerged from my house after the same warm up routine, Mollie was standing outside looking much fresher than I felt. Having company, and someone to pace me, was very welcome.
We ran down Forest Gate high street, up to Manor Park and back along the top of Wanstead flats. We kept a slower pace of 5.47 per km, which was good because it felt comfortable and exactly what I needed after the lack of sleep.
My hamstring felt better but I still iced it when I got back. I made some toast with the new Marmite Peanut Butter Crunchy (delicious) but was conscious not to eat too much as I wouldn’t be able to digest it properly before the next run. Back to bed to try to sleep again for a couple of hours.
Run 4: Friday 26 June @ 8am
Music: Hot Since 82 essential mix (continued)
Again, a combination of the running, the heat and the need to be asleep meant that I lay awake for quite a while before drifting off. I have no idea how much sleep I actually got, but it was little enough that my FitBit didn’t pick it up.
Toughest run yet, but then again you’d expect them to get progressively harder. Main issue was that it was so humid. It had rained between run 3 and run 4 and the ground was wet, so I avoided the trails through Wanstead Flats and mainly ran around the outside of the flats. I started to feel my quads tightening up a bit about halfway through this loop. I had hoped this wouldn’t happen until a bit later in the challenge but I knew I hadn’t really done enough long training runs to really avoid it.
After I finished my run I walked the 500m from where I’d finished back to the house and on the way passed my partner, Jess, going out for a morning walk around the flats before work. This perked me up a bit after a tough slog. Porridge with banana, honey and walnuts and time to relax on the sofa.
Run 5: Friday 26 June @ 12pm
Music: Arctic Lake
I managed to relax for an hour or so but didn’t want to stiffen up, so I wandered very slowly down to the bakery (250m away) to get coffee and some ice pops. The heat was still rising….this run was going to be really hot.
I drank some high carb hydration fluid before going out and set off at a steady pace. I was aiming for 5.45 per km but I couldn’t stop myself running at more like 5.20 per km! It feels counterintuitive to run slowly when all you are thinking about is the run being over. Same loop as Run 1 as it offers the most shade.
When I got back I made some rice with chicken and soy sauce and a water bottle with salt dissolved in it. I was very conscious of the amount of fluid I was losing on the runs so tried to replenish as best as possible.
I’d managed to rope my sister into coming on the next run, so she came round about 3pm and we sat in the garden. I sat in the shade and tried to move as little as possible but it wasn’t long before it was time to start warming up again. 4 hours comes around quickly!
Run 6: Friday 26 June @ 4pm
Music: None
I told my sister that we needed to be sensible and asked her to pace us at somewhere between 5.45 and 6.00 per km. My FitBit decided to glitch and showed a pace of 4.40 per km for the first 2 km which was clearly wrong, but luckily my sister’s apple watch was keeping more accurate time and distance. We ran the same route again to get some shade so by now I could tell you the exact finish point anyway.
She did a pretty good job of pacing and we averaged 5.42 per km. It was still incredibly hot though and my left quad started to tighten up a lot as we ran. We survived though and when we got back we decided to break out the ice pops I’d bought earlier as we sat in the shade in my garden.
Curious about how Matt stayed fueled during this challenge? Here is his eating strategy:
by Mollie Millington | Aug 9, 2020 | exercise, quickie
Some of the exercises today require a resistance band, Pilates ring, or dumbbells. Be creative and use items from around the house (such as a bungee cord, pillow, or cans of soup). You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm Up– Skip rope for 3 minutes (you can pretend by jumping up and down if rope not available) or until you break out into a light sweat.
1 min– Step forward to lunge and lift arms in front of you from your sides to chest height as knee drops. Step back to your starting position. Repeat with other leg.
1 min– Forward looking twist- Keep hips and gaze straight forward. Hold a ball or pillow with arms straight in front of you. Twist torso left to right (keeping arms as straight as you can) but keep looking forward and hips facing forward. Envision your ribs sliding back and forth and feel your abdominals working.
1 min– Chest squeeze- Hold a Pilates ring, pillow, or ball in front of your chest. Push your hands against the ball to work your pectoral muscles.
1 min– Bicep curl- Using a resistance band under your foot, dumbbells or soup cans, keep elbows by your side and bend elbow bringing hands up. Fully extend arms and repeat.
1 min– Lateral raise- With band under your foot or weights in your hands, raise arms out to the side to create a letter ‘T.’ Bring arms down back to sides and repeat.
1 min– Push/Press up on railing, counter, wall, or regular on the ground.
1 min– Calf raises- Stand with balls of feet on the edge of a low step. Lift yourself up to be on your toes and then lower down so heels hang off of step. This can be done on the ground too by standing up on your toes and coming back to the ground.
Short one today but you should still feel the burn.
by Mollie Millington | Aug 7, 2020 | outdoors, product review, travel
Travelling is one of my passions. Living in the UK, I have been very lucky to explore much of Europe and even further afield due to my husband being a lecturer. Covid has ruined all the travel plans we had for this year, and possibly next year too. The walls of our flat were starting to become very tiresome during UK lockdown when we couldn’t even think of leaving our home, let alone London. Luckily, things have improved slightly and we have been able to explore the numerous options for a staycation in the UK.
The Field Studies Council (FSC) was founded in 1943 as a place to allow school children to study living plants and animals in their natural environment. Today, they aim to “create a world where everyone feels connected to the environment so they can enjoy the benefits it gives and make choices that help protect it.” As someone who loves spending time outdoors and is very interested in saving the planet, I was excited to learn about them this year. They have 29 centres all over the United Kingdom, at which visitors can take courses on natural history, art, leisure, and secondary school courses. Eleven of their sites, covering England, Wales and Scotland, are now open for the public to stay at at least through mid-October (depending on local government advice) for time away with friends or family. To help share the news about their accommodation being available to everyone (normally it is school groups that stay, but Covid has prevented these from going ahead), FSC invited myself and my husband for a complimentary two night stay to experience some of what their centres have to offer. The only centre to allow dogs is in Scotland, so we had to leave Maple at home (which ended up being fine as I had the best night sleep ever there).
James loves maps and is the driver in this duo so I let him choose which site we went to. He chose Flatford Mill in Suffolk. Only one hour by train from Stratford station in East London, Flatford Mill is between Colchester and Ipswich. Initially, we were going to drive as we wanted to bring my SUP and James’s bike but car hires were expensive. The train was very easy apart from booking a taxi from the train station to Flatford Mill centre. The visitors information we received when booking did say to arrange transport ahead of time. However, I waited until we were on the train and had to call several taxi companies. (Be warned, there are no Ubers in the area!) The centre is a 2 mile walk or run from station for those who are up for it and travelling light. James cycled and I took our luggage and SUP in a taxi (which was about £10).
FSC Flatford Mill is comprised of several buildings, one of which is Willy Lott’s cottage as made famous by Constable’s Hay Wain (spoiler alert: we stayed in this cottage). The buildings are old and rooms designed for school groups, so I would describe the rooms as hostel-style. Because of Covid, all available FSC rooms offer either en suite bathrooms or you will have a bathroom assigned to your room, which is really nice. Our room had five single beds, a separate (very small) shower stall, a sink in the room itself, and then a bathroom with sink too which meant if there were more than the two of us, we could all be getting ready at the same time. Each bed had a lamp above it too but I would always recommend packing a head torch to be considerate to your roommates. Our room also had a large set of dresser drawers and tea/coffee making equipment. Luckily, we are not very tall, as the room had very low ceiling because it was built in the 1600s. Most of the lower bits were padded as a precaution. Overall, the room was basic (no TV or radio) but also clean and warm. All bedding and one towel per person is provided. Paper towels and hand soap are available in the toilet but you need to bring shampoo, conditioner, soap for the shower, etc.
All bookings can be made on Booking.com and the price includes a takeaway breakfast. Pricing for Flatford Mill starts at £27/night/person or £72/family of four/night. For breakfast, you could chose either a sausage and egg sandwich with hash brown (vegan sausage available) or continental (yogurt, cereal, croissant). Each breakfast comes with tea or coffee (even though you have kettle and coffee machine in your room). Other locations might have their canteens open, depending on local government advice. We found it a bit awkward to eat on our beds but if the weather was better, we would have eaten outside. FSC aims to be as sustainable and local as possible. Packaging is recyclable or compostable. There are recycling bins everywhere and food is locally sourced. For those looking to stay in touch with social media, there is excellent WiFi available throughout the site. We never had a problem logging on or with the reception.
Flatford Mill has many paths and fields for walking or running. The Stour River is right next to the site, so I brought my inflatable stand up paddleboard and was able to explore the river while James went on a long bike ride. The river was very busy by Dedham, with lots of families in hired row boats, inflatable kayaks, more SUP boards and people swimming in the river. I even saw a few people fishing, although I am not sure if they caught anything with all the people going by. Everyone on the water was very friendly and was great at sharing the river. At the Dedham lock, I took my board to the other side of the lock and continued on for another 30 minutes. There was much less traffic and it was still beautiful. I would have gone out SUP’ing again on the second day but it looked like it was going to rain, so James and I went for a 5K walk instead.
The Flatford Mill centre is 1.8 miles away from the local town, East Bergholt. Depending on how fast you walk, it can take 30-40 minutes to get into town through fields (some uphill) and then a small neighbourhood. Going out for dinner was the only time I wish we had a car but we had gorgeous weather on Friday and Saturday night so we didn’t mind walking. There are two pubs and we ate dinner at them both (this was just as restaurants were allowed to open up, so it was our first experience eating out). The menus were quite similar, with jacket potatoes, sandwiches, chilli, lasagne, and nightly specials. Everyone, both staff and locals, were friendly. There is also a Co-Op in town should you need anything during your stay. We brought lots of snacks because I really like snacks and we weren’t sure where we would get lunch from. It turns out there is a National Trust cafe right next to the FSC Flatford Mill centre, which offers sandwiches, scones, desserts, and cream teas. Again, due to Covid, their operations were a bit different with take away only but there was lots of outdoor seating along the river as well as grass if you wanted a picnic. We were told it is normally one of the busiest National Trust cafes in the UK. There was always a steady flow of people taking photos at the pond and people coming in and out of the cafe but it never felt overwhelmingly crowded.
I really enjoyed our weekend there. It was close enough to London to head out after work on Friday and still arrive with sunlight and time to explore the local fields. The landscape is completely different to urban London too- green and quiet with a few cows and sheep dotted in. Even if I couldn’t SUP, I would still go to decompress and get back to nature. A few things I would suggest packing (depending on what outside activities you enjoy are) are:
- mask and hand sanitiser (hopefully this is automatic now!)
- walking shoes/boots/trail shoes in case it is muddy
- swim suit for water sports or wild swimming
- sunscreen
- reusable water bottle and snacks as there are limited shops
- bike lock if you bring your bike in case you cannot store in your building
- head torch for walking home from pub
- rain jacket or umbrella (This is England, after all)
- a good book or deck of cards in case it rains
We are going camping in Slapton Sands in a few week’s time and will visit their Slapton Key site. Unfortunately, we will have Maple so won’t be able to stay overnight. If you have any other questions about FSC or Flatford Mill in particular, leave a comment below and I will do my best to answer. Or if you have ever been to a FSC site, let me know which one you visited and what you learned while you were there (there are even a few in London).
Thanks to Field Studies Council for the complimentary weekend. All opinions are honest and our own (as James weighed in on some). Check out my Instagram to see more photos from the weekend.
by Mollie Millington | Aug 4, 2020 | guest post, running
Lockdown has inspired many people to start running. With the gyms closed, no team sports allowed, and lots of sunshine, many people took to their feet. Running is one of the most accessible and affordable sports out there. All you needs is a pair of shoes (not even these in some cultures) and to walk out your door.
One of the members of my local gym, Matt, used to spin with me but during lockdown, he started lifting more weights at home and invested in a Peloton bike (but that is another blog post). He also started running. Even before lockdown, Matt had started watching YouTube videos about ultras and learned the names of all the big runners (see below). I kept joking with him that he was going to run an ultra soon, and he always denied it was going to happen.
And then it did.
Over the next three weeks, read about Matt’s first race experience- a 4x4x48 challenge. He voluntarily ran four miles every four hours for 48 hours, totally 48 miles (he didn’t even want a medal for it). In this series, Matt explains how he trained, and what happened on Day 1 and Day 2.
Prep work- 6 weeks out
For a couple of years, me and my friend Ben have been growing more inspired by endurance athletes. I am in awe of what some people can achieve; whether it’s Courtney Dauwalter winning the Moab 240 (238 mile race through the Moab desert), beating all of the men, or Jim Walmsley breaking the Western States 100 course record two years in a row or Zach Bitter running 100m in 11 hrs 19m (that’s an average pace of 6.48 per mile /4.14 per km).
Another who falls into that category is David Goggins; an ex-Navy seal, Delta Force, US ranger and ultra runner who has a reputation for being a savage. I have listened to several podcasts in which he talks about his approach to callusing his mind and pushing through pain – he is genuinely so inspiring. When the world entered lockdown due to Covid-19, he set everyone a challenge: run 4 miles, every 4 hours for 48 hours!
Ben immediately asked me if I wanted to give it a go, but on first thought I dismissed it straight away as being crazy. However, over the next two weeks I thought about it a bit more and started to convince myself that it could be doable. I was running four 5km runs per week and had been focusing more on trying to run fast but figured with 4.5 weeks training I could up the mileage a bit and give it a good go. So we took the plunge and set a date, 25 – 27 June.
Training
4.5 weeks didn’t feel that long to prepare and it was difficult to know the best way to approach it. There isn’t a lot of advice out there on how to train for such a specific challenge, so I decided to go with a combination of increased mileage (to prepare my legs for the total distance) and multiple shorter runs (to replicate the need to run every 4 hours). Broadly this was structured as 2 weeks of 10-12k runs, a week of 2 a day 6.5k runs, a triple and then just less than a week of rest.
Going from approximately 20k per week to almost 45k per week was probably too much, too quickly and as I trained for the challenge I started to feel a recurring soreness in my right hip. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was but it could have been some tendinitis. Regardless of what it was, I just hoped that when I rested for several days then it would sort itself out (which luckily it did).
I enjoyed the training and having something to train for made a really nice change to just exercising for the sake of it. Doing 2 a day 6.5k runs was not particularly difficult and even the day I ran three times wasn’t too difficult. What I learned was that it was going to be important to warm up properly and stretch to avoid injury.
Thanks again to Matt for sharing some of his story. Check back next week for how Day 1 went.
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