My running shoe journey

Hello!

So, I've never really classed myself as a 'runner' until recently. If you saw my gym challenge post you'll know that I've been trying to rack up the miles over the month of April in order to complete a marathon as it were (just bit by bit).

Taken from www.twenga.co.uk

Since starting my fitness journey in June 2012, I've come on leaps and bounds. I look back at what I was like in the beginning and I literally would be struggling for breath after about 2 minutes on the treadmill!

When I ramped up my exercise regime to near on everyday, after a month into starting out, I realised I would need some proper footwear to help avoid problems such as shin splints, knee pain etc...which can come from wearing the wrong shoes when working out.

Way back in July I did a post about upgrading my trainers...I can't believe I actually worked out in these...

They're pretty much as flat as you can get! No support whatsoever!

I headed over to my local sports store and got tested on the treadmill to see how my feet land etc whilst running. I would really advise having this done because it means you know what training shoe is the best for you in terms of support.

My result was a fairly neutral left foot, with a over-pronating right foot. This basically means my ankle rolls inwards slightly when it lands. Consequently I left the shop with...

A pair of Adidas running shoes. Unbelievably in a size 7...when I usually take a 5 in shoes!
The colour wasn't to my liking but...if they did the job then hey ho! And then a pair of insoles to help with my over-pronation! However, wrongly, I was advised to only wear the insole in my right foot...So for a little while I wasn't wearing them correctly.

Quick to follow came my blister complaint post. As I got fitter I naturally started to 'up' my treadmill usage and when I became able to run comfortably for 5-10 minutes straight I got really excited and quite proud! :)

However with this increased run time came the sheer burning pain on the inner arches of my feet, although the right foot was always severely worse. Convinced the insole was adding to the issue I removed it but found the blisters still reared regardless.

Having paid somewhere in the region of £60 for the trainers and insoles I headed back to the store unhappy and in exchange left with a new £70 pair of Asics.

The Asics brand are designed to help with over-pronation and generally support most runners' feet so I was confident they would resolve my issues.

Sadly, they didn't and although they were much better than the Adidas ones, they were still causing me painful inner arch blisters right up until this Saturday!

Now at the peak of my fitness, I am able to run for much longer periods of time (30+ mins) but this  is always cut short by the sheer pain of the blistering...usually occurring at around 15-20mins into a run.

Nearing the end of my marathon gym challenge, I was getting fed up of my skin being ripped apart quite franky and getting frustrated because my heart wanted to continue running but my feet wouldn't let me!

Sunday I returned to the store and possibly spent over an hour trying on different brands of footwear and running on the treadmill to test them out! This time both my feet were slightly over-pronating but again my right foot was definitely the biggest culprit.

This time I left the store with a pair of Saucony's! Apparently these are very highly regarded in the running world, featured in the running mags and what not.

Amazingly I also found myself a right bargain, with these beauties reduced from £90 to a mere £30! Result!

And the verdict?!

Well...I don't want to jinx myself but having tried them out last night...so far, so good AMAZING! I managed to complete a 3 mile run in 26 minutes (which isn't a brill time but for me it's improving) and I wasn't in agony at any point! I could have ran for longer to be honest but I had to stop for my Core Blimey ab class.

So, yes, I'm pretty happy at the minute knowing I can run without pain :D !!! As for the marathon challenge I only have 1.2 miles to complete so I will do that and more on Wednesday. (Tonight I have spinning and zumba so I can't fit a run in! hehe)

Hopefully I've solved my issues!!! Wish me luck :)

Outfit Combos: Peace leggings

Hello.

So I had a request a while back, over on YouTube, to show how I wear my 'peace' leggings from Boohoo.com. The leggings in my photos have since sold out, however the outfits would work with similar metallic styled leggings or trousers. 

I saw a window of time to do this for you today...so here goes! Hope it gives you a few tips on how to wear patterned leggings. Enjoy.

First up, and perhaps my favourite look with these leggings, is what I shall call 'warm but classy'. The knitwear jumper can be found here at Boohoo for a bargain price of £8!

I've teamed the look with my New Look boots that I feel 'dress' the outfit up a little. I can't locate these exact boots but you'll find a similar pair here for approx. £20-£30.

And for a touch of bling I've added one of my old favourite necklaces. Any long-chained necklace would work ...I like this one.

With Valentine's Day around the corner...why not go for 'cute & casual'.

I just love this jumper from New Look...It's super soft, perfect for the horrible cold weather in the UK atm, and it's at a relatively good price at £24.99.

As for the footwear...I've gone casual with my Apple Bottom high topped trainers/sneakers. These may be tracked down on the likes of eBay but otherwise a nice pair of converse shoes or something similar would work equally well!

Next up, 'a touch of denim'?!

So, denim has been very popular of late and when I saw this lovely shirt in Primark for just £13 I had to get it! I sometimes wear it fastened right up to the collar or open like this, depending on what look I want to create. Worn like pictured, the shirt gives a nice casual look yet I added those New Look boots again to dress it up a bit! Depends on the occasion I guess!

To accessorize, I added this gold coloured bird necklace. I possibly purchased it from Primark but I can't remember?! But any short chained, large 'pendant-ed' necklace would work :)

This outfit has the 'military factor' about it haha! I love this look with the black extenuating the splashes of gold found on the peace leggings, military-styled jacket and leafy waist belt.

The tight black tunic-styled top was originally from Peacocks but it's an old item of clothing so you can't buy this exact one. However if you're struggling to find one, here's an example. Again, I have a feeling the belt was from Peacocks but this one would work well.

As for the military-esque or 'biker' boots they were purchased from a local shop called Put Your Foot In It, I know cute name! But these type of boots are quite popular so you can pick up a pair in most fashion retailers, like River Island, New Look etc.

The jacket I got from my sister with its label reading 'Cotton Club'. No idea what shop this implies?! Let me know if you do...but, type in military jacket into the search bar of most fashion stores and they'll appear...I'm sure!

And last up, 'comfy and casual'.

Again, although featuring my Apple Bottom shoes, converse styled footwear would do the trick!

On top I've gone for a fairly baggy top, sticking with the gold theme, with the gold cross design and studded shoulder pads. The world seems to have gone stud-crazy recently, and I have to say I like it! Love a bit of studdage :) The top's from New Look (I do love their clothing) and from looking online they seem to have updated it, here. Only £15 now!

So there we go...these are some of the ways I wear my metallic leggings! Thanks for reading.

Ellie x