Who I am and where I got to at the beginning of 2015.

My name is Alana Kelly. I'm 25 and live on the east coast of Scotland with my husband Chris. I was originally born in the south of England, Surrey, but moved here in 2005 when I was 16 to live with relatives when my mum passed away from cancer. It’s a lovely place to live, where just a mile from the sea and there are hundreds of hills and walks to go on.  I am one of seven, have two sisters and four brothers from both my Mum and Dad’s side before I was born.  

For most of my life I have been big. Since I could remember I was always a stone heavier than my age. However when I turned 19 the cycle had changed and I was no longer heavier than my age at the time although this wasn't a good thing either but a turning point. My wedding was coming up and I had to lose weight, I had ordered my dress a couple of years prior and it’s a bit on the snug point now. I started to eat healthily and exercise more and the weight came off. I lost around a stone before the wedding and my dress fit perfectly. The honeymoon came and we went away to the highlands, a beautiful place but bad habits set in and I gained some of the weight I had lost back on.  

A couple of months later I saw some unflattering pictures that had been taken when I didn't notice and decided this time I would lose weight for myself. I've become a big believer in the fact that someone has to want to do it themselves; you can’t force anyone to lose weight, show someone what eating in moderation and exercising does and they will want the same to. But bring it up all the time and people will resent you for it. I was lucky that my husband never said a word about my size and has supported me no matter what. I joined a slimming club in Sept 2010, weighing in at 19 st. I lost a stone and half when I decided that I wanted to complete a Race For Life event in memory of my Mum as it was coming up for her 6th year anniversary the next year in 2011. I wanted to do the 5K event but rather than just walk it I wanted to try and jog/run most of it. I started of using the NHS couch to 5K programme. Great programme but the music is something to be desired. Thankfully there are a lot of programmes out there now where you can use your own music. I soon got bored and felt like I could do it myself, so I would run as far as I could, walk for a short while then run again.  

The day of the race came a warm day in June but with motivational music plugged in, off I went. Wow was this event hilly! I had never been to Camperdown Park in Dundee before and most of it was uphill. I had chosen an event that was away from where I lived so not to bump into anyone I knew. I wanted to focus on the race and not what people would think of me. I finished in around 54 mins and was ecstatic that I had completed and raising over £1,284 In memory of Mum.  

After this I didn’t run much until winter came around, I preferred the cooler temps back then. I had a love/hate relationship with running for a while but the achievement I felt after a run was complete won. I signed up for my next challenge, a Half Marathon 13.1 miles Ekk! This time though both my husband and I signed up. We started training again, although separately we understood how each other felt and could encourage one another when needed. It would also be our 7 year anniversary of being together on the day, what better way to spend it?  

Before the race in training I reached 8 miles but felt ready to take the challenge on. I was raising money again in Memory of my Mum and Nan which motivated me to keep going. I was still following the same routine of walk/run ratios and this got me round on the day. The day itself was brilliant, long country roads filled with trees. The half way point was going over the bridge and seeing the river Tay while villagers where out cheering everyone along the way. You then turned into the grounds at Taymouth Castle, it was peaceful in there but a long steep hill was coming up between miles 7 and 9. Once up the hill I stopped and put a plaster on my blister. At this point I had stayed with another woman around my age that hadn’t trained much for the race and was also raising money. We did walk/run ratios together and I said for her to carry on while I stopped. I could have caught up with her but I found it peaceful just myself and the road and I wanted to finish on my own. Soon the marathon runners where on their second lap and passing me, they were amazing cheering other runners on to keep going along the way. I also had great support from back home, everyone was texting and telling me to keep going, my friend Brenda even sent me a recording of her cheering me on.  This helped immensely. I finished in 3hrs and 34mins, exhausted but with a feeling of great accomplishment. I came last but this didn’t discourage me, someone has to and at the end of the day you all ran the same distance. I just wanted to get my money’s worth ;).  Chris finished in 2hrs 15mins, a fantastic time!

During the training of my first half I really got into my fitness and wanting to surround myself with positive influences from the fitness world. I followed a few running and fitness pages, No More Mr Fat Guy, Running GIRL, I Run California, Dan’s Fitness Journey to name a few. All of which helped me in the set-up of my own page, so in May 2013 ‘Gone Bananas For Running’ was born. Because I’ve Gone bananas about running and love it. I wanted a place I could share my training and weight loss without clogging up my personal page as well as being able to connect with other people who already had their own pages, lifestyle changes happening or wanted to get motivated to start. Gone Bananas for Running has been a life saver on many occasions. It’s helped me through a lot and everyone who has followed the page has been nice and full of encouragement, I have only had one negative person in the two years it’s been set up. I’m very lucky as it’s a bit thing to put yourself out there for all to see, especially when you’re not having a great time yourself and things don’t go to plan.  

With a new page came the next event, I was going back to the same Half Marathon and was on a mission to beat last years’ time and also recover better from it. Basically be able to walk a bit more normal the next day ha-ha! This time training went even better and I got up to 10miles in training. I think continuing the running from the previous event helped a lot. Although my weight barely changed only moving up and down a few pound this didn’t get in the way and each run felt better than the last. I felt lighter, stronger and ready for this race knowing what to expect from the previous time. On race day I ran well up until 9 miles and after the hill that felt like forever, when my knee gave up and was hurting badly. I carried on though running where I could and completed the race in 3hrs and 21mins. I had gained a personal best and so did Chris finishing in 2hours and 30secs. They had even more on at the finisher’s zone this time including a certificate with your race time on.

I soon found out that this was because my trainers had lost their support despite me never reaching the rough 500 miles per pair. Due to me being heavier the support had weakened and I got another set a week or so after the race which help me realise this.  Then a bump in the road came literally, I fell over while on a short run in my nice new shoes and sprained my ankle. That pesky gravel where did it jump out from! I was annoyed as I had transitioned from using running to lose weight to wanting to lose weight to better my running. But I never gave up. I went to the doctors and they said I would need 8-10 weeks to rest. I went to a private physiotherapy company, they helped me with stretches and exercises to help heal my ankle along with breaking up the tissue and having ultrasound. I also got a bike trainer for at home and used this to help strengthen my legs. Soon I was allowed to start running again, I was so thankful this as I had already signed up for various 10K’s the next year having wanted to conquer the distance I skipped and also be doing smaller mileage.  

The first 10K race was coming up soon in Buchlyvie on the west coast of Scotland at the end of January 2014. I had also started a different weight loss plan hoping the change would shake up my body which it did and I lost a few more pounds. This race was an out and back route, half a mile on the road and then an old rail track down to the turning point. At one point you would have thought we were doing a tough mudder there was a pool of wet sloppy mud and water as it was raining hard. By the half way point my shins were hurting as I wasn’t used to how hard the trail was going to be despite training on our own rail line route. The half way point came and I was last but as I was reaching the half way point the sun came out and a rainbow appeared in the distance surrounding the hills. It was beautiful! I started running back and one of the marshals kept in line with me on his bike. We chatted along the way; he had hurt his knee and was hoping to get back running soon, we talked about various things and he mentioned other races nearby, I told him I was already signed up for them. This was a most welcome distraction from the pain in my shin. We soon reached the road and I was so grateful to run on pavement. He even shouted at me ‘You were right; you do run so much better on the road, now keep going’. I was grateful I finally looked like I knew what I was doing. I came last again finishing in 1hr, 26mins and 19secs but I won the boobie prize, a wooden spoon. A fab memento when the race didn’t consist of any medals. It pays to come last sometimes and the wooden spoon takes pride of place on my shelf.

I got my first sports massage a few weeks before the next race and WOW do they hurt! But you know you will feel so much better for it after. I was all set for the next race, I kept training well and the weight was falling off again. Both Chris and I completed the Balfron 10K at the end of April, an undulating race but with stunning views across some of the valleys it was all worth it. I even got a PB of 2 mins despite the hills finishing in 1hr 24mins and 24secs.    

I was really enjoying running it had helped me so much mentally, a time when I could process my thoughts, listen to music and feel free from the world. I would often think about my mum especially on those harder runs, I would hear her laugh or the way she shouted my name when it was time to come home when I was out playing as a child. Or I would tune into the music playing and sometimes sing out loud, when no one was around of course but most of all I felt like I was achieving something. This was my own hard work, I was the one putting the effort in and seeing the progress I was making made it worth it.  People can aid you, give you advise give you the tools but if you don’t put the effort in yourself you won’t get anywhere.  

Unfortunately this all changed at the end of May 2014. I got a phone call to tell me that Chris aka Cookie had been involved in a motorbike accident and died. I had grown up with Cookie and his family since I was 11, he had taught me to climb trees and we got up to all sorts as kids. Cookie and his family mean the world to me. He was my best friend and no one could ever replace him. We had always kept in touch, He came to visit for my 18th and when I got married, and his sister was one of my bridesmaids. Whenever I went home to visit it was as though we had never been apart, like I had only seen him yesterday, they welcomed Chris (my husband) into their family and I’m grateful they both got to meet and share some memories. He was a one of a kind guy.

At first running helped me to get out of the house and process my thoughts, some runs I would feel closer to Cookie which I had felt with mum. But it soon became incredibly hard to keep all thoughts out, with it being so raw and old enough to truly understand what losing someone meant I struggled to cope with it all. I couldn’t believe this was happening to his family and friends. I began to resent running, even music didn’t help as every word meant so much more than before or reminded me of a memory, it only made the pain harder to bare. I wasn’t eating right and started to gain weight back. I just couldn’t cope trying to count calories and keep track of runs and how I was doing. Something had to give. The months went by and I completed the races I had planned but not as well as I had hoped, my times got slower, I had gained weight as I was heavier and a few injuries had crept in. I didn’t have time to properly rest apart from one or two weeks here and there as the races were close together. I also didn’t want to let anyone down as I was raising money for Stroke throughout the year and so many had already sponsored me. Once the races died down I took some time off over Dec and the New Year as running was still difficult.  

I knew I needed a plan for 2015, gaining weight and losing my fitness wasn’t going to do anyone any good. How can you help your family or friends in need if you’re not in a healthy position yourself? Sept last year I had signed up for Slimming World in my local town, the group was so welcoming , we weigh in then have a chat as a group about how our week has gone and if we have any bumps to tackle in the next week. It’s all about eating healthy, fresh foods, lean meat, dry pasta, potato, vegetables, fruit, store cupboard staples, your dairy allowance and much more. The best thing is there was no more counting every morse full of food you ate. Something I was in need off. There are only certain things you need to count as part of your Syns that don’t come under your allowances for the day, like choc, crisps, cakes, certain sauces etc. it was a breath of fresh air. They also don’t judge you on your journey, it didn’t matter that for the past few months I have had more bad weeks than I can count. They would help in any way they could. I’m very grateful for that!  

While trying to get myself back on track  I signed us up for two 10k’s this year and some virtual ones form the Will Run For Bling Site. I want to enjoy training as well as being able to spend more time with family and friends either hiking, walking or in general and not fret over missing a crucial run. So came the step up in fitness monitoring and thought it was time to measure my fitness in more ways than one. I invested in an activity monitor. The one I got was great at the time but soon the app it synced to was broken and I couldn’t even sync online to see what I was doing. This was really demotivating. Also the new chest strap technology, using Bluetooth smart, meant it was synching properly to the monitor when I did a bike session as it can’t transfer via skin or in my case fat. So after many a day researching the best ones on the market and reading DC Rainmakers in depth review of the Mio Fuse, I settled on this product and ordered one from amazon. One of the main reasons I ended up picking this monitor was the fact I could check my HR while having it strapped to my wrist. No more chest straps that rubbed me up the wrong way leaving cuts or using Vaseline to the max in order to not cause marks or rubbing. I could also use it to sync to my Garmin while running using ant+ or if I really wanted to use both ant+ and Bluetooth to connect to an app on my phone I could.  

I have had my Mio Fuse for a month now. I’ve only had to charge it the once and I have used it on 4 runs, a few walking and bike sessions as well as all using the all-day activity tracking. It’s really easy to use and I only had to connect it to my phone, no logging onto the lap top to set it up. The app is basic but I have been informed an update is coming soon. You can set up the device to how you want it to be; vibration alerts, and light on when the Mio Fuse is touched during a workout mode, use 3 or 5 HR zone monitoring which you can customize, select what display options you want to see like Time, Distance, Pace, Steps etc. You can also do the same for normal daily tracking in terms of the screen and putting it in lock mode, so you don’t flip between screens if accidentally touched. The device itself is also very light weight despite looking like it might weigh a bit more. It’s comfy and doesn’t scratch when you tighten it during workout mode to ensure the sensor can get your HR.

It’s easy to turn workout mode on with just a hold of the button. It will search for your HR, make sure you stand still while it does this, I learnt that the hard way ha-ha! And in a few seconds it’s displayed along with the colour LED light to signal which zone you are in. Press the button again and of you go your recording your workout. A handy tip is if you find you suddenly don’t want to see a certain screen during a workout but you might have already started it and don’t want to completely end your workout. You can go into the app, deselect that screen to not show any more, save and it will update the Mio. Voila, press go and next time you flip through the screens it will no longer show. To stop a workout you hold down the button and that’s it you’ve completed your workout. Once you sync to the app you will see some stats; the workout zone you were mostly in , average HR, Max HR, time of workout, distance, pace, speed and calories burned. The calorie part confused me on my first workout while synced to my Garmin as it was much higher than the Garmin results. But once I checked another form of checking how many calories I should have burned I was around 100 out. I asked Mio Global on FB and they advised it included both your metabolic calorie burn along with accurate workout burn using your profile set up. So make sure your info is correct within the profile. That’s great as it means I am getting much more accurate data to help me with recovery.  

In the week I watched the Mio videos online where ‘Universal Sports ran a series of videos called, “Race to Recovery”. The series focussed on the importance of using a heart rate monitor to build speed and improve recovery time for people who are training for a half or full marathon’. – (See more at: http://blog.mioglobal.com) the woman who was receiving the training wanted to recover better on her next Half marathon and also run more comfortably during the race. The same things I want to see. On my last run I took my Mio fuse to the next level and actually used the HR zones to guide me rather than using it to simply see my HR. Might as well get my money’s worth. I switched from the 3 zone I had it set to previously to the 5 zones, adjusted some HR levels to what I wanted and headed out. I also had the vibration alert on so each time my HR went into the next zone the Mio would vibrate so I could check where I was and either stay at the same pace or slow down. While running my HR still went to into zone 5 (maximum workout zone) but it was at lower end, which was around 10-15 beats slower than on previous runs. Despite that I was very surprised to find that when it came to finishing the run I still felt energised and recovered so much better. I also noticed I didn’t feel really hot, just warm. Being a heavier runner I tend to find I overheat quickly. Clearly HR zone tracking works and it’s something I plan to keep up to help train my heart to recover quicker.

It’s been a long 9 months but life is slowly getting back on track. My head has shifted mentally and I have a more positive outlook; I am enjoying running and working out again, eating better while following the slimming world plan and my Mio Fuse is pushing me each day, making me push harder than the day before. Using these tools has resulted in a 3lb weight loss this week. I really hope this is a sign of better things to come and with what we have planned this year the Mio Fuse has come along at just the right time.