Run
TravelGrow
|
The London Marathon 2017 | Race Re-cap!  So I ran my second London Marathon on Sunday 23rd of April 2017.
It was my third marathon. And it was a beaut - we thank God! (Grab a cuppa, let's get into it!) Last year, I towed the start line with so many questions in my head:
I was taking a big risk it felt: pushing my body to its limits (possibly) and making my mind up about this whole long-distance running thing. Well, at the end of that race, I was hooked! I had run throughout and I was so carried by the crowds that I made 3:42 and some change! I was estatic! And of course, I wanted another chance to do it again. Imagine my delight to find out that my time was "Good-for-age" for my age-group and I could enter without relying on the ballot (read, very unlikely) or charity places (I'm not so good at fundraising). The fundraising is something I have to work on but...not for now! lol! So I booked my next marathon after a few more half-marathons and went off to Athens. You can read that amazing race re-cap here - it is the Original Marathon after all. This year's marathon training was not a walk in the park! I also had something to prove - to myself, really. I wanted to beat my last time but also push it down closer to the 3 hour mark! Yes, I am that crazy person!
3 Comments
Hey ladies and gents!
I thought I'd catch you up on my Marathon day journey and what I've been up to since. And what better way than a good ole' chinwag via YouTube? lol! Later! *Lola*  So I've been away from the blog for a while...with good reason! I've been training for a half-marathon! And this morning, I completed it with my friend, Lola aka Africanremy (also has an awesome blog and instagram). Check her out!
So I signed up for this run with only 5 weeks to go before the run. So I got my long distance Nike's on and went for a 15km run! Good! Still got it! Then started training properly! Uzima 2013: Amazing!!! 
This year did not disappoint! I was helping out at the Calabash Hub and going to see the other stalls when I realized that I was dancing aand chatting with old friends from last year's Uzima, and new friends from Youtube! It was a great day! Dancing, drumming, food (aaawww I didn't get any patties!) and friends. Met a very knowledgeable Dermatologist, Dr Donna Thompson and I met the Hairfinity UK promoter: Michael. I also got month's supply of the Hairfinity vitamins to use and review for the blog and my Youtube channel! Yay! Met Pamela of Destiny's Black Ribbon in person and it was like finding my long-lost sister! lol! (Hey gurl!) Finally, I stayed for the evening show to watch a few performances before heading home! It was, as always, a lovely eventful (excuse the pun) day! Next year, maybe I might exhibit alongside the Calabash Hub! lol! Did you ladies and gents have the chance to attend this year? Have you been to any other hair events this summer? How were they? Pictures below! Event | Natural November 2012 
This was not a hair event though there were hair care products and stalls present. It was a healthy lifestyle event with talks for both adults and children. I purchased my tickets online 2 weeks before the event and picked them up at the front desk on the day. It was due to commence at 11am and continue till 7pm.
The Calabash Hub, Almocado, ForeverLiving Aloe Products stall and BeUnique were all there. I walked around the large hall several times before settling on any purchase. There was vegan food also being sold in the dining area which I sampled early in the day. I was really pleased to see the AfroToys stalls with books and toys showcasing black children - especially the cute T-shirt and backpack with a little girl rocking her afro puffs! I was even tempted to learn to play chess: tempted but not quite. I was also helping out at the Calabash Hub stall in between taking pictures of the event. There was a good crowd of people coming in after 2pm once the rain had settled. Ketishia (@SugarKinesis on Twitter and blog of the same name) was present as was Leentora of the Black Hair Diary Blog and Dee of Beautifully and Naturally Made (BnM) Blog. Another mini-reunion for us all! Click "Read More" for more pictures! Rhassoul Clay | A quick profile for the uninitiated!What is Rhassoul Clay?
A gentle but effective beauty clay used for detoxifying, purifying and conditioning skin and hair Origins: Quarry-mined from the Atlas Mountain of Morocco or from lake-side deposits and sun-dried. Used for over 1,400 years by nobility in Ancient Rome and Egypt. Rhassoul Clay consists of: •Silica- 58% •Magnesium- 25.2% •Aluminium- 2.47% •Iron- 0.64% •Sodium- 2.3% •Calcium- 2.34% •Moisture- <8% Source What it looks like? Initially a brown polished soap-like rock /lump. Micronized to a silken, smoother earth texture. A light gray colour (untreated) as a powder. It is Smetic (swells when water is added) (Source) Makes a fine, smooth paste with water added. Claims: –Used in Ancient Rome and Egypt as a soap, shampoo and skin conditioner. –Improves skin elasticity, clarity and firmness. –Removes dead skin cells, improving smoothness. –Removes surface oil on skin. Source1 and Source 2 How to mix it: Uses Face –Mix 1 tsp with water/rosewater (anti-inflammatory) –Leave mixture to hydrate for 5-10 mins –Apply to wet face and leave for 10-15 mins. –Keep damp with water spray or wet fingers. –Rinse with fresh water. Hair –Mix 2 tbsps with lukewarm water (more if needed – I use 60g = 4tbsp) –Form a paste –Apply to hair from roots to tips. –Leave for 20-30 mins with a shower-cap on –Wash out thoroughly. I've added 30mls of Aloe vera juice to this mix before with good results. Other additions I've liked include honey (for moisturizing) and marshmallow root-infused water (for extra detangling). How I found it on my hair? –I only need a little amount to get the job done. –Easy to make a smooth paste! –It really detangles my hair (gives slip): as I rinse each section, I detangle with my fingers. –Hair is soft and smooth from root to tip. –I’ve stuck with this every 1-2 months since first trying it! Facials | Skincare at home! So I decided to try my hand at a homemade facial scrub!
I've bought some facial scrubs in the past (as a teen) and HATED them. The bits were too small and I always had grit in my eyes afterwards. Uuurgh! Anyhu, today I got some Epsom salts on my expedition to a BSS (Beauty supply store to the un-initiated) and thought I'd google a recipe or two. In the end though, I just grabbed some salt and an oil I like for my hair and went for it! Ingredients of my mix: 1/2 tablespoon of Epsom Salts 1 teaspoon of Rapeseed oil What I found: It was nice! Better than that, even. The bits were good-sized so no tiny grit for my eyes. I applied the mix with the pads of my fingers (of course avoiding my eyes) and gave a good (gentle) scrub to my cheeks and forehead. Then I rinsed with my Witch foaming face wash. One rinse only and I am happy with the results. Smooth skin, not irritated and ready for night-time moisture. I use my Bare Minerals Face Cream with 3 drops of Rosehip oil (the latter of which seems to be fading my hyperpigmented areas nicely). That's my DIY for now! (Ps: the coconut milk/avocado hair treatment was DIVINE! Left it on overnight and had the softest hair out there! - proper post to follow soon). Update | 2012 and on we go! Happy New Year!!!! Well, now that's out of the way. This year, I'll be keeping up two Youtube channels and this lovely blog, by God's grace. On one channel, will be a fashion, skin and make-up channel. On the other, my hair care journey continues. In truth, I was going through an old computer to compile pictures to make a video on my hair journey! Be ready for lots of scraggly haired pics! lol! However, as I scrolled through the pics, I also realized my skincare journey is also on these same pics. Acne is a dirty word to me but, alas, it's been a reality since I turned 14! It seemed to calm down a bit around age 21-22 then returned with a vengeance with a change in climate: UK Autumn to Californian Summer! Needless to say, that was when I started wearing make-up! There is only one slight advantage to acne...it makes you look younger than you are....16, say! I was not pleased to be carded for it though. I won't bore you with the details but suffice it to say, very little has worked on my skin. What does work, there is a time limit to how long you can use it. These thoughts were still dancing in my head when I saw this video by Shannon from ThoseGirlsAreWild. See what you think? My new (second) channel is NewAfricanQueen and it should be up-and-running in a couple of weeks, God-willing!
Healthy hair: healthy body!  Source linked to image I think it's time I shared the strides I've madce on my healthy body challenge. i did not challenge myselfe to anything specific nor any amazing feats of physical endurance. i just wanted to be able to run without feeling completely wiped after 5 mins.
In fact, it started with me trying to keep up with the efforts of a friend of mine. She and I had run a 5K last May (at my instigation then). To be honest, on the day, we walked and ran. This year, we wanted to run a 10k at the end of Summer 2011. ***Mini-confession: the reason I wanted to run last Summer had more to do with boosting hair growth through exercise, than my personal fitness....the shame!*** She promptly joined a running club and before I knew it, was running 4 miles! I was taken aback because I knew I was nowhere close to that even after training last year! I quickly did some reseach: the upshot was I could not join a running club due to work and geographical conflicts. This was when providence - read 'God' - stepped in. I found a phone app that helped to track how far and fast I'm running. I remembered a work colleague's advise about a running club: "they will teach you to run slowly enough, so you can run longer". I tested the waters with a couple of walks around my work area. it worked wonderfully. (The app is called 'Runtastic' for those who are curious). I started running - well, jogging very slowly - the same week. I managed 4km in just over 30 mins. I was pleased with that. The next week, I managed 2 such runs. Within the next 2 weeks I was up to running 5kms up to 4 times a week. That was 3 months ago. As we speak, I run 5km 3 times a week and 10-15km on the weekend. I would have laughed if anyone said I could do a 10km run by myself! The best bit is: I'm now training - slowly but surely - for a half-marathon instead. What's the moral of my story here: If you start where you are, you'll probably surprise yourself with what you can achieve! |
LolasCurls
 Hey there!
I'm Lola - a hair obsessed doctor who stumbled into running long distances and baking all the cupcakes. I blog about life, running and of course, hair! I'm an AltraRunCrew sponsored Athlete and a "RADRabbit" with Rabbit athletic gear, so I will do the occasional running shoe review. For business enquires, email me at [email protected] I do not own the copyright to all the pictures so I will credit the source, where that is the case. Categories
All
  Hair length chart |
RSS Feed
