Tommie Copper Garments Keep The Captain Warm While He Runs

Several weeks ago The Captain received a nice package from Jordan at Tommie Copper... he opened it and found one of their men's compresion shirts inside.  I had been wanting him to try one after my own love affair with a compression shirt began post eye surgery in October, where I had to sit or lie face-down for 4 days afterward...  You can read that account here if you like.

The Captain loves /likes to will run with me, but our winters here are often wet and cool and very dreary.  His biggest complaint when we run on cool days is that his back gets cold... then he tenses up his muscles and they get stiff and sore.  I thought that a Tommie Copper compression shirt, with its patented copper-infused yarn might help his back muscles recover more quickly.... but what we soon discovered was that if he wears his compression shirt while he is running, that it keeps his back warm  and he doesn't need any recovery.

Instead of wearing a tee made of a technical moisture-wicking fabric, on cooler days The Captain wears his Tommie Copper compression shirt under a long-sleeved tee and a light jacket... the copper-insfused fabric keeps his back warm and he is a happier runner. It is so soft and so light that it is a pleasure to wear and it looks darn good too!

He also really loves the knit cap that Jordan sent to me earlier, too.  It is made from the same light and soft copper-infused fabric as the shirts.  This cap sheds raindrops and is just right for our cool winter outdoor runs and and walks.

Happy Captain sporting grizzly winter beard!

In Canada we call this style of hat a 'toque' (sounds like kook)! 

Tommie Coppe is the leader in innovative copper compression wear designed to be comfortably worn all day and all night by anyone looking for relief from everyday aches and pains, chronic pain, or relief from sports injuries. 

We both love our copper-infused compression garments... within minutes of putting them on there is a noticeable change in blood flow which makes us feel warmer and more at ease.

Thanks again to Jordan for working with us and for supporting The Captain's efforts as we train for our first half marathon race over the next several weeks.

Please visit the Tommie Copper web site for more information at www.tommiecopper.com.

The garments were supplied by Tommie Copper at no cost to us, and the opinions expressed are 100%our own.

Elle and The Captain

The Day's Run, the Week in Review and Hats off to Cappuccino LARABARS!

Today The Captain and I wrapped up week #1 of our half marathon training with a 3 mile run.  I promised him a new route today, and so this morning I sat down with classic Mapmyrun and selected a 3 mile route down a looooong steep hill from our street, and over a pedestrian walkway above the highway, into a neighborhood we don't know very well... it looped and twirled and then came back across the overpass and up the looooong steep hill.

What a I really didn't know was that all of the streets I routed us along in the unknown neighborhood were hilly, too.  Up and down and up and down and up and down we went... the whole 3 miles.  But I was really happy that we didn't take any walk breaks and that we completed it in just seconds over 38 minutes!

W2 R38 W3
stretch 5 minutes

We came in and shared a banana while we drank water and stretched.  And then, after changing in to dry clothes, we sat down with coffee to share one of the new LARABARs that I received earlier this week.

This lovely package arrived a few days ago and it has been very difficult for me not to dig right in...

4 Cappuccino LARABARs and a nice Holiday Greeting card

We shared just the one and it was a perfect snack... sweet, nutty and a really lovely coffee flavor.  I think a big glass of cold milk would go well with them too.

My week in review:

Sunday

• 5 km virtual Resolution Run
• stretch 5 minutes

Monday

• Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, level 1
• stretch 5 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2 women's sculpt
• Biggest Loser 2 men's sculpt
• Biggest Loser 2 cool
• walk 2.5 miles

Tuesday

• Pilates for Dummies Basic Mat
• WW low impact aerobics
• Leslie Sansone 2 mile walk/tone

Wednesday

• BL Power Sculpt levels 1 and 2
• BL Power Sculpt cool
• Madeleine Lewis walk 1,2 and 3
• Madeleine Lewis cool and stretch

Thursday

• 5 km run
• stretch 5 minutes

Friday

• walk 1 mile

Saturday

• 3 mile hills run
• stretch 5 minutes

Keeping My Scheduled Workouts!

Last week I had a couple of days where I barely moved because my lower back was sore.

This week I have been making up for it!  Since the beginning of the year I have been working out faithfully, getting in my strength sessions and my core work and doing my planned runs for our first week of half marathon training... not necessarily in the planned order, however.

We did a planned 5km Resolution Run on Sunday, January 1st.

Then on Monday I did a strength workout with some cario intervals and we went for a nice walk.

Tuesday I did a Pilates mat session and some low impact aerobics.

We had scheduled a 3 mile run for Wednesday.... but it rained all day.  And I mean RAINED ALL DAY!  There was no way either of us was going out in that mess... so I did a strength workout that seemed to concentrate on leg work and then we did an indoor weighted walk/jog workout. Yes, I really said JOG... don't know what else to call this prancing/running/bouncing thing!

Today when we got up it was not raining, however we had morning appointments.  Then, afer lunch I spent almost 3 hours in a live chat session with a Norton/Symantecs analyst (two of them actually... I wore one out and he turned me over to his supervisor) who was able to take over my pc controls and get my new Norton software running correctly.  ARGGGGH!

So, it was after 3 p.m. by the time we got on our running gear and got outside.  It had been raining off and on again all day but we were both determined to go anyway, and for the most part, we lucked out and only managed to have to contend with minor sprinkling and lots of puddles... with only a cool breeze.  Not ideal, but hey, it IS January and not freezing.

We both overdressed, and halfway through I was ready to ditch my jacket and my gloves and my cap... I hate caps anyway, but wore one today to keep the top of my head warm... along with my earband to keep my ears warm.  I think my plans to post more pics of myself on this blog in 2012 just may have gone out the window!

So we did the same 5 km route that we ran on Sunday.... In 1.5 minutes more. I am blaming that on the extra clothes. 

W2 R 38 @10/1 W4
stretch 5 minutes

The pumpkin banana smoothies I made for us to have while we stretched made it all worthwhile!

I have a 3 mile run scheduled for Saturday.... and have promised The Captain a new route.

Have you been working out or running much since January 1st?

Did you make any resolutions that you have already broken?

My Half Marathon Training Schedule

I thought I would post our half marathon training schedule so that anyone who would like to, can offer some feedback, or suggestions, or other comments.  Please feel free to be brutally honest.  I am  new at this and we are preparing for our first half marathon race.  It is on May 13th and I think I have given us ample time to prepare.

It is a schedule I made up after having looked at a few others.  I felt I had to draw up my own because I only want to run 3 times a week and I couldn't find one that met that requirement.  Because it is my first half, my goal is to complete it.

I have scheduled our long runs on Saturdays, with the thought that they could be done Fridays or Saturdays, depending up on the weather conditions at the time. 

And I have built a couple of fall-back weeks into it, as well.

I have been advised by someone who has run several halfs and who is a coach, that there is no need to run longer than 11 miles, for a first-timer.  Apparently running more than that leads more readily to injury or illness.  Who wants that?



Sundays will be planned REST days.  We can do anything for fun, or nothing at all, if that is what we choose... and during the week we will be doing CROSS-TRAINING... which means WALKING, STRENGTH TRAINING, CORE/PILATES and perhaps some BIKING or HIKING.  There could also be some GOLF thrown in for good measure... and yard work which means raking and shovelling.

I am pretty excited about it all and want to give a huge THANK YOU to Sara who writes Words to Run By for all the advice she has given me and all the hand-holding she has already done.

So, in keeping with that... today I did a strength workout that also involved some core work:

• 30 Day Shred, level 1- 20 minutes
• 30 Day Shred cool/stretch - 5 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2, womens' sculpt - 10 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2, men's sculpt - 10 minutes
• Biggest Loser 2, cool/stretch - 5 minutes
• walk outdoors 1.5 miles

All in all I think we are off to a good start!

Welcoming 2012

Today not only starts the New Year, but also our half marathon training... I scheduled a 5km virtual event to kick it off.... the Resolution Run as laid out by Amanda on her blog Run to the Finish.

Our original plan was to run after lunch... but The Captain checked the Weather Channel at 10:30 a.m. and declared that it was already as warm as it was going to get today... only 4°C , which is about 39°F.  So, we got into our warm running gear, put on our race bibs, took a couple of pictures...

and off we went...

We ran a familiar 5 km route around this hilly neighborhood we are currently living in, and it was so great to be out!  It was actually a pretty nice morning and there were lots of people out walking and running.   One woman we passed by, who was walking her dog, said to us "Oh resolutions.  Only 365 more to go."  I laughed and waved... guess she thinks I am going to run every day.  Hah!  I am not.

When we ran through an area protected from the chilly breeze that was blowing, I removed my headband and gloves and put them in my jacket pocket, and then removed my jacket too, and tied it around my waist... so nice to be able to do that when I have no water bottle attached to me.

We did 10/1 run/walk intervals and I had to remind The Captain to walk faster during the walk intervals and to run slower during the run intervals.  Yes, I am going to really enjoy being our Coach as well as his running partner during our half marathon training!

As we ran up the last hill, I slowed down A LOT and had to really encourage myself to keep running and not stop to walk... but I made it and I was really happy to round the corner at the top of the hill to run a couple of more blocks of straight and level road.

We completed the 5 km in 36.5 minutes and I am happy with that!

W2 R36.5 @10/1 W4

stretch 5 minutes

When we came indoors, I drank 2 large glasses of water before starting our smoothies... a banana, vanilla yogurt, skim milk and cinnamon for The Captain... and the same with blueberries for me.

I drank it right out of the blender jar while I stretched!

A great start to the New Year and to our half marathon training.

How did you welcome 2012?