So thats the end of my first week of 10k training done and I am please and excited to move onto week 2 which sees my mileage upping by 10%.

So thats the end of my first week of 10k training done and I am please and excited to move onto week 2 which sees my mileage upping by 10%.

On my last run I found that I was able to increase my pace and when I got out of breath, I was able to recover on the run.  This is a really good sign as it means I have my form sorted 'FOR NOW'.

Whilst talking about form, I have noticed that I run without my knees raising too much, and when I make an effort to raise my knees my pace increases but the effort does go up.  So my plan is to work on this on my 2nd or 3rd run of each week leaving week 1 for concentrating on the distance.

I will check in next week.

Environmental Portraits

Studio style portraits can be great but so can capturing your children just having fun.  I had a great opportunity today with my children in a rare weekend off.

If you would like something similar please get in touch.

Making WOW affordable

If you are planning a simple wedding and would love to have some professional photography but are being put off by the price I think that our CUP CAKE package could be of interest to you.  

The cup cake package includes the following;

• A pre-wedding consultation
• 90min of Coverage which will include shots before the ceremony,the ceremony itself & some group shots.
• A CD containing approximately 60 copyright free images.
• An Online Gallery to view and share your pictures.

All the above for only £250.00

Please note that a £100 deposit is required on booking and the remaining £150.00 to be paid at the pre-wedding consultation approximately 4 weeks before the big day.


http://www.bristolphotography.org.uk/registry-office-weddings.html

Yeah Snow Gone So I got out for a run.

Finally got out today for a run and tried a new route which turned out to be a bit of a trail run.  In fact I got lost on a few occasions and I am very glad I did it in the day light.  I will be doing this route again because it was run but the next time I will know where I am going!

What not to wear..

My work Polos need replacing this season so I was wondering if I should bother or if I should go for something different for my wedding outfit.

My thinking previously was that it was good for me to look different therefore the poloshirts where good, but now Im thinking I need to smarten up a bit.

So I was thinking about, a white shirt and waist coat, with my company name on the back of the collar.

What do you think? Any other bright Ideas.

Yet another hazard of being a wedding photographer

Ouch! That's a great way to start the day.

http://vimeo.com/51911628

Marketing is Simple.. Don't do it!

In the past few weeks/months I have come to bit of an epiphany with my marketing.
After dipping my toe into advertising and getting caught in the trap of stressing about page views I forgot that I possess the best marketing tool ever, “very happy clients” who are willing to sell me to their friends. Buying this sort of reputation would cost you a fortune, but I have it for free all because my aim is to deliver the best customer service experience and if I continue to do what I’m doing and strive to do it even better then work will find me. More importantly the right work will find me.

Thank you all for your support..

This Month has been a complete write off as far training and diet goes.

I have had so many obstacles this Month all of which were not insurmountable I know but Im not a professional athlete so there is no point putting myself in harms way just to train.

To name a few in the past 4 weeks,

• Ive had tonsillitis
• Xmas
• New Year
• Working away from home
• And snow

I'm not one for making excuses but these things have really just messed me up.  The big Issue at the moment is the snow and dangerous condition of the pavements.  I was really hoping that by today they would be clear but snow flurries last night really screwed that up.  So fingers crossed for Friday.

The plan moving forward is;
Run 3 times a week and increase Mileage by 10% per week until I get to week 10 at 6.6 miles then stick there.  This is all in prep for my 10k on May 5th so I have plenty of time.

	Runs	Miles Per Run	Total Miles	Time
Week 1	3	2	6	28
Week 2	3	2.2	6.6	30.8
Week 3	3	3	9	42
Week 4	3	3.3	9.9	46.2
Week 5	3	4	12	56
Week 6	3	4.4	13.2	61.6
Week 7	3	5	15	70
Week 8	3	5.5	16.5	77
Week 9	3	6	18	84
Week 10	3	6.6	19.8	92.4
Week 11	3	6.6	19.8	92.4
Week 12	3	6.6	19.8	92.4
Week 13	3	6.6	19.8	92.4
Week 14	3	6.6	19.8	92.4

In addition to building up my training this will also give a goal for 2013 a kick in the pants.

Anyway with me luck.

An Introduction

I work full time as an engineer and have been building my photography business in my other time (I would say free time but none of my time is free). Last year I shot 14 Weddings 24 Portrait shoots and lots of other events. And to be honest I think I burned myself out and haven't even picked up my SLR this year. I went to bed last night a little depressed that I've lost my spark for photography. This morning I've taken my cheap SLR and affixed my 50 f1.4 to the front and I am on the look for some personal projects. You could say I have all of the toys but none of the joy at the moment.

Looking to change this ASAP.

Amazing how your attitude toward food changes,

6months ago I would have seen a Steak and thought chips, but now I think new potatoes salad and corn on the cob and it was Lush.

Running postponed due to ice. I know I can use Trax ect but it just too slippery outside and I really don't fancy a broken leg.

Snow fell on Friday and it has been in the minus temperatures ever since.

The pavements are very slippery and really not worth the risk running. Obviously if it continues for a long time I will be forced to do something.

Redbull = A Slow Death By Paddy Gilford, if you drink this crap read this!

I used to drink a lot of this until I cut out a lot of other crap out of my diet. Once I got rid of the rest this just used to make me fill like rubbish and gave me headaches. If you have to drink anything have a coffee. PS drinks like Pepsi Max are the same.

By Paddy Gilford
France & Denmark have banned it from the country...

RED BULL - slow death ...

Do NOT drink this drink anymore!

Pay attention...read everything...

As a public health safety, please pass on this email to all the contacts in your address book especially those with teenage children.

This drink is SOLD in all the supermarkets IN OUR country and our children ARE CONSUMING IT ON A TRIAL BASIS. IT can be FATAL.

RED BULL was created to stimulate the brains in people who are subjected to great physical force and in stress coma and never to be consumed like an innocent drink or soda pop.

RED BULL IS the energizer DRINK that is commercialized world-wide with its slogan: "It increases endurance, awakens the concentration capacity and the speed of reaction, offers more energy and improves the mood. All this can be found in a can of RED BULL, the power drink of the millennium."

RED BULL has managed to arrive in almost 100 countries worldwide. The RED BULL logo is targeted at young people and sportsmen, two attractive segments that have been captivated by the stimulus that the drink provides.

It was created by Dietrich Mateschitz, an industrialist of Austrian origin who discovered the drink by chance. It happened during a business trip to Hong Kong , when he was working at a factory that manufactured toothbrushes.

The liquid, based on a formula that contained caffeine and taurine, caused a rage in that country. Imagine the grand success of this drink in Europe where the product still did not exist, besides it was a superb opportunity to become an entrepreneur.

BUT THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS DRINK IS ANOTHER THING

FRANCE and DENMARK have just prohibited it as a cocktail of death, due to its vitamin components mixed with GLUCURONOLACTONE ' - a highly-dangerous chemical, which was developed by the United States Department of Defense during the sixties to stimulate the moral of the troops based in VIETNAM, which acted like a hallucinogenic drug that calmed the stress of the war.

But their effects in the organism were so devastating, that it was discontinued, because of the high index of cases of migraines, cerebral tumors and diseases of the liver that was evident in the soldiers who consumed it.

And in spite of it, in the can of RED BULL you can still find as one of its components: GLUCURONOLACTONE, categorized medically as a stimulant. But what it does not say on the can of RED BULL are the consequences of its consumption, and that has forced a series of WARNINGS...

1. It is dangerous to take it if you do not engage in physical exercise afterwards, since its energizing function accelerates the heart rate and can cause a sudden attack.

2. You run the risk of undergoing a cerebral hemorrhage, because RED BULL contains components that dilute the blood so that the heart utilizes less energy to pump the blood, and thus be able to deliver physical force with less effort being exerted.

3. It is prohibited to mix RED BULL with alcohol, because the mixture turns the drink into a " Deadly Bomb " that attacks the liver directly, causing the affected area never to regenerate anymore.

4. One of the main components of RED BULL is the B12 vitamin, used in medicine to recover patients who are in a coma ; from here the hypertension and the state of excitement which is experienced after taking it, as if you were in a drunken state.

5. The regular consumption of RED BULL triggers off symptoms in the form of a series of irreversible nervous and neuronal diseases.

CONCLUSION: It is a drink that should be prohibited in the entire world as when it is mixed with alcohol it creates a TIME BOMB for the human body, mainly between innocent adolescents and adults with little experience. Forward this mail to Everyone and Let them know about this..

Eat Drink and Be Merry or in my case unwell again...

Last night I went out for a few drinks and to look at a band my friends was thinking of booking for his wedding. I had a total of 4pints and on the way home I bought a pancake roll and a small bag of chips to split with my wife. All in all it was not much at all, yet at 3am on the dot I'm in the loo being sick again. Ever since I cut back my body cannot take anything like that. I suppose it's all part of the changes I need to make.

I've not lost any weight in a month but I'm not worried.

It's been my plan this time around to take things slow and not rush my weight loss. I'm on no special diet and I'm not being really strict but both my wife and I have changed our life's since September and its paying off.

Loosing loads of weight in a few months is great but when you stop drinking the shakes or stop eating cabbage it all goes back on.

So I'm keeping at the training and generally watching what I eat and hopefully it will all work out.

My goal is to loose 100lb in total and I'm 1/4 of my way there. I was hoping to be half way to in by August 2013 meaning I need to loose another 30lb. That's only 1lb a week so possible.

Start Weight 340lb
Today's weight 320lb
Loss 20lb

Reading Andy Holgates book makes me excited to loose several stone so I can get a road bike and explore @Ironholgs

Check this out on AMZN: Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run: My Triathlon Journey from Common Man to Iron... http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1848187432

Bristol 10k Video shows the race off really well.

http://www.runbristol.com/10K/85/Video-highlights.aspx

A 1st Birthday Party.

I had the pleasure of photographing a 1st Birthday at the end of the year, apart form getting the normal candid shots I also took along a backdrop and did a makeshift studio.

If you are interest in this for a birthday party or gathering please get in touch.

I really can not believe how well bookings are going for this year and even next and all since I stopped advertising.

I really can not believe how well bookings are going for this year and even next and all since I stopped advertising.

I have been blessed with fantastic customers who do all the hard work for me all I need to do is do what I do best.  

What an Amazing Job I have.

Im sure it takes me longer to get my gear ready than I actually run...

Sometimes you just need to grab the chance to run and screw the weather, got on the hoody and the short shorts and did it.

Sometimes you just need to grab the chance to run and screw the weather got on the hoody and the short shorts and did it. It was a cold run but needed to be done! 1degC 33degF

I actually ran a new route as well and it was very challenging, with quite a hill at the end.

I will defiantly run this route again as it will be a good one to see improvement on.  At the end of the hill I had to walk for a few hundred meters before running again.

All in all it was pretty good and I enjoyed it.

@rhall1979: I just finished a 2.90 mi run with Nike+ Running. http://t.co/U1QTcm10 #nikeplus

Fitting in training around a family and work is so hard. Thanks @viccihall for you love and support.

Fitting in training around a family and work is so hard and it's only with family support you can get any done at all.

Thanks Vicci for you love and support.

All ready to go for a run...Jan 2013

Just photo post for future comparison.

To Introduce my new Package Im going to give you a further 33% discount.

By popular request, I have created a special package that is all inclusive. It includes the following:

You get;

The Photoshoot
10 - 7x5 of your choosing
10 - 8X10 of your choosing
2 - A3 prints of your choosing
1 - 24x16 (or Equivalent)
Photo CD.

All for only £350.00 (Equivalent Value £475) - Reduced to £231.00 if Booked during January & February.

Sitting fee for photo shoots are going to be reduced to £50.00

This year my pricing structure changed for portrait shoots so all my clients to pick and mix their experience. If you haven't looked yet please use the link bellow to do so, it's real simple pay for the shoot then choose how you want your picture.

HOW IT WORKS:

First we meet and talk about what you want and what you expect. This helps me to understand your vision. Then we schedule a time and a place. I have a portable background and specialist equipment suitable for indoor work should a it be needed, but most people prefer the intimate settings of their own home, or outdoor settings like a park. The choice is yours as I will travel anywhere within the Bristol area .

Afterwards, allow up to 2 weeks processing time for standard portraits. Once your entire gallery is ready, I will email you to let you know. Just log on, go to "Your Photos", and find your gallery.

Your Gallery will remain online for 30 days to allow you to share, and purchase. After that, they will be removed. Should you need more time, it may be purchased.

SITTING FEES:

Private Portrait: £50 (Required on booking)

Includes a scheduled shoot for up to 2 hours including setup time at the place of your choosing. Most of the time we are completed in an hour. But this way there is no pressure to hurry. (Up to 6 people, and as many outfit changes as you can cram in). £30 for each additional hour needed.

Accepted forms of payment include Cheques, most credit cards (via paypal), and as always my personal favourite cash.

PHOTO CD:

Entire Gallery: £150.00

CD includes the entire edited gallery featuring all the black and white, sepia, selective colour and other artistic combinations.

Please note CD's are not available online. Simply contact us directly. It includes a signed Copyright Release, and the ability to reproduce those prints for the lowest price you can find - forever.

PRINT PRICING:

4X6 - £7.00
5X7 - £9.00
8X10 - £10.00

We also have mounted canvas options available too.

Digital Downloads (Full Resolution) - £15.00 . Now you are able to pick a single image and download the full resolution digital file. This is perfect for those on a budget, and relatives that live far away that may only want 1 or 2 images, but would like to make multiple copies of it, or use it as a screen saver. You can email it, or print it right from your own printer - forever.

****** PLATINUM PACKAGE: *****

By popular request, I have created a special package that is all inclusive. It includes the following:

You get;

The Photoshoot
10 - 7x5 of you choosing
10 - 8X10 of your choosing
2 - A3 prints of your choosing
1 - 24x16 (or Equivalent)
Photo CD.

All for only £350.00 (Equivalent Value £475)

http://www.bristolphotography.org.uk/portraits.html

I had my first proper nights sleep in a week last night.

Had my first good nights sleep last night. Not sure if it helped or not but took NYTOL. This may have been a placebo but I'm not nocking it.

I really want to be an early to bed person it's just I know I wouldn't sleep. This is a real issue for me as I know it's affecting my training.

My Portrait Setup with the Hilite Backdrop.

If you havn't seen it before this is how I generally setup in peoples houses.

Its really quick to setup and gets fantastic Studio type results.

Win a free Photoshoot.

Your chance to win a free Photo Shoot and CD Worth £200.00
Happy New Year to you all, I hope you had a great Xmas and New Year ’s Day wasn’t too painful for you.

As you know on the 01/01/13 my prices went up. These are still very completive and to be honest very cheap compared to other quality options.

All you need to do is take a picture of you kids in a funny pose and add it to my Facebook page, Use the Title: “Free Photo Shoot Competition Entry” and make sure you tag yourself. The winner will be the one with the most likes so make sure you tell your friends.

An that’s it.

Looking forward to seeing your photos

Training out of the window due to lack of sleep AGAIN. I'm scared its going to ruin all my training so far this year.

So last night was the 3rd night on the trot I haven't been able to get to sleep until at least 2.30am.  This obviously completely screws up all of my plans for training a leaves me a pretty depressed state.  This was the reason I stop running back in 2008 when my son was born.  Its really getting me down and has only been an issue for last 4months and I am desperate to kick it soon or I'm scared its going to ruin all my training so far this year.

Starting of 10k training at week 8 day 1.

Going to start my 10k training tomorrow using a C210K Program but as I have graduated C25K I will start at Week 8 Day 1.

This puts me 6 weeks left in the program but 16weeks out from my 10k race.

Now all thought the C210K will get me running for 60min I will need to run about 85min at my pace to complete 10k so I have a further 9 weeks to build on that. I will probably build on this with 1/2 marathon plan.

My only concern is that as the times build up it will put more pressure on when I can train.

I'm not going using the app but just follow the program using intervals in my my Nike Watch.

Ifttt.com is a life saver when it comes to posting to multiple locations. @ifttt

This isn't a running or training item but it is so cool I just needed to share it and as most of the people who read my blog are as geeky as me I thought I would share.

Do you find yourself posting the same information to lots of different locations? then IFTTT.com could help. IFTTT stands for If This,Then,That and it is an online decision maker.  It does certain thing like automatically posts to Twitter or you blog when it gets a Trigger.  These are saved as Recipes and the options are endless,

For example IF (I post a new video on YouTube) Then Post a twee with a link the video.

You can even do some crazy stuff like, If Its going to rain tomorrow flash my living room lights 3 times. Pure Crazyness.

Below are some of my other Recipes.

Check it out https://ifttt.com/

Leaving next of Kin info at the hotel is very important when out of town.

So I'm just about to go out for my run and I suddenly got a bit of anxiety, Although I should be worried about this at home too it is never occurred to me. What happens if I die on a run or even if I'm not unconscious will they know who I am. So this morning I have written a case of emergency note and put that in my pocket.

It simply says in my emergency contact is what I'm staying.

Having to plan my diet this week around pubs and packaged foods is going to make my diet tuff, but I have a plan.

As you can see from my tweets today Im away from home staying in a hotel for a training course and out of my comfort zone as far as diet goes this week.

The real issue is that I am a greedy bugger so will always gravitate to the largest portion of the fattest food.  What makes things worse is that I only really have the option of either pub food or packaged food as I have nowhere to cook or prepare food.

So my plan, although it sound counter intuitive is to have a really good breakfast at the hotel and then have a light lunch.  This will leave space and calories for my dinner which Im sure will be from a pub.

Now Im looking forward to my breakfast, which will be after my run.

Planning runs with Walkjogrun seems to be the simplest way.

Im currently using WalkJogRun to plan my runs it really seems to be the simplest and most straight forward website, plus they have a really good iphone app which allows you to access loads of runs in your area. I really dont know why Ive never seen it before.

I using at the moment to plan my run for tomorrow morning and it giving the maximum elevation and the time it will take me to complete the run based on the pace I put it.  All simple stuff but it just works so smoothly.

Moving towards motivation or moving away from motivation which are you I am ?

Towards and away from motivation

There are two types of motivators. They are called towards motivation and away from motivation.

Another way of wording these two motivators could be pain and pleasure motivation, the moving away from motivation is moving you away from pain. The pleasure is the moving towards motivation.

Some of you might think that automatically you would be moving towards pleasure by moving away from pain, just to correct that immediately moving away from pain does not mean you are moving towards pleasure.

Forust because I move my hand away from something that is hot does not mean my hand is in a pleasure zone, it simply means that it is back to neutral. Now if I wanted to treat my hand to some pleasure I would probably order a massage for it, then I would have to go to the appointment and get it done. I would deliberately setup a situation where I have to move towards it. Just to make sure that you fully understand how this works here is an example that works both ways. Giving the same end result but with different motivations. Two men that I talked to that both have made millions as business men had different motivators when they started out.


Here is an example

Away from motivation

This is someone who has things to loose if they dont train, they are scared they are going to loose there family maybe even there life. They know there is going to be benefits but the primary motivator is loosing things. May they have had a stroke or heart attack, or even just negative comments from people even so they are move away from that pain.


Towards motivation

This is a person who can see the benefits and can see what they are going to gain, they taste, feel and see them selfs thin. They are not scared they will slip back into bad habits They just do it becasue the want to.

So which are you I know what I am?


I am moving away from type. I need to be scared I am going to loose everything in order to get out and run. This this why I like people to know what Im up to and who I am accountable to.


What are you?


Keep the pressure on guys.

New Place New Runs

I'm off out of town for a course for 3 nights so plan find some new runs and take advantage of my free time. Strange how most people think about where they are going to have a drink, I'm planning routes.

365 Miles in 2013

In 2013 I want to make that average 1mile a day now I’m not going to run every day that’s just not practical but the total for 2013 is going to be 365 miles.

I intend to do this as follows.

Jan: 24miles
Feb: 25mile
March: 26mile
April: 27mile
May: 32miles
June: 36miles
July: 36miles
Aug: 15miles
Sep: 36miles
Oct: 36miles
Nov: 36miles
Dec: 36miles

I’m actually hoping I completed it early but this is a good way to make sure I stay consistent with my running. 36miles equates to 5k at least 3 times a week which is going to be challenge but doable. If I end up pushing my distances then I will kill this challenge by October