Running Part 1

I’ve been running. I know, I’ll allow you a few moments to pick yourself up off the floor. Yes, I’ve been running. You heard me correctly the first time. A bit of an oxymoron I know but it is indeed true. I have started running.

I'm following a plan, the Couch to 5k plan. It's supposed to be able to get you from the couch to running 5k, or 30 minutes, in 9 weeks. Now having started on week 1 I don't see how this is possible. I think it must assume a certain health and fitness level to start with, or at least that those foolish enough, like me, to start this running plan aren't carrying around, shall we say, a 'few' extra pounds too many.

I thought it would be good for me to record how I'm progressing here on my blog, both as an accountability and as an encouragement to carry on. So how have I been doing so far?

The Plan: Week 1

Broken down this consists of:

1. A five minute warm up walk


2. 60 seconds running


3. 90 seconds walking


4. 60 seconds running


5. 90 seconds walking


6. 60 seconds running


7. 90 seconds walking


8. 60 seconds running (the half way point)


9. 90 seconds walking


10. 60 seconds running


11. 90 seconds walking


12. 60 seconds running


13. 90 seconds walking


14. 60 seconds running


15. 90 seconds walking


16. 60 seconds running


17. 5 minute cooling down walk

Simple enough, eh?

Tuesday 2nd June
I thought the first time I would just walk the course I'd worked out. Gauge the distance. Get a feel for it. It was fine but I have to say that just brisk walking for 30 minutes worked some muscles I haven't used in a very long time.

Thursday 4th June
Kat asked if I was planning to run that day? Hmmm... OK... let's try was my response. I managed to complete step 8, the half way point. I got half way through the weekly plan! I couldn't breath and thought I would need to collapse on the bench I could see coming up... however, I didn't collapse. I managed to keep my feet moving and walked the rest of the session.

Saturday 6th June
Richard came out with me. I wasn't sure this would be a good idea as he is very fit and cycles to work every day. In fact he pretty much looks the same as he did when we got married. Fit! Anyway, this time I managed to complete step 10, one more run than Thursday.

Monday 8th June
This came around far too quickly but out I went again. This run though started out amazingly well. I felt like I'd got my breathing sorted, something I felt like I'd been struggling with up to this point. At times it had even felt as if I was hyperventilating so getting the breathing sorted out was great. I got to the half way point and unlike the previous Thursdays run, only 2 runs before, I wasn't out of puff at this stage. I felt good. In such a short space of time I could actually feel the improvement. This obviously lulled me in to a false sense of well being as I then made a big mistake. I pushed myself to complete up to step 14. A jump of 2 more runs than the previous time. NOT a good idea. I looked so bad that Kat was truly worried I was going to pass out or collapse or worse. So lesson learned. Listen to my body, don't push myself too quickly, know my limits.

Wednesday 10th June
I was out again, this time in my new running shoes (more on these in another post), and although I didn't go any further than Monday I did manage to do up to step 14 and this time not feel like Darth Vader on very bad day. Don't get me wrong I didn't finish feeling like I'd done nothing. It wasn't a breeze but then it wasn't a collapsable moment either!

Friday 12th June
I went out on my own for the first time (dedication indeed). And guess what? I completed the whole session. I ran all the 60 second runs. I did it! Yes, I know it's taken me 2 weeks but do you know what? I don't care.

Sunday 14th June
Completed the week 1 session

Next post I'll catch you up on the last 2 weeks and post some useful links.

Normal Service Will Resume...

today!

I apologise for being such a bad blogger but life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes. Last week was my birthday and it was followed 2 days later by the 1st anniversary of my brothers death. The actual day itself was OK. Not good but OK. However the days building up to it were terrible.

I felt very guilty in the days leading up to my birthday. Emotions ranging from guilt to anger. I shouldn’t enjoy my birthday. I shouldn’t want to enjoy my birthday. Why shouldn’t I enjoy my birthday? How could he have done this at the time that he did? Why couldn’t he choose some other not relevant time period in which to kill himself? One that didn’t involve someone’s birthday, or major holiday or well, any day on or around a time when people should be able to enjoy their time?

Ridiculous I know. There would never be a good time. No time is ever right to decide to end your life.

Anyway, this is not going to turn into a depressing post. Life and death is what it is. I have to accept the fact that each year I will have my birthday knowing what is coming in the next couple of days. It will get easier. I know it will. I know Matt would not want me to feel wracked with guilt every birthday. He loved me. He would want me to be happy, even if he wasn’t happy in himself.

The first of everything is always the worst and I think because this was the last of the firsts it was very hard for all of us. However, I spoke to my mum the day after and we both noted how we felt lighter. As if some sort of load had been lifted. I do think the anticipation of an event can often be much worse than the actual event itself. And we are all so much stronger than we think we are. We are able to handle so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

Richard and I watched the season 5 finale of Grey’s Anatomy the other night. Yes, I know it’s fiction and yes, it might not be a truly christian way of putting things and yes, it's schmalzy but somewhere in there is a very important thing we should all be saying to the special people in our lives. I've lost 2 of the most important men in my life (my dad and my brother) and yes I did say it but you can never say it enough. In Meredith’s final words of the show:

“Did you say it?
I love you.
I don’t ever want to live without you.
You changed my life.
Did you say it?
Make a plan, set a goal, work toward it.
But every now and then look around.
Drink it in.
‘Cos this is it.
It might all be gone tomorrow.”

So did you say it?