back to basics

Day one of doing it properly.

The fact that it’s beautiful at 5am does help to make getting up bearable. Sun sparkling on dew, rabbits playing on the verge, lambs skipping, la la la. And me thundering along terrifying them all into thinking there’s an earthquake.

I read The Book again last night, and remembered that there’s a reason it’s the no.1 running book on Amazon – it’s so inspiring, and makes running accessible to anyone, even me. So instead of trying to run before I can walk (literally) I went back to the programme and this morning I did:

Warm up walk for 5 mins
Run 1m, walk 2m x 5
Brisk walk 10 mins.

That looks like a backward step, but I wasn’t jogging at a pace slower than my usual (fairly fast) walk, I was actually running at a decent speed. It’s easy to think I’m not going anywhere, but then I remember that it’s 16 years since I did any running, and apart from a brief flirtation with the gym when no1 child was a toddler, I haven’t done any real exercise for years. So it’ll take time, but I’ll get there.

brought to you by the letters c and w

C for cramp, which stopped me in my tracks this morning, and W for whiny, which is what I was when out this morning.

I made the mistake of doing the same route as I did on Monday, the day of the look-at-me-I’m-clever six minute run. Today I managed 2 minutes before I had to stop with a really tight calf muscle – I’ve woken up with this muscle feeling tight for a couple of weeks now, but I don’t know why. So having to walk where a couple of days ago I’d been running was really disheartening and I had a miserable whinge-fest for the rest of my run-walk excitement this morning. Nothing like a bit of positivity, is there…oh my leg hurts, oh I’m never going to be able to do this, oh I’m going to let everyone down, oh I’m pathetic, etc etc. I even bored myself in the end.

I guess not every run brings you home feeling exhilarated and full of the joys of spring, does it? Anyway, whilst I was shuffling along grumbling to myself like a deranged thing I decided that I need to do some other exercise, because whilst it’s good to try and get better at running by running, the feeble 6 or 8 or whatever minutes I’m actually achieving aren’t going to get me fit and help me lose weight. Time to get the Davina dvd out and start leaping round the sitting room, I think. I hope the foundations are up to it…

Today: r2 w1

 r1.30 – cramp ow ow ow - w3

r1 – leg not so sore – w2 (having private pity party)

r1 w1 (thinking get a grip and stop bloody moaning)

r1 w1 (yay, nearly home, and note to self must lose weight to make this easier)

So quite pathetic really, but leg was hurting and I was feeling sorry for myself.

Getting Better?

It’s official. Despite the beautiful sunny mornings, I am over getting up at 5am and running  shuffling  no, it’s not walking, so it must be running. Anyway, more shouting birds at 3-something am today (am considering a machine gun, or less radically closing the bedroom window at night) so when I hoisted myself out of bed at 5.30 it was with much grumbling.

I went my alternative route today, which starts with a little hill. Last time I did that I tried to run up it and that’s when I gave up and went home to bed, so this time I walked it, sensibly. Then I did the old 1m walk, 1m run routine, seven times. My legs hurt, so I’m sitting here with icepacks on my shins. I don’t think it’s shin splints, having had them before when I ran as a student (barefoot on a sandy beach = ow). I think it’s just ‘what are you doing to us, we like curling up underneath you whilst you sit on the couch eating chocolate’ protestation.

Good news: it felt a tiny, tiny little bit easier today. I am definitely fitter, but it’s hurty legs that let me down. If I wasn’t carrying around all those bags of dog food, I’m sure it would be easier. Anyway,  I’ve agreed to start making more of an effort with the weightloss with my friend S for company. Have just drunk a litre of water, so that’s a good start to the day!