On 24th April, I sat in on an assembly with the theme of setting goals for yourself. The headmaster used the recent London Marathon as an example. It got me thinking, I needed a new challenge. I was never going to run a marathon, I don't think I could keep myself focused for long enough to run for 4hrs, but I could start somewhere.
I had noticed the recent adverts on TV (I spend a lot of time in front of the TV!) for the Race for Life. I loved the angle they had taken this year, the whole 'cancer, we're coming to get you' idea, and often found myself welling up watching them. I had thought I'd like to get involved, but I hadn't run on purpose in over a decade. But once I get an idea in my head I tend to obsess about it, so I paid my entry fee (doing the 5k at Heaton Park in July) and made my mind up to start training.
One day later I was turning my house upside down, looking for my trainers. When I eventually found them (in a room we call 'the cave', under a pile of stuff destined for ebay), I wasn't overly surprised to see they were still like new. I don't think they'd ever seen a road! Nevertheless, on they went and I found some clothes resembling exercise gear, before doing some stretches and hitting the pavement. I soon realised that, although we live in a lovely part of the UK, it is definitely not flat. Half way up my first hill, 2 minutes into my first run, I wondered what the hell I was doing. I passed another jogger (heading downhill, jealous!) and managed to draw my face into what I'm hoping was a smile, although it probably bore more of a resemblance to Gollum in the throes of passion.
By the time I reached the top of the hill, my wind pipe was on fire and my legs were burning. I walked for a bit, turned around and ran down the hill (much more my kind of thing!). On returning home I was knackered but felt elated that I'd actually done it. I'd probably managed to run for all of 5 minutes, split into 2, but I'd got out of the house and gone running.
I hobbled around the following day feeling like I'd achieved something massive, not just a poxy 5 minute run. As soon as I had stopped aching (it took a few days!) I was out again. I started doing 4 sets of 3mins, with a 2 min walk in between. The next week I progressed to 4x4mins. I was loving the feeling I got when returning home after a run, as well as the general feeling of well-being from getting more exercise. Don't get me wrong, I've never been sedentary, I've ridden horses all my life and having had Saffy for almost 5yrs now I ride at least 4 times a week and spend my evenings mucking out, emptying wheelbarrows and carrying bales and buckets of water. I don't often push myself to the limit cardio-wise though, so this was something new.
Last week was week 3 of my training. I was already finding it easier to keep going for longer, but I was always glad of a walk break. I decided to go to Heaton Park as it is on my way home from work, to suss out what the actual 'race' would be like. It was not flat. At all. It was lovely though, lots of great scenery, good tracks and plenty of wildlife. Week 3 consisted of 3x6mins with 2mins walk in between. I enjoyed it so much on the first day that I ended up doing 4 sets. I did 2 Heaton Park runs, one with 3 sets and 1 with 4.
On Sunday I went all out. I got up early and did my first sprint training session in an attempt to boost my aerobic capacity (ie. make it easier for me to jog for longer!). I managed 8 sets of 30 second sprints, followed by 1 minute walk break. I started the session with a 6 min jog to warm up, which I aimed to also do to finish, but I was that drained I only managed 4mins. It took a long time for me to get my breath back! Not to be outdone, I then went and rode Saffy before Ross and I walked up Holcombe Hill and beyond, a 1300ft ascension. We did 8 miles in total. It was a great walk, but I'm still feeling it 2 days after! Of course, I don't think the sprinting or riding did much to soothe the aches!
So that's where I'm up to now. Week 4 of the running will hopefully include 3 sets of a 7min run followed by 2mins walking. Tonight though I am attending my first spinning class. I've never done anything like it before, but it's a beginners' one and I've heard they are great cardio workouts. I booked and paid for it in advance when I was feeling particularly active last week, just so I couldn't chicken out!
I'll report back on how it went. It will be good training for my triathlon, but that's a story for another day :)
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