Saturday Struggle

Following my tongue biting exploits of a couple of days ago, today represented a chance to get things back to normal. Saturday morning means parkrun, and having missed out last week I was raring to go this morning. The overnight rainfall meant the ground was always going to be soft under foot, but it wasn't particularly chilly so I was anticipating a good run.

What I had was a struggle. It became self evident early on that my lungs may have been up for plodding around the estate on Thursday night, but they were not going to play ball at parkrun pace. I could hear me gasping before I reached the 1k marker. Before reaching the 2k, my parkrun acquaintance caught me up, wished me a good morning and I could barely muster words back to him. On reaching 3k I did something I've not done for some time and took a breather slowing to walking pace. 

I absolutely thought I was done. Like a broken steam train I was coughing and spluttering. A fellow runner asked me if I was ok and I assured him I was, but didn't really feel that was the case. I was staring at my first DNF and concerned about the psychological repercussions that may have for the challenges ahead. So I got myself moving again, and decided to make the best of the situation. If I wasn't feeling physically strong, why not turn this into a training session to replicate the latter stages of the half marathon, when I know I will find the going gets tough.

At the 4k post I found myself taking a breather again. The incline at this point on the Black Park course is nothing like as severe as Bradford's teeny tiny hill, but when I've already mentally given in earlier in the race, it stands to reason that I will also slow down for the most difficult part of the circuit. Into the last stretch and I found it difficult to keep pace with a junior female runner. I know when I'm running that I'm not in competition with anybody else, but it isn't great for confidence when overtaken by a little girl.

Yes, I run like a girl

At the finish line came a sense of relief. Things will get easier as my chest and lungs clear up, and I get back into the running groove. I wasn't particularly interested in my finish time but when the text came through I was rather surprised at it's respectability. 24.29 is by no means a poor effort (my PB is 23.46) so with two breathers and some lingering germs factored in, this was a good run. It just really didn't feel like it at the time!

If the chance permits, I'll get out again on Sunday for a more leisurely if longer run to build up stamina and put distance back into my legs. I felt no ill effect from my Thursday night plod around the estate so something at a similar pace should do no harm. 

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Signed up and raring to go

It was back on 11 January that I first mooted the idea of running a 10k. However, despite liking the idea in principle, it remained just that and was put to the back of my mind. I had more important things to focus on with the birth of my son, his surgery and recuperation. Then there was the small matter of getting back into the routine of having a baby in your life. Understandably, the running was shelved.

Quite what made me decide to hit the gym and embrace the treadmill when I was at a conference in May I really don't know. Part of it was bloody-mindedness I suppose, having joked over drinks the night before that I'd be up early to exercise. I'm so glad that I did haul myself out of bed though as it provided a springboard for what came next.

I've typically gone to the gym three times a week, primarily to run. It wasn't easy to begin with. Indeed I found it quite a frustrating experience as my asthma combined with poor level of fitness would not let me do what I wanted. Through much perseverance, my stamina improved and got me to a point where I wanted to test the water with an organised run.

My first ParkRun came in early July. A 5k weekly free event, I puffed and wheezed my way round the course in just over 30 minutes. In subsequent Saturdays, I have improved week upon week, notching up a sub-27 minute finish last time out. I look forward to Saturday mornings, and often find myself visualising the course, trying to work out where I can cut out a few seconds next time out.

So having moved forward on the exercise front in recent months, what am I to do next? Well, the logical thing is to go back to that subgoal for this year and participate in a 10k. And that is exactly what I am going to do. Yesterday I registered for the Moor Park 10k event on 29 September, and together with colleagues who are fellow rookies at running, we are looking to complete the course and in doing so fundraise for a worthy charity. All donations are welcome 

In the next 8 and a half weeks, I'm going to have to up my game. I've never come close to running 10k, so I will have to find time to run beyond what I'm doing already, and get my legs and lungs ready for the race. If I can continue to lose a lb a week as I have done recently, I'll be getting close to my target weightloss around the time of the race. Wouldn't it be great to hit that mark and then cross the finish line? One can hope! The important thing is to get myself physically ready for the run and if by doing so I can close in on my goal in the process, that would be a nice bonus on the side.

Some hard miles ahead then. 8 weeks doesn't seem nearly long enough to get ready, but then in less than 8 weeks I went from completely unfit to finishing a 5k. I can do this, and look forward to the challenge.

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Wednesday Weigh-In - 17 April

Another Wednesday, another weigh-in. Fortunately things continue to move in the right direction.

Less than last week

So, 2lbs lost since last week, and back down to my lowest weight of the year. If I can do something about my ridiculous food intake at weekends I think I could have lost a bit more too, but can't really complain. It would be better to balance things out a bit more so I'm not stuffing my face with crisps and cake on a Sunday only to follow up with porridge during the week, but if is working, why not.

This weekend will be a bit different as there will be quite a bit more exercise than usual. The 15 mile walk will be good for burning some calories while getting my off my backside and being active.  This level of exercise will be an exception rather than the norm, but will hopefully inspire me to pull on my joggers and work towards that 10k I've promised to enter before the end of the year. With the weather slowly improving and the days getting longer, I've run out of excuses so time for some positive action.

I've heard my sister is looking to shed a few lbs and is back running. A bit of sibling rivalry could be good motivation, and having watched from a distance as she went from never running a mile to completing the London Marathon in a fairly short space of time, I (not so) secretly admire her. I'm not sure I'll ever get to that level of fitness to compete, but it would be nice to perhaps do a shorter run at some point, no doubt bickering throughout the course.

Having got back to 16st 10lb my target for this week is simply to lose weight in the next 7 days. Seeing the lbs column drop into single digits would be a welcome boost. Hopefully come next week that is what I'll be staring at on Wednesday morning,

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Let's get physical

I'm a great believer in the basics of dieting. If you want to successfully lose weight there are two vital elements. Firstly, consume less and secondly, exercise more. I've made a good start to the former but to my shame it is approaching the middle of January and I'm yet to really contemplate getting off my rather large behind and burn some calories. This will change and I'll be donning my joggers in the very near future.

In 2007 when I embarked on my first diet, I was a 24st very unfit seriously obese man. At that time I was too embarrassed by my physique to step foot in a gym or be seen in a pair of shorts at the local swimming pool. But I was adamant that if I was going to reach my goals, I had to complement my change in eating habits with some good honest physical graft. That January I bought myself a sturdy exercise bike and for the next 4 months I sweated bucketloads using it three or four times a week. By the end of May, I'd lost 4st and signed up for membership at my local gym.

I'm starting 2013 in a different position to where I was 6 years ago. My level of fitness is well down on where I would like it to be but I'm not afraid to hit the gym. What I am lacking is motivation, or at least I was. A couple of days ago I receive a nice message of support from an old school friend who told me that he was looking forward to monitoring my progress. Knowing that he is a bit of a fitness freak I jested that I didn't expect to be running marathons like him but if all went well I'd look into the possibility of running in a shorter event later in the year. He then challenged me by saying that if I beat my weightloss targets, he would run a 5k/10k with me before Christmas.

Well, I'm not going to duck this challenge. I am going to meet it head on. I will shed the lbs and now I've got my motivation to get physical. This doesn't mean I'm going to hit the gym every day, or pound the streets night after night, but I have a focus and target to build towards throughout the months ahead. It is going to take time and sweat, lots of aches and pains, but in addition to this being the Year of the Diet, 2013 will be a year where I make a concerted effort to get fit.

If anybody has any tips about running, I'd welcome you sharing them with me!

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