Ground pounding
Most nights after I finish work I'm content to sit at the computer playing games, or lounge around on the couch watching TV or reading a book until I wander off to bed around 10:30.
Last night after dinner I was feeling mighty restless, so I decided to burn that energy off with a bit of a run.
I strapped my running shoes on, jogged out of the house and headed east. I hung a left and after about 300 metres was struck down with a stitch in my left side. I walked that out over 200 metres then ran for another 100 metres before I began to realise that I was a tad optimistic about my current level of fitness. I walked another 800 metres or so before deciding to head back towards home.
Making another left, I jogged for roughly 150 metres before my legs began to shake. I walked the other 150 metres to my street, took another left and ran 300 metres until my legs began to give out again. I walked the rest of the way home, save for a short burst of enthusiastic running as I neared the house.
All up I managed to shift my sorry carcass about 2.4 kms. Something I'm especially proud of given my recent lack of excercise. It may have been the post-excercise deliurium affecting my brain, but after the run I decided to do it every night. I'll be happy when I can run it non-stop.
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November 30th, 2006 at 6:52 am
man, don't be too hard on yourself. that's a pretty solid first effort.
the real key to making this work is to start the habit. make yourself get out and do it every other day. no matter what. that alone, even if you never run any single run further than the distance you did today, will get you in pretty good shape.
my main suggestion will be completely ignore the distance and keep an eye on the clock. too often we either let the distance intimidate us or automatically translate it into speed. try and focus on staying out on the road longer, instead.
get out and run until you cannot make it any further and then walk back. skip a day. do it again but try and go a little bit further. after two weeks, try and go a straight 20 minutes running the whole way. doesn't have to be a sprint, but don't walk. stick to that for a week and then add one 25 minute run in there. then, the week after, sneak a half-hour run in somwhere.
before you know it, you'll have a solid routine, a shrinking wasteline and more strength in your legs than you have felt in quite some time. you'll also be sleeping like a baby.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:17 am
I've had a plan to get myself running the full length of this "track" and then start to add additional length to it. But I'll start trying your way, it sounds a hell of a lot more intensive.
Sadly I've only been out two more times this that post went up. I've been struck down with a cold thats draining my energy and leaving my lungs raw whenever I try to do moderate exercise.