I've just completed my first Couch to 5k programme in six weeks after years away from running and have some major milestones to hit before my wedding next April. A bit of history...
I started running in 2003 when I was living in Quito, Ecuador. I'd always hated cross country - and walked most of the way around the courses - thinking that I wasn't built to run. I started off running between the trees punctuating the boundaries of my local park - El Parque Carolina - in Merrell walking trainers, starting with around 30 seconds of running, 30 seconds walking. I ran most days, and within 6 - 12 weeks had worked up to a slow 30 minute jog. My body (back in those days) responded very well to exercise; I'm a mesomorph so given proper CV work and a good diet it snapped into good shape pretty quickly, and I found it easy to maintain a weight between 140 - 155lbs, which for my 5' 8" height is a healthy weight. Dress size wise, I maintained a comfortable 10 - 12 for a few years.
I kept going when I returned to the UK, despite a major weight gain, and carried on, on and off, for a couple of years. I even did a 5k race once, making a 33.40 minute time, and the longest run I did was an 8 miler around the banks of the Thames. My running was never terribly structured though and weeks would go by with me doing nothing at all then starting all over again. However, once I started getting stuck into a major job and a heavy social life, running slid, and by the time I met my now-finace, I hadn't run in a couple of years.
Fast forward to the end of April 2012: I'd shed some weight, from my highest ever of 212, down to around 204, and felt like getting into some exercise. We'd got engaged in October 2011 and at the start of the new year, was determined to get into good shape for my big day. I started swimming, another old love which hadn't stood the test of time, and by April was swimming 1k about three - four times a week.
I went to watch a friend run the London Marathon and some switch in my head flipped - it was time to start running again. So I bought a Couch to 5k app for my iPhone, set up a great running playlist, and got going. And man it was not easy to begin with. 2 out of 3 runs were great - tingly, happy, tiring - but one in three is still a slog. I managed to carry on running during that time through a trip to Canada - logging 5 runs in 7 days which was great - and a weekend with my inlaws-to-be in Nottingham, when I managed my first 30 minute run in years. On Sunday, I did my first 3.2 mile (5k) and then did it again on Tuesday morning. It's now Wednesday evening, my knees are aching slightly, and I've just signed up for a few races: a 5k Race for Life on 14th July, a 10k in Richmond Park on 6th October and the London half marathon for Alcohol Concern, where I'm working now, on 28th October, a mere 18 weeks away. This time around, my body isn't responding as quickly to my regime, and every lb off the scale takes a lot more effort (about 3x more) than when I did this for the first time 9 years ago. However I am feeling great - loads more energy, better skin, sleeping earlier and waking earlier (although some of this may be jetlag) and my tolerance for alcohol is dropping which has to be a good thing.
So this blog is my very personal record of how I'm doing, to track every run, every bump in the road along the way. I'm still smoking - about 5 a day - but watching what I eat, and my weight this morning is down to 197. The myfitnesspal app has been great for tracking calories, exercise, weight and measurements. So, the metrics:
Current weight: 197lbs
Hips: 40.5"
Widest part: 41"
Waist: 36"
Bust: 42"
Thigh: 23.5"
Upper arm: 12.75"
Resting heart rate: 78
Running shoes: My old (i.e. from last time) Nike Air BRS 1000s, which have probably done about 100 miles on the road so far. I seem to remember my all time favourite running shoes were Asics Gel Cushioned ones, which I'll look up again in about 200 miles and rebuy. Now I've trained my way out of pronation it doesn't matter quite as much as it used to which shoes I choose, as long as they are well cushioned, airy and comfortable.
Kit: Bench yoga pants - note to self, only really necessary for really cold/wet days, Decathlon running tights (3/4 length), North Face black running vest with phone pocket, green smart-wool t shirt or pink cotton primark running t shirt. I learnt on my early morning run on Tuesday that if it's raining, it's not worth carrying/wearing a baseball cap; I borrowed Jonno's Faith No More cap and ended up carrying it after half a mile, which was a royal pain in the arse. When I start ramping up the mileage I'm also going to need to start carrying water on longer runs and need some kit/system to manage this, as I hate running with something in my hands.
No injuries so far, which is great, and which I put down in equal parts to not training too hard too fast, and the Chirunning book, which is teaching me to run effectively. I've moved from a heelstrike running stance to a mid-foot strike, and using my core more when running (which makes my belly ache like nobody's business, but this has to be a good thing). The only thing to note is a nasty spill on my Saturday run this week which has left me with natty matching bruises on my right side, hip and thigh, and bad grazing on the heels of my hands and the right hand side of my right palm. This was mainly caused by not picking up my feet properly but also because I was running in high winds, which I'm not used to. The Nottingham run also included some hillwork which I don't have to cope with in Dulwich. The other thing I have learned/remembered is that my absolute best time to run is the early morning, before breakfast; I'm crap at (and hate) running in the evenings. The one or two times I tried this in the C25K programme were miserable, even if I did manage to finish it.
My goals are:
14th July 2012: Race for Life 5K - finish and run all the way through
9th Sept 2012: Dulwich ParkRun - finish and achieve a sub 30.00 time
6th Oct 2012: Richmond Park 10k - finish and run all the way through
28th Oct 2012: London half marathon - finish and run all the way through
Get to 159lbs for April 2013 - 37lbs - and if it comes off quicker, get to my all-time goal weight of 144lbs, at which I look great (or did when I was 23, which was the last time I was that light - now 11 years ago!)
This blog will be used to log each and every run I take between now and the big day, once a week logging total mileage, weight, measurements and any particular learnings from the runs I've done.
Run and become!
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