The Route!

Here's my route! Unfortunately this is the biggest I can get it to go but I'm sure y'all get the idea. Oh good - if you click on it then it comes up bigger and you can see my little notes.

Week 4, Day 6 - I Ran Outside!

I'm writing this post in green in honour of my first run in the great outdoors! And get this, not only did I run outside today but I did so in the last hour of daylight in the day! This is seriously unusual for a committed morning runner like me.

Well the run was beset by problems but overall really turned out quite well - stats are surprising as I definitely could have done better. First problem was that I just had such bad stitches, in my stomach. I think I'd had too much to drink before heading out, it was just awful - I had them before I even started running! That caused problems at the start but about ten minutes in they pretty much went.

I planned the route on MapMyRun.com - it was 5km with about half of the way being along the canal and the other half being roadside and through the racecourse. I was very nervous as I thought I'd probably come away totally disheartened - I've heard so many stories of treadmill runners who find running outside infinitely harder. The canal section started out fine for the first half but then we hit the bit that has no pavement. It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't rained quite a lot recently - it was a quagmire! The track was very narrow and overgrown and had been turned into a muddy bog by the recent rain. We had to stop running quite a few times to negotiate particularly bad sections where we were slipping around in the mud. However, we cleared that bit and then were out onto the road. My knees started to hurt quite a bit at this point but we pressed on. Fatigue was setting in quite badly and I was finding it hard to run. It was at this point that the final and most serious problem kicked in... I REALLY needed the bathroom! Que short cut home - ran 4.62km instead of the planned 5... and those desperate last 10 minutes were a walk rather than a run! How embarrasing! But overall, I did a lot better than I expected. I definitely could have done so much better had I not had the stitches/mud/... other problem!

Stats:
Distance - 4.62 km/ 2.87 miles
Time - 40:01
Avg Speed - 6.93 kmph / 4.30 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 13.94
Hours so far this week - 02:10:01
Distance so far this week - 9.44 miles

The Secret Challenge... not so secret now.

Psssst.... I've got a secret challenge. See that guy in the picture on the right. Back when I tried out running last February he ran a route that I came up with as fast as he could. It was 0.84 of a mile and it took him 7 minutes and 12 seconds (including jumping over a wall!). I make that 8:34 min/mile pace - 7mph.

Well I want to run that route faster than him - that's my short distance challenge. I think my best time was 11 mins 25 secs - 13:35 min/mile pace - 4.41mph. I haven't run the route in ages but I'll try it soon to see what I can do it in now. I shall keep you all updated.

NEWS FLASH! Jenny Puts Comfort Ahead Of Fashion!

I have an important piece of news to announce. Today I went to the gym in a baggy grey t-shirt. Yes people, this means I actually prioritized my comfort and running performance over my appearance to other fellow gym users. This is a momentous occasion, perhaps inspired by Vic's shirtless run and it is another milestone along the path to me becoming a serious runner! Hooray for comfort over style! Hooray for not caring about what other people think! Hooray for running skirts! Erm... yes about that last one... I still want a running skirt... it's not about fashion... honest.

p.s. for the record I do not actually own any baggy grey t-shirts I had to borrow one... but I will go out and buy one - haha! that's one in the eye for the fashion industry.

Progress Report! Day 26 of 70 WOW!!

YAHOOOOOOO! I'M KICKING ASS Y'ALL!

By the way, the dark dot on the right hand side of the chart is my target for my final week's running - 4km/2.49 miles in 30 minutes. It's looking like I'm going to manage it.

Week 4, Day 5 - Cracking Run!

Another excellent run today. All of a sudden things seem to be getting so much easier. I'd heard about how the first few weeks are the hardest and you think it will never get easier and then all of a sudden it's like you've got the wind behind your back - that's ringing true with me at the moment.

I wasn't very enthusiastic setting out. I've got a pretty nasty cold and I wasn't sure whether running is the right thing to do when you're sick. I thought what the hell though. After the run the other day I was keen to get out and see if I'd kept the extra lung! I chose a treadmill at the back of the gym overlooking the racecourse. It's wet and miserable here today but that didn't spoil the view. There's something nice about being able to enjoy the view of a cold, damp day from a warm and dry spot in the gym!

My warm up went quickly. I was listening to some Aussie aerobics on the sports channel even though I couldn't see any TVs. They were doing circuit training and the presenter was getting quite out of breath. She took them through a stretching session where they were taking an imaginary walk through their neighbourhood, and then real life interrupted as the fire-alarm in the studio went off!

Set off running at 8 kmph but quickly upped it 8.5 and then 9. It just felt really easy. My breathing felt comfortable in a way that it just hasn't at these speeds before. For the first 45 seconds of running my hips and my knees in particular were just agony. I was doing my now familiar attempt to run without actually using my legs to try to lessen the pain! As usual it passed though.

I think one important lesson I've learned recently is to just try to relax into the running. Part of it is mental - thinking about this being the speed you're going to continue at for the rest of the run instead of thinking "oh god this is going to be hard" and "how many more minutes do I have to do this for?". The other part is physical - trying to relax my posture a bit more and almost slowing down my movement. Starting out I was far more tense and sharp in my movements and this seems to make the effort harder.

In my second and third running segments I did pretty much the same except that in the final segment I pushed my speed all the way up to 10 for about five of the seven minutes. It was pretty good but my lungs were just struggling for air in the end and I had to knock the speed back - that and I started to get tingling pains in the top right hand part of my chest and arm which made me thing I was about to have a heart attack! Lol! Is that the right side or the left side I should be worried about? Because of my enthusiasm to run at 10 the last minute was agony even at 8.5!

It was great - another PB! I should say that I've jacked in the cool-downs for the last couple of weeks. I should amend my programme to reflect this. I do a minute, 2 max rather than 5. I'm always careful to stretch though.

Stats -
Distance - 3.68km/2.29 miles NEW PERSONAL BEST!
Avg Speed - 7.36kmph/4.57 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 13.12
Distance so far this week - 6.57 miles
Hours so far this week - 2.00

Week 4, Day 4 - Sick Note

Didn't run :-( Sick, depressed, busy, tired. It would have done me good to go for a run!

Week 4, Day 3 - Involuntary Rest Day!

Cor blimey! Well the big bit of non-running related news is that my job interview went really well. Hooray! What a relief. I hate job interviews. It was probably the nicest one I've ever had really - just like a nice sit down with a cup of tea and a chat. Quite surprising given it's for such a major job! Perhaps the bigger the job the easier the interviews get. Fingers crossed the job might be mine. They didn't really give me much of a grilling - in fact I think they talked more than I did which was odd. I was feeling pretty good going in because on the way to the offices I actually got stopped in the street by a lady who asked me where I got my lovely shirt from! I was trying hard to look like a big shot corporate lawyer-type and I think I looked pretty mean. I'm reminded of the Simpson's episode with the channel 6 news lady who had her tear ducts removed - I'm aiming for that kind of hardcore "I mean business" look. Sadly, I didn't mention my blog. I was going to but I just didn't think they were ready for it yet.

No running today :-( I was very keen to head out after yesterday's great run but I've just run out of time. I'll post another progress chart tomorrow - I've already had a sneek preview and it's looking good :-)

Week 4, Day 2 - I RAN AFTER ALL!

Well, just after I posted my last post about not running today I decided to go after all and boy am I glad I did because it was AMAZING! I destroyed all previous records and ran 3.55 km - 2.21 miles - which is a 13.6 min/mile pace! YAHOO!! I just don't know what was different. I'm not sure whether it was because I was carrying less weight because I tweezed my eyebrows this morning or whether it was because I needed to pee but I just flew! I felt like I had an extra lung all of a sudden. Instead of looking at the treadmill time clock thinking "oh isn't the 7 minutes up yet", I looked down at the speed and thought "have I got this set up right, I could run faster", so I did run faster! I ran my intervals at 8 / 8.5 / 9 kmph and it just felt so manageable. Really after yesterday I was feeling kind of glum thinking it was never really going to get any easier but today has just given me hope again. I'm sure I can do this now, I CAN BE A RUNNER!

Stats:
Distance - 2.21 miles/3.55 km
Avg Speed - 4.41 mph/ 7.1 kmph
Min/Mile Pace - 13.60
Peak Heart Rate - 177
Miles so far this week - 4.28
Hours so far this week - 1.00

Music Credits:
This is my 'determined to kick ass at my interview' mix!

Pink - Most Girls
Blu Cantrell - Hit 'em Up Style
Destiny's Child - Independent Woman
Kelly Clarkson - Since You've Been Gone
Kelly Clarkson - Walk Away
Pink - Stupid Girls
JLO - Jenny From The Block
Pink - U + UR Hand
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

Week 4, Day 2 - No Run Day

Much to my regret I'm not running today :-( I was going to head out this morning but I'm too nervous about THE BIGGEST INTERVIEW OF MY ENTIRE LIFE which is tomorrow... have I mentionned that already?! I thought it best to stay home and revise my answers. So fingers crossed for the big day tomorrow. I'll definitely be running after the event! I'm going to try to find an opportunity to mention my blog to them, lol! "Yes, I've always wanted to practice banking law... oh, did I mention I actually have my own blog now?" I'll definitely get the job once they check out my blog.

Week 4, Day 1 - Isn't This Meant To Get Easier?

Really, please tell me it gets easier than this! Today was a bit hard. As it's the start of week 4 I moved onto the run 7 walk 3 pattern, and as I wasn't very enthusiastic this morning I knocked the speed back down to 7.5 kmph, but dammit those 7 minute runs seemed hard. The end result? 2.08 miles. That's less than the last few times I've been running, all of which seemed easier. Grrr. I think part of it is mental - 7 minutes seems like such a long time when you're just pressing the button to increase the speed. Also, because of my delicate early morning mental state I was watching more golf (didn't I tell you we were gonna thrash you Vic!) and the breakfast news instead of listening to music which probably isn't the best motivation. Hopefully a better run tomorrow.

Lesson learnt from running - I can see the point of sweat bands now! Here was me thinking they were just about fashion...







Stats:
Total Distance - 2.08 miles
Avg Speed - 4.15 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 14.46
Hours so far this week - 0.30
Miles so far this week - 2.08

Week 3, Day 7 - Another Rest Day

Dammit, another rest day today. I've been busy painting my kitchen today, but the break will be good for my knee too - it hurts less today. This means I only ran on 4 days this week... report card: must do better.

Total Miles This Week - 8.21
Total Hours This Week - 2.00

Week 3, Day 6 - Rest Day :-(

I'm taking another rest day today. I'm not very happy about it really but I've got quite bad knee and hip pain this morning so I'm going to give it a rest. It's wierd because it's just my left leg really, although both of my knees were bad last night. The worst pain is when I first start running on the treadmill - the agony of it makes me run with a pretty wierd posture like I'm trying to run without using my legs too much!

I read a post on the Runner's World forum about joint pain in beginners and I remember one person commented "too far, too fast, too soon" as being the cause. Well I am certain that "too fast" couldn't be applied to anything I'm doing on the treadmill and 2 miles ain't exactly a marathon. "Too soon"? I don't think so - I've been hanging out at the gym for a few months before starting this programme - mostly propping up the water cooler but it all counts right ;-) I figure maybe my minimalist approach to rest days could be part of the problem, and I also only have one pair of running shoes which I use every day. I dunno. I'm sure it will be gone tomorrow and I'll be back out there.

Runner's Guide To Stretching

Being un-employed I currently have a lot of time on my hands so I'm going to write a runner's guide to stretching! Hooray! Technically I should be using this precious time to prepare for the most important interview of my life which is happening on Wednesday but I'm trying to just be chilled out about it so this is my preparation... yeah just keep telling yourself that Jenny!

God knows that with my limited running experience I am no expert so I have consulted the real experts at the ExRx.net and the Serpentine Running Club to figure this stuff out. See links in the sidebar somewhere. I've also robbed photos from all over the internet because it's raining today but I'll take the real ones this weekend.

Muscle Diagram -
So you know which muscles you should be feeling.
Jesus, I highly recommend not searching on google images for such pictures - they've got dead bodies on there.

Diagram coming soon!


The Stretches!
So here they are - the key stretches to keep yo' legs limbered up and free from aches and injuries. Try and hold each one for 30 seconds post-run y'all and if you can be bothered (I know I can't) 15 seconds pre-run. Hold each one as far as you can without pain and none of that bouncy stretching like you're in Fame people - this is the 21st Century.


Quads
I don't feel this one so much so I'd like to find a more advanced one if anyone has any tips - I think I've got very flexible quads.






Calves
I know this is meant to be about stretching but my God this man is hot! Oh my! To see more pictures of this stud check out exrx.net, drool....









Hamstring
Here he is again! Ahhh the dreaded hamstring. Mine were tight even before I started running and I hear that running makes them even tighter. This is the best stretch I've found for them.





Lower Calf
I used to find this one a bit tricky until I figured out two things. Firstly, concentrate on getting that back knee down to intensify the stretch. Secondly, you can put most of your weight on your front leg to make it less tiring on your back quad.







And now the ones that I don't do but I'm thinking of trying due to my recent hip pain...

Groin
Even just looking at this feels good.






Hip Flexor
Oh yeah, right there.





Illiotibial Band
I can't ever get this one to feel right - if anyone's got any tips then drop them in the comments.

Progress Report! Day 19 of 70

I'm hoping that the above jpg is readable, but if not here's the essentials! This chart shows the kms covered in my 30 minute sessions. It shows all of my runs on there since I started my programme 19 days ago and the important thing is that there's an upward trend - hooray! I should add that the end of the chart is the end of my 10 week programme so I'm hoping to be hitting around 4 kms. Hmmm... I should adjust the scale. That doesn't seem right though - looking at the chart it looks like I'd be able to run further than that but if I work it out in my head - run 30 mins at 8 km/h - then it's right. Not sure.

Week 3, Day 5

Phew that was hard today. So after my half-hearted rest day yesterday (spent the whole day wanting to go for a run!) I headed out pretty eagerly this morning. Once at the gym then things kind of conspired against me to make my run a bad one. First off someone was on my favourite treadmill :-( I picked a different one and started my warm-up but then noticed the Ryder Cup was on so I changed to my second treadmill 5 minutes into my warm-up so as to get a better view. However, I started to feel really hot and I figured out it was because I had a light hanging right above me, so 5 minutes into my run I switched to my third and final treadmill. This totally confused me on my run/walk times but I managed to get it right in the end.

Then my damn t-shirt kept riding up. God that drives me nuts! I'm 5 foot 9" tall and sometimes it seems impossible to get a t-shirt that's actually long enough for my body. My latest t-shirt just seems to like to jump up and sit on my hips like it's saying "hey everyone, look at this girl's belly!". I spent all my running segments regularly pulling the damn thing back down.

Finally, all of these distractions meant I didn't concentrate on my running form and breathing enough. It seems like if I don't concentrate on it, I don't take deep enough breaths and I end up finding myself out of breath quicker. My form wasn't too bad I think but my hips were hurting like hell at the start. I've only had this since about the weekend I think. It's like when I start running it just feels like I'm getting metal rods beaten against my hip bones every time my feet hit the treadmill. They've actually been aching whilst I'm not running too. Oh and my ankles were hurting a few days ago too... and did I mention that my knees feel weaker! I'm guessing this is all just my joints getting used to the pounding that running will give them. I'm figuring it will get better.

Good thing is that my stats are up again though. Despite all my problems I pushed hard on my running segments - up to 8 km/h throughout now.

Stats:
Distance - 2.10 miles
Avg Speed - 4.20 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 14.28
Distance so far this week - 8.21 miles
Hours so far this week - 2.00

Plodders: Getcha Self a Cup of Perspective Soup

I just read this great post over on the Run4YourLife blog. Any plodders out there who feel down about their speed would be well advised to head over there and read the post - wise words.

Am I going to be a treadmill bore?

I'm still reading other running blogs... god the internet is like some evil time-sucking vampire. There's so much else I should be doing right now. Anyway, after looking at all of these blogs I was thinking about treadmills. I do all my running on a treadmill at the gym. All of it. It occurred to me that perhaps this would make my blog boring. I mean I've been reading other peoples' blogs and they describe the 20 mile runs they go on in parks and along trails and stuff - what am I going to say? At mile 1.25 another brown-haired guy walked past my treadmill again. How's that going to be interesting?

I want to run outside but this is England and it's September and in about two weeks it will be so cold and damp and dark that I won't even want to walk from my house to the car to go to the gym let alone to stay outside and go running. Maybe you think I'm too soft, I don't really care. If this was April then I might start running outside, but if I do it now I might end up quitting because it's so horrible out there. And not that many people run outside here. This isn't California... or London even! People are going to stare at me. No, I'm going to stay running on the treadmill until I'm hardcore enough to say that none of that matters. One day I will be getting rained on while running 20 miles on my own in the dark while the whole town watches on and I can't wait.

So am I going to be a treadmill bore? Nah. Even life on the treadmill can be interesting...

Where Are All The Other Shockingly Unfit Runners?

I feel like I've been trawling the blogging world for hours. I've bookmarked 41 other running blogs but I have yet to find any runners as unfit as me. This just adds weight to my theory that I must be the most unfit, non-obese 26 year old on the planet. If anyone out there is also running 15 minute miles then please let me know you're there. You will have the dubious honour of a link in my sidebar under the heading "Red-Faced Runners", or "Puffed-Out Plodders" or some other mildly offensive phrase.

Hot Running Stud of the Week!

Drool...

Week 3, Day 4 - Rest Day... I Think

I think today is going to be a rest day because I've overslept and I have a busy day... curses. I might still go later though.

How Cute Is This!

Holy shizz people! How cute is this? Why didn't anyone tell me you can get running skirts? Here's me running around looking like an idiot when I could have been looking this cute. Check out the running skirts website to place your orders now!

Block-Rockin' Treadmill Beats

My favourite aggressive stuff, in no particular order:

Chemical Brothers - Block Rockin Beats
Arctic Monkeys - The View From The Afternoon
Prodigy - Diesel Power
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
Dead Prez - Bigger Than Hip Hop
Rage Against The Machine - Know Your Enemy
Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc
50 Cent - If I Can't
Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
50 Cent - In Da Club
Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up
Busta Rhymes - Turn It Up
Rage Against the Machine - Wake Up
Deftones - My Own Summer (Shove It)

GGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!! Yeah it makes me angry. That's me popping some caps by the way - don't be fooled by my pretty beige cardigan, I'm a badass mo'fo'.

Def Leppard

I confess, I listen to my MP3 player really loud at the gym. I can't help it, I've tried to quit but listening to it quietly just ain't the same. I know it's going to make me deaf but sometimes you've just got to not give a shizz right? I mean, I do pretty much everything necessary to ensure a long healthy life, but sometimes you've got to wonder about whether that life is going to be worth living if you do all the stuff you're meant to do to get it. And besides, who's to say that my ears won't get blown off in some tragic accident in a few years - then who'll be laughing? When I sit there deaf as a post I'm going to wish that I've listened to the music really loud while I could. And anyway, I'm sure in the future they'll have the sheeet necessary to fix your ears, right? Come with me now people, say "We want it looouuud!", ah what's that? I can't hear y'all! ... no really I can't hear y'all.... oh crap.

Week 3, Day 3

I pushed myself a bit harder than recently today but it was good. On my running segments I just felt like I was going quite slowly so I decided to increase the speed a bit from 7.5 kph to 8 and 8.5 kph. It was good - I like going a bit faster because it makes you feel a bit fitter! It feels so great at the moment for all of this to start feeling easier. I just never thought that I would get any fitter at all but now even with the increased time in the running segments it just feels easier. I thought that my fitness could never improve but I was WRONG people! I still feel pissed that I've seemingly got to work harder than everyone else just to have average fitness though - what's up with that?

Stats:
Distance - 2.09 miles
Avg Speed - 4.18 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 14.37
Miles so far this week - 6.11
Hours so far this week - 1.30

Me, myself and I

Ok, this is just a post to get a picture of me into my profile. I look pouty.

Week 3, Day 2 - Effing Treadmills

Alright, I had a bad workout today. No that's not true, it was alright but I had a bad moment because I pulled the emergency stop button out by accident and lost where I was dammit. Other than that it was alright. I ran next to this big guy who kicked my ass as usual... not that I usually run with him, just that everyone kicks my ass. I was planning on playing netball again tonight so I didn't think I'd go for a run but then I got into reading the Runner's World forum and I just had to go run. I never would have believed 2 weeks ago that I would get into running this much. Even if I hated every second of the run itself I just love how it makes me feel - it really clears your mind, de-stresses you, makes you feel happy, makes you feel healthy, makes you eat better, it just makes everything better - truly is a panacea.

Stats:
Distance - 2.01 miles
Avg Speed - 4.03 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 14.90
Miles so far this week - 4.02
Hours so far this week - 1.00

Week 3, Day 1

Well I changed to run 5, walk 2.5 today. It was definitely harder than yesterday but it was manageable - not as bad as I feared. About half-way through my run this girl got onto the treadmill next to me and she was running so fast, I want to be like that one day. It's kind of sad when 95% of people who run on the treadmill next to you can whoop yo' ass. And that's young or old people too... and fat and thin people too. Sometimes it just breaks my heart - why am I so unfit? I'm not obese, I'm sure I don't sit on my ass anymore than anyone else does, I played sports in school, I've had about 25 gym memberships since leaving school... I don't get it. I sometimes wonder whether I have some kind of heart defect or asthma or something that would explain it. I've got such a fast heart rate when I run - I've had it well over 200 before (a few years ago). That just can't be normal.

Stats:
Distance - 2.01 miles
Avg Speed - 4.03 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 14.90
Miles so far this week - 2.01
Hours so far this week - 0.30

Week 2, Day 7 - Feeling nervous

Today was a really good run again. It definitely feels like it's getting easier. I just tried to relax a bit more in the running again - tried to fear it less. I'm so nervous though. I have to increase my running time segments tomorrow and it seems like such a bit jump I'm scared of going back to being exhausted again! I'm loving my face being a bit less red and now tomorrow it's coming back again :-(

Stats
Distance - 1.87 miles
Avg Speed - 3.74 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 16.04
Miles so far this week - 9.5
Hours so far this week - 2.30

Week 2, Day 6 - ANOTHER rest day?

Yep, another rest day. It wasn't planned but I kept it anyway because I don't believe in aborting rest days however unplanned they are.

Week 2, Day 5 - It's getting easier!

I can't believe this day has come, I actually feel a bit fitter! I tried just relaxing into the running a bit more and I tried to take deeper breaths and I definitely came out of the gym looking a lot less red-faced than usual. How's that for motivation! Yeehaw.

Stats:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Avg Speed - 3.72 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 16.15
Miles so far this week - 7.63
Hours so far this week - 2.00

Week 2, Day 4 - There's just not a lot to say about it

It was a good run that got easier near the end. I love getting in the zone; the start of a run is hard but it get's so much easier once you getcha groove on.

Stats:
Distance - 1.88 miles
Avg Speed - 3.75 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 15.99
Miles so far this week - 5.77
Hours so far this week - 1.30

Week 2, Day 3 - Hot Stud Day at the Gym... drool

Ok, I have just made a note of the time I went to the gym today because it was packed full of hot guys... oh it was the best day ever. On to the business - tried a 5 minute warm-up today instead of my usual 10. It didn't really work because I started to get a stitch half way through my run - this always happens to me. Stitches are a bit of a mystery but I know I get them if I don't do a decent warm-up. Guess I can't get away with 5 mins. Other than that it was a good workout. I ran the last segment instead of walked it because I just kind of got a bit of a stride on.

Stats:
Distance - 1.95 miles
Avg Speed - 3.90 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 15.38
Miles so far this week - 3.89
Hours so far this week - 1.00

Week 2, Day 2 - Day off

Looks like I like Tuesday to be my day off - no plan there really. I'm trying to go everyday but at least 4 times per week. Today I wanted to play netball in the evening so planned on going afterwards... yeah right. Haven't played netball in 10 years and was reminded, again, of how unfit I have become. Netball = hard work right now which = no gym afterwards.

Week 2, Day 1

I messed up my timing a bit today. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden I was out. I just decided that I'd run the last 7 minutes to try to make up for it. It was good. This reminds me though that I should say that I tend to try to hard. I am seriously unfit but I get 100% for effort. I will work so hard and I think this has kind of been my problem in the past. I love to really push myself but then it makes my runs really hard and when it comes to the next day I'm to scared to go to the gym! The wierd thing is that when I get there planning to take it easy then I'll push myself really hard again. This is part of the reason why I'm now on this new programme - I think that forcing myself to scale things back a bit by having the walking intervals will make me take it easier which will hopefully make me stick to it in the long run.

Stats:
Distance - 1.94 miles
Avg Speed - 3.89 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 15.43
Miles so far this week - 1.94
Hours so far this week - 0.30

Week 1, Day 7

Felt a bit easier today, unless that's my imagination. Great week - got to the gym 6 times... come on!

Stats:
Distance - 1.90 miles
Avg Speed - 3.79 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 15.83
Miles so far this week - 11.24
Hours so far this week - 3.00

Week 1, Day 6 - No comment

I just did it today. I've got nothing to say about it either.

Stats:
Distance - 1.86 miles
Avg Speed - 3.72 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 16.15
Miles so far this week - 9.34
Hours so far this week - 2.30

Week 1, Day 5

Not much to say about today's workout. I tried mixing up the speed a bit in the intervals instead of running at one speed throughout.

Stats:
Distance - 1.93 miles
Avg Speed - 3.85 mph
Minute/Mile Pace - 15.57
Miles so far this week - 7.48
Hours so far this week - 2.00

Week 1, Day 4 - My heart ain't as big as my legs are long

I pushed harder on the running segments today. It seems almost easier to run faster but my heart just isn't up to it. I feel like I've got these great big long legs which should really give me an edge on shorter runners but instead I find myself taking wee little strides because it's so hard. I need to read up on treadmill technique.

Stats:
Distance - 1.93 miles
Avg Speed - 3.85 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 15.57
Miles so far this week - 5.55
Hours so far this week - 1.30

Week 1, Day 3

Ok, I decided to stick with run 3, walk 3 for the rest of this week. I figure I've been running for a few months so I shouldn't have to start at week 1... I mean hell shouldn't I be running marathons in my lunch-break by now? Today was pretty hard... I can't believe a few months ago I could run 3k straight and now it seems hard to run for 3 minutes at a time. I wouldn't have thought I could get any less fit than I was then!

Stats:
Distance - 1.83 miles
Avg Speed - 3.65 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 16.42
Miles so far this week - 3.62
Hours so far this week - 1

Week 1, Day 2 - Rest Day!

So soon?

Week 1, Day 1

Oops! Not a great start. I did run 3, walk 3 instead of run 2, walk 4. Woke up bleary-eyed and went to the gym, couldn't remember what I was meant to do so guessed. I also got half-way through and realised I had the incline set at 4.5 - how did that happen? Treadmill fairies I think. Well at least I've got started though. I've run on and off (mostly off) for a few months now with little progress and I'm going to get serious with this now. I don't want to be unfit anymore.

Stats:
Distance - 1.79 miles
Avg Speed - 3.58 mph
Min/Mile Pace - 16.76... eeek!
Miles so far this week: 1.79
Hours so far this week: 0.30

The programme

Here's the programme I'm following. I'm trying to go pretty much every day, but minimally four times a week. Each session begins with a 10 minute walking warm-up. Then I have a 30 minute session of running and walking. The list below is the number of minutes I run/walk back to back which I repeat until I've done 30 minutes. I then do a 5 minute cool-down followed by stretching. I'm starting out with a walking speed of 4.5km/h and a running speed of 7.5km/h.

Week 1: Run 2, Walk 4
Week 2: Run 3, Walk 3
Week 3: Run 5, Walk 2.5
Week 4: Run 7, Walk 3
Week 5: Run 8, Walk 2
Week 6: Run 9, Walk 2
Week 7: Run 9, Walk 1
Week 8: Run 13, Walk 2
Week 9: Run 14, Walk 1
Week 10: Run 30

First post

Ok, this is my first post so I'd better introduce my blog. This is my blog about running. I'm very unfit and I don't want to be anymore so I've decided to take up running. I'm now in my third week and it's going really well and this blog is going to follow my progress. I can't believe that there's many people in the world as unfit as I am (for a 26 year old at least!) so I'm hoping to show that if I can get fitter then anyone can.

I'm going to go through and make notes on all my running up to today.