The race!

I have done about two training sessions since my last post and this morning I did the run! I did it! And I ran the whole way!!

I completed the 5K in 36 minutes and I am completely proud of myself.

The training I did in my last session really did cause my knees to suffer. We went away the weekend following that and due to the pain I didn't run at all. We did a few very long walks, though, which I felt was adequate enough exercise as it was gentle on my legs and well over 4 miles of walking.

In the last week I took the advice of more experienced runners and did one more long session of 30 minutes (15 minutes running, one minute walking, 15 minutes running) which I did with ease. I did that on Tuesday and then didn't do any more running until today. I did walk (I started walking to and from work on Thursday and Friday) which is about 3 miles in total.

But the big day blew me away!! Firstly, it was incredibly well organized and although there were about 17 000 other ladies running, I really didn't notice it that much at all. The best advice I was given for the race was to keep to my own pace. This is hard at the beginning as so many people start off quite fast and I felt like I was being over taken by all 17 000 runners, but I kept telling myself that if I want to run the entire distance I need to go slowly and at my own pace. I also had my IPOD with me playing music that keeps me going.

The nicest thing about the race was all the cheering. It really makes a difference when there are people on the side-lines encouraging you on. It also helped that there were sign posts marking every kilometre. I averaged about 7 minutes per kilometre (which impressed me) and I kept a very steady pace through out. The route itself was on gravel and very flat compared to the runs I do at home. I think the flatness of the route, the cheering on the side of the road and the energy of all the other runners around me really helped to keep me going. I'm incredibly proud to have achieved this and I am looking forward to the next one because now I know that I can do it!

As a beginner, this is my advice:

• follow the training guides. Even if it seems like you are doing too little, don't add more. The people who planned those guides really do know what they are talking about.
• Stretch. Before and after. Especially if you have previous injuries.
• Don't increase your running the week before the race. Slow it down. Even if it doesn't seem logical, it works. My body was able to do more than it has ever done today and I think it's because it had time to build up strength before the race.
• If your legs or knees hurt, don't run. Let them recover properly.
• Sign up for a 5K! It's the most amazing feeling to complete it and I think it has been a total inspiration for me to continue.
• Get support. My husband has rubbed calves, taken photos, listened to me moan, moan moan......and still encouraged me to keep going. Encouragement helps.

My only disappointment through this was that I have lost absolutely no weight (The two kilos I lost at the beginning hurried right back on). I think I do need to start eating better to help lose the weight I need to lose. I may also not have been running solidly enough to lose anything. Hopefully as I continue I'll start losing the weight I need to lose.

training 16

drumroll please.........today I enjoyed my run.......I can't quite believe I'm writing those words, but that was my feeling as I was running today. More than that, when the 30 minute mark arrived I found myself wanting to run a little bit more - wanting to run!!! Wow.
I walked quite a distance before my run today to a wood nearby my house which has a field behind it. The field was grassy and flat but the wood had a few challenging dips to it. I ran fifteen minutes and then walked two minutes and then I ran another 15 minutes after that. So, it was a 32 minutes session today!
THe only tough part was when I started walking home again. For the first time in any session I began to feel a familiar pain behind my left knee. Including my walk before and after the run I was one my feet for about 50 minutes, so perhaps it was just too much time on the road. THat's a pity because the run on the field was such a pleasure compared to my usual hilly sidewalk running.
I don't know how far I ran, but that's ok. I feel quite wonderful that I managed what I did. I'm quite confident that I'll be able to do 5kms but also pretty sure that I'll have to have a bit of a walk in between running.
I got home and did some good stretches and I'm still stretching before my run. I don't think I'll stop that as I'm too aware of getting injured again.
Only 4 more training sessions until the race!

Training 15

Run 12 minutes, walk 3 minutes repeated twice. It sounds so easy - especially after trying to run twenty minutes a few days ago. But it's not. I did do it and I also rotated my route (so that I had more down hill runs than up hill). My calves are less sore after the run, which is a really nice feeling.
I do need to start bringing water with me when I run as I'm noticing that my lips are getting dry very quickly. I also had a bit of pain in my stomach, which I think may have been because I had breakfast this morning.
I'd like to see myself to the same routine this Wednesday but without feeling like I'm struggling to complete it.

Training 14

This session started on a low note with bad pain in my knee on the day of training. As I am trying to prevent injury rather than creating more, I took the day off. It was incredibly frustrating for me as all I wanted to do was go out and run, but I knew that this would probably not benefit me in the long term.
Instead I went out running yesterday. I decided to try and run for a twenty minute stretch. I managed fifteen minutes and then just had to walk. As soon as my calves began walking they also began screaming in agony. I realized quickly that if i was going to run again I needed to start quickly, so after a minute of walking I gave myself the goal of reaching twenty minutes and then stopped.
As it was a Saturday, my husband was home and offered to massage my aching calves, which was well-received. My calves don't hurt too much after a run, but during a run it's those muscles that take quite a beating. The good news is that my knees are not sore.
Tomorrow I'm taking a step back and going to run two twelve minute sessions. I think it was good to stretch myself yesterday, but I'm not ready for a straight twenty minute run yet.
Another good thing I'm finding is that I'm wanting to run more. I don't feel like I'm forcing myself out onto the road, I'm eager to be there doing it. Let's hope tomorrow's run is an easier one for me.

Training 13 - completed my first 5k session!

I went back to the route I have planned out today because I was increasing my running to 10 minutes. The sequence was run 10 minutes, walk 2 repeated twice and then a final run of 5 minutes. I was quite motivated to go running this morning, which was good after my last session. I was so eager that I forgot to stretch! (But I hope I made up for that with half an hour of yoga after the run).
What was interesting was how my body is used to the 8 minute run now. It was just as the clock hit 8 minutes that I found myself ready to walk and I had to will myself onwards for the next two minutes. I'm finding that the longer the running session the easier it is to find my stride. I used to have quite a big stride when I was running on the treadmill a few years ago. It is coming back to me, but the difference with running on the road is that the terrain is never the same. I have to change my stride when I'm going up hills and that does affect the rhythm of the movement (which never happened on the treadmill). It is nice to feel that stride coming back, though. I remember how it used to feel like flying.
Another thing I'm realizing is how much this long distance running (it's long distance for me, at least!) is about will power and the mind and not just about the body. I have to think myself through the next 10 seconds of a run, will myself through it, and learn the endurance involved in repeating a similar pattern over and over again, rather than the tactics and changes involved in team sports.
The second ten minutes were very hard. It's a sunny day today and I definitely felt myself getting dehydrated in a way I hadn't before. I was also conscious of not having stretched and I could feel my muscles taking more time to loosen up (I still did a 5 minute walk as a warm up, it was just the stretching I had forgotten about). I walked for three minutes after the second ten minute session as I was heading up a hill and could feel my legs wanting to rebel. The final 5 minutes was a home stretch and was really great because I realized that this was the first time I had completed an entire 5Km route. It still includes a five minute walk as a warm up, so the total time it takes me to do is 35minutes. Today I ran 25 minutes and walked 10 minutes. I feel quite good about that.
I did measure my waist today and found that I have lost 6cm around my middle. This is great as that's where most of my fat lies and most doctors now say that it's the worst place to carry weight. The scale is still stuck in the same place, but I'm hoping I can say I'm gaining muscle mass!
I got home and glugged down a lot of water before doing a yoga session that focusses on stretching out the legs. My knees did not feel like they were taking strain as I was running and I did not get any cramps, but I did notice a few pains in my legs that I hadn't felt before. I don't want to injure myself at this point!
I have two options for my next run: A straight twenty minute run or two fifteen minute stretches with a two minutes of walking in between. The twenty minutes excite me, but after today I'm wondering whether the 15 minutes might be better for me.
All in all it was a good session today - at last!

Training 12

Today was a tough day in terms of motivation. I took some advice I made and just put on my running clothes even though in my heart the last thing I wanted to do was step out on the road. Well, that advice did the job! I was out on the road about twenty minutes later and took a different route to the one that I did last week. I couldn't tell you how far I ran as I didn't map it out, I just took to the road and followed my clock. Today was another session of run 8 minutes walk two. I like this session. It's long enough to feel like I'm actually running, but also still has a walking moment for when I feel like I'm about to crack.
I was aware of the wind against my skin today, which was probably the best feeling of the session. My knees don't hurt when I'm running, but my calves certainly do! Those muscles seem to be taking the most strain.
I must say that having done the run I feel much better. Perhaps those endorphins are starting to kick in! (During the run I was thinking of the million things I could complain about on my blog, but I can't really remember them now)
My biggest blow has been a journey UP the scale again - half a kilogram. That wasn't what I was hoping for at all!

Training 11

It's quite remarkable to think that I've only been through eleven training sessions. It feels like much more. Today was the day that shortened my recovery time in between running. The only muscles that are sore right now are my calf muscles, the rest of me seems to be ok.
All in all the run was fine. The enjoyable thing is seeing how my distance increases with the extra three minutes of running that I add to the session. It gets me excited about being able to do a full 5k run.
I am at my half way mark in training and overall feeling quite good. Yesterday I went out and bought decent sports bra. The bra that I was running in is over ten years old, so it was definitely time for new one!!
My body feels stronger and I do feel more confident about myself and my appearance. I'm feeling a bit more confident about wearing clothes that were slightly tight around the middle a few weeks ago. (They're still slightly tight, but mentally I'm feeling a little skinnier.) I know that losing weight is no easy task, but am greatful to see the scale moving down instead of up! Although I'm not purposefully dieting, I do find that exercise does seem to cause me to be a bit more careful about what I'm putting into my mouth.

Training 10

Back to morning training today, which is harder for me. We were woken by a smoke alarm at about 6.45 so I headed out for quite an early run (for me, at least). Today it was run 7 minutes, walk 3 which I repeated 3 times. It was a good session in all. Based on my measurements of my route I did 4.5km, which I'm very happy with. I have about 3 1/2 weeks to go before the 5k and I think I'll be ok after today even if I have some spots of walking.
The 4.5 includes my five minute walk which I do as a warm up and then a bit of a walk home, so including those times it took me 37 minutes. to do the distance. There are two hills on the route, which I slow down for and do quite slowly.
My body is quite tired and I'm full of sweat. The next step is run 8 minutes and walk 2. The walk of two minutes has not been a good one for me so far as I still do need a bit of recovery time in between. I find my walk of three minutes is gone before I know it!
All in all, though, today was good. I think the stress of moving the week before may have had a larger impact than I thought on my running.

Training 9

Well, we have finally moved. Just the two of us packed and moved everything on Friday. It was an entire days work and definitely a good physical workout and left both of exhausted on Saturday. Instead of running on Sunday I shifted it to yesterday (my usual rest day instead). It seemed to be the right thing to do as the run yesterday went brilliantly.
I am now down another kilogram, which puts me at 68. I can feel lighter when I run and I can feel it making a difference. The training routine yesterday was run five minutes and walk three minutes, repeated 3 times. It was fine and quite enjoyable. I've set up a new route (as I'm about a mile from where I lived before) and I think the changed route was also enjoyable.
I worked out the route using google maps before running. I managed about 3km in half an hour including the warm up walk.
I also took some time yesterday to watch the movie Coco (before Chanel). It was lovely. I think a movie so inspirational was also good food for thought. It meant that my thoughts were more optimistic.

Training 8

A bit better today. My spirit was low, but, as always, my determination high. I didn't increase my running, just kept alternating three minutes of running with two or three minutes of walking. Having just a two minute walk between running was a big tougher than I expected.
After more research and careful listening to my body I've decided not to add in an extra day of running. My body needs serious recovery time and that's very necessary.
I didn't get a stitch today, nor did I get any leg pain. My knees are still quite painful at night time, though.

Training 7 - yoga day

Yesterday ended with a lot of pain in both my knees as well as a painful headache, and the vow to be gentle with myself today. The last week has involved a lot of walking all around town, and today I have stayed in. I slept until about 10am this morning before a call from an estate agent woke me, but I felt rested and much better than yesterday.

Once up, I started looking for yoga podcasts on Itunes and found one really good one that focused on the knees. It was about 11 minutes long (free on Itunes) and was more about massage of the feet, calves and thighs than about actual stretching BUT did the job well. It was from yoga today and called "Theraputic knee exercise" with Yoga Today. I did two other sessions from that organization, back relief and hip opening lunges. The lunges were good, but my back is still a bit sore!! That took me up to about 40 minutes of yoga. I want to try and do the knee exercise everyday as I was impressed and I need to work on the alignment of my feet. I have bunyons which I think are part of the problem of the pain I feel - everything is just slightly wonky to start with!

(In the middle of my yoga session the Estate Agent arrived with prospective tenants. There I was on the floor in my undies! Fortunately the front door is a flight of stairs away, so I had time to find some trousers before they made it up the stairs. The Estate Agent was an hour later than she had said she would be!!)

My mind is feeling stronger today, though. A good sleep and talk with my husband about it has probably helped. Although I think my concerns about being ready for the 5K are probably justified. I have been researching training a bit more on the web and found one site that recommended running five days a week to get fit. Any suggestions? I'm wondering if I need to add another day of running into my schedule. Also a little bit of yoga can go a long way to steadying my mind. Today I can see the benefits of changing my lifestyle and the good things about this goal.

Training 6 - toughest day so far

It didn't start with the running. It started with my motivation. I woke up at about 4am this morning in a state of deep anxiety. This is a familiar pattern that always returns to a set of themes for me to worry or feel guilty about and they always do the trick of keeping me up and getting my mood very low. Eventually I fell asleep again but when the alarm rang I couldn't get up.
Let's just say that it's a good thing I'm on holiday and can postpone a training session. The fact that I've set myself the goal of an event in 5 weeks time means that I know taking even one day off is not wise especially considering the shape that I'm in.
The weather is not kind today, either. It's the London drizzle - not quite rain, not quite mist, but quite perpetual. This was ok. I know that training sometimes happens in the rain and recalled an image from a NIKE add a few years ago with a woman training in the rain and the slogan underneath being something like "because I'm worth it". Of all things to get me out the house in this weather that was it - even when I realized that I had left my IPOD in our new house.
You see, we're also moving this week, which could easily account for a bit of extra anxiety.

Well, off I went, not in the best of spirits tackling my first session with an even walk/run routine. I needed to repeat this routine 4 times, but wanted to try and do it 5 times to keep the entire session at thirty minutes.

It started off badly. The first three minutes of running left me quite winded and quite surprised. Fortunately the walk helped me recover and the next three minutes session was better. At the twelve minute mark I got a stitch and also a pain just below my right knee. As this was at a walking point I allowed myself to walk and debated what to do. Determination won and I started running again to find that the pain went away. I made it to the end of the session and decided I had enought strength to do an extra set. So, I completed a thirty minute session alternating three minutes of jogging and three minutes of walking.

I'm home now and after my stretch and sweating quite badly. This run felt like my first session of walking one minute and running one minute - I feel the same sense of exhaustion at the end. This was also the first run I've done where my mind was telling me I wasn't going to be able to complete it. I completed the session, but what about the 5K. Each time I step up my running I get quite a shock - I can just manage running constantly for three minutes, and I plan to run 5K in a few weeks?

So, anxiety, no music to listen to, unpleasant weather, and a huge slump in my mood has meant a tough day today. I need to think about how I'm going to pick myself up. Tomorrow is a day for yoga.

Training 5 - beginning of the second week

The last few days have been quite busy as we've had friends from America in town. This has involved LOTS of walking around London as well as my training.

Today I trained in the late afternoon rather than in the morning which was a change from normal routine. I'm now running for two minutes and walking for four. It went well today and I even had the strength add and extra routine at the end of the day. I still find that when I hit the twenty minute mark my energy drops, but not enough for me to have to stop. The amazing thing so far has been that I haven't needed to stop running or walking once. I put that down to stretching, warming up and cooling down, and starting the program slowly.

All in all my legs are much stronger. In fact, my whole body feels stronger and really do feel great when I've finished training - another surprise.

Eating is still not at it's best. I am eating less sugar, but that doesn't mean that it's a healthy amount. I do find myself getting more hungry. I tried to sustain all of that with eating more fruit this week, which I think did help. As we've had guests I have been eating out a lot too. I am one kilogram lighter today than I was a week ago.

This week my training schedule is to run three minutes, walk three minutes. Then the running begins to increase quite drastically.

Day 4

I just finished the session. The last ten minutes were extremely tough. I found it helpful not to worry about when my two minute jog was up as focussing on the time seemed to make me more tired. I did manage to keep up with the session and really appreciated the 4 minute walk in between jogging. I needed the full recovery time.
My body is certainly feeling stronger. I struggled with indigestion last night (I had a baked potato with cheese and bacon, and it kept me up for most of the night) which I'm sure didn't help. Although I'm keeping up with the training, my diet doesn't always look like the healthiest. I may need to pay more attention to it.
It's interesting to see how my body is responding to all this. I'm so much more aware of it and what it's doing. I can also feel my body tightening and toning. My knees didn't ache as much during the training, but I have had some pain in them in the evenings.
The next jogging session is on Sunday. I may go swimming on Saturday as another counter-exercise, or I may do some more yoga. It all depends on how my body responds to the session that I did today.

Training 3 - alternative exercise

Day 3 dawned with me feeling strong. It was a choice between yoga or rest and I decided to go with yoga. I am a great fan of yoga and belonged to a great club in Dallas called American Power Yoga. I have yet to find a club as wonderful as that here in London, but I do have a trusty DVD which I used today.
One of the great lessons I learned in yoga class was to go as far as my body would let me. I had intended on doing an hour, but only managed 45. Yoga is a good counter-exercise from running because it puts less pressure on my joints and it stretches me out. It also really does relax my mind in a way that few other exercises do.
My knees are sore today, so I'm a little concerned about training tomorrow. I begin running for two minutes alternated with 4 minutes walking. We'll see how it goes.

Training 2

Yesterday was my day of rest and I took it seriously! My muscles were quite tired, esecially my left calf (the former injury) and for some reason a muscle along the right side of my abdomen. I was quite worried that hitting the road again would be very difficult for my body, but, much to my suprise, it wasn't.

If anything my body feels a little bit stronger today. My legs wanted to take the deeper strides (which my muscles must remember from my running a few years ago) and my ab muscles wanted to take a bit more responsibility for holding my core strength. In fact, today I didn't feel like Mrs Potato Head at all. I did feel stronger. My knees weren't ready for the larger strides, I think because I have about 5kg of extra weight on my frame (which for my short body is quite a lot), but I didn't feel as exhausted as I did two days ago.

My verdict about the day of rest is that something is still going on even if I'm not exercising. My mind was awash with thoughts and I could feel my muscles sorting themselves out. I also definitely noticed a difference in my training today. I still walked for one minute, ran for one minute, but I wanted to try and run a little longer than that (which is good because Thursday's training is run for two minutes, walk for four repeated five times). That will be interesting because it also increases the actual running part of my training by ten minutes. I'm stretching at the beginning and end of my sessions which I'm sure is helping too. Today I ended with ten minutes of yoga.

Tomorrow is another day of rest and I will follow what my muscles are telling me, although I do think I'll do some yoga just to try and keep my muscles relaxed and stretched ready for Thursday.

All in all my feeling after today's training is one of excitement. I felt healthier today.

Training

My friend Linda ran a 5K a few months ago. We were chatting about it together and she explained what a great motivation it was for her to start exercising. It planted a seed in my own mind that resulted in me signing up for my own 5K run yesterday.
The reasons are simple. Since getting married and relocating I have gained half a stone - 7 pounds - and mostly around my middle. I am veering dangerously towards looking like one of the potato heads. As anyone who reads anything about women's health knows, all this weight around my middle is not at all good, and as anyone who knows me would know, dieting is not good route for me. I end up eating more when on diet - and more of the chocolates, chips and ice creams that have been my comfort friends for years. I know that exercising is a good route for me, but have not managed to get a routine going here in England. So, with the summer holidays upon me, it seemed like a good time to start. The fact that I happened to find a 5K run at the beginning of September (which co-incides perfectly with the school term) gave me little excuses to not sign up.

I spent most of yesterday planning my training and researching on the internet. I found two good sites for my 5K challenge: www.coolrunning.com and www.runnersworld.co.uk . I've taken both of their schedules and adapted them to my needs and also adopted some of the stretches.

This morning at about 8am I woke up and began my first session (I know, I know, it's not a dramatic 5am start, but that would have killed this sensitive project before it even had a chance to breathe!). I searched out my gym clothes, my knee support (necessary because of an injury about 6 years ago when I was at the height of health) and my sneakers and began with the stretches.

It wasn't too bad. Day one asked me to run for one minute, jog for one minute. This meant that as soon as my legs were about to collapse from the burden of my potato head stomach (which was jumping up and down like jelly on the run) I was given a chance to walk. I'm doing the same thing on Tuesday. (This plan allows for a day of rest in between training, which seems insane with six weeks until a race, but I'm going to trust the people who know better than me. My last personal attempt at exercise resulted in a bad knee injury which has been more damaging to my health in the long term than a day of rest in between training will be).

The tough thing was the barrage of negative thoughts that hit me as I was heading back home after my exercise. I had just done a good thing, but all I could think about was the reasons why I had let myself go like I had and how bad I was for doing that. My husband pointed out that this seems to be becoming a pattern whenever I try to exercise, and of course, has prevented me from keeping on going with it. Hopefully this 5K goal at the end will prevent me from quitting.

I'm going to attempt to keep up a blog while I do this. Right now, after a good shower, some encouraging words from my husband and a cup of coffee I feel fine. My body feels worked out, but not sore and I feel optimistic.