Someone much funnier and wiser than me once said that the day he saw a jogger smile would be the day he gave it a go.
Needless to say he has never jogged a day in his life and up until 5-weeks ago, neither had I.
Following a particularly sad time in our lives, the Greek God(zilla) and I decided we needed something positive to focus on and embarked on a 9-week training programme to get our hands out of the family pack of Minstrels and running 5k (about 30 minutes without stopping).
All we had to do in the first week was alternate 60-seconds of running and 90-seconds of walking for 20-minutes.
Hahaha, ALL!
We both came back dripping in sweat, bright red in the face and unable to speak.
When the workout was over, I burst into tears. In fact, this happened after my first 6 or 7 runs. I am not sure if the tears were out of relief that it was finally over, or if exercising had cleared the emotional cobwebs a bit.
Either way, I knew I had to keep going if I had any hope of ever achieving a healthier lifestyle.
I can be a bit faddish you see… gym memberships signed and canceled, diets started and broken, clothes fitting and not fitting.
I had to break the cycle.
I had to find something and I had to STICK with it.
It had to cost not one penny.
The thought of having to up the running bit to 90-seconds the following week seemed impossible but using our newly buffed up friends as thinspiration we somehow managed it.
By week 3 we were running along the beach in Crete for 3-minutes without stopping.
So chuffed beyond belief were we at being able to complete 3 whole minutes in one go, that at the end of each workout we would high-five each other in triumph.
I can only imagine what the people actually running properly along the beach must have thought of us with our two repetitions of 90-seconds of running, 90-seconds of walking, 3-minutes of running and 3-minutes of walking then collapsing onto each other and cheering like we had just completed the London marathon, twice over.
Cringe.
We are halfway through the programme now and this weekend, we both ran for 20-minutes without stopping.
It seems quite remarkable when just 5-weeks ago we were struggling to keep going for 60-seconds.
It was definitely the first 2-weeks of the programme that felt the most punishing.
Although, I still would not say that jogging is fun.
I do not wake up in the morning and think Oh, what a lovely day for a run!
I wake up and think if I go now then I won’t have to think about it again for another 2 days.
While I do feel a sense of achievement every time I manage to jog for a bit longer than the time before, I am yet to experience that high that some people talk about.
I do not love jogging.
Although, I do not hate it quite as much anymore either.
But, I’ve still yet to see a jogger smile.
Couch to 5k or Couch Potato?
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I envy you you’re running. I used to do quite a lot – just mild stuff – and do miss the calm, head space time, but my knees are totally knackered and it’s out of the question. I think what you’re doing is quite adhievable without too much strain – coz that’ll make it stressful so I hope you enjoy it. If you keep it up, you’ll have a runner’s body in no time and you don’t need to diet for that! (nice tum, fab hips) XX
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It is amazing to see how much I am improving week on week. I hope I stick with it for the health and weight loss aspect of it… never know, I might start to love it soon…
See you on Friday lovely xx
I’m going to use a reasonably well known internet meme to reply to this this post if that’s ok!
http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/009/754/AnBWa.jpg
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Haha brilliant! Thanks Jack.
There’s one then… is that pic what kept you going?
x
Oh darling you are a woman after my own heart! I wish I loved running – that buzz that people talk about. The joy, the exhilaration………all I feel is exhausted, fed up and embarrassed at how red I am after 5 minutes. Plus doing it in the cold and rain is tantamount to torture. (I once ran in the rain – I felt so worthy at the time, confident that a hot bath afterwards and I’d be right as rain (ahem) This is no word of a lie – it took 4 FULL DAYS to feel human and warm again). But good on you for keeping at it. You are an inspiration. In fact – I might try and do the same. If I can do Race for Life in 34 minutes on virtually no training, I’m sure I can run properly with a bit of practise……..(glugs on the Diet Coke and reaches for a chocolate mini roll…..)
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HI am so pleased I am not the only one!
I will keep going with it and hope I get better – I am chuffed with the improvements I’ve made so far and according to the programme, I’ll be running 5k in another 4 weeks time… that just seems crazy to think about now.
xx
Well done you! I admire your determination to get the job done. Exercise can definitely give you that emotional release – starts clearing out any blocked energy. I need to take a leaf out of your book and get back into my trainers too – I used to do so much exercise – only exercise I seem to do these days is tapping the keys on my computer! X.
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That’s exactly how I felt – like I just needed to do SOMETHING. It is good to feel a bit healthier and I have dropped a couple of pounds but nothing major.
I will be happy when I get to the end of the 9-weeks but will need some new motivation to maintain it… x
I’ve been running for 3 years now and absolutely love it! I don’t think I smile much though while I do it but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy every second of it 🙂 if you want to be inspired, check out this photo of a highly inspirational woman – http://www.thefitbee.com/2012/08/i-am-back-unicorn-pace.html
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WOW, that is great – love the unicorn pace:) I can’t see myself ever running a marathon and have utmost respect for anyone who does.
my jogging smile is a grimace of pain, or a real grin when Gaga sings in my earphones!!
Well done Smudgio, you will reap the benefits I promise. I have. xxxx
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Thanks Gill… I’ll keep going… sigh 🙂
xx
well done to you and Mr Grenglish – me and Richmond Daddy got into running a few years back and I went from a run one minute, walk one minute starting point to ending up being able to run a half marathon, which felt like an enormous achievement! having said that, as soon as I’d done that run, I gave up running completely… !! xxx