Mj’s Blog

In January I decided to start running to get fit - now running long distance to me is impossible as I’ve always been a 100 metre sprinter type at school. My stamina is something to be desired but I thought running would help with this, for one it’s free (unlike the gym) and I can go whenever I want without having to drive anywhere. Just step out the front door and off I go… well, maybe not that enthusiastically. In the winter months of Jan and Feb I was doing quite well - 3 times a week after work in the dark (so no one could see me huffing and puffing). I started with a walk/run/walk routine which I found out about on a running site. Started off OK and my running sections improved but I found the walking sections didn’t. Instead of fast walking like the website said I was reduced to a slow crawl with tight aching calf muscles and feeling generally knackered.

In the month of March, things started to go to pot and so did the long list of excuses as not to go - working too late, rain, snow and nights out drinking. April is an improving month with running back to at least twice a week and now I run continually albeit it is a lot shorter than the walk/run/walk route that I was doing but at least I can feel and look knackered at home.

Maybe I needed a goal to help with this so I foolishly decided that I would register for the ‘Race for Life’ 5K race in June. Now, I’m doing this for fitness and not for charity (I’m going to give them £25 of my own money so I don’t have to feel embarrassed about collecting money). Hopefully having something to compete in will give me the encouragement needed and might bring out the competitiveness in me to train for this properly. I might even get in to this running malarkey - I wonder if I could ever do a marathon… not very likely!