Five and half years later, thanks to marital bliss, too much eating out and a gradual omission of exercise, I am a whopping 60lbs heavier! Over the last year or so I have been dreaming of getting back into my original size. Well maybe not quite that but close to it since I am now smack in the middle of those dreaded down the hill years. Nevertheless this means a need to re-acquaint myself with not only good-for-me foods but exercise. I don’t even need to say it but anyone who knows me knows that like most I hate exercise! Unfortunately to get results I want I have to undertake a combination of exercise and healthy eating. So what exercise program to undertake?
I want one that does not require me to perform on a daily basis, one that requires only the minimum of gadgetry and one that will not take hours to perform. This led me to the couch-to-5k running program. Notice that the program is called a ‘running’ program. Here is the thing – I do not run, have never run and Yes I come from a country of runners that do not include yours truly. Just ask my PE teacher in primary school – he would chase after my walking self on the running field with a whipping stick and even after a couple of lashes I would continue with my leisurely stroll like nothing was amiss! Needless to say, he inevitably gave up!
So after a lot of pondering, it came down to what is considered as ‘running’?
run•ning, noun, adjective
–verb (used without object)
1. to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground.
2. to move with haste; act quickly: Run upstairs and get the iodine.
Therefore, based on the definition, I only need to move ‘more rapidly than at a walk’. Yay! Alas, it is do-able. As long as I do not need to break into a 100 meter sprint then I can do this. You hear – I can bloody well do this!
I already have a pair of Nike running shoes that I bought a while back but the sensor in them is long dead so will need to replace that in the next couple of weeks so that I can log my progress on Nike.
I also have a very dusty treadmill to use now that good ol’ winter is upon us and for a newbie runner, running out in the cold, sometimes slippery, sometimes wet outside is a sure way to put the brakes on this new found program.
So for the last 2 weeks I have embarked on my 3 times a week couch-to-5k running program. The first week was very easy. It required a walking warm up of 5 minutes followed by eight intervals of 60 seconds run and 90 seconds walk, finished with a 5 minute cool down. It was a breeze and a huge boost to this non-runners ego. Week Two, started off very hard mostly because the first day of the week I did eight sets instead of the suggested six sets – too enthusiastic! The last two days of the week proved much easier to handle. The week called for 5 minutes warm up, six intervals of 90 seconds run and 2 minutes walk, finished with a 5 minutes cool down.
Looking forward to week three - bring it on!
