Tuesday 25 August 2009

Endorphins... and headphones

I was lead to believe that this exercise milarky would lead to rushes of endorphins and a high that would make me feel good about myself and the actual exercise I was doing.

I've yet to feel that happen, I'm still struggling to reach that bottom rung of the ladder and it is so hard. I'm not giving up, I'm stubborn and I will improve if I keep at it.

I need to find some better ways to stretch at the end of the session too, I shall post them once I find them.

My new headphones arrived today and they are Sennheiser OMX 80 Sport eco headphones. I have problems with my ears and headphones where no matter what size and type I get they all seem destined to fall off. These are bendy and are meant to mould to my ears. I've tried them out on my little wander out. They mostly worked; however they did fall off on the odd occasion but this was due to my boobs, I am sure.

The boob issue is because, I have big boobs and if I do feed the wire from the ipod on the inside of the t-shirt the weight of bosom pulls the wire down and headphones fall out. I shall try the wire outside the t-shirt again.

Thursday 20 August 2009

It's hard

I've not had the best of weeks this week. Somehow I've not really had time to get out and try and do this running thing. I managed a walk on Tuesday and it has only been today that I've actually had time to try the run walk thing.

Okay, pain pain pain. My legs really hurt doing this. I've been promised that it get's easier, but at the moment I'm not sure when that's going to be. I think I shall have to get my butt into gear and do this more often.

Tomorrow, I shall try the running/walking again, because I think the more I do the easier it will get.

Need to keep the focus now and need to keep on plugging at it.

Thursday 13 August 2009

Three little minutes...

And I did them. Interspersed with 5 minute walking sessions. Still with the pain in the shins but I like to think that it was less than Tuesday.

I ache, my core muscles in my stomach feel tight and have done since attempt number one. I'm guessing the flabby jiggles are making them work.

This weekend I am off and away but doubtless will get in some walking of somekind.

I feel generally more positive, certainly wanting to be able to run is a goal I can work on acheiveing.

That's got to be a good thing.

Wednesday 12 August 2009

Walking and running

So yesterday was the day I bit the bullet and decided to start learning to run. I had done some research, an eight week programme to get me running using the walk run method and I was determined to give it a go.

Recently I've been incredibly sedentary, more so than I've ever been in my life. A few years ago now I went to the gym regularly when living with my parents, it was an excuse to be out of the house for longer and the gym was on my way home, the extortionate price I paid for membership acted as a really good incentive to go. I got fit too and I liked it. Having said that, the gym I'm a member of now, is small and pokey and I hate it, but it's cheap.

These days I'm glued to the sofa loathing my body shape but I don't seem to be able to kick myself into a gear which will enable me to do something about it. I'm getting nagged by the moomah and whilst I'm not doing this for her, I know I need to get fitter for me.


Before venturing out I strapped up the jugs, pulled on some tracky bottoms and a harry potter t-shirt and ventured out with ipod firmly plugged in my ears. I walked to the canal briskly in order to warm up the canal is a good 8 minutes away so time to get the blood flowing and once I arrived at the tow-path started my one minute jog. Quel Horreur! There were people and boats and bike and OMG scary biscuits. But I did run that first minute. And then walked for six minutes as per instructions. I then ran my second minute. Before turning back to walk and fully intending to do my third minute of running. But by this time there was pain. My shins felt like they were going to shatter, both of them. My breathing was laboured and I thought I might pass out. Initially I thought I would be able to recover enough to run my final minute but as the six minutes ticked by and my brisk walking pace dwindled to a shuffle as my legs seemed to tighten as I moved I discovered that - that third minute was as yet beyond me.

Things that I noticed, very often my body or bits of my body don't feel like my own, there is so much excess that there could be two of me. I've always been overweight but recently bits of me that weren't that fat have become flabby and wrong and I feel I'm becoming a grotesque. I could feel the flab moving in ways which felt incredibly disconcerting and I'm going to find a shape I like.

I made it home and I made sure that I really stretched calfs, hamstrings and thighs before collapsing on the sofa and drinking a lot of water. I actually felt a bit emotional. Mainly because there were so many people out and about and I really wished that there wasn't. I'm sure in reality they weren't making any judgement calls on me. But I did feel self concious, would like to be able to do this where no one can see me. At my parents there are many lanes that you can run down and not see anyone.


I felt positive because I had started to do it. And I've learnt just where the body is and that I've got work to do to bring it up to that bottom rung of minute running 6 walking times three. So in order to progress I'm going to have to suck it up and keep on. This evening to supplement the attempts at running I did the lap walking briskly. I figured that it will raise the heart beat enough and will not be high enough impact and do the running thing again tomorrow.


I know I'm unfit, I just didn't realise how completely unfit I am. I'm not going to be running in eight weeks, I suspect it will be a longer toil for me, but that's okay I don't think in my head I ever thought I'd be running at all. I'm a tenacious bugger though and I fully intend to get there at some point.

An introduction

Who: I'm Jane.

Why: I'm 30, I'm overweight and I want to learn to run.

And you're blogging this because?: Because I want a record of how I get on and why.

The detailed version: A combination of things have informed this decision: my friend has started running and the effect it has had on her is pronounced, I kind of want me some of that. I've seen/heard other friends either write about running or simply be giving it a go and somehow it's something I have found I want to try.