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.