How Are We Feeling?

Strange times are upon us. It is hard to know how to react, isn’t it? Personally, I am trying to look for the positives in the whole situation, remain active, and keep my moods under control. That last one is not always easy, just ask my poor wife. So I have got to find some way to cope with this lockdown. Working from home has always been my dream, but it’s a bit different when the whole family is there too, and you are restricted in your movements in the outside world.

Cold Weather Running

It is seemingly a contradiction, since most runners seem to dread the approach of winter, but I seem to find a strange pleasure in it. I am now in my second season of winter running and I take much more pleasure in it than at any other time of the year. If you are a runner, do you feel the same?

First 5K Run, Against Cancer

I still can’t believe I did it. I really have to cast my mind back to this time last year, and get inside my head back then. The sheer idea of me running in an organised 5K run would have filled me with, I don’t know. Disbelief, laughter, incredulity, bemusement. Take your pick, it would not have seemed to be remotely on my horizon.

But now I have done it and, actually, that first sentence was a lie. Because I can believe I did it, now. But that is because I am a different person now. Now, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched for my next run to be 10K. Well, maybe next year anyway. Because one thing I have learnt from my running experience is that small steps are the way to go. Small steps building slowly to more. If you go from not running at all, to trying to run a 5K, you will probably fail. Similarly with the next step up, don’t try for giant leaps.

As for the run itself, it was a great day. Running for a cause, against cancer, and being part of a large organised event for the first time. Running with my lovely wife, who has been very supportive throughout. But I have to admit to suffering with a bit of a nervous belly in the morning, but once I was in the starting area I was fine. It was a different feeling, running with a large group. People of all different fitness levels were present, but my race was a fun run so there wasn’t too much pressure there.

I was familiar with where we were running but, as I said, running in a pack was different. Before the race, a wise man told me, ‘Don’t run too fast in the first kilometre, everyone does!’ And what did I do? What everyone does, of course. Then I settled into my own pace and started to feel a bit more in control. Slow and steady wins the day, well I won my own race anyway. My own personal race, which is, of course, the most important.

What a great feeling it was to cross that line, get my bottle of water and have ran my personal best 5K. And then to take off the sweatiest headband I have ever seen!

© Neil Hayes and neilsworldofenglish

I’m a runner, apparently?

Yes! I did it, C25k completed. Ok, at the moment, it’s more like couch to 30 minutes, but I still can’t believe it. When I think back to the first week of this program, when I was out of breath after running for 1 minute, the progress has been amazing. At time of writing I have done four 30 minute runs and each time I am going a little further, a little faster. So now, of course, the challenge is to keep going.

There was a great sense of satisfaction, seeing the little trophy light up on the application and hearing Michael Johnson say ‘You’ve done it!’. But this is just the first step, I’m still only running just over 3k but the goal is 5k. There is a charity 5k run in my town in October, and that is my target for my first organised run.

So my plan is to keep running for 30 minutes every other day and try and build to around 4k in that time. Then extend the time and do 5k, and then more. So I have about 3 months, but after what I have achieved in the last 10 weeks, I don’t see why not. It’s only my knees that sometimes disagree.

© Neil Hayes and neilsworldofenglish

C25k: Progress

First things first, no those aren’t my legs, maybe one day. For now I am into week 6 of the Couch to 5k training plan and I am loving it. Apart from a short break, due to a back spasm, it has all gone smoothly. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been hard but I havn’t failed to complete any of the runs.

I’ve gone from struggling to run for 1 minute to being able to run nonstop for 20 minutes. My next run will be for 25 minutes, that will be a challenge. But the beauty of this plan is that I am sure I can do it. It seems to have formed a mindset where running is just putting one foot in front of the other. Simple as that.

The challenges will keep getting harder and eventually I will be trying to run faster, but for now it’s slow and steady wins the day. Overall, the sense of accomplishment is amazing. I’m built like a rugby player, and a retired one at that, not a runner. So no matter your size, this plan works. Why not give it a go?

© Neil Hayes and neilsworldofenglish