Just Do It

Initial Steps

This second blog post is about how I ended up running regularly, and I can't emphasise how unlikely that was just months before my first running event. 

I hope that this post in particular will encourage you to take up, or get back to, regular walking/jogging/running. If you're capable of doing it then why not do it?!*

*Up front I should acknowledge that lots of folk prefer sports such as cycling or swimming for their cardio fitness. I suspect the same experiences and basic principles will apply across the different disciplines, so please contribute what you think runners can learn from your particular sport. 

For me, taking part in running events came about indirectly as a result of the weight loss and fitness programme I started following in January 2012. Part of that included some walk/jog combinations on the treadmill, with the jogging element gradually increasing in both distance and speed (but not at the same time!).

By May 2012 I noticed that I was able to jog continuously for about 3.5k on the treadmill at speeds around 9kph. This ability had crept up on me without me really noticing it.

At about the same time I saw an advert in the gym for something called the Kilomathon taking place in Edinburgh at the end of September 2012. It had two (intriguingly odd) distances of 6.55k and 13.1k that you could run, so I made the bold step of entering the shorter event  and set about training to gradually increase the distance that I would be able to run without stopping. 

A memorable moment during my training came when I ran my first 5k, which I completed in 00:31:55 at the fairly gentle pace of 6m23s/k. Basically I just ran 2.5k away from the house and then back again. I was pleased not only with completing the distance, but also running outdoors for the first time since struggling twice around Hogganfield Loch * at school in 1981. 

*I checked out the circumference of Hogganfield Loch using WalkJogRun and it's 1.9k, so we were running 3.8k. Felt further.

5k is a great distance to build up to if you're starting out or restarting your running. It's even a good distance to incorporate into your training if your focus is more on the longer events such as half marathons.

Here's a great article in Runner's  World about how to build up to a 5k or use it for training, if you're a regular runner.

Of course there are also the 100s of 5k Parkrun events which take place across several countries EVERY Saturday morning. 

Anyway, the day of the Kilomathon arrived and I made my way to the start with my binbag* over my running gear, while my support team of Clare, Antonia and Scarlett headed to the finish line at Murrayfield stadium. (Antonia and Scarlett actually took part in the next Kilomathon, but that's for another post). 

*Wearing a bin bag  is many runners' favourite, discardable method of keeping dry and warm before the start of events in wet and cold countries, like Scotland! 

Back to the run...which went really well as far as I was concerned. My time to cover the 6.55k was 00:39:07 at a pace of 05m58s/k!! Under 6 minutes per kilometre! This was the first time I had run at (just) over 10kph  for a reasonable distance. 

The girls were there to cheer me into Murrayfield stadium, and they had tipped off the stadium announcer (a Radio Forth DJ , I think) so I received a fantastic welcome as I crossed the finish line in one of sport's great stadia. 

With the endorphins flowing at mega levels (yes, this actually happens) I felt like a million dollars. The look was somewhat different though...

If you had said to me in December 2011 that by September 2012 I would be 12 kilos lighter and taking part in running events, then I would have suspected you were drinking as much New Zealand Pinot Noir as I usually do! However, it happened, and it became a springboard for me to take up running regularly. It also brought great family, friends, social and fitness benefits that weren't even on the radar before.

In future posts I'll bore you to death with my own progress as a runner, from the point of my first Kilomathon. In those posts I'll also cover less egocentric topics such as training, nutrition, avoiding injuries, dealing with injuries and general running tips. By the way, please don't let the injury bit put you off. It's a sport, and these things happen. However it's a non-contact sport (excluding the ground), so a lot of injury prevention is in your own hands*. 

*legs

I'll also introduce my good friend (and double marathon runner) Chris, who got back into the running groove and became a big part of what I have achieved to-date. 

I hope this blog post has made you think about maybe...

• starting regular walking/jogging/running and trying to continually improve in baby steps 
• getting back into the groove if you've enjoyed walking/jogging/running in the past, but have just lapsed a wee bit

If it has then please feel free to share your experiences here!

Later.

F

Future Events Entered...

- Jimmy Irvine Bella 10k. Glasgow 08/11/14

- Shakespeare Half Marathon. Stratford-upon-Avon 15/11/14
- Santa Dash 5k. Glasgow 07/12/14
- Edinburgh Marathon. Edinburgh 31/05/15