Not a whole lot to report today, so I thought I’d just share a Nike ad I came across a little while ago. Not running per se but still worth a mention. There’s a whole series for the Nike Presto but this one is just…weird. Sebastien Foucan (of Freerunning fame – though I’m more of a David Belle fan myself) being chased by a chicken. Slightly surreal sense of humour required.
I can’t help it. I was looking for the Reebok advert I posted a while back and came across this one. Yet another good reason to run!
Sorry for the lack of a decent post – I have a few in the pipeline but nothing for today.
No running = no blogging. Sorry. I’m attempting to slowly reintroduce some exercise into my day but I don’t want to overdo it too soon. Details in my normal Monday post. In the mean time, have an ad – I don’t think I’ve posted one in a while. Some of you might remember this from a few years ago. I found it hilarious at the time so I thought it was worth a mention :-)
The title is a reference to a phrase that Scribs sometimes uses in his blog; “easier than writing” (in reference to a rather short blog post, most of which is usually a picture of some kind). Today you are going to be deprived of even that. Unfortunately, time is against me. As is my dissertation (which doesn’t seem to want to be written) and my exam revision (which hasn’t even started). Instead I shall leave you with the ultimate in motivational Nike+ ads; the one that inspired me to get the Nike+ Sports Kit (I’m an advertiser’s dream). Bonus points if you recognise the narrator guy.
Wednesday: My first 8k. Went really well actually, I was obviously having a good morning :-) Took 48.5 minutes.
Thursday: Another 8k. Felt a bit wobbly after 4k but carried on til the end. Just under 49 minutes.
Friday: Did a 17 minute 3k as a warm up for weights. Have been ignoring resistance work since my mileage went up, should probably see to that.
Sunday: 8k again. 48 minutes, which was pretty good, but I did stop for a couple minutes at half way in an attempt to get rid of a stitch. Props to Claire for doing 3k of intervals, nice one :-)
Nike+ challenges are going well. As of yesterday I was whooping Matt 86 to 41k, was 14th out of 55 in the 300 miles in 300 days challenge, and 30th out of 72 in the Marathon Multiplier (210k in a month). Men vs Women still isn’t working for us – 557,106 vs 225,854k.
I also got my free Nike+ Men vs Women long sleeve tee in the post on Friday. I got an email from them last week (as did, I assume, anyone that’s logged enough miles in the challenge) saying that the first however many to reply would get a free tee. Well I can’t pass up the opportunity for free stuff so I’m now the proud owner of a shirt that says “I love you. But I will crush you.” on the front and “Join the men vs women challenge at nikeplus.com” on the back.
My gym membership has now expired so I’m going to attempt running outside again. Expect some longer times as I struggle :-)
Coming to the end of my degree I’m finding that I have less and less free time. Things I normally do are ranked and the less important ones have to take a backseat to the long hours of swearing at SPSS and continually checking my word count in the hope I’m a little closer to that magical 7000. And by less important I mean lie-ins, watching TV and ironing (oh wait, I never ironed).
Running, however, isn’t something I really want to give up, or even cut down on. Running isn’t just a form of exercise, or a hobby, it sets me up for the rest of the day and is a great way to relax (sounds odd, but honestly, it’s true).
I also have to take into consideration my training for the 10k. My plan of upping my distance 500m every fortnight might not work very well if I’m only running once a week.
Which leads to an interesting question; at what point do you stop running? Or, if you’re not a runner, is there a part of your day that is so ingrained that you couldn’t imagine giving it up? For me, it’s probably going to be getting up earlier in the morning in order to get a run in. Right now it’s 8.25am and I still haven’t dragged myself outside for a run. I’ll let you know how that works out.
Nike ad from 1999.
I love running. I’m guessing that wasn’t much of a shock, seeing as you’re reading a training blog about running. I love running, but I do other things – to keep me interested, to get a good full-body work out, to be flexible in my exercise if I have an injury that prevents me running.
As you’ve probably gathered, I like to play wheelchair basketball with my boyfriend Ally and the West Brom FC Wheelchair Basketball Club. This is great for me as it’s the only team sport I play, is a good cardio workout when I have an injury (which is more often than I’d like), and works the upper body (which running doesn’t really do). Of course, it also means I get to play with Al, which is good.
GT Aggressor - Mine's a bit muddier
I also like to cycle, particularly off road. I have a GT Aggressor mountain bike which I like to take down the canal path in better weather. I am a member of the gym at the SSMSC and use their resistance machines and free weights at least once a week. I’m an archer, and shoot 3 times a week. While it’s not exercise in the same league as running, it works your arms and back and requires concentration and hand eye co-ordination (and yes, it is a sport). I’m only a few miles away from the local swimming pool and have been known to go for a swim when I have the time. I have a Wii Fit (though one could argue that this doesn’t constitute exercise), a FitDeck and a Pilates DVD. I think you get the picture.
What amazes me is the availability of all this and yet there are so many people out there that don’t do any exercise. Contrary to Scribs’ Dad’s belief that exercise is bad for you :-), there are many benefits. If you need reminding then check out my post ‘Why Run?’. No time? No money? There are so many ways around this, just google it or comment this post. You don’t want to wait until you’re ill/overweight/having a mid life crisis to start exercising. Start now, right now…well, maybe when you’ve finished reading this post. I value my health and fitness quite highly, and I certainly don’t want to take it for granted.
What’s your excuse?
To a non-runner, the idea of running must seem a little odd. Putting one foot in front of the other over and over and over again, usually ending up exactly where you started, with nothing to look at except the path in front of you. It’s walking…just more difficult. Sound like fun?
Some days you might feel that dragging yourself out of bed to brave the cold/wind/rain, only to be shouted at by random passers-by, arriving home a sweaty, shaky, aching mess seems like the last thing you want to do. So what are the advantages of running?
Some people, like me, enjoy running for the sake of running. I love the freedom of being able to just go. No equipment, no facilities, no team mates, no rules. It’s good quality time that I can spend thinking what I want…or nothing at all. On top of this we have the obvious health benefits. Running is one of the best ways to burn calories, improve cardio-vascular fitness, lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels and maintain bone density. Exercise in general can help prevent cancer and diabetes, boost your immune system and running outside in the sun provides you with vitimin D.
Regular exercise leaves you feeling more energetic, helps you sleep better and the endorphine release can put you in a good mood for the rest of the day. And as for ecological validity, you’ll never have to worry about running to catch the bus. After the 5 miles you did in the morning the 20 meters down the road isn’t going to be a problem. And, of course, in the case of a zombie apocolpyse you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you’ll be able to outrun them (thanks to Claire for naming my blog).
