Posts Tagged ‘health’

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Goals

September 23, 2009

I don’t mind running for the sake of running, otherwise I wouldn’t do it, but what makes running interesting for me is having a goal and working towards it. Starting many years ago with ‘I want to try running’ then again in 2007 with ‘I want to be a runner’, in 2008 we had ‘I want to finish a 5k race’ and so on.

My long term goal at the moment is to complete a marathon in 2011. I can’t give an accurate goal time at the moment but I’d rather it were closer to 4 hours than 5. Given the chances of getting a ballot place for London, I’ll probably apply for Brighton instead and then maybe try London another year.

Middle term (is that even a phrase?) goal is a half marathon in under 2 hours. I’m pretty sure I’m going to apply for the Great North Run next year so I have a whole 12 months to prepare! I don’t have a back up race at the moment, so if I don’t get into the GNR I’ll have to have a look around (or try to get a charity place). At the moment I can run about 12 or 13k without my legs getting too tired, and I’ve never run more than 16k, so I’ll need to work on my long runs to extend this.

Short term I have a few, more modest, goals. In May of next year I have the Bupa London 10,000 and intend to shave a couple of minutes off my 10k time. I also, rather embarrassingly, struggle to run too far without taking a walking break. Some of the time it’s because of my asthma, but some of the time I do it out of habit. I can do a 5k without walking fairly easily and so my immediate goal is to start doing 6 and 7km runs without walking, so that by May I’ll be doing 10k without walking.

So there we have it – this is what I’m aiming for!

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Guest Blogger: Matt

April 3, 2009

Due to end-of-degree time restraints you might find that my posts are getting shorter and shorter. However, with my readship ever in mind I asked running machine Matt “The Flash” Fowle to entertain the masses while I plod on with my dissertation.

So here we have…Matt’s story.

Read the rest of this entry ?

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Coursework, Exams, Dissertation, Job…Running?

April 1, 2009

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.

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Other Exercise

March 20, 2009

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

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?

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Why Run?

March 4, 2009

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).

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