Warm Up: January – March, walking and cycling
I’d had a great New Year’s Eve, fulfilling a lifetime’s ambition by DJ-ing my 80s and 90s dance and indie record collection at my brother’s house party. I had carried that positivity into the New Year and was feeling great, full of ambition for the year ahead. After the excesses of December, I like millions of others in the Western world decided it was time to be healthy again.
So whenever possible I stopped taking the Tube from work and instead walked for 30 minutes every day back to King’s Cross; it also ticked another resolution of saving money so I was more than happy to sacrifice being squashed on a Tube for that. The winter was turning out to be a mild one so on weekends I started getting out and about more, walking by the river where I live and also going on 12 mile circular bike rides. I was shedding some timber and slowly getting fitter. I felt that I was ready for a new challenge.
Run One: Sunday 16th March, 5.17 miles, one hour 16 minutes 35 seconds
It was a sunny Sunday in March, I’d been on an enjoyable bike ride the previous day and wanted to get out and do something again. So I thought what the hell, I’m going to give this running lark a try. I’d already downloaded the Nike + running app from my previous aborted attempt at giving running a try and was now ready to use it for the first time.
I got my running gear out – a holiday t-shirt, 6 year old Adidas shorts and Nike running trainers, bought at the same time as the shorts from Sports Direct in Peterborough. I knew that I would need to stretch my stiff body so spent nearly half an hour going through every leg stretch I could think of. I filled up a bottle of water, put my headphones on, loaded up the Nike + app and put my phone in my shorts pocket.
I walked from my house to the riverbank (didn’t want to rush into it!) and climbed over the stile and onto the riverbank itself. Inspired by the emphatic scene of David Beckham speeding down the Thames in a speedboat during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, I had chosen the music that had accompanied that event as the first song to listen to during my run – the magnificent I Heard Wonders by David Holmes.
I took a deep breath and then I was off. I was lucky that I’d had such an idyllic setting for my first run – glorious sunshine, a gentle breeze and nature in abundance. It felt like the first day of spring and it looked like it too as mating butterflies danced together in front of me. I got into a fairly good pace and felt positive – I can do this! Then I started feeling my lungs as they struggled to keep up with the rest of my body and the lactic acid starting to build up in my legs. I was determined though – I was not going to give up! Then the Nike + woman spoke to me: ‘one mile completed, time, ten minutes, 45 seconds, current pace…’ I didn't know that this was a feature of the app and instantly felt more motivated – I wanted to keep going and for her to say 2 miles completed!
A few minutes later I was struggling again so I remembered the best piece of advice I had been given about running – that running is mental. You have to use the power of your mind to take control over your body and make it do things that it does not want to do. Then I saw a bridge in the distance in front of me – it was Stow Bridge, a bridge that I cycle over on my bike rides. I thought about how amazing it would be if I could run to that bridge.
So I imagined that the bridge represented everything positive in my life and that I just had to get through the pain to get to it. Then just as the power of my metaphor was running out I saw a female jogger running towards me – instantly my pace and posture improved! I smiled at her as we crossed paths, she smiled back, and I felt good. I ran all the way to the bridge and then stopped to take a picture of my view.
IMAGE: View from Stow Bridge towards Downham Market taken on my first run
I drank from my water bottle, walked along the bridge and
over to the riverbank on the other side. I walked about a third of
the way back until I could breathe normally again and then started jogging. I jogged all the way back to the road and then, feeling great, decided to continue
back to my house. Finally stopping at my front door I felt the best I had felt
for years; not only was I feeling great from the buzzing serotonin effects of
exercise, I felt great that I had just done something that I had never done
before, something that I thought I couldn't do.
Run 2: Friday 21st March, 5.16 miles, one hour 10 minutes 49 seconds
I had warmed down quite a bit after my previous run (albeit
not as vigorously as my warm up), drank loads of water and even had a hot bath.
I thought that would help me recover but the next day I could hardly walk!
Every part of my body from my hips to my toes seemed to be hurting, even the
sides of my legs were hurting – I didn’t even realise I had muscles there! I
looked up a map of the muscles in the lower body and identified them from where
I was feeling pain. It took me 5 days before I felt that I could go for another
run, the most exercise I did in between was going on lunchtime walks around the
City of London where I work.
It was a sunny Friday and the first day of my much needed 10
day break from work. I decided to do the same riverbank circuit but wanted to
see if I could spend more time running and less time walking. I did and the 6
minute improvement motivated me to run again; I loved the sense of achievement
in breaking my previous time and wanted to get quicker and quicker and have
that feeling over and over again.
Run 3: Thursday 27th March, 6.33 miles, one hour 41 minutes 34 seconds
I was in Villeneuve Loubet, staying in an apartment with my brother and visiting my French family for the first time in my adult life. I had packed my running gear with the idea of going for a run along the beach whilst I was there. I woke up early on Thursday morning and after doing my stretches and grabbing a bottle of Evian I ventured out into the fresh morning air. The Cote d’Azur is famed for its fabulous weather but on this morning it was all cloudy skies and cold wind. I ran down the hill to the beach and found the recently renovated promenade. I ran in the direction of Nice and into the nearby seaside town of Cagnes-Sur-Mer. I ran constantly for about 2 miles, passing many dog walkers, rollerbladers (so European) and joggers. It wasn’t hard to tell that I was the only English person on the beach that morning – despite the cold I was wearing shorts and t-shirt, whilst my continental counterparts were typically wrapped up in lycra, hoodies and gloves!
I was experiencing two of the many great things about running: exploring your surroundings and using the solitude to think. I love exploring – whenever I go somewhere new it’s not long before I’m investigating my surroundings. I needed to make sense of the emotions of the previous day and to prepare myself for the day ahead.
I stopped to take many photos along my route but continued all the way through Cagnes until I left the town. I then walked for about 10 minutes before picking up the pace and jogging again. Feeling good I continued jogging and made it back to the apartment, but I felt that I still had something left in me so decided to jog around the nearby roads. Perhaps unsurprisingly I got lost but when I eventually found my way back to the apartment and stopped I was pleased to hear the Nike + woman tell me that I had run my first 10k! I think of distance in miles so wasn’t sure quite how many miles there were in 10K but despite the stopping for photos and 10 minutes of walking I had just ran, or at least jogged 10k. I felt great - I can do this running lark!
Run 4: Monday 31 March, 6.44 miles, one hour 22 minutes, 49 seconds
I was in Ipswich for Mother’s Day and had the Monday off work – the final day of my 10 day break. I decided to celebrate by going for a run from my Mum’s house to the nearby Rushmere Heath, around the Heath and then back again. As I set off down the road my headphones kept falling out of my ears, a problem I had on previous runs but for some reason I couldn’t seem to resolve that day. Despite trying to squeeze them in at various angles they kept falling out so I gave up on the music and shoved them in my shorts pocket.
I haven’t had them in since and I much prefer running without headphones. I enjoy the meditative effects of getting into a rhythm and listening to my pace – thud, thud, thud, thud. I enjoy listening to my breathing and feeling my heart beat quicker. Because that’s another of the many great things about running for me – it makes me feel alive.
I made it around the Heath and then back towards the roads near my Mum’s house. Looking at my phone in my hand I saw that I had done over 5 miles without stopping or walking so wanted to keep going to see if I could run (or at least jog) constantly for 10k. Despite my experience in France I was still confused over the distance again – I thought that 10k was 6.44 miles so kept going until I met that target. I didn’t mind the extra .22 miles – I had just ran nearly 6 and half miles without stopping! My longest run to date and the first time I had done one with no stopping or walking – yet another reason to feel great.
Run 5: Saturday 5 April, 6.23 miles, one hour 11 minutes 21 seconds
Inspired by my first run without stopping or walking and an improved understanding of the metric measurement of distance, I decided that I was ready to do a quicker 10k. I told a running friend that I was aiming to run 10k in under one hour 15 minutes – it seemed like a challenging but achievable time. I planned a route running along the country roads near my house, up and past the nearby village of Barroway Drove and back again.
It was my first run constantly on roads and I haven’t run on any other surface since. I love walking on grass but for me it’s a lot easier to run on tarmac. I don’t have to constantly adjust my footing and can just concentrate on my rhythm.
There’s little traffic on this route so I felt safe as I took in my changing surroundings – farms, fields and the sounds of birds singing. I made it to the halfway point, touched the road sign that marked that point and turned around back. The return leg was harder but I kept going, whenever I was feeling like my body was about to give up I repeated my favourite affirmation – ‘I CAN DO IT!’ (I might have added an expletive between the words can and do). And I did it, nearly 4 minutes quicker than my target time.
Run 6: Saturday 19 April, 3.11 miles, 31 minutes
I was really enjoying my running progress but then, like everything else it seems, the realities of life got in the way and for various reasons it was a fortnight later until I was able to have the time to go for another run.
I wanted to do another 10k but was pushed for time that
Saturday so settled on half the distance. All my running friends can do 10k in
under one hour and now that was my target. I knew that in order to do that I
first needed to be able to run 5k in under 30 minutes. I chose to do half of my
previous country road route. Again the weather was good and I made a decent
pace, breaking my times for one mile, 1k and 5k. 31 minutes exactly – just one
more minute to shave off my time!
Run 7: Saturday 26 April, 6.22 miles, one hour 5 minutes 10 seconds
A week later, the Saturday before my 33rd birthday, I was back on my country road route, this time with enough time in the day to go for a 10k run. Inspired by my 5k time I wanted to get as close to an hour as possible. With the time ticking and the miles counting down I knew that I was in for a good time so upped the pace for the last half a mile to see how quick I could go. I sprinted at the end but couldn’t quite do it in under one hour 5 minutes. It was a time that I was really happy though – as beginner I was enjoying the experience of getting quicker each time and the motivation that comes with that.
Run 8: Wednesday 30 April, 3.11 miles, 30 minutes 12 seconds
It was the day after my birthday, a sunny evening and I was feeling positive. I felt that this would be the run that I would do 5k in under 30 minutes for the first time. So I set off out of my house and then heard the annoying sounds of the sirens of the railway line barriers closing. I had planned to do my half country road route again but needed to cross the railway line to get there.
So instead I turned the opposite way, ran through the small nature reserve near my house and onto a housing estate that’s full of bungalows and pensioners. I ran up to London Road and then turned north up to the cricket pitch and then back down through town and towards my house. Holding my phone in my left hand (as I have done since I ditched the headphones) I saw the miles adding up, I was getting closer to my time and I felt I was going to do it. Sprinting again, determined to do it in under half an hour I was disappointed when I came short by 13 seconds. It was a new best time though and I was getting closer to my target.
Run 9: Monday 5 May, 3.40 miles, 37 minutes 2 seconds
It was Bank Holiday Monday evening and it was getting late, I had promised myself a run that day but hadn’t got round to it. As I watched Ronnie O’Sullivan loose the Snooker World Championship, I decided to take my disappointment out by going for a run. The sun had set and I had no high vis running gear so decided to repeat my previous route of running through the nature reserve and then around the town.
My previous run had been another best time but one mile in I knew that I was going to struggle to get anywhere near it. Whether it was because it was late and I was tired or because I had eaten a heavy meal (Carbonara – one of my favourite dishes) 2 hours beforehand, or because it was dark, I just didn’t have the energy inside of me to tackle the run at the pace I needed to. When I knew that I would get nowhere near my previous 5k time, instead of stopping on exactly that distance and walking back to my house I decided to carry on jogging back; I thought I might as well add a few more points of a mile to my Nike + total instead.
Run 10: Friday 9 May, 3.11 miles, 28 minutes 43 seconds – first sub 30 minute 5k
I was in a bad mood. I’d had a tough week and nothing seemed to be going right for me. My hangover from the previous night’s drinking had not helped my mood or my day. Full of frustration, I decided to use that energy and take it out on a run. With the evenings staying lighter for longer I had enough daylight to do my favoured country road run. Fuelled by the disappointment from my previous run I was determined that this would be my first sub 30 minute run. I started quickly, running my fastest mile and 1k so far and was wondering if I could keep up the pace.
The further I ran the better I felt; I could feel the stress evaporating and my mood improving as I kept up the pace. When I knew that I was going to break 30 minutes for 5k for the first time I felt amazing. It was a great run; everything seemed to click into place. The only trouble I had was drinking along the way – every run I take half a litre of water with me and I didn’t have a sports bottle this time so was using a Lucozade bottle instead. My faithful Adidas shorts were also unavailable so I was wearing my AS Cannes football shorts – lighter but without pockets. With no pockets, my phone held in my left hand and my Lucozade bottle in my right hand I struggled to uncap the bottle top, drink from it, keep hold of my phone and keep running at the same time! Somehow I managed it, only splashing about a quarter of the contents of the bottle on me.
I had done it, my first sub 30 minute 5k!
Run 11: Tuesday 13 May, 6.22 miles, 58 minutes 46 seconds – first sub one hour 10k
I hadn’t planned to go for a run that evening; instead I was meant to be playing football. I love playing football and had recently started organising kickabouts with workmates over Regent’s Park. We did it for a few weeks and it was great fun; it was especially enjoyable for me to see how fitter I was to when I had last played a year ago. Whereas previously I was one of the unfittest on the pitch, now I was one of the fittest and that felt good. Sadly my footballing skills weren’t much better though! The last couple of weeks had been cancelled due to people dropping out so I was determined that there would be a game tonight. Unfortunately the weather got in the way and I had to cancel because of the unrelenting rain.
On the train home I was doubly determined that I would go for a run instead. So when I got home I put my running gear and rain jacket on and set off thinking that I’d just do 5k. I got to 2.5k was feeling good and the rain was starting to stop so I decided to keep going. At 5k I was going at a good pace and felt that I still had some energy left in me so kept pushing myself to see if I could do my first sub one hour 10k. When I had a mile left I knew I was going to do it and the feeling was amazing, I was about to achieve something that seemed a long way off just a few weeks ago.
I had done it: my first sub one hour 10k. From nothing to this in the space of 11 runs!
Warm Down: Starting to get serious
My next run was on Saturday 17 May – 5k in 28 minutes 48 seconds. Just over a week ago I would have been overjoyed with that time but now I felt disappointed. I hadn’t beaten my previous 5k time and what’s more I just didn’t have the mental energy to push myself to do the 10K run that I had planned and had to stop half way and then walk back – the walk of shame. I hadn’t slept much the night before and it was a really hot day, the hottest I had run in so far. The lack of sleep, the heat and the lack of fuel (no breakfast beforehand and I ran out of water at 5k) meant that for the first time I just didn’t have anything left to draw upon. I was crushingly disappointed by this but consoled myself by putting it down to experience.
A running friend had praised the benefits of having a decent pair of running shoes and recommended that I invest in a pair, so on Monday I went to Advance Performance, a specialist running shop in Fengate, Peterborough. I was a bit apprehensive beforehand but they were great and spent an hour with me in total.
First I got changed into my running gear, then the woman in
the shop spoke to me about running and then I had a gait analysis. She got me to
run on a treadmill in my knackered Nikes and videoed me as I ran. Playing the
video back to me she pointed out that my left foot was neutral but that my
right heel came down at an angle as I run, this may be why I was having pain in
my right hip after running. Next she looked at my posture and noticed that my
right foot naturally points outwards as I stand; the reason why it doesn’t come
down quite properly when I run. Next I was put into a pair of neutral running
shoes that showed the same problem with my right heel.
She then tired me out in various brands of shoes that were designed to correct this flaw and it was amazing to see what a difference it made. My right heel was now coming down correctly, just as my left one did. I had 3 pairs to choose from in the end and was surprised when the woman in the shop then told me to try them out for real by doing 2 laps of their car park in them!
The first pair (Brooks) felt bulky and my shins hurt as I ran in them so they were a no. The next pair (Asics) felt like a perfect fit so they were a yes. The next pair (Mizuno) felt very comfortable – like I had a pillow underneath my feet so they were also a yes. Unsure what to go for, the woman in the shop told me to take one Mizuno off and put one Asics back on and do 2 more laps of the car park in odd shoes! She advised me that I should go for the ones that I noticed the least and as soon as I started out in odd shoes I knew that it was the Asics. I noticed the Mizunos but didn’t really notice the Asics – they felt like they fitted perfectly, as they had been specifically designed for the shape of my feet.
Keen to try my new running shoes out the next day I went for another 5k run. Tuesday 20 May – 5k in 26 mins 35 secs. The woman from Advance Performance advised me that instead of doing loads of stretching, the best way to warm up was to go for a 10 minute walk first. I needed to break my new running shoes in a bit anyway so it seemed like a good idea. So instead of spending ages doing stretches, I just stretched my calves a bit and then went for a walk. 10 minutes later I was ready to get going.
I set off at what felt like a comfortable pace, unsure of how much a difference my new footwear would make. A few minutes later I looked at the Nike + app on my phone in my left hand and noticed that I was doing a sub 8 minute mile pace! The strange thing was that I didn’t seem to be putting in any extra effort. Later in the run as my pace dipped over 9 minute miles I felt disgusted. It was incredible – just a week ago I’d have been delighted to run at a 9 minute mile pace but now it seemed like a disappointing time! I did my first kilometre in 4 minutes 59 seconds, my first mile in 8 minutes 9 seconds and then finally 5k in 26 minutes 35 seconds – over 2 minutes faster than my previous time! I was amazed what a difference it made having the right pair of running shoes.
When I got home I felt even better than I normally do after a run. I felt exhilarated, the best I had felt since coming back from my first run 2 months ago. I was buzzing, the serotonin flying around my brain, and the positivity felt from running fast. Whereas previously I had focused more on warming up than warming down, the woman in the running shop had advised that warming down was the time to do serious stretching so I spent a good 15 minutes going through every lower body muscle stretch I could think of.
Whether it’s my improving lower body muscles, the new running shoes or the better warm down, as I write this on the train the next day, my lower body and my right hip in particular hardly hurts at all. I’m feeling great, the best I've felt for a long time, full of positivity and energy. I want to go for another run but won’t have time this evening; I’m definitely going for a run after work tomorrow though.
So what’s next? I want to be able to run 5k in under 25 minutes and 10k in under 50 minutes; that seems like a long way off but then so did a sub one hour 10k at one point. I want to get quicker and keep doing things that I didn't think I could do. I’m the fittest I’ve been for years and don’t want to go backwards now. Running is addictive and I’m loving it!
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