h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

....runner!

I've been building up to this for a long while.

Perhaps I should explain. When I was in the army, Running was a way of life. We had to pass the annual Basic Fitness Test (BFT) which, in my day, was a one and a half mile run (in trainers, not like the guys and not like they do it now, in boots) in under 13 and 3/4 minutes (so, not really strenuous)

I was always nearly over the limit, but always passed. I hated running.

My hubs was always really into running, going so far as to take part in the 100km (yes, that is one hundred kilometres, which is 64 miles) race around Biel/Bienne in Switzerland, not once but twice. he used to take me out running in the evenings, and only on about 2 occasions did I get home and say "wow, that was good let's do it again"

Over the years I've jogged (I prefer to say run) on and off, at one point (post Army) I was running in the morning, cycling about 10 miles to work, swimming at lunchtime, cycling home and then going to the gymn 4 times a week.

Those were the days! It goes without saying that it was pre-Gruesomes.

So, then I hit 40, and since before the gruesomes I havn't done anything sporty at all.

But, I have lost a fair amount of weight, and I haven't smoked in ages (not that I smoke much at all) so I've been working up to going for a run.

Wednesday night, when I got home, I said "let's run" and -hubs just rolled his eyes and called out for pizza (his turn to cook)

So we ate that, watched a bit of ROTK (and while waiting for the pizza I actually cleaned the bathroom) then, he started getting all shifty, and it turned out that there was on TV and he wanted to watch.

So, I went for a run.

I didn't collapse in a heap after 5 paces, in fact, I ran for 20 minutes all round the village, and when I got back to our house, I was very fine so I ran a wee bit more.

Yesterday the same... this evening I said "no running" but when I got home I felt ok, and it was drizzly - my favourite running weather. So off I went, all round the village, between the fields and round a bit more.



very happy, and I hope that when the gruesomes get back I'll still have the impetus to go in the evenings either when they're in bed, or right away when we get home (maybe they'll come with me on their bikes)

But... all I can think about now is my next run!!! I have never EVER felt like this about running, even when I was pretty ok at it.

Do you think someone has put chemical implants in my trainers?

If they have, I need some. I really, really want to find an exercise I like and will stick to. It doesn't come at all naturally to me and this account has made me think, yet again, that I should just get out there and do something similar.

Well done you!

Jules

Well, I really can't recommend running. Probably I've been influenced a lot by the Olympics (I'm watching Paula Radcliffe doing the 10,000 metres at the moment) and by one of my colleagues who has put on about twice the weight I have just lost.

Also, I think I'm having some kind of mid-life crisis.

Have you tried walking? Most of the people I see out walking go faster than I run!

Oh,and I didn't explain why I don't recommend running.

I have bad knees, and running is bad for knees anyway. Plus ... well, it is quite boring (although I live in the country, so the scenery is nice)

And, at first, it can be quite expensive, since the one thing I absolutely won't compromise on is a good pair of running shoes with really good "shock absorbent" insoles. Although, after you've forked out for those, running is pretty inexpensive, and as long as you have your gear with you, it's easy to do anywhere.

I'm watching Paula too - the race, anyway - she annoys me with all that nodding so I can't watch her until near the end!

You're right that walking would be better than running for me too.

The thing is, I tend to go on a long walk occasionally and should really do a shorter one every night maybe. I have back and other probs and have recently got some special trainers, recommended by my osteopath, which I should walk in daily. I did it for about ten days then, as usual for me, missed a day for some reason and it all ground to a halt. I'm also trying to lose weight at the moment, so when I have a good week on the scales, I perk up with the exercise, but not for long! Basically I'm a lazy lump.

Jules

aw, poor ol' Paula.... Brendan Foster sounded like he wanted to run down and give her a hug.

Well, I did too

Ah, you fell into the trap. The thing is, if you set yourself an impossible (ie. daily) target, you just feel so much worse when you miss a day.

I'd suggest maybe just aiming for 3-4 days a week, with no pressure? How about cycling? or swimming?

Oh, and that's a surprise, the Chinese woman won!!

No cycle (but considering getting one) and swimming I can find no end of excuses about. For example, faffing with contact lenses, feeling too fat to be seen in public, using back-stroke due to bad back and having to avoid everyone...oh I can do all those. Last week we were on holiday and had use of a pool shared between a few people and I went 4 out of 5 days. I was so proud of myself!

I think bike may be the answer.

But is it hilly where you live? I use my bike as much as I can, but that's because where I live it is extremely flat.

4 out of 5 days swimming sounds good. I take the Gruesome Twosome every Sunday, and it has been easier of late for me to actually get in some real swimming (as opposed to sitting in the learner pool pretending to be a shark/mermaid/octopus/whale...)

Now the big Gruesome is quite a good little swimmer, she does a few lengths with me (although she prefers the learner pool so she can practice her under water swimming) and the little one learned to swim without armbands on holiday, so I'm working on getting her a bit better.

My favourite way of exercising (apart from running in the rain, which is a newly discovered thing) is to do a stepper in front of the tv...

I'm a couch potato at heart!

I don't do running, but I do do swimming. I use goggles, Jules, so still wear my lenses, it works really well and it's excellent seeing where you are going .

Well done on getting back into it, Sho!

This is an amazing coincidence. After a failed diet, my set target of making some kind of change to my shape by my birthday - i.e. my birthday - is getting nearer. This morning it occurred to me that I could ask a colleague to go running with me in the mornings. So I could spend the whole of September doing that.

I am convinced that running with someone else - i.e. having made a definite an appointment to keep - will keep me going. So I'm going to ask her today. She's been ill, so 1st September is a good time to start. Perhaps I'll try it on Monday and Tuesday on my own, for the rest of August.

Walking would just drive me mad. It seems so pointless, just going out, walking round in a circle and coming back home. AS pointless as going up mountains just to slide down them again on skis. Why not just stay down at the bottom?

But running, breathing deeper and going to the woods to do so, seems a worthier pastime altogether. This colleague lives between me and the woods, all distances only a few hundred yards. Although the mornings are getting rapidly darker now, so I may suggest we just go round the fields instead of through the woods.

Good luck everybody.

BTW Sho, I made all these resolutions to "improve" myself for my 40th birthday and never did, so I am hoping that by my 50th will be more successful (86 days to go). It seems like I've wasted the last 10 years tying to catch up on sleep, complaining about my back (and not doing anything about it) and feeling unhappy with my shape. It's people like GB who keep me aware that 50 will not be the end of the line, and it's still worth making an effort.

And you're invited to come to my birthday party on 27 November. Perhaps we can really get together this time!

I can't believe I never thought of goggles. I've never used them but they have made a big difference to the Gruesomes.

As for walking in a circle, TC, well, that's all I do with the jogging. Can I recommend that you don't go in the woods in the dark, unless there are two of you with a mobile phone and someone knows where you're going?

Going as a pair is good, because you can either spur each other on (either from support or out of bloody minded competitiveness - which is what I do if I run with someone) or you can make a joint decision to stop running and walk a bit, and not feel like a complete failure.

Btw: doing that is not failure. And as soon as you have your breathing under control, you can jog again. Or try "scout pace" which is... ah, how many? 20 I think... 20 paces run followed by 20 paces walk. I sometimes do the lamp-post thing too, which is sprinting between every 3rd and 4th lamp-posts. (obviously you can't do that in the woods)

Man, I'm good at the theory!! (oh and don't forget that it takes about 20-30 minutes to stop sweating after a run, so if you do it before work, you have to allow around half an hour extra - unless you don't breakfast at home, in which case more)

I know, I overdo the safety thing sometimes, but you're better safe than sorry. Although, I don't take my handy when I jog, I suppose I should really.

Here's a funny thing: ever since I began to run, at the age of 18 in an attempt to get fit for the Army, I've had to carry something in my left hand. Usually a tissue in case I need to blow my nose (it's never happened in 22 years of on/off running). Last night I forgot to take it, and still managed to run. Perhaps I've broken that habit now!

Oh, and I was given a nifty little pouch to velcro round my wrist for my key, much better than hanging it on a safety pin inside my shorts!

As to the party, oh, yes please! That's lots of notice for me to organise Gruesome Cover (or shall I bring them? ) I mentioned in another thread somewhere today that I think we really have to try to meet up before the end of the year.

Thanks to all for the encouragement and tips. As usual. I'm really going to try...again!

My weight loss target is almost 2 stones to lose, which will get me to a round number I know me and my clothes will be happy with. So far I've lost 10.5 pounds since early July, which is good, I've gone up and down a bit but will try to kick-start it again along with the exercise thing. I wanted to do it by September - but I guess some goals just bring you down if you don't achieve them, so I ought not to put too much of a date on it.

Jules