March Running update

With everything going on around us at the minute, there is a fair chance that this blog is going to be pretty fitness related for the next few weeks. Any film or TV stuff will be directed over to my film/TV blog if you care to have a click over there! But, as I had the lofty intentions of running the Belfast Marathon this year in May (since postponed) I thought I should begin running. Here is what I have found so far…

Run by run I am falling back into running

I know I have said this before, but I really have been falling back into love with running. I am actively eager to go out and run, which would have been totally foreign to me last year and hell even in December this year. Each run, all a little bit different from the other has really invigorated me to get back out there.

Running should be about enjoyment and challenging yourself. Sadly I found that I was running because I used to love it. I assume that this was because I was just that too heavy and running 1km was a knackering endeavour. Now I can run smoothly at the same pace and go for miles and miles. I am so comfortable with running at this time and that is so good to realise. Losing all confidence in something you loved is hard to take and it is even harder to get that love back. it has taken me close to three years to get anywhere near to this point.

To begin with, I thought that running with Victoria would bring the love back, yet it didn’t. I thought changing to a 9-5 job would give me time and bring it all back. It didn’t either. I have started and failed so many times, yet never felt as confident in myself as I do now.

The weightloss helped

It is no secret that I piled the weight back on. Luckily I am not starting from complete scratch, but it was close enough. I have lost almost 30lbs since the beginning of December and I can attest that losing that weight has changed my running for the better.

Before I would feel my calves strain and I would have to stop a mile into the run. I would be upset and try to keep going and would then have to try and go another half a mile without stopping. Literally aiming for the next lampost before I would have to stop kind of deal. It was soul-destroying. But I have spoken about that before and we just need to know now about the positives.

My running with Victoria feels good and I feel good. Of course, the times could be a hell of a lot better for us, but we are in a position where we are happy after a run because we went out for that run. Losing weight has helped me get further easier and hopefully, that will continue this month.

March running

It might seem small but to date, I have run 28km this month thus far and I plan to add a whole lot more in the last week. Mixing up those runs have been key I think. As much as I enjoy the long runs (they are great for my mind) those one-mile pushes are great fun and a good challenge.

Living in the area that I do I am lucky to have a 1km straight near my house, a long towpath to get the longer runs out in or to break up with miles… Running it enough causes you to know the exact distance markers throughout the beginning section of that path. To even a great 5k or if I want to mix it up further 6.4km loop that is as close to flat as it comes. I have incline runs and hills around me. The only thing I am missing is access to a 400m track. But literally, I think that is it. Not back at all I’d say.

So far with Victoria, we have gone for a 10k, 1km sprints, 1-mile sprints and a 5km. This month was about finding things we liked to do and with those four that is a great base to start from. Or I would like to think so anyway!

What’s in store for the rest of the month?

I plan to run a couple of short runs this week until getting another long run or two in at the weekend. There is no point in pushing myself too much at this point as I can do a multitude of other exercises in the meantime. The fear of running myself out of love with running just as I found it, it very real to me. So, for now, let’s be careful and see where this little adventure takes us again!