Back Running at Last

I haven't wanted to speak too soon, however I think now with seven weeks of light jogging behind me I can say ... "I'm back running!"

Here's what I did to get to the place I am today;

Last October I'm unfit and a little overweight tipping the scales at 100 kg.  I decide that I'm in no condition to start my running comeback in this state.  I join the local millenium gym with the aim of losing some kgs, gaining some base strength and fitness.

I get assigned a weights programme to work on building some muscle strength.  I commit to one/two strength workouts a week , and three cardio workouts, including one swim a week and a weekly yoga class. I also sign up for a six week boot-camp course. This was two early morning group fitness classes a week plus added individual workouts as planned by the instructor. The classes were a great motivator and the boot-camp really kick started my weight loss and fitness.  By early December I've lost 3 kgs.

A return to running was always top of my mind and I begin to think about when is the right time. With my injury plagued past I still feel that I need to lose more weight and gain more leg strength and flexibility before I lace up my running shoes.

I do however sign up for the Run Auckland series of races starting in late March, just over three months away.  Now I do have something to train for.

I keep the individual workouts going all through December and January and by the end of the month I'm down to 92.5 kgs, thats a 7.5 kg lose in just over three months.

Early February and with eight weeks to the first run Auckland race I take my first tentative steps on the road. I know I need to tread carefully and look for a run / walk programme which will gradually increase my running time and distance each week. I settle on the novice five K programme in a book I bought a few years ago, "Run Less, Run Faster". It starts with a lots of walking interspersed with short stints of running.

The programme consists of three run workouts a week which I'm doing in addition to my one strength work out, one swim and one yoga class a week.  On the odd week if I don't fell like I need a rest I'll also do a workout on the exercycle.

Seven weeks, and a week out from the first Run Auckland 5 k race of the year, I've just run for 3 miles (with 10 minutes of walking before and after) around the base of Mt Maunganui.

I do remain sceptical of how far I can push it though.  My left arch /heel has never felt 100% right since I last stopped running and since i've started the running again I'm icing it morning and night. This seems to be controlling it and it is not getting worse at this stage.

I'm also strapping my right shin with sports tape to try and give that some added support.  This is helping to keep the shin splints at bay so far also.

We are now into mid March , my weight is still hovering around the 92kg and I am a week away from my comeback Run Auckland 5K race.

Hopefully there will be lots of good reports to come.

Happy running.

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I'm still here!

Just in case any one was wondering, I am still here, just haven't been doing any running (or much of any exercise during 2010) so felt I had nothing much to contribute.

Since January I have been back in exercise mode and have been maintaining a steady diet of rowing, cycling and some swimming. I'm still posting all my training on Daily mile and it can also be seen in the link at the side.

Just a quick update on the last year; the family is all well, my gorgeous daughter is nearly two already, while my boys are almost 8 and 10. The three of them certainly keep us busy.

At home we've spent much of the year working on renovating our house and getting it ready to sell (now too small) and now have it on the market.

Work wise I picked up a new role which is challenging me professionally also.

I still harbour a dream to take up regular running again and hopefully by maintaining other forms of training I'll maintain some fitness and control my weight while some outstanding issues hopefully resolve themselves over time.

Meantime while I haven't been visiting many blogs over the past year I've popped into a few over the last week or so as my interest in training has been re kindled over the past few months.

Not sure that I'll have much to blog about but will try to say hi every now and again.

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Yes, I'm back!

Well after four months of inactivity I'm back on the exercise band wagon.

As you may have guessed my brief flirtation with running was quickly curtailed due to an ankle injury which only now seems to be coming right. Maybe my body is just not cut out for running??

So cycling it is again and in the last week I've eased back into the saddle with four short 30 minute rides.

I've actually been cycling most days since mid December due to the fact that I've sold my car and am yet to get a replacement. That means I have a short 5-10 minute ride to the bus station and back each work day.

With Christmas and New Year holidays out of the way I thought as I'm on my bike most days I should really take the opportunity to get some decent rides in. With that in mind I'm going to 'take the long way home' 3 or 4 nights a week.

This should help keep the weight under control and keep my fitness at an acceptable level. No grander plans yet other than getting back into some regular exercise.

Call me mad but I still want to run, something in me just makes me want to persevere with trying to get fit and injury free again so I can again enjoy some regular running.

Maybe 2010 will be the year I succeed in doing that?

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Happy New Year- Highlights of 2008

photo credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/mans_pic/

I thought I would list my three highlights of 2008;

Given my running over the last year has been nothing to celebrate, none of these highlights are running related unfortunately.

The number one highlight of 2008 has to be our family holiday to North America in April. We were on holiday for four weeks and roughly spent almost two weeks in Canada and slightly over two weeks in the United States. All the detail of the trip is on my holiday blog at http://northamerica2008.blogspot.com/. Highlights of the trip were definitely the five days Michelle and I had exploring Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon/ Monument Valley / Zion National Park area. We all enjoyed Disneyland and San Francisco also. The two days we spent on a train travelling from Vancouver to Jasper in the Rockies was also a special time when the four of us just got to enjoy each others company for two whole days in a relatively confined space. It was a great trip that we will always hold fond memories of. I also got to experience first hand some of the extreme winter weather conditions that many bloggers from those parts go through every year. Canada especially was very cold by our standards (-15 degrees C in the Rockies when we were there).

Number two. Our youngest son, Sam started school in July and we felt that it was one of those milestones in life when your children are no longer pre-schoolers and you look forward to the next stage in life when they are going through their schooling years. We felt that we were just starting to get a bit more independence also and after putting her career on hold for seven years Michelle was set to return to the workforce.

Number three. There's no hiding the fact that this was a major shock to all concerned however learning that Michelle was pregnant and that we would be having a new baby in the family come 2009 is our other major highlight for 2008. The idea of a baby in the house again has taken some serious getting use to (more so for Michelle than me I think), but as so many people have said, what is meant is be is meant to be. Others call it fate, but what ever you say we have rapidly come to the realisation the road we thought we were about to take, as Jack and Sam were entering their school years is about to go in another direction. I just think though of all the joy that Jack and Sam have and continue to bring us, which we are about to get another dose of.

I was going to mention three low lights but rather than spoil a nice positive post I'll leave that for another day.

I hope 2009 is all that you wish for.

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Welcome to the new Blog

Thanks for stopping by my new running blog. If you're regular visitor from my previous blog (sorry the blogging hasn't been too regular of late) I hope you all had a great Christmas and all the best for a happy safe and injury free 2009. If you're new to the Blog then welcome and hopefully you like what you see.

Why the new Blog? Well the old blog was almost two years old and I had posted over 100 posts in that time about my introduction to running, how I become hooked and more latterly the injuries which seemed to stall any serious running efforts. I haven't run since October now and what tends to happen is that when I don't run , I don't blog. My hope is that by making a fresh new start to my Blog, it will motivate me to renew my running.

Over the next few days and weeks I'll start building up the Blog with some of my favourite posts from the old Blog just to give this one I little bit of history about what I've done , where I've been etc (also as I couldn't figure out how to import the old blog to this one?).

See ya round.

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