Posts Tagged ‘c25k’
So I’m back at the Chiropractors and telling him how I’m doing and what I’m doing to improve my overall fitness levels, etc.
So first I tell him I started on Tang Soo Do and his face frowns – he’s a Chineese gent so he gets the benefits of a martial art but doesn’t like the aspect of high kicking in TSD. He tells me, no high kicking and then proceeds to show me how limited my actual leg movement is.
Well I knew that one. But ok, I get the point.
Then I tell him I’ve started running and he instantly shakes his head whilst muttering “no”. OK, so no running, I get the picture. So I try to explain that I’m wanting to shed some of the excess weight and that the TSD and cardio sessions aren’t doing it – so thought adding running would be good. Tell him I have the right gear and all but still he says “no do”.
OK, so running is out.
So there ends my C25K experiment – to be honest, I’m not that gutted as I think the weight needs to drop first before I could have seriously continued with it. On that note, my doctor says if my weight is still the same in two months we’ll discuss taking tablets to assist me.
So there you have it – body says no.
Any other suggestions for easy on the lower back methods for getting rid of excess weight?
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Well amazingly, I’ve made it to week 2 of the process.
However, I partially failed. I ask myself, can one really partially fail? Well yes, I believe you can. In week 2 (for example) the workout is a process of 5 minutes walking warm up followed by a 90 / 2 process. That is 90 seconds running and then 2 minutes walking with a final 5 minute cool down after the last 90 second run.
That totals 31 minutes of workout in which there are 6 x 90 second runs.
With me so far?
Good.
So how can I partially fail?
Well on run 5 of the 6 I only managed to do 68 seconds of running before I simply couldn’t stagger any more at a run / jog pace. That meant when my cool down was complete I was short of the finish line (my house) by about 400 metres. In week 1 I’d managed to reduce the distance I finished from the house to being only 100 metres and that had gradually improved to that point. Now I need to see how the rest of this week goes before deciding what to do next.
On another point, I was able to discuss with my Tang Soo Do ma’am last night about certain aspects of the training and let’s just say light dawned. However, it also made me realise to reach my goal I will definitely need to move off shifts as soon as I can. In short I need to give myself to training on more days than I do and I can’t do that whilst on shifts that have a moving start date each week.
C25K is a new (as far as I’m aware) initiative for taking lardy couch potatoes such as myself and getting them running 5km (or 30mins) in 9 weeks. Details over here.
I’ve never been a runner or a gym rat (swimmer and cyclist yes – run no) so am a little daunted by this but thought – having read round some forums a bit – that I’m not alone. I’m 46, just the wrong side of 100kg, haven’t exercised properly or systematically since I was probably 20 but have been a 5 a side footy player, squash twice per week, etc keep fit kind of guy until perhaps a few years back when a job change and a health issue (serious lower back problems but now gone) put paid to all that.
Anyway, in an effort to get back on track before I’m 50 I started Tang Soo Do six months back with my 9 and 7 yr olds. We are now all proud owners of orange belts (or 8th Gup) and my current goal for that is to attain my black belt before I’m 50. That should be doable if I keep to the schedule and can learn all the forms, etc.
However, after the last grading (Saturday) I realised that I’m going to need to supplement just the TSD training with other stuff and spotted the C25K iPhone app and thought ‘why not’. Purchased a cheap arm band and headed out yesterday.
I can report that I very nearly did it as expected – only two of the 60sec runs got curtailed by a max of 5 seconds each and I hated the fact that I’d mis-read the instructions and that it was 31m of exercise and not 30 :(
Anyway, at the end I decided I would give it a continued go but ….
Lessons I learned:
- get a decent set of headphones that don’t keep coming out :)
- whilst it was ok, my cheap armband holder for my iphone kept travelling towards my elbow!
- FULLY read the instructions, that way you won’t be surprised when you think you’re going into the cool down with one more 60 second jog!!!!
- go buy a pair of proper running / training shoes for the job first and don’t think that a pair of lightweight walking shoes will work instead.
- and last, don’t underestimate how pathetic your level of fitness is. That last is really a note to me.
I confess that at this point I don’t see me doing it in the prescribed minimum time and knowing how I’ve been about exercise in the past can see me struggling about this in weeks to come so may need some ‘boot up the backside’ from any who happen to read this note.
Anyway, I’m up for it, what about you?