Director’s Fitness Diary
Having signed up for the team challenge 5k in aid of Our Read I've been extending my usual 15 minute dog walks (it's not just my laziness/busyness : he's old) with the aid of an app called Couch to 5K and other fitness equipment (pictured).
I'm planning to walk the 5k but throwing in hopeless, small, breathless intermittent bouts of running. Years of utterly committed youthful smoking (Samson Rollies - yurgh. If only I'd been so devoted to other things - tennis, swimming!) mean I have no lung capacity. And besides that I am three stone overweight. So I'm not willing or able to go flat out.
But I did my first full 5 k on Monday in about 59 mins (it's approx because I forget to check the time before I set off).
You can see my full route here (it's actually 6k, as I thought that would make it seem easier on the day. Is that bad psychology? It's how I trained for my finals, PhD and giving birth, the only other strenuous things I've ever done).
I'm going to post my training times here for all to see in order to shame myself into keeping going.
Would you encourage me by sponsoring Our Read 5k here, and by sending me ideas for great training tunes for my iPod? And something to read when I wake up at 4.30 am feeling I want to run now.
Jane’s training playlist:
Setting off:
The Wailers - Stir It Up
Patti Smith – Redondo
Pretenders – Brass in Pocket
Speeding up:
Stevie Wonder - Superstition
David Lindley - Mercury Blues
Breaking a sweat:
Chuck Berry - Johhny B Goode,
Bruce with Born To Run
Keeping going:
Vince Clarke Club Mix - Issues
Cooling down:
Mavis Staples – Turn Me Round
The Wailers - No Woman No Cry
But I need more things good to keep going with please - answers, tips, and recommended reading for people in training to the blog please.
Keep me going!
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6 thoughts on “Director’s Fitness Diary”
wow very impressive , !!!
I USED TO be a 10 k runner til something else took over, think their is a strange connection with you !!but still
I have unbelievably got some tips for you , which you might find a bit difficult to do seeing you are a caring person , but you have to think of your self and no-one else , DO NOT HELP
ANYONE DRESSED IN A BEAR COSTUME , like what Idid as I felt sorry for them,which more or less doubled my time!!
I Always psyched-myself into a Jeckal/hyde type creature and glared at the person at the front of me and just thought of getting past that one person and so on and so forth!
Ensure had enough to drink but not to much as you don’t want to be impersanating Paula Radcliffe !
Most important enjoy yourself and don’t worry what other people think of you , I always wanted to do the 10k in under an hour but was always a couple of minutes out but was always pleased with what id done , til people made comments about training more !!
MAIN ADVICE
Ignore other people’s advice and do what you feel comfortable doing , which should fir in well with you.
oh ! don’t ignore my words of wisdom though !
Set your ipod on Shuffle and run to the beat of whatever song comes up – add this one Jane
Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start The Fire (A classic song & a 4 minute history lesson to Boot)
Hi Jane, I am very impressed with your 6K route, and a bit envious of how close you are to the beach! I highly recommend Beck’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat” as a tune to get you going. Jump starts me every time!
Some suggestions for your ipod to keep you moving – these always put a spring in my step
Nina Simone Ain’t Got No…
Bruce Springsteen Girls in their Summer Clothes (you can never have enough Bruce)
Tina Turner River Deep Mountain High (plenty of Tina to choose from Ike on)
Robert Plant/ Alison Krause Gone, gone, gone or Rich Woman (from Raising Sand – other great tracks)
Elvis His latest flame (plenty of Elvis too- the earlier the better)
Bonnie Tyler Holding out for a hero (check out Meat Loaf as well)
Nick Lowe Lonesome reverie (my favourite though I knew the bride when she used to rock and roll is more likely to quicken your step)
Hi Jane,
Two good running reads are “What I Think About When I’m Running” by Haruki Murakami (it’s a strange little book but really quite inspiring) and there is a book called 26.2, not sure of the author I’m afraid and it may not even be in print, I read it ages ago. It’s a compilation of the stories of lots of different runners attempting a marathon. Not a sport book really though, just about people. My (rather unhealthy) tip for race day is to scoff loads of digestive biscuits with a few mugs of coffee on rising. Nutrition has never been my strong point……
Best of luck
Yay! Good luck Jane, i can often be found struggling around the marine lake if you ever want a training partner! i find kasabian’s ‘shoot the runner’ to be a favourite running tune and if you want to go at half four – go for it! imagine how smug you’ll feel all day (although i could never do it!) enjoy! ; ) Lois.