Project 2 Update

Project 2 is done!

You might remember, if you’ve read this blog before, that at various points last year I started 3 projects.

The first, and the reason this blog started, was giving up alcohol. This went a lot easier than I expected and as of today, I haven’t touched a drop for 476 days.

The third project was to lose weight. This turned out to be quite easy as well. Once I worked out how to and changed my lifestyle accordingly. Now a year later I find myself nearly two stone lighter.

Project 2 has been the hardest. I started project 2 on 26th May 2019 with C25K and that was a disaster. Too much, too soon. I needed a programme with a gentler start and a nice gentle progression. I found N2R (https://www.nonetorun.com/). It starts smaller, progresses slower, has additional strengthening exercises and encourages repetition of weeks where necessary. In addition it has a great supportive on-line community. The programme is nominally 12 weeks but really is a “do you” course.

I started on the treadmill with the occasional outdoor foray some early mornings and late evenings. I made progress through the weeks. Repeating where I felt I needed to and doing me. I stuck, where I could, to the 3 days a week and looked forward.

I targeted October as when I thought I would be ready to run a 5K. By this time, I was well into IF and could really see and feel the benefits of running and exercising while in a fasted state.

Then the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis flared up again and I had to take two weeks off. I adjusted the plan and instead of progressing through the weeks I concentrated on running intervals for my first 5K.

That first 5K wasn’t a success to be honest. It wasn’t timed and Strava didn’t play well with the route. And instead of running my race I got caught up in the excitement and ran too far, too fast and too soon and really struggled to complete it. But I did it and I was bitten. I figured I could do one 5K a month for the next year and with the programme I would progress to running more.

I’ve done the 5Ks. One a month since but the running hasn’t been as good as I had hoped. Injury and illness has hindered my progression and I’ve been unable to progress through week 8 many times. Taking a step back many times and never seeming to “get it”.

About a month ago I got some advice from some of the “guys” in the Facebook group and I ran W10. That first W10 run was amazing. It was hard but I did it. I ran 20 minutes non-stop! There were times during that run when I felt I had done enough and I should walk before I couldn’t run again. But I kept on going and did the full 20 minutes.

I realised then that my problem wasn’t that I couldn’t do it. The problem was that I THOUGHT I couldn’t do it. Once I realised that I KNEW I could do it.

And now I have.

I’ve finished W12 and I’m happy to say “I’m a runner”.

OK, I’m not running fast and I’m not running for long. But I’m now running for 25 minutes which coming from not being able to run for 30 seconds when I started this is a 5000% improvement.

For now, I’m going to continue running for 25 minutes and consolidate the progress I have at the moment. And then, when I’m happy, I’ll move on to looking at fully running for 5K.

I KNOW I can do that, so I WILL.

#LovingLifeAgain