Race Training Has Commenced

Facebook has a lot to answer for! Following Sam and John's question as to what our challenges were, I somehow found myself commiting not just to my own challenge but also entering a local 5k race. I have never been a runner! The last time I ran I ended up getting weird numbness in my lower legs. But this challenge is all about me not making any more excuses and getting on with things, so I now find myself not just commited to a race (in 60 days time) but to being group leader for a small pack of Yorkshire MPC-ers.

My race pack arrived this weekend so I thought I'd better get on and start training. Although I joined the university gym in September, I've only ever used the pool and attended a few classes. So I went this morning, dressed for action and determined to get my money's worth!

I set myself a target of 4km, aiming to walk it and see how long it would take. But that proved to be a little boring, so I introduced a few short runs (1 minute, 1.5 minutes, 2 minutes) each at a slightly faster pace. I felt pretty tired at the end of 2 minutes, so reverted to walking but managed to introduce some inclines. I'm not quite sure what my heart rate is meant to be (it was in the red zone most of the time!) but it seemed to reduce quickly once I slowed the pace which I seem to remember is good.

Overall, I managed the 4km in 46 minutes which isn't that fast but I did walk most of it remember. It has given me a good baseline and something to improve upon. And 273 calories burned - hopefully that will help start to shift some of the excess weight I am carrying.