Title says it all, I have a friend willing to go on runs with me and get into a habit of being more active! It was a mix of running & walking today but I think I did pretty good for being a couch potato!
I took a job in early 2023 which forced me to go from full couch potato to 10-15k steps each day. In less than a year I went from needing an inhaler if I got off the couch wrong to being able to take entire Costco runs up a flight of stairs in one or two heavy trips without needing anything more than a few deep breaths and remembering to breathe while walking. My BP dropped from pre hypertension into the average again AND my resting heart rate lowered from average high 80 BPM down to around 60 BPM average.
All of that to say, keep it up comrade! Every KM helps you get healthier and it takes a lot of time and repetition to make a difference.
If you want to amaze yourself - do the couch TO 5k program.
It will get you there …..and it’s a lovely achievement to tick off.
Ah, program. I knew a guy who did couch to 12k. Really hurt us on a team event.
I wrote that all wrong and I’m gonna edit
It’s Couch TO 5k Because who the fuck runs 25k 😜
I never thought I’d do it, and injury can delay it, but felt great when I did .
I literally did my first ever 15k yesterday. Everyone in China is always exercising and I couldn't bear not joining in. I'm utterly wrecked now.
But here's the thing, there's a marathon in North Korea in January. I'm going to train up and you bet I'm going to run that thing.
Hell yeah! Well done! That’s a massive accomplishment! I would say that if you can run for the length of time to complete a 4k you have hit the strength and cardio fitness you need for a 5km already! From this point 5km goal is almost entirely psychological! Which is great news!
In my experience from here the most important thing is to remember to warm up and cool down. As you want to keep training and go further / faster / more often, the main barrier to that is injury. I never used to bother taking warm up or cool down seriously and I kept getting injured / shin splints etc. And then I couldn’t train any more until I recovered by which time I’d lost fitness and couldn’t make progress. I took some convincing to start taking it more seriously but once I started doing proper warm ups and cool downs I magically stopped getting hurt. Weird hu? I don’t even do much, 10ish slow calf raises off the bottom step and then walking for about 5 mins before and after running. Makes all the difference for me but you’ll have to find the exercises and stretches that work for your body. Perhaps you have a specific injury and need to loosen that joint or a particular tight muscle that will cause you issues if you don’t warm it up first (e.g. my calves hence the raises). I have a friend who basically does a full yoga routine before she’ll even consider a run and another who does nothing at all - but you have to find what works for you!
Great work again! Running gets so good when you get into it. Keep it up!
