Ok, you know by now that of course it is not all about the running. But running is important to this particular update. Partly because I did some and partly because 6 years ago on Monday I did a lot and I thought it was worth a mention.

First off Monday, I went out for a little run during my lunchbreak and it felt really hard going. Possibly because I was tired, possibly because I hadn’t eaten enough, but probably mostly because I haven’t run very much for a long time or done very much cardio this last month or so. Still, that is the point of the running, isn’t it? To get fitter and better at running…

So I did just over a km in very short run intervals. It was ok, but I am really very out of practice. The thing I like about running, however is the progress you can make if you stick at it… I am not judging myself harshly for being slow, or for being not so good at running right now. All I can do is accept where I am and decide to get better. Or do a different thing 🙂

Now for the throwback…

6 years ago on Monday I ran Reading Half Marathon. I did it in intervals, I did it slowly and I cam almost last, but I did it. I can’t remember the exact intervals I used but it was something like 5 mins run 1 or 2 min walk for most of it. It may have been different, I have blotted it out of my memory and honestly it is the reason I stopped running for quite a long time and have never really taken it up properly since!

I wrote about it…a lot:

Dear Running…

Dear Running pt 2

Dear Running pt 3

Strangely enough it has not been something I have been particularly proud of until now. I have always seen it as a bit of a failure, a failure of planning and of execution and, yes I got round but I have never really seen it as a success. Until literally right now at this moment. As I added those links I re-read dear running part 1 and I saw how much I hated it at times while I was doing it, especially the roadsweeper incident… but you know what I kept going and I did it. I ran/walked at a ratio that was on average more running than walking for 13.1 miles which is a long way. What is more, I hated it at times and wasn’t prepared and I still did it!

So you know what right now this minute I am proud of myself for doing it!

I am also proud of Rachel, who I ran with (or near at the start anyway) she did it too and she is generally less enthusiastic about exercise than me. Mind you it was her idea, but I don’t hold that against her. I have been proud of her all along which probably tells you more about my self perception than I am going to admit!

So we are awesome and we got capes at the end!

What this comparison illustrates, is that you can’t tell anything about a person just by looking at them in one moment. You might have looked at me running on monday and if you were that way inclined decided all sorts of things about me based entirely on what you could see. I would put money on the fact that one of those things wouldn’t have been “I bet she ran a half marathon 6 years ago” I’d also bet it wouldn’t have been “I bet she can deadlift the equivalent of a baby elephant with smallish cheetah sitting on their back!

(On the elephants back, not on my back, i doubt I could deadlift anything with a cheetah of any size on my back…)

Anyway, my point is, stop judging people when you know nothing about them.

Now for the bit that isn’t about running.

Tuesday in the shed gym was bench press day! For a person who used to neglect upper body training, I am really beginning to like bench press day 😀

I am almost back where I was before the lifting hiatus of january and february, and I am very pleased with that. I am doing more or less the same weight and I think I am doing it better than I was. Maybe a break was good for me. What is more, I am starting to rebuild the habit of actually getting to the gym which is absolutely the best thing!

There was also some walking! Quite a lot actually, I am attempting to get my step count up because moving about is a good way I stay able to move about 😀