The New Fit Me—Running 5Kms

Day 1

New goal.  I want to be able to run five kilometres (just over three miles) within 100 days.  This seems a bit daunting to me.  The furthest I have managed to run in one continuous stint is about 500 metres.  This is a long way from 5000 of the buggers.  However, you don’t get to be a ninety-year-old kayaker without some effort in your forties—at least, I don’t think you do. 

When I started the New Fit Me blog, I wanted an accountability partner.  I got that—thanks to my readers and one sister in particular.  I know I stopped posting just before Day 100, but I didn’t stop exercising, aside from the week of no power after Hurricane Ida.  I do not do well in high humidity with no air conditioning!  I did plenty of rowing and had a partner for my walks.  The end thought I came to is that having a goal of exercising consistently is fine, but once I achieved and maintained that, improving became a challenge. 

Why work any harder? I have met my goal!

Thus today, I decided to aim to run five kilometres by the time the next 100 days of blogging are up.  It started well.  I did two decent length jogs and three smaller ones within my four-kilometre walk today.  My total time was better than 5 km/hr, so I am actually rather chuffed with myself. 

I started my walk listening to a person talk about how to improve the length of your run.  Of course, I was listening to it on my phone, and now I can’t find the clip to post here.  The important things I got from it were

1. A warm-up of gentle movements is important
2. You can slow down if you get tired or even walk
3. Breathe in for three strides and out for three strides (and adjust as you get faster)

I practiced my breathing on the longer runs, and it was quite effective. As with anything new, it takes time to incorporate, so it was quite a challenge to concentrate on breathing, but it worked.  I did manage longer distances.

I won’t run every day as I still enjoy rowing which is excellent for my core.  I also need to work on my posture, thanks to a genetic growth disorder in my spine.  Historically, I have found that I improve in my main exercise goal if I cross-train as well.  Thus, running will occur at least twice a week.  Some days I will walk (with a companion); other days, I will row or do weights.  Ideally, I would like to run three days a week.

Anyway, here’s to a new physical fitness goal.  And just because I like to fill my life up with heaps of things to do, I will drop back the artificial sweeteners to only a couple of soft drinks (sodas) a week—when I am super bored of water and tea.