Day 3

It's quite paradoxical that, although I live in one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland, much of my exercise is done in quite shabby urban/ semi-industrial neighbourhoods. I'm sure, of course, that beautiful woodland trails exist nearby. I'm just not at all sure that I'd be able to cope with the demands that such trails would place on someone of my weight and fitness. Concrete it is then. For now...

My plan is evolving daily. I guess that once you have completed a programme like C25K, it's very hard to have to go back to just walking around the same old loops. In the short-term, then, to ease the boredom and simulate a training schedule as much as possible, I've decided that Monday Wednesday and Friday will be my hard days with the others as recovery/easy days. I walked hard today and went almost a couple of minutes faster than my best time so far. I'm hoping that this kind of schedule will add a little bit of competition to the mix and will allow me an easy platform to introduce slightly harder workouts as the weeks progress.

I also read a snippet in Runners' World Magazine from Jeff Galloway (I think) which espoused a very gradual transition from walking to running. The basic idea was that you run for 10 seconds and walk for 50 over a ten minute period, gradually increased the 10 minutes to 30, and then gradually increased the seconds spent running. I'll consider this approach, possibly, when my weight gets to a sensible level.

For the moment, though, I'm focusing on gratitude. I am lucky that I am able to get out every day and walk for 2.5miles. Many people can't (or wont) and, I'm sure, their lives are poorer for it. My life is much richer for achieving something every day whilst most people are still in bed. I am so grateful for all that I have. I am grateful that I get to share that with you, dear reader. Onwards.

Consider My Ass Well and Truly Kicked!

I want to say a big thank you to my old C25K comrade Doug (Batman) for his refreshing comment. I wish you well my friend, and I hope that you're feeling fitter and better than you were. I thought I'd published the post when I received it, and it was only today, when I came to write this post, that I realised it hadn't made the leap to cyberspace. As for what you had to say, Doug, you were right on the money, and I'm really grateful that you took the time and effort to aim your boot at my rear. I needed it badly.

Not that you were my only motivation to get back on here and stay true to the promise that I made myself when this whole thing began. I now have two children (both girls), the latest of which was born on April 21st. Having a new baby around the place, looking so small and terribly fragile, just underscored for me the fact that I am very responsible for those two little lives and that I need to ensure that I hang around for as long as I can to take care of them. Of course, being something of a pragmatist, I have to acknowledge my own finitude, so I spent most of yesterday afternoon trying to arrange life insurance (I've been holding off until I'd spent a whole year smoke-free). The depressing news is that, as far as insurance companies are concerned, I am not a very good bet for living another 20 years. The primary reason being that, since I completed C25K, I have ballooned to 283lbs (128.5KG), and get out of breath heaving myself upstairs to bed at night. It has brought me down to earth with something of a bump.

When I first started C25K I think I was around 252lbs and got down to the 230s by the time I finished it. The fact is that, at this weight, C25K isn't an option. If you need any further proof of this let me just advise you that, in a straight line, my three year-old daughter can outrun me and frequently leaves me in a breathless heap after just a few seconds. Some serious preparation is required before I think of doing C25K again. As far as nutrition is concerned I'm trying to treat my intake as if I'm training rather than dieting; thus, what do I need in order to complete the tasks I assign myself on a daily basis, minus roughly 500 calories. I am aiming to restrict, if not eradicate completely, my consumption of wheat and dairy. My training at the moment consists of a daily walk of 2.67 miles which, today (the first day of my new regimen), took me just over 47 minutes. I really need to gradually build a base of aerobic and musculo-skeletal fitness whilst losing some of the flab. As my fitness increases I will first increase the intensity and then increase the distance of the walks. I also hope to include some cycling as things progress. I will consider starting C25K again when I reach 240lbs.

This is my plan. I appreciate now that action is required rather than talk. Nonetheless, I am hoping to update the blog at least a couple of times each week, and certainly on weigh-in days (which will be alternate Mondays beginning on June 14th). No more excuses.