Big Fun Run!

Well I've been pretty rubbish at Palaeo blogging! I thought it would be easier, as I update my work blog a couple of times a month no problem. It's a combination of time (the work blog I feel more comfortable updating at work), and also knowing what to say. There has been a lot going on in the gym, lots of progress, I just don't know how to translate it into an interesting blog post. I'll get used to it eventually I hope! For now, a bit about a recent event. A couple of weeks ago I signed up for a 5K charity run. Before I started weightlifting I'd been running for over a year, at least 3 times a week. I was living in Edinburgh at the time and had an amazing lunchtime route that went up and around Arthur's Seat. Then when I moved back to Newcastle I got out of the routine, and didn't find a new route that I liked. So I gradually stopped running. The moral of the story is, you need to make the effort to keep an activity in your routine! I still enjoy running, but weightlifting has taken over much of my 'fitness time' so I haven't made time to get running back into the picture. I still get uncomfortable running outdoors (but I hate the treadmill!) so I really need to find a route that I know and feel comfortable running. So when I saw the Big Fun Run in Exhibition park, I signed up hoping it would push me to start running again.

I decided to raise money for Asthma UK - the major reason I didn't do much physical activity when I was younger was due to an asthma diagnosis as a child, and thinking that I couldn't do sports. It really had an impact. I wish someone had told me for example that Paula Radcliffe, marathon record holder, has asthma! The things we believe as children really do impact us, but we really can change things if we just get over that initial discomfort. When I started running I couldn't manage 10 minutes without getting that horrible tightness in my chest. But after 4 weeks, my breathing actually improved, and I could do things like run for the bus without struggling. But after stopping for almost a year, I went back to being worried about whether I could do it. In the end I was rubbish and didn't practice AT ALL, so I was very nervous on the day. I am happy to say that I completed the run in 29 minutes exactly. Not an outstanding time, but not at all bad, considering it was my first run in over a year! I know I didn't push myself either, as I could feel the tightness in my chest. However, it didn't happen until 3k into the run, and it was nowhere near as bad as it was when I first started running back in Edinburgh. I reckon that if I start running regularly again, I may even be faster than I was because of all the leg training I've been doing in the gym! I'm also happy that I managed to raise £120 for Asthma UK!