Running with Reluctance

I started the NHS Couch to 5k podcasts on 20th July having never run more than a couple of hundred metres before. Since then I have lost 10kg, and today, exactly 2 months after starting, I finished the program by running the Edinburgh Parkrun – 5km in a time of 27:49.

I’m very pleased with that!

These are my running essentials: shoes, iPod, GPS watch and a compact emergency phone. Oh, and of course my ParkRun barcode!

Why am I running? And why reluctanctly?

We recently had a baby. My wife was unwell for most of the pregnancy, in hospital for about 5 weeks before the birth, and then both our premature baby and my wife were in hospital for a while afterwards. I ate irregularly and got no exercise for months.

I enjoy cycling and swimming, but getting to the pool has been a challenge to fit in around my work in recent years. There are some great places to cycle off-road around where I live, but I’ve got pretty bored of punctures from broken glass – even with puncture resistant tyres. It just messed up my ride. So right before my wife was ill I had been running a little. Badly. Just 5-10 mins alternating between running and walking. It was good-ish exercise, but I didn’t feel like it was going anywhere.

I still don't especially like it, but the good thing is that it is practical. I can do it any time, I don’t need to go anywhere special, and it’s fine in most weather.