Everything must have a beginning, right?
Well, I’ve decided to try my hand at jogging. I’ve been a walker as long as I can remember. I think it started when I was almost 2 years old. I’ve kept at it and now I think I’m pretty accomplished.
Ready for a challenge, I dipped my toes in to test the water.
That’s what I did this past Wednesday. I’m still recovering from that experience.
I started very slowly. I had no preconceived notions of walking 2 minutes and then running for 1 minute. I just decided that I would walk and then when I felt warmed up enough I would start jogging and then when I was ready to walk again I would…usually 10-20 seconds later.
I had a fully supportive husband by my side; if he wanted to he could run circles around me. He decided to go with my flow and let me ease into my new “thing”. I have a short stride and this forced him to have one as well. His knees felt better for it too, I think.
I decided that the only place I would jog is our local cemetery so that no prying eyes could watch my bum bounce as I tried to work it off. It’s one of my favorite places to walk just for that same reason. So it was familiar terrain that I knew had some flat, level spots for which to jog on. Quiet too. There aren’t usually many people there unless you count the occasional dog walker.
I gave it my all and felt really proud of myself for my attempt to get in better shape. I wasn’t counting but there were roughly 10 bouts of jogging mixed in to my walk. They lasted all of 20-30 seconds at a time (that might even be a stretch- again I wasn’t timing myself). But I did it until I needed a breather or my muscles were tired. And boy were they tired towards the end. They let me know they were done and that I would only be walking from that point forward.
I went to bed as I normally would but the next day was a complete surprise to both me AND my husband. I awoke probably one full hour earlier than normal, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed…I felt completely refreshed. This was odd because I NEVER wake up feeling like this. So, did it have anything to do with a few bouts of jogging that I squeezed into my walk? Who knows? I’ll get back to you after I’ve jogged again to see what happens.
Since that day I’ve done a bit of research on the subject so I can ensure my safety. I’ve learned to breathe (I know, that was tough, but I did it) in and out of my mouth so that I get enough oxygen and don’t cramp up. My arms should be parallel (level) with the ground and moving by my sides (not swinging in front of me). I was doing a good thing by taking shorter strides; apparently that helps protect your knees. If your are so incline, there is a lot more interesting information located at http://running.about.com/.
The day following my walk/jog my legs were screaming. And we have stairs in our house that I must utilize, damn-it. This morning, roughly 60 hours later, I still feel the muscles in my quads but I feel like I might try jogging again today. More than likely it will be on the treadmill because our weather is less than stellar.
I suggest if any of you are looking to get in better shape you should consider adding jogging to your repertoire. I have subscriptions to both Fitness & Health magazines and it seems to me that the people that are losing the most weight have included running into their routine. It’s motivated me to give it a try.
Do you have any tips about jogging for your past experience? Have you started your own weight-loss journey? Tell me about it. I’d love to read about it.
Until next time.
hi!
chanced across your blog when looking up tags that interest me
. anyway, congrats. i thought i’d share my story with you.
prior to 2006, i never exercised. i couldn’t jog more than 3 laps around an olympic track (1.2km) and couldn’t do more than 2 chin ups. in 2006 i went to the army and that sealed the deal. i could run good distances (up to 10km) and do 13 chin ups or so, but i could never meet the gold standard for the army run (less than 9:45 for 2.4km). my fastest time was 10 flat.
so… i was fitter. but i had plateaued and i would never improve in the army. after life in the army was done with, i decided that i would try my best to stay fit. so i did tons of sustained-cardio and no weights – that was how the army trained us. i’d run 5km 6 days a week. even then, i didn’t feel any fitter. to be honest, i hated running and really had to force myself to do it.
after 6 months i gave up and became a lard ass.
and then last year in november i decided i wanted abs. so i did some research and came up with new routines. weights every other day, and high intensity interval training in between. after about a month i noticed results! more toned, faster, stronger, greater stamina, more energy… more confidence about myself too. i got abs, but i didn’t care about them anymore. i just wanted to stay fit cause it felt really good.
i also learned to love running. it was always painful before, and it still is now (if i push hard enough)… but i’ve learned that the little bit of pain just serves as a reminder to me – that i’m alive and in good shape.
so… that’s my story. it’s something like 8 months later and i’ve kept at it the whole time. i eat healthy too, but i snack every now and then.
anyway, i’m really interested to see how you progress. your walk-jog thing is exactly what high intensity interval training is. maybe not so hardcore yet
but working yourself up to your maximum heart rate for intervals is an excellent way to boost your metabolism and get fit. i suggest you google it and maybe try it with other forms of cardio like cycling and swimming.
righto, i’ve written enough. in case you’re wondering, i’m gold-standard now!