Let’s Go!

THE PROBLEM DEFINITION:
It all started a few years ago and it was clear that the body dynamics had changed: the less I ate, the more I spread laterally, literarily. My pride had always been my ability to loose weight by simply eating less but that became yesterday’s news as the weight started solidifying like concrete around the middle – it’s very clear to me now what the term ‘middle age spread’ means.

Break point came when I had to take a business trip on one of those small planes that needed an exact measurement of every item on board; the passenger, her purse, her carry on……………most annoying was the fact the LCD screen of the scale was very obvious and the text display was HUGE, so you step on and the entire waiting lounge sees all of the XX kg – Ouch!. Perhaps this is a bit dramatic as nobody really cares about your weight in a busy airport but I am totally appalled at how much weight I carry around unrepentantly, I was now on the wrong side of ‘acceptable’ and still climbing steady.

THE CHALLENGE:

I don’t like exercise. I don’t like being overweight.

Between family, work, ministry & life, all I am good for at the end of the day is plop on the couch and try to get to the end of the news without falling asleep. This challenge will require more than will power to get me off the couch. It is important to note here that there is no scarcity of support around me;

My husband wakes up early several mornings a week to go for a run

My friend at work is a runner and ran her first marathon this year and claims anyone can run (we’ll see if this is myth or fact?)

THE PROGRESS:

Step1: I googled ‘how to run 10km’, and came up with a bunch of links. Most were very ambitious but I dug deeper into one that looked achievable.

Step2: look deeper and find a plan that will transform me step by step into a runner on the better side of XXkg. “How to run 10km in 4 weeks” .. click… It didn’t take me long to find the disclaimer that this “Beginners” Training Program is not suited for those who have not been running at least three times per week for 3-4 miles for at least 3 months. 🙂

Back to step 1: google ‘how to run 5km’

Back to Step2: look deeper and find a doable plan with key words such as ‘easy’, ‘comfortable’

Step3: sign up for the plan and stick with it

  So, now I proudly announce my plan to run 5km in 10weeks ( clock started 9th of November 2015) , designed for the likes of me who own running shoes as a fashion statement. I have written a list of all the usual excuses that are likely to prevent me sticking with the plan and have identified mitigating actions to ensure that I do not miss out on my ‘easy’ training plan, except of course I manage to invent a new excuse from planet Mars. This includes investing in a portable DVD player which is exclusively mine; for those days that there is a queue for the family TV and/or DVD player – my DVD player ensures I don’t miss out of my aerobics exercises that feature regularly on the training plan.

Week 1 has been interesting exciting & painful – even my finger nails and my hair hurt! But I’ve been told to keep my eyes on the prize – which is victory over the middle spread.

This weekly Journal is meant to hold me accountable to my 10 week training plan. There is a stretched target I have set for myself to achieve my 5km goal in 6weeks, but that’s a secret I won’t allow my aching legs hear for now. It is one day at a time, following the plan, pushing the boundaries, and ensuring that at the end of every week I can earn bragging rights to share in my Journal.

I’ll report back on my progress against the plan after week1 is completed.

Elozino