14/07/09: Food

Breakfast
1 (M) banana - 1.5pts
1 (M) Starbucks skinny latte - 2.5pts

Lunch
1 (L) jacket potato - 4pts
Baked beans - 2.5pts

Snacks
1 (M) pear - 1pt
1 pot WW black cherry yoghurt - 1pt

Dinner
330ml Fanta twist - 2.5pts
Salad - 2.5pts
Chicken - 4.5pts

TOTAL: 22/22pts

We didn't go running today for no particular reason other than I couldn't wake up as usual and I didn't feel too great this evening. I'm going to call an early night and if I wake up early tomorrow, I will go for my first run of week ten. My shin's still a little sore so it might be for the best.

Week 9, 3rd Run

Time: 1815
Duration: 3min run & 1min walk x9 (36min)
Distance: 4.17km
Weather: approx 22C - partly cloudy - cool breeze

Today's run wasn't as fast as Friday's, but that wasn't a problem because we were only 100m short compared to Friday anyway. I think yesterday's crazy swim-a-thon didn't do me very good as my muscles were aching and heavy when we started running. By the time we finished, my right shin was a little sore and I felt a little dizzy but I'm absolutely fine right now.

I'm looking forward to completing my 10 week programme - only one more week to go! After that, I'm going to concentrate on training for my 5K run in September. At the moment, I definitely can't run the whole of it. However I'm going to look up some training methods and I'll take it from there - can't promise I'll run all of it by then either though!

Week 9, 2nd Run: Woah... parp

Time: 2200
Duration: 3min run & 1min walk x9 (36min)
Covered: 4.23km
Weather: 17C - cloudy - cold breeze

Today's run was pretty amazing. I didn't think I'd have energy in me to do it, but I managed it somehow and at a pretty fast pace. Before when we used to go on a run, I didn't really feel like we were "running", more like jogging. However, today was definitely running and even my boyfriend noticed the pace had picked up a little. I don't know what made me want to go a little faster but I did so and surprisingly it didn't feel too bad! It was tough, don't get me wrong, but I didn't dread only having a minute to walk and catch my breath. I took my Heart Rate Monitor with me and checked my pulse during the three minute runs and it was reading around 170-180bpm, which I don't think is very good (well, it sure isn't healthy) and my average heart rate overall was around 163bpm, which again isn't very good. I may have got carried away with day dreaming about my 5K race but I need to find my perfect pace again because I did feel a little burned out right at the end. Anyway, overall it was a great run and I actually enjoyed running a little faster. But lessons for Sunday is to maybe slow it down a tiny bit and also I need to not eat at least 3 hours before my run on food that makes me produce gas - I mean I've heard of "second wind" but my goodness, I didn't mean to have one so literally!

Week 9, 1st Run

Time: 0500
Duration: 3min run + 2min walk x7 (35min)
Route: R Rd, W Ave, WE Lane, WE Gdns, H Rd, D Rd (C Ave on 2nd lap)
Weather: 15C - cloudy - cool breeze
Sleep: 7.5hrs

I was very conscious about my pace today, making sure I didn't burn out after the first 3 laps like last time. Fortunately, it wasn't so bad and I'm happy to report that I completed it even after Sunday's hiccup. I was focusing on my pace and breathing today whilst thinking about the 5K run in September. I'm still very nervous about it and was asking myself today if I can even run the whole thing or if I'll end up doing my walk/run. A big part of me wants to run the entire 3 miles but I'm going to be realistic and just train as much as I can in the next two months and see what happens!

adidas Women's 5K Challenge

Last night, I signed myself up to the adidas Women's 5K Challenge on 6 September. I don't know what made me do it. I think it could be partly down to the fact that I felt lousy yesterday after my "run". I'm nervous but really excited at the same time. It definitely pulled me out of my slump yesterday and I have a goal to try and aim for. This has made me look forward to tomorrow's run, which was something I was dreading before. So, I got my mojo back and I'm less pissed off about yesterday. Hurrah! Two more weeks until my programme finishes and I'm going to try and train to do a 5K run. I bought a heart rate monitor to, well, monitor my heart rate and probably at the same time try to learn what a HRM should be used for! I have two months to get myself prepared for the 3 mile race and I'm really looking forward to it (though, yes I am still very nervous). :D

Week 8, 3rd Run: So this is what failure feels like

Time: 2130
Duration: 3 min running + 2 min walking x3 (15 min)
Route: R Rd, W Ave, WE Lane, WE Gdns, H Rd, D Rd
Weather: 22C - partly cloudy - cool breeze
Sleep: 13hrs

I could only manage 3 sets today before I started to feel extremely dizzy with a painful stomach ache. My whole face burnt up and my breathing was out of control. This is what happens when you run dehydrated and whilst on your TOTM. It was a nightmare. I said to my boyfriend "I think we ran too quickly at the beginning" - which we did because we managed to do a lap in 3 sets instead of the usual 4 1/2, but that wasn't the biggest problem. It started when I felt like my head was pounding every time we started running and I had to breath much more than usual, struggling to exhale because my head pounded every time I did so. By the third time I experienced this my boyfriend called an end to the run (out of pure kindness). He said I'd be stupid and stubborn if I did any more and he was seriously right. So, I retired after 3 sets and dragged myself back to the house feeling completely miserable and defeated.

Of course, by the time I get home my stomach ache stops and my dizziness turns to just a dull headache. The only thing that didn't change was my mood and I still feel it now. That annoyed and angry voice inside me that is making me feel like a total failure. This sounds really stupid but I could honestly cry right now. I know deep down that if I drank enough water today and wasn't on my TOTM, I would've easily done this run. So I have no idea why I feel like such a failure. I don't want to cry because it isn't really my fault; it's just the way it is and I did my best... but I hate myself for not completing this run. This would be the first week on my programme that I've not completed a week and I think that's probably why I feel so awful. The feeling of guilt for letting myself down is probably much more powerful than the stomach ache and the dizziness I suffered earlier. I just knew inside me that this wasn't the kind of pain or faintness that I could overcome if I carried on running, so I had to stop.

Oh, god - look at me - I'm trying to reason with myself... urgh, I sound like an idiot. I need to get over it and move on. Whilst dragging my body back to my house and doing my warm down stretches, I did wonder if my diet was good enough for a runner. I'm a little random with my points and though I eat less than I used to, I eat all the wrong stuff. I need more lean meat and good carbs from meals made from scratch that includes no empty calories [she says, whilst sipping her Irn Bru...] I think I can make Weight Watchers work with my running and I need to seriously pull my finger out and sort out my diet. Gah, I should've gone to the health food store today! Sigh. Today is not a good day and I can't go to bed yet because I'm no where near tired and I haven't done the bit of work I was supposed to do before I went for a run. I did manage to tidy up my clothes and did a bit of laundry which wasn't exactly on my list of things to do... TODAY SUCKS! :\

Week 8, 2nd Run: Confidence

Time: 2130
Duration: 3 min running + 2 min walking x7 (35 min)
Route: R Rd, W Ave, WE Lane, WE Gdns, H Rd, D Rd (C Ave on 2nd lap)
Weather: 23C - partly cloudy - cool breeze
Sleep: 8hrs

I just can't seem to wake myself up early these days. It could be that I'm due my TOTM soon but I'm not 100% sure. I thought it could probably be down to the weather as it's so humid and hot during the night that it's hard to get a decent night's rest this week. Also, it's a Friday and I've had a pretty busy week at work so it's all catching up. Mind you, I reckon it's actually because I've never really been an early bird and I'm awful in the mornings. But I would still like to change that. I need to get more serious about going to bed early (hah, it's already quite late today!), cutting out the caffeine and sugar in the evening so I can doze off easier. Hmm, I shall note that down as one of my challenges. I was thinking maybe I should make every Friday's run an evening session so I have a little bit of a variety. Technically I've not failed because I'm still doing my run, just later on in the day. Definitely something I shall consider.

On a better note, I can definitely feel more confident running when I get into it these days. I actually felt like a runner today. My breathing is still a little erratic in my first three minutes but I can normally calm it down by breathing a little deeper and spending my time walking to concentrate on breathing regularly. However, after the first set, I've got a good breathing going which makes running a little bit easier. I notice myself feeling more focused (or at least looking the part) and I guess that's why I feel like a runner. Week 8 is drawing to a close soon and I'm not worried about week 9's programme, which becomes a 3 minute run plus 1 minute walk times by 9 (36 minutes) by the second run of the week. Sure, it makes me a little nervous but I'm not worried - I can confidently say I'll be able to do it. How fast or how healthy I'd feel during it is a complete mystery, but my gut feeling is that I'll survive it even if I can barely jog it and I have a slight cardiac arrest during it. All good as long as I don't give up.

Week 8, 1st Run

Time: 2145
Duration: 3 min run + 2 min walk x7 (35 min)
Route: hmm...
Weather: 22C - clear sky - cool breeze
Sleep: 8hrs

As I wrote earlier, I woke up early today to go to my department's away day. However, not early enough to go running. Now, I am going to stick by this, the only reason why I didn't wake up is because I didn't hear my alarm go off. Honestly! Told my boyfriend we'll go tomorrow instead. Long story short, we knew we aren't that angelic and that we should go for a run tonight and not panic about it tomorrow. So we did!

I was (and still am to an extent) tired. I mean literally eyes half closed, mumbling and I'm pretty sure I was having a dream during one set. I think this was the first time we've run this late but it was a pretty cool experience. It's quite funny, but it's a lot more "people-noisy" at night. The cars are dying down on the streets but you can hear an awful lot of chatter behind closed doors. It could probably be down to my neighbours having to open their windows because it's yet another seriously warm night (it's warmer indoors than it is out!). Another reason could be because we changed routes. I asked my boyfriend if we could run a new route I showed him on Google Map. This meant we didn't pass the busy roundabout 5 times and instead passed more suburban areas. It was a pretty decent route, I thought. We tried to memorise the roads but I'm really crap with things like that so I let him be the SatNav. Big mistake. My boyfriend's human, not an all running, all counting (he counts down for me), all A to Z map machine. He's a huuumaaan. So, we got a little lost but we got back on track and started heading down more familiar roads near the end - phew!

The run itself was actually pleasant. The first 3 minutes was rocky and I didn't fully enjoy it but the rest... I don't know, maybe it was the feeling of new pavements to pound that got me a little "excited", but I found it really pleasant. I won't say enjoyable because I'm not crazy, but it was a mix between enjoyment and pleasantness. Next mission is to get the right lap - oh, and we managed to complete just over the full lap in 35 minutes (without counting warm up walking). I really am curious how many miles that is! I also felt this huge gush of cool breeze when my boyfriend counted down the last 4 seconds of my last set and felt so good - like a big pat on the back from mother nature.

So, I did my first run on week 8 and again, I'm super proud of me for this achievement. I had a bad day on WW but my run lifted my mood a little. I can now sleep with a cleaner conscience and boy do I need the sleep. Goodnight.

Week 7, 3rd Run: and other rambling bits

Time: 1900
Duration: 2 min running + 2 min walking x8 (32 min + 1 min extra running for the hell of it)
Route: R Rd and W Ave
Weather: 27C - cloudy - very humid
Sleep: around 10 hours...

I slept sooo much last night but it was a pretty late night because I was fart arsing around with my new laptop for ages after I published last night's post. I woke up this morning and the last thing on my mind was running. My body felt really heavy (though my daily sneaky peek this morning said I've lost half a pound since Friday) and I was very lethargic. To be honest, my day has been a laze-fest of sitting in front of my laptop watching BBC iPlayer and 4oD and occasionally getting up to pour myself a glass of water or grab some food. Oh, I did do the last set of laundry and hung them out, though. Woohoo...

So, running was put off until 1900 but my boyfriend and I pinky-promised (yes, because we're still 5 years old in the head) that we would go running today regardless. First of all, that was probably the hottest condition we've actually run in and I am definitely feeling it right now (my cheeks are bright red). Secondly, though I found it tough (I guess the running on Friday, swimming on Saturday and then running again today has caught up with me), I still managed to bash out an extra minute right at the end to prepare myself for week 8.

I can't say I'm overly confident about week 8. It's a 3 minutes run followed by a 2 minutes walk times by seven, which means a total of 35 minutes of sweat and hell. Err, don't blame me if I'm not jumping for joy at this news. Still, I am hopeful that it's not as bad as I think it is in my head. If I keep to my pace and find some sort of inner zen peace, it might even be enjoyable. Yeah, probably not, but I can pretend.

I forgot to weigh myself today. You'd think I've been measuring myself for 7-8 weeks, it will be second nature by now but I'm quite slow on the uptake so I would need a big neon sign saying "It's Sunday - MEASURE YOURSELF" on the ceiling so it's the first thing I see when I wake up. Depending on how much time I have tomorrow morning before I go to work, I will either do my measurements tomorrow morning or I might give it a miss for this week and see how the results look next Sunday.

Going back to my lethargy today, I am wondering why I felt like this even after 10 hours of sleep. Surely I'd have more energy than a child who ate his body weight in sweets and drank gallons of Coca Cola? I'm very curious; maybe I slept "too much", I didn't have enough energy after my weak excuse for dinner (a medium bowl of soup) last night, maybe my late night kept my brain buzzing when I thought I was asleep, the humid weather, or even the processed food I'm eating these days could be a factor? I have to admit, the food I'm eating right now wasn't in my perfect picture of healthy living. I had a much more fluffier image of myself making my own houmous or my own grilled chicken pasta with tomato sauce, etc. I go through so much processed junk these days because it's actually easier to calculate the points - they do it for you! You got your kcals per serving with your sat fats and BAM, you got your points. Not only that, it's so easy to make. All you need to do is either put it in microwave, add boiling water to it, order from the menu or just a matter of opening the packet and scoffing it. No faffing around with hobs or scales or waiting 30 minutes for something. But it's NOT the way I want myself to be like when I get to my healthy weight - I mean there are people out there who are my goal weight but have a worse diet than me (consuming foods high in salt, MSG, other additives, high in pesticides, etc)!

So, I've got a handful of challenges I'm going to set myself from tomorrow (I've been secretly writing these up for a few days - sly, I know - but none of them are original, actually some should be common sense). Anyway, the first challenge will be to drink 1.5 litres of water (minimum) every day. I was trying to do the Volvic Challenge right at the beginning of my WWO journey but it took a back seat as I was starting my new healthy lifestyle, which also meant I quit smoking and started running. As I've so far done well on those three, I think it's time to add the "drinking plenty of water journey" to my list. Wish me luck and I shall report back daily in my food entries.

On a final note, gosh, I can't believe I've stopped smoking for this long. Go me!

Week 7, 2nd Run

Time: 0515
Duration: 2 min running + 2 min walking x8 (32 min)
Route: R Rd and W Ave (5 times)
Weather: approx. 14C - cloudy with an occasional cool breeze
Sleep: 6-7 hours

I didn't sleep very well last night because I frankly wasn't that tired. Plus, my boyfriend came home from college around 2200 and I was talking to him for about 30 minutes (plus he woke me up a couple of times about Michael Jackson's death). Still, it wasn't actually difficult for me to get up and go this morning, which is rare but very cool.

Today was my neighbourhood's rubbish collection day and the pavement was strewn with black bin bags and rotten food sprawled out all over the place after the foxes or cats went through them. Definitely not a pretty sight or smell! Regardless, I tried to focus on my pace today and inhaled even though I wanted to vomit most of the time I did so. I reckon I did well again today with my pace and even gave it all I got on the last set by running a little faster. I actually enjoyed it and look forward to my 3rd run of the week on Sunday.

Week7, 1st Run: My perfect pace

Time: 0530
Duration: 2 min running + 2 min walking x8 (32 min)
Route: R Rd and W Ave (5 times)
Weather: 16C - slightly cloudy with sun - occasional cool breeze
Sleep: 8.5 hours

Quote of the day: "My perfect pace is stationary... on the bed" - boyfriend, on waking up at 0530, 23 June 2009.

So, I didn't exactly get up at 5 o'clock in the morning, raring to go on my first run of week seven. Instead, my alarm clock went off and as I switched it off, I quietly rolled over to see if it woke up my boyfriend, which it didn't. Slyly grinning to myself, I rolled back and closed my eyes. All of a sudden, this huge feeling of guilt hit me followed by a heated argument in my head between my good self and my lazy self. This argument went of for 10 minutes but you just couldn't beat the fact that if I did give in and go back to sleep, I would have probably felt an even bigger guilt afterwards mixed with the feeling of failure that I couldn't possibly forgive myself just because I was being lazy! I knew that if I got up, I'd feel bloody great just for getting up and that getting through the running was only a bonus. No competition, really. Thirty minutes late but like they say, better late than never!

Actually I'm glad I did today's run. It was probably the best run so far on this programme. The weather was absolutely brilliant. It was a dry morning with this nice breeze that passed us every two minutes, just what you need when you're getting a little too hot. I also found my perfect pace. It's my current perfect pace and it leaves me with enough energy to take me through the whole run without feeling like I'm about to die by the last 3-4 sets. I am pretty sure it's quite a slow pace, but it gets my heart going and I'm more than happy to work on the speed issue when I finish the programme and I want to challenge myself a bit more. Quite honestly, you probably can't even call it "running", more like jogging but I've always calculated my bonus points against jogging and not running because however much I like to think I run, I'm running at a snail's pace. Also, "Eat, Write, Run" is a little catchier than "Eat, Write, Jog". For now, it's the perfect pace for me and I did all 8 sets today without thinking I was having heart failure. Good going, I say!

I thought you'd be interested to know that during my run, I passed:

• 2 cats;
• 4 people waiting at the bus stops;
• 2 out of service buses;
• countless number of birds;
• and 3 cyclists.
  

Week 6, 3rd Run: Kill me now

Time: 1220
Duration: 2 min running + 2 min walking x7 (28 min)
Route: R Road and W Ave
Weather: approx. 19C - sunny with occasional white clouds
Sleep: 9 hours

That was the run from hell and I didn't think I could make it. During the last 4 sets, I kept repeating in my head "For the love of all things holy, please kill me know. Please, strike me down this instance and let me leave all this pain behind." It was horrible and I've never felt so unfit since doing this programme. A few things could be to blame.

1. I seriously didn't want to run today. I was pretty much hoping something would happen so I didn't have to. For example the flu, an urgent call from work asking me to come in, even the apocalypse.
2. I ran yesterday and I usually need at least a day's worth of rest before I can run again. During that time, I can feel my muscles relaxing and getting prepared for the next run but I can't do this in under 24 hours so my body was screaming at me today.
3. It was so hot. Usually, my boyfriend and I run in the mornings but these past two days, we've lazily ran during midday. Worst idea ever. It's hot and there's loads of people and cars. It's very intimidating. He and I will just have to pull our fingers out and start getting up early without any excuses.

Like I said, I felt like shit afterwards and seriously unfit. However, my lovely boyfriend (he's not a Jehovah's Witness) kindly reminded me that today might not have been my best run but I've come very far and that I shouldn't knock my overall progress. I guess he's right. This is a small glitch in the wider picture and I really must not lose my focus. I was just annoyed with myself 'cause I kept asking for 10 second more walk-time before I had to run 2 minutes.

This Tuesday will be the first run of week seven. It means I have to up the stakes by another 4 minutes (basically 2 min running + 2 min walking x8). I can't say I'm looking forward to it after today's disaster, but I'm going to try my best and if I feel like I'm struggling, I'll just try to use next week to perfect my week 6 run.

Welcome to Eat, Write, Run!

I thought I should write a short introduction to this blog. I actually had two other blogs running before this one. One of them was about my weight loss journey and the other one was about my running. I updated them both separately for the best part of six weeks but it started to get a little tiresome. I don't remember why I decided to split them into two blogs. I mean I am doing both to achieve the same thing, which is to lose weight and to adopt a new healthy lifestyle.

So, I decided to merge the two blogs together and here it is! I've deleted the other blogs (after downloading them on to my computer, of course), but as it's probably a waste not to explain my progress so far, I've decided to write them up in condensed form.

Weight Watchers

I joined Weight Watchers Online (WWO) on Friday 1 May 2009, weighing in at 15st 8.5lb with a BMI of 36.3 and a size 18/20. This is my second time doing WWO. The first time I tried it for a month in April 2008 starting at 16st 5lb. I lost a stone and thinking I figured out how it works (eat healthy, move more - it's that easy, right?) I cancelled my membership. Though I didn't balloon back up to my starting weight, I struggled to lose any. Seems that the "eat healthy, move more" motto is as useful as a chocolate teapot when your mind's not really in the right place and you're ordering a large meaty pizza over the 'net.

As of Friday 19 June, I weigh 14st 5.75lb with a BMI of 33.3 and a (very comfortable) size 18. The past seven weeks have been full of ups and downs but I've always managed to lose weight:

Week 1 -5lb
Week 2 -2lb
Week 3 -1lb
Week 4 -3lb
Week 5 -2.25lb
Week 6 -2.25lb
Week 7 -1.25lb (I've so far lost 16.75lb)

I've also joined a challenge set by a member of Weight Watchers called "New Year, New You" and that's been a huge motivator for me because I do Weight Watchers online and I'm not really able to 'report back' to someone, like a class leader, even though I always let my boyfriend know about my weigh-in results. I don't have a specific target weight I want to be by the new year but as long as I keep trying my best and see realistic results that reflect my effort, I'll be a happy girl.

By the way, I'm a nervous wreck the day before a weigh-in (mine is on a Friday) so be prepared to see posts on a weekly basis titled "Shit, weigh-in tomorrow"!

Running (and swimming)

Before I tell you about the programme I'm currently on, I would like to talk about my previous life before exercise. When I was a kid - and I'm talking between being able to start walking until when I was around 11 years old - I was very active. I did ballet when I was very young, I also loved cycling, swimming, roller blading, and couldn't stay in one spot for longer than five seconds (a typical kid). I also did a lot of after school activities which included tap dancing, karate and basket ball. I have pictures of me when I was around 9 years-old and I didn't have an ounce of unnecessary fat on me. I can't really pin point what happened, but being active started to take a bit of a back seat around secondary school time. I had a bit of a rough period when I was 13-14 years old. Nothing bad happened to me but I wasn't in the best of moods and took a lot of comfort in food when things looked bleak. It has all been quite downhill since then, I suppose. I got more lazy; found out that the TV entertained me and I didn't even have to lift a finger unless I wanted to change channels.

I started to binge when I got bored (probably nothing on TV) and just made all the wrong choices in large portions. I tried dieting but it was more like starvation and though I managed to once lose a stone in 3 to 4 weeks, I always piled it back on plus a little more. So, exercise was out of the question because I was scared that I'll have a heart attack if I ran. The fact that I took up smoking when I was very young didn't help at all. There were times when I actually did try to get off my ass and do some exercise. I joined a gym twice and paid for a personal trainer both times, but it didn't last longer than a month or two. I hate being told what to do.

Then I met my boyfriend. He has a pair of amazing legs and has a lean body overall (though his belly is getting rounder these days - hehe). He put it down to running. I was around my heaviest weight when I met him and still smoked around 10-15 a day so I constantly guffawed at him when he suggested I ditched the fags and get my trainers on. Like I said before, I hate being told what to do and he learnt it the hard way. Whenever he said I should try something, I'd do completely the opposite. Childish? Of course. Self destructive? You betcha. However, I did admire his ability to run (he's also a non-smoking vegetarian!) and sometimes it was borderline jealousy.

I actually only recently started to run, so I'm not going to preach about it or gloat. I decided to take up running quite randomly and all of a sudden. I really don't know why but I bought a book titled Running Made Easy and read it in a day. Then I invested in a good pair of trainers and a couple of running tops two days after reading the book and, after a couple more days, started running with my boyfriend on Monday 11 May 2009. I even quit smoking the night before and even though I've always said for years and years that I'd stop smoked and end up smoking the next day (sometimes in the next hour), this time I've actually stuck to my words and I still don't smoke. In fact I've not felt inclined to take it back up because I know it will really mess up with my running. It's really weird because I know I'd take the habit back up in a second if I knew it wouldn't ruin all the work I've been doing until today and this is a great excuse (hopefully) for the rest of my life!

I'm currently on week six, and like my earlier post says, today I've completed the second run of the week. My third and final run for week six is tomorrow. In total, I'm running 14 minutes per day. Week one on the programme, I ran for 1 minute and walked for 3 minutes four times. That was a total of 4 minutes and though I consider that to be microscopic compared to my programme now, it felt far from microscopic on my very first run. My face was as red as a beetroot, my lungs wanted to jump out of my body and my heart was beating so fast I nearly asked my boyfriend to dial 999. I'd like to say it gets easier but my body has only really begun its journey so I'll be lying if I said to you that running is a doddle. However, my recovery time has got much better (I don't look like a beetroot for longer than a minute) and I can even run for a bus without going out of breath. So, there have been noticeable signs that I'm getting fitter.

I have also taken up swimming with my mum. Every Saturday, we go to our not-so-very-local swimming pool and swim in the slow lane for approximately an hour. I love swimming. I don't even consider it exercise, I think it's more of a hobby. I'm no Michael Phelps, though. I swim very awkwardly and have only recently got the hang of doing the breast stroke. The running programme has asked that I do a low intensity exercise on Wednesdays so I'm trying to go swimming twice a week. I've not been able to today as my mum's poorly and my boyfriend and I went running instead, but next week I'll be swimming my butt off twice - woohoo!

Right. Well, I think that's a decent introduction to my blog. I'm off to get ready to hit the sack. I will write tomorrow after my run. Goodnight.

Week 6, 2nd Run: Ultimate running buddy

To kick start my blog, I have decided to write about my run today. My aim is to jot down even the most basic details of the actual run even if I can't find anything else to write about. It's rare to have anything remotely interesting happen to me during my run to be honest.

Time: 1200
Duration: 2 min running + 2 min walking x7 (28 min)
Route: R Road and W Avenue (5 times)
Weather: approx. 17C - partly cloudy - light rain (twice)
Sleep: 8 hours

I eventually woke up around 1000 after falling asleep at 0200 today. With a heavy heart I remembered that I didn't run yesterday so I had to run today. I can't chicken out of running two days in a row. After telling myself off in my head for half an hour, I got out of bed. The weather was cool enough (it was around 15C this morning) for a pleasant run so I geared myself up and got changed. I ate a piece of toast with a little butter and tried to wake my boyfriend up. We literally dragged ourselves out of the house at midday and the weather was still cool as there was quite a bit of wind. Off we went; 3-4 minutes warm up walk and around 5 minutes stretching. My boyfriend set the egg timer - yes, we will invest in a proper stop watch soon - and we started the first leg of the run.

Going up R Road, we bumped into a little girl, a lady and an old man. The lady held the girl back as we passed them and said "Don't get in their way, they are training very hard". That made me smile because she's right, we were training hard. I was working my chubby little legs off to lose weight and get healthier and I appreciated the acknowledgement (though I'm sure that's not exactly what the lady meant when she said we were "training"). We bumped into them quite often as they were just casually, I assumed, loitering on R Road. For some reason, I thought this was quite normal. We also passed a very lean runner coming towards us and I thought that he too was training very hard maybe to maintain his physique. After the third (and last) time we saw the girl, the lady and the old man, the lady exclaimed "We saw one of your friends run passed us!" I laughed and couldn't believe that she compared us to the guy we saw earlier; he looked like he's been running for ten years and I looked more like I've been running for 10 seconds.

I turned to my boyfriend and beamed "Did you hear what that nice lady said?" to which he replied "They are Jehovah's Witnesses. They are all very nice". Ooh that made sense; the 'loitering' was just house-to-house visits. Still, even if she was just being nice because she's religious, I am still grateful for her compliments. I also think she'd make a great running buddy with her positive quotes. I might befriend a Jehovah's Witness to say nice things to me whilst I slug it out on the pavement. Just a thought.