The first run is the hardest...

Being the flake I am I didn't write an update on week 1 or 2 so I'm doing it collectively in this post. 

Programming

Week 1 - 5 minute warm up walk, 60 second run, 90 second walk, repeat x7. 5 minute cool down walk.

Week 2 - 5 minute warm up walk, 90 second run, 120 second walk, repeat x5, 90 second run, 5 minute warm down walk.

Week 1 

So I tackled my first run on 1st January 2019, starting the year as I mean to go on. In Neston with my boyfriend walking along behind me with a water bottle. I definitely needed the moral support. I started my run along the country roads and quickly bitched out of that because I couldn't handle navigating the cars and people. PEOPLE OUT WALKING ON NEW YEARS DAY - how dare they. I mean it's not like it's a well established tradition is it. 

So instead I turned round and ran up the wirral way path which is a completely pedestrianised path along the marshes and I could not be happier with my decision.  So lungs on fire, and following a pattern of run forward, walk backwards to get water. I managed it! 

My second and third runs were done in my home town of Oldham. If you know Oldham you know it's pretty much all on a hill of some degree so boy was that tough, but I very quickly hit on a winning strategy of planning my runs so the run would be on a semi-flat bit and the walks would up hill. Now, this week passed relatively quickly and with relative ease as I didn't have to factor in work at all! 

Week 1 was also the week I learn streching is a thing you need to do, I assumed that the 5 minute cool down would be enough to recovery without much. But getting out of bed the next mornings after a run and feeling the DOMs hit my calves very much put me and my no-run knowledge back in it's place.

Week 2

With the calm voice of Laura in my ear telling me that I'm doing really well and it's only 30 seconds longer - literally made me want to throw my phone into the road on the 4th section of running on day 1. But by the second run I was finding that I only wanted to stop and take a break close to the 90 second mark and man that felt good. It's not quite as good a feeling of lifting a barbell but close! I'm really starting to see improvement.

However, fitting the runs in around a long commute and an 11-7 day has been a challenge so the runs have been sporadic but I have been getting them done which is the main thing. Week 3's challenge is consistently and work out a decent streching routine to soothe the achy calves! I'm almost there but not quite. 

I also hit my first fundraising milestone of £50. So I pushed that up to £100 and am currently looking at 75%. I'm hoping that by April and ramping up the stuff I do to promote the run and get people donating I may comfortably hit £150! £300 would be the dream but anything over £100 is incredible too. 

Note: I regularly run through this bridge and luckily at 4ft 11" I can only just get through it with maybe 2 inches of clearance! Definitely not one for the taller folk.