First post for 2010 and therefore traditional to include some of my ambitions for the year ahead! My main objective is to stop being so lazy and get more active – I was shocked and embarrassed to realise that I haven’t actually been out for a run since 8th December, and that was only a short one. The weather has been partly to blame, but in truth I have simply been feeling unmotivated. I need to get a couple of races sorted out for this year to give me a goal.
I looked back over the past couple of years at the details of my running as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner. 2008 was quite a poor year, unsurprisingly so since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in May that year. Because of various medications and some anomalous ECG readings I wasn’t allowed to even attempt running, or even walk very fast, for about three months after diagnosis. In total for that year I recorded a total of 190.5 miles running.
This past year I have had less of an excuse, although I have found it difficult getting used to running with diabetes, and the fact that it can no longer be as spontaneous as it was. I have to check blood sugar levels, eat, wait for an hour or two, check levels again, go for run, check again. I used to just get up, have a cup of tea and then go out – it would wake me up for the day – but now it has to be planned and there’s always the chance that my levels will be too high or two low for me to start a planned run, which can be enormously frustrating! I managed to improve on the 2008 total, but not by a huge amount, just an extra 43 miles. At one time I would have run that in a week, easily.
I have attempted to use my exercise bike on occasions, but it is very boring – I prefer to be out an about. I bought the bike to help rehabilitate myself after breaking my femur. However, that was over five years ago, and in that time I have cycled a total of 1024 kilometres.
This year, then, I aim to improve on all this, and picking a nice arbitrary figure I hope to clock 1000 miles on the Garmin and 1000 kilometres on the bike! I think this is achievable as it’s an average of just under three miles and three kilometres a day – some days I would hope to do much more.
So, this morning was today’s first effort towards my goal! But, unfortunately, there has been a very hard frost overnight, and although the day is beautiful and sunny with clear blue skies and only a whisper of wind, it is not a day for running. It isn’t that I’m too soft to run in cold weather – the run always warms you up rapidly – but the memory of broken limbs and the fear of slipping, especially on those shaded spots where the weak heat of the winter sun has yet to cast a warming glance. Instead, I wrapped myself up and went for a walk through the park, just to get some miles on the clock. Two miles, to be exact! Ah well, it’s a start – only 998 to go!
I looked back over the past couple of years at the details of my running as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner. 2008 was quite a poor year, unsurprisingly so since I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in May that year. Because of various medications and some anomalous ECG readings I wasn’t allowed to even attempt running, or even walk very fast, for about three months after diagnosis. In total for that year I recorded a total of 190.5 miles running.
This past year I have had less of an excuse, although I have found it difficult getting used to running with diabetes, and the fact that it can no longer be as spontaneous as it was. I have to check blood sugar levels, eat, wait for an hour or two, check levels again, go for run, check again. I used to just get up, have a cup of tea and then go out – it would wake me up for the day – but now it has to be planned and there’s always the chance that my levels will be too high or two low for me to start a planned run, which can be enormously frustrating! I managed to improve on the 2008 total, but not by a huge amount, just an extra 43 miles. At one time I would have run that in a week, easily.
I have attempted to use my exercise bike on occasions, but it is very boring – I prefer to be out an about. I bought the bike to help rehabilitate myself after breaking my femur. However, that was over five years ago, and in that time I have cycled a total of 1024 kilometres.
This year, then, I aim to improve on all this, and picking a nice arbitrary figure I hope to clock 1000 miles on the Garmin and 1000 kilometres on the bike! I think this is achievable as it’s an average of just under three miles and three kilometres a day – some days I would hope to do much more.
So, this morning was today’s first effort towards my goal! But, unfortunately, there has been a very hard frost overnight, and although the day is beautiful and sunny with clear blue skies and only a whisper of wind, it is not a day for running. It isn’t that I’m too soft to run in cold weather – the run always warms you up rapidly – but the memory of broken limbs and the fear of slipping, especially on those shaded spots where the weak heat of the winter sun has yet to cast a warming glance. Instead, I wrapped myself up and went for a walk through the park, just to get some miles on the clock. Two miles, to be exact! Ah well, it’s a start – only 998 to go!
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