Variety is the spice of life!

[turnturtle]

I don't know if anyone else ever got the feeling that running every other day as recommended was becoming a bit of a treadmill (excuse the pun) . I certainly had days (especially wet ones)where I told people 'I HAVE to run today' instead of 'I WANT to run today'. Anyway, thanks to my on-line PT I now have some variety to keep my interest up. I now only do one long 'proper' run a week which I really look forward to. On other days I cycle, do hill work, swim or do an indoor lunge, squat and stretch routine (which looks as attractive as it sounds and is strictly a 'no observers' activity) . The aim is to strengthen my pathetically weak 'glutes and quads' so that my running speed improves and I have less risk of injury. But the bonus is that I no longer have days of finding exercise a boring duty. I have even enrolled for swimming lessons in the hope that I can finally master the front crawl (better for the g and q's than breast stroke apparently) . My only worry is that certain 'friends' are looking at me in a way that suggests they think I may soon be certified. Never mind, my family is supportive, if slightly bemused!

[misswobble Graduate]

I think that sounds perfect TT and I bet you're really enjoying it. You will be keeping yourself very fit, and if folks can't get that then that's their worry. Your health and weight will be fab and you'll feel immense

I wonder sometimes if folks think that mature ladies should just sit knitting bootees. Visions of Jane Marple swim into view

[turnturtle Graduate in reply to misswobble]

I think if you don't fit the mould then the easiest response is to say there is something wrong with you. Fortunately the baby=boomers have some good role models. Sixty is the new forty!

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

When you really analyse Jeff Galloway's training programmes for training non-runners to do Marathons, his schedule is essentially one long run every two weeks. His long runs are a bit different to other trainers in that he insists that the long runs eventually exceed the length of the run being trained for. The other 5 of 6 running times during that fortnight are no more than 30 minutes each and can almost be anything.

I think it is very easy for us to become over enthusiastic in our new found capabilities and do too much of the same thing - over and over, to the detriment of eventual injury and/or boredom. . So, it seems that that weekly/fortnightly long run is all important and the other activities are merely "maintenance" activities .

To keep our nose to the grindstone to a certain extent, I think we need those "have to run today" days - but the other 5 of the 6 per fortnight should be "want to run " days doing whatever it is we want to do.

I don't want to run a Marathon -- but who knows - maybe a Half one day?? Gotta keep some kind of goal/dream a long way ahead in the distance.

[kickibro Graduate]

It doesn't matter how you keep fit and active just that you do. Cross training is a brilliant idea and variety will stop it from becoming tedious x

[Fitfor60 Graduate]

My children bought me swimming lessons for 50 th birthday so I could learn front crawl as I was frightened to get face wet Was someone who could swim without getting hairwet .! Anyway was one of the hardest things I had ever done but also one of best Just wished had done it earlier. It did take few lessons before I would put face in water but so worth it So persevere Turnturtle and you won't regret it Sounds to me like your ' friends' might be a tad jealous of the new fit you