We live out in the countryside in a small village in the middle of the Czech Republic about 20 miles north of Prague. Rolling fields and forests which have been great for my initial sweating and shuffling as I start my journey to get from 108kg / 17st down to 73kg / 11st5lbs.
I found the C25K program by mistake when I typed in 'lose 20kg in 6 months' into Google (as we all do when needing to know anything these days). That then led me to the MyFitnessPal app and this week has been transformational.
In the last 12 months I have had bouts of tachycardia where my heart seemed to just race although in hindsight I can probably put that down to lifestyle as opposed to medical reasons. I am on blood pressure tablets for the last 8 years due to the stress and lifestyle of a previous job and only recently convinced my doctor to lower my dosage as he still had me on the same as when I was on 30 smokes a day, 2 red bull for breakfast and 9 pints every night (its only 60p a pint where I live). My average BP now for the last 6 months is 105/78 with HR 69 (sometimes as low as 91/59 with HR51).
Czech Republic will hit daytime temps of -26C in winter and 37C (in the shade) in Summer.
Finally, I normally take my wife to work when I am not travelling, then get back home, breakfast etc etc
So now all the waffle has finished....
W1R1 - loved it. Felt really hyped and pleased with myself that I had started. A nice steady shuffle through the tracks along the fields by the forest. Decided that rather than sit down at lunch it would be my C25K hour.
W1R2 - really loved it. A few twinges but read up on the stretches and that helped. MFP was showing me my calories and life was good.
W1R3 - so this morning my wife needed to be at her dentist the other side of town. By the time I did some bits and bobs and got home it was midday. So I just got my shorts on and off I went to my usual spot. It looked sunny so I put on my bandana and off I went. Unfortunately I had had no breakfast today. And normally before lunch I have had 2 pints of water. Today I had had a brewed coffee around 9am from Starbucks and that was it.
I set off as usual and got to my halfway point and touched the disused pylon and set off back.
Ooooof.....I was struggling on the way back. Really sweating and a few stomach cramps and even though I could see a bit of movement in the trees I couldnt feel any breeze. My watch was showing HR of between 148-157 (164 at one point) which I dont know if that is extreme?
I got back to the car (after completing the run) and sat there with the aircon on full.
I drove the 1/2 mile home and threw ice and a banana and a peach into the blender. Drank that and sprawled out and slept for an hour.
I feel fine now but some serious things learnt.
Dont run at midday. It was 42C in my back garden when I got back. The entire run is along a track with no shade.
Sunblock. My face is currently a nice tomato colour
Liquids and food. Never run on a full stomach but never run on an empty one either.
So its W2R1 on Monday.
Next week I'll be heading out as soon as I get back from taking the wife to work. that should mean I'll be out running by 0845 / 0900.
Still enjoying it but if ever the 'dont run before you can walk' was applicable.....
Written by
GingerBohemian
Graduate
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9 Replies
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Oh GB we hear you. I have similar temperatures in Italy although not the winter ones thank goodness. We love red on this forum, but not sunburn red, so never ever do the midday run again.... I found in these temperatures, much beyond 9am is scorchio and away too dangerous to contemplate.
Can't comment on the heart rate I don't have a monitor. But go out as early as you can, mornings tend to be cooler than evenings I find. Wet your vest, wet your hair/bandana . Put a half filled water bottle in the freezer the night before and Top up in the morning. That gives you something cold to hold and press against forehead etc, and something refreshing to drink if you need it. Oh and always scope out your runs for the shade, but as you have the midway pylon, I guess now you know where the shade is and isn't. Well done for doing W1, good luck for W2 and we're hoping for no palpitations or sunburn next time
Like a child learning only by touching something hot I have certainly vowed to change my run time from next week.
I'm in California for 3 weeks in September with work so will definitely have to do morning runs there or use the running machine but I hate running machines.
Unfortunately near me there isnt really any shade unless I go into the forest itself and that is all up and down hill.
Running in the sun/heat is torturous. I live in the deep south U.S. and 'running season' is in the winter for us. During the summer (average daily high of 36 centigrade with humidity in the 90%+ range) most folks go indoors for most of their runs. So don't feel bad about your slogging along, everyone used to the heat/humidity or not, would be. In fact feel good that you stuck with it!
On a side note, I absolutely loved Prague and the country side around it when I visited. Gorgeous and amazing place.
I can't help you there. Our winters are around 13 degrees centigrade (average daily high on the coldest day of the year). Snow only happens once every few decades!
You should avoid extreme heat if possible. I've just spent three weeks in temperatures of up to 40c with high humidity (Croatian coast), and although my runs were fine, the preparations were different to what I do here in England. Obviously, lots of water, rest as much as possible (if possible, because the hot nights and mosquitoes can interrupt that) and get up as early as you can, no point in running once the sun is high up. I did mine around 7am or so, and even then I picked up the routes in the shade. Also, always (ALWAYS), listen to the locals. If those guys advise against simply being out there between 11am and 6pm, the last thing you want to do is ignore the advise and go for a run Before I went, I also compiled a nice list of wise words from this forum. Once all is in place, you will be fine!
Well you certainly knew how to live an unhealthy life style...........but many congratulations on starting to turn it round. Learning to run involves all aspects of life.......running will affect them all and they will all affect your running.
Hydration is crucial, especially in hot weather, but it needs to be a regular intake of fluids (preferably not Red Bull!!) throughout the day, not just immediately prior to running.
Your maximum heart rate is dependent on your age, so without knowing that, it is not sensible to comment on that. I can comfortably run for an hour at the rates you indicate, which according to the standard calculations should be impossible for a 61 year old man, but that just points up that we are all different. A HRM may provide lots of stats and data, but if you don't understand them, then you are better off ignoring them, unless you have been advised to keep the an eye on your rates by a medic.
Keep up the impetus and you will feel the difference in just a few weeks.
It's great that you are learning - and it us a complete learning process. Most of the people doing this are complete novice runners (like me), and it takes a while to work the bugs out of the system.
Wow - I struggle running at 20 degrees, never mind 42! I don't think I would have got as far as you in that kind of heat.
There are always lifestyle issues that get in the way at some point, and this slow build up in the running is a great opportunity to learn how to work around them.
I've made the decision since graduation, to have two rest days between runs, mainly because I was having some lower leg aching that didn't seem to have time to improve before each run. Now things are so much better physically, but I have the conundrum of how to fit my runs around work, when I had been running on mostly days off.
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Before I went, I also compiled a nice list of wise words from this forum. Once all is in place, you will be fine!
Week 1 completed - but going to repeat it
Week 1 complete who'd have thought it
Started today - Week 1 Run 1 complete :-) Woo Hoo
W8R2 - another lesson learned
Newbie!! first week run 1 just completed.
