Hi all,
I'm a bloke just turned 50 and decided its time to improve my fitness and lose a bit of weight. Currently I'm 14 stone and at 5' 11'' (BMI 27.5) - need to lose 1 1/2 stone. Cycled a bit last year and managed to lose 1/2 stone but put it back on for a variety of reasons.
Have a perfect route on the doorstep an old railway line now a nature trail exactly 5 mins brisk walk from home.
Week 1
This running business is much more demanding than cycling! Managed the week reasonably OK but knees were aching and following advice from posts decided to invest in some proper footwear. Decathlon did a gait analysis for me and I am now the proud owner of some new ASICS suitable for an over pronator.
Week 2
New shoes great and no more knee pain.
Run 1 was not too bad but had had enough by the end.
Run 2 accompanied by my much fitter wife whose idea of a brisk walk to warm up was more like a workout to me. Struggled on this one but managed to complete it and the warm down walk was considerably slower!
Run 3 (on my own - phew) quite enjoyed this and felt I still had a bit of steam left at the end.
Done a little bit of cycling cross training in between with my 12 year son but nothing too extreme.
I have a a healthy diet but I do enjoy a drink which I am now cutting right back on. So far I've only lost a pound but already feel a lot better. I found this last year though with the cycling that initially weight loss is slow or even a slight gain but I think this is probably due to better hydration - less alcohol and more water. I have an old Polar heart rate monitor which I use to track my performance together with Endomondo on my HTC which I think is great.
Really enoying it so far and think Laura's podcasts are spot on - bit unsure about the 20mins in week 5 but time will tell - all the best to everyone and good luck!
.