Saturday August 5
Day 9 – On keeping going
The project: A month-long stint of pounding the fields and lanes of Sussex in my hapless and ill-advised attempt to complete a quintessentially English 5k race between two local pubs. Yes, a pint of beer awaits every finisher!
Dear Reader,
With Storm Antoni bringing unseasonably windy weather to southern parts of the UK today there was absolutely no way that I was going to be braving the outdoors for a run this morning. Instead, I decided to get to know the Water Rower that we’ve been accommodating for relatives during a house move.
It’s early days in this project to regain my fitness, but I’d really like to run the 5k I’ve signed up to without stopping, and that means running constantly for at least 45 minutes1.
Rowing is not running, granted, but it is cardiovascular exercise. I wondered if I could manage 20 minutes?
After 14 exhausting, stumbly2 minutes on the Water Rower, in which had I decided a number of times that I am clearly not just hapless but hopeless, things – my body, my movements and my attitude – changed.
Reader, I was glowing. Warmth was spreading all over me, and suddenly I’d found my groove. Now I was moving smoothly, in synch with the machine, and relaxed into an easy, consistent rhythm.
And this was something I recognised from my running days. Back then it would take me around a quarter of an hour to find my stride, and – as I reminded myself with delight – after that I would find that I could JUST KEEP GOING.
Maybe I can run between those two pubs without stopping?
Love,
Rebecca
The Jog Log Stats – Day 9
Session: 20 minutes on the Water Rower
Distance covered: 4098 metres
Thank you for reading my Jog log!
Follow my month-long stint of pounding the fields and lanes of Sussex in my attempt to complete a quintessentially English 5k race between two local pubs.
I’m not sending these posts out by e-mail, but you can always check in with how things are going by clicking Jog log 🏃🏻 in the top navigation bar on the web browser version of my Substack homepage.
Yup. I’m slow. And the race is uphill. Let’s not count our chickens for a time under three quarters of an hour.
I’ve made this word up. Trust me, it describes exactly how I felt.
Well you can run to one pub and get a pint and then run to the other pub and get another pint.
Problem solved. *BG*
Onward! Way to go and I 100% relate to finding one's stride or cadence or rhythm after one gets going. My brother, the Boston Marathoner, always suggests pretending one is shaking hands with a hill when one encounters it, regardless of how steep or not steep the grade. I'm cheering you on!