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Last night I got up the courage to go out and try my legs at running/jogging again. It was right after dinner and after looking at my watch, it looked like the weather would hold off for a little while, but I wasn’t sure how long. But, I wasn’t letting anything deter me. I got out there and fired up my watch for my first “outdoor run” workout. Of course with the Apple Watch, you have to carry the phone with you for the first 20 minutes of exercise so that the watch can calibrate your stride and pace better. But, I wanted to have some good upbeat music to run to so that I would stay upbeat and hopefully keep my pace up.
Now, before running, my goal was to complete just one mile without stopping. The last time I ran, I was only able to make it about half a mile before I was too out of breath and had to walk. However, this time, I’ve been working out and walking and building up my cardio for the last month. My biggest problem is controlling my breathing and not letting it overpower and get out of control.
So, I set out complete with iTunes Radio’s “Workout – Dance” station with my headphones and my phone in hand. I started out with a good pace, but didn’t want to push myself too hard. I think my best pace was around 9:15 at the beginning. I made it actually about a quarter mile without checking my watch to see where I was. Then another quarter mile. At that point, I was starting to get into my rhythm and felt great. I was controlling my breathing better then usual and kept pushing on. Finally, the one mile marker. I saw another runner (in much better shape, of course) and it spurred me to go further.
I ran and made it all the way to the end of the beach parking lot next to the fishing pier that they are constructing and had to turn around, still keeping a decent pace. At this time, I was about 1.3 miles in. I was hurting but wanted to see how much further I could push myself. The way back out of the beach parking lot is the hardest part of this route because it’s all uphill and it’s about a 20-25% grade. I pushed through it and made it back up over it which gave me more motivation to push on.
At about 1.6 miles in, I hit my wall and ended up having to stop jogging and start walking. It was a very wierd feeling though. My legs felt like they needed to go faster and I was getting a wierd sensation to try and start running again. It’s hard to explain. But, I walked for about 30 seconds trying to slow my heart rate down a little and catch my breath some. After 30 seconds of walking, I pushed myself back into a jog again. I ended up jogging a little under another quarter mile and had to walk again.
The remainder of my run, I was on and off walking running, although for my last half mile I was able to jog about 80-85% of the time so that I could attempt to finish as strongly as possibly for myself.
When I got back home, I was very happy with myself for making it as far as I did and I didn’t really feel as winded as I thought. I can really tell that my cardio and endurance levels have gotten much better. I know that what I am doing is working and this is motivating me to work harder and try to get even better results!
Steven Goodwin
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Awesome work. Sometimes it’s just about getting out there and starting. You’ll learn more about yourself the more you try. And, similar to how it works with finances, it will take a little time to build-up your endurance. By taking that first step, you’ve done more than most to take control of your health!