Finally managed 1 x week one circuit!

[highlyeccentric]

Congratulate me on my miniscule achievement, O Internet: this afternoon I managed the week 1 C25K circuit without skipping any of the jogging cycles. This was day 3 - on day 1 I managed only 5 of 8 jogging cycles, not consecutively; on day 2, 7 of 8. I figure from here I do at least two more week 1 circuits, focusing on bringing the walk cycles up from 'bedraggled lurch' to 'brisk walk'.

Also this time I didn't fall over and take the skin off my hands and knees. Win! I'm still bearing the scrapes from Tuesday's mishaps.

On the other hand, on the list of reasons running is not actually a free hobby, I really need exercise bras. Never needed exercise bras before in my life (not exactly crucial for cycling). And some shorts. And a belt, because my workout-friendly cargo pants keep falling down. And headphones that won't bounce out of my ears when running.

Did anyone else find that when they started running, many helpful people wanted to chime in and tell you either what other exercise to do instead, or ways to make exercise your ENTIRE LIFE NOW? I've had friends and family assure me walking is just as good (not for the specific fitness type I lack, vis, ability to cope with short bursts of increased intensity), swimming would be better for my ankles (probably, but I'm self-conscious about my terrible swimming), rock climbing is great (true! but expensive!), I should do pushups in the morning (sure, and I should meditate, too, but one thing at a time), and I should join an exercise club (???). I wasn't expecting an onslaught of helpful-slightly-judgemental commentary, is that a common thing?

Comments

[ofearthandstars]

YAY YOU!!! *cheers*

And yes, I've gotten those comments, too. They are pretty annoying, but lately they are actually helpful as I'm still recovering from a knee injury in early June and can't do anything high-impact.

And again, GO YOU! I can't wait to be able to get back out to run again.

[highlyeccentric]

I found the onslaught of suggestions really weird! And super unhelpful, as I've started this in the middle of a minor depressive episode, so more options and more decisions is not helpful.

[ofearthandstars]

I think many people identify with and get over-excited about exercise and hence babble on about it because it's sort of implicit in our society that this is what we must, as human beings, be obligated to do - in the same way that it is often expected that one should be on a diet or watching their food obsessively or shaving their legs or other such bullshit. And so if you're doing it, then they're going to have an opinion on it.

[highlyeccentric]

... I'll stick to telling facebook about my breakfast and my academic pursuits, then, it's hard to have detailed outside opinions on those two!

[rmc28]

*yay* well done :-)

On the specific topic of exercise bras, I found eBay good for getting extras in my size without breaking the bank.

[highlyeccentric]

I am... moderately sized, so cheap bras should be locatable locally :). I've just moved from Australia and I *do not understand* clothes sizing in the wider world, so e-bay is a crapshoot. My last effort there involved underpants that turned out to be made for midgets.

[liv]

Yay, well done on completing Week 1. That's the thing I loved about C25K, I could actually see measurable progress from the beginning of each week, when I either couldn't do or could barely do the planned programme, to the end when I could usually manage it. And yeah, walking actually briskly for the walking bits is somewhat of a challenge especially at first.

Boo to people giving gratuitous and irrelevant advice. I think exercise is a little bit like childrearing in that everybody has opinions about it!