After Saturdays ‘incident’ I have made the decision not to go out jalking by myself. I’m a little disapointed to be honest, and although I was quite calm after the ‘incident’ I’m not sure how confident I’d be by myself anymore.
I’ve had offers of Jalking partners off some of my friends, and I’m planning on taking them up on it. I do still need to try and build up my stamina and start jogging more too.
So Mr C offered to come out with me. I’ve been out twice this week, which I’ll get onto in a moment but first let me tell you a little about Mr C.
Mr C used to be fat. He won’t mind me telling you this ’cause he admits this as fact. He played rugby for years when he was younger, so had a fairly good fitness level. Then we lost Malc and he gave up rugby and he got fat! Some say grief can make you lose your appetite, not in our case. A couple of years ago (2009) he was challenged, if you like, into running the Great North run. No body believed he could do it, he hadn’t exercised for years he wasn’t a runner, he hated it and he was pretty big at this point but he put his mind to it and he did it! Very proud wife that day and a cheeky little 2 fingers up to everyone who doubted him. Although he did faint on the train back to the car park. He stopped training and although the weight crept back on he wasn’t as big as he had been. In 2011 he ran the Great North Run again, he’d proved his point but he’d enjoyed the day so much he didn’t mind so much running it for a second time. He didn’t really train so much after the run but joined a gym and went a couple of times a week.
Then in February Mr C hit 30. When he hit 30 the mid life crisis hit. He was so worried about how unfit he was and how this was affecting his health and therefore his life expectancy that he’s turned into a fitness fanatic. He cycles a lot, goes the gym and out for a run, the weight has literally fell off him and now he’s fit! Really fit, not just fitness fit, proud to have him on my arm fit. If I was a little less round we’d look fantastic together, but I know he loves me even for my wobbly bits and for some strange reason throughout our relationship we’ve never been thinner at the same time. Mr C is going to run the Liverpool half marathon too.
Sunday was a rest day, Mr C was at his volunteer training with Me 2 You (I really need to tell you why I’m putting myself through all of this soon) so me & the munchkin had a day pottering about.
Monday, Mr C decided it was time for us (me) to get back out there. We set off from Maves, as the munchkin was stopping there whilst we were out. He chose the route. He had a black hoody on with the hood up which i’m sure may have had something to do with no one recognising him. We got Everest out of the way early but as he’s explaining which was we’re going to go all I can think is, it’s pretty hilly that way. I may have mentioned (moaned about) it a couple of times too ’cause Mr C said something about is being good for me. We got up Everest and I’m out breath already, I’m concentrating on my breathing and I’m walking quite quickly. He’s been where I am right now, apart from the core fitness bit cause I don’t have any and I’m pretty sure my lungs are pea sized but he gets what I’m going through!
We jog and walk a bit. More hills. The Mr C says ‘why don’t we jog from the chippy to the roundabout’. I can’t see the roundabout but I have an idea where it is, over the crest of that hill. We start jogging, and to be honest I’m doing really well, we get to the roundabout and he says ‘if you can keep going why not get to the pub’, I keep going. We get to the pub, ‘if you think you can keep going lets aim for the next roundabout’, I keep going. We get to the roundabout, ‘if you think you can keep going lets get to the pub’ (another pub) I keep going. We pass the pub, ‘if you think you can keep going, lets see if you can get to the next roundabout’. I really really try to get to the next roundabout but I just can’t. We start walking, ‘see’ he says, ‘you’re not really out of breath’, No but my bloody legs are on fire right now! ‘You’ve done well there’ he says. I don’t mention to him it probably had something to do with the fact that most of what we’ve just jogged is downhill. ‘We’re nearly half way round’. Thank god!
We walk for a bit longer, I get some fresh air into my pea lungs, deep steady breaths in and out rather than the panting I want to do. It’s actually not that easy to concentrate on breathing differently. I hope Mr C doesn’t mind one word answers and grunts but he’s chunnering on like we’re out for a stroll. I have read somewhere that you should be able to maintain a conversation whilst jogging! Ha! I laugh in the face of that, you’ll be bloody lucky!!
We’re walking up the road and I have no clue where we are, it’s a good job I’m with Mr C as we turn a corner and it’s pitch black, no street lights. We jog a bit more, it’s a bit more of a plod now but I’m still moving. Left turn and we’re off road, in the dark and we’re both in fairly dark clothing. Great! My legs are killing and my foot is numb again, what is that all about?. ‘We just need to get up Tower Hill and then it’s all down hill, we’re about half way round.’
I’ve heard of Tower Hill and the fact it’s got Hill in the title does not fill me with confidence. ‘It’s quite difficult to get up here on a bike.’ Great I think, I grunt at him. ‘Maybe we should’ve worn something flourescent’ No shit sherlock! We’re on a country road with no street lights or pavements, it’s pitch black, I literally cannot see a thing and theres cars passing us quite regularly. ‘I didn’t realise it was going to be this dark’ It’s the flaming countryside my brain screams, nothing can come out of my mouth I’m struggling to drag my sorry arse up this flaming hill! We reach the top and too his word it is all down hill from now on. We start jogging again, my legs are heavy now so my plod has turned into a shuffle. Mr C hasn’t even broke into a sweat and he is literally breathing like he’s just walked to put the kettle on! ‘We’re nearly half way there’ he looks over at me blowing out of my arse ‘do you feel like punching me’ Yes I do actually you lying bastard, you’ve told me four times already we’re nearly half way when we’ve quite clearly never been half way. I tell him, he laughs. If I could lift my arm and muster the energy I’d slap him!
We keep shuffling, cut through and go down some steps, a slope would’ve been easier. I’m not sure how socially acceptable it is to go down public footsteps on your bottom so I just walk down slowly. Then we’re home and for once I’m pretty proud of myself. My app thingy tells me we did 3.4 miles and my first 5k in 45 minutes!
Tuesday, was a rest day. My thighs are the muscles that are sore. People at work are now getting used to me making ouchy sounds whenever I get out of my chair!
Tonight, Wednesday, we’ve been back out. I have a quick 2 mile fairly flat route in my head. Mr C has other ideas. Our friends, who I’ve also managed to rope into the half marathon are joining us. He reads me out an inspirational training quote ‘Most people don’t get through their first wind to realise theres a second’ Or something. I’m anxious. I’m unfit. So far I’ve been by myself and with Mr C. Is it too soon to add more fit people into the regime?
We set off. It turns out Mr C has not learnt his lesson from the other night and quite frankly I’m astounded that the route he’s taken us on runs out of street lights fairly quickly. Yet again we have nothing flourescent on. Well we don’t, Matt does but it’s that dark I can’t bloody see him. I’m walking mostly but trying to jog. My legs are sore from the other night so I’m already in pain. I’ve already told them I can’t hold a conversation, Jen is ok with one word answers though so thats ok.
I’m trying, really trying but I’m getting no where. Mr C is walking beside me, walking like strolling pace and I’m embarrassed about my unfitness and the fact that I feel I’m letting him down. There’s a lump in my throat. I know I’m not doing as well as I was the other night, I just want to be doing as well as I was. This route is also bloody hilly. These flaming hills are killing me! I don’t have a first wind never mind a bloody second wind.
It’s at this times I know I’m facing the impossible. I somehow just have to get through it, somehow but it’s so far off it doesn’t feel like it’ll ever happen. I suck it up, try to jog as much as possible. ‘It’s in your head, you’re not even that out of breath’ It’s not in my head it’s in my legs, they feel like lead! We walk for a bit more, ‘from the pedestrian crossing lets jog til the Unicorn’. Ok I can do this, it’s down hill. We keep going, he doesn’t have to say anything I just know I have to dig in. Matt has joined me he’s counting to eight which is helping with my breathing but I keep losing concentration on moving my feet to a decent rhythm. Chris and Jen are a bit in front, chatting like they’ve not just nearly killed themselves, damn pea lungs! We jog to the bottom, then I walk the rest of the way home.
It didn’t feel like I did that well tonight but my app thingy tells me we did 3.6 miles and we did 5k in 43 minutes. I’m honestly not sure how but I don’t think it can lie to me can it? Me and Jen have hatched a plan to find a flat stretch of road and just run up and down it.
Until then I’m going to go looking for this First wind everyone keeps talking about and then maybe I’ll be able to find my second wind!