First Run - First Step to 5k

So today after much deliberation I decided to just go for it when it came to jogging. Now I have never jogged in public since I was in school doing Cross Country. So as you can guess that was... just over 10 years ago now. I have been saying to myself that I would exercise and workout for months and despite trying and not actually putting myself into it fully, today I took a step forward.

When you are afraid and have such low confidence that you feel that even just walking down the street that people are looking at you and judging you, it is a HUGE deal to be able to just go "Right. I'm going to go for a run." Which... I did. I arrived home from work and decided to do just that.

I bought some workout gear last year when I was at my old job and picked up this to get myself into it. However they've just been in my closet for about a year and a half. But obviously having this in the closet meant that I could just put it on and go for a run. As I had the clothing, and shoes etc. I put on some music and decided to go for a jog. I didn't get very far at first, and I didn't really know what to do. The only thing I knew was I wanted to get towards the train station to meet my boyfriend. I ended up walking for about 25 minutes because I couldn't run for long, and I didn't know how long I had run for. That's when I decided to download the 5k Runner app onto my phone. I downloaded it and decided to follow the directions and see if it was any good. I have to say, it was great. It was my first go at it, and I loved how it encouraged you. I had a warm up of 5 minutes of walking. Then I had 1 min of running and 1.5 min of walking for 6 bursts. Then I had another 5 minutes of walking as my cool down. It told me I was doing a great job and to keep going as I reached halfway through the run. And then told me I was nearly there. It was clear, and the beeps and constant talking just made me feel like I was actually doing something. I started my workout properly when I hit the bottom of the park, and I ended up running along the river, past muscovy ducks, and then back into the park doing a little circuit around some trees whilst I waited for my boyfriend's train. When I was done, I was a little out of breath, but I felt like I had actually achieved something. Like I had done something for myself, and I was proud and happy. Despite being hot, red and all sweaty and puffy, I felt happier that I actually did it. The other great thing about this app is that it isn't something to do every day. It says to do it 3 times a week. So you have 3 days of running/jogging and 4 days to recover and chill. You can probably do other exercises, but currently I am not too sure what I'll do yet. I have a bike, which I hope to fix and cycle again. As I was cycling to work before my tyres went, and I loved it. Maybe running and cycling will help boost my confidence?

This is me just before my run with the app, and then it shows you the route that I did. It says that it lasted 25 minutes altogether, and I ran 1.87 km. It doesn't show how many calories I burnt because I don't have a watch or tracker to actually sync up. I will keep everyone updated on my journey and progress. So, for the moment. 5k Runner app: Pros: Encouraging You can add playlists to it It tracks your route progress Gives you small, achievable goals Free to download Can link accessories if you have them. Cons: After 1 week and 1 day, you have to pay for the full app if you want to carry on with the app. £2.99 or $2.99 depending on your country. You can't track anything else unless you have accessories you can link up. Thanks for reading.

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