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Running

When I started going to the gym almost 5 years ago I couldn't run. I climbed the stairs to my office lobby with great difficulty and couldn't run at all. My right knee was giving me problems beside having to carry such a heavy body weight. I could do the crosstrainer, stationary bikes, elliptical and stepper at the gym but I couldn't even jog on the treadmill.


When I joined GX classes, the instructor always reminded me to do the 'options'. I.e no jumping, no hopping and no quick lunges. After about 6 months of regular exercise I tried running but my joints were still not good enough. I started using guards to protect them. I could jog for a few minutes after about a year or so. My joints got stronger but I started to feel breathless after 3 minutes of slow jog. I knew I was still not fit enough to run.

The fact is I was never a runner. Back in high school, I participated in the 100m and 400m races because they were compulsory. I also participated in the annual Cross Campus Run twice; the distance was about 1.5km. But I was left far behind by the rest of the runners. One of my English teachers asked me whether I was a long distance runner because she thought I had the legs for it. The whole class laughed in silent.

So, even when I've been regularly exercising I decided that I should just give up running. I thought I'll never be able to run like the other gym-goers. Perhaps I was too old, or too packed with fat that it's impossible for me to jog nor sprint.

After I delivered my third baby last August, I drank fresh milk every morning and took at least 4 servings of Anlene every week. It was mainly because I knew my teeth would start having problems after childbirth. So, the milk drinking was to replenish my calcium.

I was also doing a lot more abs crunches in order to strengthen my stomach muscles. My crunches started after the 4th month because I had C-section. Eventually I was doing like 250 crunches per week. I read in some gossip magazine that Britney Spears was doing 1000 crunches perday. Well, I don't intend to get Britney's abs, so I didn't go overboard with it.

At the office, recently I found myself drawn to a few colleagues who I realized were rather health conscious. They took up running. They're not gym-goers but rather spend their late afternoons jogging in the park than watching TV on the comfort of their sofas. So, last month I started challenging myself. I started with the Interval Training - walk-jog-walk. I completed the 15 minutes' session. Breathless but happy. After 2 weeks, I started an even more advanced Interval Training - walk-jog-run. I was rather amazed with myself. I could run. I could even sprint on the treadmill. And I could do it for more than 3 minutes!

Looking back, I thought there were 2 things that I've done right : the regular milk intake and the crunches. Now even my breathing has improved and knee pain nomore. Yeay! Run Lola Run!!!

Comments

aleen said…
wow.congrats!
D.N.A.S said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
dillazag said…
Wow!! I haven't started running yet. My mid section is too heavy and weak. Don't think my legs can take it yet. Soon, insya Allah. Soon.. :) It's always nice to vary the cardio and have someone who's actually done it to look up to! :)

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