Keeping it brief
This is a brief update as I approach week 9. I'm still using MyFitnessPal every day but my interest has shifted to MapMyRun as I begin to challenge myself to run further and faster.Today was the first day where I ran 8.3 km (or just over 5 miles in old money) before breakfast. It was also the first day where a man stood still, saluted and made the sign of the cross, as if to say he thought I was going to peg it. Resisting the urge to tell him he was a cheeky sod, I ran on at twice the speed.
What's next?
Yesterday I ran 7 km, the day before 6.3 km, and today 8.3 km (which according to MapMyRun places me in the top 25% for distance). I'm no longer worried about extending the length of the run and I'm tempted to make tomorrow the day I run 10 km. The only constraint is time, and this is the thing which dictates what's possible.Looking ahead even further
As I improve, a voice in my head starts asking if I could run the length of a half marathon or even a full one. After all, if I can reach 10 km after three months of running then what will be possible by the summer?
It was never my plan to become a runner, I just wanted to leverage running as a way to lose some weight and become fitter during the winter months when cycling becomes more difficult (or rather less pleasant), but now I'm out there every morning at 6.30 am so I guess I am a runner (in all but the day-glo lycra). Still, I'm not entirely convinced I need to push to marathon status.
It was never my plan to become a runner, I just wanted to leverage running as a way to lose some weight and become fitter during the winter months when cycling becomes more difficult (or rather less pleasant), but now I'm out there every morning at 6.30 am so I guess I am a runner (in all but the day-glo lycra). Still, I'm not entirely convinced I need to push to marathon status.
Conclusion
When I started running the furthest I could reach without a stop was about 1 km and it took all my effort to complete a whole 5 km. Now those days seem far behind me, though they are only a few months ago. (It's amazing how, with a little persistence, you can become fitter.)
Without MapMyRun and MyFitnessPal it would have been more difficult to set my goals, and I would highly recommend the apps to anyone and everyone who wants to lose weight and/or get fitter. At this stage, I'm a complete convert to the place of technology in fitness, but I'm also of the mind that you don't need every gizmo on the market to achieve fitness.
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