Today marks to end of the first week of doing “NHS to 5k” podcast programme.
It’s been painful, although admittedly less painful as the week goes on which is probably a good thing. What surprises me more than anything is that I didn’t give up after the pain of the first day. I do that.
I always said that if I were to start up at the gym again, I’d only ever use the Treadmills as its the only thing I get any sort of enjoyment from. It occurred to me that the embarrassment and painful self awareness I feel in the gym environment would be no greater running down more or less empty suburban streets. In fact, I’d actually be a lot more self-conscious in a gym. Then there’s negotiating the showers and the sneers of the Muscle Mary’s all of which conspire to make going to a gym a deeply uncomfortable experience.
I’d been fixating on the idea of treadmills forgetting that all a pavement is is a static treadmill. So, fewer people, less intimidation, leafy streets and none of that shit pounding music they always seem to pump into the gym.
So here I am. End of week one. Not in as much pain as I suspected I would be; not in hospital; not even feeling stupid. This is a promising start.
I can’t honestly say I feel any better for it, but I’ve only done one week of a 9 week programme.
I do feel slightly smugger though.