Blog Post Number 1

Hey guys! 

So I’m really excited for this whole genius hour project because I’m hoping it will force me into actually achieving the goals I have set out. I have never been much of a runner, but it is a skill I have always admired  – people who can not only run far distances, but also find enjoyment and meditation in doing so inspire me to improve my personal running endurance, or lack thereof. My friend started training for races and ToughMudders about a year ago as a way to improve her mental health, and she has really inspired me to try running out as well. She personally finds it as a form of meditation, as it helps her clear her mind and daily anxieties. However, I am the type of person to always I want to start running, and then 4 minutes in and the first sign of a cramp, I call it quits. 

            My goal for this project is to train to be able to run 5km straight at the end of the 4 weeks. I realize this is an ongoing goal, and even if I don’t make it to my exact goal, I’m hoping I will at least have made a habit out of running, possibly even enjoy it (?!?!) and I can keep working towards it past the due date of this project. For some of you guys, 5km probably sounds like an easy goal, but for a girl who gets winded walking up one flight of stairs, I know this will require serious commitment, training and perseverance – but on that note, I am very excited to get started!

            I’ve done some research on the positive effects of running, both mental and physical, and there are so many benefits; I’m interested if I will notice any of these in just this short duration. Some interesting benefits about running I found are:

• Decrease symptoms of depression
• Improves learning abilities and memory, as well as protects brain from aging
• Helps calm anxiety and acts as a stress relief
• Helps you sleep better and feel more engaged
• Boosts self esteem and confidence
• Increases creativity 

Rasa, Candice (2017). 10 Mental health benefits of running. Retrieved from runningcompetitor.com 

I really enjoy going to the gym when I have time; however, I have never pushed myself to see if I am actually capable of such a goal. Most websites suggest that beginner runners follow a similar guide to build up their endurance – one that alternates between running and walking, until eventually, BAM you're running 5km straight! After looking at the many action plans out there on the internet, I decided to follow this one posted below, as I felt it best suited my abilities. I hope to follow this plan, and will eventually be able to run 5km straight with no break!

Figure 1

Training Day 1

Alright folks, time to lace up the good old Nike runners and head over to the gym in attempts to start this journey! I will let you know how it went when I return.

*****

            Okay, so the first run was actually an eye-opener – I have some serious work to do if I am going to be able to run 5km at the end of this. For my first run I wanted to see where my base endurance was, and how long I could run before I clarified myself as 'dead'. Sadly, I needed a walking break at the 5-minute mark – gasping for air, I was already wanting to call it quits on this whole project. The average 5km takes about 25-35 minutes depending on your speed, and so I gather that I need to build up a lot of endurance if I plan on doing this. After I figured out my baseline, I followed my action plan for Day 1 which alternated between running for one minute and walking for one minute. (See Figure 1)

I honestly NEVER push myself this hard at the gym, and by the end I was exhausted, but a good exhausted! I have posted below a picture summarizing my run for today. Please note that I only ran 2.3km (1.43 miles converted is 2.3km), that's it – AHHH! I also chose to run on the Curve machines because I absolutely love them – they burn 30% more calories and are powered by the runner themselves. Maybe tomorrow I will try and see what running on the ordinary treadmill is like.

Training Day 2

Today was much better than my first day starting this journey! I tried out the regular treadmills – mainly because they were the only ones available – and it was much less exhausting! I decided to skip over a rest day because I didn't think I deserved that yet and followed a similar pattern to Day 1 on my chart. I felt that walking 1 minute and running 1 minute for 7 sets (as Figure 1 suggests) was beneath my ability, (shocking to me too) so I pushed myself to do 2 minutes of running, followed by 1 minute of walking for a total of 8 sets. I actually felt really good running today and felt that this push was what I needed. I didn’t have to completely stop once; the 1 minute walking breaks were enough to get my breath back! I also had some good tunes that really helped me push through the sets that I’ll post below in case anyone is looking for good pump up songs.

• Dynamite (Tao Cruz)
• Stronger (Kanye West)
• ET (Katy Perry and Kanye West)
• Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)
• It Takes Two (Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock)
• Centuries (Fall Out Boy)
• Never Say Never (Justin Bieber) 
• Sail (AWOLNATION)
• You Shook Me All Night Long (ACDC)
• Upgrade U (Beyonce) 

Here is a summary of my run today! My running speed was averaging 4.8mph and my walking speed was 3.6mph. I ran a total of 3.47km (2.16 miles converted is 3.6km) today which is closer to 5km than yesterday!

Training Day 3

So today I was a little tired from class all morning but still dragged myself to the gym. Once I got there I was motivated to get moving, but I'll admit it was a struggle for sure! Today's goal I also felt was not pushing myself as much as I could so I altered the set chart goal to work better for me. I did 5 sets of 3 minute runs followed by a 1 minute walking break. By my last 2 sets I was pretty exhausted but I managed to finish my goal. I also think I ate too close to this run because I started to get a cramp, so definitely making note of that!

Here is a great quality photo that summarizes my run! I ran a total of 3.55 km today, averaging a speed of 5mph and a walking speed of 3.6mph –getting closer to that 5km mark!  For future reference, I need to run 3.10 miles on the treadmill to have reached my 5km goal. This run was very challenging for me, so I may continue with the same intervals (3 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking) but increase the number of sets for my next training day.

Anyways, thanks for listening to me ramble on about my lack of endurance for this post! I'm going to stick with this and hope I can start to see some improvements!

Check back in with me next week for more updates on my fitness journey!

Madeleine 

References:
Cutruzzula, Kara (2017). An open letter to runners who think they're too slow. Retrieved from shape.com
Tiffany (2012). No ordinary couch potato to 5km 4-week training schedule. Retrieved from noordinaryhomestead.com
Campbell, Madeleine. (2018). Treadmill 1.
Campbell, Madeleine. (2018). Treadmill 2. 
Campbell, Madeleine. (2018). Treadmill 3.