I've Become a Jogger!

I've never been the sort to have naturally robust cardiovascular fitness. Growing up feeling tormented by Phys Ed classes, as as kid I hated endurance runs, team sports, and pretty much anything that involved getting sweaty and out of breath. As a teenager I made many abortive attempts at becoming an aerobics bunny, but could never manage to sustain a routine long enough for it to provide any real benefit. It wasn't until my late twenties that I discovered forms of exercise - first yoga, then Pilates - that I actually enjoyed and managed to stick with for more than a few months, before getting bored and giving up. But while both of those regimes are amazing for building flexibility and strength, they don't do much in the way of working the heart and lungs, and burning fat.

I've thought for some time now that I really should do something to address my rather pathetic cardiovascular capacity, but wasn't sure what this should be. Sprinting for more than two or three minutes left me wheezing, with a pain in my chest. The idea of running around a field somewhere until I collapsed still sounded as hellish as it did when I was a kid. But then, I found out about walk-to-jog programs; specifically, I found this:

http://www.prevention.com/health/fitness/walking/walking-and-jogging-workout-for-weight-loss/article/8bc7d08f88803110VgnVCM20000012281eac____

Since I've always walked a lot (including regular four-mile return commutes to my office), I was intrigued and decided to give it a go. It felt realistic and achievable to start out by walking, but with a few short bursts of jogging thrown in. And I liked the fact that the increase in jogging time was slow and steady. Still, I was a bit skeptical - the thought of being able, at the end of twelve weeks, to jog for ten whole minutes at a time seemed unreal. Other people - fit, athletic types - do that sort of thing with ease, but not the likes of me!

Well. Fourteen weeks later (I took two weeks off the plan, due to travel and mild illness), I can report that I DID IT. I actually did it! When I started in mid-July, I jogged for just 3 out of 15 minutes (walking for the remaining 12). But by week 4, I was up to jogging 50% of the time - 12 out of 24 minutes. By week 8, I was jogging 24 out of 30 minutes. The last four weeks were the most intense, as the jogging time quickly ramped up. I was worried I wouldn't make it, but really surprised myself - it was nowhere near as strenuous or difficult as I thought it would be. And now that I've finished the program? I can jog for 40 out of 44 minutes.

To say I'm amazed is an understatement. While these workouts have undoubtedly been challenging, at no point did I ever find myself thinking, "This is just too hard...I'm not going to make it." Credit to the slow and steady nature of the training, I guess. Successfully finishing each week of the program felt great, and really motivated me to keep going. Plus, I'm seeing the benefits in my body, as well as feeling them - so far, I've dropped 5 lbs and 2.5% body fat.

Now that I've finished the program, I'm definitely not resting on my laurels. After so much effort, I'd hate to lose the conditioning I've built up. So I've joined a gym for the winter, and have moved indoors to work on the treadmills over the coming months. Now that I have some endurance, I'm going to start working on speeding up my slow, shuffling gait, as well as adding some inclines and interval training.

I never would have imagined that at the age of 37, I'd become a jogger and actually enjoy it. Just goes to show that if a wimpy gal with an aversion to getting sweaty and out of breath can do it, anyone can!