Badger Runs – Badger

Okay, so get the eye rolling out of the way, yes, I know another fat middle aged man got fit during lockdown. Well tough, this is my journal/blog thing and I want to write about it.

Way back in 2020, a friend contacted me about a new “learn to run” course being held at the local community centre. Well there was one thing I knew about myself, I bloody hated running. I hated it at school, I didn’t mind it when I played rugby, but as far as I was concerned running for its own sake was the hobby of smug sods. Never mind that I was fat, unfit, lazy and undisciplined about every weightloss/fitness thing I tried, running could go hang.

Thankfully Alison persisted, she wanted a companion to go with and thankfully with the “we can egg each other on” reasoning, she bullied me into joining her at the RECC. I paid (my reasoning being that if I paid for it, then I had to go and get my monies worth), bought decent running shoes and spent a good hour bargaining with myself the night of the first class, if I went just once, then I might actually get something out of it.

So I went, met up with Alison in the parking lot and we made our way into the indoor running track and I was immediately intimidated and impressed by Joel, the instructor running the group. Joel is the kind of guy who you see running ultra marathons, he has the physique that makes grown men cry over their poor life choices, and he is quite frankly one of the nicest people I have met in sometime. I have never met someone that fit who is also non judgemental and encouraging. More about the amazing Joel later.

Very long story short, once Joel taught me how to warm up, how to ease into running with walk breaks, how to actually breathe, I found that I actually liked, no, I actually loved running.

There is mistaking that we are brothers – me on the right on my second day of running. My amazing dorky brother on the left in response.

An odd thing happened. I started to care about my appearance again. I shaved off my beard, I started looking at my clothes and caring about dressing nicer, things mattered a bit more. Then the pandemic hit and lockdown shut down the run program, but I kept on running on the rarely used treadmill in our basement.

I did it, I did it twice in fact, but so far this year I have managed to run every day.

I had made an out loud declaration that I would hit my step target every day this year, well this month of January at least and see how I go from there (so far so good).

But, one of my not resolutions for 2023 was to get match fit to start attending the local park runs here in Truro. I know the route well, I used to walk the dog along it before Hurricane Fiona made a pigs ear of Victoria Park and it’s a lovely trail, it’s a nice 5k walk and should be a nice 5k run.

But I’m a terrible coward, I need to know I can do something privately before I attempt it publicly and despite what Brene Brown says, I still manage to feel shame about many things.

But this week, I not only ran a treadmill 5k, I cut 7 minutes off the time I ran my last treadmill 5k, 10 days ago.

Am I match fit for Park run? I very much doubt it, but I’m very much on the road to running with the best (well mediocre) of them come Spring.

Category: Badger Runs

Yet another bloody “inspirational” running man journey. Pt 1

5K