With spring around the corner (on the calendar that is) and thoughts of longer days and more running and cycling on the optimistic to do list I decided today was the day I started building my fitness.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been meaning to get outside and go for a run or cycle, something that gets the heart racing. The weather hasn’t been kind recently and I’ll embarrassingly admit that I’ve let it postpone my plans. Apart from the odd hike and evenings at the indoor climbing wall I’ve been pretty dormant over the winter season.
Today was the day that all that was going to stop.
I found it amazing at how much of this “Oh it’s too cold outside” mental tosh was able to put me off exercising. In the end I had to just not think about it and subconsciously put on my shoes. So I got dressed and warmed up and started of on a brisk run.
1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4
Keep that pace, that’s a good pace. This felt easy enough, I was going well, and it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be outside in the wintery winds.
It all started with the watery eyes, the near constant blinking to keep my sight, something I’ve found can happen no mater what I’m doing outside. Next was the cold air hitting the back of my throat, this was uncomfortable, but it was bearable. Then came the hill, the near vertical (it felt vertical anyway) climb for 20 meters, I guess. This burned in the legs, the heat was a vivid contrast from the cold winds. The heart was racing and my lungs were screaming out for more air.
Courtesy of Findthepostcode.com
I started to feel it, my optimism started to deplete and I was slowing down. I had only ran for 6 minutes, it was a bit disappointing. At the top of the hill I ran for a couple more hundred meters then decided that I was beat. I had that warm feeling in my mouth you get before your sick, my heart was pumping out of my chest, and strangely enough my legs were not sore.
I felt like I was going to die, it was such a kick in the teeth, it was only last summer I cycled 80 miles in a sportive and throughout that I didn’t even feel this bad.
I walked back with my tail beneath my legs and my lungs hurting. Oh well, that saying about the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, I’ll just remember it and try to stick at it.
Oisin Patenall
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