At the start of the year I set myself a goal around health and fitness:
- Run a total of 1200km this year
- Get my resting heart rate below 55 and keep it there
- Get my weight below 80kg and keep it there
I started the year off with gusto, I was ahead of my weekly distance requirement, my heart-rate was dropping, and I was beginning to see some weight-loss. Then my knees started hurting.
It turns out I had missed some important muscles while stretching. Since then I’ve had to take a lot of time off running, and sometimes off all exercise. I’m now way behind my distance schedule, my heart rate has gone back up, as has my weight. I’m not giving up, but I’ve certainly had to stop and take a new approach. The lesson? Start easy, build up, you’ll meet your goals eventually. Don’t focus too much on pushing hard when you start off, get a base strength and fitness first.
Here’s a chart of my running to date:
guysherman.com 