Run, fat girl, run!

Please don't be offended, I didn't mean you.  I was talking to myself - something I'm sure a lot of you do when out pounding the pavements, in an attempt to make time pass that bit quicker.

It happens every year.  I watch the London Marathon, feel exceedingly inspired by and in awe of all those taking part, swear I'll sign up for a similar challenge and then... that feeling dissipates and is replaced by the need for a glass of wine.

Well, not this year.  I’ve made an Olympic effort (sorry!) and signed up to a 10km and a half marathon.  I’m not a complete running novice, but it definitely wasn’t something I enjoyed and I really needed to dig deep to find the impetus to start and keep going.  That was until, I joined a running club.

A discount email popped into my inbox advertising 60% off 10 sessions with Run Club London.  Now, I could claim that Run Club is a bit like ‘Fight Club’, given how much pain I was in the next morning, but then I wouldn’t be able to talk about it with you lovely people, so let’s scrap that assertion.

I meet Lizi, our trainer, in Wimbledon Park and it’s immediately obvious that she’s extremely friendly and super-encouraging as she asks about my previous running experience (nigh on zilch) and whether I have any events lined up, as I’m sumo-lunging my way around the periphery of the park cafe. 

The group, 9 of us this evening, is a mixture of newcomers and regulars and, as we set off for a lap of the park, I soon realise that there are varying levels of proficiency.  With my legs burning from all the lunging, I manage to complete the lap not too far behind the front runners and am feeling pretty jubilant until I realise that this is just the warm up.

Run Club

Now the real work begins, which comprises a series of tempo and agility exercises using cone markers to map out our course.  We’re split into two teams and start by ladder running, hopping over and weaving in and out of the cones and then running backwards to the starting point, repeating twice.

Next we race to complete a circuit of cone exercises and short bursts, which culminates in 3 sprints, each one about 10 metres further than the last, by the end of which my legs are screaming and my heart pumping furiously.  Then it’s onto our backs and non-stop bicycle curls until the last person in the team finishes the circuit.  Although the ground is wet and muddy I drop straight onto it, legs flapping in the air like a debilitated beetle, grateful to give them a few minutes’ rest, even if those minutes do involve ab work.

Our penultimate exercise is to try to complete as many laps of the green as we can in 4 minutes.  Lizi gives us our time for each lap and the intention is to use this as a benchmark that you aim to improve upon each session.  After a couple of minutes to get our breath back we go again and, strangely, it’s easier the second time around.  Maybe my legs are starting to get some of that muscle memory people are always talking about.

As we walk towards the steps to do some dynamic stretching and a warm down, I get chatting to a girl who’s signed up to do a half marathon at the end of the year.  We bond over the fact that neither of us actually enjoys running... yet...  but agree that if we keep up these sessions, that’s highly likely to change.  The combination of endurance, tempo and agility training, with a group for a whole hour, is so much more effective than anything I would push myself to do. 

I’m told by one of the regulars that the difference you experience in your running after a few sessions is considerable.  The main difference I experienced the day after was the inability to walk, but that can only show how hard the session must have worked me.  I'll definitely be keeping it up but the real test will be my first 10k in 3 weeks’ time.  I'd imagine it'll make Bikram feel like a walk in the park... well, maybe more like a jog.

Bikram basics

Namasté

It’s likely you’ll have heard of Bikram, or hot yoga, as it’s sometimes called, and claims that you can burn up to 1000 calories in one session.  You may even have given it a go and sweated your way through the 90 minutes wondering the entire time what on earth you were doing there.

As far as I know, every Bikram yoga studio in the UK offers the opportunity to take on a '30 day challenge'.  It costs around £30 and challenges participants to undertake 30 consecutive daily classes, the thinking being that it takes this amount of time to make or break a habit. 

I took that challenge and can honestly say that it was one of the hardest yet most beneficial things I've ever done. 

There are many incredible benefits that can be listed, but I believe that everyone will experience different ones, depending upon their body and lifestyle. So instead, I've established a few helpful tips to assist anyone tempted to give it a go or still in their first few weeks of practice.

Top tips

1.  Breathe:  This is perhaps the most important thing you can do in the class; slowly and deeply, in through the nose and out through the nose (except at the very beginning and end sections of the class).  Focusing on your breath and slowing it down after each posture helps you to block out everything else that’s going on – the intense heat, the sweat, the voice in your head that’s screaming at you to leave the room.  Your breath is your strength.

2.  Keep hydrated:  Given the amount you will sweat in class, this means more than the usual 2ltrs a day – around 3ltrs on days that you practice. I’d also recommend including coconut water in your diet.  It has more potassium than the equivalent amount of bananas and is full of electrolytes; a perfect natural sports drink.

3.  Check yourself out:  Okay, not quite like that, but it is very helpful to be in a position where you can see yourself in a mirror during the class.  Try to lock your gaze and keep the focus on you and your body’s alignment.  Don’t be tempted to check out the guy standing next to you – he’s all disgusting and sweaty anyway, eeuwgh!

4.  Don’t wipe away the sweat:  a) It is one of the most fruitless exercises you will ever undertake as more and more will keep forming and b) You won’t be allowing it to do its job of eliminating waste through the skin and cooling you down.  If you're finding it difficult to keep hold of your limbs due to slipperiness, keep persevering - your muscles will become stronger the more you try. 

5.  Remove your make-up:  All of it.  Not only will this allow your skin to breathe and for the better expulsion of sweat along with all those nasty toxins, but it will also prevent you from looking like a panda, which is extremely distracting when you’re concentrating on point 3.

6.  Respect it:  Now, I'm definitely no purist but, having made the mistake of drinking a couple (ok, quite a few) glasses of wine the night before a morning class, I seriously suggest re-thinking this type of preparation. I should have stuck with just a couple.


7.  Less is best: When it comes to clothing, that is.  Small, tight items in sweat wicking fabrics are best - you'll regret those heavy joggers and baggy t-shirt about 15 minutes in.  Please believe me when I say that you won't feel in the least bit self-conscious about your body during the class and will be more concerned with what it can do than what it looks like.  

8.  Don’t eat for at least 2 hours before class:  If you do, you will feel sick. Fact!

I challenge you to give it a go! Do let me know how you get on.

NB. Please consult your GP before embarking on any kind of exercise programme.