The advantage of taking the son to catch the early morning ferry is that there is no one around to see you as you haul your very podgy in a bit too tight running kit body out of the car. This is run 1. Actually run 2 but as run 1 was over 2 weeks ago does it count?
I used to run, many many moons ago. And I used to enjoy it. In fact I was addicted to exercise at one point. Yeah I know, very hard to believe, but it's true. In my early 30s I lived in Brasilia. Our office complex had a small gym, and our house had the use of a swimming pool in the community garden. Virtually every day my husband would put a size 8 into the small of my back and push me out of bed at 5.30am, but once up I would enthusiastically run 5km, arriving back in time to get the kids up for school. And then I would spend my lunch hour in the small gym, doing small weights and stretches. And not stopping there I would arrive home to find my scuba mask swimming costume wearing children waiting on the front doorstep for me to take them over the pool before bedtime. I would swim a mile, 50 lengths of the pool whilst they played and then we would play games with them swimming through my legs. We called my daughter Jacque Cousteau because of her scuba mask and flippers. I was fit, and loved it. My colleagues commented that they knew when I hadn't been for a run as I would be in a bad mood, and so they would stay away until after lunch. Oh the good days, now nearly 20 years ago.
I have never been a gym bunny. But I have always tried. I call myself the Reluctant Runner because I am not naturally athletic and any form of exercise for me is hard. At school I was always second to last to be chosen for any team, the honour of last being left to the girl with the curved back. The only time I was first chosen was when my best friend was the team leader, and then you could see the indecision in her eyes - best mate or strong team. It hasn't been easy being married to a born team captain, talented at football, cricket, tennis, anything which involves a ball really, and someone who really doesn't understand how anyone cannot be into exercise. This is the guy who doesn't run for 6 weeks, and the day he has a hangover can run 5 miles straight off, and then says he hasn't run very well as it took him half an hour. Well you can see where I'm coming from.
So not having run for some time, it must be years now, and having put on a few lbs, ok stones, I have decided to start running again. And to blog my progress. And my daughter is joining me. She is a chip off the old couch potato. Her exercise diary reads like mine. You get the picture.
So Run 2, or 1, whatever, from Hovertravel terminal to Appley Tower (on run 1 I made it to Appley Cafe), that's just about 1 mile, here I was at around 7am, just as the late October sun was rising. I just love this beach, with its wide open sands, and view across to Portsmouth, my birth place. With my new 'running' playlist on my iPod, my new RunBugs phone app and my new shower proof running jacket I was all set.
