2020km Challenge for Alzheimer's Society
I can see why my friends decided not to join me on this quite frankly audacious challenge I set myself but when you like an idea, it kinda sticks and then you become the embodiment of that idea. That's exactly what happened with this 2,020km Challenge and it has really taken on an adventure of it's own!
Take for example, here on Hive, @livinguktaiwan helped raise £85 (which I matched) with her Hive Forest where loads of awesome sponsors came together and donated for the cause. This togetherness and positive spirit on Hive are things we should really be shouting from the rooftops (well, I did actually, we lost a few roof tiles in the process but it was worth it), particularly in the times we are in now.
Other things such as the monthly reports I put out showing the progress have turned into a beast! They are more for me to stop being a lazy ass and keep up with it but also gives a chance to show off share some nerdy stats for the data crunchers and sports fanatics among us!
800 km out of 2,020 km
Earlier, I managed to eek out an 8 km run which pushed me over the milestone of 800 km out of 2,020 km for the year. In old money, that's about 500 miles!
The great news is that I'm really close to being above the required daily average now and only 5km behind where I should be so, for the first time since Jan 14th when I was struck down by illness and the gap widened, it's taken 4 and a half months to climb back up and you'll see this in those graphs in a few days time. Question is... can I make it above by the end of the month?!
Half Broken...
This is coming at a slight cost of course. I mentioned a couple of days ago about a horrendous calf spasm/cramp that had me worried. Thankfully, it seemed to be OK yesterday and obviously, managed to do today's run but took care not to go too fast and went cross-country for softer ground. It's a little bit more forgiving on the knees!
However, I feel like now that I'm never too far away from totally shredding my shins and as the challenge goes on, I suspect foam rollers, tennis ball massages, ankle, knee and various forms of pilates and flexibility exercises are going to take up the bulk of my days 😄
Have any of you exercise folk got any recovery tips for that (other than stop whinging about it 😂)?
Here's a track I made which is ironically called Broken, thought you might like to hear it as well, kinda creating a tension that my body is feeling right now haha:
https://soundcloud.com/nickyhavey/nicky-havey-broken-clip-forthcoming-20th-december-2018
Positive Effects of Exercise
I have noticed my concentration levels for sustained periods of time improve markedly with this challenge and do feel mentally, a lot better. Even through the winter months when it's dark really early. Usually I get affected by S.A.D. but this time... didn't happen. I guess having that goal to aim for as well has helped motivation.
Obviously, not saying you need to do something like this of course haha! But even 20/30 minutes (fast) walk per day for a month... give it a go. Make it a routine. It's funny how you miss doing it if you forget a day...
Anyway, that's enough rambling for now - just another 5 days left of the "post a day for a month" challenge and then I'll be trimming back to probably 2-3 posts per week just to give myself some breathing space. Even with all this exercise and fun projects that are going on, burnout is still very much an issue and I can feel it's spindly fingers climbing up my back and ready to grip me around the chest at any given moment.
Everyone has their limits I guess so look after yourselves hey!
Take care, catch you tomorrow!
Nicky
Take it easy Nicky, don't stress yourself out!!
Thanks Pauline! Trying not to overdo it but this is me we're talking about and "overdoing it" might as well be my middle names haha! Will be taking some of the good advice from the others here and get the dietary stuff sorted with the other stretching exercises.
That's a nice little milestone there Nicky! I think I would have a tough time hanging in there myself, so kudos for keeping your eyes on the prize. Definitely keep up with all the foam rolling as that will definitely help. Make sure to consume foods rich in not only potassium but also magnesium to help with muscular recovery, and other anti-inflammatory foods and spices like turmeric and ginger couldn't hurt. I am also quite fond of the "legs up a wall" pose. Exactly as it sounds. I did that a lot when I first started doing all of the online classes and my legs were toast!
Thanks P2P! I think I have come this far now that I can't give it up. Once I've reached 1,000 km it will definitely feel like I've broken the back of it! I'll fetch the foam roller out and put it to work! Legs up a wall is something I'll try to master as well, my hamstrings are terribly tight!
What other foods would you recommend that are high in K and Mg?
Of course the usual go-to's for potassium are bananas and potatoes, which are great, but nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, sesame, flax and almonds are good sources of both nutrients. Leafy greens, beans and cocoa are also great to add. Maybe add some spinach to your cheesy toast. ;) I also love my Medjool dates. They are a good source of magnesium as well as good quick energy for a run on the go or in a trail mix on a hike.
Ok, well, I have bananas, 'taters, leafy greens, beans and nuts regularly so that's good. Will add spinach to that list as well. Funnily enough, my muscles are generally OK and can continue the next day for a few days in a row but think I'll work on the flexibility side of things with the "legs up the wall" and start laying in to the foam roller - thanks for the help!
For the love of God, just rest it!
Trust me, a week off can save you three months out!
Rest, taper your running back down and then build it back up again slowly.
Haha, I do like the idea of resting and will be trying to incorporate more rest days now that I've caught up to the average. Thanks for the tips!
I've been injured too many times from overdoing it - persistent strains just get worse and worse.
I'm just at the back end of two weeks off now following a belligerent 17K run two weeks ago!
Had I rested up for three days back then I probably would have been fine.
You must have seen those 'struggling runner's out and about, you don't want to be become one of them!
Wow, 17 km is quite some going! I'd need a break after that for sure! I'm trying to alternate between the hikes and runs so that I'm not overdoing it but obviously, there's quite a bit of work being put in to those legs!
Good point, definitely don't want to look like one of those struggling runners, that's not a good look at all!
25 days straight of posts? You have done/doing well. I managed 19 and then the interweb imps interfered and having been forced to miss 2 days, and 3D stuff got in the way, making catching up, almost impossible.
Sorry to hear about the shins. Your health (physical and mental) is more important than any challenge...do what you need to do!
Oh, and thank you (not) for the earworm...my day is going to be full of 5000 miles and hovering... hahaha!
Yeah, every day this month so far and if I'm being honest, I'm looking forward to trimming back to minimum once per week, max 3 per week once the 1st June is here. I know you tried it as well but external factors hampered your efforts, do you think you will try it again?
Looks like I've had some good advice from P2P and RS which I'll definitely be considering. Starting with the foam roller! Now that I'm pretty much caught up with the average, I think I can perhaps afford some more rest days as we're not even in Summer yet so the evenings are set to be longer for a few months yet!
You're most welcome for the earworm 😁
That's a great achievement little brother! Not to mention that already half of the year is gone and you are close to the half of 2000 km even if there was this pandemic! I guess everything will become way easier to achieve after this is over 😀
Thanks a lot little Sister! Very close to half way now and it will feel awesome getting to the first 1,000km! Hopefully it will feel easier then but this is by far the hardest challenge I've had to do I think! May have to tone down the challenges next year haha
#posh shared on Twitter