Notes by Nectar

On Sunday the 18th of September I decided I was going to start the 10k Runner app from the very beginning. Week 1 Day 1 went like this:

• Warmup x 5 min
• Run x 1 min
• Walk x 1.5 min
• Repeat run/walk five more times
• Cooldown x 5 min

I’d been struggling and thought starting at the beginning might help.

I had a session with Pete on Monday morning. I began with a warmup which consisted of:

• Walkout to plank x 6
• Plank and shoulder tap x 10, alternating 5 on each side
• Airplanes x 10 on each side
• Lunge and twist x 10, alternating 5 on each side
• Elbow plank/leg raise x 10, alternating 5 on each side
• Squats x 20
• Cross-trainer x 400 m

I was ready to go home after that. And I mentioned that the walkout to plank really pisses me off – I have no idea why! And squats as part of my warmup?

After some water I did the first exercise circuit:

• Bulgarian squats x 6 on each side (15-lb weights)
• Squat jumps x 5
• Bent over row x 8 (20-lb weights)
• Airplanes x 8 on each side (10-lb weight)
• Dead bugs x 20
• Rest x 30 s
• Repeat two more times

The first exercise wasn’t supposed to be Bulgarian squats. Pete had said I was going to do a one-legged getup – basically from a seated position on a bench I was supposed to hold one leg straight in front of me and get up using just the other leg. I tried and nothing happened. I tried the other leg and nothing happened. Clearly I’m not as strong as he thinks I am! And clearly my ass is fatter than I think it is.

After three sets of that, I had some water and a short break. The second circuit consisted of:

• Lunge/torso twist x 20, alternating 10 on each side (10-lb weight)
• Lateral pulldown x 5 (8 bars)
• Glute bridge slides x 8
• Pushups to failure (21 in the first set, 10 in the second set, 13 in the third set)
• Ab wheel rollout x 8
• Rest x 30 s
• Repeat two more times

Bloody hell – the glute bridge slides and ab wheel rollouts killed me. I could feel the glute bridge slides in my hamstrings and calves after just three of them. I also almost rolled forward flat on my face the first couple of times I tried the ab wheel rollout. After three sets of that I did some stretches and went home.

I was sore all over on Tuesday but I went to the gym for Week 1 Day 2 of the 10k Runner app:

• Warmup x 5 min
• Run x 1 min
• Walk x 1.5 min
• Repeat run/walk seven more times
• Cool down x 5 min

Two of the treadmills are still out of order and I’ve been using my least favourite one, but there’s no choice at the moment.

I was still sore on Wednesday. I had another session with Pete. After the new stretching exercises (which I’m kind of getting used to) and a 400-m warmup on the cross-trainer, Pete told me I’d be doing the same Group A/B format I’d done the week before. Group A exercises consisted of mountain climbers, reverse lunge/forward drive and squat jumps. Group B exercises consisted of kettlebell swings (8-kg kettlebell), hip rolls and chest press. It went like this:

• Group A x 20 s (each exercise for 20 s)
• Rest x 20 s
• Group B x 30 s (each exercise for 30 s)
• Rest x 10 s
• Group A x 30 s
• Rest x 20 s
• Group B x 30 s
• Rest x 10 s
• Group A x 40 s
• Rest

I can’t remember what weight I used for the chest press but I’d had enough of squat jumps by the end of that circuit!

For the second group of exercises, Group A consisted of squat/press (8-kg kettlebell), jumping jacks and alternating bicep curls. Group B consisted of dead bugs, wood chopper (30 s on each side) and jumping side to side. It was the same format as the first group. And by the end of that, I’d had enough of jumping jacks! I think I used 10-lb dumbbells for the bicep curls, but I can’t remember.

I went back to the gym on Thursday for Week 1 Day 3 of the 10k Runner app. It was the same as Week 1 Day 2.

I took Friday off and went to a yoga class at Eco Yoga Sanctuary on Saturday morning.

Low point of the week? Even though I’ve been exercising, I’ve not been eating very well.

High point of the week? I made it to the gym five times and to yoga – I think I did well this week!

Weight loss? It went down in the first half of the week and then back up over the weekend. I didn’t drink over the weekend but I did have a pizza on Friday night.

Read more updates here.