Last week was the first week of Phase II of Julia’s programme so I had a new set of exercises to try out. It was also the week before the Brighton Half Marathon so I had to move my schedule around a bit to make sure that I gave my legs enough time to rest before the race on Sunday.
Some of the new moves were progressions from the first phase but there were quite a few new core exercises thrown in as well. As it was the first week it took me a while to understand what I needed to do and some of the workouts felt a bit disjointed while I stopped to look at the instructions, but I know from Phase I that things will start to flow once I’ve been through all the sessions for a second time.
It’s fair to say that my body noticed that things had stepped up a gear and I had sore muscles for most of the week. I quite like the feeling of DOMS – as long as it’s not too severe. It’s good to know that you’ve worked your muscles and made a difference. To help relieve the soreness I spent some time on my foam roller and also paid a visit to my osteopath and sports masseur.
Nutrition wise the week wasn’t too bad, until it got to our weekend away in Brighton and our post half marathon celebrations. It’s fair to say things went a bit off course at that point but I’ve dusted myself off and got straight back into following the dietary guidelines again now that we’re home. My body already feels better for it.
I was quite nervous about getting on the scales today. What with running a half marathon on Sunday and my over indulgence that afternoon I wasn’t sure that I’d like the figures staring back at me. But, to my surprise, while my weight has stayed the same my body far % has decreased by another 1.6% making that a total of 4.4% in just 5 weeks. Pleased doesn’t cover it!
Other people have started to notice the change in me too. After the Brighton Half Marathon on Sunday I had a number of messages from people who I haven’t seen for a couple of months telling me how great I am looking, which is lovely. I still have a way to go but I feel like I’m making good progress towards my goals and am excited about seeing more change over the coming weeks.
So now, having completed the Brighton Half I am hanging up my long distance running shoes for the rest of the programme and committing myself 100% to following Julia’s advice. Bring on week 6!
From Strength to Strength 