The PeeFans Sports Club

[Kupar 13,339]

Since my health check-up a few months ago and the subsequent prescription of blood pressure and cholesterol meds and a slightly odd ECG and a very high exercising heart rate, I have, not to put too fine a point on it, been scared shitless about running. But a couple of weeks ago, after the meds had kicked in and a cardiologist had reviewed the ECG, my doctor gave me the all clear to exercise again, so today was the day.

6km in total, very gently in 35 minutes - a combination of 7 running intervals between 0.5 and 1km each, with short walks in between. I'm still here. It's a start. And my joints coped, which is good.

[gldenwetgoose 21,487]

Excellent - partly that you’ve achieved a run, but far more so that you have got the clearance to do so.  Nothing worse than having a huge unknown hanging over you. 

So - great result there. 

[Alfresco 11,630]

Great news @Kupar.   It is so difficult to get back into exercising when you have had an enforced break, worse when that break is due to medical stipulations and when you are worried that the exercise might have a detrimental effect, you are definitely wise to take it slowly at first.   It must be very frustrating when you used to do a lot of exercise previously.   Look after yourself.

[Hightower 607]

Deadlifts tomorrow will actually kill me

15 sets with 175kg is brutal anyway, let alone 45s rests

[Kupar 13,339]

2 minutes ago, Hightower said:

Deadlifts tomorrow will actually kill me

15 sets with 175kg is brutal anyway, let alone 45s rests

Good luck!

[Sophie 24,410]

I did a lovely 30 mile bike ride after work today. Weather was relatively nice and it was just fun to get out on two wheels again for a couple of hours and unwind.

[Kupar 13,339]

14 minutes ago, Sophie said:

I did a lovely 30 mile bike ride after work today. Weather was relatively nice and it was just fun to get out on two wheels again for a couple of hours and unwind.

That's excellent ❤️ 

[LovesToWet 3,800]

I managed to get on my indoor trainer on Sunday, just a steady 25 minutes to see how my knee would cope. It ached a bit as expected but it wasn't too bad. Hopefully I will be able to try outdoors again soon

[Sophie 24,410]

Went for a 90 minute bike ride after work, nowhere in particular and no goals in particular. I was just casually riding around on my hybrid people watching lol. Climbed a few hills too.

[Kupar 13,339]

22 minutes ago, Sophie said:

Went for a 90 minute bike ride after work, nowhere in particular and no goals in particular. I was just casually riding around on my hybrid people watching lol. Climbed a few hills too.

Great to see you enjoying being out on the bike @Sophie x

[LovesToWet 3,800]

Another indoor session tonight. Taking it 1 session at a time to help build myself back up. Physio next week too so hopefully I'll get my fitness back soon. Gonna try and get outdoor for a little bit at the weekend too

[LovesToWet 3,800]

Today I finally managed to get out on my bike and turn the pedals. It may not seem much to some but to me it made my day. Only a short ride, it I did it 😊😊

[Kupar 13,339]

7 minutes ago, LovesToWet said:

Today I finally managed to get out on my bike and turn the pedals. It may not seem much to some but to me it made my day. Only a short ride, it I did it 😊😊

That's great news! Well done x

[harry_jones_1975 604]

My first half creeps nearer and nearer but left foot hurts so resting it and not running. So much for all my plans of practicing and setting a time I was proud of. 

[Kupar 13,339]

26 minutes ago, harry_jones_1975 said:

My first half creeps nearer and nearer but left foot hurts so resting it and not running. So much for all my plans of practicing and setting a time I was proud of. 

Hope your foot gets better soon! And completing a half in any time would be a great achievement! 

[harry_jones_1975 604]

Cheers Kupar. It hurts less but my patience skills are poor so want to get back out running rather than resting further.

[Kupar 13,339]

8 hours ago, harry_jones_1975 said:

Cheers Kupar. It hurts less but my patience skills are poor so want to get back out running rather than resting further.

Understood! Try and do what you know is right x

[Kupar 13,339]

Well this morning's run was rubbish. There comes a time - and this is it - when some fundamental re-evaluation is needed. Do I (a) rebuild a running regime that's realistic for a very nearly 60-year-old bloke, (b) give up, or (c) think about different ways to keep fit?

[LovesToWet 3,800]

2 hours ago, Kupar said:

Well this morning's run was rubbish. There comes a time - and this is it - when some fundamental re-evaluation is needed. Do I (a) rebuild a running regime that's realistic for a very nearly 60-year-old bloke, (b) give up, or (c) think about different ways to keep fit?

Rebuild a running regime would be the best thing and mix it up with cycling or swimming

[Alfresco 11,630]

7 hours ago, Kupar said:

Well this morning's run was rubbish. There comes a time - and this is it - when some fundamental re-evaluation is needed. Do I (a) rebuild a running regime that's realistic for a very nearly 60-year-old bloke, (b) give up, or (c) think about different ways to keep fit?

Well first things first, I know that you have been very committed to your fitness and have worked hard to get to a great position.  Absolutely no way you should give this up and just let yourself go.

As we get older, things get harder (well some things take longer to get harder, but that’s a different problem). It is a fact of life and we all have to listen to our bodies.  There comes a point where too much of one thing and chasing certain targets will cause disappointment as the targets get more difficult to achieve and it is easy to feel demoralised.  So that needs to be considered in the mix.

I would say that just because you have had a bad session or even multiple bad sessions in a row doesn’t mean you need to think that you can’t enjoy running.  Maybe set the running targets a bit less ambitious than before, but don’t give up.  As @LovesToWet said, maybe mix it up a bit with some lower impact activities cycling and swimming are good ones but also what about things like tennis, badminton, volleyball etc.   basically anything which keeps you active is good.  I enjoy kayaking, but appreciate that isn’t for everyone.   It does give a degree of workout to most of the body and throw in the odd sprint for cardio.  Overall it is less demanding and less high impact than running but it is enjoyable (for me at least) and it can be very sociable if you join a club.

Main thing is not to get demoralised and remember that any exercise is better than no exercise but work with your body’s limits.

Good luck!

[Alfresco 11,630]

I mentioned kayaking in my above response to @Kupar, and have mentioned it a bit in the past.  As an extension to this, I have very recently succumbed to a purchase of a paddleboard.  

I tried paddle boarding once last year when I got on OK but wasn’t entirely convinced.  The. More recently I was helping out on a raft building event where they asked me to provide some safety cover from a paddleboard.  I quite enjoyed it but didn’t feel comfortable standing whilst also keeping my eyes on people and being ready to get to help people quickly, so I knelt down for the duration of the session.  From this, I decided that I still preferred kayaking, but there could be a place for paddle boarding in my life.

I looked at boards and decided I didn’t want to spend £500 for a reasonable but still entry level board and that I would stick with kayaking.  However, just a week after making that decision I spotted in Tesco that they were doing some boards at bargain prices.  I did a bit of research and found that whilst they were no means pro boards, they were pretty decent and had previously been sold at £450, but were now down to £150.   I couldn’t resist at that point and one found its way into the trolley.

I took it for its maiden voyage on the canal this week for about an hour and a half, of which I spent most of the time standing up and building confidence.   Unfortunately I got a little too confident and at one point I fell in!  I hadn’t planned on swimming in the canal, but that’s how it went.  I got back on and paddled some more and it certainly is something I want to try and do more of.

 

 

 

[Alfresco 11,630]

One of the nice things about kayaking and paddle boarding is that it is a very quiet pursuit and it is quite common to get close to nature.

Recently I got very close to a Heron as can be seen in the photos.  It allowed me to sit and watch it before eventually flying off along the canal to another point. 

[harry_jones_1975 604]

Definitely a. Hope your running mojo returns soon dear friend 

[LovesToWet 3,800]

I managed to get out on my Mtb again yesterday and rode for over an hour. Mainly on cycle paths, cycle lanes and gravel roads to try and keep away from traffic as much as possible. Really enjoyed myself and so pleased to be back riding. 

[Hightower 607]

Made the training squad for the representative rugby league team which isn't bad considering I've only been playing league for just over a year

No idea how it'll mesh with my upcoming strongman comp because league's such a fast paced sport, just have to eat more and keep doing my speed work in the gym