martinb

Thanks, Phylanx. The races are to keep me on track; without them in my calendar I would have too many excuses to let the training slip! My 10k hill run is essentially 5k uphill and then 5k downhill, with a few bumps in between. I need to introduce interval training to my routine to help increase my speed, but my time at the moment is taken up with the need to increase my distance ahead of my first half marathon on 7th October. The furthest I've run so far is 10 miles, so I will need to do this at least a couple more times in September to give me the confidence ahead of the half marathon distance.

@CoreyD - This is my 10k hill run http://runkeeper.com/user/martinbamford/route/1563020 It's got about 200m of elevation gain, which is mostly in the first half of the run, with a particularly steep section just before 5k which I usually have to walk/scramble up!

Thanks, all. @CoreyD - I spent four months (Jan - Apr) doing 3-4 20 minute workouts each week on my rowing machine, to build a base level of fitness. And then in late April I started run/walking until I could run without stopping for 30 minutes. After that, I ran 2-3 times a week; typically two short (5km) runs and one longer (8-12km) run. For the past month I have been doing one 10km hill run each week, which I'm finding is resulting in big gains in terms of speed and endurance. Best advice I can give is to just do it - every run adds another layer of fitness.

I ran my first sub 24 minute 5 km last night, in 23:55 to be precise. I've only been running for four months, so this was a bit of a milestone for me. Only 25 days earlier it took me 24:57 to run the same route, so the hill work and weight training I've been doing must be helping. Looking back through my Runkeeper log, my first 5 km on 5th May took 32:14, and I remember that being a real struggle! Last night felt fast, with my heart rate consistently in the mid to high 160s, but it was a pace I could have maintained for a while longer. In fact, I missed the opportunity for a sprint finish because I reached the 5 km mark a lot sooner than I had expected! Next goals are to complete my first half marathon in October in under two hours and then my fourth 10 km race in November in under 50 minutes. I've also got my first 5 km race at the start of December, which I would love to complete in under 22 minutes. Marathon next year!

I started running 12 weeks ago, as a way to 'mix up' my exercise routine. I was starting to get a bit bored of the rowing machine and wanted/needed another challenge. At first, I had no specific goals in mind, other than being able to run. Within a week, I had entered a 10k race (which is tomorrow morning!) and within three weeks I had entered another 10k race which I completed at the start of June in 55 minutes. I've now entered a half-marathon for October and look forward to increasing my weekly mileage once I've completed the race tomorrow. I've got no ambitions to run a marathon, but I would like to be able to run 10k races at 4.30/km pace within the next year. It's important to develop your goals as you go, based on what you find yourself capable of doing.

I've been on a mission since the start of this year to get into the best shape of my life. So far, it seems to be working! My original weight loss target was to get to 185lbs, from a starting point of 228lbs on 1st January. As at this morning, I've basically done it, weighing in at 185.4lbs (19.3% body fat) - although I'm a bit dehydrated today so I will wait until my 7 day average is 185lbs before officially declaring victory! One thing that's been playing on my mind a lot recently is when I will stop losing weight. When I was (technically obese) at 228lbs at the start of the year, I simply didn't believe 185lbs was possible for my body type. Now that I'm there, my rate of weight loss shows no sign of slowing - although the pattern of weight loss has changed over the last couple of months, with much bigger daily swings (still trending downwards). I'm 6'1 tall, 33 years old and have been eating a strictly primal diet since the start of February, which I love and plan to continue forever! Since the end of April I have been running three times a week, typically 20k a week. I also lift weights once or twice a week and go cycling or kayaking once a week. I can see that my daily calorie needs at 185lbs are 2,988 (according to the Basal Metabolic Rate calculator, assuming I'm 'moderately active' so multiplying the base figure by 1.55x. I've tried calculating my daily calorie intake before using various online calculators and it tends to be in the region of 2,700 to 2,800 calories. Is there any way of working back from say 2,750 calories a day of primal food and determining what my final rate is likely to be (and when) based on these activity levels?

I took up kayaking as a hobby about 3-4 years ago and I'm now on my third kayak, a Riot Edge 10.5. I originally started with a sit on top which was great for a beginner as I didn't have to worry about sliding in or out of a cockpit. The sit on top was also fun for using at the beach, although I eventually traded it in for the Riot Edge as I wanted to go a bit faster! Most of my kayaking is on relatively calm rivers/canals, with occasional trips to more aggressive rivers, although nothing even close to white water yet. I tend to paddle from Spring to Autumn, although this year we were lucky with the weather in the Winter and I even managed a paddle on New Year's Day! The good thing about kayaks is they tend to hold their value reasonably well. If you buy one new and use it for a season or two, you won't lose too much when you come to sell it second-hand. Even better if you can find a good second-hand kayak in the first place!

It's been a great couple of weeks. Last Monday I ran in my first 10k race. When I started running in April, I had originally set myself a target of completing a 10k race in mid-July in 55 minutes. Well, last Monday I finished my first race six weeks ahead of target in 55:53! It was a pretty hilly course (which I didn't know until I was on the start line, chatting to other runners) so I was really pleased with that time. With five weeks to go until the 10k I had originally signed up for on 15th July, I'm re-focused now on my training and this evening did some cross-training on the rowing machine. It was the rowing I did from January until April that kick-started my weight loss and gave me the fitness base I needed to start running. This evening, after two months without using the rowing machine, I set a new personal best of 18:55 for 5k! Running a total of 112k in the last eight weeks has clearly helped improve my fitness levels beyond recognition. I even felt good enough after the rowing machine workout to throw some weights around for a bit! One final Woot - I've now lost 41lbs since the start of the year. This means I'm within spitting distance of my original goal of getting from 228lbs to 185lbs. While this is mostly down to diet (strictly Primal since February), the exercise (rowing machine, running, cycling, kayaking and walking) has all helped to keep my metabolism up.

So pleased with myself right now! Three weeks ago, I started running, with the goal of completing a 10k race on 15th July. This gave me 12 weeks to get up to race distance and initially I had set myself a goal of finishing the race in under 55 minutes. My training has been going much better than expected. This evening I finished a 10k for the first time ever. Even better, I finished it in under an hour (59:34, to be precise). Better still, the first 5k of the run was my quickest yet in a little under 29 minutes. Now that I've cracked the distance, I'm looking forward to spending the next nine weeks working on my speed. A sub-50 minute race might be on the cards now!

Thanks, all. I should mention that, whilst I've not run at all in over a decade (and have never really been a runner), I have been doing 5k on the rowing machine regularly over the past couple of months, in sub-20 minute times. I think that has helped build a good base level of fitness which is translating quickly into the running.

I ran 5.33k in 33:37 this evening - the first time I've ever run 5k! This was only my fifth run in a little under two weeks, after deciding to take up running last Monday. My first run was 3.2k in 25:30, followed by 3.2k in 24:46, 3.37k in 20:21 and 3.99k in 25:18. I've entered a 10k race in July which is giving me a good goal to aim for as I want to finish this in under 55 minutes. The big challenge now is pacing myself and not increasing my mileage too much each week.

My first ever challenge and I'm giving myself a B+. 100% Paleo diet throughout the duration of the challenge, with the exception of a bar of 85% dark chocolate last weekend A- Added some variety to my diet with lamb, guinea fowl, butternut squash and bulk cooking an egg monster for breakfast at the end of each week A Dropped my weight to 200.4lbs compared to a target of 202lbs (started challenge at 208lbs) A+ Got my 5km personal best on the rowing machine down to 19 minutes 21 seconds against a target of sub-20 minutes A+ Extra credit assignment: Completed 5 x 5km rows in 5 days last week, 4 of them in under 20 minutes! Improved my dumbbell bench press to 5 sets of 12 reps at 35lbs against a target of 3 sets of 12 at 40lbs B- Failed to create a new income stream from my second business, but have been working towards it C- Failed to grow an awesome six week beard, ended up shaving too many times! F

I hit a big fitness milestone this week, managing to row 5km every day for 5 days on my WaterRower. I've been rowing for 15 weeks now, losing 27lbs in the process since the start of the year. One of my original fitness targets was to row 5km in under 20 minutes; I managed four of the five rows this week in less than 20 minutes, with the other one at a not too shabby 20 minutes and 20 seconds. Happy face!

Sunny Surrey, just south of Guildford.

I've become a rowing machine addict since the start of the year. My favourite distance is 5km and best time so far is 19:21. I also enjoy kayaking on the water, but haven't tried 'proper' rowing, yet.