Purple Tiger » Living Life WELL

In this post, we decided to bring you an interview with a friend who has recently told us of an activity goal he has set for himself. We thought it might help some of you out there thinking about starting to run or pursuing an active goal. We also thought it would be great to cheer Jesse on as he sets out on this worthy cause for himself. After all, everyone could do with a bit of accountability now and then 🙂

Jesse is 31 and works in the IT industry as a team leader in Desktop Support. Here is his story…

Q: What is your goal?

I set myself a goal of being able to run 10km straight without stopping and to do this within 10 weeks. Also during this 10 weeks, I’m cutting out alcohol and I’m going to try and clean up my diet a bit more. I’m also going to weigh myself, to see what can be achieved in 10 weeks

Q: Why have you set this goal?

The reason I set it was because I’ve been running on and off for the last couple of months with no real goal and it was hard to focus. I looked at my running history, it was sort of like one week I’d do 3 runs and another I’d do 1 and then it was nothing for a couple of weeks. It was all over the place.The main goal is “10 in 10”. The goal will take me up to the 24^th June. I’ve also set myself a goal within the 10 weeks to have run a total of 100km and run 2-3 times a week.

Q: So does that mean, one day, you might want to do a marathon? <cheekily> 😛

<Big pause and mutual laugh> I have no plan ever of doing a full marathon … yet … but I’ve not ruled out a half marathon sometime in my life.

Q: So other than having something to focus on, was there any health or other reason behind this goal?

Yes.  Well I have quite a sedentary job so I sit most times at a desk and move around a bit but not enough. Over the years technology has even reduced the amount of movement I do. The only sport or movement I was really doing was squash twice a week, and I wanted a complimentary activity to that. I didn’t really want to play any other racquet sports so I find running to be complimentary and it will be more about endurance rather than the quick spurts of energy in squash. The endurance will also help in longer squash games. I noticed this even in my runs earlier this year – it has helped me with endurance and not feel like I’m dying so I could concentrate on beating my opponent rather than trying to breath 🙂

Q: What do you weigh at the moment –  if you don’t mind sharing?

97kg

Q: Whereabouts will you be running?

To start with… because I’m lazy <chuckles>, I will be running around home, which is very hilly! After that I hope to transition to flatter grounds as I’ll be moving into my own house during the 10 weeks. My new home is down on the flats, so then I hope I’ll be springing along on the flat ground 🙂 . I’ll also transition into the longer runs once I’m down in the flats.

Q: If everything went to plan, what would be your ideal outcome after doing something like this?

I’d just like to feel healthier. Like I said, I haven’t got the goal of running a marathon or anything, but for me I’d like to go out and run 10kms (it might change when I get to 10kms) maybe even run 10kms twice a week. I’m not looking to continually expand till I’m doing 100kms or anything. I just want to be able to get out and run 10kms twice a week easily without any issues. If I could do that I would be happy with my level of fitness. I still haven’t quite got the runner’s high like you guys talk about …yet …

<LOL That’s ok. It’s not just about running…>

Yep. Fitness is good. Also the family has had a history of diabetes and heart issues so I’m keen to do any exercise that is good to burn energy, bring your cardio up and counteract diabetes and heart issues. I’m in my early thirties now, so it’s a good time to start (LOL).… it’s a good time to start now before it gets too hard. From talking to family members and other people, it just gets harder the longer you wait to get active. If I can get active now, and stay active would be good.

Q: So you’re looking for it to be a lifestyle as such?

Yeah. I mean I don’t see myself running 3 days a week for the rest of my life but I’d still like to consistently run one big run or 2 and get that into the routine. Especially with the shorter runs I’ve done, I’ve found that when I got to a level where it wasn’t killing me as much,  where it’s enjoyable, then I tend to do it more. So I want to build it up to where I can run further than that and run easy twice a week.

Q: What’s been your longest run to date?

Would have to look it up on RunKeeper, but I think it’s about 6.6kms

Q: And how did you feel with that?

I was pretty buggered <lots of laughter> … and that was flat not hills. Flat as a tack. I think Craig was there with me, so he was pushing me along 🙂 <laughter>

Q: So you’ve mentioned RunKeeper a couple of times. How do you find that as an application to keep a record of what you’re doing?

I like it, not just for the record keeping, but I found the other day that you can set goals with it. I also find it pushes me to keep running. There’s times when I’m running where I’d like to stop and walk but I think, ‘I’m recording this…’ – laughs < and if I post to facebook, everyone’s going to see…> – laughs. Yeah, I’m a game player and it’s sort of like playing a game where it’s like Wii extreme. (Laughter) It gives you that motivation to get a high score. To me, I use it more as a motivational tool.  <so accountability?>  Yes accountability. I can’t cheat with it. It stops me cheating on my runs, which is good. There’s been many times where I’ve thought, ‘I’ll just stuff the run and walk home…but no…I’m on the records so I better keep going’

< I like how you say it’s like a game too, cause when you’re having fun and getting that edge in a competition type thing, you do tend to want to achieve>

That’s right. It is like a game and it’s also just a good way to track and see where you’ve come from. It might be slow and subtle but over the months if you can look back and see the runs. I’ve run about 140km all up since last August !!

Q: So is there a target event that’s in the horizon?

Well I’m definitely going to do the Darrell Chapman this year. It’s a good charity event and I’ve done the 6km the last couple or 3 years now. It would be a good comparison event, because each time I’ve done it before, I’ve not been able to do it without stopping to walk – at times I’ve been racing against walkers (laughter) – those damn speed walkers (laughter). To me, if I could run it in one go, it would be a good comparison event to say I have improved. Also, if I can get the 10km happening, I’d probably pick a 10km event, maybe at the Gold Coast 10k in July if I get there in time.

Q: If you could cast your mind back to the first time or first few times you started running, how did you feel?

Like dying (lots of mutual laughter)

<so was it safe to say, you didn’t enjoy it?> No I didn’t.  I thought it was … a challenge.. I would definitely not have done it on my own. Luckily I had a great mentor with me who pushed me and helped me. Back then we weren’t even doing 3ks – 8mins on, 5mins off – that was hard… so it does show where I’ve come from. Yeah, without someone coming along, I definitely wouldn’t have done it.

Now, I’ve got myself to a position, where I can go and run on my own. Before I definitely wouldn’t have gone, ‘yeah let’s just go for a run…’ <laughter>

Q: Does the encouragement of people on facebook or in real life help?

Definitely – definitely. I’m not at that level yet where I can go out and run 3 days a week, cold in the mornings and not tell anyone… (laughter) <If I’m in pain they’ve got to know about it>. Encouragement definitely helps.

Q: Is there anything that inspires you in this arena of getting fitter and healthier?

Looking back at what I’ve done, I feel fitter and healthier and I’ve seen the advancement. It shows me I can get better at this. I’m never going to be an Olympic athlete, it’s not my goal, but I think if I can get to a level where I feel much more healthier and lose the extra kilos – the results I can achieve would inspire me.

Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being really bad and 10 being really healthy, how would you rate your current diet?

I’d be a 6 or 7. Not the worst. I definitely used to be a lot worse, but I’ve cut out some things.  I’ve cut down on soft drinks. I rarely eat sweets and sugars. It’s probably more the portion control and cutting out the temptation when I’m in a hurry to grab Macca’s or fast food.

Q: Do you take any supplements?

Occasionally I take multivitamins when I remember and glucosamine and fish oil for my joints. Early on I was noticing sore knees, but since I’ve taken them, my knees have been fine.        Cause I am a bit heavy, with squash and running, my poor old knees get a bit of a pounding.

Q: Do you have any advice for those starting out running or getting fit?

If you can find a mentor or somebody else to run with you in the initial month or so, it would make it a lot easier. Even if they are at the same level as you, that’s better that way it will push you and them to get out and run in the morning. Cause if you wake up in the morning and it’s just you, you’ll go ‘It’s cold’ and go back to bed. If you wake up and someone’s waiting for you, then you’ve got a much higher chance of actually going down there and running. (laughter)So my advice is, do it with somebody else because it makes it a lot easier. Find a buddy. Unless you’ve got really good self-control, then you don’t need my advice (laughter).

Go Jesse, YOU CAN DO IT!! Proud of you! We’ll get an update 5 weeks in and at the end of the 10 weeks – stay tuned for Jesse’s adventures.

– Craig and Di