If exercise is good for you, surely it shouldn't hurt so much?

This is a brief, interim post, to fill the gap before the Snowdon post, which is a work in progress.

One of the things on my list is to do regular exercise. I've been doing this, and enjoying it for the last 3 weeks or so - 3 times a week, following a 'couch to 5k' program. Enjoying it, that is, until today.

Lucy & I normally 'run' 3 evenings a week - it's a club which keeps growing, as more and more students seem to want to join us. Progress is slow, but definite - we're currently doing 10 reps of 1min10secs jogging to 1min 50secs walking.

For some reason, it's suddenly started to hurt. My whole body was aching after the mass rake-off of Riddlesdown on Saturday, my thighs were killing me after Monday's run, and today my legs just felt like lead the whole way through. I'm not sure why really, or what I should do about it.

Possible causes of sudden malaise:
* Am lazy fat cow.
* Have had nasty cold for last few days
* Haven't slept much this week
* This was the first early morning run for nearly 2 yrs, body wasn't ready for it!
* Hadn't eaten before run, or last night owing to feeling rubbish and row with idiot neighbour
* Is just normal aches of re-establishing exercise pattern, and I should just cowboy the fuck up.

Possible solutions:
*Abandon project run 5k, and buy an xl swimsuit.
*Slow down the running - stamina not speed is what is important atm.
*Do some decent stretching before and definitely after
*Stick with it. It'll get better soon.
*Eat properly
*Get more sleep


Hmm. I guess I'm gonna stick with it.... Friday after school is the next run - I think we'll repeat today's times, rather than increase the run time, and see how we go. Will try to stretch/eat/sleep and hopefully..... all will be well

The picture that is currently on my desktop. Frankie cat at noon on Saturday, as I returned from parkrun.

Ohhh. parkrun. Event report... argh!!!!! *scuttles off to edit report with all due haste*