Couch to 10k - week 2

Yesterday I wrote about my decision to fundraise for the Abortion Support Network (ASN), by training to for a 10k run.  The Programme I am using is located here.  For every session I complete I will donate £1 to ASN.  I would also like to ask my readers to sponsor me, perhaps by donating for each session that I complete.

Why am I fundraising for ASN?

They are the only organisation that provide funds for Irish women who require abortions in the UK.  The laws around abortion in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are very, very restrictive and it is really difficult to get an abortion.  So if women find themselves pregnant and require an abortion the nearest place to go is the UK.  Which means money for travel costs, accommodation and the procedure itself.Without ASN many, many women can't afford to come to the UK - it costs between £400 and £2,000 to travel and pay for the procedure.

ASN is a charity almost entirely funded by the donations of individual supporters, and your donations will go directly to helping a woman in need.

To donate to them you can do so via paypal, standing order, or bank transfer.  Please see the donate page of the ASN website for details on how to do a bank transfer.  If you are a UK taxpayer don't forget to gift aid your donation.

Here is a report on my second weeks' training.

Week 2
Session 1 - 38 min. Run 2 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Do this 7 times, 16/7/2013

I felt very nervous about this, given my performance on the first session.  However as I started to do it I realised it was still easier than the first session, as you get a 2 minute recovery period.  My gods the 2 minute recovery period is great!

Session 2 - 31 min. Run 1 minute. Walk 2 minutes. Do this 7 times, 19/7/2013

This felt easy.  It’s a repeat of week one, and I definitely felt like I’d progressed, and that I was going a bit faster then the first week.  I know that getting a good speed isn’t my goal, but it still feels good.

Went and bought trainers on Saturday 20th July.  Went to a local shop where they had me run on a treadmill for 30 seconds, recorded it and checked my gait.  Then brought me out the correct shoes for my running style.  They are purple. And expensive, I guess.  But they will save my knees, which are a bit knackered due to cycling for several years (to get to work) and not doing enough stretching.

I’m starting to feel like I can do this programme.

Session 3 - 34 min. Run 2 minutes. Walk 2 minutes. Do this 6 times, 21/7/2013

I was very tired doing this but I kept chugging along.  I possibly shouldn’t have gone tot he gym yesterday morning...

I was a bit concerned about how I’m going to manage next week’s sessions, as my body just feels tired.  I haven’t felt like this since I started going to the gym regularly.

I nearly tripped over a tree root.  I blame the new trainers.  They are a size 7, a size larger than I normally wear so extend out past my foot further than I am used to.  Running shoes need to be a size bigger, because running makes your feet swell, apparently.  The shoes are definitely more comfortable than my other regular trainers, and my feet don’t get quite so hot in them.

If I recall correctly, I got a lot of stitches this week.  Obviously I’m not as fit as I thought.  I also think I saw some young rabbits this session.  I’m seeing a lot of wildlife – birds that I can’t identify, the occasional dead mouse, and the bunnies.  I’m also hearing a lot and I’m trying to work out if the sounds are from blackbirds scrabbling in the undergrowth or if they are from a mammal.

Total donated: £6.