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Having to shield as being extremely vulnerable to Covid at the start of the initial lockdown came as a bit of a blow to say the least.
I remember at the time thinking I have two options, I can either take it badly and get miserable and risk getting depressed or turn a negative into a positive which is something I always try and do and make a real effort to get fit.
I have always ran but am not built for speed and, following three lots of knee surgery, I am always just glad to be running - but I have always been chasing the exclusive Sub 30-minute 5K. I managed once at a Parkrun in 2018 before the New York Marathon, but since then it just hasn't happened.
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For the first six weeks of Lockdown, I did not leave the house - I did my own HITT Sessions and Skipping, Kettlebells, etc. It then became a head game - I knew if I did not get out and run I was going to struggle, so I weighed up the risks physically vs my head and started running again - the same 5K route from home on my own which I knew was safe and I would not come across a lot of people. If I wanted a bit of excitement, I reversed my route!
Then in May 2020, I found Military in Motion and started doing the Morning Abs Sessions and the Intervals, 800 and 1500 Trooper Challenges - but the change really started during August's Trooper Games.
The 5K/10K challenges in the Autumn saw some definite gains in my running - my technique was improving and the support and camaraderie of my fellow Troopers and Dame Kelly was a great help.
Then in October I knew I needed to up my game if I wanted a real physical change. A couple of us committed to giving up chocolate and alcohol, initially for a month - that then was extended for the duration of the A-Z Challenge and it continued on a school night. I now rarely touch chocolate apart from my rest day on Saturday when eat/drink what you like and chill.
When the A-Z Challenge started in November, we would do the exercises together each morning on Zoom before work - this meant we could support and motivate each other before work, as well as have a chat and a bit of a social and this has continued during the 12 Days UNTIL Christmas Challenge, 12 Days OF Christmas Challenge, 30 Day ABS Programme and Extended ABS Programme.
I have also managed to get under the Sub 30 5K time and this is now quite a regular occurrence and I have now seen a dramatic change physically, to the point that I looked twice the other day in the mirror checking it was me!
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My VO2Max has also gone from 38 to 46 - clearly demonstrating that a consistent approach to all the strength and conditioning and core training is really paying off and my cardio fitness is improving.
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But, the real gain in all of this is not the physical change - it is the Trooper Community that has developed as a result. Trying to quantify this is difficult and contemplating what Lockdown would have been without it is not something I want to do!
- Kathy