I decided on Saturday morning that I was going to take the weekend off and do no training whatsoever so that I could fully rest my legs.  This was a hard decision as I have got to the point, after nearly two months of continuous exercise, where I feel like I want to do cardio every day.  This is obviously a good thing but I have to take care not to injure myself.  I am still weighing around the 18 Stone mark (around 250 lbs) and too much exercise will be putting a massive strain on my joints.  Moderation…

So, I managed to get through the weekend without going on the treadmill.  I ate more than I should have (groan!), but there is no point dwelling on it.  I decided that I am going to set myself weekly running goals, similar to when I was following the marathon runner’s guide last year (see here).  I have decided that my target for this week will be 15 miles.  I intend to increase this each week, but as yet I haven’t decided by how much (either one or two miles probably).  I will aim to do most of it outdoors, relying on the treadmill during bad weather conditions.

Why have I turned back to running after speedwalking and HIIT?  A very good question!  I suppose it is for two main reasons:  Firstly, I really enjoy running.  I love being in the fresh air, with nature all around me, feeling the miles slip past.  It makes you feel ALIVE.  Secondly, speedwalking and HIIT are good forms of exercise but I don’t seem to feel like I am really reaping a huge benefit from either when it comes to weight loss, my main impetus for doing exercise.  Two hours of speedwalking doesn’t leave me feeling anywhere near as shattered as a good two mile run, and HIIT just doesn’t last long enough.  Yes, I could do more intervals during a HIIT workout, but at such high intensity you are seriously risking injury (or a heart attack!) if you do too much.  The opinion I have formed over the last month or so is that HIIT is great if you are time-restricted or don’t have tons of weight to lose and are just wanting to keep fit.  I reckon that if (when!) I lose all my fat I may turn to HIIT to help me stay lean, but I honestly feel that I need to do longer periods of cardio to fully burn off my glycogen stores and burn fat during my workouts. 

Time will tell I guess…