Camp badass

As with most newfangled diets and exercise routines, week one of my all-singing badass training schedule courtesy of CHHP was a bit of a non-starter. I left Harley Street with the best intentions, but then I remembered I had to move house, and running was suddenly the last thing on my mind. But as I live in a high rise flat without a lift, arguably I still did some damn good exercise, just sadly none that was actually prescribed to me. I normally run four times a week and could have tried to fit an extra jog in, but along with the mental and physical trauma of the house move, merely thinking about upping my training routine was enough to exhaust me, so I resigned myself to the fact I was going to start training like a badass robot in week two instead.Once settled into my new flat I arranged a visit with their suggested Neuro-musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapist Thomas Dekkers from HFS Clinics for an MOT. Although I’ve been blessed thus far with virtually no injuries, the risks rise with the increased intensity of training, so it’s best to be prepared. Thankfully I’m in good working order and was only prescribed a bit of light leg exercise, so I left feeling refreshed and ready to take on the challenge.I started week two with my usual 5-mile lunchtime run with the boys from Men’s Running, which is a great way to kick things off. We run from Hammersmith Bridge to Barnes Bridge and back, with the aim of making it in under 30 minutes. I always come back to the office looking utterly bedraggled, but they push me harder and faster than I ever would on my own. I also tried running taller and concentrating on my posture, but it’s bloody hard when you can’t actually see yourself. This one might have to be a work in progress.Next up was interval training. I must confess, despite working for a running magazine, I don’t have much experience in this area. Fortunately the July issue of Women’s Running has a feature on just that subject! So I gave it a go, with great results. It’s hard, but alternating speeds and really pushing myself not only jazzed things up a bit and made my normal run a bit more interesting, but gave me a huge rush afterwards that kept me smiling all afternoon. I am now totally sold on interval training and can’t work out why I didn’t do it more before.Then the final new addition to my new badass routine: the heart rate monitor. It took me about twenty minutes to figure out how to use the damn thing, and I’m still a bit lost. Plus the weather has been so artrocious this week that I was forced to run on the treadmill. Regularly checking my watch while trying not to fall off the treadmill in front of a packed gym was no mean feat, but I finally mastered it. The main aim of the HRM is to boost my system, so my steady runs become a little quicker, so I guess we’ll see how this progresses over time, and fingers crossed I don’t die from a watch checking/treadmill malfunction in the meantime.I'm also going to add some core strengthening into my routine, but after the week I've just had, the only exercise I intend to do tonight involves a large beer and a short stretch from the table to my face. Tune in next week for more tales from camp badass.