BHF Hyde Park jog - warm up

So the warm-up for the BHF Hyde Park Jog was a strange affair led by Fitness First.

For those not in the know, the warm-up normally consists of 5-10 minutes of organised stretching, bending, and making friends, led by a couple of people from a local gym with a microphone, PA and some loud music. It’s good fun and hopefully reduces the pulled muscles and general aches and pains after the run.

So in Hyde Park on 15 April, a couple of girls from Fitness First got up into the bandstand as the crowd of 2,000 or so people all gathered around, and they launched into a Boxercise class! A few people joined in by following the moves, punching and kicking, but fortunately for the gathered masses, most just did their own stretches and I didn’t see any injuries.

I think that Fitness First missed a great marketing opportunity this year at the Hyde Park Jog. Promoting the local gym and brand in general is easily done with a good warm-up, and then by actively participating in the jog, if possible with a few members and trainers.
I doubt very much that they sold any Boxercise classes, and I’m pretty sure that the girls didn’t take part in the 5 or 10k run themselves (based on their boxing shoes & tape around their hands)

Let’s hope that the BHF invite a more pro-active gym to do the warm-up at the Tower of London on 6 May and Canary Wharf on 3 June.

Hyde Park 10k - British Heart Foundation

I ran in the second of my six 10k runs on 15 April, this time in aid of the British Heart Foundation, in Hyde Park as part of the BHF London trilogy. I was joined by my colleague Nigel who travelled up to London from Hastings to support me for the first half of the run, as it turned out. There was a great turnout of around 2,000 people mostly kitted out in red BHF t-shirts.

After a questionable warm up from Fitness First, we set-off and I decided to keep to Nigel’s pace to begin with, particularly as he had travelled up specially. We were slightly below my normal speed but the conversation and spirit was good, up until about the 4k marker, when both the banter and Nigel started to flag.

A two lap 10k run is always tricky at the halfway point, and even I wasn’t able to motivate Nigel to start the second 5k, so he called it a day and collected his medal. I plugged the music into my ears and stepped up the pace, managing a 24 minute time on the second 5k, after running 30 mins on the first 5. I’m reasonably happy with 54 minutes, which is the same time as I did last year around Hyde Park, and I think I may have struggled more had I started faster.

Sponsorship is now just past the £650 mark, so roll on the next jog at the Tower of London where I’ll be joined by a few more GG Fit team members.

2009 Goals update

How are your personal targets for 2009 looking? Completed, not started, or a quarter of the way there? It’s the start of April, spring has sprung, and it’s a good time for a review.
If you don’t have any, get some, and write them down now! Mine are here.

And here’s how they’re going…

Fitness

• One 10k done, 3 lined up for April, May & June in aid of the BHF, so will be past halfway in Q2
• Knees feeling the pressure of snowboarding & running, but warming up properly for both!

Business

• Life coaching starting to have effect on staff in gyms & clubs, but at least 6-9 months needed demonstrable results on motivation and member retention

Personal

• Guitar going well, helped by new guitar for birthday!
• Charity events – join me here

Next update June, or sooner…