Habits change with time, some for the better, and others for the worse.
I used to be a runner.
As in, when I was a teenager, I was a sprinter. I would run 100m in 12 seconds flat. Not world beating, but I was quick. It helped when I played football and rugby, and I meant that I could technically call myself a runner.
While at University I would be active almost every day. Monday night- football. Tuesday night I went rock climbing. Wednesday night I would play uni-hoc (hockey) with some friends, or perhaps indoor football. Thursday night I would swim and then Saturday I would be out playing football at the beach, climbing or wild swimming.
Then I started working as an SDR.
Which is a full-time desk job, sat down all day every day. I moved from York to Basingstoke, 4 hours away from everyone I knew, and I got married. Almost everything in my life changed overnight. It was awesome!
But it meant that I went from playing sports 5 times a week to playing football once a week, if I was lucky.
Over the next five years I gradually put on weight, had spurts of regular swimming or extra football games but no consistency to any physical activity of note.
Accountability, Habits and Couch to 5k
Fast forward to March 2020, when lockdown starts in the UK.
My wife suggested I try the Couch to 5k app, (which I did once before, with her, and she was too fast for me, so I stopped after one run!) and I decided to give it a go.
About 9 weeks, and 26 runs later, I am about to complete the program this weekend. I have religiously tracked them in the app, along with my Habits App that I use to track everything from posting on LinkedIn every day to drinking enough water.
Do I enjoy running yet? No. But Laura, the woman whose voice has been guiding me through the program each run told me last week that I can officially call myself a runner now. The program ends when you run for 30mins without stopping.
I am typically covering around 4km in each run now, so still not quite to 5k, but following the completion of the program I plan to run 5k each time no matter how long it takes.
Off the back of this, I saw a post about the recruiters 10k/half marathon organised by Ryan McCabe at Odro and have signed up. I am already 90% through the training plan, I might as well accelerate through and run further than I ever have in one go, right?
We will see how it goes, but the key to all of this is accountability. I told everyone here in lockdown with me about the Couch to 5k thing, so that meant I had to do it. I was constantly accountable to the thing I had committed to.
Now I am telling anyone who will listen about this. It means you are all entitled to hold me accountable.
It is the same when trying to achieve anything, accountability is the key. Find someone who will help you to consistently work hard to develop yourself and do the things you commit to. Like a Sales Coach, perhaps.
Anyway, the Active Recruiters 10k is on the 10th July, and it is all in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Please see how you can help below or how you can join on the 10th!
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/active-recruiter-challenge
By JR