Douglas Ireland

Tag: Personal Reflection

  • Running, Stopping, and Starting Again.

    I’ve completed the Couch to 5K programme twice before. It’s not magic, but it works. Each time I finished, I felt quietly pleased with myself. I’d reached a point where running 5 kilometres in around half an hour was comfortable. Not easy, exactly, but doable.

    I enjoyed it, too. Or at least, I enjoyed the feeling afterwards. A clear head, lungs awake, the simple satisfaction of having moved my body for half an hour. And yet, both times, gradually and predictably, my trainers ended up back in the cupboard. Days between runs turned into weeks. Motivation faded, routines slipped.

    I’m not running right now because of a back injury. But I’m hoping I’ll start again soon. My aim is simple: run 5K in about 30 minutes, three times a week. The NHS recommends at least 30 minutes of vigorous activity weekly, enough to break a sweat and get properly out of breath, and this ticks that box neatly.

    For anyone unfamiliar, the Couch to 5K (often shortened to C25K) is straightforward. You run three times each week, for nine weeks. Early on, it’s mostly walking, with short bursts of jogging. Over time, the jogging bits get longer, and the walks shorter, until you’re running continuously for half an hour or so. It’s structured, manageable, and it doesn’t assume you’re already fit.

    I’ve never struggled with completing the programme itself. It’s after finishing, once I’ve proven to myself that I can do it, that the difficulty begins. Without a schedule nudging me forward, I slip quietly back into the old routines of not running at all. Maybe the issue is that I think of myself as having ‘finished’ something. Perhaps running isn’t something that can be finished. It’s more of an ongoing conversation between motivation and habit, between intention and routine.

    This time, I wonder if acknowledging this up front might help. There’s no great secret to staying motivated. It’s probably about quiet acceptance that some days I won’t want to run at all. But maybe running anyway, gently defying the urge to stop, will help me find a sustainable rhythm.

    For now, my shoes are waiting. Soon enough, I hope, I’ll be lacing them up again.

  • Moved a Bit, Felt Better

    Bank holiday Monday. No rush, no pressure. Just the quiet decision to go back to the gym for the first time in a while.

    I’ve been out of action since a herniated disc left me in hospital for four nights. It’s been a slow recovery, and today felt like the right time to move again. I wrote a bit about that in Showing Up, but this was the first time I’ve really been back in the gym properly.

    Starting slow on the Power Plate. This position helps release my lower back.

    After the Power Plate, I hit the treadmill. No incline, just a brisk pace. Music in my ears, a workout supermix, and a steady rhythm that felt surprisingly good. By 22 minutes I was breaking a sweat. I finished at 30 minutes, 3.03 km. Not pushing it. Just showing up, moving, breathing.

    30 minutes on the treadmill. My favourite kit, the West Germany shirt from Italia 90.

    Then it was time for some yoga with Stephanie. We kept it gentle. Yin yoga, slow and supported. Four poses, all on the mat.

    Positive rest. A way to let the nervous system settle before stretching. Allowing the spine to reset to its natural position.
    Drawing knees in again, easing tension from the lower back and massaging the back of the pelvis, spine and back into the mat.
    Supine twist. Gentle rotation, softening through the spine.
    Caterpillar pose, using a step to raise my hips and meet the pose where I’m at.
    Walking out feeling lighter. Hoodie on, good work done.

    Now we’re home. Bit of housework, cuddles with Chipshop, pizza and beer lined up. A good session, and now a good rest.

  • Showing Up

    Later today, I’m going back to the gym for the first time in a while. I had a torn disc in my back and ended up in hospital for four nights. It was incredibly painful, and recovery has been slow. Painkillers helped, but rest was the real work.

    I’ve missed movement. Not in a dramatic way, just in that quiet, background sense of knowing I feel better when I move. Even the small things like stretching, walking, or just feeling my body do what it’s meant to do.

    Coming back after something like this isn’t glamorous. There’s no big comeback moment. It’s just me, trying again, seeing how it feels. I’ll be happy even if all I manage is a short walk on the treadmill. Because after everything, showing up feels like enough.