January 5th 2013 I started recording my journey of weightloss and fitness here on WordPress. As the months went on my journey became more about self-realisation than achieving weight goals and distance on foot.
The words Jam Hunt are actually a shortened version of my (maiden) name – Janine Annette Marie Huntington, I have used them all my life in some form or another.
The more I got into the recording of my journey, the more I viewed the name as a ‘Hunt’ of whats possible – we don’t hunt ducks or wild boar here, we hunt the physical and mental territory or your life’s not yet known. Which sounds fairly philosophical, but that’s what happens when you reach a place of what you would deem to be a limit… and then surpass that.
I never really had any particular goal in mind, except to do better than I previously had, and then next day, to try and do better than that. The races, yeah they were some of the goals, but they were just a way of measuring how far one could go.
Some people like to do this in their work lives, some in their education, others in a spiritual nature. For some reason I just stumbled across running, which then turned into a passion for Trail.
As I look back at the posts in my blog I talk a lot about a lot, but often, in real life, I would just go out to breathe in the forest air and run a little… or a lot.
I can remember back to a time where I ran a 15km trail loop… on accident. I guess that is just what happens when you are trying to find yourself.
Anyway, where are we now?
At the start – I am literally back where I was some 5 or so years ago.
What was the turning point?
Over the last month I have been working hard to get myself well again. At times there were days where I struggled to get out of bed. A run of medication during some screening I was having for Blood Clotting, coupled with unhealthy lifestyle and a very anxious mind threw me into some of the sickest days I have had in my life. I didn’t have a lot of energy to do much, so I read and Netflix-ed.
One day in particular I came across a Netflix Doco on the Barkley Marathons (notice the ‘s’at the end of the word Marathon) – which I thought was really odd, as the Barkley is fairly exclusive and is technically deemed the ‘underground’ of the running world. I don’t mean that in a black market kind of way, but rather it is a race where compared to popular events, not too many people are working toward doing it – as the doco aptly named, it is – The Race that eats its young. Not to mention its extreme difficulty to even just enter. It was a surprise to see it on Netflix in the first place.
Now I am not about to whip out my tight tights to start training for this, but this is a race that tests how far you are willing to go, but more so, how much are you willing to find out about yourself.
I have read many a Ultra race report, but this is Next Level! Anyway, if you are at all interested in watching, its on Netflix.
Back to the Start – teaching my body to run again after years of a semi-sedentary lifestyle, but also feeding my body ‘what it needs’ – after years of take out, brunches, ‘treat yo-self’ and beers.
I am on my 3rd week of Couch25k, which must be like the 6th time I’ve completed it – I do this programme because it is manageable and its a good way to ease your body into physical activity. You can literally be the most un-fit person and still go on to complete it. It may take more than the prescribed 8 weeks, but you just keep repeating until you feel like you’re ready for the next level. To be fair, you will never feel like you are ready to move on to the next week, but that is the point. To push yourself until it is the new normal, and then push some more.
And that’s the thing about fitness and about life, you just have to keep pushing otherwise how else will you ever know what you are capable of.
So my first leg in this new journey is about getting myself back up and running, I would like to complete my first Park Run since it is now in Tauranga around middle to late August, I should be around my 6th or 7th week of the C25K programme.
Park Run is the perfect place to start, it is a timed 5km run for everyone. There is no first or last, you just turn up, have a run and maybe meet some people. No expectation, plus, it’s free. Can’t complain about that!
So anyway, if anyone is keen in joining me in a month or so, that’s where I will be.
Jay 🙂
On a Jam Hunt 