Staying in with a DVD

Since my foot started playing up again, I have done NO running. Yes it's back to the old cross-training, as I wait for the heel to heal. I've enjoyed all the cycling I've been doing, and it's close to running in the sense that you get to enjoy fresh air and scenery, and it's aerobically good. But it's harder to fit into my week. It's dark in the mornings and evenings now and I haven't got lights. Even if I did, it feels too dangerous.

So I've come up with a new plan! DVDs! On Monday morning I woke up early and couldn't get my ipod to work. I stomped off to the living room in a bad mood, and did a bit of web-surfing in the dark and quiet. Then it came to me that I could fit in a 30-minute work out quite easily at that time, before anyone else gets up. Unfortunately the only fitness material I had was on VHS, and although our video still works, it's all pretty old and I've done them to death.

A quick look at Amazon, and I'd ordered a strength and cardio DVD. I wanted something to do straight away though, so I headed to the shops, and got a pilates DVD. I haven't done pilates before, but my core stability is frankly an embarrassment, so I thought it'd be good for me.

On Tuesday morning, my alarm went off in the darkness. I felt really tired, but dragged myself up and did 40 minutes of engaging-my-trunk type stuff. I was sweating away when I noticed the clock in the living room said 6.05am. What? I'd set my alarm for 6.30am. In my second dopey moment in the last 2 weeks, I realised I hadn't changed the time on my mobile phone when the clocks went back at the weekend. Doh. I'd got up an hour earlier than intended! Still, plenty of time to cool down and shower afterwards...

I was a bit concerned about whether the workout was challenging enough. That was until I woke up on Wednesday with the aching abs from hell. Yikes! All sorts of funny muscles have been screaming at me!

So in a run-free few days, I've done over 10 miles of cycling, 30 mins of pilates, and 30 mins of 'cardio-pump' (whatever that is). I'm thinking about a cheeky 3-mile run soon, just to keep my hand in. The foot feels ok most of the time, but I'm pretty sure it'll start hurting again if I start running again. Even so, I think if it's going to hurt anyway, I might as well keep my fitness up with a bit of running. Right? Right?














Any recommendations for DVDs? Should I try a run? Suggestions and advice gratefully accepted (but not necessarily adhered to...)