After a slightly fitful night’s sleep thanks to the excessive temperature in my bedroom, rising to run this morning was both a mental and physical battle. Today was the final run of three in week four of the programme and I couldn’t find running socks for love nor money!

Way back in week one I said something along the lines of ‘I couldn’t imagine ever running without support socks because of my stupid leg’ (well… something like that anyway!). But this morning I did, and this may have been a massively foolish decision. After finding the first run this week surprisingly easy and even the second one – whilst running with the dog proved less problematic and painful than I had expected. But this morning – my legs felt like lead weights and the only think I could possibly attribute it to, was the lack of support socks.

If anyone has advice on this leg pain phenomenon it would be gratefully received. The muscles down the outer side of my shin bones were burning and causing my legs to feel so heavy that I almost stopped a couple of times. I stretched before and after the run and did a five minute warm up and cool down walk as with every podcast in the programme. The pain always comes in the same muscles. Like a stich sort of pain, but in the muscles on the outside of my shins – this all seems so very odd. Could it be my shoes?  I was ‘checked’ for the particular style in a Sweaty Betty store so they should do the trick and I certainly can’t afford a new pair, this is one thing I am sure of!

Pain aside though – I am really bloody proud of myself for getting this far. Running that far is genuinely something I never thought I would or could ever do. But I have, and with each week, I feel less daunted by the one that’s waiting for me. If there’s anyone reading this that’s wondering whether or not to bother with starting the plan – or thinking that maybe they won’t be able to do it – so they won’t bother. You should put those thoughts to bed. Give it a go. Give it six weeks and you will find you are so used to it that the fear subsides. Get to week four like me – and you will find you already feel that. Four to six weeks is nothing really is it. It’s no longer than you had to wait to remove your first earrings when you had your ears pierced. No longer than the summer holidays, it’s got to be worth a punt, right?

Week five beckons for me and although I know it’s going to be a difficult one, with three different, ever progressing runs, rather than one repeated run, I am genuinely looking forward to it.

I have not yet seem much progress with weight loss or body shrinkage, but I am sure it will come when the running time starts to increase more. The infamous shorts are still sitting in my drawer, taunting me. But I will win. I will shake my bootie in those Calvin Klein’s. Just you wait and see!

 What a busy morning it's been here at Lou HQ! Wowzers! And I still managed to fit a run in this morning too, just call me Wonder Woman!

As today's title suggests - THE LEGS are my big issue today.
I really, really detest my legs, I mean - don't get me wrong, I am so grateful that I can walk and run (sort of) and all the things that a fortunate able bodied person can, but when they were handing out slender pins of glory, I was right at the back of the queue. I suffer from what is commonly known as 'tree-trunk' legs. It's true, they are bigger and musclier than any other female legs I have seen, and to top it all they are covered in eczema.

In 2005 I suffered a DVT in my right leg and was terribly ill for some time with it. Spending hours in doctors’ surgery's getting blood test after blood test, taking blood thinner-after blood thinner and lolloping around on crutches, and it's never quite worked right since.
Standing or sitting for too long will make it swell, too much heat and humidity will make it swell, sitting at a funny angle will make it swell - running can make it swell. In short -it's unpredictable - and it's the inevitable unpredictability of it that causes the eczema too. Un-avoidable so I am told by doctors, great!
So I spend my Summer months hiding them away as much as possible, not only are they just ugly, they are veiny, scabby and swollen, you getting the picture?! I envy women with lovely slender. Toned, tanned legs. The women that can just whack on a skirt (or a pair of size twelve Calvin Klein short shorts!?) and look amazing, only having to address the odd hair here or there. One day, it shall be me!

Due to the DVT, I always run in support socks, you know those really sexy, super grippy, ridiculously expensive-knee high beauties. I can't face the thought of what might happen if I didn't use them, especially on my bad leg and usually they help with the fatigue and pains - but today, even after lots of stretching and now, two hours after the run - they are aching and the pains I was experiencing whilst running were along the outsides of each shin bone - in the muscles either side. Ouch ouch ouch. The stamina for keeping going through eight runs today was pleasingly not a problem, though this could have just been the distraction of the pain. Looking at my trainers (Asics, for which I was measured in Sweaty Betty a while ago) I seem to heavily place emphasis on the outside of my feet when running. Could this be the problem? Any advice?