Paul Munnings has been the Daily’s sports editor since 2001, joining the paper after spending 10 years at the Tweed Daily News. Unfortunately work prevents him from playing more golf and watching more sport on TV – or writing a longer blurb for his blog!

Uh oh, it's time to get fit

July 9 | Paul Munnings

Here's a revelation for those of you who don’t know me all that well.

Sports editor of the Sunshine Coast Daily I may be, but fit enough to play many of the sports we write about I am not.

Taking a leisurely walk around a golf course or riding around the bike paths of the Coast is easy, but running that distance would be an impossibility – at the moment.

I’m guessing that would be the case for many men my age – the mid to late 30s.

We’ve played sport as a kid and in early adulthood, but now we spend much more time watching sport live or on television than actually taking part.

The result? An unfit body which weighs too close to 100kg for comfort, or perhaps is even over.

So here’s a challenge, and one which has been thrown at me. Try to run 10km when the Noosa Half-Marathon, 10km and 5km events are staged at Noosa on August 19.

Thanks to the event organisers, USM Events, I’ve been given some help - a personal trainer for the next six weeks to try and get me in shape.

Running 10km, without walking a step, is the goal.

As the old saying goes, if I can do it, there’s no reason why any unfit 30-something can’t as well.

What a challenge like this shows you, and what I hope it shows me, is that it isn’t too late to get fit and the benefits of shedding some kilos will last for much longer than the pain and time it takes to do it.

Until Saturday morning, when the serious training started, I hadn’t run more than kilometre – from what I can remember - since the Year 12 cross-country.

There’s been the odd sprint to get out of the rain, a dash to catch someone I’ve wanted to chat to, but that’s it.

Kate McDonald, one of the personal trainers at the Beach House Health and Fitness Centre at Kawana, has devised a six-week plan to get me, and maybe someone like you, to run 10km.

There’s three sessions to complete this week – the 4km of easy running or walking that took place on Saturday, some running up hill repetitions that will take place on Alex hill tomorrow and then a 4km time trial on Thursday.

If you’re one of those people looking to improve your fitness levels, let me know at paul.munnings@scnews.com.au
and I’ll send you out the rest of the six-week program.