In this CAS experience, I ran everyday (break on Sundays) for about 2 miles for 2 months. I started this with the aim of becoming fitter, faster and leaner. I woke up at 6:30 everyday to jog in my garden. Throughout the 2 months, I made many changes to my ‘running’. For example, I tried jogging for longer periods of time, sprinting for shorter time frames, running for 1 hour with breaks, running continuously for 15 mins, etc. I researched online about my posture during running, how to breathe during running, etc. I enjoyed running and also felt that it made my physical health and breathing much better than before.

The learning outcomes I achieved were: LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
LO1: Identify their own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.
LO2: Demonstrate that they have undertaken challenges, developing new skills in the process.
LO3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
LO4: Show commitment and perseverance in their CAS experience.

The CAS strand catered was: A (activity)

LO1: Running is very essential for any sport and I am not particularly bad at it but it is a major area for growth for me. So I focused on running (jogging) for longer periods of time to increase my endurance and getting leaner and fitter. Within running, I also identified areas of growth: running on toes and breathing through my nose, and keeping my core tight to avoid injuries.

LO2: I identified several problems with the way I was running so I undertook challenges to improve and develop new skills. All of it was very difficult at the start because my calves weren’t strong enough to sustain running on toes, I got breathless really quickly, and keeping my core tight gave me cramps and muscle soreness but over time I kept repeating and improving and I can say that I have developed those skills after months of practicing.

LO3: For this experience I tried planning when to run and how much to run. After research I understood that 2 miles is a good start if sustained for 4-5 days a week. I also planned my schedule around running–waking up early and then eating healthy food more than junk food. After planning if I would jog or run, what distance I would run for, and when I would run, I used to go running.

LO4: After running for a week and following the same routine everyday, I started to lose motivation and it was very challenging to wake up early every morning. However, because I was observing subtle changes I kept going and didn’t stop, even after the 2 months were over, I still kept running.

FINAL TAKEAWAY:

• Learner Profile: Balanced – running helped me stay fit even when I studied and focused on work all day.
• I achieved success in this activity because I can now run on my toes, control my breathing better, and have a better posture.

Evidence of my running distance: