Following a week of grieving...

[Wooddairy]

I will finally do my graduation run tomorrow morning. I haven't been able to bring myself to post on here all week following the death of our beloved pet dog last Saturday. He died very suddenly and was only 9 years old which is very young for a westie. Stupidly I went out running last Sunday morning to try and take my mind off it but only ran for 18 minutes out of the 30 before almost collapsing and then crying all the way Home.

It should have been W9R1 but I just couldn't do it. Fortunately I managed it on Wednesday and Friday and so will now graduate tomorrow but I don't feel as excited as I should do. I know I have achieved a lot since I started this journey and still can't believe that I can now run for 30 minutes non stop but I so wish I could have finished it with my dog still here.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has kept me going over the weeks though and I know I couldn't have done it without you all!

Happy running everyone and believe me when I say that if I can do it, anyone can! I know everyone says that but I am no spring chicken and to be honest have found most of the runs really hard. I wouldn't say any of them are easy but it really is mind over matter. If you are struggling, imagine you are being shouted at by an army bloke on an assault course! That's what I did and told myself that I wasn't allowed to give up cause failure wasn't an option!

Happy running everyone and I look forward to posting more when I get back off holiday in 3 weeks. We are camping in Devon and I will be keeping up my running whilst there so sunny Devon, here I come!

Love to all xxx

[Beek Graduate]

Aaw Juliedriving instructor. I am so sorry you are grieving for your little Westie. Ours died aged 16 and I do understand how much they are part of the family. Give yourself a break and you will come back able to face up to the new circumstances. The runs are hard enough without this extra pressure on you so - be gentle on yourself. You will get there but don't beat yourself up about feeling upset. Enjoy the holiday in Devon - and keep on running

[Hidden]

so sorry for the lost of your beloved Westie. I have a dog who is nine yrs old and is diabetic and I know I would be utterly devastated if anything happened to him, so don't be hard on yourself, give yourself time to grieve, have a good holiday and try to enjoy your running.

[Wooddairy Graduate]

Thanks Beek and rita57 for your lovely comments. It has been an incredibly hard week and sometimes struggled to keep ontop of things but I am trying to focus on the good times we had with him and trying not to feel guilty for being so upset. I know exercise releases endorphins which makes us feel good so that's has spurred me on to keep running this week.

[RainbowC Graduate]

So sorry to hear about your dog For all that I'm not a dog person, running with ours does make a big difference to me - and I do miss him when I go for any road run, rather than the fields, since he can't keep up on his lead (and it's not because I'm particularly quick!).

Do be gentle on yourself; it's a big adjustment to make, getting used to life without the small & furry ones around.

Enjoy your holiday in Devon (beautiful county) - and happy running!

[newrunner56 Graduate]

Don't be hard on yourself, take time to mourn - so many people say 'it's only a pet' but they are so much part of the family, and grieving properly is very important.

I hope you manage to enjoy your holiday, and also by now perhaps you will have done the graduation run, so go for it - and let us all know how you got on xx

[Hidden]

Losing a beloved pet is a horrible experience. I felt awful when my previous dog died and had a hollow feeling for ages. I did get another dog but he will be 12 in September and I worry about him now as he's slowing down quite a bit. I hope to enjoy him for a long time yet but, sadly, we have to face that time and get through it at some point. As has already been said, go gentle on yourself, try to enjoy your holiday and don't be ashamed or feel guilty about spending time grieving. My thoughts are with you.

[Nerdio Graduate]

So sorry to hear about the loss of your Westie. We lost our 15 year old cat a couple of years ago so I know how hard it is.

It sounds like some Summer Sun in Devon might be just the tonic you need.

Keep running you are so close to completion.

[kirble Graduate]

So sorry you have lost your dog. Only you will know when you are ready to go for a run again and when that happens, you will then have quality time to think about the happy memories of your little friend. It will hopefully help you recover.

I have had two dogs in my adult life and after each died, it was hard to get over missing them greeting and ever-loving ways.

All doggy lovers out there know what you are going through

[Wooddairy Graduate]

Thank you so much everyone for all your support, you really are an amazing bunch of people. I so wish we could have some sort of c25k union so we could all meet up and properly thank each other for keeping us all going in our times of struggle

I did my run this morning and have finally graduated! I am going to write a separate blog now as otherwise I may well make this one too long! Thanks again for all your touching comments, it really means alot. xx