Graduate!!

[muzikalbadger]

Last run of Week 9 DONE!! Woo Hoo!!

Never thought I could achieve this, but I have! 4 stone overweight with a dodgy leg from a DVT but I have done it!! I have lost a stone in the process and am feeling fitter, more energetic and happier than I have in a long time

Loved the programme, it can work for anyone if you take it slow and steady and go at your own pace. My next challenge is to actually run a 5k, as I am only running about 3.7k in the 30mins.

Does anyone have any ideas on what to do next? I feel I need some kind of structure to keep me motivated! I have looked at c25k+ and speed and stamina, but a lot of people seem to struggle with them... What are audiofuel or motiontraxx like?

Thank you all lovely people for your support and advice through the past few weeks, it really kept me going!

J xx

[lycranotlikely Graduate]

Well done Muzikalbadger (love the name!). onwards and upwards...the sky's your limit now

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to lycranotlikely]

Thanks!! Also loving your username

[Mazzero Graduate]

HOORAY!!! Congratulations and well done. I'm so pleased for you you've come such a long way and achieved so much Good luck with your progression to 5K I'm not running that distance either and have listened to the 5+ podcasts which quite frankly I don't feel ready for just yet. I am going to continue with 3x 30 minute runs for a few weeks to continue to build strength and stamina and hopefully will then work on pace and distance.

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Mazzero]

Good thoughts mazzero, think I might up the time 5 mins each week until 45 mins when hopefully I will be hitting 5k, then work on speeding up a bit!! Also thinking about entering a 5k to keep me running!!! Worried I will lose motivation as I am quite goal driven... Thanks for all your support and encouragement!

[Hidden in reply to muzikalbadger]

Congrats MB! I'm hoping to get my graduating run in tomorrow, but like you have been wondering about the next goals -- also structure is something I need. Your plan is what I've been thinking about too, with similar speed at the moment. Keep posting as you move along this track. I really appreciate learning from your experience and that of all the other grads ;-). Looking forward to seeing your grey badge. Well done!

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks OhC!! Will keep 'posting'

[Scipio Graduate]

Congratulations muzicalbadger, that's great news!

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Scipio]

Thanks Scipio, you can't have long left to go either!

[Beek Graduate]

WELL DONE MUZICALBADGER! Congratulations on Graduating! You must feel very proud of yourself and I hope you've got something good lined up to celebrate with!

Happy running!

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Beek]

Thanks Beek, good luck with your graduating run too!! Feeling very proud!

[nativestar Graduate]

Well done! That's a great achievement!

As for advice on what to do next, have you thought about doing a Park Run? I know you said you haven't run 5k yet but you could always run for 30 minutes and then walk/run the remainder. They're fun and sociable and you should see your time improve which is a great motivator.

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to nativestar]

Thanks ns, sadly my local parkrun is when I am at work, but going to research others slightly further away

[rita57 Graduate]

Well done on graduating perhaps you could run week 9 for a little while longer but add your own music for motivation? Good luck

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to rita57]

Thanks Rita! Been using my own music throughout at roughly my natural bpm... Maybe I should get some faster stuff on my playlist!

[Carolecal]

Hey Muzikalbadger, Well Done !! You must be feeling amazing right now.Congratulations on a brilliant weight loss,too. I read somewhere here that it comes off even quicker once you are past Week 9 and continuing to run regularly,so good luck for that too ! Go get that shiny badge

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Carolecal]

Thanks Cc! Feeling FAB!! Long may it continue

[PamJK Graduate]

Many congratulations! A Park Run is an excellent idea and if you can keep running until the end, you will then have a benchmark to aim at. Even if you do walk, each week you could add one minute more or 30 seconds more running until you can run the whole 5K. I did my first Park Run during week 9 and managed the 5K in just under 35 minutes (I kept imagining Laura telling me not to stop and just to keep going no matter how slowly!). 3 months on (admittedly with some weeks off during June/July for personal reasons) I'm still running much the same time over the distance. However, I concentrating on technique and breathing and believe I am improving ever so slowly. But as we all know, some days feel better than others. Good luck!

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to PamJK]

Thanks Pam, great ideas about how to approach the parkrun if I can find one I can get too

[runningwild Graduate]

Well done, you must feel on top of the world! Good luck with your running.

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to runningwild]

Loving it!!

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Congratulations, job well done and good luck to the others who have their graduation run this week, looks like a busy week for Admin, don't forget to send them a message for your lovely well earned badges. For now to get to your 5K distance just add a couple of minutes or more if you are able, you'll be amazed just how quickly you get to the magic 5K. Good luck

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Oldgirl]

Thanks oldgirl, that is very much my plan, add a little at a time until I hit 5k can't wait for my badge!

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Congratulations, job well done and good luck to the others who have their graduation run this week, looks like a busy week for Admin, don't forget to send them a message for your lovely well earned badges. For now to get to your 5K distance just add a couple of minutes or more if you are able, you'll be amazed just how quickly you get to the magic 5K. Good luck

[Feefbev Graduate]

Congratulations! You must feel amazing! It's such an achievement......I'm beside myself with excitement about hopefully graduating a week today. Well done!

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Feefbev]

Good luck for your graduation, it feels amazing!! And is just the start of the journey!!!

[Eve1975 Graduate]

Well done. I am about to do my 1st post graduate run. I may download podcasts from here that are for after you graduate. I can do 4K in 30 minutes so still need to achieve 5K.

[muzikalbadger Graduate in reply to Eve1975]

Sounds like we are at much the same stage, good luck with the continuation of your journey and keep us updated

[Hidden in reply to Eve1975]

Hey, hey! Look at that shiny badge. Good on yah, Eve. Tell us how post-grad goes. We're following you