One more til Graduation!!!

[Narmour]

If anyone read my blog at the weekend, you will perhaps remember how I inadvertantly skipped week 7 run 3 and all of week 8 to complete week 9 run 1 by mistake. I was out in heavy rain and, rather than walk home and get even wetter than I already was, I decided to keep running and get back in front of the fire a little bit quicker. I managed to do 5k in 32 minutes that time round.

Well, I decided to keep up this progress and see if I could cope with a week of 30 minute runs. So I set out last night (although my belly was still feeling a little heavy from dinner) with a 'can do' attitude and a playlist of my own tunes. I have reached breaking point with the C25K music choices!! For the record, I skim listened through the week 8 podcast, as I felt no C25K experience is complete without being able to form an opinion on the Marmite tune. That's 'Julie', for those uninitiated. I can report that, although it is awful, it is no more awful than many of the dire auditory offences I have experienced over the last 7 weeks. in fact, it comes nowhere near the levels of toecurling cringiness of one of the tracks on weeks 5 and 6 I think. I can't remember any details about it other than a female vocal and she sings about "making me sweat..." and "I've got one foot on the ground and my world is spinning upside down" ugh. I'm recoiling at the thought.

Anyway, back to last night. I set off at a leisurely pace and took my usual circular route down past the marina, along the shore to the yacht club and along the beach promenade. When I first tried this run it was really tough, by the time I reached the yacht club I was seriously out of breath, and counting the seconds til I could stop. Last night I was gliding along. I reached the yacht club and had barely noticed my breathing, whereas before it was all I could to get air into my lungs!! I made it along the beach, gave myself a small uphill to get back onto the road, and ran back along the road. When Nike+ told me I had run for 30 minutes, I decided to carry on to 5k (about another 0.2km). When I reached this, I decided to carry onto the end of the road. When I got there, I decided to run to the entrance of my estate. Only when I hit the big hill did I stop. 5.65km in 36 minutes. And if that hill hadn't been there I would've carried on (it's seriously steep).

Sorry if this is a bit long winded, but I'm feeling seriously chuffed today. One more run and it's graduation!!! I may give myself a few rest days and do the Parkrun on Saturday. My knee is a bit sore today, and I can't imagine what could be worse than injuring myself on my last run.

Thanks for reading!!!

[squaremum Graduate]

As ever, you make it sound easy! I agree wholeheartedly about the 'make me sweat/make me red' tune, I seem to remember it's in two consecutive weeks! One more incentive to get through them I suppose!

Take it easy on that knee

[Narmour Graduate in reply to squaremum]

Thanks Squaremum, I can only report my experiences and I know I am very lucky to not find the programme a slog. I hope my positive approach to blogging here comes across as encouraging rather than boasty!!

as I'm typing I have that b$%%*y song stuck in my head now. Curse you NHS, curse you.

The knee is being well and truly rested, it is a new pain, not severe but enough to make me slightly concerned. That knee has been a bit weak the whole way through and I have had it strapped up since week 1 run 3, which helps, but I am concerned that it might not be used to the long runs yet. Time will tell. Just going to take it easy and see what happens.

[lizziebeth57 Graduate]

Your post doesn't sound 'boasty'' at all! Hope your knee recovers quickly and you have a fabulous last run.

[Narmour Graduate in reply to lizziebeth57]

Thanks Lizziebeth.

[Fentaz42 Graduate]

Well done Narmour!

It is a bit worrying when you start getting aches and pains in your joints. My decision to stop running last week was definetly the right one as my knees are still not right! New trainers next week though, so I'm thinking I should be perfectly able to start back where I finished!

As for the 'Julie song' well, I think it's one of the better tunes! Some of the music, I agree whole heartedly with you, is dire!!

Anyway, well done getting to over 5k! Happy Running!

[Narmour Graduate in reply to Fentaz42]

Thanks!! the knee is feeling better now than it did this morning so should be ok for Saturday. I may do some swimming in between for something low impact. Best of luck with keeping your knees from falling apart!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Perhaps there should be a C25k music rehab community, somewhere on Health Unlocked, designed to rid the afflicted of the horrors and trauma of 9 weeks of exposure to earworms and intrusive lyrics about sweating and Julie, which have upset the sensibilities of so many participants. Then again, maybe the psychology is more astute than we we are willing to accept. When under threat, adrenaline is released and the fight or flight reflex takes command, enabling superhuman feats to be undertaken by mere mortals, which is pretty much the way I view my progress through the blessed C25k programme.

Narmour, you are obviously a natural and I am sure your grad run will be memorable and more than likely a PB. Be warned about Park Run, it is great, but quite a few of us have got carried away and regretted the consequent time out through injury. take it easy and enjoy your running.

[Narmour Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks for your kind words Ianno. The jury is still out as to whether I will do the run on Saturday. I will see what my knee feels like on Friday night but if the improvement over the next few days is as good as today had been I should be ok. It'll be low and slow, no record setting just getting finished. Like a lap of honour!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Narmour]

You've deserved it!