Hello everybody!!
I've really missed posting on here as often as I did in the 'before times'. Before what, you ask? A cold so debilitating I not only coughed up my entire digestive system, but also found it difficult to walk in a straight line and remember what the Hell I was meant to be saying. I even took a day off school! 
Anyway, I felt a lot better today and was determined to go for a run this evening. It had been a total of nine days since my previous run - the first of Week 9 - but I wasn't especially worried. From having read a lot of posts on here, I knew it wouldn't have affected my fitness that much, if at all.
I set off when the sky was still a pretty blue. I headed off down the usual West-facing road, admiring the pastel yellow and pinks in the sky. It was a little chilly, but I knew I'd soon warm up - that sort of thing doesn't bother me anymore. I hummed along to 'You and Julie' and startled a man coming around the corner as I did. I smiled and carried on.
I began running after the 5 minute warm up and the pace felt a little weird. I couldn't quite decide whether I was actually going that much quicker than my walk or not. I tried not to think about it, because thinking about it only makes us more conscious of what we're doing and leaves us more likely to question it. My breathing was fine - there were no remnants of my cough to be felt or heard. I was pleased!
The first ten minutes or so felt like a bit of a slog. A little Gremlin prompted piped up, "Why did you bother coming out again? Your legs ache already. You should give up." 'Bit dramatic', I thought to myself. I wasn't going to give up. I decided to loop back around on myself.
I ended up going an entirely different route back to my house, which involved me getting slightly lost. I was planning on taking the little diversion I'd walked on the day when I was foully ill, but I was coming the other way. I missed a turning and ended up in a street I'd never seen before in my life. "Good job," both me and the Gremlins said. Best still, at this point I had 5 minutes left to go and the road was sloping uphill. I decided against turning back when I noticed which part of the sky was adorned with colour, knowing I had to head in the opposite direction to get home. A black and white cat watched me, unimpressed, as I managed to more or less maintain my pace up the 'gentle incline'. I managed to speed it up for the final minute as I started on a flat stretch of pavement, just as I figured out where I was - the smell of McDonald's fries gave it away. Spurred on, I kept on running until the very end, slowing down to a walk as I emerged on the road where I live. I slowed down to a walk and headed back in the direction of home.
As I slowed, I coughed a little, as if my body was reminding me to take it a little easier. I felt great, though - my chest and breathing had been absolutely fine all run long, so a little coughing at the end was not really a problem in my eyes. I'd enjoyed my new little route, despite at one point being genuinely fearful that I was lost, and it's one I'll likely repeat in the coming weeks.
I have one more run until I officially graduate from the plan. It's a little frustrating that my health failed me in the final week, but better late than never, eh? 
With my British Heart Foundation 5K coming up shortly, I'm just pleased to be back out there running, and raising money for an excellent cause.
It's really, really good to be back. I hope to graduate on Wednesday evening, so watch this space!! Congratulations to anyone who graduated recently and I didn't get the chance to congratulate before. Hope everyone else is having a good Monday!! And special thanks for everyone who checked up on me when I fell strangely silent - it's good to know I'm thought after
Week 9 Run 2, nearly there! 😁
Week 9 Run 2
Yeah!! Week 9 run 2 in the bag!
Week 9 run 2 - fox hunt 
Week 9 Run 2: Fun run
