That quote is my favourite line from "Running Like a Girl" by Alexandra Heminsley (well worth a read btw). Apologies for the ramble but I hope this might help others.
I began my C25K running journey in March 2015. Full of enthusiasm and a rediscovered passion to run, I bounded though weeks 1-8 until disaster struck at work one day, resulting in a nasty calf tear. 😩 I couldn't run for 10-11 weeks and then had a couple of false starts before eventually graduating in October. Progress from there was sure and steady - running became an important part of my life, helping me manage my own anxieties and comforting me through the ups and downs of life, most notably the decline and loss of my own dear Mum just after Easter this year and then a week later the sudden and unexpected death of my father-in-law. Running got me through the surreal days of paperwork and funeral arrangements that followed and the complex probate process too. Grief comes in waves doesn't it? Good days, bad days, days of normality and then of sadness. My family kept me strong too. In May I ran my first 10k race (Great Bristol run) with my sister. We ran it for Mum and held hands as we crossed the finish line🙂. It was a special day and I felt so strong despite all we had been through. At work I even secured a new post which I begin in September. My running form then seemed to plateau and dip. I developed a hip niggle which I could not shake off. I eased up, I even took almost two weeks off running (😮 that was hard!), I have struggled in the heat to run 5k some days, but you know what? I am still out there, still plodding away and the last few runs have been so much better. This morning's felt like I was back on form at last! Increased strength work seems to have resolved the hip problem, the runs are feeling easier again and I hope to start some longer runs again this week. I think what I want to say to anyone out there, is just keep on going. Whether it's injuries or hard times, we move on through them all. The words above have seemed very apt in my life just recently and have become a bit of a mantra on those harder runs, which we all get. To anyone struggling on the programme - just believe in yourself and keep on running. Hope everyone has good runs today🙂!
Do you have to run 3 times a week to feel the benefits?
Got to keep going
Sometimes you have to forget speed and distance and bpm, and just run for the sheer bloody joy of it.
Sometimes you just have to compromise...
