So today was my final run - on my version of C25K it's Week 8, Run 3 but I took much longer than that! More like Week 14... Anyway, I decided I wanted to do the Oxford Parkrun as my graduation run (never done it before) and Xmas Eve seemed a perfect occasion...
The morning dawned pretty - vibrant orange sky. Was it a warning? I hoped not. But when we went outside, the wind was biting. I had two layers on and was freezing my not inconsiderable derriere off even though I was running on the spot and doing weird warm-up moves. I wished for something warmer or at least the run to start.
I did a Santa Run for charity two weeks ago - 3.5k - and found that pretty good and not too tiring. But this - OMG! When we started, it was at a cracking pace and I thought we were just doing a warm up but everyone continued at that pace! I was horrified, I've got to admit it, because I run at a much slower pace normally but felt a little pressured to keep up. I was in the bottom ten, right at the back. I ran faster than I have ever run before (apart from the final sprint). This didn't feel too bad to start with but I was worried that I'd run out of steam (literally).
There were tinsel dogs in front of me, people dressed as elves, fairies, reindeer. I had my santa hat on, thank goodness, to protect my ears from the cold. My husband ran with me and didn't complain at my snail's pace, despite the fact that he's a marathon runner (well, he ran ONE, years ago - he had done no training and yet found this easy...). I got a little despondent when the leaders of the pack lapped me when I was only halfway through my first lap because it was a wake-up call to how slow I feel I've been running but I had to keep telling myself that I was doing OK and it was about running the distance, not the speed.
The first 2.5k were OK - I was getting tired though as it was so much faster than I pace myself. When I saw we had to REPEAT the whole course, I had a fit as I didn't know if I could keep going. I did, though once I nearly stopped running and started to walk. And more than once I nearly fell flat on my face in the mud. Towards the end, I started singing aloud to Bruno Mars' 'Runway Baby' and then saying some not very nice words as I felt the exhaustion kick in. My husband kept encouraging me, so I carried on, staggering by this point. Usually I can manage a final sprint in the last 100m or so, but couldn't this time - lungs were burning and my left hamstring was protesting. But I finished, without stopping, and that was OK.
I've just had my time through - 35:21 minutes, though there was a delay at start and end. 5 minutes slower than my programme reckons it should take me, but hey ho - it's something I can aspire to. I was 316 out of 334 runners.
After we drove home, I could hardly walk when I got out the car but am feeling pretty good now. Just need to keep working on my stamina and time.
Thanks to everyone here for being so amazing. You're all stars! I am going to sit on my bum now and doze in a corner.
And here's proof that we finished! The camera didn't quite capture the beetroot hue of my face but that's probably for the best.
To everyone out there - Merry Xmas! And keep running!
Sam x
I can't believe I've GRADUATED !!!!!
No fanfare - but I've made it! Graduation run.
OMG!!! I'VE ONLY GONE AND GRADUATED!!!😄😄😄👏👏👏
Improving slowly since graduating
Graduated! Can't believe I've done it :)
