Done it!! Week 9 Run 3 at Farmoor Reservoir in... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Done it!! Week 9 Run 3 at Farmoor Reservoir in a beautiful sunny morning!

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduate
β€’39 Replies

And here's the full mobot to prove it!

I can honestly say this is one of the best things I've done. At school I hated running, and I was very un-sporty - always the number 11 batsman, and made to field in a position that didn't matter too much, always the last person to be picked for the football games etc etc.

Week 1 - I never believed I'd be able to do 30 mins given the struggle it was to run for one minute at a time. But I'm delighted to have got through it - not repeating any runs, and not having to stop when I was supposed to be running (apart from once for a few seconds when I got lost!)

And this community has been an immense inspiration - just to read people's inspirational stories and reading of folks overcoming struggles, gremlins etc.

Next thing is to attempt to run 5k (today I covered just over 5k including the warm up walk, and the 5k Strava gong went at about 38 minutes after the start of the workout. I actually ran for 31 minutes so I could catch up with my wife who was walking across the bridge path across the reservoir.

I'll try and post some observations later about what I've learnt - but at the moment I'm just too ridiculously chuffed to see that little grey icon saying "Graduate" after my name to put down anything coherent.

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iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachan
Graduate
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39 Replies
β€’
Burrows79 profile image
Burrows79Graduate

Well done runner πŸƒβ€β™‚οΈ

KimLoulou profile image
KimLoulouGraduate

Well done. Enjoy your sucrssd

SueKen profile image
SueKenGraduate

Well done Iain!

spinner2017 profile image
spinner2017Graduate

Awesome well done

Bluebirdrunner profile image
BluebirdrunnerGraduate

Woo hoo...hello Graduate Iain😊...

Congratulations on completing the program in style.βœ‹πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰

Happy running..

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply toBluebirdrunner

I still can't get the silly smile off my face?

Bluebirdrunner profile image
BluebirdrunnerGraduateβ€’ in reply toiain-strachan

Its a great moment to have captured on camera too Iain.. good planning. :)

Looking forward to hearing what you do next...

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply toBluebirdrunner

I have to admit the mo-bot was posed and pre planned! I was wearing the phone on my arm during the run. My wife walked round and took the short cut path across the reservoir so in the final moments I turned up this path and ran to meet her, total 31 mins. Then we put the phonecam in burst mode so I could pick the best one out. I might be able to make an animated GIF out of the 73 frames it captured.

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply toBluebirdrunner

The plan is to do the Abingdon Parkrun next Saturday. During the week I might have a practice at actually running for 5k. I'm thinking it will take me about 36 to 37 minutes at current pace. Want to spend some time consolidating 5k runs before trying anything longer.

louisep76 profile image
louisep76Graduate

Yay!!! I bet you're over the moon. Well done

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply tolouisep76

I think "over the moon" sums it up pretty well. I didn't expect to feel this good about finishing. Is this normal? πŸ˜ƒ

naedoot profile image
naedoot

Well done

Millsie-J profile image
Millsie-JGraduate

Congratulations graduate! Lovely shiny badge πŸŽ“πŸ…πŸ’ͺ🏻⭐️

Fabulous job Iain! I remember the feeling so well. You have come a long way and the world of running is opening ahead of you......

Karina1976 profile image
Karina1976

Absolutely fantastic, such and achievement and well done . Hoping this will be me in just over 2 weeks x

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply toKarina1976

I'm sure you'll make it. I think once I'd cracked 25 minutes on Week 6 Run 3 (dreaded it before!) I kind of knew that I had one week to get used to this, then the increases for Week 8 and 9 to 28 and 30 minutes respectively looked very doable.

runlikeagirl profile image
runlikeagirlGraduate

Excellent. Well done! πŸ‘ πŸ‘

Well done graduate! You're a runner now!πŸ‘πŸ˜„πŸ˜„

Sandraj39 profile image
Sandraj39Graduate

Congratulations! What a great post and what a fantastic place to run too! Good luck with the next stage of your running journey! πŸ™‚

Pizzola profile image
Pizzola

Well done Iain, you seem to have enjoyed the whole experience!

Martin_Rose profile image
Martin_RoseGraduate

Well done you, I've just done run1, week 2, hope to be where you are up to soon, great achievement.

ancientrunner profile image
ancientrunnerGraduate

Well done - and join the rest of us who can't work out why we left it so long to become a bit "sporty".

Gillma profile image
GillmaGraduate

Run-gratulations!!!!! So good - love the picture. You sound unstoppable .

Curlygurly2 profile image
Curlygurly2Graduate

Just brilliant! You are allowed to be chuffed, in fact it's obligatory! I'm glad your photographer agreed to be there, that's a super shot, and what a lovely place you run in! Congratulations and welcome to the grads lounge. And thank you for sharing your journey with us, I've enjoyed your posts! Don't disappear now, stick around and let us know what you get up to next xx

PaulaHud46 profile image
PaulaHud46Graduate

Congratulations ! Amazing! Well done! I'm fully expecting to bawl when I do it πŸ‘Š

Rolavery profile image
Rolavery

Well done that's amazing!!!

Lastlight profile image
LastlightGraduate

Congratulations, a great achievement.

figmeg profile image
figmegGraduate

Hurray! It's my last one tomorrow - I had to have 4 attempts at W9R2! Hopefully tomorrow will go a bit more smoothly . . . Well done! :D

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply tofigmeg

Good luck!! Let us know how it goes.

figmeg profile image
figmegGraduateβ€’ in reply toiain-strachan

Thanks! I did it! Hard work and only 4k but onwards and upwards! :D Off to get my badge now . . . .

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply tofigmeg

The badge suits you! :-D

figmeg profile image
figmegGraduateβ€’ in reply toiain-strachan

Haha!

Decker profile image
Decker

Nice work Iain! πŸ‘πŸΌ

Mee07 profile image
Mee07

Well done and a massive congratulations. πŸ‘πŸ»πŸ‘πŸ»πŸƒ πŸŽ‰

Bonkersbrit profile image
BonkersbritGraduate

So pleased for you!πŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌEnjoy the raw, child-like , all encompassing feeling of personal pride. Somehow, I think we forget how to feel emotions like we did as kids......until we learn to run!!!

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply toBonkersbrit

I think you absolutely hit the nail on the head there about feeling emotions like kids!

See this well-written Guardian article: theguardian.com/lifeandstyl...

Here's a particularly good bit from the article:

Running brings us joy. Watch small children when they are excited, at play, and mostly they can't stop running. Back and forth, up and down, in little, pointless circles. I remember, even as an older child, I'd often break into a run when walking along the street, for no reason.

...

Racing along out on the trails, or even through the busy streets of a city, splashing through puddles, letting the rain drench us, the wind ruffle us, we begin to sense a faint recollection of that childish joy. Somewhere a primal essence stirs deep within us; this being born not to sit at a desk or read newspapers and drink coffee, but to live a wilder existence. As we run, the layers of responsibility and identity we have gathered in our lives, the father, mother, lawyer, teacher, Manchester United-supporter labels, all fall away, leaving us with the raw human being underneath.

....

I just love that bit about all the labels all falling away - as if we are shedding the baggage that we normally carry around.

Mimirossi profile image
MimirossiGraduate

Well done Iain! So pleased for you!

McFitty profile image
McFittyGraduate

What a lovely graduation post. Fabulous picture! It quite takes you by surprise doesn't it, that elated feeling of pride and accomplishment? I remember thinking 'I feel like I've just conquered everest'. I didn't get rid of the silly smile for days.

Huge 🎈🌻CONGRATULATIONS🌻🎈Iain

Party on😊

πŸ†πŸ§πŸΉπŸ»πŸ·πŸŽ‰πŸ°πŸΈπŸ’₯πŸŒ»πŸŽˆπŸŽ“πŸŽ“πŸŽ“πŸŽˆπŸŒ»πŸ’₯πŸΈπŸ°πŸŽ‰πŸ·πŸ»πŸΉπŸ§πŸ†

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduateβ€’ in reply toMcFitty

Thank you! You've just put the silly smile back on my face again! Now then, I must try harder to be serious & get on with my work! Parkrun next Saturday I think! Maybe a practice or two during the week at actually running 5k rather than just for 30 mins.

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