Hi everyone, I just have to share this.....Last night I completed run 3 of week 9 and decided to go for it and run the 5K. Now when I say 'go for it', I mean that I am so slow that I knew it would not happen within the 35 minutes I'd already got to..so after a long 51Minutes I finally got there!!!!!!!!! And you know what, I am totally thrilled!! I'll tell you why..
I have never, ever been able to run. I am 44 years old and although I was very sporty when I was younger, I have struggled massively with body image and confidence all my life and hate anyone seeing me in sports gear or doing sports due to wobbly bits!! I have a cross trainer and i do that in private!!! I never knew how to breath when running so thought I couldn't run. In May a good friend of mine was diagnosed with bile duct cancer and died just 17 days later. We were all devastated and in shock. My best friend Carol decided she needed to do something with all the sadness she couldn't process after Glynis' death, so decided to set up a challenge whereby her and 5 other friends would run 10K a day for a year with each of them doing 2 months each in order to raise money for the hospice where Glynis spent her last week. I knew I couldn't help as I cant run, but felt so inpired by Carol and needed to do something with the sadness too, so i decided it was time to face my fears and learn to run!!! Carol's husband who is also doing the 10k a day challenge, then asked if I would be willing to join the last day of the challenge next year and run 10K with them and I just said YES without thinking!!!!!!!!!!!! eek!!! So, I started couch to 5K.
It was not easy. In week 1 when Laura said are you ready to run your first minute, I actually said, "NO" out load and was gasping for breath the whole way round. Week 2 wasn't a lot better and I seriously doubted myself. At that point I developed sever shooting pains in my knees (I've always had bad knees) and felt like I had seriously damaged them. I strapped the worst one and carried on in pain. Week 3 was ok(ish) but week 4 I really struggled going up to 5minutes and seriously doubted getting to the end. I was also in constant pain in my right knee. Carol suggested using KT tape and it was a revelation!! Ive used it ever since and has been like a miracle!!! I dreaded week 5, but this was the week it started to come together and I finally seemed to learn how to breath! Being a mouth breather I always thought that was the problem, but when a friend told me how to do the 2 breaths in, it really helped and I stopped panicking!! The 20 minute run loomed and I thought it was an unimaginable challenge. I'd kept it a secret that I was doing this, so before the run, I told the other friend's of Glynis (we have a group whatsapp) that I was about to set out, so that i had to do it!! I was SO proud when I achieved it and could tell them all!! I was on an absolute high!!!! It got easier from there on in and I pretty much ran every other day from week 5-9. There were good runs and bad runs, but I am pretty bloody minded, so i was never going to give in. I owed it to myself and to Carol and to Glynis!! This week was week 9 and on run one i decided to carry on after the 30 minutes as I wasn't quite home and did 35mins. The next run was hard as I felt tired and sore. Yesterday I had been out all day with the kids and wasn't sure about my energy levels, but got my husband to drop me off so I had to run home from where he dropped me. I live right on the edge of town, then it is open countryside, so this is a lovely country run-avoiding horse poo and stinging nettles can be fun!!! Near the end I could choose to go one way and finish in 35 mins or go another way and carry on and try for the 5K!!! I hadn't decided what i wanted to do, but as I got to the turning, I decided to go for it and kept on running. As i said, it took me 51 mins to complete the 5k (my app later on said I'd done 5k in 47minutes, so i may have run 4 extra minutes unnecessarily, but hey ho, i did it!!). When i got home after the cool down walk, my husband and kids had made a finish line with flowers and a certificate, so i was SO glad I had gone for it and run the 5K!!!! I did over 6K including the warm up/cool down walks!
I cannot tell you how proud I feel of myself. I finally told everyone last night (via facebook!) that I have been doing this, and the response was phenomenal! I now need to work on speed and then work on building to 10k, but I have until May!! I lost my mum nearly 3 years ago and losing my friend had so many echoes, that it hit hard. She would have been so proud of me and I wish I could tell her, but it is good to know I can use running to do something positive and put something back by raising money for the hospice! I am so happy to have achieved something i never would have thought in a million years was possible!! 9 weeks ago I was struggling for breath after 1 minute-now I can run (slowly) and have achieved the 5K!! I love this programme and I love all the support in this group. Thank you Bek xxx
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Bek2000
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WOW. What a post, absolutely amazing Bek, you should be so proud of yourself and I'm sure your family and friends are. Well done this is a beautiful thing to read. Thank you Bek and good luck with the 10k.
Thank you for sharing your inspirational although challenging journey with us. This is such a supportive forum and has helped me through a tricky few months after sadly losing my lovely mum in law. We all have our reasons for trying to complete this challenge but it definitely helps to share the highs and the lows. I'm sure your friend would be overwhelmed by what you've done. Well done 🥂Xx
Aw thank you. It's so hard with bereavement as there seems no way to deal with it, other than time, but i do feel this has helped enormously. Sorry to hear about your mother in law too. And thank you Xxx
I think the headspace from running just helps me to cope to some extent. It allows me time by myself to think and move forward ( although slowly😕) . Allows me an extra glass of wine also 😊
You deserve to be very proud!! I'm wk4 run 3 next and am mortified for wk5 I think no way can I go 20 mins 😳 but keep plodding I guess!! I will keep thinking if this post...🤞
You can do it!!! Just trust the programme and no matter how slow, keep going!!! It is such a turning point doing that 20min run!!! I couldn't understand the jump from 8mins to 20, seemed like a mistake, but honestly, if I can do it, anyone can!!! Just be bloody minded and refuse to give in XXX
You will do it. Slow and steady. Break it up into 5 min chunks. Good tunes. Keep going ... it's such a good feeling after doing the 20 minute run. I did it early morning as more energy? Lost lots of sleep before hand though thinking I couldn't but you can. Massive sense of achievement once you do this run. Trust in the programme as so many advise on this forum. They're right 😁
🥇congratulations and very well done🎊 An inspiring post 😘
Thank you! You do-i cannot speak highly enough of this programme and the fact that it has got me running!! Good luck xx
Truly lovely post, and so inspiring, it's a constant source of amazement how a sad event or tragedy acts as a spur to our running, in a way that nothing else seems to. Well done you on doing this and aiming for a 10k, it shows just what a determined person you are. Keep enjoying that running and that lovely shiny badge
Thank you. Yes I kind of wish I'd known about this when I lost my mum, but maybe now was the right time! 10k seems a long way away at the moment, but I feel certain I can achieve it if I just keep trying xx
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Bring it on! XX
I did it, I've just graduated.
I graduated today!!! 
I wasn't built for speed!!
I graduated 🏆💪🏃♀️🥇
