Week 1. Day 1.
This isn't the first time I've tried to complete the C25K program (more like the tenth...). I usually get to Week 6 and just stop. Not because it's too hard (even though it is super hard!) but because the routine doesn't stick.
So, this time around I'm going to use this discussion board to make myself more accountable. And, to make things more interesting, I'm also going to write a little short story as I go.
Here's hoping it sticks this time! ;D
Episode One:
Her eyes were bright with excitement as she gazed over the tumultuous sea, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath. Jem loved to run, she just wished she was better at it. Behind her, the outline of her footprints in the sand were washed away by the spray of foamy water. The sea was warm as it rolled over her feet and between her toes.
In Darwin, the beach was not a place for sandcastles and swimming; too many threats lay below the surface. Crocodiles, jellyfish, hidden rocks and underwater caves. Only the very brave, or very stupid, dared to swim in its murky waters.
Instead, the locals found something entirely different to enjoy while walking along Darwin's unique beaches; the sun.
Every evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon far out over the water, stunning reflections and bright colours illuminated the sky to farewell the day. Stripes of orange, pink and purple moved in layers through impending storm clouds; lightning regularly striking to remind those who witness it of the fierce beauty of Mother Nature.
A frown creased Jem's delicate features as she looked out to sea. What was that? Something metallic had flashed across the horizon so quickly that she had almost missed it, but she didn't miss what happened next. None of the hundreds on that beach could have.
The ground trembled. She held her breath. In the distance, a chorus of sirens filled the silence. An earthquake, Jem thought in disbelief, in Darwin? Suddenly, countless sand particles jumped into the air and hovered at eye-height.
"What the...?" Jem breathed, her fingers reaching out to feel the coarse layer of impossible sand. Almost immediately, the sand dropped to the ground as physics demanded. Far out to sea, the strange metallic object shot back across the horizon, then came to a stop ten kilometers off the beach. Hundreds of witnesses on the beach pointed and gasped.
"Impossible." Jem whispered, worrying her lip between her teeth. Then, because Jem apparently hadn't been shocked enough, the unidentified flying object opened and a powerful beam of blue light shot down into the ocean.
The sonic boom was deafening, and a powerful gust of air sent Jem and everyone else on the beach flying backwards. She grunted as she collapsed on the sand, her body aching.
Well, she thought as she pushed herself up with her elbows to study the UFO, that was unexpected...
Here's hoping I make it that far! 
Take your rest days without fail and other exercise on those days is useful too, for building up both strength and stamina.
Don't make the mistake I just have - of running on sand:-(
The Journey begins!
Does salt water damage running shoes?
Asphalt versus hard sand
