Hi everyone,
Writing this from Sydney where I'm living this year - I'm a NZer and will return there next year. I haven't posted since I did C25K a few years back. So, first up, I have completed the programme previously (2013) and can 100% vouch that it works. The reason I didn't keep up after finishing the programme is that in week 9 I discovered I was pregnant (very happily) and had marked fatigue and nausea so continuing my running just didn't happen.
Earlier this year I decided to get back into running and you know what my big mistake was? Being over-confident, perhaps even cocky!! and deciding that I would be fine to start off at week 3 - surely I didn't need to go back to week one, right???
WRONG! I developed Achilles tendonitis which took a long time to settle. It was very disheartening. I was overweight and going straight into week 3 without giving my body (and specifically tendons) a chance to warm up to the idea was a big mistake.
Meanwhile, while my tendon has been healing, I joined weight watchers. I've had great success. It hasn't been easy but it has worked - I've lost 8kg which has put me back in a healthy weight range and I feel great about it on many levels. The thing that made me think weight watchers might be a good idea was listening to an excellent podcast called 'Happier' by Gretchen Rubin and reading her book 'Better than Before' (she also wrote the more famous book, 'The Happiness Project'. It clearly articulated to me that what I needed was some outer accountability to help me have success with my goals. Like most people actually, I'm the type of person who will readily meet an expectation imposed by someone else (ie. do something for someone else) but I will put my own goals/needs/expectations on the back-burner - a lower priority level that I seldom got around to.
Anyways, my achilles tendon is happy too that I've lost 8kg and I've restarted the C25K programme..this time at week one of course! And so far so good. I've done 2 runs without pain. To be honest this setback has made me appreciate being able to run - when previously I had a bit of a begrudging attitude, now, I feel such appreciation and gratitude that my body is allowing me to run, it's a whole different experience. In 2013 I absolutely took my body for granted. Just 4 years of life experience later and I appreciate that in fact, hard as it may be, it is an absolute blessing to have the physical capability to go for a run. It's not a burden, it's a gift.
Several things in the last few years have crystallised for me the notion that you can achieve amazing things by just chipping away at them - consistently and persistently - whether its study or exercise or weightloss. Just a little bit, most days adds up remarkably quickly. Persistence will get you to your goal and consistency will keep you there.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who posts because these supportive, accepting online communities contribute enormously to people's wellbeing and success. I've seen it both with C25K and weight watchers. The Internet has a bad wrap for bullying and trolls but safe places like this, where people cheer each other and give each other positive accountability really make a huge difference. Thank you everyone. Best wishes for a great journey towards being fitter and healthier and joyful.
A Cautionary Consolidation Tale - imagine an 18yr old at the pub for the first time...
To skip or not to skip
Warning! Pity party ahead! 
MOTIVATION,MODIFY AND DON'T STOP MOVING
Not to get ahead of myself but..
