Don't skip ahead - a cautionary tale

[Tickety-Boo]

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.

[HeleneCorsa Graduate]

Hello, and what a fabulous post - very interesting stuff that I am sure most of us can relate to.

I'm glad that you have recovered and are making good, steady and injury-free progress with your comeback to the programme.

Congratulations also on the amazing weight loss - that's an impressive achievement.

Totally agree about how much we can do by gradually chipping away at things. Often it is easy to be deterred by what seems to be an unmanageable task and never really get off the starting blocks. I think that is one of the great lessons of C25k. It's also great for motivation to have lots of little targets to meet on a regular basis.

Good luck as you continue your journey!

[Tickety-Boo in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Hi Helene, yes I agree, the C25K is a great example of 'chipping away' for a great end result. It's very empowering to achieve something such as running for 30min for those of us who never thought we were the 'type' to be able to do that!

[Razouski]

That was good of you to share your story, and hopefully will help others who think they might skip forward and then risk injury. Glad that you're enjoying your running, and I'm sure it will give you more energy to keep up with your little one!

[Tickety-Boo in reply to Razouski]

Yes...3 kids so energy is always in short supply - well from me...not from them! Never a dull moment 😊

[Martin_Rose Graduate]

Hi, what a great post, thank you for sharing this, I hope your running and life go on without any problems.

[Tickety-Boo in reply to Martin_Rose]

Thanks Martin - all the best to you too

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

A great post and I hope some folk, on the forum do take notice of this cautionary tale!!

Very, very well done you!!

[Tickety-Boo in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks - encouragement always relished here 😉

[Wizziewood]

Thank you for your lovely post, I'm sure it resonates with a lot of us.

Good luck with your future runs.

[Tickety-Boo in reply to Wizziewood]

Thank-you. Hubby on night shifts for a week so my future runs may be a little more future than I'd like, but that's life isn't it?! All the best to you too