I didn't stop ...

[Midriff_Crisis]

Well my last (but one) run (Sunday) was pretty successful. I'd managed to run 3k without stopping. My previous best was about 2.5k

Today I decided to tweak the route to avoid a tricky gate that always stopped me and stole momentum.

So, I set off running and settled down into a steady pace ...

I ran past the trees where I wheezed in week 1 ...

I ran past the cattle grid where I walked in week 2 ...

I ran past the 3k mark where I was flummoxed by the gate in week 3 ...

... and kept going. The nearer I got to 4k, the more determined I was to keep going ...

... so I passed 4k and my dream of doing 5k was in reach! So, I kept the pace steady (no crazy moves) and carried on, past the School and the watch beeped for 5k!!!

I still didn't stop running until I reached home, 5.7k and a whisker under 34 mins!

I'm absolutely over the moon. I haven't run for 30 years (school!) and just a month ago, I couldn't run more than about 300m, but C25k has absolutely changed me!

Woohoo! I'm still high as a kite!

[Wantorun2013 Graduate]

Lovely story well done congratulations 👏👏🏃👍

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Errrr well done ????? But.....I am confused... I thought you were on Week 4 of the programme? Have I got mixed up?

[Midriff_Crisis Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Erm, no. I kinda was on week 4, but I just did it! I just thought I had gas in the tank and ploughed on.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Midriff_Crisis]

okaaayyy ! Not sure how to respond... !!! Obviously you don't need C25K?

[Midriff_Crisis Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Without C25K, I wouldn't have run 5k ... I wouldn't have run 500 metres. I started in week 1 in shoddy shape and the intervals were an essential learning experience ... I could run, just not very far and not very fast. But it gave me the confidence to start running, to increase what I could manage to do, week on week and it made me really positive about what I could achieve if I put my heart into it.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Midriff_Crisis]

Brilliant...what will you move onto now?

[Midriff_Crisis Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

I've got to do a few more runs at that sort of distance to try and make them feel easier, then I'll venture a parkrun. I'm following the bridge to 10k group, so will see how I fare increasing the distance. If at all possible, I'd like to be able to run 10k by Christmas. I don't know if that's possible, but I'm hopeful.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Midriff_Crisis]

Sounds like you have a plan.

Bridge to 10K forum is great. You will be really, really encouraged to do lots of 30 minute consolidation runs and different routes etc... and the 10% rule will be mentioned a lot.

Most folk move across there a few weeks after Graduating from C25K...shall you finish the nine weeks and get your Graduation status.....?

[Midriff_Crisis Graduate]

Sorry about the delay in responding.

Yes, I'm going to do week 5 of the plan this week, so still using it as a basis for getting stronger and better at running. Naturally, I'd like to graduate as a springboard to 10k etc.

I'm planning to go to our local running club for their beginners sessions. A month ago, there's no way I would even have considered that as a possibility.

My wife has signed up for a 10k in December, so currently we're fighting for running time (what with kids and dogs etc to look after). We did have a nice 11k walk with short segments of running thrown in here and there, yesterday. It turns out that we run at a similar pace, which is good.