Firstly, get some popcorn, I put the "long" into "winded"... Sorry! 
I started Couch to 5K because I wanted to be fitter. Literally my only forms of exercise were gardening and that I walk everywhere (well "everywhere" that Him Indoors isn't planning on driving to!). I wanted to be able to walk up a hill and not be out of breath. I liked the idea of running because I like solo activities and I live in a beautiful part of the world. So being able take off by myself into a forest or round a loch or along the coast seemed like a great way to unwind mentally. Basically I had simple goals and they had nothing to do with speed. Unsurprising really as I'm not a competitive person.
Which means when I graduated in January I was very much on board with the "take it slow" mantra. I could run non-stop for 30 minutes, I was very happy with that. Sorry, I was VERY, VERY, STUPID JUMP UP AND DOWN HAPPY with that 
My way of thinking was to consolidate that, not become a speed queen. Since I'd done the whole programme measuring in miles (because I could visualise them from my usual walking, I haven't a clue what a km feels like! 
), yes I was little niggled that I wasn't quite finishing that 3rd mile so the data my MiBand was giving back was incomplete, but that was the OCD kicking in. Anyway however, the plan was to keep on running for 30 minutes until it got "comfortable", rather than trying to ramp my pace up or hit a certain distance. W10R3 I actually accidentally went over the 3 miles. My OCD was overjoyed, my control freak "that wasn't the plan", not so much... LOL
Well the control freak won and I'm pretty sure I'm a freak in what I did next. You can have the MiBand vibrate if you're going slower than a set pace. I finally set this up on it. Since then I have run with it set slower than my average slowest pace. Yes, you read that right. Slower than slowest. 
Then I deliberately try and set it off by certain waypoints in my run. Yes, you read that right as well, I'm actively trying to extra slow myself down (I'm already not running at full pelt)! I'm sure I'm going to be told this is a bad idea. I just feel it's more important to be sure I'm going to finish, to not wear myself out in the first 10 minutes. Be more endurance focussed than race, if that makes sense?!? I always end up naturally picking up the pace in the last 10 minutes anyway, at that point I know I'm not going to wear myself out and it feels more comfortable to be faster then.
Most of these graduation runs have been done to Week 9 podcast Laura. Until the last 30 seconds of that had got me to the point of homicidal (don't want to spoiler anyone here, but seriously who thought that last bit was a good idea when they recorded it?! It's like fingers down a chalkboard. Shudders). So this last week I've been wrestling with the app and Spotify instead (I miss Laura 
). Again, weird person alert, when running I don't like listening to music I would listen to normally. I don't want that association when I hear it elsewhere! That said, while I'm fine with EDM, so many of the Spotify playlists go too gym/workout dancey for me. Tonight (Friday 2nd, I'm slow posting this) I thought sod it, stick with a genre you DO listen to normally, just find one without tracks you own.
Hence I was so busy rocking out to Fall Out Boy, I suddenly realised I hadn't done my usual first couple of slow downs! 
Basically I got totally distracted by Matthew Shields' Running Rock (fast beat) playlist. Last 60 seconds. Hail to the King (ah, now the post title makes sense!) by Avenged Sevenfold is blaring out, I hit stop for the MiBand on the 30 minute mark, and....
OMG!!!! I've run 5K. In 30 minutes. Stoked is an understatement. From the times other people around my age (40) were saying it took them on here, I had prepared myself for it to take ages and I was good with that. Now I'm full on flabbergasted.
Oh and for full disclosure I was not @notoutofbreath, I was certainly out of breath! LOL. Not that that stopped a dogwalker choosing that precise moment to ask me directions. Seriously?! Well, I guess I had enough breath to give them at least. ROFL.
Then I actually got to savour the moment, staring at the amazing moon we had over the water tonight which my photo does absolutely NO justice to whatsoever.
Anyway, I'm a seriously happy bunny tonight. I'm going to stick to running 30 minutes and whatever distance is whatever distance it will be. However my OCD is euphoric that I'm truly "Couch to 5K" now! 
I've run 5K. I can't believe I've run 5K. I might not actually suck at this...
Wk9r2
How hard to push as a postgrad?
2nd 5k :)
Nearly there but how do I get to 5k???
I thought I would increase my distance a little 👀
