Real results from C25K

[Sadie-runs]

Hello my running buddies

For those of you who do not know me, I started C25K at the end of August 2017, and have been running regularly since graduating in November 2017. I now mostly manage three times a week, with runs ranging from 4k to 6k. I did have a stint on the IC in the new year, with a torn hamstring (ouch!), but that is a long forgotten memory now and I have been really enjoying (I say enjoy, but running in sub-zero temps and snow a few times this year have been slightly less pleasurable I must say!) my regular runs, not least as they help me with some low-level depression I have been battling for a few years.

I started the programme to get fit. Before this, I was just doing a bit of yoga here and there, and no cardio to speak of, other than walking. I did not need to lose any weight (thankfully), but my waist measurement was less than ideal, taking me into a high-risk zone. (It is dangerous to carry weight around your waist, but as any woman in her 40s will tell you, it is an easy area to put weight on!) Although slim, I knew that as I headed into my mid-late forties, I needed to think about my heart.

So, to cut a long story long, I had some pretty amazing results at my annual health check on Friday, and I am so happy to see some hard results of what running three times a week can do for you, and I just wanted to share.

– My waist measurement has gone down from 88cm to 79cm (into the ideal range!)

– My VO2 max / fitness level has gone up from 31 ml/kg/min to 38 ml/kg/min – a massive improvement! I am Miss Fitty Macfit of Fitsville now!

I do not post this to brag, not at all. I post this to show you what a huge difference you can make to your health if you just run three times a week. And I have only been running for 7 months! My doctor high-fived me as I left the room. I was in shock. Happy shock.

So, to all you lovelies just starting out – stick with it. Be patient, go slowly, listen to your body and complete the programme. The rewards are endless and you will see results.

In other news, I really recommend the podcast called Human Race. Wonderful, inspirational running stories.

Yours,

Fitty MacFit of Fitsville x

[Lzy-dyn2 Graduate]

Thank you for posting this.

I started C25K for similar reasons so it is great to see the results!

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Lzy-dyn2]

I do feel fitter, but it was nice to see the results on paper, I must say! x

[Millsie-J Graduate]

Great post Sadie, and great health results 👍🏼

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Millsie-J]

Thanks, Millsie. I feel almost evangelical about C25K now! x

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Great post and results Sadie ✋😊xx

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Thank you, Jan! I hope this inspires some new runners with health goals to keep on going. x

[Tbae]

Brillant incentive to others.🌟👏👏

I like the accurate description of dangerous.🤔

Dr Michael Mosley, he of Trust me a Doctor , explains what he refers to as inside and outside round the middle/waist fat.🤔👍👏👏. Inside stuff is the dangerous stuff.🙈🤔🙈

Us men have the same problem.🤔😂😂

Tough to move it.🤔😂😂

I am an old codger, still with a vanity dream of having a six pack.🙈🤔😂😂

Well done with your results and your post.🌟👏👏

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Tbae]

Hang on to that dream, old codger! You might surprise yourself

[Tbae in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Awww lovely.👏👏😂😂😂

I think the boss would get a bigger surprise.🤔🙈😂😂👍

[HeleneCorsa Graduate]

Fabulous post Sadie, and as I write I am virtually high-fiving you too! I've just returned from a coffee with my husband, who turned fifty last month. He put a stent in a 47 year-old this morning, and so we were talking precisely about this issue - the ways in which our health changes as we are now getting older and how we ought to face that.

This is such an inspirational post for those who are just starting out, but also for those who have been running for a while and are trying to keep up the good work. It's easy to quantify our progress in terms of performance, or changes on the scales or in the mirror, and that's great, but it's what you are describing that really counts. It is surprising how much we can do to improve our health at any age and at any level - but our options do change as we age so clearly there's no time like the present to get started (and to keep going).

Running is a beautiful gift to yourself, and your results show that. Nice work, Miss Fitty!

[Tbae in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Brillant insight.🌟👏👏

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Thank you, dear Helene. x

Oh my. I turn 47 this August – the very idea of having a problem with my heart fills me with terror. That poor person. (But thank heavens for people like your husband). I do not worry at all about the ageing on the outside, but as you say, it is the insides and how you take care of them that counts. It has given me a real boost to keep this up.

Hope that all is well with you, my running lovely.

Sadie-runs x

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Sadie-runs]

I am fine, thank you!

I'm really enjoying running at the moment. It is the stress antidote I have needed for a long time.

I have to keep an eye on myself and make sure I don't push too far as my knees are always a bit of an issue, but under control. I think strength training is helping but I need to address the other key factor - flexibility. I was always flexible when young so I never really gave it any thought, but I realise that I am losing this as the years pass. So I think that taking up yoga (whatever I can fit in) might be the next step! Many people tell me that yoga and running are a perfect pair so that sounds good to me. And I know you are something of an expert...

The idea that issues such as heart health are starting to appear on the horizon is frightening, but the best we can do is to be consistent in exercise, attentive to diet (ahem...) and to make sure we receive all the right medical care and periodical checks. xx

[Whatsapp Graduate]

Well done Fitty MacFit of Fitsville. Dedication to getting out there 3 times a week come reain, snow or shine will always pay off!!

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Whatsapp]

Thanks Whatsapp! It has paid off in the best possible way. x

[Anthie Graduate]

Wonderful news, Sadie! And a reminder for all of us, newbies or not, that getting out there and run 3 times a week can really make a difference. Happy running!

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Anthie]

Thanks Anthie dear! It sure is. And this was just the boost I needed. xx

[misswobble Graduate]

It’s an amazing thing this C25k plan. A life changer for sure. So simple yet so brilliant

Amazing how it can transform so many lives

Well done i’m So pleased that we have yet another happy customer 😁👍🏃‍♀️

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Very happy.

[Lillybeth30mins Graduate]

Thankyou for a lovely inspiring post... and... thankyou for the recommendation for the human race podcast from 2/3 weeks back? (I’m guessing now that it was you, and I couldn’t remember at the time) but the episode you recommended really was fab- and, has now got me hooked on podcasts which are suiting me much better for my running pace. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Liz x

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Lillybeth30mins]

Aw, thank you Lillybeth! And yes, I did mention HUMAN RACE a couple of weeks back! The stories are all so different, and quite inspirational! I like to listen to a running related podcast now and again, instead of music. I get very absorbed! xxx

[SaskAlliecat Graduate]

Whoohoo Fitty MacFit of Fitsville 😂💪🤚. I want a high five from my doc. She's pretty straight laced, so I don't see that happening 😆.

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to SaskAlliecat]

First time I have EVER been high-fived by a health professional, that's for sure!

[SuperMouse Graduate]

Well done, hopefully I will get there too!

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to SuperMouse]

Oh you will, SuperMouse! Trust me. I had no idea when I started C25K that I would end up running 3x week and improving my fitness to this extent!

[Mand102 Graduate]

As a newbie this is a really inspiring post. Lovely to see how it has changed things for you, and still is changing things 😊

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Mand102]

Oh I am so pleased. Thanks Mand. x

[Elfe5 Graduate]

Sadie that’s wonderful- you must be almost levitating! Thanks for sharing- you are an inspiration! X😃

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Elfe5]

Thanks my love. I was just an ordinary woman with no previous history of being sporty or fit! Just shows you can turn things around if you employ just a wee bit of stick-with-it-ness. 🏃‍♀️😀

[Getfitok Graduate]

Brilliant! 😇

[Hidden]

Oh Sadie, that’s such an encouraging post to read. Words are not coming easily this evening, but suffice to say that you are truly awesome, and a shining example to the rest of us! Well done

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Neil. But no, I’m not awesome really, but this programme and this forum is. 😀 x

[Hidden in reply to Sadie-runs]

Now listen you! Don’t put yourself down, ok? Yes C25K and this forum are awesome, but you are a part of that, and you helped me though the low times during C25K, and you still do. So I think I’ll stick with you being awesome