We've done it! W9 complete!

[I_can_run]

Thank you so much everyone for your support! We couldn't have done it without you!

We still can't really believe it is all over - we just came home from w9r3 really stunned by how relatively trouble free the last week has been, and how we really can run for 30 minutes - it's incredible when 3 was enough to render us breathless and nearly immobile at the end of the year.

And what a fantastic and perversely fun experience - running in the rain, almost slipping in the frost, passing snowmen melting on the side of the road, and now watching spring emerge from this very long winter.

I had never believed it possible for me to run for more than a minute - my wife too. Even at school it was only ever little anaerobic sprints followed by painful stitch-filled stumbling until I had marshalled enough for another hundred yards.

Crazily watching the london marathon today not thinking it a complete impossibility but something that is actually achievable. Not that we are aiming for marathons yet. I think our next stage is to make it from 30m to 5k! Well actually the next stage is to change my profile name and then figure out how to get a graduation badge and then think about what to aim for next week.

Oh and have some bubbly!

[lagatachocolate Graduate]

Congratulations to you both - you can claim your badge here: healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to lagatachocolate]

Thanks! Now got a bright shiny badge - woohoo!

[WildflowerJo]

Well done you two - it’s an amazing thing to do and an even better feeling!

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to WildflowerJo]

It is great And you'll be there soon well done - it really is much easier past week 6! Good luck!

[WildflowerJo in reply to I_can_run]

Just about to start week 8 but have a back niggle! I’m going to bite the bullet and go see the osteopath that sorted it out before!!

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to WildflowerJo]

Good idea! Make sure you aren't in any danger of injury. We took a bit of a break after Easter and we worried about getting back into it but it wasn't too bad at all - good luck with it!

[Ajay99 Graduate]

Well done! Power to you both! Congratulations what a team!

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Ajay99]

Thanks Ajay - and indeed it is! Not just wife and I but everyone on this very supportive forum! Looking forward to actually getting to 5k as our next real project

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Congratulations to you and your wife...I have been following your journey and you have done so well...supporting each other through the weeks😊

Its a brilliant program isn't it, and now you are both runners, I hope you keep on running together and enjoy your new ability... keep posting, it can help with motivation...

Enjoy your bubbly, you deserve it, and Very Well Done👏👏👏👏👏😊x

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Thanks so much We will keep going and keep posting!

[alikayV Graduate]

Super news!! Well done both of you! I hope to be joining you within the week! 👏👏👏

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to alikayV]

Good job! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did

[notoutofbreath Graduate]

Oh I am so pleased for you both, I well remember your preparation runs! You really deserve this. Amazing dedication and perseverance.

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to notoutofbreath]

Thanks so much! I am happy we started like that - I appreciate a lot of people can just start week 1 but we certainly weren't up to it and think it would have been a tad depressing to face such a serious initial hurdle. Now we are just faced with the question of what to do next - but it is a nice position to be in knowing we have got to have graduated to be faced with it!

[ramsgaterunner79]

Well done and congratulations to you both. Enjoy your post graduation running 🏃‍♀️ 🏃‍♂️😁😁🎉🎉🎉🎉 x

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to ramsgaterunner79]

Thank you! I see you are on the downhill slope as it were - once you've done week 6 nothing matches it for difficulty it is just a matter of doing it! Good luck

[ramsgaterunner79 in reply to I_can_run]

Yep on my way to catch you up slowly. Am really enjoying the longer runs x

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to ramsgaterunner79]

They certainly change the way you think about what you are doing - it feels much more like a proper run (and you are a proper runner!)

[ramsgaterunner79 in reply to I_can_run]

It definitely does. Just completed week 6 and ran for 25 mins. Feel like I’m earning my user name!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Congratulations and well done.

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks! Your advice has been so helpful in getting us here I'm sure we will be keeping in touch as we move on! Listening to C25K+ podcasts as we reply and think about what we will do tomorrow!

[Millsie-J Graduate]

Well done both of you!

Remember to let us know the new name to look for 👍🏼🏃🏻🏃🏻‍♀️

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Millsie-J]

Thank you! Already changed to I_can_run A slight exaggeration given our speed but I_can_now_move_my_feet_such_that_both_are_momentarily_off_the_ground_although_leaving_me_no_faster_than_a_quick_walk_for_a_period_of_30_minutes is a bit of mouthful! Hopefully as we practice we will properly justify our new moniker!

[Millsie-J Graduate in reply to I_can_run]

Ooppps missed that.....what was your name previously?

Enjoy your future running!

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Millsie-J]

It was the rather less confident can_I_run

[Millsie-J Graduate in reply to I_can_run]

Yes yes, I have followed your posts but couldnt recall the name . You have both done so well 😀🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Millsie-J]

Thank you Off to try a C25K+ podcast in a minute!

[Millsie-J Graduate in reply to I_can_run]

Enjoy!

[Jb33 Graduate]

Really well done 🏅🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️👏. I’ll hopefully be joining you with graduation this week🤞🏻

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Jb33]

Looking good I think If you can get to w9 it is just more of the same and you know you can do it! And you deserve all the congratulations on your progress as we don't really have any health problems to speak of - only decades of inactivity!

[Jb33 Graduate in reply to I_can_run]

Thanks

[Margoblue Graduate]

Well done and have a very happy well earned drink- roll on the post graduation drink!!

[Margoblue Graduate]

Sorry- meant run not drink

( you can tell where my mind goes to automatically!)

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Margoblue]

We did have a well earned drink and will probably congratulate ourselves with another 'graduation 24 hour anniversary snifter too' so your first response wasn't entirely incorrect!

[ElizaMai Graduate]

Congratulations to you both 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️👩‍🎓👩‍🎓 welcome to the ICAN DO IT club!!! Yippee 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ Amazing isn’t it 😉😃😃

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to ElizaMai]

Thanks! It is fantastic. We will have to see what to do next. There appears to be almost too many options. But we are so far off 5k I think working ourselves up to 5k and then next work on 'not being too embarrassingly slow to do a park run in daylight'!

[ElizaMai Graduate in reply to I_can_run]

My advice 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ Just ENJOY this amazing feeling 😊 for a few weeks. When I graduated I felt just like you but straight away started thinking about pace, time ,running 5k ( which I still can’t do yet!!) got very deflated!! Now I am running 3 x a week and just enjoying the view and headspace 😃 🐌🐌 keep 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Consolidation 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🐌🐌👩‍🎓👩‍🎓😁

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to ElizaMai]

Oh yes we will enjoy it! I don't think we'll move to pounding out the 5ks quite yet either but it was such a motivational help to have a specific goal that it would be nice to have another one. We run at night though so no view to enjoy :/ perhaps a change we could make...

[WalkingWithLabradors Graduate]

Well done fellow graduates!! 👍🏻🥂

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to WalkingWithLabradors]

Thank you! Wish we had your gorgeous location (which also looks enviously flat)! We will keep an eye on what our graduation contemporaries are up to as we seek to progress so will be interested in your posts!

[WalkingWithLabradors Graduate in reply to I_can_run]

It is DEFINITELY NOT flat! 😂. In fact my next Parkrun will be a little flatter and a little further away. But it is lovely, yes.

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to WalkingWithLabradors]

Pictures can obviously be deceptive - its a lot nicer than our 70s housing estate run anyway Enjoy your park run - when we up to 5k we will try and reduce the time to sub 45 mins or so and then perhaps give one a go!

[Hidden]

Brilliant! Well done. I can't ever imagine getting there but then I don't think anyone can.... what a great achievement for you.

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Well we certainly didn't approach it with complete confidence - we started much slower than week 1, with only a few 1 minute walks rather than the full eight. How are you getting on? The programme really is good and as long as you keep 'running' it doesn't matter how slow you go so it really is doable.

[Hidden in reply to I_can_run]

About to do W3R1 today!

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Hope it went well!

[JaneE71]

Huge congratulations to you both, you’re inspiring and you did it as a team!!! Enjoy even more running 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🏅

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to JaneE71]

Thank you! We are about to go out and do our first postgrad run! We are trying the C25K+ podcasts which are kind of the next step - but they do sound a little scary - but given scared we were at some points in C25K but managed it, we are going to give it all we have got.

[Jullaly Graduate]

Absolutely amazing and very well done, I hope you both enjoyed your bubbly, look forward to hearing about your next running adventures

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Jullaly]

Thank you! I think after a bit of playing with the C25K+ podcasts we will see about maybe trying to actually make it to 5k! We'll see how we get on

[icklegui Graduate]

You've been such an inspiration! Well done! Keep on running, keep on posting

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to icklegui]

We will do! We will chart our progress to at least an actual 5k (touch wood!) and then beyond - who knows?

[Beestonbabe Graduate]

Well done to you both! It's really inspiring to read. I'm doing this with my hubby and we are currently just about to do WK 4 run 3 on Friday, and at the moment can only dream about running for 30 minutes, but you show that it can be done. Happy post grad running 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️

[I_can_run Graduate in reply to Beestonbabe]

Nice to hear about another couple doing it! How are you finding it? I am sure you will get through - the programme is really good and you can (and everyone will tell you should) go really slow to compensate for any big jumps in duration! Good luck with the rest of it!

[Beestonbabe Graduate in reply to I_can_run]

Thanks, we are enjoying it, although I must admit to being a bit daunted at first. As with many others I have not ever been a runner! My hubby is 5 years older than me but has always been really fit as he cycles, but he is great at encouraging me and never makes me feel that I can't do it. I know without him I wouldn't be doing this. Looking forward to progressing, a bit scared about the 20 mins at the end of week 5 though. Reading all the posts on here is great too.