Week 8 run 3 - the running dead

[thegirlfrommarz]

This is not an auspicious start. At 2am, I am still awake, beset by a mysterious insomnia. Alarm is set for 6am for my run. Clearly that is not enough sleep - don’t be an idiot, Kate. Reset it to 6.15am. Much better. 😳

Alarm goes off and I am basically a zombie. Drag myself out of bed, pull on my running gear, and lurch downstairs in search of brains. I mean, I clearly don’t have any of my own if I’m really going to run on 4 hours’ sleep.

I leave the house, discover it is wetter and colder than I thought, and immediately return to the house to pick up my running shell. On the plus side, this means I have pockets and do not have to muck about with getting the phone in the arm band holster, which feels beyond me in my sleep-deprived state. Somehow persuade myself to leave the house again.

Sarah gives me her week 8 spiel for the third time. She’s still here, so am I, she’s proud of me, yadda yadda yadda. I’m beginning to think she’s not as invested in this as I am.

I set off. There’s no way I am doing the Brutal Hill this morning - I am already feeling undead, but that would properly kill me. I opt to return to my week 5 comfort zone with a lap of the local park. That takes me to 10 mins, and then I slingshot out down the hill towards the cemetery. For the first time in ages, my legs start suggesting that we could *whisper* just walk for a bit. I have no truck with this lollygagging and continue on, trying not to look longingly at benches, or even flat tomb lids, as I pass them.

Back up the hill. What possessed me to go downhill in the first place? Probably the zombie brain - no ability to plan ahead, zombies. Legs now really quite urgently suggesting that we just slow down and walk for heaven’s sake, you moron. I check my C25K forum list: not in pain, not exhausted - on we go. I pick up the pace for the last ten minutes - at the moment I’m miles off a 30-min 5K, and it would be good to get a little closer. Crank up the music, find the tracks with the fastest rhythm, attempt to push it to the end. And suddenly it’s over. I slow to a walk. 28 mins done and dusted for the final time. Sarah says she’s proud of me. I am a bit proud of me too.

I do the brisk walk, grateful that it’s finished. I can head home for a lovely breakfast of brains and coffee, like any good zombie. Then something weird happens: I decide to run another few minutes. It’s fun; I enjoy it. I am no longer the walking dead - I am now the running dead. Make way, humans!

Week 9 next. The podium is so close now. I can’t wait, but I honestly don’t want to finish this - it’s been so much fun.

[sallenson Graduate]

You are simply a mega-superstar, hon!! A lovely funny read and a fantastic effort. Wowsa that's impressive...

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to sallenson]

Thanks - I love your posts, and you definitely inspired me!

[sallenson Graduate in reply to thegirlfrommarz]

Aww!! Thx hon!! But soon you'll go to Big School and we'll miss you.... Pop back and say "Hello" from time to time?

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to sallenson]

Don't worry, I'll definitely still be hanging around the school gates, showing off and acting all cool and grown-up.

[Hidden in reply to sallenson]

You'll be investing in big boy pants soon too!

[sallenson Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Woof!!

[Bridget007 Graduate]

Brilliant post the bit about Sarah giving the spiel for the third time and not being so invested really made me chuckle it’s why I kept swapping from one person to another (I’m quite fickle) but they all say the same 🤣🤣 the podium is waiting for you 😃😃

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to Bridget007]

I feel like I need to stick with Sarah until the end given it’s so close now - but have been thinking I might try the other coaches for the consolidation runs after that!

[sallenson Graduate in reply to thegirlfrommarz]

You're just as flighty as they are!! Shameful!!

[Lorijay Graduate]

Loved your post. Well done on the run too

[Saartjie Graduate]

Well if you can do that as the walking/running dead then you will be on fire after more than 4 hours sleep! Big admiration for dragging yourself out of bed AND running...I could hardly do the first of those this morning. Good luck for week 9 😁

[JaneE71]

Fantastic running story 😂 and amazed that you went out for a run after hardly any sleep!! Only 3 runs left until graduation! 🌟

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to JaneE71]

It was pretty much kill or cure. Like running with a hangover. 😂

[JaneE71 in reply to thegirlfrommarz]

But without the good night out from before the hangover !!! 🎉

[Hidden]

Fantastic read. Smiled at the comment about Laura, she and MJ were probably away having a coffee together. He abandoned me after 10 minutes tonight, maybe he was round Laura's distracting her.

I feel the same about graduating. It's the goal we seek, but the end we fear.

The pinned post re new goals is looking very tempting.

All the best with your quest.

P.S. We need to try the Zombies, Run, positively inspired by you now.

[sallenson Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I suspect the off-mic life of the coaches is like some version of Game of Thrones but in trainers.

They do seem to go for 9-Week stands and then move on. I hope they're tested regularly

[Hidden in reply to sallenson]

Trying to imagine GoT in trainers 🤣 Very apt I must say, I'm just re-enjoying the saga from the beginning. One episode left, already, time just flies when you're having fun, so much fun. 🤓

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I have a friend who got into running via the Zombies, Run! app - she now does half-marathons, so either it really works or it's just that scary that she's never dared stop.

[Hidden in reply to thegirlfrommarz]

Brilliant! The Walking Dead meets C25K. Zombie-apocalypse parkrun-style!

[_SimonT_ Graduate]

What a fantastic post!

And super well done for achieving the run!

And most of all thank you for my new favourite word - lollygagging!

I am going to spend all day lollygagging as much as possible!

😂😂

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to _SimonT_]

Definitely lollygag as much as you can - it's a great feeling.

[telford_mike Graduate]

Great post, from a mere week 4 runner I thought that was fantastic!

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to telford_mike]

Thank you! It's not so long ago I was a week 4 runner - I had my worst run ever at the end of week 4 (top tip: if you spend a long weekend in France doing nothing but drinking wine and eating cheese and croissants, do not expect your running fitness to be unimpaired...), but somehow came back from it for week 5 and haven't looked back since. It's really amazing how well this programme builds your ability - I would never have believed at the start how fast I could go from being out of puff running for 60 secs to running for nearly 30 minutes.

[Jay66UK Graduate]

A great read. Don’t forget graduating isn’t the end. “It is perhaps just the end of the beginning.” Enjoy W9. And avoid hills.

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to Jay66UK]

A bit of Churchill to inspire me to the finish - excellent!

"We shall run on the beaches, we shall run on the treadmills, we shall run in the fields and in the streets, we shall run in the hills; we shall never surrender to the couch."

[Jay66UK Graduate in reply to thegirlfrommarz]

Yeah, except the bit about hills 🤣

[thegirlfrommarz Graduate in reply to Jay66UK]

Hills are for suckers. 😂

[1Potato]

That was a great post! And well done for reaching week 9!

That feeling when you’ve finished a long run, done your cool down walk and you’re heading for home feeling proud of yourself, then suddenly you decide to run a bit more, just for the fun of it… it’s such a great feeling! And that there is what keeps me coming back for more, rolling my too-tired body out of bed and into my running gear! Though now I’ve finished week 9 my legs seem to be whispering ever louder “you don’t have to run the whole 30mins, you’ve graduated already, 20 mins is fine” but I’m not giving in to them, I’m determined to keep going until I can regularly run that 5k (even if it does take me 48minutes 😳!).

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate]

Superb post. Very entertaining 🤣

Keep it up... You're almost there! 👏👏👍😁