5.00am - check the weather app. The demons that hound me are still staggering around their Bacchanalia and have mercifully not thrown anything too extreme this morning. It's clear and 26 degrees with a strong-ish breeze. Ideally I would have taken an extra rest day for various reasons but decide to strike while the iron is not so hot.
The park opens at 6.00am and I arrive at 6.01. There are a few people already around... I pass a couple who are walking backwards while slapping their thighs. The loud slapping sound echoes ominously. I offer a friendly 'joh-sun!' to the man and he smiles awkwardly. The woman looks the other way. Snubbed. I shuffle on, unperturbed, used to this reaction.
I'm pretty cranky this morning so I spend the first 10 minutes of the run listing all the things I am grateful for. Not just all the good stuff, the challenging stuff as well. Grateful I can't sleep because it's easier to get up when you're already awake. Grateful for my frozen shoulder because I wouldn't have started running if that hadn't happened. Grateful to live in a warm climate because... ummm, because I don't like being cold? It is a bit hard to come up with a reason for that when trying to run in the heat. But the morning is so beautiful, with the sun just coming up over the buildings, that it's not too hard to feel grateful just to be alive in this moment.
The path I'm on merges into another and I end up alongside another slow jogger. We snail race for the longest time. All I can hear are the birds, the gentle padding of our feet and my laboured breath. His breathing is remarkably quiet. He puts on a burst of speed and very slowly pulls away over the next few minutes. 🐌 🐌 I turn onto the waterfront promenade and revel in the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. Being close to water soothes my soul and puts the world to rights. I prefer to run without music or podcast; I haven't listened to Laura since the interval runs ended in W6R2. I'm happy to potter along, shuffling to the beat of my own drum.
Seventeen minutes in and it's a sweat-fest, causing a rather loud armpit slap that Miranda Hart would envy. I self-consciously tuck my shirt closer under my arm as I pass the couple again, now walking barefoot on large pebbles in the garden. I wonder if they prefer hot coals? I pass the vending machine and eye off the cold drinks, just out of reach for the moment. 'I'm coming back for you,' I yell/gasp/threaten as I jog on for the last minutes of the programme.
I finish the 30 minutes and I think my speed actually picks up as I start the cool down walk. Straight back to get a cold drink and I wander around the park for another 20 minutes or so, loving the quiet, watching all the activity out on the water, the sun reflecting off the buildings on the island, all the people doing their exercises (the couple are now frozen in time/space holding onto a fence and leaning backwards, their bodies making upside down J-shapes.)
I think of all the folk doing C25K, not just on this forum but all around the world (and who don't necessarily write overly-lengthy volumes such as this over a measly 30-minute jog). All of us, working hard to become healthier, stronger, fitter. I am proud to be part of this global community. Bit by bit, week by week, stride by stride, we're all committed to reaching our goal, whatever it is and whatever our motivation to get there. I'm so pleased to have reached this milestone, which, really, is just the beginning.
Written by
DeeRunning
Graduate
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You’ve helped me so much Dee, ya toughened me up when I thought of you running in those temperatures, stopped me complaining (well hopefully not too much) looking forward to seeing Graduate next to your name.
Lol Lexi, I often think of you and others who have mentioned running in the cold, sleet and snow. Now there's NO WAY I could do that. Haha I have done nothing but complain about the heat in. every. single. post. Apologies to everyone
Hello Hong Kong! Nah ho ma! Fantastic ! Well done! Great run ! I'm sure it's humid over there. That's a great result in sticky temperatures. Loved your post and photo.
Congratulations! Hope you are planning a celebration?!
Hello from Hong Kong Goforitmama ! Thank you for your kind words. Humidity levels perfect today, around 75% when i was out. That's why i had to get out there while it was mild. No celebrations planned, the only treat will be a few days off running I think!
Well done Dee! I am in HK too!!! My snails jogging pace is being done on South Lantau 😍. My face has resulted in varied degrees of red to purple in 34 degrees but I am still going for it. W7R2 tomorrow - yay for the public holiday - well done again 🤩
Haha thanks LantauMama ! Oh my, I can't believe there's someone else doing it here! Every time I go out I think I must be daft. Isn't it all hilly country parks in South Lantau?? I'm so lucky to be near one of the few flat places to run that isn't a polluted road. Well done to you, best of luck tomorrow and keep us updated!
Happy graduation! You have done a great thing and now a whole new world of running awaits. Lovely picture too
Your post is brilliant and inspiring! I love that you jog while deliberately thinking of all the things you’re grateful for. I think I’ll borrow that! We all have something to be grateful for and running helps me to zone in on the good stuff!
Your photo is amazing! It’s a beautiful place to be! Well done! ❤️
Thanks, Fabulous! Your comments are always so positive and inspiring. I, on the other hand, can be a very grumpy person when tired so yes, the gratitude list helps shift my focus. Yep it's very pretty down by the water with the view of the island, love it there!
Bless you Mumsygill , what a lovely thing to say. I was a bit blase about it all this morning, tired and cranky) but feeling super chuffed to have completed it now!
Oh thanks hon. It all reads a bit serious for a 30 minutes jog doesn't it lol. Note to self, keep perspective haha. Thanks, can't wait to see what happens next!
No, I think you're spot on. We need to be more aware and tuned in to self and plugged in to both nature and communities in general. Makes for a kinder and more understanding world! 👍😁
Thanks, fellow graduate! I was hot on your heels! Hmmm I probably shouldn't put too much out there about my mindset, I'll get locked up. It's just a run, after all
Thank you, sir. I've had that page bookmarked for a while now. Will just settle into consolidating for a bit and get a more respectable distance covered before I try anything fancy Thanks so much for volunteering your time, wisdom and experience here, you make a real difference.
Aww thanks Jell6 ! Yep I'm pretty chuffed, wasn't earlier but now it's kinda sinking in. YAY! LOL bless you, i took the selfie about 5 mins post run i think. I had just downed a bottle of cold drink which may have taken some of the red out of my face
Fantastic achievement! ⭐️ Well done, I’ve fallen behind a little on w8 r1 today but reading graduation posts like these are so inspiring, happy running 😊xx
Congratulations! Well done, must be nice to run where it’s warm. I don’t blame you doing it early in the day before it got too humid though. I struggle when it’s too hot. 😕
It doesn’t matter how far you run, you’ve run for 30 minutes and that’s what C25K is all about. 👍
Good luck with your future running career. 🏃♀️🏃♀️
Thanks David_G ! To be honest I'm a bit disappointed I don't run further/faster but I'm at where I'm at. I hope to improve but this also may be my happy pace. Will work on it and see where it takes me.
Between you and me, I struggle when it's hot too 😀
Awww Stephen, thank you for everything you do here. A personal cheerleader for each and every one of us. In a mankini. With pockets that hold jelly babies.
I'd take a bullet for you buddy. But not torture. I would draw the line at torture. Any hint of that and I would sing like a canary. Soz.
Big hugs back. You have helped make this all so much more worth it xx
Well done you! Lovely photo indeed! Congratulations! 🎓🥇🍾🥂🎉🎉🎉🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️And all the very best for your onward running journey. Have you spotted the pinned post on the right to ask for a graduation badge? Enjoy your time on the podium!
Thank you over61andstilltrying ! You might need to change your name now you've tried and conquered! Yes, i certainly requested my badge and it's now here. Can't believe how happy it makes me to see it
The badge suits you! And looks great! I am still trying! Although I hope to move on from 61, not in hurry though! I think there is ever such a lot more trying to do! Once you reach one goal there is always another to go for. Your DeeRunning is indeed a very sensible choice of name. Good for all time. I had no clue really that our name would be so 'up there' when i chose it. I think I tried a few that were already taken, Primrose and Primula come to mind as I really like flowers, but they were already taken. Happy running. 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
Huge, massive congratulations! 🎊🎉🎊🎉🐌🎊🎉🎊 you glorious snail runner! In that heat I’d say you are running blooming quick!
What a lovely picture you painted of your run and what a fantastic photo of you! Your beaming smile says it all, really! You thoroughly deserve all your success in the program. Good luck for the rest of your running life! Will look forward to hearing all about it!
Hey thank you _SimonT_ ! Yes I am a total snail, which is why i always giggle when i see your posts about your 'slow' pace. Makes me look like a comatose snail, you gazelle! I have run further on earlier runs so part of me hopes it's the heat that keeps me slow, but it may just be the way it is. I'll see how I run when it cools down in January! Thanks for your kind wishes
Hiya dee ..Congratulations ...What an achievement ...What a lovely part of the world your in .. lovely post ...Enjoy your graduation ...Cheers to you ☺️
Thank you Keepcalm-keepsmiling ! Future runs will be even better- the park is still being built so once it's completed there will be amazing running paths to enjoy!
Thank you Saartjie - it is lovely and a perfect getaway from the crazy city life. Looking forward to consolidating now, and hopefully getting a better distance covered in 30 mins!
Very well, slow and steady progress. The runs themselves are going quite nicely, but I seem to need extra rest days now and then. I try not to feel guilty about them. 😁 Thanks for asking!
Great to hear ccarter100 you're making steady progress through it. There's no race, so i think you're right to take extra time if that's what your body's telling you it needs. Have fun with it
Well done! I can't imagine how you do it in 26 degrees - 14 degrees wa too hot for me this morning! I like the idea of listing the things you're grateful for - I think I'll try that. Enjoy your success!
Thanks, Pippayoungart - to be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I've continued to get myself out there! It is pretty hard going, but it's all i've ever run in so in a way it's what I'm used to/still getting used to. The gratitude list is fab, it can really change a grumpy mindset
Thank you oldwheezer69 ! Snail pace the only way to get through it! Will be listening to the drill sergeant in the coming runs to give me a bit of ooomph
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Week 9 Run 3
Week 9 Run 3 complete!
Week 9 - Run 3. I've graduated!
Week 8 run 3
Week 9 run 3 complete
