Yes, that's right, 7 years ago today I put on a grubby sports bra, some old trainers, some flappy cotton trackie bottoms and a huge t-shirt. I stuffed my phone down my bra, tucked my house key into my bra as well (crowded in there!), cued up C25K Week 1 Run 1 and set off with Laura to encourage me.
I'll keep this short because I've said it quite a few times now 😁 but it took me 50 runs to graduate, not the standard 27, and there have been a few hiccups over the seven years, to do with injuries, missing mojo, too much work etc. But I have stuck at it. I'll always be slow, I tell myself I enter 'events' not 'races' but when it comes down to it I really don't care. I'm doing this for me.
Back to today then, and you might be forgiven for thinking that after all this time I'd be relatively slick about getting out there and running. I should be running like a dream machine... like a gazelle... like a seasoned C25K-er with a lot of experience, and everything should have been perfect on my runniversary.
Erm...
I have had this day marked in my calendar for quite a while. Okay, not my fault that I am suffering from a horrendous cold, and on any other day would not have gone for a run. But hey, it had to be done, so let's plan around it. Plan. Riiiiiiight...
Yesterday was leg day at the gym. And salsa class in the evening. Leg day is not a good day before a run day - or indeed, on the day of salsa class.
When you have a bad cold, and you are asthmatic, and the weather is cold, it would be more sensible to plan a route that is not by a main road. A busy, dusty main road, with lots of extra pollution, it seemed, and with the added bonus of newly cut grass.
Another planning detail is that when you start your podcast from home, you remember to flip the mobile data switch for podcasts, so when there's a blip with your headphones and you lose the podcast, you don't have to hop up and down by the side of the road trying to work out why you can no longer access your run.
So what was intended as a reflective, easy run, a sentimental run covering the very same ground where I took my first C25K steps, a run where - in my mind's eye - I was smiling serenely, covering the ground gracefully, head high, running easily, lightly over the ground...
... turned into a coughing, beetroot, sweaty, swearing mess. Again.
But hey, at the end of it all Laura says, 'A bad run is always better than no run at all.' Actually, I'd quibble slightly. Any run is always better than no run at all. If you start out and only run for 5 minutes, that's great. You've run for 5 minutes more than if you never went out. Can you call that a bad run? I don't think so. Perhaps that's just words, but we can all learn from runs that didn't go quite as we intended.
I have learned so much from C25K. I know I probably say this every year, but I am so grateful. I have made so many friends on here. I have met some of them, run with them, gone on holiday with them and met up with them in other countries to run. Running has given me a sense of peace. It has taught me grit, determination and sheer bloody-mindedness. I have bling! I have far too much Lycra. I do not have enough pairs of running shoes, and never will. I have seen some amazing things, and some amazing places. I am very lucky to be able to run.
So happy running to you all. Keep the faith. May we all have many, many happy runniversaries xx
My first runniversary - encouragement for new C25Kers
Runniversary
My 2nd year Runniversary
My 1st Runniversary
My runniversary _ and a bit
