I havenโt posted here in a while but thought this may amuse/help some of you starting out on your own C25K journey. As background, I started in April '17 (age 56) and graduated in June '17. Since then Iโve kept running (including three half marathons). I remember reading posts like this and thinking โฆ. yes, fine โฆ. but I canโt do that โฆ theyโre different ... they may not have run before but they obviously like exercise, probably already go to the gym regularly โฆ.. but theyโre not like me ... I was most definitely exercise averse, cardiophobic, a committed sofa-dweller ๐คฆโโ๏ธ.
Iโd spent the last 25 years living my life through and for my lovely children (not regretting a minute of it I should add). But C25K would all be down to me. Eek! Not likely to happen. No way did I didnโt think Iโd get to week 9, let alone go on to run further AND still be running two and a half years later! As for loving it? Whoโd have thought that was even a thing
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Anyway, this week I was out with a good friend of many years. She started C25K after I told her I was doing it and she too is still running. Weโre eating a good dinner and demolishing a bottle of prosecco while talking running (as you do once youโve somehow become addicted) โฆ and suddenly she says, โwell, I only did it because you were doing it. If it was someone who was fit or interested in any sort of exercise, I wouldnโt have taken any notice. But you? Well, if you could do it so could I!โ
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๐ Errr? Whatttt??? ๐ Thatโs a bit insulting โฆ but sheโs right! Not even my best of friends would ever have thought Iโd be where I am today (a self-confessed addict to this running malarkey). But I am. And it has changed my life for the better in so, so many ways. And itโs very possible you could find the same thing happens to you, however unlikely that may seem right now; yes really it might ๐
Iโm currently doing C25K for the second time, coming back after a long period of injury. Iโve enjoyed every single run this time โ even the ones that have been hard or painful. But I certainly didnโt feel that way first-time round; there are so many things I know now that I wish I'd known then. Iโll try to gather some of those thoughts and post a series of reflections on C25K second time around, just in case they may help someone else starting out ๐
In the meantime, if there was just one thing I could tell you it would be โDITCH THE FEARโ. Set out to enjoy what youโre doing, safe in the knowledge that it's one of the best things you could do for yourself. Iโm SO glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for W1R1.
Good luck on your running journey. Happy running and be sure to tell us all about it.