C25K encouragement and tips from a graduate

[jcc73]

Just wanted to offer some encouragement to people starting out and let you know how it went for me and what happened after I completed the programme.

I am a 46 yr old woman, reasonably healthy and not overweight, but I have never been a runner. I had surgery this time last year for endo and so thought I would test out my new body and see if I could manage to get into running (having to stop for a week once a month makes routines hard).

I completed the programme over about 4 months, missing a week here or there with colds, being busy etc. and I enjoyed seeing the time I ran and distance I went creep up. I found running slowly really helped! That is obvious of course, but if I wasn't paying attention I would go too fast and get knackered. There seems to be a sweet spot where I can actually enjoy it while I am doing it...that was a surprise!

I started doing a Yoga With Adriene (YouTube yoga) runners warm up as my shins were feeling a bit sore and didn't want to hurt myself, this has been really good, sometimes when I haven't felt like doing a run I have told myself to just do the stretches and by the time I am finished, I feel like doing the run.

And the glass of water before I set off is really important, I forgot a couple of times and the runs were awful!

I finished about 3 months ago and now go out two or three times a week, my speed, distance and durations are all going in the right direction, slowly. Today I ran 6.5K in 45 minutes and felt good. I use Runkeeper (online) to keep track and have done the C25K+ podcasts as well as using my own music. Next up are Park Runs and 10K races, something to look forward to.

People have started saying how good I look, my hair and skin are better than I can remember them being. I am probably about the same weight but down a dress size. I enjoy thinking about what clothes I could try out because I feel strong and healthy and can carry things off that I wouldn't have had the confidence to before.

So, if you are just starting, keep going! It is totally worth it. It's the best thing I have done in ages and I feel very positive about my health as I get older. Hope it works for you too.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

keep running, keep smiling.

[Hidden]

A lovely, positive post- Well done

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

That’s inspiring, it’s good to read people’s progression and that lower dress size is a good reason to keep running

[Elfe5 Graduate]

Fantastic! 😄 That’s great to read. 😄

[Larrykat Graduate]

That's a lovely post. I am a year older than you and graduated just over a year ago. I agree with all your points, whilst I am overweight and have not lost loads of weight, I have changed shape and lost a dress size. I don't enjoy running alone, but love running with company. Parkrun is my favourite place to be, though I have a couple of 5 and 6 mile runs lined up for 2020.

I have also found Aqua running and Pilates have helped my running.

I have also found that setting new challenges, such as improving my parkrun time, attempting to run for longer, keep me motivated. That is especially important when the weather is lousy and it is tempting to stay in.

I hope you continue to run for a long time. Have a good Christmas and New Year x

[jcc73]

Thanks for the replies everyone! How lovely. I remember reading posts for encouragement when I was starting out, it's nice to think I might do the same for someone else.

I am now looking forward to a Christmas morning run! - It's funny the things that can change in a year.

Hope you all have a good break. x