Week 8 run 3 at the parkrun - still so hard - running and grieving

[silverflowers]

Well I am very pleased that I have managed to complete week 8. I found today's run very hard again, but then they all seem to be! I have struggled all week to complete the last few minutes of these 28 minute runs and just have to keep telling myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other, counting off the strides telling myself I can get to 60 and then repeating it until FINALLY Laura tells me to stop. There was a perishing cold wind today - very hard to keep going when it's blowing in your face. Somehow I never seem to notice it behind me pushing me on! Parkrun was a bit chaotic at the back today (which is where I always am) - small children trampling on dogs and a completely bonkers dalmation nibbling at people's heels.

I feel that my running is similar to my grieving for my Mum in many ways - you just have to keep on plodding onwards on your own, one step at a time, even though mostly you really want to give up. And I guess, like the grieving, you do make progress and achieve things that you thought were impossible - getting through another Christmas, running for 28 minutes...

I am sorry to make my running sound so miserable and hope I'm not putting anyone off. I do feel a great sense of personal achievement after every run. I love that my legs feel stronger and I can run up the stairs more easily these days. I feel good that I am doing something positive to improve my lung health specifically and my overall health too. I love being able to run with my daughter and do the parkrun with my son every week. (He got a milestone t-shirt last week for running 10 parkruns which made me jealous; adults have to run 50 before they get one!)

Onto week 9 next week - scary!!

[AliHC Graduate]

Well done silverflowers ❤️

You're doing great! You achieve every time you put one foot in front of the other! One step closer to your goal!

I did my 2nd Parkrun today... 400 runners! The chaos at the start is bizarre 🐩&👶🏼 & 🚴‍♂️ & 🏄‍♂️ Didn't start running for a good few minutes 🤣 Good fun though!

Keep up the good work! 3 more runs to graduation 🏆

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to AliHC]

Thank you AliHC and congratulations on graduating! I'm doing my 5 minutes warm up walk at the beginning of parkrun so that works out fine. My parkrun had 550 today!

[AliHC Graduate in reply to silverflowers]

Wow! 550 runners! That's crackers! 🤣 I never knew Parkrun existed until I joined this forum and there are at least 5 Parkruns in my city too! The New Year's Day Parkrun near me had 750 runners, but I didn't do that one! I ran on my own that day 😊 I've challenged myself to running 50 miles in January! I've done over 19 so far in 4 days! This time last year I'd done ZERO miles!

Keep up the good work you've done so far! You've done the hard bit, which was making the decision to do it in the first place! ❤️

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to AliHC]

Wow your running is awesome! Looks like you are going to make your target with weeks to spare. You are inspirational. I am worried how I will keep motivated after I do graduate all being well next week, but I am just taking things one run at a time at the moment

[AliHC Graduate in reply to silverflowers]

When I graduated in September I also worried what I would do to stay motivated. But it was the freedom to run for as long or as little as I wanted to, that was the key for me. I often ran and still do without any music. That is when I feel most relaxed. I sometimes listen to the radio or classical music, so I don't feel that I have to run to anyone else's rhythm.

I now get my husband to drop me off in the middle of nowhere and I make my own way home 😂 I love that because I don't know how far I've got to run until I've finished!

Good luck this week! That feeling of graduating is like no other! 😊xx

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to AliHC]

That sounds exciting and it is really nice that your husband is supporting your running and keeping it fun!

Thanks for the encouragement XX

[Secondtimelucky]

Well done and onward and upwards as they say...I agree with the fight against the icy wind today...as I was walking along the beach road it felt as if the cold sea would overflow! Lets hope Monday brings us some much needed sunshine

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to Secondtimelucky]

How lovely to be near the sea. The sun came out here after the parkrun was over!

[Buddy34 Graduate]

If your running is helping you, even just a little bit then that's good. You're right one foot in front of the other and just take each day as it comes. Good luck with wk9 and congratulations to your son on his parkrun milestone tshirt 😊😊

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to Buddy34]

Thank you Buddy34. The running is definitely good - just worried I won't be able to keep going that extra 2 minutes in week 9! My son says thank you :). The shirt is so cool he wears it all day.

[Buddy34 Graduate in reply to silverflowers]

You can and will do wk9. Look how far you've came from wk1. 🤗

[Redvic97 Graduate]

Well done on completing week 8 👏. A lot of this is sheer determination and grit. Keep going we’re all behind you 😊

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to Redvic97]

Thank you Redvic97 - yes I am sure you are right and getting there is probably 90% mental and 10% physical. I have never been a fit or active person before so all this is very new for me.

[RunningMigster Graduate]

You did it! No matter how hard, you did it.

Keep on putting one foot in front of the other and you'll be graduating very soon.

I always think of my mum at Christmas. It was her favourite time of year.

Onward and upwards!

Mig

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to RunningMigster]

Thanks Mig. She would be proud of you.

[RunningMigster Graduate in reply to silverflowers]

Awww thank you :-). Good luck for the next few runs. Hope they get easier! I'm looking forward to seeing that graduation post!!

[Wenderwoo Graduate]

I’d say exciting, rather than scary - good luck, you’ll smash it! 👍😁

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to Wenderwoo]

Hope so! Fingers crossed

[pa259]

719 runners at our park run. Nice to be able to overtake some runners and not be so near the back! And do a PB of just over 35 mins. One day I will get to 30!

[silverflowers Graduate in reply to pa259]

Wow that is a big parkrun! Sounds like you are doing really well. I'm hoping to be a bit speedier one day - at the moment I get slower every week! Good luck with your running this year