Woohoo! Done it!

[jmjog]

W9 R3. Almost didn't go today- some niggly hip/ITB pain over the last week. So missed out on fabby weather this morning, then had an AMAZING zoom yoga session which sorted me out. And the thought just kept niggling all day until I caved in this evening and ran in the drizzle. Not fast- 4km- but 117m ascent. A final naughty sprint dodging the golfers and that was me-done. Then an uncharacteristically healthy veggie dinner and a cheeky half a bottle of the bubbles to celebrate

I am so delighted to be here! Running was my relaxation for a few years in my late 20's/early 30's until injury stopped me in my tracks. Life took over. Then a magic physio got me back up mountains and a crazy yoga teacher got me to a place where I could contemplate giving it another go. So here I am. Middle aged, a bit "cuddly" and more than a bit grumpy around the teens. I love running and the incredible connection with nature that it gives. It just keeps on giving. I must be smiling because I get lots of smiles from people passing by. And sympathy as I turn puce at the top of the hill. I have seen a cornucopia of plants, thrushes, goldcrests and swans shepherding their cygnets ; smelled the sweetest most prolific gorse I can remember; and discovered myriad new routes in supposedly well-kent places. Discovering Japanese running and "conversational pace" is another form of mindfulness. Music or podcasts would just distract me from all this richness within the city suburbs so I've done it solo. No electronics in sight- apart from pinching my 15yr old daughter's gismo to get the stats tonight! She ran with me 2 weeks ago: "Ready Steady RUN...." hoots of laughter as she started running and immediately had to slam on the breaks! But I didn't care! We had a great half hour- and I reckon she's quite proud of old mum. She 's noticed that the spare tyre is deflating a little bit too -all good!

The last 2 weeks have been physically harder than I anticipated-all the old niggles are reappearing and my creaky bits need time to get used to the shock. The knowledge base here is fantastic: the "educational" posts are a great source of information. I now have the confidence to sort myself out and the realisation that the odd week taking it easy as needed will reap rewards. There is no rush. Consolidation awaits, then onwards to reach 5k before addiction truly sets in!

This is my first post- and might well be my last as I'm not given to public proclamations! I have enjoyed reading about all your personal journeys; the stories, humour and determination have kept me going. So thanks to all the contributors -inspirational stuff!

Keep running !

[Lil5k Graduate]

Congratulations, you did it, and it must be so great to get back into running. Well done, a lovely positive post to read 😊

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Great to hear from you and a very inspiring post, congratulations on completing run 3 of week 9 and graduating from C25K 🎓 🏃🏾 👍

To get your graduation badge and the word GRADUATE 🎓 next to your username leave a message on the June graduate post in the pinned posts on the right side of the healthunlocked C25K home page and tell the administrators that you have ran W9R3 of C25K and graduated 🎓 🏃🏾 👍

[Rinky1 Graduate]

A great read. Well done you must be feeling fantastic. Congratulations

[SandraY1 Graduate]

👏👏👏🎊🎊🎊🎉🎉🎉🥳🎓

[Dexy5 Graduate]

Congratulations, more people graduate with 4k runs than 5k. 🎓👏👏

[Diamondshoes Graduate]

That's fantastic! Joy really flew out of your post!

[Silvergirl49 Graduate]

Such a lovely inspiring post!

[dobrerun Graduate]

Congratulations on graduating, and hope you are looking forward to your journey from here!

[PurpleCat87 Graduate]

Well done jmjog, I share your love of nature. I am glad you have enjoyed the program and hope you will continue with your running. So far I've run one consolidation run since graduating on Monday, my next one is tomorrow.

[freespirit71]

Whoo hoo adfabulous girl!!! Really njoyd your Post was funny.. Run on girl on to the next one 🙌🥇🏆👩‍🎓🏃‍♀️

[sTrongFuse Graduate]

Well done on getting there. I was a bit like you this time last year; the accumulated niggles of almost 5 decades were definitely making their voices heard the whole way through the plan, but when graduation day arrived, once 'd got the pre-run faffing out of the way, drizzle wasn't going to stop me. A year on and I'm still ignoring the protests of my legs (I think they secretly enjoy it really), running distances I couldn't even have imagined running back in March last year when I started and enjoying more of my local countryside than ever.

Welcome back to the fold; let's hope it continues to provide inspiration and enjoyment for many miles to come.

[IzzyMP Graduate]

Congratulations you did it. 👏👏🏃🏻🏃🏻

[shsoga Graduate]

Great post, thank you, it really gave me a lift! Congratulations to you, enjoy your success and all the running you have in front of you!

[SmilelikeImeanIt Graduate]

Well done! What a lovely post. I’m on Wk 8 and it was really inspiring.

[Thisoneistrying Graduate]

Well done. I had to give up for a bit because of hip issues and have started again but your post is a real encouragement. Thank you and keep going x

[jmjog Graduate]

Gosh- what lovely replies! Thanks everyone. I'm lucky that I love the feeling so much and have such an interesting route so close to home- def helps when things are tougher. This is such a great supportive community. Happy running all.