Hi! I graduated two months ago and I've been running three times a week ever since using week 9 run 3 as my guide. My initial plan was to increase my time gradually until I reached 5k, but I seemed to hit a wall, and found it incredibly hard to just to do the 30 minutes- I was getting stitches, and I was having to bargain with myself to get it done, one more minute, just to that lamppost, you know the sort of thing. I felt a bit miserable about it to be honest, thinking I was never going to enjoy it or get any better.
Then something happened last Friday- and I can't tell you what it was, because I don't know- but I just ran.... and I knew as I got to the end that if I'd wanted to I could have carried on. It felt so good, no stitches, just a free run. Then yesterday I did the same, and this time when Jo Whiley said 'That's it'.... I kept going. Only for a couple of minutes, but it felt ok!
I know for some people this must feel like baby steps (it is) but I was so, so, so very unfit to start with, it's no wonder really. And I just thought perhaps there are other people out there on their ninth consolidation week who might just need the encouragement- keep going! Things do get better!