Finished Couch to 5K in...21 weeks!

[teamfridge]

Sure hope this counts...🤞

Male, 47, not run since school, a career in offices. Skateboarding only physical activity since then.

Started in August and enjoyed it from W1R1. Felt very achievable, and very compelling to effectively gamify the process of learning how to run longer distances for longer times. But like many I fell into the trap of being more interested in speed than distance, sure enough first injury (calf strain) in week 3 or so set me back a fortnight.

Also discovered I simply couldn't run in the UK heatwave, so lost some time there. Kept rejoining the program and progressing a week or two before a little tweak in the body, or an altered life circumstance would set me back again. However, there were slightly more steps forward than back.

The infamous 20 minute marathon of W5R3 was so very daunting, but overcoming it first try gave me real hope that this thing was indeed possible. It was a real highlight moment.

On top of the pandemic and occasional mild strains, I had a complete career change, a parent passing away and a new baby incoming all vying for my time and energy, making sticking to the program immensely challenging. Every week brought new reasons not to run and more fighting to get back to where I was a fortnight ago.

But today, finally, after 40 runs over 21 weeks, I finished W9R3 and I am absolutely delighted!

Best time was 25:55 for 5K, best distance 5.76km in 30 mins.

Some things I learned along the way:

- Personally I need two days rest between runs, one just isn't enough and would always catch up with me after a week or so.

- Ideal time for running was about 11:30am after a light breakfast at 8:30am

- The NHS warm down stretches were invaluable, found linked from this forum

- I can't tell for sure but I suspect it helped me to have the program spread out so much. When I would send myself back a week or two it may have worked as a form of consolidation, so by the time I returned to where I'd left I was probably in better shape than the first time round.

Anyway that's it, I've read countless messages on here that gave me advice, hope and strength, so if a snippet of this is helpful to someone else then it will have been worth it.

Thanks all! 👊

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your graduation, fellow runner.

This guide to post C25k running may be helpful healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

Keep running, keep smiling.

[teamfridge Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thank you!

[NusiaFab Graduate]

Congratulations!🙌🙌🙌 You should be proud, great achievement!

[teamfridge Graduate in reply to NusiaFab]

Can't tell you how happy and relieved I am!

[Rennur Graduate]

That's a fantastic story and a fantastic distance for 30 minutes. Congrats.

[teamfridge Graduate in reply to Rennur]

Thank you!

[Week7 Graduate]

Congratulations_your persistence rewarded! Fast too!

[teamfridge Graduate]

Thank you, definitely persistence, or perhaps stubbornness!

[AndrewJR75 Graduate]

Wow what a time for 5k, great end to your year. 👏👏👏

[GardenGnome12 Graduate]

Congratulations! That's a huge achievement, not least because of the obstacles you have overcome. I started in August, graduated in October and still can only just do 5k in 37 mins. You are a star ⭐

[Blossom- Graduate in reply to GardenGnome12]

Well done! But there's no 'can only' about what you've achieved. You can run 5k! 😄 Speed's not important x

[Hidden]

Well done. Thank you for sharing your experience. It has inspired me. 😊🏃🏆

[Runnerbean11]

Well done on graduating! I hope to get there someday

[Run46 Graduate]

Congrats on persevering and wowee, you're super speedy...no wonder you need two days rest in between runs, I need a rest just thinking about your pace 😆

What an amazing way to end the year, couldn't have timed it better 😉

[Katnap Graduate]

Blimey! Quick! It took me quite a while to do that kind of speed! Enjoy Bridge to 10k in 2021. Remember to save your speed for race days! 🤣🎄🐱 Xmas Katnap 🐱🎄