I initially started Couch to 5K on Tuesday 24 March 2020, the day after Mr Johnson's "Stay Home" chat.
I found it hard. Very hard. I had never run for any time before. I'd run for a bus, dashed across a road, as everyone does. I'd never run for a whole minute. Even at school I avoided running. Cross country? I'd walk it if I could.
Today, a year on, having spent all the past week resting a sore ankle, I thought I'd do a gentle run. Why not re-do the first run of C25K?
So it was at ten to five that I stepped out into a mild afternoon with damp in the air. We'd had some torrential rain showers overnight and into this morning. For the authentic effect, I'm running the C25K app and have music playing. Normally I'd be listening to speech podcasts and using my watch for timing.
I decided to listen to Laura today. I'd done week 1 three times before: initially in March, then I got ill after run 3, another attempt in April, then I realised the medication I was on did bad things with exercise, then a third time at the end of June, which took. The first two times, I used Sarah Millican. The third time I went for Jo Whiley. Of the three, I prefer Jo.
I used exactly the same route as I had for most of my C25K runs, an out-and-back flattish run on pavements beside a main road.
As I always had, I started a little fast.
The intervals of a minute that had felt like an eternity a year ago felt incredibly short.
On the return leg it started spitting rain. That would have bothered me a year ago. Not today.
To prove things a little more, I decided to do the final minute run as a comfortable run at a faster pace. This last section has a little rising slope which used to be a killer at the end of the session, resulting in me being out of breath at the end. Today I when I ran it at pace I felt perfectly fine.
What have I learned in the last year? While I can run quickly, I have also learned how to run slowly.
Splits (pace for each of the running sections in minutes per km):
6'37" Slightly downhill. I start slow and speed up.
7'30" Gentle rise. I'm deliberately trying to go slower.
6'34" Slightly steeper. I used to struggle here.
6'15" Slight downhill gradient.
6'22" Return journey. Slight uphill.
6'13" Slight downhill gradient.
7'05" Slight downhill. I'm deliberately trying to rein in the horses.
5'01" Slightly uphill. This final bit would always be very hard work, leaving me out of breath. When Jo would say, "You can run quicker for the last minute." I'd swear at her and refuse to do it. Today it's no trouble at all: I do it at a comfortable faster lope.
What a difference a year makes!
For those just starting out with Couch to 5K or still in the middle of it, bear with it. It's all worth it.
A final note: from no running at all before this time last year I've progressed, since that first C25K run, to running for 10 miles last Sunday (in an hour and 55 minutes).
If I can do it, so can you.
And motivational, thank you 
Fish, chips and mushy peas!
