A long (sorry!) 2nd Runniversay post with links

[CBDB]

Today is my second runniversary!

And I celebrated by finishing off week 2 (run 3) of my C25k re-take, Zombie version!

The weather was gorgeous, I felt good on my still new Altras (Zero-drop cushioned shoes), and my new Bluetooth earplugs that my hubby bought me made sure music was chivvying me along, and so in the sun, and listening to songs and breathing in the fresh morning air, I bounced a bit higher than usual!

It’s amazing to think back on my 2-year journey, so I thought I’d list some highlights.

Exactly 2 years ago, I ran my first run of NHS C25K, my first short tweet expressed my pride at just starting: healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

I didn’t know then where that first step would lead me, right to the point where someone recently mentioned me having an “inner workout monster”😍. I love seeing myself like that now, someone who regularly works out and someone who thinks of a brilliant Saturday as one which includes a delicious slow run in the morning, some stretching or Yoga afterward, and an indoor rowing session in the early evening! Before I started, this would have never crossed my mind as a great way to spend a day!

Back during C25k, I finished and went on to Consolidation using an adapted version of the 12-week Fitness Plan, keeping a record of progress all in one post: healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

This post really shows how a habit was born, a habit of running that pulled all other fitness activities along. This plan allowed me to add Strength and Flexibility workouts to my fitness plans, improving my running. The original plan was meant to be done in sync with C25k, but I was at such a poor level of fitness that there was no way I could have done running AND the 5-week Strength & Flexibility program in the same period.

That is now joyfully laughable, considering that I now quite often run in the morning, row, and do a bit of yoga all on the same day! And this is only 2 years after starting to run!

During Consolidation, I also signed up for my first ever virtual challenge, jealously watching some examples of beautiful medals rolling by. Still, I was not ready yet for running in real races! So I was hoping for my first medal to come through a virtual challenge! I joined others on RUNLEJOG by End2End, running virtually from Lands End to John O’Groats!

Reader, I’m still at it! But so close! I’m 46 miles from the finish of the 880-mile journey, so that I will finish it during this runniversary week! And the LEJOG journey was a blast. (Post from the early days: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... )

Along the way, I got into editing my images via Spark Post, another skill pulled along by my running journey! 🤣🤣 Here is a post covering my various fitness worlds at the time: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

After finishing my consolidation period, I started hopping over to both the Bridge forum and the Strength&Flexibility forum. I was getting into doing targeted workouts that would specifically benefit my weaker body parts: knees and back! And not long after did I persuade hubby and son to let me throw out the kiddie billiard pool table and rearrange our living room to accommodate a new workout corner: healthunlocked.com/strength...

And it wasn’t only me who started using it! Son would use it for his KungFu moves, and hubby would do his 7min morning bodyweight exercises. I would move my S&F inside this corner after the weather made outdoor workouts impossible.

Using this space and my new outdoor fitness, I discovered

★- Foam Rollers: healthunlocked.com/strength...

★- Exploring the difference between Yoga and Pilates: healthunlocked.com/strength...

★- Loving my knees: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- Loving my toes: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- And, of course discovering how good a daily yoga practice can be via the January 30-day YWA journeys: healthunlocked.com/strength...

★- My workout corner became busy with all sorts of props as I got into yoga: healthunlocked.com/strength...

★- My first non-running medal: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

My running legs got stronger and stronger as well, and along that journey, I discovered

⭐- Exploring new running routes: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

⭐- Zombies: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

⭐- Solutions for my phone whilst I run: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

⭐- How in the warmer half of the year, I can return to my outdoor gym: healthunlocked.com/strength...

⭐- And how a break from running can be a really good thing as well: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

⭐- The joys of virtual running challenges: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

⭐- The brilliantly inspiring community of workout buddies that is HU: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

⭐- How much I’ve become a shoe-floozy healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

Somewhere between C25k and the Magic 10k plan, I discovered my love for devising my own workout plans. So along the way, I developed quite a few plans for myself, one’s which would answer my delight in exploring virtual and real worlds while working out. There was the:

☆- 5 week post-5k consolidation plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

☆- 10k Magic plan with some CBDB additions healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

☆- 5-day plan focussing on strengthening weak knees: healthunlocked.com/strength...

☆- Another 5-day plan for knees: healthunlocked.com/strength...

☆- Our HU adaption of the 12-week Fitness and Post-5k consolidation plan: healthunlocked.com/strength...

☆- Criteria for a good CBDB PLAN: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

☆- CBDB’s Slow Run Fun Plan for post 10k consolidation healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

In Late November 2020, I became a member of the admin team, and I am still so honored to be part of this brilliant and friendly community that helped me so much on my way to becoming a runner.

But my journey didn’t stop there.

I started indoor rowing again. And I added that to my plan, including signing up for a short virtual rowing challenge of crossing the channel: healthunlocked.com/strength.... That would prove to be my first ever medal, and a beauty it was!

And just before the first year finished, I reached 10k: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

My first Runniversary I celebrated with a run, of course, and a big look back over that year: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

Since then, a lot of additional milestones and fitness surprises have happened:

★- My son started running: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- My first (not)Parkrun: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- First running shoes healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- I realized how running had given me back walking: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- And how S&F has changed me: healthunlocked.com/strength....

★- I discovered that my runs have become refreshing: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- And the beauty of outdoor yoga: healthunlocked.com/strength...

★- I began drinking smoothies post runs: healthunlocked.com/strength...

★- And I experienced my first collective world records: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

★- London Marathon day is now a special day in our household: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

And, of course, then came my first lengthy stint on the injury couch due to a metatarsal injury. healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

I am back to running now, but the time on the injury couch was also a valuable experience. I still loved doing Yoga, especially the YWA January daily practice: healthunlocked.com/strength... . Adapting some moves to take it easy on my foot made it a brilliant workout to stay fit while staying off my feet largely.

I also started indoor rowing more seriously, finishing a 30-day program that really started my daily rowing practice: healthunlocked.com/strength...

And even in my rowing journey, I just had to add some virtual challenges and hooked myself up to the virtual world of Zwift: healthunlocked.com/strength...

Currently, I’m in the middle of

⭐ ★- Getting to daily 10ks on my rower: healthunlocked.com/strength...

⭐ ★- Getting back to 5k on my now more experienced running legs, this time enjoying the C25k journey the Zombie,Run way: healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

⭐ ★- And on S&F, I have just committed to another 30-day challenge: healthunlocked.com/strength...

The wonderful journey that is running, rowing, and working out continues.

Happy Runniversary to everyone out there, keep on keeping on!

[Vespina Graduate]

Loving the round up and see we have a few things in common. :

- I love the Footpath app. Found it a few weeks ago and just upgraded to premium. Have 21 running routes in (including 3 for my holiday).

- Undulations?! Any uphill is a hill in my book. The clue is in the name. Has your husband caught up on that one yet?

- I’m an Altra girl myself. I have the paradigm 5 (or the purgatory 5 on challenging run)

Looking forward to seeing where I am in two years.

[CBDB Graduate in reply to Vespina]

Oh wow! 🤣🤣🤣 yeah, footpath is brilliant, especially once they added the OS maps as well!

Undulations: we don’t mention that word in our household anymore! 🤣🤣 You are so right: a hill is a hill is a hill. Some hills are even mountains! 🤣👍🏽

Altra!! 😍👟😍👟😍👟😍 🏃🏼‍♀️

Thank you!

[Couchpotato2 Graduate in reply to CBDB]

My friend said: that run with the faster run group will be fine and there are no hills, they say undulating. Right. I learnt that undulation is a bloody big hill as in the first 5 minutes we went up 100m elevation. He's still my friend but now I only trust the word HILL.

Footpath is very useful when lost and also Komoot is a good one that talks to you on the run

Happy runniversary CBDB !!

[CBDB Graduate in reply to Couchpotato2]

🤣🤣 Thank you! Yes, I had gotten free version of RunGo for the guided audio routes. But footpath does this now as well. But I’ve never tried that function as of now.

[Couchpotato2 Graduate in reply to CBDB]

oh i didnt know, will have to take a look!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Congratulations on your second runiversary CBDB, good post from you despite being on the long side and full of historic links regarding your running.

I have kept a running diary of all the runs I have done since week 4 of C25K and looking back on my profile page I have also posted about milestone runs such a R3W5, run 3 of week 9, my first 5K, first parkrun, 10K and first 10 miles run, once again congratulations on your 2nd runniversary 👍🏃🏾

[CBDB Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Thank you. Yes, these are in a way diaries, but in a shared way. 😄😃 It was fun writing it and looking back of how far I’ve come. Your journey is amazing, as well! Really motivating, reading of other runner’s journeys. Thank you!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to CBDB]

Yes you can go to the profile page of any runner and go back to the very first post they sent to Healthunlocked.My very first post was in September 2017 a good 7 months before I began C25K, in that post I mentioned other exercises and say that I might start running sometime in the future.

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Fabulous Runniversary post, lots of interesting points and links and of course Zombies too

[CBDB Graduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️I wouldn’t be where I am today without Zombies chasing me…. (And Sports-bras) 🤣👍🏽

[SueAppleRun Graduate in reply to CBDB]

You’ve inspired me to check in with the zombies again

[Frenc Graduate]

Happy 2 years CBDB ! It has been eventful by the looks of it. Here’s to many more 😊.

[CBDB Graduate in reply to Frenc]

Thank you! Indeed! To many more!

[Greenrunner47]

Wow! Amazing and inspirational! Thanks for posting all those links I will make use of some of these I am sure when I crack the 5k. I am still not doing much on my rest days other than walking but I want to get into S&F plus Pilates to build my core which is quite week. We also have a running machine in our spare room collecting dust that is steadying to beckon me! So many milestones reached, a huge well done to you and congrats on your 2nd x

[CBDB Graduate in reply to Greenrunner47]

Oh wow! It sounds like you still have an exciting journey full of exploration ahead of you! Enjoy!

Pilates, we did a 30 day challenge at some point: healthunlocked.com/strength...

We’re planning to do one again this summer! So watch that space! (strength and flexibility forum space, that is!)

Jealous of your running machine! 👍🏽😃🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️

[Greenrunner47 in reply to CBDB]

Thanks yeah I have been pretty inactive and unfit for a long time (except walking) so looking forwards to building up my fitness, am at wk 7 and noticing changes allready! I meant to type rowing machine, obvs obsessed with running at the mo lol

[CBDB Graduate in reply to Greenrunner47]

🤣🤣 Ooohhh! Rowing machine…..😃😃😃😃

Well, if you ever want to dust that one off, here’s a brilliant 30-day challenge: healthunlocked.com/strength... (it exists as podcast as well)

But yes, indulge in running first, I did! And there is so much to explore!

[Jericho2332 Graduate]

Happy 2nd runiversary! That's quite a journey 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻 congratulations on everything you have accomplished!

[CBDB Graduate in reply to Jericho2332]

Thank you! I’m glad to have had this forum to keep me on track with my journey, and simultaneously keep track of it!

[linda9389 Graduate]

Just amazing!!! Keep going workout fiend 😊

[CBDB Graduate in reply to linda9389]

Oh, thank you! “Workout Fiend”, I like that! 🙏😃