It is exactly one year since I started the Couch to 5k programme! I’d decided to begin on January 1st as a New Year’s resolution but I couldn’t wait and off I went. What a year!
When I started, I was just doing it to find a cheap and convenient way to exercise. I really wasn’t expecting to love it. Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of tough runs. Lots of mistakes made. Plenty of times I didn’t want to run and sat at home. A few times I shouldn’t have run but did. One big fall. A LOT of doubts and gremlins. I wouldn’t change a thing-running is just the best.
The highlights aren’t the PBs and the races, although I’m really proud of them. There’s a hill nearby where if you hit it at the right time-fully warmed up and feeling good you feel like you’re flying as you come down it. It’s thirty minutes of complete freedom. It’s the grotty day where you force yourself out of the door in the pouring rain and before you know it you’re grinning like crazy as you’re splashing through puddles. Discovering stunning new places. It’s thinking you can’t possibly run a step further, but you do and you suddenly realise you’ve got grit that you never knew was there. Feeling fit and strong. It’s the positivity and camaraderie surrounding you when you’re standing in the starting pen of an event. Sitting on the ground utterly exhausted but amazed at what you’ve just done. It doesn’t matter if that’s your first series of minute runs or a half marathon. There is so much joy to be had in the journey.
Today was a short run around a local reservoir. Totally flat, beautiful views, epic puddles and rogue sheep! Nothing special-just a run. Slow and steady. Massively proud.
Next year’s runniversary? Who knows! With the support of all my wonderful virtual run buddies here, anything is possible. The most wonderful and unexpected bonus of being a runner is the community you’re part of.
I will keep on running and I will keep on smiling. Whoever you are, you should too!
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MissUnderstanding
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Thanks! It’s a lovely place to walk or run. Was super lucky-there have been some serious downpours all day and it stayed dry just until got back to the car. There were some great wildfowl but just a bit too far away without a camera better than the one on my phone!
Oh, just a quick trip to A&E SkiMonday ! As MissUnderstanding unfortunately managed to achieve that in her first year (and unlike mine, her fall wasn't even her fault) I'm very much wishing her wonderful, faceplant-free running from now on. 👍😊
The maratrail was a few months earlier SkiMonday , 15 months and two days after completing C25K (obviously not what's recommended 😦) and the faceplant was exactly two years on from completing C25K. Basically ever since the St Jacques I've done very little except fall, get ill and battle with the climate! 🙄
Its just over a year since my first running event which was a 10k on the 26th December last year. I repeated it this year and found it very hard with all the hills and had to walk op some steeper ones. I was sure that last years one was much faster but I was 7 minuets faster this time around. I think it shows how far I have come in the year.
Wow-seven minutes faster is amazing. Congratulations! And generally, congrats on all your progress too. It’s easy to lose sight of it as what’s normal changes over time. 🏃♀️💪
It really is, I am so slow, when we started a kilometre took 12 something minutes and we thought we were flat out, then it was 11 something, I remember saying once wouldn't it be good if it was 10 something to Willow, now 9 is average, I have run a kilometre in 7.32 and Willow ran one in 7.40, I wonder what 2023 will bring?Have a super New Year
I'm nursing a cold and a cough like I haven't had since I stopped smoke Ng but I think I'm on the mend, wondering if I can do RED January as I have followed nowster each time he's done it and wanted to, last year the cold arrived about 2 Nd Jan so stopped me in my tracks Reading posts like yours inspires me to run more often
I’ve definitely been inspired to keep going by reading your posts too! Hooray for this lovely place.
Really hope you feel better soon. I’d like to be running longer and faster but I know I need to be sensible. It’s funny how at times it’s really hard to get out and at others, it’s hard to stay in and recover!
Absolutely an eventful year! I had a bit of a bad habit of booking things when I’d had a good run and felt invincible…booked at 10k before I’d finished the programme and the the half before I’d done the 10k! I definitely wouldn’t recommend that as a standard way to progress but luckily it worked well for me!! The bath half was brilliant. Such a fantastic atmosphere and I did it for a friend. Still a bit emotional thinking about it now!
Aw, that means a lot from a super person themselves! It’s been a brilliant year of ups and downs, and then more ups! So glad I decided to start the programme and so glad that I found all my virtual run buddies here. It’s made such a difference. ❤️
Thanks so much! Running has become my absolute top favourite topic of conversation. It’s so lovely to share how things have gone with people who are like minded and on the same journey (my poor family are a bit bored I’m sure!!). These boards are just brilliant and I’ve learned so much ❤️
Me too- must be tough to be a runner's family member. Mr Week7 has become quite adept at nodding at the right point during my running monologues!So great to communicate with others who understand.
I especially love the part of your post about realising you have grit and discovering new places.I was in a lull with my running when you came on the scene and now you are an administrator, so I've only recently got to know you. Thanks for your recent encouraging messages! It's all about the adventure for me!
I’ve definitely found a bit of an adventurous spirit that wasn’t there before! Hopefully investing a bit more trail running next year with a very experienced and very helpful friend. I think sometimes we don’t know what we can do until we really try and sometimes fear of failing stops us before we’ve even taken the first step. Running has definitely made me braver and more confident that if it’s not a success first time, that doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. Excited for next year!
Congratulations on your 1st runniversary from C25K, what a great year its been for you, not just that, from reporting your first run of week 1, graduating from C25K and now an administrator on this wonderful forum, now go and celebrate your wonderful first anniversary.
Thanks! It’s lovely looking back.I was bought a running journal for Christmas and I’m going to try writing a few notes about each run beyond just the distance/time/where it was and very occasionally pace notes if it’s speedy one. It would be nice to see when the one with the squirrel fight happened, or I got lost and found a new path etc.
That was on my Christmas Day run! It was peace and quiet, not a person around and these two squirrels having a tiff over goodness knows what. Hilarious!
Thanks! I didn’t think I’d have so much to look back on…or so much kit in the hallway!!! Definitely hoping for another good year of running, ideally without any more a and e visits!
Happy New Year and thanks for all the support and wisdom! ❤️
Happy runniversary! Wish you many more to come. I also relate to what you had written about not expecting to love the running. It was an unexpected pleasure for me too. On treadmill runs at the moment till the snow and ice clears. I am so looking forward to running outside in the spring again. Happy new year!
It’s so great to hear from others who’ve had the same experience. I think when I’ve tried running before, it was always really fast, really uncomfortable or because I had to (PE!). It’s a revelation to discover it’s actually really fun!
Treadmills do a job-glad you’ve stayed safe in the snowy and icy weather. Spring will bring some wonderful runs I’m sure!
Thanks! It’s brilliant to look back and well timed to have recovered enough to actually be out running again-the mood might have been a bit different if not!!
Plans?! Now there’s a question…the 10k race I did last year and loved-MrU is going to join me even though he hasn’t run beyond about 3k in twenty five years. We’ll train together a bit but he’s very speedy and I find that frustrating! Tortoise and hare!!! We’ve done some short and easy runs together which is really nice though.
Definitely another half marathon. I really enjoyed the one I did. My main focus for that was finishing and fundraising for a very unwell close friend’s chosen charity. Next time I’ll be running just for me so it could feel a bit different. I’d like to be four minutes faster (very specific!!) which is definitely achievable. There’s a trail half around the Forest of Dean I really like the sound of but that will definitely be a slow one for me-I love the idea of being in the countryside a bit more but I’m waiting until I’m absolutely sure my knee is fully healed before thinking about that. Uneven ground has been painful but it’s fine now-don’t want to push it beyond the predictable ground I’ve been running on at the moment.
I’m still disappointed I didn’t get into the London marathon, even though it’s a blessing in disguise with the fall. I’d like to train for the distance in as low key a way as possible and see if I can find an event I fancy.
I’d also like to do some more speed/interval runs. I absolutely love those on the NRC app. Another unexpected thing I’ve discovered I like this year! Maybe I might try working on my 5k time. Ideally I’d like to lose 3 minutes for a totally arbitrary goal I’d quite like to hit. Maybe if I choose a parkrun without a whacking great hill, that could be almost achievable in one go!!!
I’ve joined a running group and made it a couple of times before getting injured. That’s definitely something I want to do more of-running with others.
Wow, sorry that’s so epically long!! I’ve been thinking about what’s next quite a lot. Its funny-reading that back it all looks about longer distance and faster pace, but really what I want to be doing is running more, with more people, in lovely places and enjoying myself. Having a vague target helps me to keep going but it’s all secondary to just running for the love of it.
Happy 1st runniversary MissUnderstanding .I'm a covid lock down graduate and can't believe I've now been running for 2years and 8 months. Never missed a week and due to all the good advice on this forum I've never had to sit on the IC. Perhaps I shouldn't of said that out aloud! My 5k circular run consists of 2 hills. One at the start and the other towards the finish. I so hated both those hills at the start of my journey but now, well they are a breeze.Running and this forum has given me so much.. Happy new year to you and here's to many many more runs.
I will be crossing fingers you avoid the IC!! I’m usually quite accident prone in real life so I’m amazed it’s taken this long. Lockdown was walking every day for me-I found loads of lovely places I now run. Sounds like you’ve done absolutely brilliantly. It’s hills, hills, hills around here so I’m a lover of them…mostly! It’s a really clear way to see how much you’ve progressed when suddenly you’re not afraid of them any more! Happy new year and happy running to you!
happy anniversary! What a great post and as I’m heading for my one year on 4th I do so with lots of pride and excitement at what the next year will bring! Keep running. Xx
Another one year graduate coming up-brilliant! It’s so great to hear from people who have kept on going. It’s one of the best features of this forum-all the lovely people with different journeys but the same goal…to love the run!
Happy runniversary for when it arrives! 🏃♀️❤️🏃♀️
Thanks so much! It’s been a brilliant year and it’s great to look back on. The charity I ran for have just sent me a medal and a certificate with the final total on which is really lovely. I think I’ll treat myself to some sort of nice storage/display. Hoping to add a bit more bling this year! 🏅🏃♀️🏅
That’s brilliant news! Congratulations!!!! Hope you’ve done some serious celebrating. You’ll have your own runniversary post in a year-I bet you’ll have some super memories by then. 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
Thanks so much! It’s lovely to have had the time to sit and think back over the past year and all the nice things that have happened. Loads more hopefully for both of us! 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
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