Fit not Fat for 50: GRADUATION!!! I can run for 30mins! I can run for 5K! Big Gushy Happy Post of the Good the Bad & the Ugly of C25K!

[Tapira]

I laid all my running kit out for a 6 am start this morning and promptly slept in! Not a great start to graduation day. But the the sun was shining and lovely OH said he'd come with me and bike me to work to make up the time and so off I went. I've been trying to go a little slower recently in the hope of building up to running a little longer both in distance and time today I really felt it just happened. 3.8K in 30 minutes and I just kept going at that pace to bag my first ever 5K in 39.10. One baseball cap went flying up in the air and a little dance of joy was done with a not so subtle Whoop,Whoop, whooooop!

The Good:

1.The Wonderful People of this community who have been like my Virtual Trainers pushing me on – a massive gushing heartfelt “Thank You!”

2. The programme itself. I have found it utterly trustworthy. Thank you Laura!

3. I set myself the target to feel fit for 50. Still got 5 months to go and I am the fittest I have been in the last quarter of a century.

4. Confidence. That feeling that a year ago I couldn’t run for the bus – started on a treadmill as I didn’t want to wobble outside - now anything is possible! Park run....5K.... bring it on!

5. I’m trimmer.

6. Endorphins. WOW!

7. My OH buying me a Garmin Forerunner. I just love it!

The Bad:

1.The weather – has this possibly been the worst 9 weeks of Spring ever? Slippery mud and cold wind worse than the rain in itself.

2.Sore bits especially a sore hip. But worth it.

3.Bathroom scales. I’m tempted to chuck mine out of the window and reach for the tape measure and the heart rate monitor. Yes the scales are recording a loss of 10lbs since I started the programme... but it is so not the full picture, it’s almost an irrelevance.

4.Although I tend to look forwards rather than backwards, part of me is very sad I didn’t get off the couch sooner. Too busy working and raising children to give myself quality Me Time. If you are reading this with little children, too much work, etc. please beg, borrow or steal some time to do this. I think it will sustain you in everything you do.

The Ugly:

1.My toenail on the middle toe on my right foot. Don’t ask although I think it’s from hillwalking rather than running.

2.Me in running tights (but now OKish with shorts on top!)

3.Mean spirited people, Run Saboteurs, who try to undermine your self-esteem. Back to the couch with you I say!

Happy running everyone!

[debssey Graduate]

Your post left me with a tear in my eye! Well done well done well done! I am so happy for you, you are amazing. You are right about this little community of lovely people, I couldnt have done it without you all either. xx I am on wk8 run2 and hope to graduate a week on Sat. Good luck with continued running x

[Tapira Graduate in reply to debssey]

Thank you Debssey - you've really inspired me with what you have achieved. keep going and I will look out for your graduation post next weekend!

[TJFlute]

You've made me feel very tearful, but in a very very happy way I feel so mega proud of what you've done and absolutely love your graduation post

CONGRATULATIONS!

[Tapira Graduate in reply to TJFlute]

Thank you Theresa ! You've helped me and lots of others with all your positivity and enthusiasm so keep up the good work. Yes I had a happy blub myself when I got back home - and why not!

[Rose885 Graduate]

Congratulations!! I have really enjoyed all your blog posts and I hope you keep it up 50 and beyond

[Tapira Graduate in reply to Rose885]

Thank you Rose! I have a feeling that this running, so alien to me two months ago is becoming a good habit that I am growing to love!

[Anonymous36 Graduate]

Amazing work!!! I am smiling with you

[Tapira Graduate in reply to Anonymous36]

I'm just about to go to a meeting at work and I am all smile-tastic and not really concentrating

[AmandaW Graduate]

Yay Massive, massive congratulations so pleased for you *does a victory dance for Tapira*

[Tapira Graduate in reply to AmandaW]

Yey go Amanda that's some cool shapes you are cutting there

[bluebird75]

Awesome post!!!!

If this post isn't inspiration enough to get out there and go do it, I don't know what is!!! I'm just about to complete W1 and week 9 seems so so far away (in achievement as well as time). But its posts like yours that inspire me every day.

What an achievement, well done x

[Tapira Graduate]

Go on bluebird - you 'll fly! You will you know, just trust the programme and Jog and Blog - this community will help you every step of the way

[glendam52 Graduate]

Well done what a great post and great achievement too. Smiling with you.

[Tapira Graduate]

Thanks so much glendam52!

[jenniej Graduate]

Fantastic - well done you! Graduating & doing your first 5k all in one swoop - that is such an amazing achievement. Your thoughts are absolutely spot on, especially the advice about getting off the couch. Getting fit in a structured way is genuinely life-changing. Have a great day!

[Tapira Graduate in reply to jenniej]

Thanks - it does feel like a, great day. Themuscles that hurt ost are my face muscles from grinning!

[Greg_M Graduate]

How chuffed?

well done on all fronts (except maybe the toenail bit!) great achievement here's to the next few years of running. Don't forget us now your all graduated and flown the next

I know exactly what you mean about wishing you had started sooner. I look back and feel really badly treated by school sports. This program has taught me that it is easier to get fit than they ever let you know at school you just need to take it slow and build up methodically. If everyone did this program as PE lessons for the first term of secondary school how differently would everyone feel about physical activity?

Well done though, great achievement.

[Tapira Graduate in reply to Greg_M]

I agree that school sports have a lot to answer for - I wonder how many of us have school sports back stories to share.

I'm not flying anywhere - except around that local park!

[kathycullen in reply to Greg_M]

I couldn't agree more with what you said about school sports. I HATED running due to school, and now, even though early days, I really enjoy it.

[CaroleC Graduate]

Hi Tapira,

Well done you!! You sound so up and buzzed and happy and so you should be, it is a huge thing that you have done for yourself. You should be very proud and yes, I agree with Greg, if we'd have known how you can build fitness so methodically and succeed with a good programme to follow, wouldn't we have tried to do this for ourselves long, long ago?

Well done on the weight loss, but as you said, that's not the whole picture, I bet you are so much more toned too!

Continue to ignore all the run saboteurs, they have no inkling of the benefits of the C25K and you will have the last laugh!!

Smiling for you!

CaroleC

[Tapira Graduate in reply to CaroleC]

Hi Carole

Thanks for that and I am still pretty buzzed up several hours later.

Hope your knee is doing better.

[Minuette Graduate]

Excellent well done! There's no stopping you now!!!

[Tapira Graduate in reply to Minuette]

Nor you! You were one of the first people to encourage me on this blog and it's nice to have you as one of the 'last' too!

[AliB1 Graduate]

Whooooppp! I am smiling for you would do avictory dance for you but legs too sore from last night's run.

Very inspiring blog, can't wait to hear what you get up to next. Happy Running!!!!!

[Tapira Graduate in reply to AliB1]

Thanks AliB1 - like Minuette you were one of the first people to encourage me on this forum so a massive thank you to you

[gypsydepp Graduate]

Well done tapira...absolutely lovely blog! grin, grin, grin! :):)

[Tapira Graduate in reply to gypsydepp]

Still smiling a day later

[Barney019 Graduate]

Ahh well done so so pleased for you! I am only week 1 but was all of a buzz this morning - week 9 sounds a very long way away but thank you for inspiring me!

Keep running x

[Tapira Graduate in reply to Barney019]

Week 9 will come around soon enough - perhaps in time for the Olympics! Keep up the good work!

[stuckersbigfan Graduate]

Fantastic blog to read, loved it! Well done to you

[Tapira Graduate in reply to stuckersbigfan]

Thank you! Hope your post-graduation running is going well!

[Deryn61 Graduate]

Absolutely heartwarming post, well done!

As for the toe - I have had a blackened middle toe on my left foot for weeks now, the nice guy in the running shop said that what I SHOULD have done (when I first noticed a sort of "bruised" feel to my toes on that foot) was ice my toes/soak them in icy cold water for ten mins. He said not to worry about it - my toenail will drop off in its own time (!) and as long as I dont pick at it it wont hurt when it does! After I do my longer runs now I make sure I ice my feet as I dont want more of this!

Makes me proud everytime I see it tho - a "real runner's" badge lol!

[Tapira Graduate in reply to Deryn61]

That made me laugh, to think of my toenail as a 'runner's badge'. Might make up for the fact that I haven't been given my 'Graduate' badge yet!!

[kathycullen]

Well done! I love reading the graduation blogs And as a new Mom begging and borrowing the time to run, you are so right about how it benefits. I teared up reading that.

I hope to read more about your further runs. All best to you.

[Tapira Graduate in reply to kathycullen]

Thank you Kathy and keep up the good work! I guess one thing about running is that you can get a lot of fitness benefit from just half an hour so hope you can make it work for you as a busy mum. I do wish I had done more sooner but you've taken the most important and arguably one of the most difficult steps - starting!

[PastyMan Graduate]

Brilliant Tapira, just brilliant!

from another who graduated before 50 too

[ClaireB1973 Graduate]

wow a great blog and well done! I smiled at the image of you throwing your hat in the air and whoo hooo!!!! I am with you on the run sabatoeurs - they are just very small minded people who are jealous, ive had to develop a thicker skin and shrug off some comments from people who wish to crush my new found (but still fragile) confidence recently. Im a mum with 4 children and this is the only bit of me time I get, i love being able to run uninterrupted and listen to my own taste in music and actually "think" for a full 30 mins without having to answer a question or sort out a squabble!!! :-))

[fairysam]

Inspiring! Hope I get off week one soon! xx

[lucylou77 Graduate]

Massive CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Love 'the good, bad and ugly' part of this post but the best bit is you describing the feeling at the end of your 5K run!! I remember that feeling very well.... YOU ARE A RUNNER!!!

[Hidden]

what an inspiration well done and thanks all at once!!

[Rosey21 Graduate]

Well done lady!! You're awesome!!!

[gill2607]

What an inspiring post! I am a mum with 3 very young children and your advice about taking time out for yourself is spot on. Im only on week one but will return to your post time and time again for inspiration.

Thank you

[SnowyOwl]

Well done,Well done! Wonderful post and an inspirational journey, I'm not too far behind you . We just gotta keep on

[Tapira Graduate in reply to SnowyOwl]

I'll be looking out for your graduation post Snowy

[blueboots Graduate]

Congratulations Tapira, loved your graduation blog. You will be such an inspiration to others. Wish I had come across this programme earlier too but maybe it comes to our attention just at the moment we are ready to commit to it, I do remember thinking what a bunch of nutters those folk were running about in all weathers looking as if they were about to drop.......now I am one of those nutters, who'd have thought! Well done to you and keep up the running

[Tapira Graduate in reply to blueboots]

Aww thanks blueboots. It's funny now when I see very unfit people taking exercise in my local park I feel so very proud of them and just want to wish them well. No running this week as I've been floored with a virus and just can't wait to recover - to run again!! Hope your running is going well.