I did it! I finished the programme :)

[redsheep]

Woohooo!! So happy to finish the programme. Woohooo!

At the beginning I never knew if I would. I started off ok. Did 4 runs (so up to W2R1) and then did nothing for 2 weeks and lost all motivation. Then I went and booked a trekking holiday for November and as a result had a real reason to get fit! That's been a real driver for me to get out of the house each evening. I think between week 1 and week 4 I mostly did 4 runs per week, repeating ones where I felt I needed it. By week 5 though I just stuck to 3 per week and no repeats. I think by then I was also in the habit of making time for my runs so that has become a lot easier - no excuses!

Again thanks to everyone on here for their support, for your comments and for the blogs that you have written which provide much of the motivation and inspiration to carry on.

I can honestly say I now like running! Mad! Although it's still not easy.

Graduation run stats:

DISTANCE SPEED PACE TIME CALORIES

4.91 km 9.8 km/h 6:05 mins/km 0:30:00 439.3

Just under 5km

Post celebration checklist:

Email John for graduation badge - check!

Order NHS C25k graduate tshirt - check!

Sign up for a Parkrun - check!

Print and laminate Parkrun barcodes - check!

Nervous and excited about my first Parkrun tomorrow. Yikes. It'll be my first time running without music, and with other people. I hope they'll understand that I won't be able to speak and run, lol. Need to save my energy for breathing:).

I think next week I'll do 3 more week 9 runs with the podcast, and maybe then move onto the C25k+ plus ones. I have also downloaded the bridge to 10K podcasts, but not sure if I'm ready for those yet.

[Jodie92]

4.91km wow that's so close to 5k congratulations, I hope I can manage this when (if) I graduate. I've tried so many times but lose motivation so often, usually after a week or two, any tips for keeping the motivation up?

[redsheep Graduate]

For me I had a tangible goal at the end of it. Something real that gave me reason to keep going. Not just the thought of 'I should get fit'. Maybe if you sign up to a charity 5k run and start collecting some money for it then that will keep you going and get you out of the house each time you start to loose your motivation. Find a race that's happening in maybe 3 or 4months so that you're not under too much pressure if you need to repeat a few days here and there.

Or promise yourself some new clothes when you graduate. You just have to find the right kind of motivator for you. Oh, and realise too that it's not easy. It is a challenge but you can do it and Laura will help you get there.

Hope that helps.

[swanscot Graduate]

Congratulations, on completing C25K! Good pace! All the best with the Parkrun tomorrow: I bet you squeeze that extra wee bit of effort to run at a pace of a 6.00 min kilometre.

Our of interest, where are you going for your trekking holiday?

[redsheep Graduate in reply to swanscot]

Thanks. Will see what I can manage tomorrow. Would really have preferred a 2 day rest before Parkrun but it hasn't worked out like that.

I'm off to Nepal:). I need to get some practice walks in now too. Running has sort of been taking over.

[swanscot Graduate in reply to redsheep]

Ooh, lovely.. That's a place I'd love to go trekking... maybe next year.

[AnnaDJ Graduate]

Yay another grad. Well done. Can't wait to hear how the park run goes.

[redsheep Graduate in reply to AnnaDJ]

Thanks Anna. I've just remembered to change my running club to NHS C25K too

[Soozz Graduate]

Congratulations, Redsheep! Impressive stats too, you will be fine for your ParkRun tomorrow. I agree with all of your comments - particularly "Realise that it's not easy". I think I expected some kind of magic trick to fool my body into unaccustomed running, but there is no easy way to get someone running 30 mins in 9 weeks. Getting off the couch was, for me, the easy bit. But there IS a kind of magic, to get us enjoying running, feeling deprived when we can't, and continuing to strive for better times / distances / techniques, etc.

Really well done, good luck for tomorrow. I bet you've got the biggest smile today.

PS loved the checklist.

[redsheep Graduate in reply to Soozz]

I always felt good afterwards (after the cool down walk that is!) so that feeling kept me going too. Last night the first 15 minutes were more difficult than the last.

I hope I can get the right pace without any music tomorrow.

[Fraz73 Graduate]

Congratulations on your graduation. Amazing achievement!!

[redsheep Graduate in reply to Fraz73]

Thanks Fraz.

[gdeann Graduate]

Congratulations! You should be so proud of yourself and I bet the run will go great! Thank you for the reminders on your checklist. I am getting ready for week 6 and you are an inspiration!!!

[redsheep Graduate in reply to gdeann]

Thanks Gayle! You don't have too long left. After week 6 the time just flies. Good luck with the rest of your runs. I'll look out for your graduation post

[Chewy]

Congratulations Redsheep, very well done.

[redsheep Graduate in reply to Chewy]

Thanks Chewy

[RunnerBean Graduate]

Congratulations on graduating and so near to 5K in 30 mins! I can only dream of running that fast!

[redsheep Graduate in reply to RunnerBean]

Thanks RunnerBean. You will get there. I have no hills at all to battle with so I think that's helped me a lot.

[Anniemurph Graduate]

Oh, well done! I hope the parkrun goes well and you find your pace without the lovely Laura!

[Allyt Graduate]

Well done!

[Legion Graduate]

Brilliant redsheep, congratulations. Hope the parkrun went well. You'll now have a 5K time to try and beat.

How did you get the bold type? Are we able to use HTML or something in here?

[Legion Graduate in reply to Legion]

Aha! Gotta love those square brackets.

[redsheep Graduate in reply to Legion]

Yes, I tried it just in case and voila, it works!

[runwalkrun Graduate]

[Well done!!] <-- see my use of the square brackets! (Hope the bold type works now haha, wouldn't it be embarassing if it didn't?!) Good luck with all the future running!

[runwalkrun Graduate in reply to runwalkrun]

Hmm, it didn't work