So excited, I woke at 3 in the morning! Week 5

[con-brio]

Spent the next 3 hours reading people's past blogs in bed until the dawn chorus started: can’t run at night as there’s no street lighting and there's always the risk of a close encounter with vicious wild boar. Then up and out for a brilliant half hour in Laura's company. Even managed to keep running for an extra couple of minutes at the end of the third 5-min stretch.

Haven't joined in until now as I'm either busy teaching kids down in Rome or I'm working on the computer all day (and often all night), so never really bothered with things like facebook and blogs before. But C25K has changed all that: it's quite addictive. I find I'm now checking it regularly to see what people are up to and see if my queries have already been answered via the Tags index. I have so much respect for you all, baring your souls (or should that be soles?).

Stumbled across c25k in early Feb. I’d quit smoking my usual 2 packs a day on Christmas Eve 2012 (my Xmas present to myself) and so suddenly had a load more energy. Hadn’t run since I rowed at university (over 30 years ago now!), but could still remember the highs and sense of achievement. Wanted to regain those feelings. And I have: got back from W1r1 chanting “fan-bl**dy-tastic”. Second time out, it started to snow: a magical experience. Haven’t looked back since and each time there’s something new to marvel at (this year’s first violets, first primroses, etc.), not to mention my increasing ability to run. This time, halfway round the sun came up, the sunlight sweeping across the trees on the other side of the valley. I quickly fixed that image in my mind, as I believe strongly in building up an internal picture gallery of happy memories from which to draw strength in harder times, the effect of having studied Wordsworth and his ‘emotion recollected in tranquility’ in my formative years. Anyway, it made the second 5 minutes go really quickly.

Can’t wait to get out there again, but I’ll follow Laura’s advice and rest tomorrow; I’ll go swimming instead. Started swimming again last week after a 3 year gap and surprised myself (40 lengths on Wednesday and 50 on Thursday). Truly amazing for someone whose BMI is (gulp) 31, cholesterol dangerously high and with a congenital heart murmur. I’m on a high…

[Sadiekit Graduate]

What a lovely blog! I've become addicted to reading the blogs as well and finding out how everyone's doing. I like your descriptions and I was thinking the same on my run run this morning - very cold and grey and dreich but I saw the snow on Arthur's Seat and the 1st crocuses ( or is that crocii?) are out. Love this running lark. Well done with the smoking cessation - I'm 4 years down the line and it's fab.

[con-brio Graduate in reply to Sadiekit]

Thx and yes, being a smoke-free zone again is the best possible thing (though becoming a c25k graduate will come a close second). Congrats on your 4 years.

[greenlegs Graduate]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog - thanks for sharing your sole! And congratulations on giving up the cigarettes too.

I really like the bit about fixing images (lovely one too) - a really good idea. May you enjoy many more happy runs - though I hope you don't keep waking up at 3am!

[con-brio Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

Glad you liked the fixing images idea... it's stood me in good stead over the years. We all tend to dwell on the negative, re-living those bad decisions/experiences, which only makes those particular memories (synapses) stronger. Much better to replace them with positive stuff.

Now that you're a graduate, will you be upgrading the "slow and steady" logo?

[greenlegs Graduate in reply to con-brio]

Not for a while! 5k took me 46 minutes yesterday - and I had a positive comment about the steadiness of my pace, so I think slow and steady can stay for now. Enjoyment and fitness is more important to me than being fast anyway!

Slow has a lot going for it!

[con-brio Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

I agree. And not just in terms of sport, also food, travel etc.

[con-brio Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

PS. One of my favourite poems:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

W.H. Davies

[greenlegs Graduate in reply to con-brio]

Mmmmmm.

Agree with the food, travel etc bit too! I've come across that poem before, and really like it, so I have now copied it into my little book of positive thinking quotes. Thanks!

[vikicats Graduate]

I too also like the idea of the fixing images. I tend to dwell on the negative, rehashing events in my head. I know it's not good so I'm going to give this a go. Definitely need to build up a more positive outlook. The running certainly helps the stress levels, if I add this to my runs I think it will help a lot. Thanks for that.

I gave up the smokes nearly five years ago. The best thing I've ever done but that's not to say I don't still fancy one every now and again. I don't give into temptation though!

Viki

[con-brio Graduate in reply to vikicats]

Remember: positive thoughts attract positive things.

Congrats on the no smoking: life is sooooo much better without. Mentally and physically. Don't ever give in: that's what did for me the first time I gave up and it took me another 7 years (!) to stop again... I now have a mantra: "you're just one puff away from 2 packs a day".

[TX-Bluebonnet Graduate]

Firstly, congratulations on quitting smoking. Secondly, glad you've joined in, and with such a great blog, too.

I've always liked to fix nice images in my mind - like the group of beautifully shaped trees loaded down with white blossoms that I saw on my last run. But I also like to take mental snapshots of people I notice in a happy, thoughtful, or other positive or inspiring moment because sometimes I wonder about society in general and recalling those images gives me hope.

Sounds like you're doing a swell job with your running and fitness routine. Keep it up!

[con-brio Graduate in reply to TX-Bluebonnet]

Thanks TX for your encouragement.

Enjoy your next run.

[stega1958 Graduate]

A wild boar????

And I thought I had problems with dog walkers and high speed commuting cyclists without bells!

I am finding that I am getting back to the feeling I used to get from running 25 years ago when I could run a half marathon in under 2 hours; I will never be that fast or run that far again but am sure I can enjoy it as much.

[con-brio Graduate in reply to stega1958]

Enjoyment's what it's all about: we'd all give up otherwise and find some other way to get/keep fit. Hang the speed, it's that sense of "look what I can (still) do".