Graduated from C25K today!!! Week 9- Day 3 DONE!!!

Hey everyone! I just thought I'd throw in my NSV of the day! I have officially finished the C25K challenge! I had a great group of ladies (and one gent) running alongside of me and their encouragement really did keep me going! Thanks Wimps 2 Warriors! (named after the Confuscius quote: "He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.") Anyway, for those of you who are thinking of starting C25K, here are a few entries from my running journal. Keep in mind, I am NOT a runner and I have never enjoyed running in the least....

8-8-11 C25K Day 1- Felt great! Couldn’t believe I was running for 60 seconds.

8-19-11 I started out with about as much coordination as if I were running through snow, but after I finished my second run session, my body felt much better. I didn’t eat or drink anything this morning before my run and didn’t have side pains, but trying to breathe as suggested was hopeless. I guess I can’t breathe and run at the same time!

8-22-1: Week 3, Day 1
Running felt great today. I was finally able to get the breathing thing under control and when I started to get a side stitch I just focused on the breathing and it brought me through.

8/31/11: I was sprinting at the end of my intervals today and managed a sprint/ walk session after my run today. This is the first time I haven’t avoided the hills, even with 5 minute runs! yeah!

9/9/11- Week 5, Day 3 TWENTY MINUTE RUN!!! DONE!!!! All I can say is I DID IT!

9/16/11: i got my 25 minute in run in today, but to be honest with you, it quickly turned in to a 36 minute run! i decided to see if I could go three miles, but miscalculated and ended up doing about 3.1.... at first i was pretty upset about averaging 12 minute miles, but reality quickly told me to look backward in time. about 7 weeks ago i couldn't run much more than 90 seconds at a time and today i ran 36 minutes! what am i whining about? speed will come with time. i am just thrilled that i can get out there and do this! yes, i was wiped out by the end of my run, but it felt great and i got it done, albeit with my third wind! did you know you had a third wind because i sure didn't!

9/24/11: i got my 2.5 mile run done today... at the track! i thought i was going to die, but i did manage to break 25 minutes! i think it was 24:36 or something like that... not quite what i was REALLY hoping to see, but it was my goal to run 10 minute miles, so i'll take it! i kinda hoped i would be drastically faster if i didn't have to run up and down the monster hill. that didn't happen! i was beat by the end and it was SO boring to run around a little circle 10 times! i kept thinking it would never end!

9/26/11: 45 minutes! I am on week 8, day 1 of the c25k program which is actually only a 28 minute run, but i felt so great today that I had to (wanted to) keep going! the humidity was very low since it had rained all night, but occasionally there was a very light mist, not even enough to feel, but it sure was pretty! i decided after saturday’s run that I was done worrying about distance for awhile and just set out to enjoy the run. I am pleased to report that it was SO much more enjoyable today!

10/7/11: My final day of C25K. I came, I ran, I conquered! Oh yes, you can do it too!


...and now, at the end, I can finally relate to this quote:

"We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable."
-Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

So now that you've seen a bit of my journey, why don't you start your own??? If you've started your own, feel free to friend me and/or suggest where I should go from here! :-) Have a wonderful weekend fellow MFP'ers!