Week 3 Run 2 - Wow :-)

[Vickicb]

Hi all

I've had the weirdest time since I started this programme. While I was out running my second ever run I had a text to tell me a close friend and colleague of 10 years had been taken to hospital. Later that day he died from an undiagnosed cancerous heart tumour. He was 35 and previously healthy.

Needless to say it has been a very traumatic 3 weeks. YET I have not missed a run. In fact, I have looked forward to them as a time to clear my head and I have wished that I was further in the programme and able to just run and run. I have, however, found it all very easy and think I have not been pushing myself at all, just responding to the voice telling me when to start and stop and not really thinking about my running because my thoughts are elsewhere.

With the funeral tomorrow, today I wanted to run but it was late and I was tired when I went out, towards dusk (so cooler, as it has been hot here today). I changed my route to stick to well lit and busy roads because of the late hour, and so I could stop at the shop for milk on my cool-down walk! I did the 90 seconds, then 3 minutes, then 90 seconds without any problem, and then on the last 3 minutes I found myself on a long straight road with no dog walkers or muddy puddles as obstacles and decided to really pick up the speed.

When I got to the 3 minutes I realised I had misjudged the route and was further from home than the 5 minute cooldown walk, and about to go past a friends house and didn't want to be walking if I was spotted! So I carried on running a bit more, then a bit more, and eventually to my local shop. When I stopped there and pulled out my iPhone I was 2 minutes into the cooldown walk - so I had run a whole 5 minutes!

I am AMAZED that I could do this and I felt GREAT! Not only did I run 5 minutes but I ran it at a really good pace AND after already completing 6 minutes of running. I actually am starting to think that I CAN do this and I CAN be a runner and I am excited about this as it has really helped me through the last few weeks and I think it will help me through alot of stressful or upsetting times in the future, as well as keeping me fit.

I will be careful and I won't push myself too much beyond what the programme tells us to do, but I really wish I could go out every day and speed up my progress!

[Not a runner-yet!]

First, so sorry about your loss. Second, great job! When I first started I had days whether I ran more just because I couldn't think of myself as a runner, running a few minutes at a time! But those early runs we're crucial. I'm now on week 7 , running 25 minutes without a break and next week I increase to 30 minutes. I feel great and I feel like a runner! I'm not terribly fast but speed will come. I myself have found that running helps me through tough times. My 18 year old cat passed away and it's somehow soothing to run after emotional events. Keep running and keep posting your progress. The people here are very nice and we are all going through the same types of things.
Sheri