Things running has taught me…
8 months ago, I started couch to 5k (again) to try and get my health and fitness life back on track. As the brackets above suggest, this isn’t the first time i’ve done so.
I was starting from pretty much zero – as unfit as I’ve ever been, weighing the most I’ve ever weighed, and with what looked like an insurmountable mountain to climb.
Stats have been a big part of my journey, so here are 2 stats that are the key measures of my changes
My 5k time in February was 42 minutes
My last 10k time was 1hr 12.5 minutes (in October 2023)
The learnings;
Consistency is the absolute key to success – turn up regularly and work hard, and the results will come
Have a plan… and stick to it – I started with couch to 5k, and then switched up to the Runna app, which gave me great structure and routine to take the thinking out of the process
Use the right gear – whilst all the gear and no idea is something that could be levelled at me occasionally, wearing the right clobber and footwear has a massive impact – running socks are crucial
One bad day doesn’t mean you’ve failed – I had a shocking run a few weeks ago, I was incredibly frustrated and thought I’d hit the end of my progress. The next run, I posted a new PB.
Have a goal in mind – and use it to motivate yourself throughout
Break things down into smaller chunks – Initially, my goal was to complete the first 2 weeks of Couch to 5k, then it was to finish it, then it was a 5k PB, then it was a 10k PB
Reward your achievements – along the way, i’ve given myself treats and little rewards to acknowledge my own efforts
It’s ok to be a bit selfish sometimes – not all the time, and only for the right reasons, but sometimes you have to out yourself first, if you’re going to achieve significant things.
The results?
Better than I could ever have imagined – on top of the stats, I’ve lost a boat load of weight, improved my heart health significantly, lowered my blood pressure, sleep better and lots of other positives…
The stats – they’re not bad either;
My current 5k PB = 27:29 (14 minutes better)
My new 10k PB = 56:29 (16 minutes better)
