Today's hooray! →[More:]Ten years ago I used to run with a running group. I was always at the back (with my friend, Beverley). I'd also run on my own, listening to music, really getting into the zone. I'm not a natural athlete, and don't like competitive or team sports, so being able to run by myself, at my own pace, was exactly what suited me.

Then I injured my knee and wasn't able to run for a while and just sort of got out of the habit.

In lockdown I decided to do the Couch to 5K again. By now I had a smart phone and tried a few C25K apps. They were awful, cheesy synth music and 'cheerleading' that made me cringe. Then I found an app called JustRun, which lets me play my own music or podcasts, and it just comes in with prompts - start warming up, start running, start walking, you're half-way there so turn around, etc.

It was great, and listening to podcasts and following the running prompts helped me build back up to 5K, which I was able to do just before Christmas 2020.

Then we had weeks of torrential rain, so I couldn't get outside and run, and in Feb 2021 I sprained my ankle, really, really badly (indoors, getting up off the couch, FFS). Because of lockdown, I couldn't get any help for it from the NHS, and so it didn't heal quite right. It's only in the last few months that it's felt as if it's back to normal.

So, this week I decided to start the C25K again. I remembered last time how long it had taken me to build up my stamina, and how out of breath I got, and that it had taken me weeks before I could run for more than a couple of minutes without being out of breath and feeling sick. I wasn't expecting much.

I set out this morning, knowing the 5-minute warm up walk takes me across the plain and ends right at the spot where the hiking path begins, when the 'start running' prompt comes in. I did my 1-minute run (well, jog), 90-seconds walk, 1-minute run, 90-seconds walk a few times, following the prompts. I knew I wasn't going to turn round at the half-way point, as I planned on doing a long-ish walk around the forest anyway. So I finished the run, and walked about another 3 miles or so, round the lake, seeing the baby geese and ducklings.

On the way back, I got back onto the hiking path, and decided to see how far along it I could run before I got out of breath. I managed to jog the entire way until I got back to the plain, and I wasn't out of breath! In all, it was about half a mile, not really all that far, but far more than I ever thought I'd be able to manage.

It was such a boost to me, because now I know I can do this again, and I think that hopefully it won't take me months to build up to running 5K.

So, what's your hooray been this week?