Crossing bridges and hurdles

The photo today is the view north from the bridge depicted in yesterday’s blog post. No trains were forthcoming (although I didn’t hang about to be fair).

Today I crossed a hurdle in my Couch to 5K running plan. After suffering my calf injury on my first attempt (on week 1, day 3) I rested the sore leg for a couple of weeks before starting afresh. My progress so far has been steady with no further injuries, and no failed attempts at any of the runs – I am running at an embarrassingly slow pace though!

This week say me reach week 5 of the plan, one which I had felt some apprehension about. Week 5 (as is week 6) is a transition week where you move from shorter runs interspersed with brisk walking, to longer runs, culminating in a full 20-minute run on the third day. A few short weeks ago the thought of running for twenty minutes straight seemed impossible – even running for 90 seconds felt like an achievement – but, gradually, as the weeks passed and my fitness and stamina improved, I began to feel more confident about it. The second run of this week was two 8-minute runs broken by a 5-minute brisk walk, so not too much of a difference, and I managed that session without any real difficulty.

So, late this morning, after my breakfast had had time to digest, I did my warm-up, got dressed in my running gear, and headed out. After the 5-minute warm-up walk I began to run at my usual slow pace, a podcast my companion for the duration. Every so often – at five, ten. fifteen and, finally, eighteen minute intervals, the Laura’s voice on the C25K app let me know my progress, finally declaring that I had finished and that I should be proud of the achievement!

And I am. I’m not quite there yet – the final goal is to be able to run for a full 30-minutes non-stop – but it feels within reach now. Just a few more weeks to go.

My legs are aching
But now it’s in a good way
Feeling fulfillment

Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford Delta 400. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°.

Taken on 12 February 2021