Not quite a runaway success...

It must be something over ten years now since I first started running. I'd thought about it on and off for a while, ever since I came across the NHS Couch to 5k podcasts, and one day decided to go for it. It was over a month before I admitted to my husband that I was running three times a week - he'd always been the sporty one of us until work and health things got in the way, and (unfairly to him) I was worried that he'd laugh at me. I should have known better - he's never been anything other than fully supportive of my efforts to get fit.

Over the years I've done the Couch to 5k plan more times than I could possibly count. A few times I've made it to the end of the full 9 weeks and kept going beyond that; more often I've given up part way through for one reason or another. But for the past few months I've been longing to get my running shoes on and head out for yet another attempt. So last week, that's exactly what I did. One evening, when heading out with the dog, I decided to stop overthinking it, to put my trainers on, and give it a go.

I don't know quite what it is I like so much - maybe it's the feeling of taking control of myself, maybe it's the fact that I'm pushing myself to achieve something difficult but do-able, maybe it's the opportunity to be away from everything else, maybe it's something else - but for me it's utterly refreshing and freeing. There's no opportunity to think about work stresses, health things, future worries, when I'm trying to get through 60 or 90 seconds of running in those early weeks of the plan. The clear progress is quickly rewarding, and the boost I get from finishing each run is fantastic.

Sadly, this time, one of my knees is already expressing disapproval of this frivolity, so I'm not sure I'm going to be able to continue. I was already planning on going through the 9-week programme more slowly, to give my body and especially my knees and ankles time to adjust, so I'll have to see how I get on.

I've only managed one run so far this week - a combination of long days at work and a long day seeing a friend mean I haven't been out in the past couple of days - although my knee is definitely happy about that. There's no kayaking this weekend due to river conditions (it's too fast and flowy, to use the technical terms ;) ) so maybe I'll manage to get my running shoes on instead. I'm not starting the Runner badge quite yet though!