Nine weeks ago I was texted by my friend asking me If I wanted to participate in a 'Couch 2 5k' event that she was volunteering in. It's two years since I hurt my knee in a crazy kick boxing energize class and it had been getting progressively worse. Some nights I was struggling to get myself up the stairs, swinging on the bannister for aid, at 45! I wasn't happy. Inside I was down about it, thinking that was it for my knee already and it was always going to be like this from here on in.
I had watched the 'This girl can' adverts and wondered how women that weren't stick thin were managing to run up hills. I wished I could. However, I could hardly bend my knee with the pain so there was no way I could do anything like that. I started to reply to my friends text. "I can't, I've got a really bad knee at the moment". Even though it was the truth, when I read it back it sounded like one of those excuse texts you send to a friend when you don't want to do something then avoid them for as long as you possibly can. I didn't see my friend very often (once every few years really) but we had recently met up for brunch and had a lovely time catching up and I didn't want to lose that. So I started deleting the text. Yes I was in pain, yes I couldn't bend my knee properly but yes I WANTED TO RUN! "I've got a really bad knee at the moment but I will strap it up and give it a go"...... Send!
That's was it. I was committed and Tuesday night was looming up in front of me. Week 1. I ran for 60 seconds and walked for 90 seconds alternating until 20 minutes had passed. It was hard. Someone blew a whistle at the front to stop and start us. I was at the back. I did that twice more over the duration of the week. For such a short spurt of running I was certainly being lavished with endorphins though! I was still buzzing on the days in between! I was moving.
Week 2. Run for 90 seconds walk for 2 minutes! 20 minutes later drive home. Tuesdays was on a flat running track. Thursdays was around 'Killer Queen's Park' as it became known, and Saturdays was after the real runners 'Parkrun' at 10am in Towneley Park.
Each week the times changed and the safe zone of 1-2 minutes running, soon changed to 3, 5 and 8! Now at this stage I must tell you about the 'trick' that was starting to happen. My concept of time was slowly being changed. I didn't stop it happening but I was well aware of what was going on. 3 minutes was only 3 lots of one minutes and I had done loads of those. I had this.....5 minutes was a couple of 1.5 minutes and a couple of 1 minutes. Easy, as I had done loads of those too. 8 minutes was two 3 minutes and a couple of ones. And so on and so forth..... my concept of time was different.
The clocks went forward the nights got lighter and our Thursday evening venue changed to Thompson Park. I'm sure the boating lake used to be a lot bigger and it was a shame to see the giant ice cream shop closed but the boat house was looking well in the 16 years since I had been in there. Run around the boating lake. Ok, nice.
Then a biggie arrived! 20 minutes! No stopping! It was a Saturday morning so we would have the slight inclines of Towneley park but we had gone from two lots of 8 to a straight 20. Oh my God can I even do this?? That morning was like race day! I was up, I was nervous but I was going to try my best. So far I had not stopped during any of the running times and I didn't want to start now. I only stop when someone tells me too so I was really hoping that today would be just like all the rest. I really didn't want to stop. So I paced myself and I did it! I was absolutely over the moon. Week 6 went back to stopping and starting with 3's, 5's, 8's and 10's then week 7 went to 25 minutes. What I had learnt already about myself was that although stopping and starting built up fitness I was starting to find it easier to just keep going once I was going! I referred to myself as a steam train. Heavy and slow but once up and rolling I could go for ever. 25 minutes, 28 minutes then 30 minutes! Weeks 7, 8 and 9 done! I was now running for 30 minutes 3 times a week!! Crazy!
However, I hadn't yet got to 5k. The last Saturday run of week 9 I gave more than any other and managed 2.3 miles with an average 12:56 minute/mile. That, for me, was a real achievement as my average minute mile previously was never less than 13:02. So I had finished the course. I was chuffed. I had run on my week in Brighton by myself knowing that if I missed I would find it extremely hard on my return. I had boxed every Wednesday in between my Tuesday and Thursday runs and I had shown full commitment and never stopped once.
Still I hadn't yet run 5k. I needed another mile, which given my times meant I needed another 13 minutes running on top of the 30 minutes. No stopping! Ok so if that's what I had to do then that's what I had to do! Simple. The organiser of the Couch 2 5k decided we should do a celebratory 5k run on the first Tuesday after we finished the programme.
We met at Towneley and were going to run the 'real' runners 5k Parkrun route. I went as slow as I possibly could. About 4.5 mph. I had no idea how much I would need to get to the finish in this run. I needed to pace myself like never before. I did it and came in at 44.5 minutes. Slow? Yes, but 9 weeks ago I was chuffed that I had run for one minute 6 times. So it was ok. I was happy that I had done it of course but knew I had a long way to go at this distance now to get that time down and my pace up.
We were going to join the real runners parkrun in 4 days time. This was optional and I was thinking I should do a few more 5k runs without the crowd first. But then after a few hours I changed. I thought that the best way to face this was to just do it. Join in. There were over 300 people a week attending this and I was nervous. Nervous about all the people, nervous about coming last. Nervous in case I couldn't do it and Tuesdays run was just a fluke..... Nervous. So I went! I was so nervous I forgot my GPS watch and had to run with my phone which isn't ideal for a first 'real 'run however that's what I had to do. So I ran. I ran past people and people ran past me. The sun burnt through the clouds that had been shading us and I ran into it and away from it. The volunteers congratulated us at every turn and I just kept running. It was hot, I was hot, hundreds were already chilling at the finish line but I wasn't last. Far from it. 26 people away from being last and about 11 minutes to be precise. Anyway, just before the last corner before the home straight Katie said to me "Joanne, what was your time on Tuesday?" "44.5" I said, "why?" "You're going to come in under 40 minutes" she said. "we are at 37 now" "ok" I said "we will see, I will just keep running". Then we turned the corner. "You've 2 minutes to get to the finish line" she said. And I bolted! My stride widened, my pace got faster and I ran. I felt lighter, streamlined, aerodynamic even and I ran like I haven't run since junior school. I felt absolutely amazing. This was running!!!
I finished 322nd out of 348. And my time? 38:57!!!! That's 6 minutes faster than Tuesday and I can't wait for the next one, next Saturday.
Its all about me. My pace, my breathing, my posture, my time, my calories burnt. Faster, stronger, faster stronger.
This girl can........... and is! And by the way. My knee......never felt better and the strap? Gone by week 5 I think!
