I ran 4.5km!!!!!!

I can't believe it, I am so amazed at myself. As I have been writing, I have been trying to slowly build up my jogging endurance. I have been doing a gradual 10% increase of time running every week. This morning I had planned on running for 30 minutes. The big one!! This was the time I had been building up to.

I chose an 8.6km track that I had done a few times before. It has a good mix of flat and hills. The first half has the most hills. I set off running, and was feeling pretty good. I got to 20 minutes the easiest yet, so felt confident that I could get to 30 minutes. I was watching my watch and when it reached 30 minutes, I did a yippee and did a bit of a celebration lift of my arms. (Thankfully being 7.30am on a Sunday there wasn't anyone else on the track!!) But I decided I had just made it up the hill so I wanted to enjoy the downward run, so I kept on running. Now I am writing running, but I am talking a slow jog here. I won't be winning any speed races, but I am more interested in my endurance. As the minutes ticked over, I was hoping to get to 40 minutes without stopping. But my knee started to hurt a bit, so I thought that I had better be sensible and I stopped at 38 minutes!!!

I was so proud of myself and I wasn't feeling puffed and thankfully while walking, my knee didn't hurt. So for the rest of the 8.6km I did 7 minute intervals of walking and then running. I fitted 2 more running stints in. I finished the 8.6km in about 75 minutes. My knee hurt for a short while after I got home, but it is fine now.

Later, when I was out in the car, I drove on the track I ran the 38 minutes for and clocked my distance as 4.5km. The 7 minute running distances were around 1km each time. I feel so much more confident that I may be able to do the 5.5km in October for the Melbourne Marathon.

I am so amazed that I can do this. I encourage everyone who has a goal to keep working at it because the feeling of accomplishment when you reach the goal is amazing. I have been on a high all day. When I think 2 1/2 years ago I got puffed drying myself after a shower, I just shake my head at the major changes I have made in my life.