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I’m six weeks in to “Couch to 5k” - a running app and podcast. Today I ran further than I have for maybe twenty five years! If you’ve thought about maybe trying to run, or failed in the past like me, check it out https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/get-running-with-couch-to-5k/
I promise not to become a running bore but after seven weeks, having not run since being in school, I just ran my first 5k at Dulwich #parkrun! I had to stop because of dizziness at one point, but finished with a time of 27m 29s. Thanks to the Couch To 5k makers whoever you are!
It was gorgeous in Dulwich Park for #parkrun this morning. This is my third after starting running just a few weeks ago. I’m now on the last week of #CouchTo5k and running three 5k runs per week!
I’ll tweet all my running-related observations in this thread so if you don’t want to hear about this, just press “mute thread” and you’ll continue to get my mild sarcasm, climate change horror stories and dad jokes uninterrupted.
It’s my last week of #couchto5k and I decided to really challenge myself. I’m visiting Amsterdam and went for a run. 10k and an hour later I was back at the hotel. I’ve never run that far! Quite amazed that I could do it. A couple of months ago I got puffed out doing 60 seconds!
I’ve had a couple of friends and my wife @emilyquinton point out that might have been a bit too much and to take it easy. So I’m not advocating others doing the same, but if you’d told me two months ago that was possible I’d have given you a sarcastic tweet in response! 
Two #running milestones to report today - I just managed to run 5k in 24 minutes and I’m now 4 kilograms (that’s ~9 pounds for my US friends) lighter than when I started in the Summer. Cheers @Dulwichparkrun @parkrunUK #loveparkrun
Cheers @Dulwichparkrun @parkrunUK #loveparkrun
Parkrun number 8 completed! And I managed to go even faster than last week. It’s amazing me how the body adapts. Each week I think I’ve hit a limit the previous week and then find there’s a new, higher limit. #loveparkrun
Wow, I just hit my target of 250km of running since starting Couch to 5k at the end of August. And thanks to the family for cheering me on at the Christmas Day #parkrun. Who’d have predicted at the start of 2019 I’d finish the year running a 5k in 23 minutes?! Feels good 
And thanks to the family for cheering me on at the Christmas Day #parkrun. Who’d have predicted at the start of 2019 I’d finish the year running a 5k in 23 minutes?! Feels good
Folks, things escalated. I've just confirmed I have a place in the London marathon! 
Oh my gosh, I'm actually doing this. #LondonMarathon
Oh my gosh, I'm actually doing this. #LondonMarathon
I’ve now run 100km so far in 2020! If you’ve been following along with my running progress from beginner to marathon training over the last few months, please consider sponsoring me for the #londononmarathon2020 https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=StefL&pageUrl=2
If you’ve been following along with my running progress from beginner to marathon training over the last few months, please consider sponsoring me for the #londononmarathon2020 https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=StefL&pageUrl=2
Half marathon completed! This morning, I woke up, put on my running kit, stretched, had a quick snack and headed out to see if I could run to Parliament and back. Nearing the end I had a second wind, and... just went further than I thought I could. Less than two hours!
My up-until-now somewhat academic training plan of running a half marathon or longer every weekend for the next three months is suddenly feeling very real indeed. Here goes... another “longest ever” run of 23km! #londonmarathon
Sadly the London Winter Run is cancelled, so instead I went out and did my own today. This means I’ve run three half marathons in three weeks now. 
Feeling strong and really enjoying going out for a couple of hours each weekend. The next couple of months look unrelenting!
Feeling strong and really enjoying going out for a couple of hours each weekend. The next couple of months look unrelenting!
This week marked the fourth week in a row that I’ve run a half marathon. My knees are really feeling it now, but otherwise it feels great. This is a milestone I would have never have expected to be tweeting about this year!
I’ve been reflecting a lot on other areas in life where it’s very easy to say to yourself “I can’t” or “that’s something other people do”, or “I’m too old now to start doing that”. Once one barrier falls like this, perhaps others swiftly follow.
So tonight after fighting the“I can’t, that’s only for other people to do” inner voice, I went along to an actual athletics track and ran around it sixteen times! Thank you to the folks who run @trackeast. It was great, very welcoming and totally suitable for beginners like me.
Tomorrow I'm running the #BigHalf, my first half marathon event, and in two months it'll be the London Marathon!
Here's what I've been doing through a cold and windy February to prepare - 18 runs, 180km over 17 hours. Phew! https://run.stef.io/two-months-to-go/
Here's what I've been doing through a cold and windy February to prepare - 18 runs, 180km over 17 hours. Phew! https://run.stef.io/two-months-to-go/
With all the viral goings-on I've not updated this thread about my running progress. As a reminder, if you don't want to hear these updates, you can press the "mute thread" button and you will get all my usual updates without the running.
Last week, I ran my first half marathon race. It was awesome! Blue skies, a route that went over London's Tower Bridge and I managed it in 1:46:34 which I'm still feeling pleased about :-) I've written about it here: https://run.stef.io/workouts/2020/03/01-ea3058d7-7814-5a2e-bbc6-f83f07447bd5
The marathon training programme continues. Even if the #LondonMarathon is cancelled, I'll still find some way to run the distance in a viral-outbreak-compliant way. This weekend, it escalated to 30km of running, and I managed it in 3 hours. Phew! https://run.stef.io/workouts/2020/03/07-d72714cd-d4d9-51ef-bd1a-46efad23f449
Sadly, the London Marathon has now been postponed. So I've written about how I'm responding to the news. I'm stoic and feeling positive about running in October instead! https://medium.com/@stef/the-goal-isnt-to-run-the-marathon-it-s-to-become-the-kind-of-person-who-runs-marathons-a97a2d1b7635
I’ve now run ten half marathons in ten weeks! For those who are following along, or have donated, I’ve written an update about the month just past, and how because of the lockdown, I’m adjusting the plan for my marathon challenge -> https://run.stef.io/march-in-lockdown/
For those who are following along, or have donated, I’ve written an update about the month just past, and how because of the lockdown, I’m adjusting the plan for my marathon challenge -> https://run.stef.io/march-in-lockdown/
