Couch to 5k Progress Over Time

I started running in June 2010, working the c25k program. I am still working it (never quit!). Below is the visual representation of my progress, with the program week on the vertical axis and the date on the horizontal axis.

The first drop in fitness represents the injunction of my program following a new job (hired at CSC) and the stress that comes with such a major life change.

The stagnation over early 2011 represents the grief period dealing with my father’s death.

The sudden drop at the end of the summer in 2011 represents the tendonitis injury I suffered by running the Chicago half marathon without adequate condition.

The November 2011 stagnation represents the grief period dealing with my sister’s unexpected death.

The minor blip in progress this spring represents a bout of bronchitis.

I WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS PROGRAM. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP.

I post this to show that the road to fitness for some can be very bumpy. You are not alone. Don’t give up! I encourage you to keep trying and I hope by sharing my tattered running history it will motivate you to persist in your striving toward your fitness goals.

Comments

mlindquis said…

How reassuring to see that you have continued to work towards your goal despite such big setbacks. We can conquer whatever we set our minds to, it just takes time. That's why "The Middle" is my power running song. You keep rocking that plan!

April 27, 2012 at 12:10 AM

Anonymous said…

That's quite interesting. What did you use to make your chart? Did you use the measurements taken from the Nike foot thing you use when you run?

April 29, 2012 at 7:42 PM

Jenni Stephens said…

LEM: I exported my run stats to a csv file and then opened with EXCEL to format and create the chart. It was a bit of a hassle this first time b/c some of my results were from the garmin website (where I used to auto-upload stats from my garmin watch and shoe pod) and the rest were from dailymile.com or runkeeper.com where i now upload stats from my phone after runs using runstar (i no longer have the garmin shoepod or watch and don't need them since i have runstar on my phone to track gps and distance stats).

April 30, 2012 at 10:25 AM

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