Moving on

[Rowville]

Hi , I have just run for 30 mins 3x this week to consolidate after graduating . Never run in my life it's amazing! I am running on a treadmill, as I have dodgy knees but they seem to be holding up well. I'm pretty slow and haven't run 5 k in the 30 mins but just about including the warm up and down. I would like to attempt to try outside but obviously can't do that on a rest day but I do want to keep my 30 mins going three times a week,at the gym feel it does me good with a great sense of achievement as well as keeping the weight in check for the knees .And really not sure I could run outside for 30 mins first time. I am 68 yrs old, and loving the excercise !

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

A huge well done on graduating and for the 3X30 minute runs! There's no reason to stop doing this but obviously as you want to run outside you will have to make that transition at some stage and that means giving up one of your runs on the treadmill. But fear not as you're still running, albeit outside!

I did exactly this. I did most of the programme on a treadmill and transitioned outside after graduation. I eased in gradually and for the first run outside ran 20 minutes only. The secret is to run very, very slowly as most people run too fast when first going outside.

The first week I also did only one run outside but then increased the time (20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes) each week and then when I was running for 30 minutes I did two runs outside and increased like that. You should listen to your body and do what feels right for you. So, you might need to build up slower, but I think that's the key to making a safe transition.

Whatever you do and wherever you run, just stick to the habit of running regularly. That's what makes a runner for life 🙂

[Jigglemooce]

Well done to you. It's amazing running after 50 when you've never run before isn't it? I haven't managed to run 3 times a week yet at all so you're way ahead of me. I haven't managed to run 5k in the 30 minutes either and I also run on a treadmill because my sight is poor and I'm scared of falling over. However I did venture outside for the first time last weekend just to see how it compared to the treadmill and I was surprised that I managed 5k including warm up and cool down in less time than on the treadmill! Maybe my pace was faster I don't know. Today, a week later, went back on the treadmill and tried the stepping by stones podcast which actually took me longer to get to 5k than i had been doing myself. Was delighted to have been able to complete it so tells me that my speed is ok, so I'll repeat that one a few times before trying the speed and stamina podcasts. Have you tried using these?

[Rowville in reply to Jigglemooce]

Thanks for your help, think I will do one more week of three runs, if I can fit it in I'm then off to Oman for a week so will start outside on my return

[Wizziewood Graduate10]

Well done you! ... an inspiration to us youngsters (I'm 60!).

... and don't worry about 5k in 30 mins, I graduated in April and still haven't got there.

If you'd really like to give outside a go why not do a shorter run of 2 - 3k to see how it feels. You're your own boss now you've graduated so you can do whatever you like!

You may not fancy running with others but Parkrun is another idea, there's lots of runners taking more than 30mins and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.

Whatever you decide good luck and happy running!

[C25KKate Graduate10]

Congratulations! I graduated from c25k not long ago, it's a big achievement. I run outside but I have a dodgy left knee so I run on grass because I understand that is better for your joints than Tarmac. Good luck with whatever you choose to run next.