C25k Graduates.. Suggestion for you.. - Bridge to 10K

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C25k Graduates.. Suggestion for you..

Lucyintheskywith profile image
LucyintheskywithGraduate10
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C25k Graduates.. suggestion to help...

As a Couch to 5K graduate, you may be missing the structure of the programme and your routine of 3 runs a week. The 5K+ series is designed to motivate you to keep running regularly and develop your running ability further. Audiofuel podcasts are available on the " podcast player" app.

nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/c...

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Lucyintheskywith profile image
Lucyintheskywith
Graduate10
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JaniceG68 profile image
JaniceG68

I’ve tried a couple of these. They’re great to use after graduating as I found I was a bit lost without Laura to start with. It’s nice to have that voice spurring you on.

Lucyintheskywith profile image
LucyintheskywithGraduate10 in reply toJaniceG68

Parkruns too..

all info' on health unlocked is fab.

runderwear.co.uk/blogs/news...

Lucyintheskywith profile image
LucyintheskywithGraduate10 in reply toJaniceG68

I've been advised too ( good idea too..) there are still soo much you can do with the C25K podcasts, W9 is perfect for consolidation runs, W5 R3, the one everyone dreaded is brilliant for a shorter but faster run (moving up to W7, W8 and W9 as your fitness levels increase) and week 1 is great for a short interval session.

MelwynD profile image
MelwynD in reply toLucyintheskywith

what's an "interval session"? Do you have to run hard/fast in these?

ArthurJG profile image
ArthurJGGraduate10 in reply toMelwynD

An interval session involves running faster for shorter periods with walks or slow jogs to recover in between. How much faster depends on how long the intervals are. The first one I ever did was part of a training plan for a 5k race and it was:

10 minute slow jog

Then (30 seconds fast run followed by 2 minute walk) repeated six times

Then another 10 minute slow jog to finish. Total 35 minutes.

You can build up from there but it’s best to do it in a structured way following a plan. Normally only one of your three weekly runs would be an interval session. I know a lot of people who follow the Magic 10 plan use the short run each week for intervals.

MelwynD profile image
MelwynD in reply toArthurJG

Thank you for explaining it so well. Is the goal to increase the length of the "interval session" over time?

ArthurJG profile image
ArthurJGGraduate10 in reply toMelwynD

No. It is a training exercise not an end in itself. Depending on your goal and the plan you follow to reach it, the intervals may get longer, or faster, or you may do more fast runs in a session.

In the consolidation time after C25k you don’t need to do intervals but you might choose to do one a week just for variety so you don’t get bored and in that case the one I’ve mentioned will do the job. It’s good fun if you don’t take it too seriously.

As you progress, if you are incorporating intervals into a plan for a specific goal, then the progression required will have been worked out by whoever wrote the plan so just make sure the plan comes from a source you trust. In my case I wanted to improve my pace but I was also training for a race which had a long uphill section which I wasn’t used to. The plan I followed was supplied in the website of the race itself and I chose the intermediate one because the beginners one was aimed at people who hadn’t run at all before (so basically another version of C25k).

MelwynD profile image
MelwynD in reply toArthurJG

Thanks. Much clearer now. I'm in my last week of C25K. After that I will do 1 week of consolidation, and then follow JuJu's Magic 10K plan, where interval sessions are there. I'm in a bit of a race against time for a 10K race on 22nd Sept :)

ArthurJG profile image
ArthurJGGraduate10 in reply toMelwynD

If you’re trying to get from 5 to 10k then distance rather than speed is your priority so it may not be time for intervals yet as they are more about pace. No harm using them on short runs now and again for variety of course.

MelwynD profile image
MelwynD in reply toArthurJG

Yup, that makes sense. I'll worry about speed later after the race. Thanks for the advice.

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