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.
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.
Parkruns too..
all info' on health unlocked is fab.
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.
what's an "interval session"? Do you have to run hard/fast in these?
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.
Thank you for explaining it so well. Is the goal to increase the length of the "interval session" over time?
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).
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 
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.
A year since graduating C25K 😃
C25K Graduate (almost)
C25k graduate
C25K Graduate
Hi, I'm a recent C25K graduate
