I'm not sure which route to take next and quite how to go about it.
I graduated from C25k at the end of March and was consolidating quite happily and had started reading fellow runners post-graduation posts about what they were moving onto next, when I developed shin splints just over a month ago. I took two weeks off running to recover (did RICE and strengthening exercises) and then slowly eased back by running intervals before gradually building up to a consecutive 20 minute run.
I have increased the duration of my runs and now have a few 30 minute runs under my belt again, during which I cover about 3.9km.
My question is where do I go next?
I have two thoughts:
The first is the C25k+ podcast, but having listened in I really don't know if I can cope with the music!! 😬 I have been running music-free since graduation and just recently started listening to Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcasts, so you can imagine how the C25k+ music has come as a bit of a shock! (Sorry Laura). Does anyone know of an alternative to this or the music?
The second thought is to make the leap to ju-ju's Magic 10k Plan, but I worry that I am not ready as I'm only covering 3.9km at the moment and ths might be too soon. Would the time version of the plan be the right way to go?
I don't want to lose my running mojo and I need something to work towards and focus on to get me to 5k and beyond. Any suggestions please?
Hi Delly-dot. This is similar to my predicament. I graduated early march and was running about the same distance as you in the 30 minutes. I lost my focus and seemed to be drifting. Not sure what I wanted to achieve and without the app I felt rudderless. I was losing the joy of running. Then roseabi suggested I try a programme not too dissimilar to the magic plan. I'm now on week 4 and my distance is increasing within the time I run. Look back on the May consolidation to see what she suggested. My next long run will be 40 minutes and I'm hoping to hit the 5 k within that time. I hope that helps but it's got to be something you want to do to get the most out of it. 🤔
Thank you Allbarron. I found the May consolidation post and it sounds ideal - a happy medium between consolidation and moving towards the 10k plan - so I'm going to follow it for the next 4 weeks. What's your plan after the final run of week 4?
After Saturday I think I'm going to go on to the magic plan using the timed version. I'll start at week 3 as I'm almost at that point anyway. Like Fionamags said it's almost identical. I think I may repeat each week as I have up to now. I'll have to see how I feel. I think for me a lot of this running malarkey is psychological. I've never thought of myself as a runner so it's hard to imagine I can actually do it. I'm still surprised after I complete a run🤯. I'll look forward to your next post Delly-dot 👍
Hello Delly-dot, I couldn't stand the music on the c25k + podcasts so that was a no for me. I think the timed version of the magic plan is the right way to go. It will give you focus and something to work towards as you say . Good luck 🏃♀️
Thank you Buddy. Allbarron has directed me to a post in which roseabi suggested some runs for 4 weeks. I think I'll follow them and then use the timed 10k version, which as you suggest, I agree will suit me better.
What about the 5k to 10k app from Active? I've not used it yet (another 2 weeks of C25k to go), but it looks decent so l have it lined up for a few weeks/months time. (If you do use it let me know how it goes and if it's any good)
This time last year I was just post-C25K graduation and made up my own 30 minute playlists and just ran. Then u star5ed the timed version of ju-ju- 's plan to help consolidate and also build distance. The rest, as they say, is history and, if you've read my posts here, you'll know I've done a lot of running in the interim.
It's really up to you in terms of how far you want to go. 8-12km has become my "standard" distance range but I will go further [up to HM] if the mood strikes me, and I will also do speed work over 5km sometimes too.
The beauty of being able to do your own thing now is exactly that, you just own your runs and so whatever feels right in the moment.
Thank you. I'm going to use roseabi's 4 week plan as posted in a reply on the May consolidation post, then moveon to the timed version of the 10k plan. It is refreshing to know I can do my own thing, but it is a bit daunting too, so all the advice is much appreciated.
I'm with Buddy, did the time plan to 60mins and then went with the 10% plan to increase distance til I got to 10k as I found getting 3 runs a week played up my hip bursitis. I have no desire to run further than 10k as I'm slow anyway so will probably just run as I feel like soon as the hip settles down, taken 2wk break to calm it down ☹️ Good luck 🍀
Sorry to hear you are struggling with hip bursitis. I hope it settles down soon. Thank you for your advice. The timed version of the plan seems the way to go for me and I'm glad you mentioned the 10% increase, as I've seen this mentioned before but not sure how it works. Do you increase each run by 10% each week?
Not quite, you add on 10 % of the weekly total be it time or distance
eg 3 runs of 5k =15k so next weeks distance is 16. 5k total.
Juju's plan works this way with 3 runs per week but I did it with 2 runs as I have arthritis and replacement knees.. but so what I still got there and so will you 🙂👍
Can't bear the music on c25k + and haven't tried the magic plan. I have used Nike running club app guided runs with my own playlist, and the Jeff Galloway website has some good training programmes if that's what you're after.
Thank you Speedy. I shall take a look at the Nike Running Club too. Everyone replying has made great suggestions so I have a lot of things to try out. I'm going to be busy!
Hey Dellydot dot, congrats on graduating c25k. I consolidated for a couple months and eventually jumped onto bridge to 10K which I really Enjoyed! I only wish I did it sooner, I didn’t think I wanted to move up from 5K.
Make sure you take your rest days. You can reduce injury by strengthening, maybe try yoga with adriene? Many people are hooked on that in the strengthening forum!
Hi JaoJao. Good to hear from you and I hope you are well?
Thanks for your suggestions. I'm going to do roseabi's suggested 4 week plan then move to the timed version of the 10k plan. I love Adriene. I've been doing yoga for many years but only discovered Adriene via this forum and she has been my saving grace during lockdown!
Hi Delly-dot. The choice is entirely yours, but it might help if you have a preference on what you want from your running. Obviously it’s not set in stone, but do you wish to run far or fast (or both!)?
Personally I preferred the former, and after a few weeks consolidating 30 minutes of running, I edged up to 5k, followed by the Magic 10 plan. I did it a few times as I enjoyed it so much. This was prior to there being a timed option, but I found it lots of fun, and very doable.
The key to my running is enjoyment, and it was then “easy” enough for me to hit 10k, 10 miles and HM. 🏃♀️🏃♀️
Some people love the thrill of speed and what they can achieve. I’ve used the JogRunSprint intervals app which is great for building speedy legs. For me it’s not as much fun as the longer runs, but it’s worth a go if you fancy it. I never used the C25K + podcast, but I’ve heard about the suspect music!
Anyway, running is very individual, so experiment and see what you enjoy. Most of all, take baby steps and avoid the IC!
Hi cheekychipmunks. I have decided to follow the timed version of the 10k plan, but will do roseabi's 4 week plan as suggested by Allbarron first. I think you are right about running being individual and having the courage to try out things for yourself, so I am looking forward to experimenting over the next few weeks and seeing where it takes me. thank you for your help. 😊
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
