In praise of the magic plan

[Gwenllian1]

I know it has been said before but I need to say it again: Ju-Ju's magic plan is brilliant. I think the genius of it is how it adapts to the different stages of your running life. I have just started going through it again for the third time so I will try to explain what I mean.

I graduated C25K in March last year. Never thought I could do it but I did. I consolidated for a few weeks just keeping on running week 9 with Sarah Millican in my ear and then, rather timidly, started the magic plan at the end of April. I knew there was no way I could run the distances so I ran the timed version. It took me until early August with bits of time off for soreness or injury but on the 4th August I ran for sixty minutes. It was incredibly hard and many times in the last ten minutes I thought I couldn't do it but I did.

I was so chuffed with myself that I thought I would go round again, running the distances this time. By the end of October I had got to 8k when I started to get a grumbly hip. By this time in a moment of wine fuelled madness I had agreed to run a 10k in Chester in March. November and December limped by rather as the sore hip morphed into a sore knee. I found I could manage short distances and slow runs and feel fine so I just did what I could, trying to follow the pattern in the plan of one short, one mid length and easy and one slightly longer run. When the day of the 10K arrived in early March I still hadn't run 10k. I wasn't sure I could run that distance (although various of you lovely people on here assured me that I could) but you were right and I did it, slowly, but I did it. Still a bit stunned by that to be honest.

And then lockdown. I hung onto running by the skin of my teeth but a few weeks ago when we were allowed here in Wales to drive within five miles of home to exercise I thought I would commit myself to running three times a week and start the distance plan again. And I have just finished week 3. Because I am a nerd when it comes to keeping records (don't blame me, I was an accountant in my working life and old habits die hard) I can see how long all these various runs took me and I have brief notes of how they felt. Not anything detailed, things like "Fab. I shall always run downhill" and "Dreadful. Thought I was going to die". So I can see that I have got faster (a little) and fitter (a lot) and that running exactly the same programme is a quite different experience this year from the way it felt this time a year ago. And all the time, through every different attempt and without my being very aware of it, it has been making me stronger and turning me into a runner.

So thank you Ju-Ju and thank you too to all the people on here who comment and support and help. You all make such a difference!

[Gwyrdd 60minGraduate]

that is such an uplifting post, Gwenllian1. Thank you. I started at lockdown and have just about got to 5k but slowly. Yes, Government here in Wales is still telling us to keep local but a 5 mile radius from home gives us good running distances. I too am doing a flexible juju, and am often glad to be getting up in the early morning to 'this is my short run day'. I look forward to the longer one at the week end 50 minutes next time. I might do some jeffing up the hills. ( it isn't cheating).

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to Gwyrdd]

Jeffing is a strategy! When I had to run from home I had to combine running with walking as where we live is quite steep. Now I'm back on more normal gradients I'm pleased to find that my running has improved!

[grumpyoldgirl]

Well said Gwen! 😊👏

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

I hats really good to hear you are amazing and doing so well

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

Thank you. It seems to be as much a matter of keeping on as anything! I might not be fast but I can do you persistent!

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to Gwenllian1]

Yup me too

[Grannyhugs Graduate10]

What a lovely post, so glad you are still enjoying running and appreciating the improvements over time. Happy running 🤗

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to Grannyhugs]

One of the beauties of record keeping is being able to go back and see the improvements! It's easy to forget how far we have come! Hope you are getting to know the running around your new home!

[Grannyhugs Graduate10 in reply to Gwenllian1]

Enjoying searching out new routes. Next long run will be to neighbouring village with hubby driving me home, or could risk bus there and run back 🤗

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to Grannyhugs]

Bus! Now that's brave! Mind you if it is anything like the buses here there is no one on them at the moment!

[Grannyhugs Graduate10 in reply to Gwenllian1]

They are pretty much empty here too so if I'm going to do it now would be a good time. 🤗

[MartinKH Graduate10]

Great post, very interesting to read your running experience.

I was hoping to follow ju-ju- magic plan in May but managed to injure my knee.

I’ve just started a gradual return, but am very interested to hear others experience of the plan. It does seem magic 😎

Happy running.

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to MartinKH]

I think it works so well because, like c25k, it is very carefully calibrated to balance consolidation and challenge. It is surprisingly easy not to challenge yourself enough, and so plateau, or to push too hard and find yourself injured. I'm also really impressed at how well it worked for me as a very new runner and works again in a slightly different way a year on! I'd say go for it, start with the time version and see how it goes

[MartinKH Graduate10 in reply to Gwenllian1]

What you say here resonates with me, as I think I pushed myself too hard and injured myself.

Once I have consolidated a little more of my return from injury runs, I’ll definitely look to start the magic plan.

Thank you again and happy running.

[Buddy34 Graduate10]

You're right , with a great plan and the most supportive people on this forum anything is possible😊👍

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to Buddy34]

Well I certainly would not have believed you if you'd told me at the end of 2018 that I could do this and would still be doing it eighteen months on. Still have to work hard but would hate to be without it now.

[Woollyweaver Graduate10]

Thank you for your inspiring post! I graduated in May, and have been working on strengthening my Welsh hill running legs ever since. I ran my first 5k last week and have decided that it is time to start myself on Ju-Ju's 60 minute plan. Given the hills that I have been learning to love 🤔😅, I am not going to exhaust myself worrying about distance, that can come later. I can't wait to get started - who would have thought it?! I can't quite believe I am even feeling ready for this - how amazing will I feel when I finish?! 😁

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to Woollyweaver]

Where are you in Wales? I’m in the north east on the clwydian hills and it’s taken me a while to be able to manage running from home as it’s either very steep up or very steep down from here. Easier now that I can go a little bit further to our local village. I really do recommend the plan. It is a great balance of consolidation through getting more miles in the legs and challenge. Best of luck!

[Woollyweaver Graduate10 in reply to Gwenllian1]

Thank you! I'm in mid Powys, on the edge of the Cambrian mountains. I know what you mean about running from home - it's either steep up, or steep down (but then you have to get back up again 😱). I mostly run on fields and tracks, my lane is so steep that my car struggles to get up in hot weather ( just like me really 🥵😅), so I'm training myself to run a little bit further down (and then back up) the lane each week. I do like the idea of the 60 minute plan - if I went for distance, goodness knows how long my runs would take each time! Good luck with the plan - hopefully I will be not far behind 🤗

[June441]

Thank you for your most this gives me great encouragement. I am just starting week 2.

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to June441]

It is such a good way to get to running further. And it doesn’t matter at all if you take a bit longer, miss a week or repeat one. That balance of long, short and a comfortable middle one just delivers! Hope you enjoy it!

[Sybilw Graduate10]

I love your run descriptions! We’ve all had runs like those 😆 Well done and hope your hip/knees are on the mend.

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to Sybilw]

Thank you! Fingers crossed but I haven’t had problems with either hips or knees this year. I think it was connected with starting to run a bit more. I’ve found that a combination of leaving two days between runs and doing more strength and flex exercises seems to work for me.

[Sybilw Graduate10 in reply to Gwenllian1]

I’ve downloaded strength and flex but yet to start it and I KNOW it’s what I need. Add it to my must do list - even with all this time I never seem to complete it 🤷‍♀️😆

[Dexy5 Graduate10 in reply to Sybilw]

Yes it’s just like physio, once you start getting better, you give it up. Much better to do it alongside running.

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Brilliant Gwenllian. I shall be doing the plan for the 3rd time soon too. I like the way it is flexible and doesn’t go

Back to doing intervals

[Gwenllian1 Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

It must be that flexibility that makes it work no matter how experienced you are and how you go at it! I looked at a variety of different plans when I first decided to try to get to 10k but many of them were really daunting! The magic plan seemed more doable then but its still delivering even though I'm more experienced. Good luck with getting back to it. So glad you have recovered from your injury!

[Dexy5 Graduate10 in reply to Gwenllian1]

Me too - I’ve just come back from another (not) parkrun