Hello, I finished C25K at the beginning of June and am thinking of doing JuJu's 10K plan. I just had a quick look and it seems to add the kilometres very quickly. I know lots of people have completed the programme, but it looks a bit daunting! Any thoughts /advice?
Thank you
I completed JuJu's Magic 10k plan 2weeks ago. It works! I choose to follow the distances each week ( 3 runs) rather than the timed 3runs per week. Mainly because I've never achieved 5km in 30min, i vary between 36 to 50min for 5km. So after about 5to6 weeks of consolidated 5km runs i was ready for another focus.. nothing better than JuJu's Magic 10k plan. The 1st run of each week I'd do intervals or pyramid runs on/off hills and then jog afterwards up to the allotted km... I'm an added lover of bpm running with "audiofuel podcasts " too via spotify too..
You'll get fitter as each week comes and its a fab way of being focused.
It's a fab way of maintaining / progressing your running volume rather than intensity by adding 1k to your distance every 2 weeks an ideal start.. love it !
I just completed it too... and I agree, it does look daunting but it does work. It’s also about allowing the time - my 10k was well over an hour but at the pace I chose it was quite comfortable. I found some of the shorter runs harder than the long ones - probably because I set off a bit quick. Slow and steady is my advice, and also experiment with the order of runs each week. I started as per plan, but as the long runs got longer did them earlier in my week as I felt fresher. Also don’t worry about repeating a run or a week if you feel particularly tired or it’s particularly hard. Don’t forget the warm up/down and stretching - these are key! Now I’m moving beyond 10k with a goal of half marathon. I started C25k in Jan so I’m still quite new to this so if I can do it I’d think anyone can!
I agree! My 10km are 90min+ .. its all about building up stamina, duration..speed can come later... warm ups are just as important as cool down walks and stretching afterwards too. Lizcanrun Outdoorsy19 . See what you think of the audiofuel bpm runs.. many are coached and talk you round your route.. makes you think you're never alone.. which you're not because of this fabulous community we have here to help you out .. 💚🙂👍
Thanks for this really useful post.
The audiofuel bpm runs, are they podcasts? I can’t find them on apple podcasts, only on Spotify. But if you don’t have a paying subscription you will not get the whole album/run in the right order, I assume?
Or do you mean the audiofuel/nhs Podcasts?
If there are others would you have links to the podcasts?
Many thanks.
CBDB hi, all of mine are on spotify ( paid version so i can listen offline without data ). If you Google audiofuel podcasts and see where they are also available. I know you can purchase them individually on Google playstore too. Soundcloud have some too.
Nhs one's are free online and are a good
" stepping stone" to use too between c25k and 10km running etc
I love audiofuel and personally find coached sessions useful to keep me focused.
Re your half marathon training.. are you progressing your long runs each 2 weeks by 1km ?
Not exactly... I followed the 10k plan then I’ve jumped in half way through a beginner 20k training plan because it fits my timescale. It’s one I found online - on London Landmarks 20k website. There are lots of different ones but this one is simple and straightforward so works for me 🤣
Ooooohhh didn't know there were any plans out there! Thanks i shall look that one up... i need a focus to follow.. I'm rubbish otherwise 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I agree - when someone who knows what they’re doing has gone to the trouble to set it all out it makes sense to follow that!
Just looking at it now...where abouts did you " jump in " at ? Ive only done x2 10km runs to date ( hills n flat) 90min+ each run.
I jumped in on Week 9 I think which ends with a 6 miles/10k. I’ll fiddle a little with the shorter distances and it is a bit if a step up but I was pleasantly surprised how comfortable the 12k (which I did for the 7 miles)
Well done!
I've joined a local running club.. just.
But with way things are its difficult to get along to the " new way" of training sessions..
So I'm kinda looking for something that's doable myself.
Cheers xx
I find these plans are very motivating and I’m happiest running on my own - that way I don’t get distracted or influenced by other people’s pace. That said I’d love it if parkrun would reopen as I enjoy the communal aspect of doing that
I agree .. i do miss Saturday 845am starts.. even though I'm more of an evening run person as a rule.
I've never ran solo until lockdown.. so its boosted my confidence to be out there.. searching different routes too..
Its quite a thing to be out there, solo, i do love it now though. .headphones on.. headspace to think and fresh air. Seen lots of wildlife on recent runs too..
Finding good routes is a challenge i find.. i just go out & hope for the best tbh🤣
I agree it's a challenge to run with others.. fast or slow.. it messes up rhythm for me..
hello Lizcanrun I’ve just finished week 2 of the plan and I think you’ll find it very doable when you get going. I finished C to 5 k towards end of March but had 8 weeks out with illness & injuries and so far the plan is working very well. I’ve taken extra rest days when I’ve needed it in between runs too so the weeks don’t have to be calendar weeks. Go out with confidence and believe you can do it and you will. 🤗
Hi Lizcanrun I am on JuJu’s plan after finishing c25k at the end of May. I am up to 8k now having just finished week 5 of 8 and honestly her plan is excellent and it works perfectly!! I tend to use one run as an all out ‘go for it’ run to improve speed and fitness, the 2nd run I do at an easy pace, and I do the ‘long run’ at a slower pace. The additional 1k only looks hard on paper- once you get into it you will manage it fine. I will be doing 9k next week and although my head thinks 9k sounds a bit scary, my body is more than capable and I know I will do it. Go for it!!!!
The plan does work and believe it or not you've done all the hard work by graduating c25k. Depending how far you are actually running in your 30 mins you may want to do the timed version rather than the distance, you could then redo the program on distance. Add up the total Km's or minutes for each week and you'll see the plan doesn't move you much faster than you've been used to, just 10% per week. Happy running 🤗
That's where I'm at...completed timed version now gone back to week 3 to start distance. It does look daunting but once you start it's a gentle increase just like C25K
Yes, I was thinking of doing that. Thank you 😊
Enjoy🤗
It’s a fantastic plan Lizcanrun, and personally I found it far less daunting than C25K. They’re all bite sized increments, and since your body has been trained to run already, you shouldn’t have any problems increasing the distance. I did the Magic Plan 3 times for fun before moving on to longer distances. 😀🏃♀️
Have fun, you’ll get to 10k and you’ll love it! 👏👏
Thank you!
I found it took two attempts before I could complete it. I got to 7I the first time and everything hurt. Figured it was too much, too soon. Second time I did the timed version and actually repeated most weeks. From there I then went up to 10k. I think it's a case of allowing yourself as much time as you need and listening to your body: we're all different.
I definitely recommend the Magic Plan. I did the timed version to start with as I only got to 3.7k in 30 minutes. It got me to 5k and beyond! Once I reached 60 minutes running I was at 7k so I then jumped across to the distance version and took it from there. I'm doing 9k this week so I'm excited to be getting v close to 10k! I think I would have found it hard going straight for the distance version - this way its taking longer to get there but building more fitness en route!
Good luck which ever version you choose.
I finished c25k in April and consolidated for a long time, doing 3x30 min runs through May and June. Like you the magic plan looked daunting to me. In my head I gave myself the options of doing it in the future or just sticking with 3x30 mins runs per week, so I didn’t put pressure on myself. I didn’t feel ready, I think I needed time to get used to the idea and I also think our bodies can be a little voice in our heads saying “not ready yet” or, eventually, “OK, ready now”. Eventually I began mixing things up with some of the NHS 5k plus guided runs - intervals, slightly longer times. And then I found I was on the magic plan almost by accident. I’m probably going to do each week twice as “slow, no pressure” seems to work both physically and mentally for me. I like to take things a step at a time. I’ve just finally run a 5k, I’d like now to aim for 10k, but I think it might take me 3 or 4 months to get there, and 8m Ok with that.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
There is a timed version of the plan which is gentler. Many do that one and then whatever distance they reached in 60 minutes is where they start on the distance plan
The magic plan is great, just back from my second 8k and I’m looking forward to 9 next week already. I run my 5k first, normally a Tuesday, then my short run on the Thursday and the long run is either Saturday or Sunday depending on how I feel. Some day’s you just a need another day off.
Give it a go, it’ll be fun 😁
It’s much easier than going to 5k from nothing.
10k plan
10k plan completed!! 
