How much is too much?

[Yesletsgo]

My son has decided to do C25K and I said I’d do it with him. I graduated it about a month ago and have been running 40-45 minutes or 5k roughly 3 times a week since.

Today we did wk1r1, it wasn’t quite as easy as I anticipated as he’s much faster than me. I know the advice is not to run on consecutive days but, much as I enjoyed today’s run I missed doing the longer run I’ve been getting used to.

We’ve agreed to run Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Would I damage myself if I added a 5k run in, either on Tuesday or Thursday, or after the C25K run, or at the weekend? A lot of training plans seem to start with 4-5 runs a week so when does it become ‘overdoing’ it? Which day would be best?

I don’t really relish the thought of having to wait 9 weeks before I can have another long run but I want to support my son. I realise he may soon choose to run alone but today’s run was really good fun so I’d rather miss my run than miss his company! On the other hand I REALLY don’t want to injure myself.

[Magellan Graduate10]

I would suggest that once a week you keep on going after he finishes his c25k run. The recovery days are important, leaving at least a day between runs is necessary at the moment, and a two-day rest once a week is necessary too. But you can run a good deal further overall now than when you graduated, so keep on with what you’re doing and extend one run if you want.

Also, as he gets better and fitter you’ll find it more challenging to keep up with him. If it gets so you are puffing and panting and knackering yourself out on the runs where you are keeping pace with him I’d recommend cutting it down to once a week with him and letting him do the other two alone. One run a week where you exert yourself and two where you’re going at a gentle pace is a reasonable balance.

It’s best to wait at least six months from when you started running before you move from three runs a week to four. There are HM training plans which are based on three runs a week, I ran my first few HMs with a three run per week plan, and I’ve even seen marathon plans that stick to three. If you want to increase your running, longer (slower) runs three times a week is better for you at this stage than more frequent runs.

[Yesletsgo Graduate10 in reply to Magellan]

Thanks, that's really constructive. He's much taller (and obviously a LOT younger) than me. My little legs were struggling at first to keep up but by the seventh interval my training paid off and I momentarily overtook him 😁. I think the reality will be that his social life will get in the way of his running, leaving me the opportunity to do my thing.If the worst that happens is repeating c25k that's not really so bad. Way better than hurting myself.

[Magellan Graduate10 in reply to Yesletsgo]

I’ve got a long legged teenage son too. His attempt at c25k went like this: he was on the couch, he said, “how far is 5k then?” I said, “to the crossroads at the top of the hill and back.” Twenty seven minutes later he was flinging himself back onto the couch, saying “5k is hard, can supper be really big please? And can you wash my kit tonight?”

He thought that because he could do 5k so much faster than his dumpy old mum (I’d boasted earlier that week of managing my first 30min 5k, on a flat flat route) he’d be able to do all my other distances too, and after a couple of runs of 6 or 7km he declared he’d do 10k, but he came back after 8 exhausted, having set off at the same 5k speed. He got to 10k some weeks later, but then it was the same story when he wanted to do his first HM. For his second attempt I convinced him to let me pace him, because the speed he wanted to do his HM in is one I can sustain for 10k so for the first hour we ran together, and I felt so proud, this eighteen year old man a foot and three inches taller than me was actually following me rather than racing ahead and leaving me in the dust!

I couldn’t have overtaken him in a short run though, you did well to manage that!

[Yesletsgo Graduate10 in reply to Magellan]

I waited until he slowed right down to overtake him My son hasn't ever run so like you I'm relishing the experience of telling him what to do (and him following my advice!)

[Cmoi Graduate10]

I agree it'd be much better for you to add extra distance to the C25K run, rather than add in more runs, and not push yourself to keep up with your son either.

Fwiw I only started running more than three times a week when I started my trail marathon plan in mid-May, a year after I began C25K.

[Yesletsgo Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

Thanks, I'm very aware I mustn't overdo it, it's not worth it. The only way I can keep up with him is to tell him to slow down 😂

[Elfe5 60minGraduate]

My daughter (who is able to run much faster/ further than me) quite often would chum me along & then add her own extra bit of run on the end of my run. 😄

[backintime Graduate10]

Doing the first C25K weeks is a bit like intervals, you could go with him for 2 of his runs (as he is faster than you would normally run) and do one of your own maybe? Or start off before him and have him join you at a specific place at an agreed time and finish together?

[Yesletsgo Graduate10 in reply to backintime]

Thanks, I think his social life is going to enable me to get the odd run of my own in