What Next any ideas pls

[445600]

I’ve been doing 5k runs now for quite a while. I run 3 times a week mainly to keep active . I’m not too bothered about increasing my runs I feel at the moment it’s enough. I looked at the 10k plan and I know I will struggle to fit the longer timed runs in .I’m running various routes on the roads . I had a go at the NRC guided runs but I think I probably did too many because I got bored of them .

So is it ok to run less ?

Or how do I keep my fitness up - I’ve got I must run 5k in my head !!

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Well done for getting 3 runs a week in. I think the main thing to keep your interest is to vary your runs. Doing the same distance all the time may get a bit samey. Have you tried doing Fartleks/intervals on a shorter run? Or some hill work? We don’t have hills so we use the slope of Southsea castle or a local footbridge for such training.

Or there is always parkrun on a Saturday, or a local race? I just love running with others as it gives a completely different running experience. If possible , you can drive somewhere else just to see new things as you are running. Have fun, whatever you do.

[nowster Graduate10]

It is definitely OK to run less some days.

Just thinking at the physiological level, to get benefits, the shortest run should be no shorter than 10 minutes.

The key to not getting bored is variety. Mix things up.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate10]

It’s absolutely ok to run less! The great thing about running is you can adapt to suit what you enjoy. Plenty of my runs are 15/20 minutes. I like mixing up routes and paces to keep it fresh. Maybe experimenting with hill repeats, fartlek, intervals, tempo runs on your shorter runs might show you another type of run you can have in your repertoire?

I’d think about what sorts of runs you like most and if you’ve got any goals you’d like to achieve. That might drive where you go next. The other thing that helps me keep running is choosing a podcast I want to listen to and running to listen to that. The run is almost secondary to the podcast and it helps me not get bored.