Decision time - Graduate early?

[phillyq]

Right, I've just finished week 6 and managed 4K in my 25 minute run. I'm pretty confident I could have run the final 1K, which would have been comfortably slower, but not disasterous. I have noticed the Great South Run 5k race is in 2 weeks and whilst that puts me at the end of week 8 not week 9, I'm pretty keen to give it a go.

What are peoples thoughts? I run every other day so can compress 6 runs into 12 days, would look at doing 2 at 25 mins, 2 at 28 and then the last two going for the full 5k.

I feel this is managable, it feels right to graduate at a race rather than pootling around the park, but I just don't know!

Help

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

There's nobody looking over your shoulder and there's no real reason why you shouldn't do it. Lots of runners doing that 5k will not have been through a structured plan like C25k and will manage perfectly well. I would think that it might be worth your while to just keep going, on one of those four runs you have left, just to see how far you can get and whether the 5k is within your reach. Just keep it steady, don't rush.

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

[Narmour Graduate]

Do it. The programme is only a suggestion anyway. If you feel ready, go for it. Next run you do, try a full 30 minutes. Once you've done it three times you've graduated. I went straight from week seven to week nine and I'm working towards my 10k now.

[Hidden]

If it feels right, go for it - why the heck not?!!! It'll be a great feeling for you and why miss out because the plan doesn't quite fit in with dates. Sounds like you're doing fab and enjoying it

[wilmacgh Graduate]

Do it - you've made good progress and have nothing to loose. But don't feel bad if it doesn't come off or if you have a bad run later on. we all have ups and downs.

[phillyq]

Thanks all - signed up

[c4ts Graduate]

Just do what you are doing and continue on to the end of Week 9. My first run in week 9 coincided with a local 5K run and I just did the run, listened to Laura and carried on past the 30 mins to complete the run, and then carried on for the rest of the week to feel I had -properly graduated with 3 week 9 runs.

[scruttons Graduate]

I'm probably going to say something that other people may not agree with, but 'jumped' into this programme at week 5 and then ran 5 times a week as I had already started running a few weeks before and felt I was already running the 20 mins and wanted something to get me running longer and further, so speeding up the last weeks over a shorter time worked to me, but we are all different. Good luck.

[riotgoddess]

In the same position. I have decided to finish the programme as written. Feel I owe it to Laura and the genius who came up with C25K.