C25K in less than 9 weeks

[runner56]

Has this been done?

I completed week 2 and am contemplating starting week tomorrow after a days rest.

Do you think it is feasible to just have one days rest (i.e. do two weeks in 12 days instead of 14)?

Not sure if I am explaining this very well

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

To graduate you have to complete all the weeks and all the runs. There is no wobble room on that as the program is set up to protect your muscles and joints as they learn their new sport. It is recommended that you take nine week to complete because the rest days are just as important to learing to run correctly as any other part of the program. The muscles need to heal inbetween and strengthen. It's only nine weeks and the general opinion is that it's not worth risking injury just to Finish quicker. You hopefully will only be learning to run once and with that in mind it's better to do it the best way for your body. I understand your feelings and at some point we have all thought about it, but trust me in the long run it just Isnt worth it. Good training habits are invaluable even after graduation. I know your are thinking about just taking one day off and rolling over to the next week but I would suggest maybe take this new found energy and add in a complimentary sport as when you graduate you still have to take rest days but a lot of us do another activity. Walking, weights, swimming etc.

[Beek Graduate]

It is tempting to speed things up but the whole point is to do the plan in a balanced way. It is essential to take the rest days. If you do not you may risk injury and that would be a shame now that you are on the way with the plan.

Please do not go without the rest days.

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

It's very tempting I'm sure to run on alternate days rather than taking 2 days between one out of every 3 runs, but it's probably not worth it to be honest. I know that you would still have a rest day after every run, but especially as the times and distances increase at the end, a second rest day is good. The same could be said for the beginning of the programme when your body is getting used to running.

Also, you might also find it easier to stick with running in the long term if you put it into a regular weekly schedule so mine is (theoretically) Tues, Thurs, Sat.

In the long term, it's not going to make that much difference to how long it takes to complete the programme (about 10 days?), and the risk of injury through doing too much too soon would make me recommend patience.

[Hidden]

It's really not worth the risk of injury just to save a few days and finish quicker. You won't get any extra credit for it either. Well done for completing week 2 and good luck with week 3 - after you've had two days rest! I always enjoy two days rest between completing one week and starting the next - it helps to set me up mentally for the start of a new challenge just as much as physically. Best wishes.

[kickibro Graduate]

I have only taken one rest day between all runs so far, with the exception of a couple of times when my knees were feeling so sore. I felt I needed that extra day to allow them to recover and repair.

I am just about to start week 7 now and am really enjoying my running and I want to keep running without injury. Forced time out due to injury is something I am keen to avoid as it could mean not running for days or weeks! Therefore, I feel it is important to be in tune with my body and listen to it. If it is aching and moaning, I will take an extra rest day or even two for it to repair and be in tip top condition ready for whatever running time I aim to throw at it

It is great that you are eager and believe me, I am too. I really want to reach my graduation but I reign my impulsiveness in as my body is just too important not to treat kindly. It has to last me a lifetime and I hope to run for as long as I can.

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to kickibro]

I am no expert runner -- but my thought is that if you are getting sore knees, there is something wrong with your running form. ( unless you perhaps have some weakness in your knees that others don't have -- it which case it is even more important to have a good running form)

BTW -- do you run on your heels? -- how do your feet land on the pavement?

[kickibro Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

I only got sore knees in the first couple of weeks as my body adjusted to the impact that running has on my body although when I was younger I did dislocate my knee a few times to the extent I had to have physiotherapy. 7 weeks into c25k and my knees are fine. I have strengthened up!

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to kickibro]

Great!!

[runner56 Graduate]

Thanks all.

I think you are probably correct. Enthusiasm is one thing but I suppose the risk of injury is always there for all us newbies.

I'll save week 3 till Sunday.

Thanks again

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

Curious to know why you asked ? Does it really matter whether you finish the C25K programme early? I haven't kept exactly to the letter of the programme - as I believe that while it starts out logically, it goes against many training tenets towards the end. So I basically abandoned the last 3 weeks for that of another C25K programme ( there are a number of them - all different). But they all have the same spirit and intent. I will run my last run today at Parkrun - hoping to run 35 minutes non-stop and then I will probably abandon non-stop running to concentrate on run/walk over longer distances. In the meantime, I have lost 6 inches around my waist

[runner56 Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

Simply curious bazza. I'm not trying for any oneupmanship.

I've a new found enthusiasm for running and was wondering what othersthoughts were.

I think I will stick to a 7 day week regime rather than a 6 day and enjoy 2 days rest.

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to runner56]

Yes -- understand the enthusiasm. And after I have had a good days run, I do think to myself "What am I going to do for the next day/2 days" - and it is very tempting to go running again. Lately I have been filling that space by just going for a gentle walk to the shops instead of driving there

[Nilzed]

I was under the impression that a lot of folks run every other day. Laura is firm on a rest day in between each run, but i dont recall her ever mentioning a need for 2 rest days after 3 runs. The 'week' is descriptive, not proscriptive, i think.

Many of us find it easier to run 3 days out of 7, either by getting 1 in at the weekend and so only having to fit two into the workweek; or by going MWF to not risk missing a run due to family needs on the weekend. But, if you feel up to it and your schedule permits, running every other day meets the 1 day rest requirement.

Minor tweaks are up to the user: if you have to repeat a run more times than the number Laura lists, or if you need to rest extra days between runs or feel up to the minimal rest time, then adjust to suit. Dont twist the plan completely out of shape by skipping stages or changing the order or leaving out the one day rest though.

[danzargo Graduate]

Errrr.......what's the rush? I concur with all the contributions here. Stick with the 9 weeks and your body will say "thank you".

[GoogleMe Graduate]

It's not the 9 weeks! It's not even 5K!

It is just listening to the podcasts and doing what Laura says (or at least trying it out - with the possible exception of heel striking which I think we pretty much all say "No thank you" to)

What she actually says is a rest day between each run - and that means that if you are successful every time you go out and you are able to run every other day, yes, you would complete the programme in under 9 weeks.

*However* and this is the key thing... life tends not to be like that and if you are intentionally trying to rush it, rather than just doing the programme you may a) come a-cropper and b) have missed out on one of the psychological benefits of NHS C25K.

It took me a good few weeks to work up to completing a Week 1 podcast successfully, so Week 1 took me 6 weeks. After that I never had to repeat a run and for the most part I was able to run every other day.

I was obese (not very far into that category, but I was in it), I may have mitochondria that don't work properly, my body certainly doesn't work properly and I spend most of my life in bed, couldn't sustain a brisk walk beyond 30 minutes (and it was painful). But I am not depressed and I am not a perfectionist. I knew I couldn't afford to push really hard - never mind injury, I could make myself seriously *ill* - and that the thing to focus on was a running motion for the specified time, not anything else at that stage. 5K came later (my PB for that is 45 minutes) and I am now up to 8k in distance (after 2 years) and can usually, but not always, rely on under 10 minutes a km (I am something of an expert now on flat places to run locally, but there are sometimes bogs)

Maybe if I was going hell for leather or slamming down on tarmac my body would have told me to have more rest days but the 'weeks' are a misnomer.

So I would suggest it would be a mistake to *plan* that you will graduate in under 9 weeks (arguably it is also a mistake to *plan* that you will graduate in exactly 9 weeks - I thought it would take me 9 months but then look what happened!), but there is no reason whatsoever not to run every other day if you feel like it and it fits with your life and you don't get a nasty cold or whatever. Just enjoy the ride!