Mrs

[lynnepaul]

Hi everyone. I am about to finish C25K and don't quite know where to go next. I am 68 years old with mild arthritis and would welcome advise and I don't run fast (7kph) and haven't managed 5k yet.

[runswithdogs Graduate]

You have a lot of choices. Do you like structure? A lot of folks use the C25k speed and stamina podcasts, or a podcast that takes you to 10k. If you like doing your own thing, you could increase the distance of one of your runs per week do build to 5k and beyond if you fancy distance running. If you want to get faster you could try intervals, fartleks or the occasional shorter faster run. You could just go out and enjoy with your own music, no set goals. Or any combination of the above. The world is your oyster now. I highly recommend signing up for a fun 5k run/race. It's a nice celebration of your hard work. I'll be looking for for graduation post.

[BoPeep9009 Graduate]

Hats off to you Mrs lynne!

First thing you're advised to do on graduation is CELEBRATE!!!

Then, like runswithdogs says, the world's your oyster.

Personally I got a bit lost without Laura so used the C25K+ podcasts for support before I figured out what I was aiming for next. I think they are pinned on this site somewhere.

Main thing is you keep on getting out there, enjoying your new found brilliance

[Tomas Graduate]

Congratulations with getting this far, that is an achievement that should be celebrated.

And after that, as runswithdogs and BoPeep says, the world's your oyster. I guess that's part of the "problem" though, isn't it? Too much choice. If it was me, I'd look at runswithdogs's good list and see which of those objectives sound like something I'd like to do, and then I'd try to build some sort of routine around that. Not that you need to have everything pre-defined, but I find that (for me) having just a lose intention "oh yeah, I'll run some more" is not quite enough to convince myself to get up in the morning. Your milage may vary

Happy running

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

Well done for getting this far. As other have said the world really is your oyster. I have arthritis as well and I find running is great for keeping my joints limber. Some people use the program to step onto other things. Just as popular is just keep going at three 30 min runs a week. With time your distance will nauturally come up and you will keep you level of fitness. I am a plodder and proud of it always remember you are off the couch. I bet when you started you never thought you would be able to run 30 min three times a week, that is a great achievement in itself. By all means if you want to use your new exercise vigo and move into triathlons or marathons go for it. 😀.

[Hidden]

Parkrun.....

[rmnsuk Graduate in reply to Hidden]

beat me to it

[rmnsuk Graduate]

as above, but there is another fantastic option. Try parkrun. 300+ people gather in my local park at 09:00 and do a 5k run. The atmosphere is great with people from 10 to 100 (and maybe more). 7km/h will get you home in 43 minutes. They always have a tail runner to keep the last few runners company. Look on the website to see if there is one near you, there are loads all over the country.

[Atalaya Graduate]

And when you've done (and loved) park run, keep going back but also sign up for a race that will get you some bling. Having a race date in the future is a great way to keep the momentum.

[agedsnailspace Graduate]

Definitely parkrun - and from there you may well meet others to run with, or find a running club that suits, but definitely parkrun.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

As others have said, parkrun is a great movement and most people just love it and with their age grading you can actually see how your efforts compare to those of much younger and speedier runners.

One thing my other half and I have started to do is "trundling", which is run/walking on trails. We have run forest tracks, clifftop paths and moorland tors, with no specific time or pace constraints, just enjoying the scenery, running when we can, walking when we want. For me it beats plain walking because you are unencumbered by all the clothing and clobber that you normally take. For me the best part of running is the feeling of being very alive in a beautiful natural environment.

[rubyslave Graduate]

Park run is a great idea, but I would suggest spending a few weeks building your distance so that you get used to running for the extra bit. I'm currently about 15 minutes short of running a 5k (I'm hoping to graduate later this week), and plan to increase my time by 5 minutes a week until I can do the full 5k in time for my Race For Life on 12th July. Once I've done that, I'll start doing Park Runs, but I'm worried it might be a bit much at the moment. Good luck

[mbardon Graduate]

Remember that the goal of C25K is to get you running for 30 mins (not technically 5KM) so the fact that you are getting to run at your speed continuously for 30 mins is something that should really be celebrated.

Congrats for getting this far, and keep up the great work.