Skipping runs and rest days???

Hi, I'm thinking about starting couch to 5k but I want to do it as quick as possible, I think my level of fitness is ok so could I skip the earlier weeks? Also, do I put myself at risk of injury if I don't do rest days?

[misswobble Graduate]

Yes.

Hello by the way (waves)

[ViaM Graduate]

Have you done any running recently?

Have you got a deadline, an event perhaps, already in place that does not allow you to follow this training plan?

[Pigivi]

Yes - to both questions. You can try starting from week 3 or 4 or whatever you think will suit you, and go back to week 1 or 2 if it doesn't work, only you can tell...

And yes, you do risk injury if you don't take rest days - this is not a just a question of fitness.

I imagine that a lot depends on how old you are: when I was about 16 I used to run every morning (except Sunday - always ran before school) , play 2 hours basketball twice a week and swim 2.5 km at least 3 times- - I suppose I was quite fit then... so if your levels of fitness are up to it, maybe you could, but at the start it is always a good idea to take a day rest.

[rmnsuk Graduate]

rest days are where you build fitness. you shouldn't avoid them.

What I would do is try w1r1. If it's dead easy, do a rest day then w2r1. If that's still dead easy, do a rest day and w3r1 etc. Eventually you'll either get to w9 or a run that isn't so easy. Then you should do the rest of the runs for that week, and do c25k in the conventional way. You have to do all 3 w9 runs to graduate.

If you are almost ready to do 5k when you start, this method would get you through in about 4 weeks.

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

It depends on a number of things -- including why you want to finish C25K ASAP?, and what you mean by "level of fitness"??

Fitness is not an absolute thing - it is relative to something in particular. For example, I am (now) quite fit - certainly very fit for my age group -- I am so fit that I can run 10 klms -- BUT I am not fit enough to run 10KLms in less than an hour nor am I fit enough to run a marathon at any pace So to attempt either of these things , I would need to do the relevant training.

Are you fit enough to run for 30 minutes non-stop right now?? If so, you could move on to Bridge to 10K -- but if not you should start out with C25K. But remember - wherever you start in C25K , the goal is to eventually finish C25K

[the_tea_fairy Graduate]

I had fairly good fitness and had run on and off in a disorganised way before starting, and began at week 3, which worked for me.

You do need rest days, though. That doesn't mean you can't walk/cycle/swim/do Pilates/box/whatever - it just means a day of not running to allow those specific muscles to recover a bit.

[AncientMum Graduate]

Hi, welcome to the forum, Arabesque. Like everyone else, I'd counsel caution. You could be massively fit for all I know, with a huge lung capacity but, and here's the important bit, are the muscle groups necessary for running also fit. If you cycle a lot, for example, you probably have strong quads, but running uses other muscles too and puts stresses and strains on other joints. The programme builds up slowly for a reason; to gradually accustom your body-your joints and muscles- to the pounding that running involves. As for taking the rest days, they're there to allow your body to repair the damage done by running. If you skip them, the repairs aren't made.

In the end, you pays your money and you takes your choice. You can speed the programme up by running on alternate days, so each week takes 6 rather than 7 days. You could possibly miss out week1 if you wanted to, but do think very carefully before skipping any other weeks. So many people on here have picked up injuries from doing too much too soon. Good luck

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Most people can take up running and there are loads of ways to do it.

But if you are going to choose C25K, just *do* C25K.... (and it is about way more than physical fitness... I'd say a greater number of people who thought they were fit (and were likely correct) fail to graduate than the target audience, for all kinds of reasons, including injury from messing with the programme) Mo Farah can certainly run continuously for 30 minutes, he can certainly run 5K, he can even run 5K in (considerably under) 30 minutes... but an NHS C25K graduate he is not.

(Personally I think Week 1 is the toughest week of the lot and I thought that when I tried it again post-graduation)

[lag57 Graduate]

It sounds like you could easily start at wk3 if you are already fairly fit and used to exercise. However, it is so important to have rest days! I learned the hard way last summer, having been running 2/3 times a week (around 6/9 miles a week) I decided to set myself a challenge and run 3 miles every day of the school holidays - with no rest days. I got to 4 weeks fairly easily but then had foot pain (which I ignored because I was on a mission!) ran through the pain for couple of days and during my next run fractured my 2nd metatarsal - this was definitely down to me overdoing things, going from 6/9 mikes a week to 21 miles a week was asking for trouble but I felt fit and didn't see it was a problem at the time. The fracture meant a plaster cast followed by wearing a support boot for 6 weeks and definitely no running for at least 3 months! So, please stick to your rest days - they are so important especially when you are starting out and haven't been used to running. I have restarted the c25k since my injury and started from the beginning (I actually had 9 months off in the end!) Currently at wk6 which I will start tomorrow because I ran yesterday!

[sallyannie Graduate]

You could run every other day rather then three times a week you get through it quicker that way, but I will say rest days are important.

[Anniemurph Graduate]

Hello! Loads of good advice below, but the question is, why do you want to do C25K as quickly as possible? If you're going to do C25K, then just do it. Rest days are important because that's when your muscle fibres repair themselves. Whatever you choose to do, stay safe and injury free

[loopmyloop Graduate]

As everyone else says, it's all relative! Age fitness weight etc. I chose to stick to it closely, even though I was already fit enough, to avoid injury, and to make sure it became a way of life i.e. to get the brain used to it. For me the training is the goal. On the other hand, my husband, who's also used C25K has a totally different approach. He uses it to get his training kicked off for the Salford 10K each Sept. His training lapsed after about January, and started again about a month ago. He's got less time to get up to the 10K, so he's 'leapfrogging' through the program' - roughly working out as a run every other day, doing run 1 and run 2 of each week, to get through the early weeks. Time pressured deadlines don't work for me, too stressful, but it seems to be what he needs. However it does seem a bit risky, injury wise, and doesn't leave any contingency time for life getting in the way of training. Good luck with whatever you chose to do!

[Anaverageman Graduate]

Arabesque... I have to agree with the rest...

I started c25k ( currently at week 7/8) with a background of regular gym use .. but I found i was considerably ' less fit' than I thought i was.. but one thing i have learned over the years, when you start your body on ANY 'new' exercise scheme, you are stressing it in a different way to that which it is used to.. which is good but it takes TIME for it to become accustomed to it.. then you can progress..

I have to ask WHY do you want to ' do it as quick as possible' ? 9 weeks is scarcely long? and if the programme WORKS ( with rest days) why do you want to change it?

I usually find things done VERY quickly ( e.g. fast diets ) MAY lead to quick weight loss for example but actually are never kept up.. and most people ' rebound' and put on more than they lost...

but you know your body better than anyone else.. only you can tell how you get along with it..

If you alternated one run one rest day and did EVERY run ( and not thought of them as Weeks ) I guess you could finish in 7 weeks and 4 days?

[Hidden]

Thanks for the good advice everyone! I don't have a strict deadline but I'm starting uni in September so it's more that I want to get my fitness up over the summer. I'll definitely take rest days, I'll run alternate days so each week is 6 days and I think I'll do the first run from each week until I find one difficult as suggested! Thanks for the support

[Realfoodieclub Graduate in reply to Hidden]

That sounds like a sensible plan at least you are taking your body through the runs at least once. Remember to be honest with yourself. If it was a bit tougher than you thought start the program from there or even go back to the week before. I am sure Running will help with your stress level when you start uni, good luck.

[ActonHighStreet]

I decided to start running again after a long absence, looked at Couch to 5K, decided I was far too fit for that sort of thing, downloaded one of the C25K+ podcasts for graduates, went out for a run and crashed completely!

Sheepishly I went back to C25k and completed it, although I did skip the first few weeks.

As for rest days, if you want to be a runner quickly, you need to use rest days for rest (when your body tells you to) and strength and flexibility exercises.

Welcome to the programme and please enjoy it.

[Brummiebikerbird1 Graduate]

Hi Arabesque,

I have just graduated from C2 5K I did what you are thinking of doing and ran every other day. I did through necessity run 2 days together on one occasion, but found it really hard. I was very unfit when I started and had done no aerobic exercise for some time, although I did pilates and aquavit regularly as well as a gym session each week. I stopped some of these to focus on the running and am now ready to really move on to more exercise.

C2 5K really does work, but the rest days are important. as is taking the plan at a reasonable speed.

[qobsmith Graduate]

Hello! In general, rest days are when your muscles do all their repair work (and thereby build strength). That doesn't mean that rest days require you to retire to the sofa, you can go for a walk, do some cross training or focus on another muscle group like upper body strength, but just running everyday when you're new to the game will do more damage than good!

I started at week 3 because I do a lot of cycling, I'm young, good weight and otherwise healthy. I managed to get to 5k in 40 days from that point. Suffered no injuries, and NEVER felt sore the next day (lots of long stretches!).

Just be safe and if you feel pain of any kind forget all that "no pain, no gain" guff, if it hurts it's your body saying "give me a break!"