Post graduation run: Today was my first post... - Couch to 5K

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Post graduation run

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate
16 Replies

Today was my first post-graduation run, and I was surprised by how "free" I felt. Surprised because I essentially did another week 9 run - 5mins walk/30mins run/5mins walk. Now that I've graduated I've decided not to factor my walking times in the total distance so I measured only my running distance, and I did 4.19km in 30 mins. Good enough for now.

I'm going to continue to run for 30 mins for 4-6 weeks then decide whether I want to work on speed (5km in 30 mins) or stamina (run for longer times/distances). Slowly incorporating swimming on my rest days too, since I have about 2 months before the monsoon hits and I can't swim for ages then.

Hope everyone is having a lovely start to the week :)

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Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05
Graduate
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16 Replies
Phoenix891119 profile image
Phoenix891119Graduate

Sounds good to me. I have been trying to extend my time so that I hit 5K (which I have now done) and then try and run a further few minutes each time. I think that for me I want to know that I can hit longer distances regardless of how long it takes. Next challenge is 6km when my foot feels better.

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate in reply to Phoenix891119

I agree, I'm leaning towards longer distances. But 5k in 30 minutes would be lovely :)

Oldfloss profile image
OldflossAdministratorGraduate

Wonderful ideas Shivani... your plan sounds good to me. :)

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate in reply to Oldfloss

Thanks floss!

jt24 profile image
jt24Graduate

Brilliant Shivani, that's a great distance you're covering too :)

I'm not convinced I want to run further but I would like to run faster for 5k and I know that most plans suggest increasing distance to enhance speed too.

I'm also doing 4-6 weeks of 3x30 minute runs so I guess I'll have a look at my stat's at the end of that time and see how things are going.

Good luck :)

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate in reply to jt24

I'm leaning towards running further actually...I like running, so I'd like to be able to run for longer. But yes, a faster 5k is a goal too, although I have no races planned. It's just for me.

Oldfloss profile image
OldflossAdministratorGraduate in reply to Shivani05

Best plan Shivani...

Patrick1942 profile image
Patrick1942Graduate

Well done Shivani, going great, good distance for 30min. I would go for distance  over speed.  

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate in reply to Patrick1942

Thanks Patrick. I'm leaning towards distance too, but that 30-minute 5k is something of a dream :)

boptillyoudrop49 profile image
boptillyoudrop49Graduate

It is good to have a plan or goal to keep yourself motivated. I think consolidating your 30 min run first is very wise.

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate in reply to boptillyoudrop49

Thanks! What did you do after graduation?

boptillyoudrop49 profile image
boptillyoudrop49Graduate in reply to Shivani05

I didn't do much because I unfortunately got knee pain which really hurt walking downstairs - the dreaded runner's knee. I think it came from running on pavement so you shouldn't have that problem on the treadmill. Then I eased back to 30 min. I ran 3x 30 min for a couple of weeks then kept extending one run by about 5 min each week till I ran 1 x 60, 2 x 30 min. After that 3x 60 min then 3 x 10k. That's where I am at now and no plans to extend it. I use 2 c25k+ podcasts - stamina and speed and insert them into runs after about 20 min. Then I just keep running when the podcast finishes to cover my distance. I have a 10k race in 3 weeks. I may be the slowest trotter out there but I think I'll somehow manage it. Fingers crossed anyway. The nice thing is you can do what you want, just advance gradually and take a step back if your body complains. Have some fun with it.

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate in reply to boptillyoudrop49

3x10k is amazing! Kudos for keeping that up. I listened to the + podcasts but didn't like the music at all. Let's see, maybe in a month or so I might try them out.

boptillyoudrop49 profile image
boptillyoudrop49Graduate in reply to Shivani05

Oh boy yes that music is beyond dreadful. I found it helps if you don't think of it as music. It is just noise with the running beat. I can get the beat then blend it out. Speed is only 16 minutes altogether, stamina I think 35. 

Slowstart profile image
SlowstartGraduate

Hi Shivani, I say enjoy your freedom. You worked really hard to get this far and now is the time to enjoy being a runner. You don't need to decide a plan of action yet. Play about with your runs, see what makes you happy. For now keep polishing that graduate badge, each run you do makes it shine brighter!! ***

Shivani05 profile image
Shivani05Graduate in reply to Slowstart

Thank you! Yes, I need to enjoy it a bit and stop making plans for everything :) Things don't always go the way you've planned anyway.

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