Post graduation run

[Shivani05]

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

[Phoenix891119 Graduate]

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 Graduate in reply to Phoenix891119]

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

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

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

[Shivani05 Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks floss!

[jt24 Graduate]

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 Graduate 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 Administrator Graduate in reply to Shivani05]

Best plan Shivani...

[Patrick1942 Graduate]

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

[Shivani05 Graduate in reply to Patrick1942]

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

[boptillyoudrop49 Graduate]

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 Graduate in reply to boptillyoudrop49]

Thanks! What did you do after graduation?

[boptillyoudrop49 Graduate 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 Graduate 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 Graduate 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 Graduate]

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 Graduate 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.