Back to square 1.???

[Lornajayner]

So, I completed couch to 5K just before Christmas, never in my life did i think i could do it having tried running loads of times before. I did it and more importantly i really enjoyed it. However with one thing and another, moving house, personal issues, I haven't ran since Mid Dec when I completed wk9.

I'm not sure where to go back to in the program, or if I need to. I think I might struggle with the wk9 runs straight off now.. Has anybody else had similar, I know I don;t need to go back to the really early weeks, but I don't want to lose the confidence / mind set I've already built..

Any ideas anyone..?!

[MichaelH070862 Graduate]

Have a go at week 6 it is a good bench mark to where your fitness is and carry on from there

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

Don't fret. You won't have lost it completely.

Week 6 is a good idea. You can do a couple of longish intervals and then build up to the longer runs. You'll find you won't need to repeat all of the runs to get back up to your 30 minutes.

[09Kanda]

I completed the programme at the end of November and had run 5k about four times since graduating but was knocked for six by the horrid flu and was out of action for 3 weeks. Went out and did three 10min jogs with 2mins walking in between and my body told me that was too much the next day! In hindsight I should have looked back at the programme and picked a place to restart, would agree that week 6 is a good intermediate level to jump back in and should be enough to give you a push without being demotivated. Good luck and remember slow and steady!

[Lornajayner]

Thanks everyone! looks like it back to wk6 then - I just had a quick look and yes i agree, the runs look do-able, hard, but do-able!

[melly4012 Graduate]

You won't need to go back to the beginning as you'll have a base level of fitness there. Pick a run, give it a go, see how you feel. Might be a bit of trial and error for a while adjusting according to how the runs feel but you'll soon be back to it.