I graduated :-) but what next?

[Filbertneale]

I finished week 9 on Thursday but am still only jogging at barely faster than I can walk. In the total 40 minutes I do just under 4km.

So do I keep "repeating" week 9 in order to get faster/increase distance or do I go back to some of the interval weeks?

Any thoughts?

[HiddenGem Graduate]

I am wondering the same I finished on Friday

Feel a bit lost now 😏

[Vixen67 Graduate]

Same here ... thought about just repeating week 9 ... I like that 'you've done 15 mins ' etc

[Hidden]

I am nowhere near you two on graduation, but have a look under the Topics sidebar, there is an area called Graduates 5k+, which has loads of stuff to check out, like other suggestions such as aiming for 10k, which may not be for you, but there are others too....

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

What do you want to achieve? is the question you need to ask yourself.

Do you want to run further?

Do you want to run faster?

Do you want to just stay fit?

Do you want to compete?

Graduates go in all sorts of directions, but if you don't know what you want to do, it is difficult to advise.

Regardless of your plans, I think everyone should try parkrun. It will stimulate your running and is such a great thing to be part of.

[Filbertneale in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Any/all of the first three Have done the odd Parkrun but just walking as feel too self conscious to jog as part of a group

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Filbertneale]

Parkrun is very much like the real world version of this forum. It is supportive and welcoming and, in my experience non judgemental. Frankly, if you can't face running in this environment, then I am at a bit of a loss what to suggest. You need to steal yourself to do it and then I am sure you will find that there is nothing to worry about. At the parkruns l have been to, there are runner's and walkers of all shapes, ages, weights and abilities and I have never witnessed anything but encouragement from volunteers and runners. You don't need to run the whole way. What do you fear?

You are a C25K graduate, you can run for thirty minutes, which is more than a lot of people at most parkruns. Hold your head up and be proud of your achievement and be proud of yourself.

Until you cross this bridge I am not sure how you can move forward with your other aims.

I would gladly try to help you through this challenge and if you would rather communicate privately, then PM me.

[SC1472 Graduate]

Enjoy the fact that you can run for a few weeks...then maybe look at the c25k+ podcasts if you want a bit of structure.

I graduated a couple of months ago and have just started 'running' through bridge to 10k podcasts that I've downloaded.

[Gabby08 Graduate]

I felt lost the first time I ran without the podcast! For me, it was about hitting the 5k milestone in the first instance so I signed up for Race for Life and attended my first parkrun. Now I'm working on increasing speed with a 5k twice a week and increasing the distance once a week. I've signed up for a 10k in October because I felt I needed something to 'aim for' but I know some people would prefer to run freely, without the pressure of an organised race on the horizon. Good luck with whatever you decide - keep experimenting until you find out what's right for you!

[damienair Graduate]

I joined a really welcoming and friendly running club. I do a 5k run on my own on a Monday or Tuesday, run 5k with the running club on a Thursday and do a Parkrun every Saturday morning. Some of the running club also take part in Parkrun. I'm on a quest for a sub 30 minute 5k. My best time is 32:07 which has come down from my first Parkrun time of 39:14.

All above sounds wonderful, but I still struggle with some of the runs. But I have a goal and something to aim for which keeps me motivated and interested.

Damien