It’s all going down hill 😫

[LauraTurtle]

Since graduation 2 weeks ago I have totally lost my mojo!

Has anyone else felt this too after graduating? I got up to 5k runs and now I’m lucky if i can manage a 3k Run!

How do I get the bug back again??

HELP!!

[DawnRun]

I think everyone suffers a blip after finishing the plan

A lot of people need the structure You seem to be one of these people

Create your own structure , it can be anything but sit down and draw up a plan

For example running 3 km monday , 5km wednesday, even 6km friday with a walk break in the middle

I am still doing consolidation runs 4 months after finishing and it suits me running 5 Ks all the time, sometimes I run 6km

You can try park runs or joining a club or at least looking to next year and aim for a 10k next year

[Shelby1973 Graduate in reply to DawnRun]

I like this idea esp the 6k with a short walk break . Think I’ll borrow ur plan thank u 😉 xx

[DawnRun in reply to Shelby1973]

I like it too, but I have not even tried it myself. I went to running 6k with no breaks after many 5k repetitions. I did not think it a good idea to recommend 6k, with no breaks as I guess it takes a bit of time to build up to it.

[Shelby1973 Graduate in reply to DawnRun]

I’m gonna try this next week and do the short runs when I’m short on time 😀 a plan that won’t make me feel lazy if I’m struggling for time xx

[manxnut]

As DawnRun says give yourself a goal or mix it up. It could be a) improving your times b) entering a competition c) going for a bigger distance. Find someone to run with to make it more interesting. If all else fails take a few steps back on the C25K plan, at the end of the day no one is going to judge you. Also just because you can run 5k doesn't mean you actually have to run it. If your running 3k and happy with that who is to say you're wrong!

[Copperbird Graduate]

What helped a bit for me is that I decided it would make running much easier on my ankles if I lost some weight also, so started to count calories on myfitnesspal, and it links with activity tracker and gives you more calories if you have been for a run

(Yeah I also don't know if this is resulting in fewer net calories but it does keep me active )

[Hidden]

Aha common issue this is what I did..

Sent myself 3 reminders a week to run, like the program did

Created an incentive programme based on doing runs, so I download for every run I did and then a bonus download if i do all three runs in a week.

I also followed Bluebirdrunner excellent advice on consolidation do look at her posts they are very helpful

Then I started increasing my distance by 10%

I made a commitment that as this place had helped me so much, I’d keep coming on here to spur others on if I could. I felt I couldn’t do that unless I was still running..

Also I loved Mr Smooth so much [michael johnson] that I use the W9 R3 recording from time to time to keep my hand in.

Don’t kno if any of these give you ideas, but you are still running 3k and that’s a great thing... and if you were worried you could re repeat the programme from day W7 to rebuild the habit

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

I feel a few folk have the same issues I think it is fairly normal

Maybe pull back a tad and just do some runs because you can I ran in a bit of a lost way for a while, but I loved my runs for pure joy!

healthunlocked.com/couchto5.....

Don't push too hard at this point.. relax on the time or distance...take time to just get some 30 minute consolidation in and don't worry too much about 5 K.... Feel the joy of just letting those legs take you..then when that mojo reappears... try some intervals or take a peek at the C25K+ podcasts... they are structured, fun and quite different

[Anthie Graduate]

Hi Laura, I just graduated last week, so I can't really say. But to "comfort" you, my first postgrad run was not very easy: I struggled for the last 10 mns. It's likely I ran too fast to start with, but also I had a bad cold in preparation, which means I was very tired. I saved my energy for work this week, so I haven't been able to run at all since Sunday and it feels weird, not to say that I would really feel low if I couldn't get back there very soon. I'm hoping to be able to go for a 20 mns run on Sunday and see how it goes.

As other members said, don't be too harsh on yourself and get an objective. Mine is just to feel comfortable running for 30 mns. I love running in my city park. It's not as beautiful as a British one (nothing compares I must say!) but I enjoy spotting the birds and "getting in touch" with the trees. I know it quite well because I also practise Nordic walking with a club there. So I change routes according to my moods and my fitness. I've been avoiding the little uneven tracks in the woods (far easier in Nordic walking lol!) for the moment.

Maybe get a plan with a park run but in any case, enjoy yourself!