So you have completed C25k by running for thirty minutes, three times in a week? Congratulations, you have made an amazing start in running and all sorts of opportunities are opening up for you, but do be aware that at the moment, if you have scrupulously followed the plan, with no reruns, you have run for a grand total of 8 hrs and 9 minutes. While you may feel you have climbed a mountain, that you can now do anything, do remember that you are still a very, very new runner and you will continue to be so for many months ahead, however hard you train.
You may have completed the programme now, but please don't feel that there is no place for you on the C25k forum. It is graduates who can supply practical first hand advice and inspiration for those following in your footsteps, so please keep looking in and having your say and inspiring the next cohort.
It is very common for new C25k graduates, heading out on their own for the first time, to have their first injury, simply because they believe they have conquered running and become superhumans. Please don’t make the foolish mistake of doing too much too soon. You don’t want to stop your progress now by heading to the Injury Couch. Just to rub it in, this salutary tale is a good message with which to start your post C25k journey. healthunlocked.com/couchto5....
Okay, sermon over, you want to know what to do next. As at any stage in running, when you have increased your running distance or duration over a few weeks, it is good practice to consolidate for a short period, bedding in all that effort. Having just finished C25k, it is a good idea to continue to run for 5k/30 minutes (whichever you achieved during the plan) for a few weeks, trying different paces and routes and just enjoying your new found ability, without having to increase duration week on week as you have just done in the programme. Take the pressure off, have fun, run somewhere beautiful and new, forget about pace. While you are doing this consolidating, you are also helping to ingrain the habit of running in your life. It is said to take twelve weeks of changed behaviour to create a habit, so three weeks consolidation gets you there. Many struggle at this stage, without a plan to follow, so you might want to consider joining the monthly quest over on Bridge to 10k for some support. Check the pinned posts here for the latest one…
One thing that I think all runners should experience, at least once, is the joyous worldwide and free movement that is parkrun. People power at its best. Once you have graduated C25k, even if you have not yet reached 5k in 30 minutes, parkrun is well within your reach and it will expose you to the wonderful world of running with others. Many people walk part, if not all, of the course, but they are welcomed, included, encouraged and invariably cheered across the line. It is only a race against yourself and a wonderful opportunity to have an accurate time for an accurately measured 5k run, under your belt. You will not be judged….do it. Don’t forget that you can put your club as NHS C25k, when you register for parkrun. parkrun.org.uk/
In your consolidation weeks, think about some targets that you want to aim for. It is really helpful psychologically to have some achievable short, medium and long term aims for your running. Something you can tick off on a weekly basis is a good idea to start with, to maintain that feeling of achievement that C25k does so well each week. Have a plan for every run. You might aim to run somewhere new, run up a particular hill or hills, hit a certain pace for a given distance, or just cover more ground in a given time. The possibilities are endless and as a new runner you will find it easy to create new challenges and PBs will probably come thick and fast………..unfortunately, that will not last, improvement tends to slow down, so don’t despair if you don’t get any new PBs for a while.
However, now you have given it some thought, you might want to run faster and further, run a 10k race, with a half marathon or marathon as your more distant targets, or you may just want to continue, more or less as you are to maintain your fitness, which is absolutely fine. If you are the latter, then bear in mind that the recommendation for cardio fitness is to do 150 minutes per week of heart rate raising exercise.
Nearly everybody wants to get faster, whether they are a whippet or a plodder and you might think that now you are beyond the programme that you are beyond being told to slow down…..not so. Now is when you really have to learn about running and take it seriously if you want to progress. Read this about pace and take it on board runnersworld.com/running-ti...
Running hard on every run really is the rookie runner’s number one mistake, so learn to vary your pace. This next article covers how to run faster and also stresses the fact that most of your running needs to be slow getactiverunning.com/single... Don’t expect miracles. Speed requires strength and technique, all of which will improve over time if you work at them. Apparently, most recreational runners spend too much time at a middling pace, not spending 75-80% of their time at an easy conversational pace and not pushing hard enough when upping the pace for the remainder.
For those of you who may think it is just the admins on the C25k forum who bang on about slowing down, have a look at this enlightening Training Pace Calculatorrunnersworld.com/uk/trainin... put in your 5k pb and you will see just how slow you are recommended to run most of your weekly miles.
It is very easy for those muscles that you are using all the time to run, to develop out of balance with their supporting musculature. Most runners discover the importance of having better general fitness and strength than running alone can give you, which is why CBDB has produced this twelve week Consolidation and Strength Training plan that will see you maximising your running ability in just a few weeks. healthunlocked.com/strength...
Exercises such as these keep everything moving along together and continuing with other non impact exercise alongside, really will make you a better runner. It is not just about legs. My personal experience of this phenomenon was when I ran my first ten mile runs, I developed lower back pain, I believe because of relatively weak core strength. Doing regular core strengthening exercises certainly cured the problem.
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A quick interlude from MissUnderstanding
The original stepping stones runs with Laura have been superseded by new ones. The Couch to 5k app now has a section with runs to take you beyond the original programme. They’re with Steve Cram and much more similar to what’s gone before.
IanodaTruffe was a keen advocate of spending time consolidating after finishing Couch to 5k. This isn’t what’s suggested by the app but I think he’d still recommend it to anyone graduating now.
How you move on after graduation is totally personal to you and as long as you’re building gently and sticking to the further guidance provided by the app, you’ll be supported in whichever path you choose.
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While many new runner wish to increase their speed, wise not to spend too much time pushing pace. Many pros use an 80/20 easy/hard split in their running regimes and the results of training with such a scheme are admirably laid out in this post by our very own Tomas healthunlocked.com/marathon...
Personally, my speed increased as I increased my distance after C25k. It was not necessarily the distance itself that made the difference, but the fact that I was getting more miles on my legs overall and in a shorter time than if I had stuck at 5k runs. The normal way to increase distance is to increase one run per week, keeping the others at 5k/30 mins, or less if you wish. The golden rule is the 10% Rule, which states that you should not increase your long run (or your overall training load) by more than 10% of your total weekly mileage, this is purely to stop you from overdoing it. I did some research on this a while back and this was the result healthunlocked.com/couchto5....
It is certainly a good guide to have, especially for your first year or two of regular running.
Next, let’s look at the average C25k graduate at the end of Week 9 Run 3. You will be grinning and hopefully pink and smug, although some report being a bit deflated because they have fallen short of 5k in 30 minutes, which is totally unnecessary, because they are in the company of nearly 90% of graduates on this forum who also do not hit that target. This poll healthunlocked.com/couchto5.... which you can now contribute to, illustrates the distance covered by graduates. To have run for thirty minutes non stop is a huge achievement, of which you should be very proud. You have already improved the functioning of your heart, lungs and circulation and statistically reduced your risk of a vast range of life limiting diseases, so this is no time to say, “I’ve done that.” and go back to the couch. For many in this situation the next obvious target is to reach that magical and mythical and totally arbitrary distance of 5k. Using the 10% rule as your guide, just add to your distance on one run each week. Unless your pace fluctuates wildly, you can use time instead of distance as your increase. For instance, if you are running 3x30 minutes then you can add 10% of that total, 9 minutes, to your run. Of course you can also add a lower figure, say 2 or 5 minutes instead and keep your progress steady and safe. That 5k will soon be yours. One thing all runners have to accept is that their current performance is what it is and find a route forward. Your pace is your pace, don’t compare!
The enthusiastic graduate also wants to start running every day but patience is essential here. The following article suggests having at least six months of running under your belt before starting to run on consecutive days, but if you read it carefully, that is if you are also doing plenty of aerobic strengthening work on non run days and it also states that the over 40s need to take extra care before increasing training load. runnersworld.com/for-beginn...
My advice is to be cautious here and wait for a year or so before running consecutive days. Even then, when you do start, never follow a hard run with a hard run on the following day, introduce the runs following the 10% rule regarding overall training load and have a rest day each week. Rest days from all strenuous physical exercise are essential. In fact many sources say that every runner should have a non running rest week every few months. In my experience you will return refreshed and reinvigorated. It is all too easy to “overtrain”, even running three days a week, so listen to that body and rest it.
That covers most of the general stuff that you need to be aware of, so let’s look at routes forward. If you have made the decision to aim for a marathon, you could follow a beginner’s marathon training plan, but frankly, you need to take things by easy steps and aiming for 10k first can become your intermediate target.
There are a host of 10k training plans to choose from and what you go with is down to your personality. I enjoyed the liberation of having completed C25k and made my own way to 10k using the 10% rule which doesn’t take long, only a few weeks. On reflection, I would have been better off long term to have taken just a bit longer to reach that target.
On the Bridge to 10k forum there is an in- house 10k in which Ju-Ju has a rolling 8 week plan which involves 3 runs a week that help get you to 10k. Sample post: healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...
There is also the Marathon and Race Support forum whereby you can get race preparation support and lots of other advice and help for your running journey ( you don’t have to be training for a marathon!!). healthunlocked.com/marathon...
Runner's World runnersworld.com/training/a... and many others that you can find with a simple search for running training plans.
Many of the tracking apps such as Runkeeper, Strava and Endomondo have training plans which you can run from the app. There are also a host of other apps available through Playstore or app store with plans up to marathon distance. I have not used any of these, but I know several people who have used the Bluefin 10k app bluefinapps.com/bridge-to-1...
Our very own forme forum chief of admin, Her Royal Highness, Realfoodieclub has adapted some training plans for slower runners, which you can find here realfoodieclub.ovh/page14.html
Up to about 10k, or one hour duration, you do not need to think much about special preparation if your hydration and nutrition are adequate and well balanced. Beyond that distance you will probably notice a drop in performance if you do not keep hydration topped up and fuel supplies maintained. I first noticed this when I ran my first ten mile (16k) runs, with each kilometre split beyond 12k showing a flagging pace. Over 12k, I always carry water in a waist belt, although I have bought an excellent Kalenji lightweight running backpack, with a 2 litre bladder, which should mean, from a hydration point of view, I can keep going all day. The secret on long runs is to start topping up your fluids from about 5k, little and often to keep the supply available to the body.
As far as fuel is concerned, there are proprietary gels available, but many runners use jelly babies, dates or similar, just to maintain a supply of available sugars. How and what you use will be very individual and needs to be experimented with to find your best solution. Don’t make the mistake that a mate of mine did, trying out a gel for the first time in the middle of the London Marathon. It had horrible results, which would have been worth discovering before race day.
Don’t believe that if you are trying to lose weight, you don’t need to fuel up while on longer runs. While running longer durations of over an hour will begin to work on fat deposits, you still need the quickly available sugars during your run. As with C25k, a good broad based diet, with plenty of fresh fruit and veg will help you along the way. There is no need for carb loading, or indeed any alteration to a balanced diet, for any run up to half marathon distance, although it is considered beneficial by some to have a good protein fill within an hour of finishing a longer run, as well as replenishing your fluids.
Once you have done the training, you can run every week in an organised race if you wish. Road, cross country or obstacle course, all open up to you now you are a runner. runnersworld.com/uk/news/a3... is just one of many running websites that list events of all types and distances. I won’t cover races here, simply because others are eminently more experienced in this aspect of running than me. So, my challenge is, who is going to write the guide to running races?
I am not a competitive runner and for me just being outdoors in beautiful surroundings covering a decent amount of ground is enough to satisfy my soul. Cross country runs over 10-16k are my favourites, especially in new environments. This was my favourite run of 2017. healthunlocked.com/couchto5... To maintain my fitness for doing these at the drop of a hat, my regime for the past four years, has been two 5k runs and a longer 10-12k run each week, although my personal situation has meant I have not been able to sustain this recently and, as with anybody, if they let the fitness slip, I will have to gently build up my distances again, with the 10% Rule as my guide. Use it or lose it prevails.
The important thing to remember is that slow and steady progress is definitely the best way forward. I have known runners from this forum complete their first marathon within a year of starting to run. It is possible, but it has often been a struggle and in my opinion, taking a bit longer to get there is much less likely to result in injury and to be honest, training for longer runs takes a lot of mental adjustment too, if that training is not going to become a chore that has to be got through, which can easily rob your running of all the enjoyment.
After all, you definitely want to keep running, keep smiling.
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Thankyou for posting this 😊 i reckon i am quite slow so once i graduate i plan on working towards ACTUALLY running 5k in 30 minutes...i am not worried about how long that takes me...😊
Hidden, I relate to your point. That’s pretty much where I’m at too. In enjoying the process & don’t want to add another pressure.....as I started running partly to ease existing stresses. Hope you have a lovely time running. What’s your favourite type of place to run that you found so far? Mine is when I managed to find a way to do a week 7 run on a green lane with a good view over some fields.
Excellent advice, some good ideas and nicely timed as I plan to graduate in next Saturday's Park run* and I was wondering what to do next. I have some personal things to attend to such as running with my children at their local Park runs as well as planning some interesting runs in the summer whilst on holiday. But what to do after that?
*If I run 5k in less than 30 minutes does it still qualify as a C25k W9R3 run or will I have to continue running until the 30 minutes is up?
That's so useful, thank you. I was beginning to feel lazy (or at least undisciplined) because in the 2 weeks since I graduated I have only run between 30 and 40 minutes each time out (only managed 40 minutes once!), but you've reassured me. It is also good to know that we should wait at least a year before running on consecutive days. I now understand that the planning and general progress needs to be slow and steady just like the actual time spent running, I'll keep on doing 30+ minutes for as long as it takes for me to get confident doing it.
Thanks for such a great post with lots of information. I graduated in November but I’m not yet able to run 5k in 30 mins. However, I’m enjoying doing a mixture of 30mins and 5-6k runs. The best thing I ever did was start C25k 😀
Enjoying your running is far more important than achieving some arbitrary pace or distance. Your last sentence is something I have said many times. A life changer.
Interesting stuff. Getting to 5k was really important to me, doing it in 30 mins less so. My main "ambition" at the moment is just to keep running regularly rather than hit any other targets and so twice round the park two or three times a week might do me. But having other targets might help from a purely motivational point of view.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this really informative and helpful post. It must have taken you ages! It's so great to be reassured (I am actually doing most things right!) because we are all stabbing about in the dark to a certain extent, but no longer!! I'm glad it's been pinned as I'll be coming back to remind myself from time to time and read all the links. Great job
Hello IT. I’m not on the forum so much these days but have just read this fab post, and have been reminded again of all the lovely words of wisdom that got me to graduation and beyond. Hope you are doing OK.
Morning. The C25K is proving marvellous for me. I am doing Week 8 after repeating week 6 - bad snow meant I did very little for 5 days so I felt repeating W6 was a good plan. And when I first did a 20min run I could NOT believe it. This post of yours has been great because it addresses my new ‘concern’ - what to do when the program finishes. Thanks. My short term goals are to do a charity 5k run on 8 April and to start finding a good regular run route with my dog Jet in our woods. Then to combine 2 runs a week with Pilates. Then I’ll see how I am come Autumn. No rush. I am 51. Doing well. Great App and I am recommending it around. 🏃♀️
What a great post! Thank you! I’ve just done W9R1 and was probably the first run where my legs felt like lead! I ran just over 4K which I was very happy with. I’m looking forward to graduating and am so pleased I’ve got so far. Just hope we have the discipline to keep it up so very happy to read some of your links and suggestions.
What amazing advice - thanks so much. I’m lucky that I can run along Teignmouth sea front and this morning there was a seal just 10 feet off shore. I have joined park run and volunteered to help marshal if needed. I will follow your advice about increasing distance rather than speed and will try other running plans. Thanks again for your encouragement
Thank you - really helpful advice on how to continue running. I particularly liked the 10% rule to increase distance and after reading this, I have agreed to do a Park Run with a friend - feel a little happier reading this that it is ok to walk if it gets too hard.
Hi! I finished the c25k a month ago and have been doing some 5k runs and knocking a few secs off of pbs. I’m now looking for an app or podcast to help me with interval training to increase my speed and get below the magic 30 (currently just under 32). Any recommended? Ideally looking for something like structured Fartlek for a 30 min run (if you can have such a thing!) Do the nhs speed podcasts do that? Thanks! J
In the above post there are links to articles about increasing speed. I have not used any apps or podcasts since graduating, so am not in a position to personally recommend.
The C25k plus podcasts do address this.
The definition of fartlek is that it is playing with speed in an unstructured way, so I doubt if there is an app to help out. Just decide, as you run that you are going to up your pace up too the next lamp post, for instance, which is effective and under your control.
Thank you. I'm off to buy a new coach! No, not really. I've been talking to 2 of my friends about doing C25K so will support them, join in various park runs, and try and find a local running group to run with. I also intend to run all the way to my friend's house (she'll give me a lift back) and run further along the river and find out where it goes. Might enter a 5K fun run in Sept too 🙂
Wow, thank you for all that fabulous advice IannodaTruffe. I graduated last Friday as a proud snail, and I’m very happy. Still, I like structure and being a newbie to running at 54, having someone guiding me post graduation is comforting. Your advice is very welcome, so thanks! 🏃♀️🏃♀️😀😀
Fantastic read with loads of great advice. As a PE Teacher of ten years I've re-learnt a lot of things that Michael Johnson has given in advice during the programme. I've applied for next year's London Marathon. I'm looking for programmes to help me increase the distance and decrease the time taken. So that rule of 10% is interesting. Thank you again for a great read
I have just completed W8R3 at the age of 59, so am beginning to wonder what’s next for me. This article has been really useful in giving me some good advice ( don’t push it - not that I think I could!) and slow and steady. I’ll be graduating in France next week and I have to say I’m with you when you say how much you like to run in new places.
Thanks for this article. I’ve screen shot all the sites you’ve recommended and am going to research them all and take it from there.
Great article ian!! So many links to read on. Thank you so much for everything. And let me add you are so inspiring having achieved so much and with serious obstacles. I wish you the very best! Honestly. Thank you.
Thanks so much IannodaTruffe for this plethora of information. Realfoodieclub said that they’d ‘pinned’ this so to make it easier to find? So how do I find it again? Still not that tech savvy but I CAN run for 30 minutes 🤣
I love reading your posts - so much information and love for running - you are an inspiration to us all. I take my hat 🎓 off to you 🙏
Pinned posts are on the right hand side of the posts page. Once you find a page you like you can bookmark it, the method of which depends on your browser.
So good, I wish I had read this earlier although I didn’t realise I was running much faster until I ended the run where I strained my knees. I shaved 7 mins off of my time as it got much cooler so the ‘same exertion=a much faster run’ and now I’m out for 6-8 weeks. I have had lots of lovely messages from the super people on here that have made me feel much better about being laid up.
Thanks for posting this advice for those completing week 9.
I like to work towards SMART goals, so sticking to 3x 30 minute runs are my first goal so I will be consolidation for a number of weeks as suggested by Iannoda Truffe.
Secondly, to use the podcasts as recommended and third to do park runs (might include it in one of my weekly runs).
Thanks for sharing your wisdom and knowledge. I greatly appreciate it, as a newbie runner.
Wow! This is amazing advice! Really interesting and your links are really helpful! Will keep coming back to this post to read the articles when relevant ... but sage advice and inspirational too! Thank you 😊
Great post C25K info & advice. Lots of things in there I wouldn't even have though about ( tho it seems obvious now) like the over 40s article! Still a bit in denial about that, 8 years in.😂😂😂
Thank you for such wonderful advice. I read this post time and time again when you tag it in your reply to posts. It is an invaluable message to us all.
Great article. I read it before I had graduated, and again just now as a graduate. Now a bit clearer of where I am going, definitely doing consolidation runs for 3 weeks (3 a week) and then see how close the 5k is, maybe a park run in there too in the holidays when I am a bit more rested
I keep coming back for this post, it's very important and useful. Thank you so much.
I had a 10k run-walk last week, finished in 1:12 mnts! I ran 6 km, walked two, then ran 2km. No ijuries, only some nusea after one hour, maybe it was the sun, as I'm not used to running in the sun.
I'm more determined now to increase my pace in the 5k, only for fun and to maintain my weight.
I love running, and I love this forum so much coz I learn so much here.
Great info all in one place, as other posts have suggested, this should be shared with all graduates, I especially liked the detail and theory around a slow run,
Thank you so much for forwarding the link to post C25K running - what an invaluable source of information. I will definitely take on board the advice given to progress my running. I had visions of turning back into a "couch potato" as the information was so interesting I couldn't put it down!
It took me 15 weeks to graduate so my aim it to get to a consistent 3 runs a week. The approaching longer days, better weather (hopefully) and a route I enjoy all help!
I don't think I'll be getting competitive in the running sport. I already have a busy schedule with rowing. I row Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting). Once we get to brighter days our rowing is increased to Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I specifically signed up for C25K for an extra boost for my rowing.
Once rowing is back during the evenings I have to reassess my schedule to incorporate jogging. I'm really enjoying it at the moment. I actually look forward to it after long busy day at work, I clock watch the days I go jogging. LOL.
I do want to pick up my pace. As I know I'm a slow jogger
Thank you for all the support and very good advice.
I have downloaded it so I can keep coming back to it when I need it.
I intend to carry on and get to the actual 5k then enjoy it for a while. By this time next year I aim to be doing 10k and maybe the year after even the odd half marathon - but I prefer Twix. You have to be of a certain age to get that 😉
Thanks Iannoda, there is a lot of good info in there.
Hopefully I’m on the right track with post C25k, I've made a running diary and hope to run every Tuesday, Thursday, and a Saturday park run for at least 3 months till my legs feel stronger and breathing easier 😺It was interesting to read about running over 40. I’m 64 and think I’ve tackled this so far as if I was my younger self. I don’t want to go on about age, but if it has a bearing on my health (which is why I started in the first place - to increase stamina) perhaps I should acknowledge it to myself 🙀 Having enjoyed, and appreciated, the discipline of the 9 week programme, I’m really looking forward to some “freedom” running. I’ve signed up the Quest, and will stay with this HealthUnlocked, I find other people's stories and ups and downs motivating/reassuring in equal measure.
Thank you so much for this post. Can I ask you a question? I have managed week 9 run 3 and deliberately did not check the distance throughout the 9 weeks as I know I am a slow (but steady runner). I am 50 and not someone who did much exercise before this and I am very surprised by how much I am enjoying running now. I did my first post c25k run today and ran 5k which took a lot longer than my usual run! As I kept going pretty slowly I managed it without feeling too stressed or tired. It is actually quite a lot more than an extra 10% of distance. My question is - should I keep running the half hour through the week but try to increase speed a bit more or would it be more health benefit to try keeping to the 5k? I am planning to do a Park Run on Saturday...
The 10% rule is based on your weekly total mileage (kilometrage?)
So if you were doing say 4k on each of three weekly runs, then it would be considered safe to do two 4k runs and a 5.2k run the following week.
As the above guide states, it is advisable to spend 75-80% of your running time at a nice easy conversational pace and then if you want to increase speed, do that for no more than the remaining 20-25% of the time. Intervals are the best way to gently increase the duration of fast paced work.
For the next couple of weeks though, we recommend that you just consolidate on what you are now managing, without majorly increasing the distance or duration, until you are totally comfortable with that degree of effort.
I had so many questions! This has answered them all thank you so much, I’m officially in consolidation run period enjoying and do exactly as suggested. I’m getting the 5k in but onyx taking 40 mins I no longer feel bad about that. Plan for the next few weeks keep going, listen to those pod casts and read up. Thank you so much for all the info 😊
Thank you so much for posting this, there is a wealth of information here that is so interesting. A good read that will help me go forward with running and that will, fingers crossed, help keep me injury free best I can.
Thank you for this will read and thoroughly digest all very interesting definitely now have the running bug now want to move on to longer runs but definitely slowly slowly I think..... managed to complete the whole program without repeating runs but I know I definitely need to stick to 30 minute runs for a few weeks and build my fitness have always managed to do the 5k in the last week averaging with the warm up walk/cool down 6.5k not really racing or trying to pace myself just jogging along feel I need to learn more about pacing and be comfortable before I try to add more minutes ...is this a common feeling?
Wow, I'm reading this on my graduation day and it is so helpful and inspiring! Lots of good advice and great articles to read. I feel just like when I started C25k and read your guide for beginners - taken by the hand and guided by someone who really knows what he is talking about. Thank you!
Reading this in prep for my graduation in 2weeks. How very thorough, I love it! Loads of great resource links in here for me to pop back to over the next couple of weeks to keep me going past week 9. Thank you
I became a bit of a geek after I graduated 🤓. I think it's the teacher in me. I read every pinned post, followed every link, read every runnersworld article and YouTube video. With all that knowledge, I still decided to just enjoy myself for a few weeks to let it all sink in.
It has paid off though. I feel more confident and comfortable than I thought I would on my own.
Good luck with the graduation. I'll be looking out for the post. 👍
The What Next post is designed to offer you all the basic information required for future running, so that you don't make any of the classic mistakes made by new graduates, of overdoing it.
I put all the information in one place to enable people to bookmark it and return to it at their leisure.
The Consolidation Club is just a monthly post where you can go to ask questions, knowing that there is always at least one member of the admin team on hand to answer.
Good advice. I've been trying to add on 5 mins to my wk9 runs each time I go out. Still slow but right now I'm just aiming to get comfortable with running for slightly longer periods. Did a different route yesterday, wow what is flat when driving is a mountain when running!
Thank you it feels like it’s taken me ages to get here and never something I would achieve on my own, I want to keep running but I have to be careful because of injury, so leaving longer between runs is helping!!! Onward and upwards I can do this 👏🏻
Just read this with great interest, what a fabulously informative post, thank you. I graduated about 3 weeks ago and had been running for the 3 x 30mins the last two weeks until last Thurs when I had a truly awful run and only managed 1.75 miles and felt terrible. To be fair it was very warm (even tho I ran in the eve) and lugging 14 1/2st around doesn't help, I felt absolutely exhuasted, overheated and ended up walking most of the way home. The problem is its totally knocked my confidence and now I havent ran since Thursday. It's going to be really hot again this week so I've promised myself I'm going to go first thing in the morning when its cooler, should I go for 30 mins? If I set a target and fail again I think this will set me back further. How long can I not run for and pick up where I left off? Help! I dont want to lose this life skill I've worked so hard to achieve...
Thank you for this post and for the administration of this site. I have recently graduated!! I cannot believe that I can now run/jog for 30 + minutes. Since graduating, I have managed to run up to 6km, but I am still very slow (my husband, who runs and has been a great encourager can run faster than me, even when he has a dodgy knee!) and do not seem able to get any faster, so will follow some of the above links and advice above. Although I do not usually post, I have found this site really useful and the other posts very encouraging, inspiring and helpful on my C25K journey.
Thank you, and what a wealth of information there. I think I am going to keep going on a 30 minute run with two rest days in between each one, and hope that my stamina improves as I still struggle with 30 minutes, not as young as I used to be at 63! I would imagine, inevitably, that my speed and therefore distance will improve over the next few months, too. Aiming for a 5K fun run in March 2021. I'm currently running 3.5k in 30 minutes.
Many thanks Ian for this fabulous piece...must have taken you ages,!! Well worth all that effort, appreciated.
Hi I graduated yesterday but only ever ran twice a week throughout the program I really don’t want to run faster or further but feel comfortable at my current pace do you think if I carry on twice a week I am over doing it?
Thank you for all that information, I think I need a plan although I have run to the Stepping Stone podcast. I also think I need a short break, so can tie planning and taking a break together 🤔
A brilliant, long, but necessarily so post that deals with so much. Thank you for putting that together, and it is most definitely food for thought. I will take on board what you have put and hopefully move on steadily and slowly. Consolidation runs for a few weeks and then moving onto the bridge programme once I feel ready. I will also be redoing C25K as my wife's running partner! Back-to-back C25ks! I didn't expect that.
Thank you once again for all the support and advice. Happy running to you.
I had my first run without Laura today and it felt lonely. I found a marathon training plan that basically starts from 0 and gets you to run 2+ hours in about 15 weeks. It follows a similar structure to C25K. I thought of picking that up from the point the runs are about 30 min runs and take it from there. I'm not planning to run marathons anytime soon, but it's good to have structure and 2 hours seems like a good target. I'll also have a look at the 10k plans mentioned on here. Thanks for all the tips
It's longer than 15 weeks, my mistake. I can't find the link, but this is the plan's breakdown from the minute it starts 30min runs. You can replace the swim days with other cardio activities or even Laura's strength and flex podcast. The swimming was my choice.
Hi IannodaTruffe i completed W9R2 today and intend doing W9R3 on Tuesday. I want to do parkrun when it restarts next Saturday but obviously won't have done 3 weeks of consolidation runs before then. At the moment I'm covering 4km in 30 minutes so 5k will probably take me 37 1/2 minutes. Is it ok for me to attempt 5k next Saturday as I really want to do parkrun? It's less than an increase of 10%.
Thanks @iannodatruffe . I will try and run the first 30 minutes at least and anything else I can do will be a bonus. Now I just have to do W9R3 before Thursday
Thank you for providing such a comprehensive guide to post C25K running. I over did my exercise regime (added C25K to my 5x week HIIT classes) and ended up with an injury. I was determined to graduate so stopped my classes towards the end of the programme and rested for a couple of weeks after graduation which has helped me recover. I’m still trying to consolidate so your advice has really encouraged me to get back to repeat my 30 mins runs with a 10% add on.
I've passed my year, ran regular 3 times a week.. strength training on non run day's.. want to get out with a Friend tomorrow, but I ran a 10K this morning,
I recon if I take it slow,on trail I should be fine 🙏🏃♀️😁
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What next after graduation?
Pre- C25K preparation
Post graduation resources
C25k Complete. What Next Opinion
