I am wondering if a cross training forum might be useful to us. Either a new forum or repurposing the Stregnth and flex forum. If you have a spare second please like if you think this would be a good idea.
There have been a couple of issues brought to my attention over the last couple of days and it has got my old brain cells working.
No 1) there is no place for graduates who run for 30 mins or 5km to talk about their runs. I know they can do it on the forum here but some don’t like to post as they feel like it is unfair on the new runners. We do have a bridge to 10km forum but not everyone wants to go further or do events. 30 min running three times a week is a great exercise in itself and a great place to stay if that is your wish. I would like to provide a platform where people feel free to talk about these runs, and feel included in a forum that feels like it fits them.
No 2) there is no facility within the forums for cross training other than our walking forum. I would like this new forum to be a cross training forum, that means any form of exercise can be shared and talked about. I will totally hold my hands up and say I do not have experience in all forms of exercise ( I have an accredited level 3 personal trainer diploma) but I hike, swim run, cycle in a fashion, weight train, cross trainer and do core work. I am happy to learn about others exercises and think it would be good to be able to share and read about other people’s way of keeping fit.
It would have the same feel and responsibilities of posting as we do here, so it would all be about support no matter what your exercise of choice was.
I will have to have a word with Healthunlocked before I do anything but I wondered if you could like this post if you think this is something that you feel you would benefit from.
So I could show them that there is an interest in something like this.
Have a great weekend
Rfc x
Written by
Realfoodieclub
Graduate
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There are various sports and activities that we can do to continue our running to improve our lifestyles, ranging as you said from other activities. We can also share possibly Youtube training videos that we think are worthwhile esp if the weather is foul, or your away with work and cant easily go for a run, a 20 minute HIIT video is better than nothing
I graduated last March, I still read the posts on C25k and Bridge to 10k for tips and motivation. I do cross train with swimming and yoga, so yes i think its a good idea.
This is a great idea.I'm on week 8 and can't see myself ever doing 10k but would like to do 3 runs a week when I've completed the programme.I've read about doing cross training but haven't done it yet but it sounds very beneficial.I don't just want my running to fizzle out having come this far.
While I can wholeheartedly see the benefit of a cross training forum, I have reservations about a forum for C25K graduates. The success of this forum is that there is always someone with more experience than you to answer your questions. If graduates tended to move away then they would not be providing inspiration to new runners and may be present in fewer numbers to offer advice.
In the days before the Marathon and Race support forum there was much more mention of marathons by graduates on the C25K forum which, while I was doing C25K, was very inspiring.
I can understand your reservations, I have them too, but I have been getting messages that some don’t feel like they should post their runs after graduation but would like to keep with the support of a forum. As much as I would like them to stay and feel comfortable I would prefer to give them somewhere to go rather than leave because they don’t feel like they fit in. I do understand that hearing the stories of the longer runs is inspirational but when you have the influx of runners that we have had since the app it would be hard to make that work. Healthunlocked might be able to come up with a compromise that keeps us all together
I have some misgivings, when I started I got so much advice and support from the “graduates”.
They could share experiences, offer reassurance, inspire.
I notice recently some new posts that mention for example, running consecutive days, and replies coming from other new starters saying great, well done....
Can admin cover all these bases?
I joined the Bridge months before I completed the programme, and got advice and inspiration from there too, but I feel equally at home on the C25K forum.
Of course I hope some graduates would stick around.
As for personal choice re running choices and mistakes, certainly we have those.
I'm not sure how the "B" word made it into your reply. I gave the consecutive days as a simple example of the difference between advice from brand new members, and members who may have learned from experience that this is not the safest way to go.
Rfc has answered your question..it is so hard for us as Admins and I find it really, really tricky, to try to dissuade a runner from moving too fast, too often, and missing runs, even weeks or day's rest etc ...especially when it has, as you say been backed in other replies. Thanks goodness we have Realfoodieclub to guide us on this
I do agree with her, that the stalwart running Graduates do stay around, and they do give the benefit of their experience on all forums... which I, like you find inspirational!
I do, in all honesty, think some will... many have moved to Beyonders and to other forum clubs..like Lonely Goat...but... although some never return here, which is a loss to us here, there are a significant number who do...
I am doing a poll to see how people interact with the forum. If they go in through the home page at the top or the daily digest then they will still be seeing all the posts from all the forums they follow. I think this might be the clue as to those that stay around and those that don’t as well. I am also going to have a word with HU to see if they can advise on anything that might help the graduates stay around and feel like they have a place to post about their own runs within the forum.
As always, RFC, your enthusiasm and dedication is faultless and admirable.
I just believe that if graduates post about their runs on the C25K forum, they inspire the newbies.........if they don't, they won't and I think that will be a loss.
Of course some of us will still be there, but possibly as a much diminished presence.
I am always the first to admit if I have jumped the gun and gone off prematurely 😀. I agree with you but the forum just doesn’t have the same amount of graduate posts that it used to and I was worried we were losing them completely.
I also think this is a good idea Rfc. As you know I graduated a few years ago now, joined the Bridge forum and achieved more than I ever thought possible, including a 13k race! However an injury stopped me in my tracks and I simply haven't found my way back 😕. I have posted on the C25k forum, when restarting the programme but it would be great to have a forum for those who have graduated but are unable or don't want to aim for longer runs. Folk posting about different types of exercise would be interesting and inspirational. so a 👍 from me too.
It absolutely sounds like a fantastic idea to talk about all things fitness related including a forum dedicated to Post C25K Graduates. Would both be such a bad thing? Xx
As a new runner and a new C25K graduate, here are my thoughts:
The wealth of experience that the "old" graduates share here is invaluable, and I wouldn't want to "chase" them away. After graduation, I'm kind of stuck in no-man's land between this community and Bridge to 10K. I've not outgrown this wonderful community, but for me the 10K community is definitely a bridge too far at the moment.
Although I can run for 30 minutes, I've still got work to do to safely get to 5K (in any time). That's my next target. Then I'll probably want to run a faster 5K. To help me get there, I need a forum/discussion space where I can specifically read up on how to improve my core body strength for running and how to get further and faster.
What opportunities are there? You could start a new community. The downside is it can be a drag to have another place to follow and visit, and it could take people away from here. An alternative is using "Topics" but with that comes advising/enforcing members to assign a post to a (suitable) topic. No easy technical and human-nature solution.
The one thing that we have in common in this community is our participation in running. As for cross training, I don't have any interest in other forms of exercise unless it will benefit my running. I wouldn't be interested in joining "a general exercise" community. There are already millions of such forums online. A more specific "cross training for running" would interest me though.
Since graduating I've been here very little. I had superb support during C25K, but I'm not sure how as a novice runner (started running June, graduated August) I can offer new runners any better advice than the experienced runners here, who clearly know more than I do. So something like this that would bring me back more regularly is definitely of interest.
The experienced runners you are talking about all started the same place as you. 😀 You are one of them and as far as the new runners are concerned you are one of them because you have learnt. A lot going through the program and have a graduate badge.
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at the moment. 
Would you like to run 10k?
Thank you Laura, Parkrun, this forum, fitbit and Random Aberdeen Lady!
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