How many rest days

[Gmarts]

Morning all ! Merry Xmas I am a 50 year old Male and just completed week one, I would like to ask advice on rest days, i did intend to run with one rest day, but work commitments only allow me to run with 2 days between each run which I'm not happy about, as I'm really enjoying. Will it effect my fitness levels leaving a 2 or possibly 3 day gap between each run ? Appreciate any advice from you helpful lot !

[Grannyhugs Graduate]

Congratulations for starting. To complete the plan you have to be able to fit it into a busy life. If 2 or 3 day gaps are required due to work /life commitments then take them, better to have longer gaps than be back on the couch. Some people run very early/late to fit them in - not my choice. The best option is to find your own routine and stick to it whatever the weather - being careful on slippy days. Good luck and happy running

[Gmarts in reply to Grannyhugs]

Many thanks for putting my mind at ease

[Gmarts in reply to Grannyhugs]

Thank you !

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Well done on starting C25K, although the course is officially 9 weeks you can take longer if you wish to.

If you have to have a few more days off running because of work that is OK, good luck to you, I am sure that you will enjoy C25K even if it takes a little longer than 9 weeks to complete.

[Oldgirlruns Graduate]

Welcome to the club Gmarts! It’s good to have you on board. An extra day or 2 won’t hurt you - it’s better than than nothing at all! Personally I preferred an extra day between runs, especially later on the programme and I still quite often have 2 days between runs. As Grannytobe says - you might find you prefer running at a particular time of the day, or you might be one of the lucky ones who find it doesn’t matter. It’s entirely your choice . Enjoy - and don’t forget to let us know how you get on! If you need to do something, you can walk swim or gym on your off days, anything but running.

[Gmarts]

Thank you for your kind words!

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate]

Well done on getting started! Whatever works to fit it into your life so it becomes a habit is best. If it's unrealistic you won't stick with it.

Do read the full guide healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

But most of all, enjoy the journey 👍🏻😁

[Gmarts in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thankyou !

[Speedy60 Graduate]

Hello and welcome. I'm a 59 year old female who graduated a couple of months ago. I deliberately left two days between each run because I was worried about injury. The rest days are the days when your body recovers - you get fitter on your rest days, not your running days! If you can fit some non impact exercise in on those days, like swimming or yoga, so much the better. If not, don't worry about it. The main thing is to listen to your body and take things slowly; never run two days in a row.

I've been careful, and very lucky, so far not to have any injuries 🤞. If you commit to c25k, it can definitely change your life for the better.

Good luck 👍

[Gmarts in reply to Speedy60]

Encouragement doesn't get much better than that ! Many thanks !

[Sar9 Graduate]

I’ve just completed week 1 too! I’ve been wondering about how to fit it in with work - it’s been a little easier this week due to finishing work earlier.

But I did purchase some good running lights of amazon so that I could go for a run before or after work in the dark. I tried them out one day in the week and it was actually really fun running in the dark! Maybe This could be an option for you too so you could only leave one day in between.

Either way, I’m sure it doesn’t matter, you’re still working your way through the programme and getting in the runs. It’s just going to be stretched out slightly longer. Like someone said above, it’s better than being back on the couch!

Good luck! X

[Gmarts]

Thank you for your encouragement! Good luck on your journey too, keep us posted how it goes, and good luck !

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Well done for starting g, in my experience a couple of rest days is good, we started in April and then in may i couldn’t walk let alone run so we had a 5 week break and started again in june and felt a bit fitter than the first few runs a month and a bit before

My work means we often have 2 or 3 rest days

Don’t leave it too long though or you may lose your motivation

Good luck and enjoy running