Legs hurt?

[Neet79]

So having completed C25k about 3 weeks ago I’ve kept up with the 30 minute runs every 2 days......I never actually achieved 5k in 30 minutes, my maximum was 3.6k but I’ve recently done 5k a couple of times in about 45 minutes. My legs are killing me though, always so tight and achy and making me want to give up. Any tips?

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Stretching immediately after every run, nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/h... while muscles are still warm and supple, pulls out contractions, avoiding carrying tensions into the next run and also improves recovery by improving blood flow.

Minimising impact by slowing down, avoiding heelstrike, keeping footfall under your body, running on softer surfaces, such as grass and wearing good well fitted running shoes, will all help.

You can strengthen legs doing these nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/k... and also making sure that your hydration is up to scratch......2-3 litres per day minimium.

All this advice is in the guide to C25k healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[MarkyD Graduate]

You’re possibly running too much. Now you have graduated C25K, don’t feel pressure to increase distance, You’re still consolidating, so aim for a maximum of 90 minutes per week. If you want a longer run - say 40 minutes, then steal the time from another run, and make that one 20 minutes, as slow as you like.

Every 4 weeks, give yourself a little rest and run 20 minutes just 2 times. Your body takes time to build up the endurance for longer distance.

One of the biggest mistakes on this forum is to graduate, then rush to get to 10km, then break something and then spend months on IC. We see it all the time.