Well, I think I've got this now! Thanks to Laura's advice and encouragement. I have completed week 9 run 1 on a beautiful Spring morning. Fortunately I live near a park in Stratford-on Avon which is a nice setting for running. What I'd like to know is how others keep running interesting once you have completed Couch to 5k. Any tips woukd be very welcome π
How do you keep it interesting?: Well, I think I... - Couch to 5K
How do you keep it interesting?
There are many things you could do !But 5he first thing would be to consolidate your running for a few weeks
Take a look at the consolidation club .
Then
Join us on the bridge to 10k forum .
Try various running apps if you enjoy guided runs such as the NRC app (Nike run club)
Or for a bit of fun try the 'Zombie runs' app
ππ
Variation in routes, doing some trail running, entering races, doing parkrun, joining a club, listening to music, the radio or podcasts, bridging to 10k ππ½
Try tackling a few hills. Great for improved fitness.
I think that's a little way off for me yet but a great idea! Thank you π
If you can handle a Stratocaster, then...π
When you announce your graduation I will send you a link to a guide to post C25k running.
If you cannot wait, it is sitting in the FAQ Posts, which you will find in the Pinned Posts.
Parkrun is returning soon healthunlocked.com/couchto5.... which is highly recommended for all runners.
Running in new and beautiful surroundings, just for fun, forgetting pace and distance while you career about like a child is good for the soul. Run the hills, the moors, clifftops and forests.
Run races.
Find new routes.
Run with others. Run by yourself.
Run "naked" with nothing in your ears but the sounds of your environment. Watch the seasons change.
Creating some short term(weekly), medium term (monthly) and longer term targets for your running gives you something to build a training regime around and returns regular satisfaction.
I really don't think you will find it uninteresting..........C25k is just the first baby steps into the wonderful world of running.
Thank you. I never thought of couch to 5k as a baby step. It seemed like a Mike Powell leap for me. I agree, I need to set further goals but was hoping that a half hour run three times a week would help me lose belly fat and a bit of weight. It's strange because I think I am losing a bit of belly but my weight is about the same as when I started!
Weight loss is about diet.
Exercise is about strength and fitness.
They can't be totally unrelated. Surely burning calories has something to do with it as well as avoiding eating unhealthily
I put weight on when I started running coz my appetite increased. I like to think some of the weight was bigger muscles though πͺ. Your core muscles will definitely be strengthening through running. Have you tried doing planks? That helps tone the tum too. The rest has to be diet. Pianism might have some good tips. Every time I saw him at a Parkrun heβd gone down a t-shirt size ππ
I made a new playlist of favourite music to celebrate graduation. I also explored quite a few new routes - the combination of those gave consolidation a fresh & different feel. Longer term, I always debate what route & sounds I fancy each time. I eventually managed to enjoy a run without anything to listen to β( it took a very long time to reach that stage,), so now every time I run, I choose between music, listening to something on the BBC Sounds app - (so many good programs) - or no headphones. Route variation matters a lot to stop me feeling bored too.
You are at an exciting stage β so much to enjoy ahead of you! ππ»π
Thank you. I have made a couple of playlists in readiness for finishing the plan but think I might need that little extra encouragement Laura gives at the moment so may keep listening to the same podcast for an extra week. Wouldn't it be nice if the NHS put a couple of other playlists together without necessarily increasing pace as with the post-5k podcasts.
As others have said, variety is how you keep things interesting. Keep giving yourself little challenges.
All the advice that's already been given is wonderful. The only things that I would add from my own experience are:
1. You don't always have to run 5k after graduation - I know π€―. Sometimes interval runs are great over short distances.
2. The Nike running club app has some great guided runs if you're missing the support. You do have to put up with a bit of cheesy American banter, but you get coaching and knowledge from world class coaches for free!
Good luck π
When you're ready.. research your local area, find somewhere you've never seen - and run there! I've seen so much of Cambridge I've never seen before - in 25 years of living here...
Check out different routes, run the same routes the other way round...find someone on Strava (or whichever platform you like) in your home town and nick their routes!...it all depends what floats your boat...
I keep it interesting by trying to improve my times. Iβm not that fussed about where I run. Itβs certainly kept me interested over the last 4 years but I feel my body is now starting to tell me to shift my focus away from the shorter and faster runs towards longer runs. Good luck with whatever turns you on in your running journey. Oh and nice strat (at least it looks like one) in your profile pic. π
Thank you, Brian. Yes, I agree with trying to increase pace and distance. I thought I'd reached my goal but need to aim for better. And yes, the guitar is a '95 US standard Strat, my oldest and favourite! Sounds like you know a thing or two about them. You probably run and play better than I do. Respect! ππ