Consolidation Club bonus post: Bridge to 5K plan!

[roseabi]

✅ This post is for C25K graduates who have been consolidating their 30 minute runs for two or three weeks.

★ Are you running less than 5K in 30 minutes? Try gently increasing the time you are running until you reach 5K - it's a great goal!

Here's a little plan for increasing your time running with one 'long run' per week, with an aim to get to 5k and then on to an hour of running. I have shared this in previous Consolidation Clubs posts, and a number of people found it useful.

The basic idea is to reduce one weekly run to 20 minutes, and increase another one by 5 minute increments. I have suggested that it might be best to repeat the first two weeks, but you can carry on repeating weeks if you feel the need. Alternatively, don't repeat weeks at all - see how you feel!

Week 1&2: Run 1, 20 minutes; Run 2, 30 minutes; Run 3, 35 minutes.

Week 3&4: Run 1, 20 minutes; Run 2, 30 minutes; Run 3, 40 minutes.

Week 5: Run 1, 20 minutes; Run 2, 30 minutes; Run 3, 45 minutes.

Week 6: Run 1, 20 minutes; Run 2, 30 minutes; Run 3, 50 minutes.

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Here is a link to a printable version of the plan to stick on your fridge: drive.google.com/file/d/1Yx...

[nowster Graduate]

Just in case anyone's wondering why the first two pairs of weeks repeat, it's so that you keep within the 10% rule for increasing activity without getting injured.

If it were a strict 10% growth, starting from 30 minutes baseline, the runs would be 33.0, 36.3, 39.9, 43.9, 48.3, and 53.1 minutes. They've either been rounded up a little or down a lot. You're pushing a little more in the first week, but compensating for that by running less overall by reducing the length of one of the three weekly runs.

[roseabi in reply to nowster]

This plan assumes that a runner has been doing 3 x 30 minute runs per week, so actually the first week amounts to a reduction in the weekly running time.

[nowster Graduate in reply to roseabi]

Understood. 👍

[Newbie_Megan Graduate]

Love this plan! This is what I’m trying roughly! Thank you 🙏

[roseabi in reply to Newbie_Megan]

Great! Keep us posted xxx

[Popstess Graduate]

Hi roseabi Is it best to consolidate for a few weeks of 30 minute runs 3 times a week before starting thus plan? Or can it be started straight from completing week 9?

[roseabi in reply to Popstess]

Consolidate first xxx

[Popstess Graduate]

Thank you!

[Jogger22 Graduate]

Hi roseabi 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?

[roseabi in reply to Jogger22]

Just take it easy, walk briefly if you need to (you don't have to run the whole 5k), take an extra day's rest afterwards, and then get onto consolidating your 30 minute runs after that. And enjoy the day!! xx

[Jogger22 Graduate in reply to roseabi]

Thanks @roseabi will try and run for the first 30 minutes at least and then anything else I can do will be a bonus. It’s not forecast to be quite as hot next Saturday which should make it a little easier

[roseabi in reply to Jogger22]

Exciting!! Have fun xxx

[Popstess Graduate]

Hi sorry for all the questions, I'm considering doing this plan after another week or 2 of consolidation runs.

I've been looking at the plan and reading tips on the forum, would all these runs be ran at the same pace? E.g my easy conversational pace or would the 30 and 30+ be ran at conversational pace and the 20 minutes ran faster? I'm not sure how it works?

[roseabi in reply to Popstess]

Take them all at an easy pace xx

[Popstess Graduate]

Okay, thank you

[MrBassmanjazz Graduate]

Hi. Still consolidating, but this looks like the way to go. (Still only hitting 3.6K at 30 mins). Thanks, M

[Poppdog Graduate]

Is it possible to have the link?

[roseabi in reply to Poppdog]

Which link?

[Poppdog Graduate in reply to roseabi]

The link to the printable version but don’t worry I’ve written it out. Thanks

[roseabi in reply to Poppdog]

The link is in the post, but here it is again:

drive.google.com/file/d/1Yx...