Life after C25K. 10k advice

[Shana_SK]

Hi everyone, I have finished and enjoyed the C25K and can say that i am now running a comfortable 5 miles, 4 days a week. My next aim is 10k and ultimately half a marathon and then the big one. I would love any advice on how to become faster, is there a good 10k app anyone is using atm? Strength training, where would i start? Thanks again.

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Well done on competing the program.You can get your graduate badge here .

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

When did you graduate ?

We would always advise several weeks of consolidation after completing the program.

ie, to carry on running the 30 minute runs of week 9 before pushing on with pace or distance .

As a new runner it is very easy (and common) to pick up overuse injuries that often come out of the blue and can stop you in your tracks for days, weeks or even months .

As a recent graduate if you are running 4x5 miles (8k) a week without consolidation then you are risking injury !

After consolidation we have a 10k program on our Bridge to 10k forum .

healthunlocked.com/bridgeto...

This has a distance and time based plan based around the 10% rule to help avoid injury and you can do whichever you prefer .

Happy running

[Shana_SK in reply to Instructor57]

Thank you so much! I graduated C25K on the 30/03/2022 and i did it another 4 times tbh. Then i started to up my mileages slowly. I have rest days inbetween and lile i said, my aim is the 10k then half and a full marathon and i would love to check out the bridge to 10k forum. If thats ok. Do i need to sign up or download something? Thank u ever so much for your helpfulness

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Shana_SK]

You can join us on the Bridge forum and post about your progress there !You can access the plan from the previous link I sent you and download if you want .

I would stress again the risk of pushing on too soon .

Consolidation is not for increasing distance or pace and if you are doing 4x5 mile's a week I suggest it's too much at this stage and very likely to result in an overuse injury.

You will see that the plan sensibly has shorter runs as well .

Take care

[Shana_SK in reply to Instructor57]

Thank you so much, after reading your reply, i have decided to dwnload a plan and i will follow that. You are right when you say i can overuse and cause injury to myself which wouldnt be very useful at all. Seeing that it also has shorter runs and still will get me to my goal, i think that will be better overall. Thanks once again. Have a great day.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

You might benefit from browsing through the FAQ Posts healthunlocked.com/couchto5... which include advice on many aspects of running, including how to get faster.

Take care, don't push too hard.

Keep running, keep smiling.

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi Shana_SK , well done on completing C25K. I endorse what others have said about not overdoing things. If you look at the Magic Plan over on Bridge you'll see there are three weekly runs, shorter and longer, which is a safer way to get to 10k.

Same principle applies to longer distances - build gradually. I wasn't great at that myself and it was only when I started a marathon plan that I realised that varying runs is really important and that less can be more. Constantly pushing is not helpful.

As for becoming faster, that's unlikely to happen at the same time as you increase your distance. In fact your pace will usually decrease as you increase distance, although over time longer runs at a comfortable pace will help you build your aerobic base which can help you run faster.

Happy running!

[Hidden]

Well done finishing the program you need to claim your graduation badge now.