After 5 months (rather than 9 weeks) and a few stiff and painful knees, I finally completed Run 3 Week 9 on Saturday. It definitely felt slower than usual, I was just determined to keep going to the end. Having to repeat that run was not going to happen! So I guess, 2 questions: where do I get my badge 
and I would like to improve my pace to run with my wife who is fitter and a little faster than me (she is on week 7). Do I keep trudging the 30 minutes hoping to get a bit faster, or do I go back to say week 3 and increase the pace of the interval runs so I eventually get a little quicker? To give an idea I am only covering about 3.5K in 30 mins. It would be nice to be able to run with her (she finds my pace too slow to be comfy - she's running the 3.5K in 25 mins). Any advice much appreciated!! Happy running all.
Finally I'm done!: After 5 months (rather than... - Couch to 5K
Finally I'm done!
Congratulations on your graduation! 😬🎉🎉🎉You can get your badge by replying to the post in this link .
healthunlocked.com/couchto5....
As for what to do next , we would always advise a period of consolidation for a few weeks , so continuing with the 30 minute runs you did in week 9 untill they become comfortable BEFORE trying to increase pace or distance .
Have a look at this 'what's next' post .
healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
Hope that helps,
Happy running!
Thank you for this! I will carry on with the 30 minutes as you suggest.
Well done! You'll no doubt get lots of advice from others, but I think the general consensus will be to not think about pace at the moment, but to just keep consolidating those 30 minute runs for a while. You said you found the last run a bit tough and that's fine and usual. There are lots of ways of increasing pace, but it may be too early for that and you don't want to risk injury. Good luck.
Thank you! Will carry on as normal then, 30 minutes it is.
There are some plans to do shorter 'speed' runs, or you can eventually do some speed intervals during shorter runs, but as a fellow dodgy knees runner, I would build very slowly and carefully. Sometimes running with other people can pressure you to go faster than is sensible. Maybe continue to run alone for a while to stay on your own comfortable run zone. Speed will come! The distance you're covering in 30 mins is absolutely fine and normal.
Many congratulations.
As well as the "What next" post, linked to by Instructor57 you may find browsing through the other FAQ Posts helpful healthunlocked.com/couchto5... They cover a range of running related topics, including getting faster, but for now you need to work on strength and injury resistance.
If you run with your wife then you need to run at the easy conversational pace of the slower one of you.
You have not actually "finally finished". You are just starting.
Have fun.
Keep running, keep smiling.
Thank you and for all your words of running wisdom - I like the just starting bit! It does feel like a bit of a milestone though.😀
Congratulations! I will give you the same advice I got here on this forum- go with some consolidation runs first to get used to the 5k/30mins running. You can then work on increasing your pace if that is what you wish to. There are some links/podcasts on this site for that in 'what next' topic.I would follow the programme and listen to my body rather than push myself too soon to match my running buddy's pace. It may increase the risk of injury.
Many thanks, I'm guessing just carry on is the answer and the fitness / strength will come. It isn't actually my breathing or getting out of breath that is the issue at my pace - my legs hurt when I try to go any faster! Will take up squats again.
Hi Bugsorsnail , pre & post run stretches and keeping yourself hydrated helps as well. You can also check out strength and flex exercises healthunlocked.com/strength...
Thanks Me_time , I do wonder whether the fact I smoke and drink have an effect on my slow pace!😀😀😀. It's probably not really talked about here, but I guess it is a massive issue,
Nice to see someone else who took as long as me to do the "9 week" programme. A year after completing, on the days when I focus on speed, it is generally to slow it down, aiming for a slow jogging or MAF heart rate (mentioned in other posts and basically that a lower heart rate is where our aerobic function improves). Perhaps your wife could do some slow jogging for aerobic function, as her low heart rate pace might match your normal pace. One of my daughters is happy to do that, another runs back and forth past me, the third walks beside me and the youngest won't be seen with me running 🤣
That's funny!! But it's a good idea. I have to say on some of the runs where we ran together it was very disheartening to see her disappearing into the distance with the dogs while I was left plodding behind. Even the oldest dog (13) gave up on me!
My dog has very short legs and is still only walking while I run! But we both enjoy it😁
Great achievement, I recognise that time! 3 weeks on and that's still my 'comfortable' time, but remember at the outset you would only have dreamt running 2 miles+ in old money!!!I've started on a 5-10k app but this assumes progress over 9 weeks again and I'm a realist, that's not going to happen. So I'm taking week 1 and repeating every run 3 times before moving on. What has happened is that I am slowly adding distance to time without trying to do that. Small steps. I've never run before in my life, now 70, so I think slow is good and finding my own pace. Perhaps Parkrun is a way to go for running together in that you will find people around you at your own pace, one of you will have a slightly longer recovery at the end! I've done one Parkrun so am qualified to give advice!😉😆 But it was a real milestone. What also happened was I found some people running at more or less my pace with targets on their backs and an invisible 30m rope between us. They dragged me round to a 40 minute time without me realising it! I had set a target of 45 minutes. The 5 minutes came from all that steady work consolidating my comfort zone I'm sure. Good luck. Perhaps the goal of running together requires a short period of amicable separation!!😁
Thanks for the encouragement - and you are right, when I started the programme I could barely run for 60 seconds, so over 2 miles as you say in old money after a few months is a great improvement. And I checked the survey after completing the programme and the majority of people responding picked 3.5K as their 30 min distance.
Massive congratulations to you! It’s a great achievement and you should be really proud. Get out there and enjoy it!
I found running with no commentary really strange to start with and then I really enjoyed it. I’ve actually gone back to using guided runs recently through the Nike run club app. You could definitely choose some of theirs for consolidation if you wanted to try something different to the c25k runs. The recovery runs are chilled, easy, positive runs and very enjoyable to listen to as well as being quite similar to the later weeks of c25k runs. There are different lengths too which is useful when you’ve got more or less time! There are also options for interval runs, long runs and all sorts of other stuff but I’d wait before getting into that. I totally agree that focussing on consolidation and strength/flexibility is the best plan for now.
Thank you! Did you find your first run after the programme without the app tough? I found the app useful as I didn't want to let Laura down, so kept on going😀😀
I found the transition weird. To start with I found it tricky not having the reminders of how far to go or long I’d been running for but I grew to really enjoy not having the interruptions so listening to talking podcasts became an option. I ran with nothing apart from my smart watch to tell me how far I’d been (I built up to 10K for a race so wanted that information) and really enjoyed the freedom. Now I think I’ve stagnated a bit, having someone to push me to try new things is a really good thing. Actually the main thing I’ve learnt, which I really should have got during c25k, is how to run slow and easy!
It’s worth trying different things to see what works for you, and remember that different things will suit at different times.
Enjoy being a graduate! There’s lots of us recent graduates on the bridge to 10K forum. Posting there doesn’t commit you to aiming for that!
You are right about different things suiting different runs. I sometimes get fed up with my music library. Thanks for all the great tips!
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