Rest days

[Trevdp]

I’m on week 6 of the programme ( about to start ) and was wondering what you all think. I’m doing it on a treadmill at my local gym, I start with the C25k and stay on the treadmill until an hour has passed. In that 30 odd minutes I walk, I up the speed and crank up the elevation and in the last few sessions I’ve started adding the odd run ( 10 minutes at the end yesterday). Once the hour is up I do 6 miles on the cycle. So, my point ( eventually lol ). It’s Sunday morning and I’m bored, if I went to the gym and did the next c25k, w6r1 would it be a problem ? I see how much rest days are emphasised and that’s why I’m asking. My schedule because of work means I would also go Tomorrow, Monday and then the next is Thursday. Sorry for the long post.

[CBDB Graduate]

It sounds like you’ve taken to the gym, which is awesome.

I would actually keep the recovery days re running, your body needs those rest days.

However, it might be a great idea to add some cross training, if you still have the energy. I would certainly recommend adding the indoor rowing machine to the mix, as it is low impact and gives you a great workout. As a gym member, you also should be able to get a trainer to show you how to use it, if you need to.

Rowing complements running wonderfully.

As does swimming. Yoga. Pilates. Basically anything low impact.

[Trevdp Graduate in reply to CBDB]

thanks for the reply, the rowing machines are next to the bikes and I’ve been eyeing those up lol. I may well have today off as recommended and try the rower tomorrow just to mix things up a bit. As an aside please don’t think I was trying to show off 😂 by listing my doings in the gym, I just want to get across what I’m doing as it’s relevant to the questions.

[CBDB Graduate in reply to Trevdp]

I love indoor rowing. So it might be a thing to try out!

Gyms are great to try out all the machines. I feel lucky enough to have an indoor rower at home, so I often run 2-3 times a week and row 4-5 times a week. As rowing is so gentle on joints, it can really allow one to add workouts whilst your running body recovers.

Here is an article about cross training, that might give loads of ideas: therunexperience.com/cross-...

And if you want to try out rowing, our S@F forum has a whole folder full of posts dedicated to rowing. Any questions, just ask: healthunlocked.com/strength...

Looking forward to hearing about what you decide. 💪👍🏽👏👏

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Very well done with your progress!Great to hear 👍

Do though be extremely careful , I would certainly not recommend adding another 10 minutes of running beyond that of the program!

Overuse injuries are extremely common amongst new runners, they often come out of the blue and can literally stop you in your tracks for days, weeks or even months .

It simply is a risk not worth taking .

And we would certainly not recommend running on consecutive days until you have been running regularly for several more months .

Cycling on your non running days is absolutely fine as it's non impact .

But please stick to the program and the rest days as advised in the program guide.

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

This is the best and safest way of becoming the best runner you can whilst hopefully staying injury free

.

Take care and enjoy the rest of the program

[Trevdp Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

Thanks 57, I’m glad I asked and will certainly take your comments onboard. I’ll give the gym a rest today and jump back in tomorrow. Thanks again.

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Trevdp]

Trust me, I get it!We've all been there 😊

Enthusiasm can take over if we allow it .

Your aerobic capacity my well develop quicker than your resistance to injury , it takes a surprisingly long time for your body to become used to the rigours of running .

[MissUnderstanding Administrator On a break Graduate]

You’ve made such an enthusiastic start! Wow. Rest days are important though. It’s best to keep them until you’ve been running regularly for at least six months, preferably more. Most new runners get injured from doing too much too soon. It’s best to keep to the programme timings and not add extra runs. It’s been tried and tested, again to minimise your risk of injury, so it’s better not to push. You don’t want to have a frustrating spell on the injury couch. We’ve got lots of posters who that’s happened to.

I’d go for a walk outside with a podcast instead, but that’s mainly because I enjoy that sort of thing! It sounds like you’ve got lots of low impact options available to you. Or, run today but not tomorrow if that’s better.

You might want to have a look at the strength and flex forum for some ideas.

healthunlocked.com/strength...

Really good luck to you. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[Trevdp Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thanks MissU, I think I’m trying to run before I can walk , ( haha, see what I did there !). I’m really enjoying it and finding that the program is working really well for me so I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll keep on with the scheduled rest days as recommended because as you say, it’s tried and tested. Thanks again

[MissUnderstanding Administrator On a break Graduate in reply to Trevdp]

Oh, we’ve all been there! I’m sure I had at least one gentle reminder that I might be pushing my body a bit far before I was ready. Most likely more!

You’re doing great. Just keep at it and before you know it you’ll be requesting your graduate badge. It’s such an achievement to be where you are right now-when you were starting off did you think you’d be having to tell yourself to run less than you’d like to? That’s a massive sign of progress! Hopefully you can find something nice to do on your rest day. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[John_W Graduate]

What was your running history before you started C25K? How much impact exercise, including walking, had you done in the last year or so ?

[Trevdp Graduate in reply to John_W]

I’ve done c2 but over 10 years ago. Above my normal day to day walking I had worked up to around 10 miles a week ( as a deliberate map my walk, walk if that makes sense ).