Catch up corner: June week 3: C25k to Run4fun! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[MissUnderstanding]

Morning all and a very warm welcome to this week’s catch up corner! First and foremost, how’s your week been? Which runs have you been doing and how have they gone? The weather has still been challenging. Have you avoided the funny runner’s tan lines? I’m currently sporting bright white feet and prominent shorts lines!

There seem to be lots of new graduates this week-congratulations to you all! I’ve been thinking about running after couch to 5k and how tricky I found it suddenly being without a structure. Much as I loved Denise as my coach, it felt weird to be listening to her when I’d finished so I just ran with music. I’d been really looking forward to this but I missed the encouragement that I was doing well and the reminders of how long there was to go. Suddenly I couldn’t decide where to run or how long to go for and I just felt lost. This seems to be a common experience-if you’re already a graduate, how was it for you?

What could really help is to focus on running for fun. Mix up your runs. Try new routes. Go up some hills or through some forests. Rerun your favourite couch to 5k run. Go outside if you usually run inside or vice versa. Play around with pace. Run/walk instead of running. Stop for cake halfway round your route! Try parkrun. Just do what you think you’ll really enjoy! It’s easy to think that you should be running for thirty minutes three times a week or you’re not a proper runner but running is so much bigger than that. There’s space to find what you enjoy. One caveat is to just make sure you’re not pushing too far too early-keep your rest days and stick around thirty minutes maximum to avoid a frustrating post graduation trip to the injury couch!

There’s a whole post about post-c25k running here that’s worth a read.

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

If you’re currently doing couch to 5k, what are you most looking forward to about finishing? Perhaps you can already start thinking about some dream runs you’d like to take on when you finish.

For graduates, have you got any top tips for those who are coming up to finishing? What’s it been like for you transitioning away from Couch to 5k!

I can’t wait to hear from you all!

MissU ❤️

[Gthants]

I'm close now - one run to go. And what comes next is at the forefront of my mind. Running somewhere different is top of my list. After 3 x 30 minutes I'm thinking of going to a local scenic area for 40-45 minutes, but walking for at least 20, with a couple of jogs. I'm also thinking of checking back at my pace and running for 15-20 minutes at a slightly faster than average pace (NOT a fast pace!) to see where that takes me.

So what I'm thinking is to still run 3 times a week, but run somewhere new at least once a week and run at different paces/timings.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Gthants]

Hoe exciting for you! Have you got some celebrations planned? We’re waiting with out pom poms to cheer you over the finish line for c25k and the start of the rest of your running journey. May that be a long and happy one!

You’ve got some really well thought through and exciting plans for when you’re finished. I’m looking forward to the run reports from the new places. I’m sure you’ll discover that even places you’ve visited often feel very different when you’re running there for the first time. It’s super exciting when everything is new. Happy times ahead!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Gthants]

Some really positive ideas there... when I graduated, I squealed a lot and then just ran, ( not far), but ran, anywhere, just because I could run!

I did start to off road-run then too... I was too uncertain to leave the lanes and pavements before then !

[Phdgranny Graduate in reply to Gthants]

you are so close now, will be good the hear how you get on post C25k xx

[Gthants in reply to Phdgranny]

Done it! Flying solo is going to be really, really weird!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Gthants]

But soooooo exciting!

[Huffnpuf Graduate in reply to Gthants]

Great idea 👍, I was thinking about repeating week 9, haven't got to 5k yet but working on it.

[69upandrunning Graduate]

Good afternoon to all, this morning I completed wk 5 run 3. This is my first 20 minute run for over a year and I’m on my 3rd jog through the program. I first graduated during lockdown and I am looking forward to being able to run for 30 minutes again and park runs. I want to find some new runs too.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to 69upandrunning]

Fantastic! That’s such a milestone run to do. It comes at a great point in the programme. It’s great that you’ve got parkrun as a goal. Maybe some of the local park runners will be able to recommend some nice local runs to you.

Lovely to have you back here. Keep updating with your progress-I really hope it goes well 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to 69upandrunning]

That sounds like sound planning...super goals and doable!

[BarbieW Graduate]

Whilst celebrating my graduation with my wine in the pub last night, I reviewed what few of my previous runs were stored on Strava to see where I should go next!

Although they are mostly all far too long for me yet, there is one route which, although short (2.5k) it contains a bitch of a slope that I can remember took me weeks of trying before I could actually run all the way up it, and as I have been avoiding hills so far this year, I think I will set that as my next goal. I can so remember the flying feeling as I ran down the other side so that’s what I want to feel again.

Otherwise I think some jog/run/sprint sessions on the flat might be helpful, so I’ll see about adding that once a week too.

I’m certainly not intending pushing things too far just yet, but I also want to get ready to do parkrun again, just not perhaps in the heat of the summer!

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to BarbieW]

Congratulations! Really glad you were able to have a well earned celebration. It’s a great achievement! 🏃‍♀️👩‍🎓🎉🏅💪

Where I live it’s all hills-I can sympathise with having a killer slope in a route! It’s a great goal to have to be able to run all the way up it. Hills are amazing for building fitness and a fantastic way to see your progress too. When MrU started running, he ran slowly up a hill once a week for as far as he could until he had to walk. Once he could reach the top, he tried to improve his time by 10% over a set time period. That was super tough but he did it! One thing I’ve enjoyed is the hill interval workouts on the Nike Run Club app. I did one the other day and when I came to run up my killer hill yesterday, it felt much easier because I wasn’t trying to sprint!!! “Runner Up” is a great one to start with.

You’ve got some great plans and some great times ahead of you. A cool parkrun is much more my thing than a hot one too! Can’t wait to hear your updates!

[ToothPickJafah Graduate]

I have had a wonderful week and completed week 5 run 2 this morning. It felt great to run for 8mins twice! So I’m really looking forward to the 20min run on Monday 🤗

I’m absolutely loving this program and once I’ve graduated I’m just looking forward to…running! It makes me feel so good and I love just being out there early in the morning with nature, just us.

Being a lone runner, I’m thinking I might try a parkrun and see how that goes, running with other folk. I think I’d also try running in the evenings, maybe, and also scout out some new routes to mix it up a bit. But I love the spot I currently run at, it’s very beautiful and peaceful at dawn 🤗

I’ll definitely keep up the 3 times a week running and just take it from there!

I have well and truly got the running addiction! How wonderful! 👏🤗🙌

💜🙏💜

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to ToothPickJafah]

Absolutely super! I’ve had a busy few days so haven’t replied to everything I’ve wanted to-your posts always shine with so much positivity. It’s lovely to see! That week 5 run 3 run is such a milestone. You’ll love it-just keep doing what you’re doing.

The great thing about most of couch to 5k is that it already mixes your runs up for you-you’re doing different intervals and that helps keep things fresh. I found when I got on to the longer continuous, runs was when a bit of boredom stuck and I needed some variety in my routes and music to keep it fresh. See how it goes-maybe you’ll be a runner who absolutely loves the consistency of doing the same route at the same time of day. There are always ways to make it feel different and you’ve got some exciting plans!

I usually love an evening run. It’s been a challenge lately because it’s still so warm. My challenge is to do more dawn runs like you!

Keep on posting about your runs-it’s so encouraging to all of us runners, new and old!!

[ToothPickJafah Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you so so much MissUnderstanding 🤗 I appreciate your kind words, encouragement and support so very much! 💜🙏💜

[Sax64 Graduate]

Having recently graduated, it seems strange, and maybe liberating, to go completely solo. But looking back, I've done a couple of lovely runs when away from home, and then from home tried a couple of guided runs from NRC which I liked as they consolidated everything learned in C25K. I think as a new graduate, I feel like I'm just marking time until it's sensible to go farther or run more minutes. In some ways that's frustrating as the final build up to W9 seemed quite rapid. So thinking about, I suppose that's why it's sensible to do these consolidation weeks. We're away from home visiting family this weekend, and I'm toying with the idea of their local parkrun tomorrow. I have looked at the weather forecast though and at 9am it will already be 20C! Sounds too hot. Perhaps I'll throw off the covers and go for an early run instead. I like the idea of a graduate club, so we can egg each other on and try out suggestions that come along. Happy running everyone 🏃‍♂️ 🏃‍♂️