Welcome to the latest chat thread for graduates!
If you’ve finished Couch to 5k for the first or the fiftieth time, come and say hi! This is the place for you to share how your runs are going and to get inspiration and encouragement from others.
⭐️First and foremost: How’s it going?⭐️
How has your running been this week? What sorts of runs have you been doing? Have you had any triumphs or challenges? What are your plans for next week?
I’ve had a stinker of a cold and I haven’t run at all. I know in my head that’s the sensible thing to do-recovery is important but I can’t help feeling like I’m behind on my runs and my fitness is draining out through my (let’s be polite and go with) feet as I sit on the sofa!
It happens to us all. Life gets in the way. We get ill.. Our mad keen motivation to run goes awol for a while. The good news is your fitness hangs around for much longer than you might think. You can apparently not run for a fortnight without losing any at all, and after that it’s only a slow decline. Mentally, it can be harder to get started though. I like the “comeback run” on the Nike Run Club app to help get me through. That’s a fifteen minute easy run, and I always feel better for having done it. What’s your go to after a little break? Any top tips?
Have a great week running or resting if you’ve got the lurgy too! Looking forward to hearing about what you’ve been up to and what you’ve got planned.
⭐️ This week’s challenge: Spot something fun on your run!⭐️
The photo challenge is still open. . Can you find something interesting on your next run? Anything photo worthy can count! I loved seeing Annieapple ’s birds last week!
You can post them below or as a new post. Tag me if you can and I’ll give you a cheer!
So come and chat! I love talking about all things running and can’t wait to hear from you all…
MissU and the Couch Team xx
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A bit about consolidation and running as a new Graduate…
You’ll almost certainly have heard people talking about taking some time to “consolidate” after graduation. This isn’t compulsory but it’s a really good idea. When you have increased your running distance or duration over a few weeks, it is good to pause and consolidate for a short period, bedding in all that effort and getting ready for whatever comes next. That just means not continuing to build the distance or setting out to get faster for a little while.
It’s a brilliant time to just enjoy your running. Without having to increase duration week on week, you can take the pressure off and have some fun! You can run somewhere beautiful and new. Forget about pace! Mix up your run times. Go up a hill! While you are consolidating you are also helping to establish the habit of running in your life. It is said to take twelve weeks of changed behaviour to create a new habit, so a three-week consolidation will get you there!
Running as a graduate will look different for everyone which is why we really hope people will share what they’ve been doing. We can pinch ideas and take inspiration from each other. The key thing is to keep it steady and remember you’ve got a whole lifetime of running ahead of you. Keeping to 30 minutes max as a rough rule of thumb is a generally good idea and we’d encourage you to be really sensible about running for longer. It’s widely recommended not to increase the length of any of your runs by more than 10% each week because of the risk of injury. Think about how Couch to 5k gradually builds up. The last thing anyone wants is to spend time on the injury couch just after finishing!
