Rules

[chrisana]

People on the blog talk about having to start the week again, where are the program rules or guidelines? For instance when i started I sometimes stopped the jog section 10 seconds early rather than collapse, should i have started the week over, i didn't......

[swanscot Graduate]

There are no rules. The C25K programme is a training plan - a very general 'one-size-fits-all plan, but we are all different. It's a tried and tested plan, but you make up your own 'rules'. Just as we all run at different speeds, we all decide how much we push ourselves.

Some people like to repeat some runs (or occasionally whole weeks) so they feel more confident tackling the next challenge. Some of us like to keep on running after Laura says stop, if we're able, others don't. You do what you're comfortable doing, Obviously if someone only managed to run for half of each timed run interval, they could be setting themselves up for failure if they pushed ahead with the next week's longer runs.

[chrisana in reply to swanscot]

Thanks, makes eminent sense, just got the impression from some blogs that Laura might be looking down ready to invoke the rule book.

[swanscot Graduate in reply to chrisana]

> ... Laura might be looking down ready to invoke the rule book.

For some of us, imagining Laura watching us is the only way we do push ourselves

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Haha you two have just conjured up a picture in my mind of Laura sitting on the branch of a big oak tree ready to pounce and crack a whip if we stop too soon, love it.

[AnnaDJ Graduate]

I quite often imagine Laura ready to jump out and yell at me. Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going. Mind you I also swear and grump at her most runs so maybe she should get some revenge.

[mattaitch Graduate]

For me I have taken a hard line, so when on my week 1 r2 I only ran a 48 seconds instead of 1 minute I made myself re-do that entire day (after a rest day). My reasoning being that if I fudged it once then I might get to the point of saying "20 minutes is nearly 1/2 an hour" and never complete.

As it is now I tend to pause Laura at the point the walk is up, cue endomondo countdown and head off, only starting Laura again when I am up and running, also I tend to keep running for a few seconds after she says finished, so my 28 minute runs are more like 28 and a half, that way I know I am doing it properly and I also don't feel like I only just made it.

[Skandia Graduate]

I have an aversion to rules and do my own thing, anything to help me run the right amount of time. Take a break from Laura and do my own thing until I can run the full 10 mins, 20 mins whatever, then go back to the next week/run. Thats why its taken me 4 + months to get to week 6!

Remember you're doing this for you not anyone else and there is no exam