hellooo 
Ok I'm only just starting W3 on the c25k programme, put I love it!! I'm planning my running future already hehe 
anyway so I have a 5k race booked for the 2nd of June, so once I finish the c25k programme, will it be ok to run 5k everyday for 5 weeks so that I can improve my speed for the race? I'm not sure if that would damage my knees or any other part of my body for that matter!
Thank you, please ask if anything was unclear
A rest day inbetween gives your body time to recover. Runners tend to do a non-impact activity such as swimming or pilates, to improve their core strength, on the 'rest' days, and this, in turn, improves their running.
Good luck!
You might want to look at the podcasts for graduates, I think there's one aimed at improving speed.
Building speed is different to getting going as a runner, which is what C25K is about.
Running every day risks overuse injuries, the body needs recovery time.
Remember this is fun too, as in any activity it's easy to get hooked into chasing times/targets/whatever and end up losing the sense of enjoyment.
For me the great thing has been gaining the fitness to go out and run for 30 minutes just enjoying it (I do have a competitive streak but manage to keep it confined to my archery and yes, chasing scores can seriously get me down sometimes)
I think in this case less it more. Your body needs a rest day in between runs on order to repair and build muscle. If you run every day so early on in the program you face the increased risk of injury. However you can still exercise on your 'rest' days. How about swimming to increase your lung capacity? Mountain biking or cycling also helps build muscles which help in your running. Once you have completed the program you want to look at having an alternating schedule. So on weekends you want to be building up you distance by doing a long slow run. One run should be a tempo run at the speed you want to race at. The other run should be a pyramid interval or hillrun to boost your cardiovascular system.
There comes a time when your body will cope with running on successive days, for example, my mate is building up to a marathon and runs 6 out of 7 days regularly, however I think at this stage, you should beware of the classic error of the new runner and not risk injury by overdoing it.
I graduated a couple of weeks ago and have not been great at sticking to what I'm told by the programme throughout but did take the rest days. Now I feel I'm close to running on successive days but will listen to my body as I do and take it handy.
It sounds as though you are assuming that just doing the race distance over and over will improve your speed. My impression is that this isn't considered the most effective way to increase speed. As others have said, there are the C25K+ podcasts and various other strategies. They will also keep you from getting bored!
Also bear in mind what sort of surface you are running on.
Just a thought - I had two rest days last week before I did the parkrun (rather than run the day before the parkrun) and it really helped, I'm sure. I was much fresher and I think I had more stamina. I'd definitely do that again.
I know that longer distance runners, like marathoners, cut back on their running for the week or so (or more?) just before a big race, but I was surprised that just those 2 days made what felt like a big difference.
Maybe 'muscle recovery' days makes them sound less like being lazy - rest days are important! Muscles don't build up during the running, as far as I understand, they build up as all the tiny bits of damage are repaired after the runs, so it's best not to be bashing them about a bit at the same time.
And doing a mix of different run types (some shorter than 5k but faster - like the c25k+ podcasts) is more effective than just doing 5k at the same pace each time.
Which is probably what's already been said above, but I skimmed a bit!
I find two rest days more beneficial as well
Thanks everyone, I will do other sports instead on my rest days and use the speed podcast once I've finished the programme.
How quick will I be able to run 5k if I use the speed podcast?
Thanks again
It's official we can run 5k!! You can do it to.......
First 5k run after graduation 
Completed first 5k run at Race for Life
Completed Couch to 5k but not at 5k
couch ... to 30 min ... to 5k!
