C25K Graduates.....What did you do next?

[shmoogrrrl]

So I finished the C25K program yesterday (Yay Me! ) and I am trying to figure out what in the world to do next.

I am still very much a slowpoke (I run mostly on my treadmill) so I know that I need to be faster. Has anyone ever started over to train at a faster pace? I usually run at a 4 on my treadmill (about a 15 minute mile), and so I was thinking that I could start over and try at 5 (12 minute). I was thinking that if the first few weeks were easy, I could just skip ahead to the later weeks. Is that silly?

The other option is to try to train myself to run outside, I suppose! I've only done it twice! I don't even know how to just run though. Do you stick with the 30 minute runs, or just run as much as you can and call it a day? What is a goal for just running without a plan behind you?

 

[FireDancer]

I would get off the treadmill and start running outside. Running on the road is very different then on a treadmill. Not only do you have to keep pace yourself but you use quite different muscles to run on the road. On a treadmill you are moving your legs to keep up with the belt. On the road you are using your legs to push yourself forward.

 

[KarenAylwood]

I haven't done the C25K but I did go from not being able to run half a mile to being able to run an 8K! (5 miles!). I personally wanted to add distance rather than get faster. I figured speed would come naturally or I'd start doing interval training.

I've been training for a 10K but I won't be training for anything over the summer. I think it's fun to do two "short" runs during the week and then one long one on the weekend. You can work yourself up slowly. I used to only run a mile at a time during the week, now I'm running 3. I wanted to see how much I could push myself distance wise rather than speed.

And yes! Start running outside! I love it so much more and I too was hesitant about making the change but now I'm addicted.

When you say you did the C25K... did you actually run a race or just do the training? Once I ran a race I was addicted

My ultimate goal is to run the Princess half next March. I'm doing a 10K at the end of May and a 10K in October

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

on finishing C25k!

I'm almost done with C210k, and totally agree with FireDancer, get off the treadmill. I was only on the treadmill for the first week of my program, but running outside is a totally different world, and requires different muscles, breathing patterns, etc.
I know there's a bridge program to C210k for C25k grads.

 

[VernRDH]

There are a couple options. Run outside on your own, go for distance rather than time, that will come in the future. Or you could do the C210k program (google it) to help you get to the longer distances.

Frank is spot on (again! he is very smart about these things) run outside. Most of us dislike the treadmill once we have been running outside as it is totally different. Not that the mill doesn't come in handy, its great when the weather is terrible or if you are doing some type of interval training, but for just running, the outdoors can't be beat!

Congrats on completing the program, keep running, and let us know how you make out.

 

[MommyTaraLee]

Congrats on finishing the program!

It's funny you should ask this... I just restarted the C25K last night. I finished the program a few weeks ago, and I was starting to think about interval training, so I used my C25K program to do the intervals.... 5.0 to 6.5... Since I'm limited to running on the treadmill most times (use the daycare at the gym for my DD) it makes the time go by faster.