Now what??

pittbullgirl

Ok, so I started the C25K last month, then took a few weeks off to a busy schedule. Mind you, I didnt finish the program but I did skip ahead to week 5 last week. On Tuesday I hit the gym and after a 5 min walk, I ran for 5 min, felt good and shut the C25K program off and just ran at 3.8mph...and ran.....for 20 min!
Ok, so yesterday I just did the same thing but ran for 15 min at 4.0mph.
Should my goal to get faster? How long should I run for?

I am a newb and just dont know where to do from here! Halp!!

PaytraB

I'm not sure what exactly you're asking.
First, congratulations on your 20 minute run. That is a great achievement.
You skipped ahead to Week 5 of C25K, then stopped it and did your own running program? Week 5 of C25K has you running for 20 minutes, so you're right on track. Congratulations on not slipping backwards while taking that time off.
How to continue? Keep following C25K. Start Week 6, Day 1 on your next run. Don't worry about speed. Just make it through the runs. Slow down if you have to.

You're doing great. Keep at it and you'll get stronger and build endurance.

pittbullgirl

I'm sorry, my post was all over the place.
I've decided to stop C25K and just run but I'm wondering if I should focus on distance or speed first?
Do i just run until I cant run anymore?

likitisplit

I'd go for distance at first. If you run for 20 minutes 3x a week, how far is that? Bump it up by 10% a week. Cross-train the other three days and have one day as a recovery/stretch day.

You might also try a 10k app, the SmartCoach program on Runner's World, one of Jenny Hadfield's plans (http://www.jennyhadfield.com/training-plans/) or any of the thousands of free plans out there that can help you increase distance.

Another resource is your local running store. They might have a group run that can give you suggestion for other ways to incorporate running into an active lifestyle.