Extended C25K?

Nopedotjpeg

I'm trying to adjust C25K so that my friend and I can ease into it more gradually. The program seems to ramp up pretty quickly after Week 4. Does anyone know a good way to adjust it? I'm hoping we could be able to get to 5K distance with only extending it 3 more weeks, but I'm not sure. I'm doing this with a friend, and I know if it was my first time trying this I'd be scared to make a jump from a 3/4 mile jog to a 2 mile jog within 2 days. Hell, it took me 4 months to build up to a 5K distance myself, though I didn't have as much structure as this plan.

So, anyone who has done this for a longer period of time than the prescribed 9 weeks? And how did you adjust it?

cmriverside

You can do each week as many times as you want in order to become comfortable. I think they talk about this a little on the site, but I know lots of people (including me) take much longer than the nine weeks. It's your program. Do it in a way that you are comfortable, and you'll become a life-long runner!

mostaverage

Think what most folks do is to repeat a week here and again, once you feel you've hit a tough patch. HTH
Remember the program is a guideline, the pace you determine dependant on your fitness level & what your body is telling you.

Nopedotjpeg

I've read about repeating weeks before, but I think it might breed the mentality of "oh we screwed up last week." I don't know. I'm trying to find a pattern in the last 5 weeks and it seems so chaotic in contrast to the consistency of the first 4 weeks.

AmyRhubarb

I was scared to make that jump, but I did it! Before planning any sort of adjustment, I'd say go for it with the program as is - I surprised myself and completed that longer run, and I haven't had to repeat a day or a week yet (starting week 8 tomorrow)! And I've never been a runner. I am willing to repeat any part of it if necessary, but I'm also up for the challenge of going for it.

Deciding to extend it before giving it a shot almost seems like setting yourself up to fail rather than having the confidence to go for it and possibly surprising yourself with what you can do. :bigsmile: Give it your all, and by your all, I mean jogging really slowly if necessary - slow jogging is still jogging, and awesome if you can finish that 20 minutes - and if you have to walk part of it, no shame! then repeat that day until you can run the whole 20.

Nopedotjpeg

Do you guys tend to go with time over distance? I've been a runner before so I always liked distance over time myself, especially since C25K likes to assume you're in good enough shape to be doing a 10 min/mile which I wasn't even after running for more than a year back when I did run.

AmyRhubarb

I run outside, so I run the program on my iPhone in an armband and just go with the verbal prompts, so it's just time for me. I figure I'll work on speed & distance once I get through the program.

lukeout007

Do you guys tend to go with time over distance? I've been a runner before so I always liked distance over time myself, especially since C25K likes to assume you're in good enough shape to be doing a 10 min/mile which I wasn't even after running for more than a year back when I did run.

I always go by the time. The distance will come. I didn't run my first mile until the 20 minute jog at the end of Week 5. That was a crazy jump but not nearly as bad as you'd think and I've been doing a minimum of 1.5 miles ever since. My last 2 jogs have been over 2 miles without walking.

And just so you understand where I started...On week 1 day 1 I got done and thought I was going to die. I was practically hyperventilating and I spent the entire rest of the day and most of the next day unable to move. I had never been able to jog even 1/4 mile in my entire life! Now I'm averaging 6 miles per week of jogging and another 5-6 of walking easily.

heatherholmes25

I was doing C25K and doing great... I had lost weight, lost inches, and felt wonderful. I got to week 4 and started remodeling my house... needless to say, its been 2-1/2 weeks now and I have not gotten back into my routine. I need some encouragement b/c for some reason I keep making stupid excuses. Do I start back where I left off or jump to where I am supposed to be... I was training for a 5k run on April 21, 2012. I still want to do the race b/c I don't want to feel like I have let myself down. Please someone let me know how I can do this... Thanks!

lukeout007

I was doing C25K and doing great... I had lost weight, lost inches, and felt wonderful. I got to week 4 and started remodeling my house... needless to say, its been 2-1/2 weeks now and I have not gotten back into my routine. I need some encouragement b/c for some reason I keep making stupid excuses. Do I start back where I left off or jump to where I am supposed to be... I was training for a 5k run on April 21, 2012. I still want to do the race b/c I don't want to feel like I have let myself down. Please someone let me know how I can do this... Thanks!

Had the same issue. In fact I think I made a post about it somewhere...

I kept blaming the weather or using the "too tired" excuse. Eventually I just said "F*** It" and went out and kept going where I left off. Finished week 7. 2 days later started Week 8. Tonight or tomorrow I will continue. I had done 1 jog in 2 weeks when I decided I had come too far to stop. If you're at week 4 you're almost halfway there...those thoughts are what kept me going. I almost stopped halfway through but thought that would be a waste. I almost stopped a few weeks ago but realized I'm almost done. In fact I'm only a week and a half from being done and that is definitely motivation for me.