Post Graduate struggles

Julie_Donahue

I graduated from C25K a couple of weeks ago. I have run 5K on the treadmill a total of 4 times now. I'm working to transition to outside but my longest outside run was just over a mile (about 22 minutes). I run slow (between 3-4 MPH) so a 5K takes me about an hour.

During the final weeks of C25K (after the infamous @W5D3) I was able to keep pushing through and reaching new goals. Since I finished, my goals are to:
1. Increase my distance
2. Improve my total time for 5K.
3. Move the run from treadmill to outside and work back up to 3 miles.

I have really had a difficult time staying motivated since "graduation". I know part of it is the "I got the prize" (graduation...bragging rights...whatever).

Did any of you really struggle after graduation? How do I push past it?

rduhlir

Going from treadmill to outside is a transition that needs to be done gradually, just as you gradually added time to your over all running when on the treadmill. On the treadmill, you had the luxury of the machine taking a lot of the impact out of running (though there was still some there) and you also used different muscles. You didn't have to push forward on a treadmill, you just had to keep up with the speed.

When you move to outside the conditions change. You now have moved to a harder surface that doesn't give hardly at your foot falls, and you have to use different muscles to push yourself forward to create that forward momentum. You now have wind resistance to deal with, and you have moved from one training area to another which naturally does something to the mind as you leave one comfort zone to create another.

Do not expect to go as far or as fast on pavement as you went on the treadmill. I shifted mid program, and it took me a week to get used to the changes. Start slow like when you start C25K, adding more and more as your body adjusts to the different variables that are present with running outside.

PaytraB

I found the same thing. Without goals to work towards, I thought I was just floundering around after completing the program.
When I started to run outdoors, I was shocked at the difference. You're doing great if you can run outdoors for 20 minutes at a stretch.

To give myself goals and help me adjust to the outdoors, I'm doing part of the C25K over again. It's giving me a run/walk cycle that is helpful to keep me motivated. I started at a place that was "easy" to do outdoors to give my body time to adjust to the pavement. So far, it's working.

My goals now are to:
1. complete the C25K outdoors, taking it slow and building up endurance to pavement
2. slowly work on my speed on my treadmill days
3. add some hills into my routine on alternate outdoor runs (the uphill seems to be okay, the downhill is hard on the knees; need to find a way to help with that)
4. keep going & don't give up

timeasterday

I graduate this week (for the 2nd time) and my plan to stay motivated is to have a detailed training schedule for the rest of the year and have a few races that I am committed to. I have a calendar spreadsheet that has all my daily workouts planned out through the end of the year. After this week I start a 10K training program for two months, then a half-marathon training program for 12 weeks, then another half-marathon program for 12 more weeks. By then I should have a full marathon plan picked out.

As far as races I already have these on my schedule:
5/11 - 4 Mile Trail Race
6/22 - 6 Mile Trail Race
7/4 - 10K Peachtree Road Race
9/7 - 15K Trail Race
11/28 - Atlanta Half Marathon

I think the above race schedule will keep me very motivated to keep training hard, especially when I already paid for them.

likitisplit

You need goals with end dates. That's one of the beauties of the C25k program. Try Couch to 10k or find another training plan. I've heard that the book "Train Like a Mother" has some good ones.

I'm planning on four races a year to keep me motivated. I used the SmartCoach app on Runner's World to give me a 5k training plan until July and then I'm going to use it to train for the Callaway Garden half marathon in February.

I seem to remember that you aren't in an urban area...but a runner's group can also keep you motivated.

My challenge was that I didn't think that I'd have time to run for more than an hour at a time with two small kids but, like any addict, I'm finding ways to squeeze it in.