Does This Sound Like A Plan?

romyhorse

So, I finished c25k on Friday and am planning what to do next. I'm not sure if I want to run 10k's but I want to give it a try. I don't have time to do a b210k program at the moment, but I thought I could do the 5k+ program through the week and do 1 b210k run at the weekend. Then during the summer holidays I can finish the b210k. Will this work?

likitisplit

Join us over on the Bridge to 10k board whether or not you choose to do the program.

After, C25k, I ran four days a week, one of which was a treadmill run with the 5k+ podcasts (you're talking about the NHS ones, right?) Because of that, I now run with a cadence of 160 spm, which really helps with form (the golden rule-of-thumb is 180).

Then I went to Runner's World and put together a 5k development plan (to increase time) with their SmartCoach program because I didn't have time to train for a 10k. I ended up taking the same amount of time and putting in the same number of miles as if I'd done a 10k app so, in retrospect, it didn't make a lot of difference. As a new runner, you need to get your base miles up anyway so the 10k app will help you do that whether you want to run the races or not. Also, running is fun.

And, yes, that sounds like a great plan!

romyhorse

Thanks for your input! After searching for some b210k podcasts I found one that does the program over 9 weeks, which seemed a bit more reasonable to me than the 5/6 week programs I'd seen (call me a wimp!). I did the first one on Sunday and loved it, so instead of doing the 5k+ program during the week, followed by 30 minutes strength circuits, I've been foregoing the circuits and just doing b210k. I do Stronglifts on my rest days anyway so I won't miss it, and I'm going to do the 5k+ runs on the days I don't have time for a longer run.

Heading over to join the b210k group!

likitisplit

That sounds perfect. I spend some time planning a training program. And then ramping it back to a lower level a couple of days later. Easier makes it fun and at our level you have so much room for progress that there's no reason to force anything.