Running

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koaliebear195
koaliebear195 Posts: 31 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started the couch to 5k a while back, made it to week 4 and then decided to just go ahead and run 5k so I did (very slowly). Since then I've been bustin' out 5ks nearly daily but then I noticed the C25K focuses on getting the 5k in like 30 minutes. Should I go back to the app to get my 5k in under 30 minutes or should I keep doing what I'm doing? I do want to get faster, just don't want to hurt myself, but I also don't want to go back to taking walking breaks because once I start walking I don't want to run again

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  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
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    It took me about 4 months after finishing the C25K to be able to run 5k in under 30mins. I found my speed increased over 5k when I started increasing my long run distance. Being able to run 10k definitely made me quicker over 5k.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    I started the couch to 5k a while back, made it to week 4 and then decided to just go ahead and run 5k so I did (very slowly). Since then I've been bustin' out 5ks nearly daily but then I noticed the C25K focuses on getting the 5k in like 30 minutes. Should I go back to the app to get my 5k in under 30 minutes or should I keep doing what I'm doing? I do want to get faster, just don't want to hurt myself, but I also don't want to go back to taking walking breaks because once I start walking I don't want to run again

    New runners will get faster just by logging more miles. You don't need to do any speedwork or intervals or anything else.

    I would incorporate rest days--as a new runner, you want to take every other day off from running to minimize your chances of an overuse injury. Even though you are capable of the run, you don't yet have the muscle mass in your legs to help absorb the shock of pounding the ground and are more prone to things like shin splints, stress fractures, tendonitis, etc.

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