Finished C25K, what next?

maroonmango211 · March 2021

Quick Question: Now that I've finished the original app, however not ~ or sub 30 min ( 8.6 km/h for 36 min) should I be working at increasing speed through various training methods within that distance until I am faster first or should I go straight into a program like C210k and work and distance and endurance?

Little more meat: This is my first time doing any running program... like ever and I NEVER thought I would. I always thought I hated it apart from a Mud Run a couple years ago that was more for the obstacles than the race itself. I've always preferred cross training (calisthenics, weights, kettle bells) and weight training over steady state cardio, so it is not that I went into it unfit just really unused and uninterested in the format and still a total noobie IMHO.

I live in a place where the air hurts your face and lungs and there's piles of snow and ice for months of the year so I have completed C25K indoors on our treadmill but do plan to transition to outdoor runs as soon as the slush and mud season is over (small town, dirt roads.... it's not pretty). I am aware this will be different due to road surface, wind, weather, terrain etc. Any advice on the switch would also be hugely appreciated!

i definitely plan on keeping up with running and improving my method, I guess you could say that I finally caught the running bug. Still I have goals in other areas of my fitness life (that 50lb KB snatch will be mine! )and have to keep up with 3 rascally cooped up kids so cannot commit to some sort of rigid 6 days a week running regiment.

TIA for any help. Hope all have an amazeballs start to their week!!

janejellyroll · March 2021

There's really no right answer. You can decide that you'd like to get faster at your current distance or you can decide that you'd like to run for longer. Do you WANT to do a 10K?

If you're getting ready to transition to ourdoor runs, I'd personally focus on that with a 5K style training plan. Many people do find that running outdoors take more out of them than treadmill runs, so I probably wouldn't try to increase distances at the same time that I was adjusting to running outdoors. That's me.

Congratulations on catching the running bug.

spiriteagle99 · March 2021

If you increase your distance and build your endurance, your pace will also pick up. Your body gets more efficient and you learn faster leg turnover. Rather than a C210k, which went back to walk/run intervals, I did a One Hour Runner plan which basically adds 5 minutes to at least one of your runs each week. From there I began training for a half marathon. By increasing the duration of my runs, I dropped my pace and running got easier.

cwolfman13 · March 2021

No right answer...completely up to you. When I did it, I just continued on with getting my 5K time down a bit and signed up for several runs. I started a 10K program a bit later...never finished it though...decided that I wasn't really into running and had picked up a cycling habit instead.

dewd2 · March 2021

I think the best answer is to keep increasing the distance slightly each week. This will allow you to continue to enjoy running without stressing your body and mind and it will also make your 5k times faster. Keep going slowly and enjoy the run. Later (much later - months from now) if you decide you want to get even faster then you have to do some work. It is completely up to you how to proceed from there.

Good luck.

Duck_Puddle · March 2021

Another vote for more time/distance to build endurance and that will help your pace without you even doing anything special for it.

Whatever is comfortable for you (following a structured run/walk like C210k, slowly building a little time/distance, one hour runner or just a regular 10k training plan) will be fine.

My suggestion is that when you transition to outside, do so very slowly, and perhaps with your shortest run of the week for a bit, then add the next shortest, etc. Running on dirt roads will be much more taxing than a treadmill because the surface is unstable and uneven. So you’ll be using stabilizing muscles you don’t use on the TM (or even an asphalt road) and more effort for push off than an asphalt road/TM. So those first few outdoor runs might be tough. You might get a lot more tired than you’re expecting and a lot more sore.

I don’t have too hard a time transitioning from TM to outside (some do, some find outside easier), but going to any uneven, unstable surface uses a lot of muscles that I don’t use on the TM or asphalt road and that tends to be a bigger adjustment.

But...absolutely nothing compares with watching a gorgeous sunset out in the world while I’m on my run. Totally worth it.

Enjoy!

maroonmango211 · March 2021

Thank you all so much for your responses!! I guess mostly I was nervous about no longer having a program to follow and figuring out my running goals seemed rather daunting. Previously it was simply "I want to learn how to run".

I do feel like aiming more for time/distance might give me a better shot at hitting two birds with one stone, especially while transitioning to outdoors (therefore not beating myself up on pace, if having to do a slower time on uneven surface). Perhaps if I add a 4th extra run some weeks (happens about 50% of the time) I can concentrate on interval training faster paces with slightly slower jogs to both mix it up, and as suggested to do that on the treadmill so as not to mix it with the transition to the road.

We live in a GORGEOUS little beach town on a huge lake that comes alive with both beauty and people during spring and summer. We take our little pooch (jug = pug/ jack russel terrier) for long walks nearly every day even through winter so we're pretty used to the terrain of the roads and paths on foot, and hoping that will help a lot in switching to running as well though the poor stubby 4 legged one will have to stay at home with the kiddos. It is a huge motivation to aim to be running ready by the time it's nice enough to get out there and enjoy the sights and sounds. While someday it would be awesome to run a real 5 or even 10k with real people, I am enjoying the idea of being able to complete virtual ones this summer at beautiful locations nearby.

JetJaguar · March 2021

Depending how advanced you want to get, I'd recommend the book "Daniels' Running Formula". It has a variety of training plans for different distances, and your training pace is keyed off of something he calls "VDOT", which you figure out simply by looking up your current pace on a table.

Now I don't have the book in front of me at the moment so this is off the top of my head and some of the info may not be correct, but there are several color-coded 5k training plans in the book, depending on your level of experience. IIRC, the first is the white plan and is good for advanced beginners (finishing C25K should be enough to prep you for this). It runs for 4 months and has you running 3 or (optionally) 4 times per week, IIRC. I think that's a good place to start if you're looking to improve your 5k pace.

Finished C25K, what next?

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