Finished Couch to 5K!!!! Now what?!?!?

If you have a smart phone why not try the bridge to 10K programme? That is what I plan to do when I finish Couch to 5K.

Definitely go for a 10k. I found a huge positive change in how running 'felt' as I became able to run for an hour. I started to really enjoy it and became addicted!

if you want to go distance, then do the bridge to 10k. if you want to go speed, start over w/ your current running pace as the slower pace *not including warm up lap

You could do 5k to couch, I've heard it isn't as hard. Or you could just keep going, faster, further, change to trails, just have fun.

I'm doing the 10 k and I've already downloaded the 21K (half marathon) app for after that.

Plus on my down days (tues, thurs, sat) i'm redoing my 5 k from scratch to work up my speed.

Just some options.

Thanks for the ideas. I should have written that, at least for the moment, I don't have time to build up to the more than hour long runs that the 10K program would require. Since the 5K program topped out at 40 minutes (5 minute walk, 30 minute run, 5 minute walk), I could fit it in my schedule.

I like the idea of speed work. Does anyone have suggestions on programs/podcasts for that?

you don't have to do a program. I would say run a 5k 3x a week and slowly increase your speed over time, with maybe a longer run once a week (4-5 miles instead of 3)

I never did C25K because I could already run. But I've personally just made mile goals for each week and each run I make a plan to hold a certain pace that speeds up over time.

Congrats! How bout a 10K?! Just ran my first last weekend, and it felt great!

I did C25K and then decided to try Bridge to 10K but wasn't really feeling it. I only enjoy running for so long (I have the physical strength and endurance but get bored easily), so I had to find some other way to get my exercise in. I started going to Spinning classes in October 2011 and am addicted. I go 3-4x/week and run the other 2-3 days. I still only run for 30-45 minutes even though I finished C25K in October 2011. I think C25K set me up to have the endurance to be able to handle Spinning initially, and Spinning has majorly increased my leg strength and overall endurance (classes are at least an hour long), which makes my running stronger.

So my advice is, if you enjoy running, slowly increase your distance and/or time, and if not, find something additional to add into your routine.

Additionally, I don't know if you downloaded C25K mixes onto your phone or iPod or whatever, but I did that, and I then learned how to make my own. When I started Bridge to 10K I made some of my own mixes for that, too. All I did is take songs, create the voice prompts, and turn them into one mp3 with proper fade-ins/fade-outs and voice prompt placement so that start to finish covered one run - it helped me keep my eye off the stopwatch! Anyway, the person who set up this site tells you how to do it (and what free software to download, which I checked out on cnet before downloading), and after making a few mixes I got good at it and could put one together pretty quickly: http://diy-c25k-mp3s.com/diy-c25k-mp3s/make-your-own-mp3s/

If you have a smart phone why not try the bridge to 10K programme? That is what I plan to do when I finish Couch to 5K.

^^This. Or you can just start working on your speed. There are some apps out there that will update you on your speed as you run. However, if you want to increase your speed and distance, I would NOT recommend doing both at the same time. That increases your risk of injury. I have also started mixing up my runs by doing some interval running. I have an app that lets me set the interval lengths and number of repeats.

ETA: If you just want something to give you a little structure during the run, you could use something like the Nike + GPS app. It will remember your runs, and you can set either a distance you want to run or a time you want to run. Once you've used it a few times, you can challenge yourself to beat your previous speeds or distances. It gives you an update at every mile (time + speed).

Also, congratulations on completing the program! Repeating weeks is nothing to be ashamed of - some of those time jumps are rather sudden towards the end!

I recently finished c25k and in the same situation as the OP. I consolidated 5k running by making it a minimum distance when i run and keep upping the distance and/or time.

I was going to try bridge to 10k and downloaded the app, but I ran my first 10k a week or so after I ran my first 5k, and aiming to run 10k once a week, or just over as I also want to increase how LONG I run for as well as distance.

I think it's up to you..if you want to train for distance and endurance, then look at running 10k and beyond..or if you would rather work on speed, then work on speed...either way, a HUGE congratulations to you for finishing c25 and wanting to continue running!!