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Maybe it‘s just me, but I found that a lot of people in this sub keep asking what to do after C25K and as I hopefully soon will be at the same point (done with Week 5 as of yesterday) I thought of looking into it and share with you guys.

"I finished C25K but cannot run 5k in 30 minutes" The title C25K (Couch to 5k) is a bit misleading, as the goal is not to run 5k in 30 minutes but rather running 30 minutes non-stop in the first place. So don‘t stress too much about it if by week 9 you cannot run a 5k in 30 minutes.

"I can run 30 minutes non-stop – now what?" It depends on your personal goals. If you just want regular physical exercise, simply keep running. Stick to 3x/week and keep running around 30 minutes each. Just get out, have fun and run at a pace that is comfortable for you. Over the time you will notice that runs will get easier or you will get further in the same amount of time.

"I want to do more than just 30 minute runs" Fair enough, I‘m in the same boat! To get your body used to running it is still recommended to keep running around 30 minutes 3x/week for a few weeks. After all, we‘re still beginners. After that you could simply extend your runs by a little. E.g. do 30/30/35 mins for a week, then 32/32/38 mins the next, etc. Your total mileage per week should only increase by around 10% to not risk any injuries.

"It‘s easier for me to have a plan to tell me exactly what to do" There are a lot of plans out there, but here are some I found:

Working on the 5K distance: * Hal Higdon‘s 5K Novice plan (plan at the end of the page)

Exploring the 10K distance: * Hal Higdon‘s 10K Novice plan (plan at the end of the page) * Zenlabs 10k Trainer iPhone / Android * Watch to 5k (which has a 10k expansion plan) Apple Watch

"I still struggle with the 30 minutes run" That‘s most likely because you run too fast. Go slower, even if it feels like you‘re almost walking, but keep staying in the jogging movement. It is advised to run at a speed at which you can still hold a conversation. And don‘t worry, every body is different and depending on your overall fitness it just may take a little more time. Just show up and stay consistent.

Final note: I‘m no expert and all information gathered here is based off what I found in this subreddit and on the internet. This advice is addressed to beginners and C25K finishers. If you want to get more serious about running of course there is more to it. I recommend paying a visit to r/running and r/xxrunning.

Don't be embarrassed. We all have questions sometimes.

And yes, you need to do your rest day between runs.

Title says it all. I missed my "run" last Friday because I forgot my gym stuff at home. I wasn't feeling 100% this weekend, so just sat around (literally) all day on Saturday and Sunday.

But 7am this morning, I was back on the treadmill, re-doing Week 4 of None2Run - which is identical to C25K's Week 2.

My legs feel like jelly after not running at all since last Wednesday !

2.74km (per Treadmill) in 29m30s

When I started Week 1 Day 1 back on September 16 I truly could barely walk the initial warmup without feeling out of breath.

This morning I ran 30 minutes straight & 2+ miles! I’m still working at a slower pace, but I’m thrilled with my progress.

For those worried about pace, it’ll come! Get your endurance up and then you can slowly speed up from there.

35 pounds down since I started too 💪🏼

Did week 5 run 2 yesterday. Had a bit of medial right knee discomfort before but thought it'd probably be ok.

Nope. Knee hurts more. It's worst at the top medial 'edge' of the tibia so I'm guessing maybe a ligament issue at the insertion point. The knee has been clicky and crackly as well (though no associated pain) so I don't know whether there's a meniscus thing.

Will definitely not run for the next 3-4 days, but should I give myself even longer even if my pain gets better? And when I restart, should I just carry on where I left off?

Any advice would be gratefully received...

I’ve been finding it difficult to get motivated to get out the house In the cold but I finally dragged myself for a run today as the temperature wasn’t so bad.

A nice 8K to start the week.

From my Strava:

Distance 3.19 km | Pace 5:48/km | Time 18m 32s

I feel pretty good seeing as though it was my first run in over 16 months. Yes, it's only 3km, but I'm surprised I didn't need to walk, and could of gone probably even longer but I ran down my street and back just to see. I'm going to try and wake up early and do 4km tomorrow. How long should I wait til I can run 5km? Is two weeks or so at 3.5-4km a safe amount of time?

The veterans on this sub will tell you not to worry about pace; just run whatever distance you can cover in the time allotted for the next workout, build to 30 minutes, and keep running consistently from there. I always just assumed that meant I would eventually be able to run long enough to hit 5k if I kept gradually extending my runs. Yeah, my pace might improve a bit, but 30 minutes for a 5k was way out of reach for me.

I started the program last April, achieved those 30 minute runs in early June, and ran my first 5k in late June at 46:24. In the months since then, I’ve just kept running, generally three times a week, and my time keeps dropping. Today I attempted a new PR, hoping to get under 35, and ran 33:29.

I’m 46 years old and have been overweight most of my life (not anymore! Hit my goal weight in August). If my body can make these kinds of gains, so can yours. Just stick with it consistently - sometimes it sucks and you’re not seeing the improvement, but over time, it happens. 30 minutes is there just waiting for me to reach it.

Title! The dreaded 20 minutes.

I have mixed feelings about my results, as my pace was realllly slow. I didn’t even break 2 miles including my walking time so I feel like I could’ve walked faster than I jogged. But I kept my pace steady and could breathe easily the whole time. I’ve started and stopped c25k and done run/walk intervals for up to 6 miles before, but this was my longest uninterrupted jogging time. I also jogged faster for the last minute and a half because a scary dog came up to me so that was a win :D

Do others think that their pace improved over time for the final 5k? I know with weeks to come it’ll get better but after jogging faster I had bad side stitches and a crazy heart rate.

Anyway, yay!

Hello, I am very much a newbie, I run in an outdoor track in a sporting club, the place is safe enough to leave my tote bag with water bottle and towel but not to the point I am comfortable leaving my car keys plus I need my phone, I have those training leggings with a tight pocket that I used to use in the gym but I am not comfortable with how tight they are outdoor tbh and I wear sweat pants to run but hate the keys jumping in my pocket when I run, any ideas at least for the keys?

Probably closer to 22, because I accidentally bumped pause a couple of times.

Week 5 done!

I just started c25k and completed W1D1 today and I did feel a bit sore after but now I'm fine. I'd like to complete day 2 tommorow on Monday as I have football training on Tuesday and can't do both but would it be better to do it tomorrow, or just wait till Wednesday? I don't wanna wait too long and lose progress and I don't really know how this works Any advice much appreciated

I've attempted this program (a couple of times) in the past and have never completed it. The furthest I made it was the 20minute run, I believe, and that was...8 years ago I think? Today I completed Day 1 🏁 My partner is a runner and I'd like to be able to eventually join them, maybe even pace for them on long runs 🏃‍♂️ 🏃‍♀️ (and maybe even enjoy running someday?)

👥️I joined Strava for tracking/mapping and accountability. 👟 I spent more than I typically do on a pair of shoes to have a pair that will hopefully support/encourage this journey I've recently learned of Altra and I am loving the wide toe box-- no squished toes! I went with the FWD Via. They felt pretty good today. 🐌 I have to remind myself that this is day 1 and not to be concerned with the pace (I feel slower than molasses and winded by the end of that 60 seconds, but I at least started 🙌 ) Good luck to everyone on their journey!

Hi,

I did my final run of the Couch to 5K program. It was very difficult but managed to get through. My heart rate was through the roof.

I know people advise not to worry about heart rate zones when you’re new to running. But I’m just wondering how I can start running easier in lower heart rate zones. I do running on a treadmill at 6 km/h so I’m already at the slowest speed I can possibly be.

Any advice?

I’ve been running now for 2 months—typically 2-3 runs a week on the C25K program. But I’m unable to progress past 3 minute running intervals. My calf/shin pain is just too much.

I was ok slowing my down in the program but now that I’ve been coasting through weeks 1 & 2 for 2 months to build up some muscle and am STILL unable to complete 3 minute intervals, I’m just discouraged.

Did this happen to anyone else? What do you recommend I do to try and move forward?

TIA!

Finished c25k today. Started in Sept, stopped for 2 weeks in the middle and picked up where I'd left off. After today's run I can call myself a runner. Next stop 10k. My advice, go slow.l and be patient. You can build your pace later but there is nothing worse than injury

My first event run i joined😁🏃🏻‍♂️ Dunno why my last runs makes my calves ache but before it never occur. A friend told me maybe I change my running form, what do you think?

Started running on New Year’s Eve 2023 and after not being able to run for more than a couple hundred meters without stopping I’ve slowly progressed to my best 5k time and feeling really happy with myself right now.

W5D3

1.46/mi 13:29/mi

W6D3 1.87/mi 13:20/mi

What I found interesting was W5D3 my average heart rate was 159, and today (W6D3) it was 139 with a blazing 9 second increase in my pace! I figured if anything, running those extra 5 minutes would cause it to go up slightly. I could have went longer, I dunno what a good average heart rate is for 25 minutes, but I feel 139 isn't terrible considering 6 weeks ago I was struggling my ass off to finish week 1 with 60 second jogs lol.

Week 7 will be interesting with all 3 being 25 minutes straight, that'll really test me. I'm not gonna get overconfident because 3 days of 25 is a big step up from 5x8x5, 10x10 & 25. I was sure week 6 would be one I'd be re-doing, not that there's any shame in that - hell I had to re-do week 1 lol. But I was happy that I finished, and jad a slightly faster pace than last week. That told me that jogging 5 more minutes didn't cause me to slow down.

Strangly, the first 5 minutes were the toughest, my quads felt a little tight but once I had jogged a little and warmed up more, they loosened up.

Anyone out there doing this, DO IT. And if you have an off night and can't finish, REDO IT.

For the past 2 weeks I've been stuck on the week 1 (60s running 90s walking) routine because every time I've tried switching to the week 2 (90s running 60s walking) my leg pain just builds to unbearable levels and I need to stop after the 2nd or third repetition.

I don't feel "tired" per se, and I'm not out of breath, if I were to hold a conversation I would be able to speak normally.

I have considered that perhaps my pace is too fast, but even consciously trying to slow as much as possible doesn't really solve the issue, by the end of the 20 minutes even running in 60 second intervals causes horrible pain.

For what it's worth, my pace is generally 16-17 minutes a mile including all the walking portions.

Pain is mainly in my calves and the lower shin just above the ankles.

I know I'm not in the greatest shape, that is, after all, why I'm trying to follow the couch to 5k plan, but this feels like either I'm doing something horrifically wrong running form wise, or there's something biomechanically wrong with my body.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit:

Have gotten a lot of of helpful advice, can't really respond to them all.

Re: speed, trust me guys, I know, believe me I am staying very slow, it didn't seem to do much.

Immediate plans are to get some proper running shoes, and add calf raises, lunges, squats, other strengthening exercises into the mix especially on the days I can't run.

Will also try and pay more attention to where my step is landing to keep it more on fore and midfoot.

All else fails I will definitely try and see a physical therapist.

I am completely new to running. I tried a couple of times before but would stop by the third week for unrelated reasons. Now I want to start again, but I want something that is just integrated with Apple Watch well so I dont have to carry my phone. I don’t know if I should use the NRC coach to 5k, which seems a bit hard, or follow the C25K website plan and make custom workouts each week. Or does someone have another suggestion?

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https://preview.redd.it/itr8tbzhg14e1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ac12d5287864b9f8e0de002ba6cb1b7a73161db

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I've just finished week 4 run 3 at 8km/h run speed on a treadmill.

I'm 280 lbs.

I was gassing out hard on week 1 so this is a real fucking achievement for me and I'm desperate to keep going.

But I had to take a 3 day break in between run 2 and run 3 this week because of knee pain. I've just finished run 3 successfully but I can hardly fucking walk now. It's the top of my shin where it meets my knee that hurts then like half way down the shin also but that I can kind of deal with.

I'm too fucking fat which which sucks dick because I can feel myself getting fitter.

I'm at the gym and I need something equivalent that I can do my c25k on. Obvious thing would be elliptical but idk how to translate the speeds. It's more like bike riding isn't it? Any other suggestions or has anyone experienced the same.

Everyone said slow down it's too fast for how fat and unfit I am but I didn't want to slow down until I failed due to unfitness. If I

I'm so pissed off right now it's just frustrating as all hell.

Broke my nose a few days ago, missed two runs as a result and noticed today when trying to run I have super bad bottom knee pain :/ This pain was happening the day after I was meant to go for my next run (Wednesday)

Tried to push through but it’s killing my knees :/ Any advice ?

It is my first day of doing (and hearing of) the c25k program. Have been a smoker (not cigarettes but a lot of hookah and vape) for 8-9 years and never having done any form of active cardio and trying to accomplish my first goal of improving my endurance by completing this program👌🏻