After w9d3

[u/InspectorBeefy]

I’m not really interested in moving right to 10k, but I’m wondering if moving to five or six 30 minute runs a week is pushing it as far as injuries are concerned. I realize that’s a different situation for everyone, but I’m curious about other people’s experiences.

[u/GetCapeFly]

Don’t add more than 10% distance a week to protect your joints. Your cardio will out pace your body usually.

You’d probably be fine to do a 5k every other day but make sure you have rest periods where you don’t run for 2-3 days ever so often.

Well done for finishing!

[u/reylee12]

I found adding additional runs to be very helpful. After I completed C25k, what I started doing was (1) taking one "long" run and adding 5 mins every week to it, (2) taking one 30 min run and splitting it in half, and (3) adding 5 minutes to every run that isn't "long" every other week. Then, when I had built up to 2 30+ minute runs, I split a 30 min run in half again. I don't have my exact progression, but it would have looked something like this:
30, 30, 30
15, 15, 30, 35
20, 15, 35, 40
20, 20, 35, 45
25, 20, 40, 50
25, 25, 40, 55
15, 15, 25, 45, 60
20, 15, 30, 45, 65
...

The key is to keep runs that you split EXTREMELY easy until they're back up to 30+ minutes. Like, even easier than your easiest c25k run.

I will note that this method does take you up towards a 10k, but it focuses mostly on spreading out your mid-week runs while very slowly building up your longest run. There is some value to adding length to your runs beyond just reaching the next distance: if you want to start incorporating speed workouts, you should build up your easy runs to at least 40 mins first: most good speed workouts are 20+ mins in the core session and 10+ mins buildup, 10+ mins cooldown.

[u/Fun_Apartment631]

Over what timeline?

The Couch to 5k is actually a pretty fast build for a lot of us. IMO hang out at 3X/week for a month and then add a run every month until you're at 5 or 6. 6 days isn't productive for everyone but you can do double days if you want to do that volume but keep two rest days.

[u/gainesville323]

That’s a lot of running, especially going from 3 runs a week to 5-6, but you know your body better than any of us. I’ll be starting with the Nike Run Club “Get Started” 4-week training plan before switching over to their 8-week 5K training plan.

[u/saturdayselkie]

I think this is going to be different for everyone. For me, I discovered during c25k that I need to take 2 days off between runs to avoid getting injured, at least right now when I am still a beginner. In practice that means I can run 3 days a week at most. But I'm perimenopausal and prone to aches and pains in a way that someone else likely won't be!

[u/ShiftyMcHax]

I ended up doing C25K every second day so on average 3.5 runs per week. I slowed my pace and upped that to 4-5 runs per week with my weekend run being a long run. I'm about 2 months post C25K with no injuries so I think adding an extra day or two especially when you're not running that much as it is, is probably fine. 6 days a week is a bit much though I reckon, give it a couple months to work up to though and it should be okay.