Kateliterally

Today I Learned: resting helps recovery! I am definitely a preacher, not a practicer when it comes to good running habits. I work a crazy job and have a really unpredictable lifestyle. Some days I'm home at 6.30; sometimes that's 9; very occasionally it's 11. I'm out the door by 8; but sometimes by 6. I'm also sometimes just too tired to exercise when I get home, so one of the things I love about c25k is that I can decide to run when I want to. If it suits, I can run two days in a row and then take 3 days off etc. BUT there is a reason you need to rest- recovery! I was an avid runner until I injured myself a year ago so I always think I know my body best. Last week, I did wk4 in 4 days. It was really tough by the last day; I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do wk 5. I came in from work and said I wanted to run for the third day in a row and my girlfriend told me not to. She told me to just rest, get a good sleep, and stretch my legs. So Friday, I rested. Saturday, I rested. Sunday, I did wk5d1 and it was a breeze! Easiest run I'd had in two weeks! Tl; dr. Rest and you might find running gets easier

You may not want to! Springing up from each step is good running technique if it's excessive though, there are a few tips. Essentially, you want to run like an old man - take shorter steps, but faster (this is increasing your turnover rate); make sure you're as relaxed as you can be while maintaining good posture; slow down if you need to, in order to perfect your technique! (You can speed up when you're happy with your style)

My goal is to run a 25 minute 5km! My mini goals are to finish the c25k program injury-free and to work up to running 20 km a week (4 times a week).

The most logical time for me to work out is in the morning- I often work late and my partner doesn't, so evenings are the only time I really see her. In the morning, in theory, I can get up as early as I want, and fit in running, showering and breakfast before work. But mornings suck so bad. I find it hard to get moving and running seems so much harder! Any tips?

Wk4d2 and it was HARD today!

I'm on week 4 and am slowly getting back into the rhythm of running. I've been focussing on technique and stamina, but I've been feeling good. My plan is to pause the program after week 8 and focus on speed for a few weeks before I move on - not least because I'm prone to injury and want to make sure I'm building muscle! Any speed exercise recommendations? My old fallback is sprint intervals, but I'm interested in new suggestions!

Awesome! That's great

I have to run on the road, but I'm desperate to find a track or some grass- my poor joints!

Hey, I've had this when I've been puffing in the past. Try to keep good posture - my physio said to push your chest out (instead of pushing your shoulders back) and to keep your chin up! Obviously if it's ongoing, go see a doc!

Hey, I've had this when I've been puffing in the past. Try to keep good posture - my physio said to push your chest out (instead of pushing your shoulders back) and to keep your chin up! Obviously if it's ongoing, go see a doc!

It's intended! Helps avoid injury and give your body time to build muscles

I just did w3d2. Same story- I've been off running for about a year and a half after a stress fracture. Had been running 20km 3x a week! Now I'm back to basics again. Lots of twinges but nothing too bad yet! Feeling fine about my runs but not feeling fit again yet!

Congrats and good luck!

Does the 10k pro sync with any other apps?

First off, if you're in pain, rest and see a doctor. Other things to consider: supportive shoes, running on grass, swimming or floating to take pressure off your joints.

On the sore legs, maybe invest in some slightly more supportive shoes? Not like super pricey ones, but chain stores often do cheap ones. If that's out of your price range, try ice and heat! Even just heat will relax your muscles a bit.

The pro version gives you a distance but I think it might be estimated

Hey, so this one is a personal thing- and a bit of a cautionary tale. I would recommend resting at least one day, or just walking, for two reasons: 1) if you weren't active before starting C25K, you can injure yourself by doing too much too soon. Not just by tripping or something, but the slow cumulative injuries - I thought stress fractures were something that happened to other people, but last time I did these programs, I got up to running a half marathon and then broke my foot. A year later, I'm starting from the very beginning again! 2) you might burn out! If you train too much, you might get tired and then instead of a rest day, it's a rest month. If you don't wanna break, that's cool too! Just pay attention to how you feel and remember that even if you took 2 weeks off, you lose less than 5% of your fitness. So you're better to take breaks when you're tired, than to run and hurt yourself.