5K achieved - what now?

[Sometimesonly]

Hello. I just wondered if you could give me some advice on what I should be aiming for. My situation: I am late forties, have always been unfit, started C25K last Winter and now run a very slow 5K twice a week (40 minutes). I don't know where I should go from here - should I be looking at going faster? Doing something else? I am a bit worried because my knees are rather creaky (can I do anything about that??) My aim is too maintain fitness without knackering my joints. I am wondering whether swimming too might be good to increase overall fitness. Or maybe weight training? I don't like yoga! Basically I don't want to become super fast or super strong but I don't want to lose the fitness I have gained either. Thanks!

The bridge to 10k plan.

And then after that theres a half marathon one. I used runkeeper I think.

Well done 👏 I got up to half marathon distance a few years ago, did my first race and never ran again, for one reason or another. I am thinking of starting again though 🏃‍♀️

And I was around 40mins/5k too, same as you. My half took about 3hrs 20 or something 🙈

Time to run a 5k race them work up to 10k, or try another discipline like cycling or swimming with an aim to do a duathlon/triathlon....

It's worth building up the time/ distance as that is good for stamina that then helps with speed. Long term it's good to mix it up with different distances/ speed sessions on a mix through the week.

Weights/ strength work are a good compliment as they'll activate a different range of muscles and help to avoid repetitive injuries.

Park run starts again from Saturday! Give it a go and see if it motivates you to tackle any of i) get faster ii) proper 5k race iii) go further. Or just stick with it for the social side which is lovely.

I would try and get your 5k time faster before moving on to longer distances. I did this by alternating shorter faster runs, so for instance, it usually takes you 40 mins to do 5k, every other time try running for 25 mins, but faster than you normally would. I shaved 7 mins off my 5k time doing this.

Gradually up your distance. Is there an event you can enter to spur you on?

Thanks everyone. I must admit that running races or with others doesn't really appeal! I think I'll try and speed up a bit though by trying what @thevolturi suggests. Any tips for sore knees??

I too have done c25k, and am v slow compared with others (about 40-45 mins for full 5k). I run on grass in order to preserve my knees, and honestly, in 12 months of running I've had no issues.
There's a good NHS page I used last summer Knee Exercises for Runners to help build up the muscles supporting my knees.
I also did yoga for runners (with Adrienne) on my non-running days. I've kind of stopped doing that (just way too busy atm) but I do think the exercises made a difference.

I would either sign up for an event, join park runs or just aim to reduce your time (which requires running slightly longer and introducing other exercise).

So have a think about trying some strength training, Pilates (it’s not as “woo” as yoga).

Your knees are likely sore because you’ve got a weak core/glutes. Pilates will fix that

Sore knees can be improved by building muscle and strength - so weights. That will probably increase your speed and stamina as well.

Running is great for physical and mental health, but it’s also worth finding another form of exercise that you enjoy and doing that too. Swimming, weight training, yoga, dancing, Pilates, cycling, anything really.

Weight bearing activity and strength training are especially good for those of us in middle age, as it protects our bones and maintains muscle mass.

Swimming should help with your sore knees: building muscle with water resistance rather than impact. It's also fantastic cardio so will help with overall fitness and so help you speed up.

Just make sure you work hard enough to be out of breath.

Weight training. It's really essential for women as they age, and it will supplement your running, help you preserve your joints and keep your bone density good. It's also amazingly fantastic to be strong AF.

Also stretching, or yoga or Pilates.

Your knees are likely sore because you’ve got a weak core/glutes.

My physio says that most people have weak glutes - we let our backs do the work. Some simple stuff: glute bridges and bodyweight squats, for example, can help.

I found that running longer distances improved my 5k time. I just pushed myself a bit further each time. I walk on the days I'm not running and run three times a week. I do 4-9km on each run depending on how much time I have.

I'm 64 and just getting back into running after a 10 year gap ( got very fat and lazy in those 10 years). It has been harder this time around to get to 5k and as there are limited runs out from where I live I was finding it a bit boring. I really want to be able to run 10k again, just to say I can so I'm just adding a bit to one of my 3 runs a week, but driving a little way to ensure it is an interesting route and not my standard one,. I live at the top of a hill so the route home is very depressing! This morning I went to the local canal and ran along there, saw 2 swan families with 12 cygnets between them.
What has really helped me this time round is going to pilates classes i've always done Yoga but pilates uses more strength and really targets the core muscles - I've got a waist now for the first time in living memory. I think if you are not too serious about it and just listen to your body and do what it enjoys you could gradually increase distance and reduce times. For my next run I'm going to tackle a short steep hill (another one) three times in the hope m usual one will be a bit less daunting then.