Couch to 10k in 8 weeks - too much?

[redblonde]

After watching my husband in a recent half marathon I signed up for a 10k run in Dec. That gives me 8 weeks to go from nothing to 10k. I used to run but am currently overweight and old (55). Can I do it or am I setting myself up for failure? Any good running training apps? I've used C25K and liked the style but can't seem to find one that will do similar for 10k, just tell me when to run and when to walk on each run. I can download training plans but don't want to faff about with a watch while I'm running - it's hard enough without that. Any suggestions/support gratefully received! Thanks.

I'm interested in the answer too, after I did C25K I looked for similar to 10k but didn't find one

If you set your mind to it and have the time to train you should be fine, good luck

It is tight time wise to go 0-10km in 8 weeks. A lot will depend on what the time cutoff is for the event you’ve entered. There are 8 week plans online but nothing like the 0-5km audible plans as far as I’m aware.

Doable, if you're an active person. Hope this helps; marathonhandbook.com/couch-to-10k-training-plan/ If you read through the article, there's a schedule at the bottom based on the C25k training principles

I think the Zen labs C25K plan is 8 weeks. I would use this but in the weeks where there is more non-stop running (6 weeks plus), I’d just follow the intervals of the first session of the week but for a longer period of time so you’re going a bit further time and distance wise.

With 8 weeks, I’d definitely train to a run/walk plan and see how you get on.

I've done restarts of C25k where I've done one of each run, so that's one run of weeks 1-4, which are run/ walk intervals, the individual runs of weeks 5-6 and one run of weeks 7-9.

If you're generally fit and just need to remind your body how to run then 8 weeks is doable, but I'd be aiming to complete rather than focusing on time.

If it is being more of a challenge to build up chunks of running, I'd stick to a run/ walk strategy. I set an interval timer for repeated bursts of running walking. I've been doing this a lot to build up gently following an injury and my current strategy is to run/walk 75%/25% for longer runs and run-all on shorter runs.

Have an easier rest week half-way through where the milage is dialled back. Taper in the last week so you're fresh and rested on race day.

Regular stretching/ strength helps too. I do a 10-15 minute yoga session most day swhich helps with tired muscles and strength. Little and often is easy to fit in, easier to stick to and does a lot of good compared to more sporadic, lengthy sessions.

If you’re already fairly fit you’ll be ok, if not it could be a bit miserable

It depends, if cardio fit you might manage it but it’s not generally advisable as you can get injured if you do too much too quickly. Again depends on how overweight too, too much weight would be a no-no because of your knees. But 10k is a good distance, not too far, if you are already fairly fit.

It might be do-able but I'd be concerned about risk of injury.

When I first started running a number of years ago, I was really buoyed by my progress with C25K and started gradually increasing my length of run/distance after completing it.

Shortly after, I suffered a painful, long lasting muscle injury that the sports physio I visited put down to too much, too soon.

You may have no issues, but I think it's wise to be cautious.

To be honest, I think it really depends where you’re starting from. If you struggle to walk to the end of the road then you’re going to struggle but if you can walk 5-10k no problem then you’ve got a good basis to start from. I would be tempted to maybe start on week 3 of c25k and see how that feels. You can jump through sessions if they feel easy, or do them more times if they feel hard. You could also look at Jeffing which uses similar run/walk intervals even in races. Gym boss is a good free app that will beep or vibrate your phone to save checking a watch constantly if you don’t have a GPS one with workout set up.

Runkeeper have 5 and 10k programs. I used the 10k on recently which takes 6 weeks starting with the assumption that you can more or less do 5k. I honestly think you'll struggle to go from couch to 10k in 8 weeks unless you plan to walk a fair chunk of it.

Building stamina by brisk walking 10k goes a long way and is low injury risk too.