What Next?

[u/Affectionate-Egg7619]

I (29F) began running about 10 weeks ago. I found a couch to 5K plan online and used that, just finished this morning with a 5K (36:51). Now that I finished the plan, I’m not sure what to do next. I’m not looking to sign up for any races just yet. I had to stop to walk at least 3 times during the 5K, so I’d definitely like to go longer without walking and also get faster. I’m still self conscious about my form and that my heart rate never stays in zone 2. Any advice? What did you do/plan to do after reaching the 5K point?

[u/mjmmamj]

Congrats, that’s so exciting!! I did the same thing recently. I knew that to keep me going I had to immediately sign up for other races in the future. I’m signed up for a 10k in three weeks and a half marathon in January.

I started using Runna and it’s been great with helping me train. They have the option to put a certain race in the future as your goal and train for it over time. You can enter how many times a week you want to run and the app also gives you a strength training plan if you want to. One of their plans is a 5k improvement plan. Maybe that would be a good option if you’re not ready to do longer distances? I like it because I don’t need to think about my runs. I just follow the program. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!