You’ve Finished Couch to 5k, What’s Next?

Congratulations if you’ve recently finished your Couch to 5k journey. You might now be thinking ‘what do I do next?’ But it’s important to take a moment and think about the amazing thing you’ve just done.

Back when you started you probably had days when you didn’t want to go running or thought you couldn’t do it. But you did, so give yourself a pat on the back. That’s an important feeling to sit with for a moment, that sense of accomplishment. It’s going to help you on your way to whatever comes next.

Whatever you choose to do next, there will be days when you lack motivation to head out running, or when you think you can’t do it. Remembering that you once thought running 5k was impossible will help you tackle those thoughts when they crop up again, in running and in life.

Likewise, remembering that sense of achievement and pride you felt when you reached 5k will help motivate you to your next goal.

So what IS next?

Only you have the answer to this. What is is that you like about running? If it’s the sense of achievement you get from setting goals and ticking them off then it’s likely that running faster or further will be the natural next step – though it absolutely doesn’t have to be if that doesn’t float your boat.

Running further

From 5k, the next race distance is a 10k. And while that’s double the distance, building to those first 5k of running is far harder than training for the next bit. So you’ve done the hard work and you’ve gained the basic skills you need. Now it’s just a case of building on that.

If you want to run further, I have a training guide for running your first 10k.

Running faster

You’ll have probably experienced people saying ‘You’ll be doing a marathon before you know it!’ and I really don’t think this comment, however well-meaning or jokingly it’s said, is helpful. It feeds into the narrative that the only way to progress is to run further.

Instead of focusing on distance, you might want to turn your attention to speed and improve on your 5k time. This is a good goal if you’re short on time and can’t dedicate more of it to longer runs.

I have a training guide for How to Run Faster at 5k and 10k.

Run for fun

It’s also completely valid to not feel you want to concentrate on running further or faster. Above all else, running should fun. And if structured training is going to take the fun out of it for you, then forget about it.

The advice I would give you is to think about joining a running group (like mine) and to think about consistency – setting yourself the goal to get out a set number of times per week can make sure you don’t take a backwards step with your running.