I ran 5k just to see if I could

[sawyerthedestroyer]

Okay, well, I walked about 1/4 of it, but the rest I ran.

I've been doing c25k, sometimes with the stroller, sometimes without, for the last month around my hilly neighborhood. I managed two miles in 27 minutes once; every other time I've gone that distance it's been over 30 minutes. I also have had a really hard time getting past the 2.5 minute runs, with or without the stroller. My last two runs were really bad, slow and I was completely beat, staggering into my driveway at the end.

Today I left the kiddo with H and paid a visit to the 5k path in town, which is mostly flat, to see if I could do it without dying, even if I walked most of it. I surprised myself, found a rhythm and just kept going. My time was 43:34, which is better than I expected, considering my struggles with just two miles around the neighborhood. And I wasn't dying at the end either, I felt really good.

I like running and want to get to marathon level someday. Considering my "success" today, should I just continue going to the 5k path and stop doing hilly neighborhood runs, or should I mix it up? Anything else I should be doing? I'm a novice so please talk to me like I'm five.

[Wines Not Whines]

Good job! I would alternate your path and still do hills every now and then. Hills make you stronger.

[ohiowan]

Definitely mix it up. Where I used to live, I was doing 7-11 miles most days, but it was flat--the only hills where overpasses. Then I moved to the mid-west and could only run about 3-5 miles because of the hills. It took a while to build back to that mileage (working on building it back up again after baby).

[katinthehat]

Hills make you stronger but running the same path over and over can be boring. Try finding new places to run for sure. Finish C25K, then move on to bridge to 10K or any one of the 10K training plans out there, then up to a half and a full. Easy peasy, sort of

[Deleted]

You are doing awesome! That is how I fell into running 3 miles, from just doing walking/running intervals. One day I was just like "screw it, I am running 3 miles, even if I am going at a snail's pace," and there I went. I would mix things up. I alternate between running hilly trails, my hilly neighborhood, flat pavement, and the treadmill.