You're restarting C25K from Week 1. 2 runs/week: Wed treadmill (easy, zone 2), Sat outdoor (3am, main C25K session). Focus on form — mid-foot strike, short stride, soft knees, easy breathing. Log every run on Runna + Strava. Note knee/shin soreness 1–10 after each run.
Phase 2 — Wk 5–8: 5K Base
Complete C25K. Treadmill run stays easy. Sat run gets longer (25–30 min). Add strides: 6×20 sec fast bursts after easy runs. Apple Watch pace will visibly improve week to week.
Phase 3 — Wk 9–12: 5K → 10K
Sat becomes your long run (35–50 min, very easy). Wed stays moderate. By week 12: comfortable 5K anytime, one 7–8K long run done. 10K is a month beyond that.
Pre-run Prehab
Do before every run · ~5 min
Form Cues
Mid-foot strike, not heel Short stride, higher cadence Soft knees on landing Hips forward, not sitting back Breathe: in 3 steps, out 2
Apple Watch
Workout: Outdoor Run / Treadmill Run Heart rate alert on · Auto-pause on Sync: Runna → Apple Health → Strava Zone 2 ≈ 130–145 bpm (verify after first run)
Mobility
Post-lift Routine
All 5 · ~12 min · after every session
Wednesday Full Session
~20–25 min
Quick Reference
Strength Maxes
Pre-break Maxes
Current Maxes
Recovery %
You're at ~87% of your pre-break strength already. Muscle memory is real — you're not starting over.
Week 12 Targets
Deadlift
200
195–205 kg
Squat
153
148–158 kg
Bench
115
112–118 kg
Sumo will outperform conventional — expect 200kg+ by week 10. Muscle memory is real.
History
Recovery
Sauna — Gymkhana
15–20 min at 80–90°C, 2–3×/week. Best days: after Tuesday lift, after Saturday swim. Do not sauna after runs — heart rate already elevated.
Tell the therapist: powerlifter returning from break, now running and swimming.
Apple Watch HRV
Check HRV every morning in Apple Health. If HRV is significantly below baseline, treat Wednesday as full rest instead of mobility + run. Trust the data over the plan.
This is the best recovery protocol in the plan. Running loads the legs, swimming unloads them. Don't skip it.
Sleep + Nutrition
7–8 hours non-negotiable — managing a business, job, and 6 sessions/week. Protein: 2g per kg bodyweight daily. Pre-run (Sat 3am): light snack — banana, dates, or toast. Never run fasted after a lift day. Post-lift: protein + carbs within 60 min. Hydrate aggressively — Lahore heat is real on run days.