I wonder who else is using a Garmin watch with a run program to try to fine-tune their training for a 'race' ?
Although I was pleased with a 22minute 5k I realise I'm not 24 anymore and need to get leaner and stronger to go faster. I still enjoy running in my 50s.
Pacing is really tricky when you're trying to get a pb - I made the classic mistake of going off too quickly and paying the price in the 3rd mile.
Frankly I think most people on here, regardless of age, would be over the moon with a 22 minute 5k!
If I can do it then anyone can. Coach Greg is fantastic. Garmin's adaptive training plans really work. I wish they did one for cyclists.
I can do a 22 minutes 5K....on my BIKE, you are an athlete despite your username.
I'm pretty sure I couldn't! I don't enjoy training and running a fast 5k isn't my priority. I'm a kid at heart and my preference is for long hilly trails. Each to their own. 😀
My current PB for 5km is 27'07". I'd be ecstatic to do a 22 minute 5km!
At the end of August last year I injured myself trying to achieve 5km in 30 minutes.
I gave up trying to speed up and went for duration and distance instead. The speed improvements came incidentally with my increasing fitness.
I have a feeling I'll never improve on my current 5K PB. Thing is, if I'm feeling good during a run, I'm more likely to go looking for extra elevation and/or off-road interest, than to speed up. Am thinking I need to buy road shoes as well as trail ones in the not-too-distant future. I love my Cascadias and feel I'm being cruel to them making them run on roads!
It's strange, I do now seem to have power on hills, and often overtake fellow runners on the steep S shaped climb about three quarters round the parkrun course. I then pay for it for the next 100m on the flat (in the Rose Garden with no roses).
I am now appreciating the longer runs lots more.
Pacing is so important on a park run - I usually get it wrong heading off too quickly after an adrenalin surge at the start. I wish I could pass people going up hill - I'm too heavy for that at 84kgs. Aiming to get down to 70kgs training for a 1/2 marathon to be quicker and more relaxed.
I'm currently 70kg. I was 82kg in May last year. Coincidentally, I ran a HM just this morning.
That's really good going. I'll try to emulate your weight loss over time.
It wasn't particularly difficult. Essentially I cut out biscuits and other "snacks between meals" and ran regularly.
In spring 2020 after lockdown I'd become a bit of a couch potato. My weight had been sitting around the 79kg mark for a year or two before that, and I was starting to develop a spare tyre. Lockdown added another 3kg.
I started C25K (properly, at the third attempt) in late June 2020 and gradually lost the kilos over the following months.
I hit a plateau at 75kg (which I was happy to reach) just before Christmas, didn't put anything on over the festivities, then started losing weight again when I progressed to running more than an hour at a time in spring this year.
I don't particularly want to lose any more!
I was surprised to find that I was able to overtake some people on the serious climbs in the maratrail. From about 25km onwards I did a lot of stepping aside to let others pass me on the steeper or uneven downhills, I'd slowed to protect my knee and I didn't want to get in the way of those who were looking for a time, not just to finish.
It's really important to have comfortable shoes that protect you. My friend Simon ruined his knees as he's too tight-fisted to buy new ones. Don't make that mistake. If you do a few squats then your run time will improve. Check out Flora Beverley and 'Ben is Running' on YouTube - both excellent sources of advice.
I recently changed my shoes. Same model as before. They're extremely comfortable but provide very little protection. (See my profile banner for photo.)
Thanks for taking the time to reply and advise.
I agree re shoes, but obviously wasn't clear in my comment. I do have recent, comfortable, properly-fitted shoes, which are well-suited to the trails that I love to run. However, I'm considering road shoes as well because they might be more suitable for some other future projects that I'm considering.
As I said before, improving my 5k time really isn't important to me. I rarely go out to run 5k, and my PB (from memory, a smidge over 25 minutes) was set accidentally during the second half of a 10k!
I completely understand that many other runners, perhaps a majority, are interested in training and techniques to help them run faster. I'm just not one of them. I'm fortunate to live in beautiful mid-mountain countryside, and I enjoy distance running, where I can take the time to appreciate my surroundings, and challenge myself on varied, sometimes technical terrain.
Happy running!
I don’t use the Garmin plans but I have been known to obsess over the data and improving my speed. 😬 I have used plans twice for upcoming races and both times I have ended up with an injury. I’m now in the process of trying to tune into my body a lot more and backing off when needs be. I’m also learning to adapt the plans as none of them really account for age. Just be careful as you hunt down those faster paces and good luck. 👍
I’ll be back on the Garmin 5k plan next week, all being well, after a week’s break resting a knee complaint.
I’m following Coach Greg too, and really impressed with how it’s been presented (he’s got a good website too if you haven’t found it yet).
I paused the plan during week 4 of 11, don’t yet know how it will reset when I resume it tomorrow.
My motivation seems similar to yours, though I’m about 10 years older and two minutes slower. 🙂
Weirdly I found I became a quicker runner when I did more cycling. It seems it gives the body more time to recover while still giving a good workout. Good luck resuming today.
Treadmill/Garmin Calibration Run 
C25K as interval training coach
Calling Coach Bennett fans...
parkrun and (not)parkrun
Garmin Recommendations
