What was the maximum distance you ran in 30 mi... - Couch to 5K
What was the maximum distance you ran in 30 minutes in W9? Please round down to the nearest distance.
Please select one:
You run at a steady pace - distance is irrelevant!
Sorry quoted in miles rather than km. true distance was 4.4 km
I can remember thinking I’d failed when I looked at the stats, then remembered all the advice that said it really is 30 minutes of running. I reckon that demographically most of us are a bit older than maybe 5k in 30 minutes is possible to do for our ages/fitness levels. In 18 months of running since, I’ve done the magic 5k in 30mins but twice. I’m not that fussed though because I’ve found I’m ‘happy’ at between 8-12km typically. And a happy run is better than trying to beat a target that may make me unhappy!!
And lots of us don’t run on the flat either.
no me neither -my house in Italy is 230 metres above sea level, so I always run downhill and then guess what??? 
I know what you mean, I literally cannot get to my front door without coming uphill.
you get the bus back up?
Brilliant poll for new C25k runners to see.. we don't all reach 5k.. But we have just run for 30mins😁
This makes me feel SO much better. Thanks for doing this. 😊
It's funny, but I was looking at my c25k runs in MMR earlier today for the first time. No wonder I felt dreadful in W1R1 - I struggle to maintain that pace now, eighteen months later 
1 year later, and one spectacular fall off the wagon, there’s different types of running for me, running for distance, running for speed, running for satisfaction, or running for mental health, I can now say I run for satisfaction and mental health.
I run regularly 3 times a week and run 3k each time.
I wouldn’t have managed it with out this forum.
Good for you!
I had to laugh at the line 'why don't you try a run in the park" I'm running in Accra, Ghana. A town of some 3 million people. No streetlights so no night running. And daytime temperatures of around 35 degrees. But still managing 4.5 k in 30 minutes and striving for longer. Certainly works up a sweat!
I forgot it was in Km's that why I put less than 3. It is actually 4 km
By W9???? I’m still only running about 2 miss in that time 😉
*miles* not miss 😕
Two miles is so much further than those sitting on the couch, well done!
Me too, just over 2 miles. It's the 30 mins run x3 a week I'm more focussed on at the moment rather than the distance covered.
And me. But don’t forget, you are talking miles and the question asked about km 😊
I try to run 3 times a week. I occasionally manage 5km but on the whole I mostly run around 2miles in about 20mins. It’s a speed and time that suits me. Sometimes it’s really hard and occasionally I even enjoy it. I do it for health and as it says in my profile, so I enjoy a curry not entirely guilt free but knowing I’ll work it off over the week.
I'd thought that 3.5 km was rather slow, but I'm pleased to see that I'm in plenty of company! And I have the challenge of working up to 4 km. I know I won't make 5 km, as I'm a bit of an oldie. Looking forward to doing a park run soon too.
It takes time to build speed but you can get quicker. The key is of course to run for 30 and then for me it was to keep running until i’d run 5k (although probably a bit against some of the official advice, i was comfortable with that). Started c25k in April and My graduation run on June 12 was 5k in 32.09. I didn’t beat 5k in under 30 mins until the end of July. Running for 30 mins non stop if you started the plan as a couch potato is amazing. Never forget that. And good luck wherever you are in the journey no matter how far or fast you can run. You’re doing a great thing which you’ll never regret.
My tracking app says I did 7.7k that day - but it includes me walking to where I was due to run, and walking home again.
Reading the post I made after, and knowing the paths as well as I do, I think I did 4.75k, but possibly I should have voted 4.5k to be on the safe side.
That makes me feel much better! Though have only done one 30 minute run so far and am a couple of weeks away from finishing the programme. Haven’t voted as I haven’t finished yet but managed 3.85km on first 30 min run x
My first 5km non stop run was 35.35 and nearly killed me now it’s 26.19pb
And I prefer 10km runs
I looked my time and distance for my graduation run on 18 June, this was recorded on my old Smartphone which has a memory of 2GB, my distance was 4km 243metres. I bought a new Smartphone which has 64GB In August and I have ran a few 5K's since I graduated , my best time being 32.25 according to Mapmyrun on my new Xperia Smartphone. I took part in your poll.
Whoops pressed the wrong button in your poll, sorry! Meant to press 4k and pressed 3k or less.
Apologies
Very useful poll, but there’s a difference -at a very educated guess- between say a 40 year old and a 60 year old. Wish age groups were visible too. The group posts seem often to be from new runners, or speed merchants.
I measure my Parkruns on the Age weighting, as well as the time. Having started parkrunning at 43% I'm now at 53%, but still not under 30 minutes...
I'm 68, and I know I could run faster if I was 40. Just working out how to do that is hard. 😢
Thanks TOF. I ll look it up. We were a water stop on a Santa Run yday in Newbury, and there seemed to be a pretty strong correlation between age of runner and time that they went past, with some admirable exceptions of course!
I ran 3.72km at graduation according to MMR, which I thought was pretty slow, but seeing the results of the poll have made me realise it’s not unusual at all! So glad you did this IT! 👍
Now that IS interesting! Only about 12% (8.8+3.3) managed 5K or more in 30 minutes. I still have never managed that, 32 minutes is my 5K record. Good idea to graph this for the new runners, so they can see that they are alone (wherever they are).
Good idea! Not alone is what you mean I suspect
Yes, I can run a bit, but I'm totally <expletive deleted> at typing.....
I never left my wingman! I ran at his pace.
I did a 5k parkrun on W4R3 in 32 minutes so strictly speaking, in week 9 I only did 3.5k but on my own it would've been 4.5k 😸
4.49km and proud 😉
3.38km for my graduation run. But I was so pleased and proud to have completed the program. I never thought I’d ever be able to run at all.
On my graduation run I actually wanted to run 5k and that was the goal. It took me 40 mins to do so. W9R2 did 4K in 30 mins.
I'll never run 5k in 30 minutes, but what matters is I can run 5k and I can run 10k. That's a heck of a lot of progress for me in 18 months.
Hello there, not replied to your messages before, but have read many. I ran my couch to 5km on a grass school running track with just very slightly over a 1% incline/decline per lap. I used both Under Armour’s MapMyRun app and the c25k app alongside Radio 2’s Bob Harris Country to keep me in the zone, on track and entertained. I ran 5.05 twice and 5.13 on graduation day with only a 1% incline/decline per 400m lap. My brisk 5 minute walk warmup and cool down added a further 1.1- 1.2km. Unfortunately I suffered a bad wrist fracture whilst cycling to work, only two days after graduating. I had surgery to have a plate and screws fitted to fix the break and physio is helping to strengthen and mobilise the joint again. I had two 30 minute runs last week covering 4.1 and 4.2k and am hoping to work back up to the 5km mark over next few weeks. Consolidation over the winter months, and Saturday Parkruns in Redditch alongside some fartlek sessions with my dog on local wooded trails. Overall, I am not a “distance” oriented runner, but feel that steady pace and rhythm are what contributes to the sheer enjoyment of the ‘head rush’ as the endorphins start to flow. I sometimes find myself punching the air as the 30 minute bell sounds.......not terribly pc, granted, but all part of the feelgood kickback. Thank you people, couldn’t have done it without y’all.
Running The World Together, 5K-ish at a time😄
This reminded me how wrong my calculations were of doing my loops round a local pitch. 5k was 17’ ish loops not 12’ ish as I had estimated.🙈
I was just under 5k and while I can run it under 30, I rarely feel the need to do it. I do love running 12 minute miles and finishing the session feeling like I could do it again. I do short faster sessions and hope to put a fast 5k in one day, but if it doesn’t come I will be happier with the fact my long run will be going to 10 miles.
Never got close to the 5k in 30 minutes but just happy to be able to run for 30+ minutes. I soon realised it was not about speed but perpetual motion Slow and steady is the mantra - thanks Oldfloss .. it was a revelation when I finally understood what these simple words actually meant. Just completed C25K for the second time and trying to keep it going.
Program is amazing and love to all
Haha, it was so long ago I couldn't remember but being a bit (a lot!) anal, I've kept records and I found it! Amazeballs 😭
4k bang on 👊
I did manage 5k in 30 mins dead - it was my week 9 run 1 which I did at parkrun.
However, I would not consider myself to have gone "couch" to 5k. I was already pretty fit and active working out in various forms 5 times a week - I just hadn't run before. It's also important to note I'm relatively young (43) and have no health issues.
We are all starting from very different places so kudos to everyone who completes this programme no matter how far you run ❤️
Overweight, age 50 and I started c25k in August as a complete beginner having realised if I didn't do something about my fitness now I never would! I hadn't run for any length of time for over 35 years. I have done the whole programme - repeating weeks sometimes - and got to week 9 at the beginning of November. My main goal was to be able to run for 30 minutes without stopping but I am so pleased to see this - as I realised when I looked at a google map I had only covered 3.5! I like running in a wooded park with a stream and trees and some hills - apart from anything else I feel a bit more hidden as I go bright red - never a good look - but at least I'm now old enough to care less! I am hoping that the longer runs might encourage weight loss which I had hoped would be a side-effect of C25K but sadly hasn't been so far. Anyway - I just encourage myself by thinking back to the minute runs - and they were just as hard then as the 30/35 minutes I can do now. Great programme - but distance is less of an issue for many of us I reckon.
My week 9 runs were my fastest. I've slowed down significantly since I completed the programme - but still running 30+ minutes 3 times a week. Time to ramp things up now. I've had a little rest.
I’m in the most common group. That’s very reassuring 😊
I did 4.5k. I ran 5k three times a week after graduation and kept trying to improve my speed. Then I discovered running slower and finding my happy pace and going further. I am 60 now and am never going to be extremely fast, so I have relaxed more and have decided just to enjoy running.
Done!
3.6k. w9r3 I ran 5k in 36 mins
5.73 km was the maximum distance I ran in 30 mins during c25k. I've since learned to slow right down to achieve more of a jog-all-day pace for running longer distances. When I did c25k I thought I had to run as fast as I possibly could and finish each routine with a face like a fire engine! Nope! You live and learn...
I was the same!
I should also have added that I've only run faster than my c25k W9 on a few 5k personal best attempts since. Running fast doesn't go together with extending running distances (well not in middle age at any rate!). I went on to run 10k then a half marathon and then a marathon (stupidity or recklessness or probably both at my age - 56) but my long distance running pace is now about 6:45 mins/km or 4.4km in 30 mins. Plodders unite!
Ist time I didn't have any way of measuring, so I walked it later, and it was 4.45 km
Post injury and repeated programme I was 5.67km.
Just need to increase the distance now, I still can't get further than 6 km
I ran W9R3 and got to 4.4km so I voted in the 4.25 group. Delighted to be able to run for 30 minutes and the plan now is to build on that and increase speed and stamina.
It's reassuring to see that the majority of us don't get beyond 4.25K in graduation week (for me it was about 4K, based on my speed as I didn't have a way to track distance at the time). Six years later I still haven't seen the magic 5K in 30 mins, but I have found a lifelong love for running and all things active. Thank you C25K.
Good to see that I am with the majority in the 3.5k section. Be interesting if everyone voted as we are only a small selection. I just mapped my last run out on Google Earth to find out exact distance. I feel so much better for doing that.
Thank you so much for this. I’m just about to do wk8R3 and was starting to panic that I wasn’t covering enough distance. I’m 65 with arthritic knees so do have to be a bit careful.
I was appalled to have to tick the lowest category, and instantly comforted to see how chunky that slice of pie is. Onwards and upwards 😄
If it was all about speed or distance I would give up now..........but it is so much more than that.......
Is this an active poll that will dynamically update? Or is it closed to new data?
Used to do 10 k in just over an hour in my late fifties. Then with heart surgery, didn’t think I’d run again so 3.5 is a success for me. Now trying for 10 k again( very slowly).
I have to say, this makes me feel so much better about my pace, in my WK7 R1 this morning I only covered 3.31KM and I'm thinking to myself that there is no way in just going to pull another 1.7KM out of 5 mins!
6.75km but I was fit to start with from a swimming and cycling background.
The challenge was adapting to firing different muscle groups and getting used to a dull pain a day after exercise.
Delighted to have finished W9R3 with exactly 5k! Didn't think I'd hit it. Been amazed how well C25k works.
I am amazed at my age and history that I seem to be doing pretty well at running 4.82K in my final week. It would have been great to have two other polls alongside...age and sex. Cheers
With the limited option criteria available for polls on this site, it would be virtually impossible to create a meaningful poll.
This is very interesting! Thank you!
Interesting and certainly made me feel better about 3.7 km.
My goal now...get to 5k
Thanks for setting up the poll
This makes me feel much better, thanks!
Made a faux pax with this. I couldn’t work out how I was in the top choice when I run soooo slowly. Then realised I was tracking the whole session (warm up/cool down included) so I’ve now tracked my last few “run” portions and it’s 4.4km. Don’t think I can change my poll now I’ve voted but wanted to ‘fess up!
I think there will be many more errors.........it is only a guide.
Well done.
Great poll this. I thought i was the only one not to get to 5k!
My 4.5k seems very reasonable now 😊
Good poll for beginners, I didn't see this at week nine and was both pleased that id managed 30 mins but disappointed that I didnt make the 5k. It took me three weeks the get to 5 k then I was disappointed in the 38 mins. Two months further on im doing the hilly 5 k in 33min pleased to be getting round without the nag in my head telling me to stop (ignoring it at least now,) but disappointed not to break the 30 min yet.
But hey I know now that I will .
Runners, and we're all runners now are never happy with the times thats human narure. Enjoy the pleasure of getting kit on and heading out through the door...
Interesting! Presumably, generally men will run further than women (and younger people will run further than older people) so they are more likely to run 5k or over in 30 mins at the end of C25K. This has reassured me there’s nothing wrong with my pace and running for 30 mins is the important bit. Thanks!
I manage to squeeze through the 5k mark just and only on W9R3.
I feel like one of my biggest hurdles was forgetting about speed during C25K. I started the program hell bent on increasing speed and I've learnt it's not that at all.
I'm proud to be one of the 3.5Kers!
That was on my last run on the flat; less than this on the hills
Really helpful to see this. Don’t feel so glum for my 4K at age 54 now
See what you mean! That makes me feel much better!😁👍
Is there a way to change my vote? I carried on past 30 mins..
I am afraid not.
Ah no! 😩
If you read all the replies above, there are a lot of errors, so the poll is very much a guide.
I guess the errors even out haha! But hey having ‘graduate’ next to my name is rather exciting! 😀
This has made me feel so much better. I graduated last week and wasn’t as elated at I should have been, which sounds ridiculous as I’m amazed at myself for having completed the 9 weeks. I’m looking forward to a good few weeks of consolidation runs to see where it gets me.....
I'm just amazed to jog slowly for 30 minutes - I do not care about the distance!
3.7K
The last week of the programme I was running 3.7km in 30 mins.
w9r1- 4.53
w9r2- 4.41
Last run was 3.65k
today- 3.56
I should preface this by saying all except the last one were on a gym threadmill, so Im kinda surprised to see they vary a bit, although i do stress myself during the last 5 minutes or so and up the speed, which i can't really control as well, if outside.
i saw a video where someone was running 5k in 18mins so i was a bit disappointed, that at the current rate, id probably need around 40. but then i remembered not everyone is the same and the person in question is a former professional cyclist, so they have a fitness background and strong legs, whereas i dont have a fitness background, at all
You need to select the appropriate rounded down option if you want to take part in the poll.
i selected 4.25 as it was the highest ive done
Having just completed Wk6R3 3.2km in 25 minutes, I started calculating my likely finish time of a 5K. I used the search function and found this which I thought was brilliant and helpful. Thank you Tim for doing this 3 years ago and worth getting an outing again as for me was so reassuring to see this. I agree with others in the thread that there is likely to be a correlation between age and distance.
When I proposed this poll some thought it might be divisive but it has, as I hoped, proved to be very reassuring for a lot of people. We may say don't compare..........but we all do.
There are so many factors that can affect performance but the only meaningful comparison is with yourself.
Also bear in mind that many confess to having entered their figures incorrectly, so it is a broad guide and by no means scientific.
My advice is to keep reference to performance factors as minimal as possible for most of your running and just run for fun and pleasure. The health benefits will still accrue and injury risks will be minimal.
Fun should come first in my book.
Yes definitely running for pleasure first and foremost. As you say, keep running, keep smiling 😀 Despite some errors I did find it very reassuring though to know that most people don’t achieve 5K in the 9 weeks and the important thing is to accomplish 30 minutes of running and consolidate from there so still very illuminating. Thank you!
Great poll - very reassuring. My W9R3 was a PB of 4.2 in the 40 mins which included warm up and cool down walks, so I put in 4km... Not sure if that was right but I'm really happy to have run 30 mins non stop!
I am only 5 ft tall and have a short stride. Once I completed C25K week 9, I had done about 3.2km, according to my fitbit. When I increased my time to 45 mins, I managed the 5k.
