Speed or time??

[Gem0903]

Hello

I graduated a week ago and have since been achieving 5k in 30 mins give or take a little..

So should I be aiming to run for longer periods of time or at a quicker pace to improve my 5k time.?

Many thanks for any advice.

[Rignold]

No idea. Which do you want to do?

Do you want to run farther or faster?

[Gem0903 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

Hadn't really thought about it till tonight..

10 weeks ago I'd only just thought about starting this adventure..

[Hidden in reply to Gem0903]

You don't have to do either. If you can find a way to make doing it interesting enough to keep going, then 5k in 30 minutes is just fine. All depends why you started C25k in the first place.

[Rignold]

Have a think about it next time you are out running. "Would I like to be finishing this 5k quicker?" or "would I like to carry on and run a bit further."

If you opt for further, you will almost certainly find that over time, you get quicker into the bargain. stamina tends to improve speed. But not trying to influence you.

[Gem0903 Graduate in reply to Rignold]

I'm liking the sound of that approach.. Save the quicker runs for when the weather turns bad..

might add an extra few minutes on each week and see where it gets me..

Thanks..

[groovyforster]

If you want to run faster then you have to push your body to run faster with track repeats. I've also found that as I increase my distance runs, the shorter runs become easier. For example, as I was training for a marathon, my weekly half marathon times were improving without even thinking about it...Good luck to you and happy running!