Am I a snail???

[Dorne3086]

I am on week 9 of couch to 5k and so proud I have even got this far... I am doing if with my friend who is thinner and fitter then me....she has always been a little faster then me...I am super proud of her and me!!!! But now we have downloaded map my run we send each other our stats and she is running like 5mins 20 she even said today she did her first k in 3mins 30!!!!! My fastest Is 5.59??!! I'm just asking is she super fast or am I super slow?.....I don't want to lose the pride I feel big also should I be pushing myself more? Feeling confused 🤷‍♀️!!!! Only 1 run left to compete

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Hi Dorne, no you are an amazing runner on their Graduation week who can run for 30 mins without stopping...😊

Comparing your stats to anyone else is not helpful, you run at your pace which is perfect for completing the run successfully and injury free. You have one run left til Graduation and should feel incredibly proud of yourself...

Many people doing the c25k, including me, do not hit the 5k mark before Graduation, however by continuing to run regularly and building stronger legs it becomes possible to run further or faster.

Those stats sound very quick. This plan is training you to be able to run for 30 minutes continuous running and most people are happy if they get close to 5k in that time. That would be around the 6min per kilometre mark. So you are actually a fast runner and could steady it up a bit.

Please don't get hung up on speed though, its all relative and enjoy your running because you can...😊

Enjoy your Graduation run.x

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

I have run 100 parkruns since I graduated C25K - and only one of those was under 30 minutes !

[mfamilias Graduate]

There is no "ideal" pace to run at, and comparing yourself to others is a waste of time. Be proud of yourself - not so long ago, if you are anything like the rest of us when we started, you couldn't even run for a bus when you decided to start the programme. You should only compare your speed with your own evolution - not with other people. There will always be people who run faster AND slower than you. It's a journey, not a race - so enjoy it.

[jesseker]

I'd say your pace is pretty perfect - for you! To be honest, your friend is insanely fast...I have been running for just over a year now and have never (and will never) run a km that quickly. She maybe is destined for super-speed over a short(ish) distance, whereas you're maybe like me, and designed to run more slowly, for longer distances. It is so easy to get hung up on times but please don't compare yourself to others and put yourself down. Your pace is great

[GoogleMe Graduate]

I had a lovely run of 38 minutes yesterday, blue skies, butterflies, dragonflies, stone circle, the sound of a trickling stream, the moors almost to myself, happy Google putting up a grouse (ahem) No kilometre under 9 minutes and that is quite usual for me. 'Nuff said?

Speeding up may be a little project to keep you motivated after graduation - but that's all it is, just something to be interested in if you wish.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

Yeay.... slow and steady and very, very satisfying..my kind of run

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Listen to the replies below...forget speed...forget distance... forget comparison.

Your friend must be a very experienced runner to run at a speed like that after only nine weeks! All set for a 17 min 30 second 5K... blimey!

This whole programme is based on a slow... and steady... and structured ethos of reaching the nine week point being able to run for thirty minutes comfortably and having had fun

As the others have said, this is a journey, not a race.. and it is your journey... just run it and finish it at your own pace....

I smiled at the last sentence... " compete"....maybe a Freudian slip ?

Just run this for you and have fun too

[Millsie-J Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Blimey..... 17 min for a 5k???????? Is your friend a training mate of the mighty Mo?

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

Right now I am trying to break 1 hour at parkrun! Although I have indeed done that twice - 55 minutes???

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

On a good day I can run 5k in the time it takes Mo Farah to run 10k................am I slow or is he fast?

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

He is a freak - and you're not!!

[Funnyrunner Graduate]

I totally understand where you're coming from with this as I often feel worried that I'm not running fast enough but, you know what? We're all running and that's what matters. I am very slow, in my opinion, as my husband can do 10k in 42 minutes, whereas my fastest 5k was 34 minutes! But now I plug my music in and run at the pace that suits me, admiring the beauty along the way. Keep going, you're doing great!

[Whatsapp Graduate]

As others have said it's all relative. I can run a fast 1st k, but I pay for it later on in the run. Recently I have been working on trying to run an even pace, as if I start too fast I finish too slow and get a worse time then if I stay at a steady pace throughout.

Your fastest pace is good and if you were able to keep that steady, you would complete 5k in under 28 minutes. However, if you can't hold it consistently then slow down at the start and give yourself a bit in reserve for a strong finish. It is overall time you are looking for and by the sounds of it you will have a very good one.

[Dorne3086]

Thanks everyone! Wow this support group is so positive!! So glad I finally joined! Xxx made me feel soooo much better we are on different journeys and I am so proud of her knocking it out the park....I was just worried that I was failing but hearing all your comments it's clear that I'm not! Got my pride back ❤️ thank you

[Razouski]

5.59, definitely not a 🐌. You are doing brilliantly so just concentrate on the progress you are making. If I were you I would stop comparing Stats. I also wonder if her app had a glitch as that time seems very fast for a new runner. Sometimes my mapmyrun has a hiccup and gives me a stretch which I seem to run in no time at all, so the pace overall looks way too fast.

Many of the graduates on here would be pleased to be running at your pace. Smile and enjoy it.

🏃🏽‍♀️🤓

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

I dream of running a 5.59 km. Do I worry that you are faster than me? No, I run for myself and I love my runs. I watch the faster runners go off in events and I wish them well and a speedy run, then I quietly set off from the back and have the time of my life. We all feel the same as we cross the finish line probably because we all accomplished something. One of the best thing you can learn in running is to be comfortable with the type of runner you are, you will always work to increase you speed but just because it is fun to do so, not because of what everybody else can do. Happy running.

[Fiendarina Graduate]

I am a snail and resigned to it. Speedy runners have done 10K in the time it takes me to do 5K, and an entire half marathon in the time it takes me to do 10K. However, by gradually building up my longest run each week, I can now keep plodding on for longer than I ever thought possible. You're doing brilliantly, your mate is doing brilliantly, we're all better for going out running rather than slumping on a sofa. Don't let comparisons detract from what you've achieved!

[GoogleMe Graduate]

My Fitbit consistently tells me I have been for a walk when I've been for a run and I have to correct it. But if you look at the heart rate records for my 'recognised' activities, my walks, my runs, it is very easily to pick out the runs because, slow though I am, they are mostly cardio and the walks are not.