Advice

[BOWLER-21]

Just joined so hello to everyone, I am walking 5k in 40 mins dont know if this is good or not?? Any advice??

[Millsie-J Graduate]

Hello and welcome!

I would say it means you are ready for the C25k running programme.

[BOWLER-21 in reply to Millsie-J]

Thanks Millsie I have never been good at the running! but really enjoy walking fast!

[Midriff_Crisis Graduate]

Well, the thing is to start the programme and see how you get on with running. You might find you're a natural. At least you'll have the warm up sections nailed ...

[BOWLER-21 in reply to Midriff_Crisis]

Thanks

[MarkyD Graduate]

Welcome to the forum & it is great to have you join us. We're a really supportive, motivational, encouraging bunch here, and so you're in the best place.

Yes. It is really, really great that you are walking 5km. Well done.

I'm choosing to totally ignore the '40 minutes' comment as that's not relevant. I don't know if you have one or two legs, if you are 18 or 80, active or becoming active after years of inactivity. Does walking at that pace get you out of breath? Can you hold a conversation whilst walking? It is all about your performance compared to your performance yesterday, last week, last month. On this forum we try and not compare ourselves with one another as we are all made differently.

[BOWLER-21 in reply to MarkyD]

Thanks for the comments, I try to do the 5k walk twice a day, to get fitter and lose a bit of weight. I don't get out of breath and I do try to get a bit quicker week by week and will try to start to run after the new year.

[DawnRun]

40 minutes is an excellent time but irrelevant to jogging I think as said before.

Anyway, you could almost overtake joggers in a park run! I liked walking and I managed 50 minutes on my first 5k 'test walk before couch25k, as I had sat on the couch for years. I thought 50 minutes was a good time for a 'brisk' walk and it is. Of course jogging ,even slowly is a whole different thing. Don't push too hard your time will come down but you have to be patient to begin with, it will conversely feel so slow compared to walking but you will be making progress. I still struggle sometimes to overtake power walkers 'quickly', I feel like a truck driver in the middle lane of the motorway overtaking a truck in the slow lane.

[BOWLER-21 in reply to DawnRun]

Thanks for the advice.

[Newrunnerliz Graduate]

That’s fast for a walk!

I don’t run much faster than that, lift your heels a little bit more and you’ll be away!

Don’t be tempted to stray from the programme though.

I’ve been a big walker for the past 10 months and the running was a new challenge. Still love walking on my rest days though.

[BOWLER-21 in reply to Newrunnerliz]

Thanks

[ju-ju- Graduate]

That sounds speedy to me. How does it feel? If thats your normal walking speed then your running speed is likely to be super fast

[BOWLER-21 in reply to ju-ju-]

Thanks it feels fine,I could walk at that speed normally but would leave the family behind lol

[ju-ju- Graduate in reply to BOWLER-21]

go you... a natural... obvs

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Okay.. welcome.. off you go... Slow and steady and enjoy. Take your rest days..more walking on rest days too will be fine..or cycling..or swimming.. and then just follow the plan and keep posting!

[BOWLER-21 in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks

[KatyKaycd Graduate]

Hi and Welcome,

Like you I have never been a runner but have also done a lot of fast walks - not quite as fast as you but I can manage 5K in around 42 minutes. I started the C25K in August and graduated exactly 9 weeks later without having to re-do any weeks - I found some of the runs hard but think that I was probably a bit fitter than some at the start due to the walking and no doubt you will be too. Just make sure that you take it slow and steady and not be tempted to miss out your rest days and I'm sure that you will be fine. I now alternate walks and runs and, although I usually still enjoy the walks more, I am starting to enjoy the running as well and I am definitely hooked.

Good luck and let us know how you get on - you will find plenty of encouragement and answers to your questions on here.

[Duddles Graduate]

40 minutes is good - I am an ancient race walker and can do 5k in about 32 minutes but that is after years of training. I would say that you have a head start - you must have a reasonable level of fitness. You will be fine with Couch to 5k. I found it hard work - just finished it - and can not run much quicker than my walking times, but as others have said, it is not about time and speed, but about getting it done. (Mind you, that does not stop me - and others - always trying to improve your times with each outing.) Go for it.