Hello, I was due to do a 20 minute run on last session of week 5, but instead opted to try a mile run and time it. I managed it in 13 mins approx, bit hilly at the end.
Thing is, I couldnt run any further, so walked last 7 minutes.
Would yo advise I forget distance, and just stick with the schedule?
I wanted to try a mile as its approx 1/3 of the 5k distance , but whilst I managed it, I was a spent force afterwards. I keep seeing figures of 30 minutes for the 5k, and I will be way off that.
Yep... take on a mile after graduation, you’ll be faster! You’ll also need to pace yourself in 5k... yes it’s 3 miles, but you just described a rookie mistake, it’s not the first mile you tried to run, it was the last... many go off fast and then die on their feet and struggle to get to the end, a slower first mile and faster last mile produces a much faster and more comfortable run.
Get some 30 minute stamina in... then you can go short and attack it as you have fuel in the tanks.
Also, only 10% of people completing week 9 hit 5k... don’t worry about the distance, that will come later... this is about 30 minutes of running and the fitness level that delivers.
Couldn't agree more with this. Today was my first ever 5k and the last km was my 2nd fastest of the 5.
I've struggled with too fast too many times and the end of those runs was hateful. Today was glorious being able to speed up over the last 100m where my pace was actually faster than the rest of the entire run!
Thank you, food for thought there, appreciated
No worries, at the end of this you may not be at 5k, but you’ll most likely be able to do a mile in 10.
Its quite a complicated business really, seems simple initially, but it isn't.
It’s also very simple... just one foot in front of the other 😂
Think of yourself like a car... your fuel tank holds 20 minutes worth of fuel, or whatever distance you can run. If you go fast, like you did on that mile, you burn the fuel faster, and so you run out. That’s why 10k plans make faster 5k runners... they have a bigger tank, but the engine is tuned the same.
my issue was more to do with only managing 13 mins for one mile, I didnt think I was pushing it, seemed more like a plod, but even though I could see the finish , I knew I couldnt have done anymore, and after 5 weeks, it was demoralising
I've been running over two years, doing 5k is 'normal' now, 10k is a long run and 10 miles is a recent accomplishment.
I am fitter than I have been in decades, happier than in many years, have more fun than probably for ever and have great 'chats' with lots of outstanding people here.
I run 12 1/2 minute miles 
It isn't the speed or the distance....it's the journey, taken slow and steady and with the great enjoyment of being free from "Couch Life"
Wishing you many happy miles in your future ☺
thanks John, but it seems like another dimension to me at the moment.
This sounds to me like a mental issue. You set yourself the target of a mile and half your brain was probably saying 'job done '. Your mind is your most influential friend or enemy. I would trust the program and stick to it, then start challenging yourself little by little with speed and length of runs after you've graduated.
That worry of feeling demoralised was why I made the decision to stick to the programme. It was frustrating at times because I had to leave several days between runs because my hip ached badly.
I also watched some videos on Youtube on how to run, that taught me a lot that help.
Two considerations here - there is the minutes per mile pace that you can average over a 5k run, this will vary depending on how much effort you put into that 5k run - an easy jog or a "throw up on the finish line" effort. Same thing really applies to a 1 mile time trial (which people often do as a means of tracking fitness level) - time will depend on effort level - but all other things being equal , the average over 1 mile will be faster than you can maintain per mile over 5K or 10K.
However this is all largely irrelevant to people tracking through the C25K programme - the goal of this programme is simply to run non-stop for 30 minutes at whatever pace allows you to do that. 
At 5 weeks, you are still a very new runner. As everyone else has said, don't worry about the pace, just get the C25K programme completed first. This builds your running legs (and lungs and heart and mind) and then you can work out if you want to improve your pace or go for distance - or both!
You're over halfway to graduation - well done! Keep going and you will see progress. Happy running
much appreciated
I agree with UnfitNoMore absolutely. It wasn't until the last 2 sessions on week 9 that I ran for 10 minutes after the 30 were up. I only made the decision to do that at the end of the run. I worried that if I did too much too soon it would put me off - I know myself!
I figured that a lot of research had gone into C25K and they knew what they were doing so I would follow it absolutely. As I said, only at the end when I knew I was okay did I add the extra 10 minutes.
Also, I run slowly and don't change the pace all the way through. Only once did I start too fast and it was only about 4 minutes before I slowed down!
I would stick with the guide until you finish week 9. I have and last week actually kept running for an hour (lost track of time in the music) and only knew that when I looked at my Polar activity watch.
I know I will never be fast as carrying to much weight at the moment, but that's another story, but when have looked at the results over the last month I can keep to just under 8 half minutes a km. That's on a 30 minutes or longer run so it's endurance I work on. Weekdays 30minutes and weekends is usually 45minutes for a 5k.
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