30 mins done but very slow

[Upamanyu]

Hello fellow C25K runners!

I am one of the recent C25K graduates and the sense of achievement is indeed awesome. And I can so relate to other graduates when they share that they also dreaded the 5min run after a 3min walk, and from there, to have "survived" 30 mins of continuous run, is seriously inspiring.

However my moment of glory was very short lived when I found that all I could muster in that 30mins of "running" was a mere 3.5km. That's an average pace of about 9.25min/km. I did a 5K and it took me over 50mins.

Also I read the other articles and apparently covering 5kms in 30 mins is the norm.

Any tips which may help here please :).

Or is there anyone else is out there who is a "30min survivor" trying to become a "30min runner"?

Thank you for sharing your achievements. They always inspire a couch-lover like me holed up somewhere, to go for a run.

Cheers,

Upam

[MrFox001 Graduate]

Hi, Well done on Graduating and also on doing a 5k that's no mean achievement. I'm 66 and my best time for 5k is 34mins i'm aiming to do my first 10k tomorrow i don't worry to much about the time just the sense of having achieved something that 3 months ago would have been impossible. You are doing fantastically well your time's will get better for the 5K as you increase distance but you should feel very proud of what you have done so far. Brilliant!!

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to MrFox001]

Thank you MrFox001, appreciate the word of encouragement. I will stick to doing 30 mins and increasing the distance covered. BTW, I am 37 and I think your time ABSOLUTELY rocks! I wish you all the very best for your 10k tomorrow!

[MrFox001 Graduate in reply to Upamanyu]

Thanks for the good wishes i managed the 10k in a steady 1hr 10 mins despite getting cramp at around 6k first time that's happened to me. My Hydration and re-hydration are terrible though something i need to address. So just keep going you will get there.

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to MrFox001]

Congratulations! Your first 10K is an amazing achievement and at a continuous 1:10hr run is quite fantastic from my perspective. Brilliant!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Don't worry about your 50 minutes 5K, keep your sense of achievement being awesome of having ran W9R3 of C25K in 30 minutes, what I'm more worried about is that the word GRADUATE 🎓 is not next to your username, time and pace will eventually come

To get your graduation badge and the word GRADUATE 🎓 next to your username leave a message on the March graduate post in the pinned posts on the right side of the healthunlocked C25K home page and tell the administrators that you have ran W9R3 of C25K and graduated 🎓 🏃 😊.

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks AlMorr didn't know the name gets published! wow

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Upamanyu]

Healthunlocked March graduation

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your graduation.

This guide to post C25K running may be helpful healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

So many runners, especially just after graduation, are very focused on performance, whereas the majority of runners that I know who have a couple of years experience in their legs, are much less concerned. You will get faster as you get stronger and improve form and technique, especially if you increase your duration.

Keep running, keep smiling.

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thank you, I have found your article and the tip on conversational pace is very helpful..

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Chester01 Graduate]

Be proud of your 30 mins irrelevant of distance covered - it’s hard but try not to measure or compare too much. I’m not speedy either, I’ve got 5k down to about 38 mins now but a long way off sub 30. I don’t really care though, I’m happy that I’m fitter and running that far so taking the positives. Now you’ve graduated you can look at the odd interval training run to help you gradually build speed up. Good luck 😉

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to Chester01]

Thanks Chester01 !

[MarkyD Graduate]

Also I read the other articles and apparently covering 5kms in 30 mins is the norm.

It is certainly not the norm on this forum. Please see the results of Tim's poll:

healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

If you want to cover 5km in 30 minutes then you just have to run faster

But don't worry, getting out and running for 30 minutes three times per week is a major achievement. Whether you run 3.5km or 5km in 30 minutes, or even 10km in 26:17:45 (world record) it doesn't matter. Just run at the speed that is right for you.

[Upamanyu Graduate]

Huh...there is a poll. And apparently 3.5 k is the "norm". Thanks MarkyD . It's not so bad afterall I guess...loll

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Hi, I still haven't done 5k in 30 minutes but I'm getting there , honestly I am really enjoying being able to run for 30 minutes as I never thought it was possible for me when 60 seconds was a chore. I am going to try the podcasts next week one is stepping stone then speed then stamina so see how it goes . You said you done 5k in 50 minutes, you still did it so good luck on your continuing running 😊😊

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to Buddy34]

That's true though. I was just enjoying running for 30mins. I think I will do that for some more time. (Already graduated 4 weeks ago!)

[Tinker5393 Graduate]

Well done on your graduation. I'm nearly a year since I started and average 38 mins 5k , I really don't every think I will run 5k in 30 mins but do not care. My next aim is 10k , again will be a slow one when I get there. Snails rule 🐌🐌

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to Tinker5393]

LOL. All the best for the 10k! I need to knock off the 5k a few more times.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

29 minutes is the average parkrun 5k time. The average parkrun runner hasn’t just completed C25K, they weren’t sat on the couch a few months ago, and they have probably been running a year or more (some have always run, some are new, and lots in the middle)

C25K turns us into new runners... and then we can, if we want to, work on getting quicker. Absolute fastest pace you can achieve depends on many factors, age, gender and experience will be pretty big ones.

As my ultra runner buddy always says “5k is 5k” be proud that you can run it... and have fun chipping away at your PB... you’re in the minority of people in the country who actually can run 5k.

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Yes thats true. Completing the C25K is an achievement on its own. And suddenly I forget that running has not been a priority in my life ever. Thanks for getting that very imp point across

[DiscoRunner Graduate]

Although it’s called C25K it’s really - learn to run for 30 minutes - just not such a catchy title. I’m two months from graduation and yesterday I finally ran 5k in 45 minutes. I was stunned I did in 45 - was expecting 50, and next time it probably will be! It’s best to accept you are a novice runner and you need to get some miles under your belt! When you’ve completed C25K you’ve actually only run for a bit over 8 hours - which on the one hand is phenomenal, but on the other, not so much. We have to do a lot of 3x30 to get this distance comfortable. Then we can work on more - for me, because I like the Japanese slow jogging technique, adding duration to my runs, and for others, maybe you, speed. It took me 6 weeks of consolidation runs before I tried something more. Not long you’ll be achieving everything you want - but slow and steady to avoid injury. You’ll get there!!

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to DiscoRunner]

Thanks DiscoRunner...I have been doing 3X30 for past 4 weeks now and I thought maybe I am not doing it right. I agree its better to stick to that for longer till I get comfortable with running. Thank you for your reply!

[DiscoRunner Graduate in reply to Upamanyu]

I remember thinking after about 4 weeks - hmmm not getting that much easier (and read someone on here saying that after 10 it was still hard!). But then a couple of weeks later something just happened and it felt easier. I’d also changed to running more with podcasts (not about running) and choose ones long enough for my long warm up walk & run. Maybe I just started to get lost in those while plodding along, checking my technique now and again but focusing on something else. It’ll come, probably not too long but maybe a change of listening material? You’re not doing anything wrong - but if you managed all the 30 min runs over 4 weeks - you’ve run for 9 hours (brilliant!) and that’s just over what you’d have run on c25k. You’ll get there! Best of luck and happy running!

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to DiscoRunner]

that's actually quite a fantastic way to look at it. 9 hours of running on top of C25K. Really appreciate your words there. To be fair it is getting a bit easier. So yea maybe another 4 weeks of 30*3 wont hurt ! Cheers

[Jogalot Graduate]

I’m exactly like you were. Yesterday did my w9r3 whilst doing a park run. The most I had run in 30mins was 3.6k so yesterday I ran my 30 mins then walked briskly. Near the end my legs felt abit stronger so I did run the last 200m to the line in a time of 42.07. We will get there I’m sure eventually. At the moment my jog speed isn’t much faster that my brisk walk!

[Upamanyu Graduate in reply to Jogalot]

Thanks Jogalot . The key is in your name. If we jog a lot the body will adapt very quickly and speed/distance will take care of itself