Is the 5k supposed to include the warm up/down?

[Tiggercnk]

Because I’m in week 9 now and there’s no way I’m running 5k.

[damienair Graduate]

At week 9 your running for 30 mins. Don’t worry about 5K yet. Warm up fast walk for 5 mins, run for 30 mins and cool down for 5 mins. In that 40 minutes you have done a lot more than you were doing 3 months ago. You can work up to 5K after you graduate. A nice way to do it is at Parkrun.

[Kalabria Graduate in reply to damienair]

Hi I finished week 9 last week . I did my first 5k run on Monday and it took me 52 mins so don’t worry just keep at it! Good luck

[ButtercupKid Graduate]

Yes, you can include your warm up and down - there doesn’t seem to be a rule about that. I do, some just include one or the other, some just measure the run. Entirely up to you. The majority of people don’t run 5k by the end of the programme - I still haven’t got much past 3k myself - and that’s not a problem. The name is catchy but inaccurate - the actual end goal is to be able to run for 30 minutes. So you can relax x

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Relax... if you can run for 30 minutes you’ve done great... enjoy the runs... the 5k will come when it comes, and for most of us that’s some time after the plan.

As it stands, with 5 minutes of brisk walking you’re at 35 minutes of cardio as the run ends and a bit more maybe in cooldown... that’s what’s really important here, that’s what delivers the health benefits and your fitness levels continue to rise for months/years... C25K I all about getting you there, and then you can decide where to take it... chase the pace over the spring and summer of you want to. For now, just stay awesome.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

If you look at this poll of graduates healthunlocked.com/couchto5.... you will see that only a small proportion manage a sub 30 minute 5k at graduation.

Graduation requirements are that you run 3 X 30 minute runs.

[MarkyD Graduate]

The objective of the program is to run for 30 minutes three times in one week.

Whilst "C25K" is a catchy title, it is not accurate. But "C2r430m3xi1w" is a bit of a mouthful.

[SmashedPotato Graduate]

Hi T I chose to time my actual running time on Strava (W8R1) and it took me 28 minutes to run 3K so I wont be anywhere near 5K when I complete the programme. Not a problem though as I will have been running for 30 minutes continuously yay double yay! I will then slowly continue increasing my time and distance covered. It is fantastic you are running 30 minutes now. See you over the finishing line. xSP

[DiscoRunner Graduate]

Took me 2 months after graduating and adding 5 mins in the last few weeks to one run - I finally ran 5k - in 45 minutes! The duration is key not speed or distance. Good luck with your next couple of runs!