Mmmmm. Miscalculated times

[Mullinz]

So I’ve Been starting my watch off on a 5k target hitting start when I start week 9 run 3 (I’ve graduated however I’m using that week 9 run 3 for guidance). So at the end of the podcast thing I look and think mmmm I’ve run 4.68km however a thought had been niggling me. That distance includes the 5 minute warm up walk and the 5 minute warm down walk. I thought, what I should be doing is starting the 5k timer thing after the 5 minute warm up walk so I did and now I’m averaging 3.8km. A long way to go to get that 5k them in 30 minutes. I’ve tried to run faster but after a few minutes I simply have to slow down. Feel a bit low about that. Do I just keep going that bit faster each time and does it, after a while become asked to run at a faster pace.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Congratulations on graduating, gradually your time should get quicker, it does take time to get that 30 minutes 5K, try the Stepping stone podcasts with Laura, those three podcasts do help with pace, speed and stamina.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

This is all normal. You’re amongst the vast majority of us who don’t run 5k in 30 minutes. So, you have 3.8km of endurance built... that’s a whole truckload more than when you started C25K, and those 30 minutes make a bigger difference to your life.

Now, imagine those 3.8k are 3.8 gallons of fuel in a car... drive normally and you’ll go 3.8k... drive fast and you won’t get that far. The key to getting faster is to first go longer. In your position I’d stay with comfortable pace and firstly start slowly extending one run a week by 10% until you get to 5k. Then celebrate some more (like I hope you did after C25K) before keeping that run extending while shortening a run to 15-20 minutes and running a little above comfortable. The long run will give you the bigger fuel tank, and the shorter one will get your legs used to a slightly faster pace. At some point your 30 minute distance will go up with very little, if any, extra effort.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Please read the guide to post C25K running healthunlocked.com/couchto5... which explains that you need to spend 75-80% of your running at an easy conversational pace to build stamina and only push for speed in the remainder, probably as fartlek or intervals.

There is no magic about this...........just get miles on your legs and speed will come, but give it time.

[Mullinz Graduate]

Fantastic. I’ve found those stepping stones podcast and I now have Laura’s voice guiding me once more. Brilliant. I had lost the structure of a podcast since graduating. Thought, well what now, just run (which I did) but with nothing there I’d began to think mmmm well that’s that then. Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction. Off we go then 😁. 🏃‍♂️