What pace should I aim for?

[Heather27M]

I've managed to complete the course and hit 30 mins but I'm only going just over 4km, is this really slow? How quickly should I be able to do 5km?

[Debston Graduate]

No, it's not really slow! I was covering way less distance in the 30 minutes when I graduated at the end of May. My fastest Parkrun (5km) was last weekend at 39:29. The first attempt at Parkrun was 46:59 at the start of June. So you'll probably find that you naturally speed up a bit the more running you do. I'm not sure I'll ever manage 5k in 30 minutes to be honest, and I'm not sure it really matters! ☺

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Congratulations on completing c25k you must be so pleased well done. Also don't worry about your distance covered, as you consolidate you may find you cover more distance . 😊😊👏👏

[Dexy5 Graduate]

More people graduate at 4k than 5k heather- that is definitely not slow. Welcome to the 4k club. 🏃‍♀️👏👏🏃‍♀️🍾🥂👩‍🎓

[UpTheStanley]

Probably slightly better than average, in fact. My OH graduated C25K running 4k in 30 mins, and is now (15 months later aged 62) running 5k in 31’30 with a 10k PB of 72 mins. You’re well on track 👍

[Elisabeth3 Graduate]

If you have even split, I e. You run every km in the same time frame, then 5k will be 37 mins 30 sec. That's not bad, and you are likely to improve.

That's 8km per hour.

[Hidden]

The only person that can answer that question is you, Heather. What pace are you aiming for? What pace would you be happy with? Because the true aim is to be happy, to enjoy it.

If that means speeding up, then speed up.

if that means slowing down, then slow down.

BUT, if you must have something to aim for... try faster than the last time.

[MarkyD Graduate]

Well Heather, some people can run 5000 meters in 14 minutes 11 seconds. For the stats minded, that is a pace of 2'50" per kilometer.

But hang on (you'll say), I'm not Tirunesh Dibaba. And I'm not running on an athletics oval track in Oslo. And I'm not Ethiopian.

Exactly.

Your distance in 30 minutes (or your time for 5km) is your time, no-one else's. It's only human nature to want to run faster, but it has to be faster for you, not some arbitrary target based on someone else. That is why I'm often a bit ironic on here when someone announces that they want to run 5km in 30 minutes. Sure, if you are running 5km in 31 minutes then a target of 30 minutes is realistic. But someone running 5km in 40 minutes is going to have to train pretty seriously to knock 10 minutes off their time.

So I recommend forgetting all about time and distance targets right now. Gradually extend one run per week until you reach 5km. Keep the other 2 runs at 30 minutes, and if you get tired or fed up and it is too much per week, drop one of the runs to 20 minutes or simply a 'short run'. That will keep you active but give you an easy run each week.

Once you can run 5km without feeling a sense of dread, then start to monitor your time. Doesn't matter if it is 50, 40 or 30 minutes (it will be 37 minutes in fact). Once you have a time for 5km, then we can help you with a plan to reduce it by 2 minutes. It probably won't be 30 minutes, and it definitely won't be 14'11". But I guarantee that it will be your personal best [PB].

So don't worry, enjoy your running and don't compare yourself to others... comparison is the thief of joy.

[UpTheStanley in reply to MarkyD]

Just brilliantly put 👍

[Oldgirlruns Graduate]

There’s no target H27M! The aim of the plan is to be able to run for 30 minutes at the end, a lot of people don’t get anywhere near 5k in that time - some never do but others go on to achieve it after they’ve graduated.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Great running. The pace you need is the one where you can talk... where you hit the finish line knowing that you could have carried on... where you don’t feel nausea and don’t need to collapse in a heap straight after... run these runs comfortably. Your comfortable pace will increase slowly just by doing more running.

[Decker]

It’s funny, I asked the same question when I finished to program a year ago, and the truth is its up to you. Your pace will likely shift a bit faster as you put more miles on your legs and your pace goals will likely follow your distance goals. I found as I needed to cross distance thresholds (5k,10k,20k etc, ) that easing pace a little helps you get more distance in. Pace can always come back with training. Good luck and congrats on finishing the 5k program!