My name is Jasmine and I'm in my late 20s. I've had a love/hate relationship with C25K since my early 20s and have always given up before W5D3 ("20 minutes, you want me to do whaaaaaaaaaaat?!"). I have gotten my health and fitness in order in the last few years and one day this year, I just decided to go for a run and see if I could run for 20 minutes. I could. And it's SOOO exciting. It's amazing what improving your health will do for the confidence you have in yourself!
I have now run 20 minutes (a grand total of) three times and I now know I can do it. I haven't focused too much on running lately in lieu of other types of training but I do want to get back into it since I love it. I went running this morning and it was glorious.
But. My speed is slowwww, currently about 7km/h. I think I can walk faster, ha. I have read that time is more important than speed but I am wondering what I should be focusing on.
I want to increase my speed but I also do want to get a good base and not do anything stupid.
Do I start at Week 6 of C25K and continue the program from there? Do I do specific training to increase speed? Is there any point in signing up for a 5K race now as motivation?
Any tips would be very helpful. Thank you so much, and happy running!
EDIT: Thanks to all who have replied. I have made the decision to go back to W1D1 and I owe all of you for the good advice. Thank you once again! Watch this space
Written by
shrinkingjaz
Graduate
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It would be better for you to start at wk1 and work your way through the program so you can build on fitness and stamina and strength. It's up to you obviously but I think this is the best way to prevent any injury that could put you out of running . Good luck 😊
I have already done Weeks 1-5 before but years ago. However, I am in decent-ish shape at the moment. I do weights and cardio and HIIT. I can run (jog!) the 20 minutes without too much stress. But if you think that going back to the start is the way to do it then I'll definitely do that!
You should start at the beginning because it helps so much with your pace.
I didn’t do couch 2 5K when I started.
Well it was 10 years ago but when I had an injury to my knee and was almost giving up I used it to get back to running and it was the best thing I did.
You say you have run for twenty minutes three times, but not whether you did all those runs within a seven day period. We are all capable of doing way more than our bodies are conditioned to do, but not without considerably increased injury risk........that is why training plans such as C25K are gently progressive, building stamina, conditioning your body to regular exercise while at the same time reducing injury risk.
I have recently restarted C25K from W1R1 after a five month break, gently rebuilding my body's ability and resilience, despite having six years of regular running on my legs. When I did C25k the first time, I did the whole plan, despite bringing a reasonable level of fitness to Week 1.
What's the hurry?
It is not a tick box exercise.
You are young and probably reasonably fit, so maybe you don't need to go back to the beginning, but to move on from W5 you need to have the base built by having exercised regularly for several preceding weeks, otherwise you will likely struggle and be at increased risk of injury. I would suggest starting at Week 3........yes, it may be easy, but it will build that base to help you in later weeks.
You're absolutely right, I don't want to rush it at all. And I definitely don't want to get injured. I am very much considering going back to W1D1. We'll see how I go
You could start from week 1 again but if you can do the 20 try from there . Don’t worry about the pace and btw 7km/h is not slow ! Even slow it down to run for longer if you need to . Good luck in whatever you choose
Thank you very much for the advice! I have decided to go back to W1D1 and I'm excited to do the program properly and let my body grow stronger gradually
Another vote for start from the beginning 👍🏻 you've had a long break, best to build up to avoid injury. The early weeks might feel easy but at least it won't put you off from getting all the way through.
Even if they are easy, it makes sense to do it and maybe even spend that time to focus on form, breathing, etc. I'm excited to go back to the start of the program
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Time to get back to it!
Time to get back at it! 
Getting back into the long run
Need to get back on track!
Determined to get back into running 
