W7R2 - completed but at a snails pace

[DavidW955]

Just completed w7 r2 and for the first time I measured my distance using the Strava app. The bottom line is I’m quite slow, I ran 3.76k in 25 mins. At this stage I know it’s all about building stamina and keeping going. But at what stage should I start pushing to improve my time?

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

Graduate first, the consolidate for a month or so. And during consolidation is always a good time to think about where you want to go with your running.

TIP: is it always safer for a beginner to initially focus on spending more time on than their feet (ie increasing distance) than trying to improve pace. BUT, there are 3 excellent supplementary C25K+ podcasts: Stamina, Speed and Stepping Stones - all highly recommended.

[newbie-nick Graduate]

I would say NEVER. It is all about enjoying yourself and NOT going for PBs. Distance will increase naturally, but if you push it you may find it is more counter-productive than productive.My mantra is slow and steady wins the day.

BTW, 3.76 in 25 isn't at all bad! Simple arithmetic would show that another 5 mins would bring you to 4.5K at 30 mins, That is VERY respectable and right up there for C25Kers at graduation.

Stop beating yourself up and enjoy running for the sake of running.

Stay safe and have a great rest of C25K and beyond.

[drun]

80% of your running should be at a slower pace and you should be able to hold a conversation and just continue to take it slowly your body will slowly adapt over time and you will notice the difference. You should by now have noticed the difference from when you started C25K. The aim is to get you running non stop for 30 minutes and you are almost there.

Keep up the good work.

[DavidW955 Graduate]

Thank you for these responses. I will follow your advice. I was concerned about pushing too hard and not being able to complete. So I think I will just focus on running time and enjoying the journey. Thanks all!